Ch.90Crescendo (5)

The sky, once stained pitch-black, gradually reclaims its light.

As the dark paint that had covered the heavens fades away, Theorad exhales softly at the sight of the blue sky emerging beneath.

Crumbling statues and gargoyles slowly collapse as light spreads outward from the duke’s mansion.

“…It seems Lord Evan succeeded.”

“I nearly died right here.”

Kaisel mutters, brushing back his hair matted with sweat and blood.

The gargoyles—monsters that wouldn’t die no matter how many times they were cut—had nearly killed him. A chill runs down his spine at the memory.

It was completely different from facing dark mages.

Enemies that regenerated and rose again no matter how many times they were cut or shattered.

As Kaisel collapses to the ground, having completely exhausted his mana and given up on even supporting his body,

Theorad wipes the blood streaming down his head and turns his gaze toward the top of the duke’s mansion.

…He was certain he had felt Evan Fried’s mana disappear,

but now he could no longer sense Biltain’s mana.

Moreover, the purity of this mana—surely it couldn’t be handled by anyone who wasn’t a Master.

The necklace that fell from the sky, and the expression Evan Fried had shown.

Having easily deduced the reason, Theorad eventually let out a bitter laugh.

Had Biltain finally provoked his wrath?

If the darkness that had stained the sky was his domain, he might have thought he had a chance,

but in the end, what ultimately stained this area was a dazzlingly brilliant light.

A Master—a being who could stain the world with their own color.

Watching the darkness that had blackened the duke’s mansion lift, now returning to its original color, Kaisel quietly caught his breath.

Strangely, he felt nothing about the gap between them widening further.

Perhaps it was because the difference had become so vast that he couldn’t even comprehend it.

This battle had taught him many things.

Someday… he too would reach that realm. Thinking of something that must be somewhere in the imperial storehouse,

Kaisel quietly gazed at the edge of the duke’s mansion. The tip of the radiance where colors spread like watercolors.

Perhaps now, what Evan Fried and Airin Yuris had wished for would come true.

It was quite pleasant just to imagine, and Kaisel quietly smiled to himself.

#

Biltain remained silent. With not even a bit of strength left in his body,

he tried to move his twitching fingers, but soon realized that looking up at the sky was all he could manage.

Where exactly had it gone wrong? He had been exposed to dark magic since he was very young.

Tempted by the promise of transcending human limitations, he had followed his father and made a contract with a dark mage—that was probably the beginning.

Biltain recalled memories of the past and smiled faintly.

But in the end, hadn’t he been defeated? Looking at the green eyes staring at him, Biltain spoke softly.

“…You must be pleased. Now everything will go according to your wishes. Rising to Master at such a young age, and now having defeated the Romans, one of the five great houses. Go ahead and laugh, I don’t have enough strength left to blame you for that.”

“I wonder.”

Evan gazed steadily at Biltain.

His appearance, split from the shoulder down to the waist, was so horrific that it was amazing he was still breathing.

Dark blood seeping through the split—was that a fragment of the dark magic he had harbored?

He had won. Yet, despite his victory, his heart didn’t feel relieved.

The look in Biltain’s eyes wasn’t the miserable sight of someone desperately lashing out after defeat,

but rather one of transcendent emptiness.

Biltain Roman, the Sword of the Empire—who could have imagined such a pathetic end for someone with such a title?

Perhaps, if he hadn’t experienced the mental realm,

Evan closed his eyes quietly at the thought that it might have been him lying there instead of Biltain.

His chest seemed to throb unnecessarily. He had been pierced through once, hadn’t he?

Although various wounds remained and blood still flowed, the hole in his chest had been completely healed without a trace.

“Do I amuse you?”

Evan didn’t answer Biltain’s murmur.

If asked whether he found him amusing, he wouldn’t know how to respond.

He didn’t understand the intentions Biltain had harbored. The desperation Biltain had shown at the end,

those eyes tinged with madness seemed too extreme for someone who merely aimed to destroy the empire.

Had he hated the empire that much?

Or was there something else that he didn’t know about?

Not knowing this, Evan couldn’t easily open his mouth.

Seeing Evan’s expression, Biltain’s lips twisted into a smirk.

A subtle emotion welled up. An emotion he had forgotten for quite a long time.

This knight who wouldn’t easily speak was showing consideration for him. Despite having just tried to kill each other,

despite having pierced his heart, he wasn’t taking any action while Biltain lay defenseless.

When he first saw the sky, he had felt full of resentment.

But now even that had faded, and he felt an incongruous sense of peace.

Compared to everything he had done throughout his life, this was a far better death than he could have imagined.

Biltain closed his eyes gently and slowly exhaled. He didn’t have much time left.

And there were quite a few things he wanted to say.

“I don’t hate the empire.”

“Nonsense.”

“To be precise, it would be more accurate to say I have no feelings at all. I never had any loyalty. I merely used the empire. For my family and for annihilation.”

The reason he had betrayed even Theorad, who had been his friend, was simply because he wanted to be above him.

Because he had been called the Sword of the Empire, because he was born to wield a sword.

He had been driven by the rather simple desire to become stronger than anyone else.

Loyalty to the empire? It had always been just an empty oath.

Even among the five great houses, each had their own priorities.

Medive prioritized the truth about mana, while Kilrog prioritized obtaining more information than any other country.

And Roman, he as the head of that family, simply wanted to be stronger than anyone else.

…So, he had borrowed the power of dark mages. Their plan.

The plan that would begin when the red moon rose would bring down the empire,

and they promised to help him become the strongest knight if he assisted them.

The Roman family had been corrupt for quite some time, so he might have joined hands with them regardless.

“I believed there was something ‘beyond’ Master.”

“What does that…”

“Just know that much. It’s not certain anyway.”

Once, in a document so old that the writing was barely visible,

he had read that staining the world with color wasn’t everything, that there was a realm where one could awaken the mana known as the will of this world.

But he had only known about it, never reaching it in the end. Biltain looked at Evan.

Could he achieve what was written in that document?

But he didn’t bother to explain such things. If there truly was something beyond, Evan would be able to reach it on his own.

With little time remaining, Biltain smiled faintly and spoke again.

“I didn’t kill anyone left in Yuris. I was only after you from the beginning. I only took Airin Yuris because she would provoke the strongest reaction from you.”

“…Really?”

“You’re free to believe it or not, but I never ordered anyone to be killed. I arranged for them to wake up when the sun rose. If my plan had succeeded properly, the sun would never have risen anyway.”

Sunlight shone on Biltain. If his plan had succeeded, he would never have seen it,

but Evan Fried had admirably defeated him. Wasn’t it amusing?

Despite wielding a sword his entire life, to be defeated by someone who hadn’t lived even half as long.

But feeling relieved in his heart, Biltain had no intention of saying anything to Evan.

Rather, he even felt a strange sense of goodwill. Feeling his heart stopping, Biltain took one deep breath.

“You are a lucky person, Evan Fried.”

This fight was actually one he should have won. Even if Theorad had helped, he was confident he would have won.

But fortunately, Evan Fried possessed the blood of dragons.

Fortunately, he had gained enlightenment about the realm called Master, which was why Biltain had been defeated.

How long would such luck follow him? No one could know.

Biltain found it quite amusing that he thought he hadn’t lost to Evan himself.

Was it because he had been defeated by him? He found himself hoping that Evan would take care of the annihilation on his own.

“Don’t be arrogant.”

Don’t harbor pride. Always look around you. Evan looked at Biltain with a strange expression.

He gave a wry smile at this situation, where Biltain seemed to be giving advice like a supporter rather than an enemy.

What had caused this change in his attitude? However, he felt that these were not words to be taken lightly.

Perhaps, as Biltain said, he had survived simply because he was lucky.

If he hadn’t experienced the mental realm, if he hadn’t seen his sister there,

if Airin hadn’t been there. Even if he had awakened as a Master, his spirit would have been broken.

Arrogance? He had no intention of harboring such a thing.

Not everything was over yet; he had merely successfully completed the beginning of the end.

“…As you say, I’m just a lucky person.”

Evan no longer looked at Biltain. This was enough.

Biltain’s body was dissolving into light, and its fragments were gradually being scattered by the wind.

Watching the end didn’t seem like a particularly good choice.

Thinking of it as a final courtesy to someone who had left him with such advice, Evan turned around and quietly added:

“So, I won’t become like you.”

Because he had been arrogant, because he had harbored pride, it was Biltain who lay fallen here.

It might have been an offensive remark, but hearing those words, Biltain smiled with satisfaction.

Not becoming like him. That was enough. As final words to hear, they were quite decent, weren’t they?

“I hope so.”

Biltain looked at the sky again. The murky darkness was no longer visible.

The dark veil that had covered the light was gone, and only the pure white sunlight illuminated the surroundings.

Clouds, sky, sun. Biltain, who had been savoring these words in his mouth after a long time, laughed dejectedly.

Perhaps what he had been searching for, what he had been aiming for all along, was that light.

Feeling refreshed as he gazed at the clear sky, Biltain quietly stopped breathing, filled with emotion in a corner of his heart.

It was futile. When he closed his eyes, all he saw was pitch-black emptiness without a single point of light.

Even without deliberately seeking it… in the end, one would see darkness.

What if he had realized this a little earlier? One who had walked in darkness ultimately longed for light at the end.

When his breath ceased and his twitching fingers finally stopped moving,

Biltain’s body had already disappeared with the wind, leaving not even a trace behind.

Without leaving even the tiniest shadow.

#

As I reached my hand into a small pillar that had risen in one spot,

Airin carefully emerged, grasping that hand.

I checked for injuries, but fortunately there were none,

so I sighed lightly and took Airin’s hand.

“…I’m glad. That you’re not hurt.”

If Airin had been seriously injured while I was down,

I certainly wouldn’t have sent Biltain off so cleanly.

I probably wouldn’t have been calm either. Truly… I could only say that I was lucky, as Biltain had said.

I realized anew that Airin had become someone I couldn’t do without.

As I gently squeezed her hand, Airin smiled faintly, holding my hand in return.

“Is Duke Roman… dead?”

“He’s definitely dead. There was no possibility of him coming back to life.”

At those words, Airin stroked her face quietly, as if relieved.

I think there’s little chance he would have been hostile to us even if he had come back to life,

but still, this night must have been quite shocking for Airin.

Setting everything else aside, she had directly witnessed my death.

With that thought, I carefully looked at Airin,

and when our eyes met, she leaned her head against my chest with a thud and sighed.

“…The smell of blood.”

“Well, I didn’t have time to clean up.”

“I’m not saying you should apologize. It’s just that… having Evan right in front of me feels like an illusion… I wanted to check a little.”

A gentle hand brushed my chest, touching my heart.

Thump—hearing my heart beating fiercely as Airin drew closer,

Airin smiled and quietly spoke, her arms wrapped around my waist.

“You’re… really alive, right?”

“I’m alive. It’s neither a dream nor an illusion, so you don’t need to worry.”

As I embraced Airin in my arms and answered, she said nothing and squeezed her eyes shut.

I could feel Airin’s heart beating against my chest. The sound of her heartbeat gradually quickening,

I gently stroked her cheeks that were slowly turning red, and pulled her head slightly to bury it against my chest.

What if I told her I liked her? But I felt it wasn’t the right time.

The situation and surroundings were a bit too messy to confess my feelings.

Considering Airin’s condition, and my own body after fighting consecutively, I was in no state either.

All I had on was a torn, blood-soaked shirt, so it really wasn’t the right time.

I could hear Airin’s delicate breathing from within my embrace. Though it was a faint sound,

my heightened senses picked it up, and I cleared my throat once before slowly detaching Airin from my chest.

Somehow she seemed to be burrowing deeper into my embrace, and if she went any further, I would be the one in trouble.

Airin’s eyes were red when I pulled her away.

Only then noticing her trembling shoulders, I looked at Airin and smiled gently.

“Why are you suddenly crying? Did I make a mistake?”

“I thought you were dead… that I might never see you again. I… I haven’t been of any help to you—”

“What are you saying? Not being helpful?”

Sunlight breaking through the clouds reached Airin. Her snow-white hair gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight, and I gently caressed her tear-filled eyes that shimmered with it.

“I came back because of you, my lady.”

If I had any attachment to this world, it was only to Airin.

I had felt sad for her while reading the novel, and wished she wouldn’t experience tragedy.

And now I held her in my heart, seeing Airin as a woman. More precisely, because I loved her.

Wasn’t that why I had come back to life?

“Just having you by my side is help enough.”

I smiled, pressing my finger against her slightly parted lips.

Her red lips turned white where my finger pressed, and with that same finger, I poked her cheek.

“So I wish you wouldn’t cry. I’ve come back like this, and if you only show me this kind of face… wouldn’t that be a bit disappointing?”

“…Pfft.”

Seeing her lips slightly pulled up by my finger, I tilted my head,

and finally Airin burst into laughter, pushing away my hand and leaning against me.

The ever-present scent of roses stung my nose. An intense fragrance that could make one lose their senses for a moment.

As if enchanted by that sweet lingering scent that hadn’t disappeared despite the blood, I moved my face closer to Airin.

“…You’re close.”

I knew. My face, which I had unconsciously brought closer, had narrowed the gap more than I expected.

But she didn’t avoid it. If not now, I felt I might never do it.

The courage I had barely mustered would only work in this moment.

I lightly wrapped my arm around her waist. It was a slender waist that could be held with just one arm.

There wasn’t the fruity scent like that time. No sharp smell of alcohol, no heated breath to redden the tip of my nose.

Yet it was still hot, her cheeks and lips flushed red enough to put the sunlight to shame.

Because they emitted such a sweet fragrance.

As if by mutual agreement, neither of us spoke.

As if we had been waiting for this moment, our tongues began to intertwine as soon as our lips met.

Supporting Airin’s body as she stood on tiptoe, I explored her lips.

Perhaps it looked desperate. Those terrible memories from dawn.

The memory of helplessly watching the death of someone I loved, fading away powerlessly with that person.

Wanting to forget, we embraced each other more strongly.

So strongly that red marks would remain on the shoulders I gripped, so strongly that the hand holding her waist turned white.

We felt each other’s breath. Confirmed that the person in front of us was alive.

That we were alive, that we could continue to be together.

Despite kissing until we were breathless, we met eyes again and pressed our lips together.

With rising breath, heated breaths touched, and with hot respiration, a silver thread flowed from the corner of our mouths.

“…Haa.”

Airin, who had somehow leaned against the wall, exhaled with difficulty.

Gently stroking her flushed cheeks, I kissed her lips lightly again.

I tasted something metallic. Whose blood was it… but I found I didn’t care.

By now, quite a lot of our saliva had mixed together, making it impossible to tell.

I smiled slightly at Airin’s slightly dazed expression. I could have done more if I wanted.

But… now I could do this anytime, couldn’t I?

I had merely confirmed. That we had survived like this, that we had overcome adversity, hardship,

tragedy. I had simply confirmed that we could remain and look at each other like this.

After looking at Airin’s slightly trembling shoulders for a moment,

I picked up Airin, who was avoiding my gaze, and held her in my arms.

“E-Evan?”

“What’s wrong?”

“This position… isn’t it a bit embarrassing? I can walk perfectly fine now—”

“No.”

Airin’s face turned so red it looked like it might burst at any moment.

It was quite an embarrassing position to be seen by others, but

outside there were only the crown prince and Lord Theorad anyway.

Though she tried to hide her expression by burying her face in my embrace,

I smiled faintly at the sight of her bright red ear tips.

Tomorrow would come. Along with a future that would be quite different now.

Had the word “tomorrow” ever made my heart flutter so much?

Feeling the warm sunlight shining on us, I simply enjoyed this moment.