episode_0188

We stood bearing the light-filled dawn.

The building once called Apple Tree no longer carried its infamous reputation. Only smoldering embers and the ash laid beneath them remained. In the tomorrow that erased today, a tranquil day breathes. The story flows on.

“Finally, graduation. From that terrible nightmare, that is.”

“Right… I don’t know, it just doesn’t feel real.”

“You were just crying your eyes out a moment ago, and you’re saying that?”

“······Quiet.”

“Oh my~ There’s no need to be embarrassed, you know.”

“You’d be better off just reducing your useless chatter.”

“I’d say it’s a charm of its own, wouldn’t you?”

“Haa···.”

Irene sighed as if exhausted. Having achieved her long-awaited revenge, she had truly wept her heart out last night. Even throughout all their time together, and every scene from the original story. Such an emotional explosion was a first.

-Ugh, Master… Everyone, thank you…

Perhaps it was due to the fever she had been suffering from. Her usual chic demeanor was gone, and she simply poured out tears. For a moment, it was as if Regia had entered her body. As a result, after she calmed down, she seemed embarrassed herself. I didn’t miss the chance to tease her.

“If you want, you can cry anytime, you know?”

“······Are you going to keep teasing me like that?”

“Well, opportunities to tease Miss Irene are rare, you see. Lately, I’ve gotten used to it, so she doesn’t react even when I tease her. I wish she were a little more proactive…”

“Hmm, really?”

Poke poke. Irene poked my chest. Her slender index finger lingered for a moment, then lightly traced a circle on my shirt. The movement of her finger, as if tickling, was truly bewitching. The fox’s lips were already curved into a mischievously playful smile.

“So you like it when I’m proactive? You do.”

“······.”

Indeed. She was no longer the one being teased. Rather, it was a situation where she was eyeing the opposite. She was truly an ungrateful fox.

“At this rate, I’m worried she might even try to devour her master.”

“Be careful. You never know when I might bare my fangs.”

“I suppose I should pray it won’t hurt.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be gentle.”

“How impure.”

“So, do you dislike it?”

“Well now.”

A quiet conversation flowed between us. We walked through that crumbled dawn, stepping onto a radiant morning.

Afterward, the aftermath of the incident proceeded swiftly. The Entrepreneur met his end, and his subordinate forces were also facing eradication. Since the Emperor’s side had provided help again this time, there was no need to even worry about any negative talk. We simply awaited the coming tomorrow.

“You forget.”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you, always.”

“No need for such words between us.”

“Meeting you was one of the few miracles in my life.”

“You’re making me blush. I also cherish Miss Irene dearly.”

“You usually have women hanging around you everywhere, and you think I’ll be happy with just a few words like that?”

Those were somewhat unfair words. As I tried to retort, the girl’s index finger stopped my lips. Her originally pale cheeks were slightly flushed red. Irene whispered in a faint voice.

“Yes, that’s right.”

That moment was exceptionally fresh. Like a gypsophila in a spring day, passing in a fleeting instant.

“I’m incredibly happy.”

Following that, a bright smile. The fox embraced pure white. Had she truly decided to abandon her chic concept now? It was a girl’s bright, bright smile that had been unimaginable before. As if to prove her own light-filled morning. I was momentarily lost in thought.

“So… I’ll always be by your side.”

No matter what happens. The small vow held not a single tremor. It simply colored the air quietly, serenely, like the dawn. Holding each other’s hands, we passed through such an epilogue. The warmth in our clasped hands was vivid.

***

The Entrepreneur’s subjugation. A week had passed since then. The season was now undeniably heading towards spring. Or rather, past spring, the calendar looking towards the green of summer. Night and morning repeated in the world. And so, one flowing day.

“So, where are we going?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

The fox, led by the snake, moved towards somewhere. The destination they reached, even utilizing spatial movement. Beyond the Empire, in a secluded corner of the continent. It was a quiet, rural landscape.

“We’ve arrived.”

The boy whispered quietly. However, that voice didn’t reach the girl. Irene was blankly lost in thought.

“······.”

Even after several years, the girl remembered that place. No, it would be stranger not to remember it. It was the village where the foxes lived together, where she had spent her entire childhood. She had returned to her hometown.

Chirp chirp. Only the chirping of birds echoed nearby. No one remained in the ruined landscape. Perhaps it was because no human had set foot there for a long time. The wreckage of what were once buildings was evident, and the ground was overgrown with flowers and weeds. Though it had faced some wear and tear from time, this place clearly proved the old memories. The fox stepped onto her homeland. After a very long time.

“······.”

“Would you like to take a look around?”

Irene walked as if possessed. Her blurry gaze soon cleared. Even amidst the broken wreckage, memories overlapped above them. Old colors of the past were now spreading within the girl. In her ears, only the song of rustling plants. Rustle, rustle.

“······.”

The street she used to wander often as a child. The site where a small ranch once stood. The land where crops were cultivated. Clearly, the location where the village hall stood, and beside it, a still un-dried stream. Finally, even the small hut where she and her Master had lived together. Though gone, it was a scene that existed for Irene. About the childhood that always breathed.

“······Ah.”

All of that scenery was a miracle to the girl. All of that recollection was a lingering attachment for the fox. She had thought she would never be able to return, that she didn’t deserve to return. But the traces of the past, remaining as if naturally, felt like a letter. Emotions swelled within her.

“It’s still too early to be surprised.”

The boy spoke. And then, he led the girl to an open field located behind the village. Beyond the quiet landscape was…

“······A graveyard.”

A small-scale graveyard. Roughly a hundred, perhaps? Familiar names were visible on the memorial stones. The uncle who managed the ranch, the aunt who farmed, the village elder, the small children… Names she had forgotten, names she had been forced to forget, were written one by one. As she blankly gazed at the scene, the snake approached quietly and added an explanation. A slight hint of regret was in his tone.

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t find the remains of everyone.”

There were limits. Some people didn’t die in the village but scattered elsewhere. In fact, the graveyard only held about half of the village’s inhabitants. Nevertheless, Irene couldn’t help but ask.

“Just how, how did you…?”

“Our members are just exceptionally competent, you see. We requested those who are adept in search magic. It took some time, but… we’ve finally been able to show you this. I’m only sorry we couldn’t prepare anything better.”

“This, since when…?”

“Since the day we first met.”

“······.”

The answer came as a matter of course. The fox couldn’t open her mouth. She simply lowered her gaze. In front of Irene, a certain tombstone stood. On its surface, the most familiar name was carved.

[A Swordsman who longed for the night sky, and a Master who left a star] [Rakius, rests here]

Rakius. It was her Master’s name, chewed over after several years. Her slender fingers tightly clenched into a fist. A vague past echoed.

-Irene.

Irene felt like crying. But she swallowed it down with effort. Because she had resolved not to break easily or cry easily from now on. However, the girl who finally reached the star, looked at those who had once been her sky. To those who had accepted her as their world.

“Master…”

Irene bit her lip tightly. Carefully releasing her true feelings. Shedding the hardened burden of her heart, she brought out the small self hidden behind it. Not just to her Master, but to the person who had raised her, an orphan, since childhood. To the adult who taught her life, not just the sword. For the first time, the girl called him.

“······Dad.”

Someday, I really wanted to call you by that word. Though I always mumbled it away, embarrassed. Only now could I open my heavy lips. Even though you are no longer here.

“I promise you.”

To the person she respected. Words she wanted to leave as a daughter.

“I will… definitely be happy.”

So, don’t worry about me. The fox murmured amidst her blurring vision. There were so many more things she wanted to say, but she couldn’t bring them through her lips. Because if she let even a little out, her own heart felt like it would pour out completely. Irene simply wore the tears glimmering in her eyes, and a profound smile. That alone was a scene that shone beautifully enough.

“Please, rest in peace.”

The last words, pronounced with difficulty. The fox prayed wholeheartedly. At the end of the long, thorny path, she would eventually find happiness. She would become a daughter and disciple he wouldn’t be ashamed of. A watery line finally traced down her cheek.

“······.”

The snake watched the fox. Staying quietly by her side, holding a fond smile.

***

Meanwhile.

The cultist assembly, Baob. Those draped in blood-red robes were holding a brief meeting. Their agenda concerned the successive downfall of their allied forces. The shadow seated at the head of the table spoke.

“So… following Vainglory, Greed has also fallen, has it?”

“We have nowhere left to retreat now.”

The aide spoke calmly. The shadow at the head of the table surveyed the empty seats beside him.

“Indeed, many have died.”

The Seven Apostles of the Demon God. The Puppeteer. The Gravekeeper. Last time, the Painter. In just one year, three apostles had been eliminated. The situation was clearly not favorable. However, the shadow merely laughed.

“Do not worry.”

An ominous voice. Its eerie resonance spread subtly.

“Soon, that person will descend upon the world, so prepare yourselves, Apostles.”

The blood-stained round table. The Apostles rose from their seats in unison. The blood-tinged air indicated that the advent of disaster was not far off. The shadow prayed towards the inverted cross with a bitter laugh. Truly a cursed evil.

“For a new world, and the death of ■■■■.”

A shimmering sin. Evil was preparing for the final war.