Chapter 172 – Awakening

“Please make sure that everything we’ve decided here today is properly conveyed to all unit commanders so we can proceed without any mistakes.”

Hermilla gave a small bow after neatly stacking the thick pile of papers on the table with a distinct tap-tap sound.

“This concludes our meeting. Thank you all for your hard work.”

Following her lead, everyone seated around the table bowed their heads in unison.

“Starting the day after tomorrow, we’re going to face incredibly difficult times. So… make sure to rest well. Tonight and tomorrow, I want you all to eat, play, sleep, and drink. Just as freely and lightly as you’ve always done in Alrba. Understood?”

Hermilla chuckled softly as she rose from her seat with a scraping sound, then reached out to ruffle Delia’s hair who was sitting right beside her.

“Delia, stop bothering Miss Noah.”

“…I wasn’t bothering her.”

“And Noah, you should rest well too. Haven’t you trained enough already?”

“Y-yes…”

“Then, I’ll see you all tomorrow morning. Everyone is dismissed. Sleep well.”

With the sound of chairs scraping against the floor, the unit leaders stood up one after another and followed Hermilla as they filed out of the outpost.

Left behind in the now-empty space were only me, Rubia, and Serr.

“Hermilla seems to carry herself with quite a bit of authority in front of others.”

“She doesn’t really have a choice, does she? She’s the leader of the Liberation Army, after all. Even though she always acts like everything is fine, I’m sure… the weight on her shoulders must be immense.”

“Speaking from experience?”

“Hehehe. Yes, from personal experience.”

“Hmm, is that so.”

After watching Rubia giggle for a moment, Serr quietly stood up.

“I’ll take my leave as well. Enjoy your evening.”

“I was going to have a cup of coffee. Are you in a hurry?”

“I am.”

“You’ve been busy for nearly a month straight.”

“Thanks to someone. Doing things I normally wouldn’t is quite exhausting. I’ll have coffee with you tomorrow instead. And Noah, you should take a proper break today and tomorrow.”

Serr gave a small smile as she lightly poked my crown with her finger.

“Rubia and I can handle things if you can’t, so don’t feel burdened. Understand?”

“Ugh… Yes.”

Poke, poke, poke — Serr tapped my head a few more times while smiling before reverting to her usual expression and swiftly leaving.

“Serr has changed a lot, hasn’t she?”

“R-really…?”

“Yes. When I first met her, she was truly crazy… well, strange. But now, she’s actually somewhat tolerable, don’t you think?”

That first time… it was when I met her with Sirin, wasn’t it?

Hmm… uh…

She blew up the Fire Spirit, and the Water Spirit too, and even the Light Spirit…

And back then, she couldn’t sense people’s emotions at all…

“Y-yeah…? She really has changed a lot…”

“Hahaha, right? Hermilla, Serr, and… me too. We’ve all changed so much since meeting you, Noah.”

“Hmm…”

I wasn’t sure about Hermilla, but Rubia had definitely changed.

Back then, Rubia was… absolutely terrifying.

Her speech was harsh, her personality was prickly, and she was angry all the time.

Plus, she didn’t have the relaxed demeanor she has now.

She was always in a rush with this suffocating atmosphere about her.

More than anything else…

Squeeze

“Eep…”

Her handsy habit had gotten so much worse…

“By the way, Noah, why is your body so soft?”

“D-don’t say weird things…”

“So squishy, so velvety smooth, and you smell so nice too. The way you flinch whenever I touch you… your body just invites teasing.”

“H-heek…”

Squeeeeeze — As if unable to contain herself, Rubia hugged me tightly while I sat on her lap, looking like she might crush me.

“Snnf… Haa…”

She buried her nose in the crook of my neck and inhaled deeply.

“I-I must be sweaty…”

“That makes it even better…”

“You… you pervert.”

“Do you hate that I’m a pervert?”

“No…”

The warmth of her breath passing over my neck left a cool sensation in its wake.
Then an even hotter breath followed, making my neck warm and damp.

“Noah.”

“Yes…?”

“Serr and Hermilla are good people. Well, to be precise, they’ve become good people.”

I tilted my head at Rubia’s sudden, out-of-nowhere comment.

“Not just them. Heinzel, Delia, Yuria, Alex, Mia, Juur, Hephaestus — every one of them is a good person.”

And then.

“All of them… have become Noah’s friends.”

“Rubia…?”

As Rubia’s arms slowly loosened from around me, I twisted my body to face her.

I wrapped my arms around her neck.
Locked my legs around her waist.

Without my greatsword, no patterns formed, but I’d done this enough times that I could adjust my position with practiced ease.

“Why are you suddenly saying all this?”

“Hmm? Just because. I find it really admirable how you used to not have a single friend, but now you’ve made so many. That’s why I brought it up.”

“F-friends… I may not have had friends before, but it’s not really something admirable…”

“Hehehe, it couldn’t be helped, right? Back then… it must have been difficult just adapting to this world.”

Rubia’s hand slowly reached up to brush aside the strands of hair clinging to my face.

“Noah, would you make me a cup of coffee?”

“Me…?”

“Yes. I want to drink coffee that you’ve made yourself.”

“O-okay. I’ll give it a try.”

I can do this, right?
During the trial, Rubia said it was delicious, so if I recreate that feeling…

Maybe I can make it taste good in reality too…!

I hopped lightly from Rubia’s embrace, secured my greatsword at my waist, and scurried over to the refreshment table.

I picked up the very, very bitter coffee grounds that Rubia liked…

Into the cup… how many spoonfuls should I put in this cup?

With instant coffee, I’d just tear open a packet, but this… um…

About three spoonfuls…?

Tap, tap, tap

I carefully measured three teaspoons into the prettiest coffee cup I could find. Then, using Serr’s special coffee kettle, I quickly heated some water and poured it in with a gentle stream.

Stirring… carefully stirring.

“Sniff, sniff… hmm…”

This seems pretty good!

I waited until the swirling coffee settled, then grabbed two small cookies from the side and brought everything over to Rubia.

“Here you go…!”

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

Rubia smiled as she took the cup. As always, she first inhaled the aroma before taking a sip.

Slurp

“S-so… how is it…?”

Just like the ‘Rubia’ I’d seen during the trial, she looked surprised before her lips curled into a peculiar smile.

“…It’s delicious.”

“Really…?”

“Pfft… yes. It goes perfectly with these cookies.”

“Hehe… See? I told you I could do it!”

I shrugged proudly and hopped back onto Rubia’s lap.

“Now I can start fires properly, wash dishes well, and even ride horses. I’ve completely changed from before, haven’t I?”

“Hehe…”

Gently stroking my hair, Rubia spoke in a voice filled with nostalgia, as if recalling when we first met.

A voice that seemed to be painting a picture of a happy future.

*Someday.
When we set off on our journey.

We’ll pack our large bags, ride on horseback.
We’ll wander unfamiliar paths in places we’ve never been.
With the sound of insects as our backdrop.
With the crackling of campfires as our lullaby.
We’ll create joyful memories together.

By then, surely,

We’ll have endless laughter.
We’ll experience the beauty of the world.
We’ll encounter the warm side of people, not just their coldness.

We’ll be happier than anyone else.*

Yet, her words were empty.
No subject specified who these words were for.
No “we.”
No “together.”
No “us.”

Just hollow words.

Stroke, stroke

Even after she finished speaking, Rubia continued stroking my hair before gently pushing me away.

“Shall we get up now? Let’s go to bed.”

A casual voice.
Her usual voice.
And because of that, it felt all the more strange.

Fighting to control my contorting face.
Steadying my trembling voice.
Hiding my pounding heart.

“…Rubia.”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

“…I love you too.”

I hopped down from Rubia’s embrace.

And smiled.

*I love you more.

More than you love me.

I love you just a little bit more.

And so.

Because I love you more than you love me, just a little bit more.

If someone has to make a sacrifice,

It will be me.*

“Hehe…”

I turned around and gulped down the coffee in front of me.

It was…

Absolutely, truly disgusting.

***

“Hey, kiddo.”

“Yes?”

“I didn’t get to arm-wrestle you this time because I was getting my arm repaired, but when we get back, we’re definitely doing it.”

“Ugh… but Heinzel, you’re going to lose to me anyway.”

“BWAHAHAHA!”

In the cold, war-torn ruins, there were no rousing speeches or battle cries filled with determination.

Instead, there was only Heinzel’s hearty laughter.
Talk of what we’d eat tomorrow.
What we’d do next.
Who could hold their liquor better.
Who was the worst at drinking.

Just our usual conversations.
Rough, casual exchanges.
Laughter filled with expectation and hope.

Echoing all around.

“Win, kiddo.”

With a rough pat on my back, Heinzel slung his halberd over his shoulder and returned to his position.

“Miss Noah.”

“Hermilla…!”

“You remember our promise, right? Once everything is over, we’ll return to Alrba.”

“Ah…”

“Serr told me that you shouldn’t make promises about the future before a major battle like this. So I won’t say much.”

Hermilla reached out with her real hand instead of her prosthetic, and with a smile, she said:

“I’ll be waiting for you. In Alrba.”

“…Okay.”

I grasped her hand and nodded.

After that, I also said goodbye to:
Delia, Alex, Mia, Yuria, Juur.
The bald adventurers who followed Heinzel.
The adventurers who had broken their arms arm-wrestling with me.
The familiar adventurers who were like neighborhood uncles in Alrba.

And then, I moved to the very front.
To lead the Liberation Army.

“Do I also need to give some grand farewell speech like everyone else?”

“Hehehe, why would you need to, Serr? You’re coming with us.”

“I was just asking since everyone else seemed to be doing it.”

With Serr’s quiet chuckle as the final sound…

The once dry wind became damp with moisture.

The dusty fragrance of the ruins mingled with the metallic scent of blood.

The bustling Cartia fell into deep silence.

The peacefully flowing mana became tainted with thick malice.

And at that moment…

Crack

The reversed pentagram covering Cartia twisted.
It warped. Tore. Shattered. Inverted.
And finally, it opened.

Thump

Thump

Thump

The earth undulated.
The sky pulsated.
Mana surged violently.
The world opened its eyes.

And so began…

The final battle.

The last chapter of this story.

And…

The Awakening of the End.