Note that this was posted without comment on Tuesday.
Prompted by Rustiara, I examine my own legs.
One arrow was pierced through, and two areas of flesh were gouged out.
Three arrows hit me—two of them seemed to be magic arrows.
Discolored skin peeks out from the hem of my clothes.
If left untreated, it could turn into a serious wound.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s fine even if it rots. I’ve already dedicated my entire body, not just these legs, to my master.”
However, it’s irrelevant.
There are more important things right now.
“It’s hard to run… Damn it, I guess I have no choice but to use the remaining magic power to cast healing magic…”
I roughly pull out the wooden arrows with my hands, then cast healing magic on myself.
Rustiara beside me, despite her own condition, also attempts to cast healing magic on me and Tiara on our backs. However, due to the effects of the ceremony, her healing magic is incomplete.
“Y-Yes… Let’s recover while we can. But, Tiara’s body, it’s already…! The bleeding has stopped, but her body is cold…!”
Although the magic was incomplete, it somehow managed to close the wound in Tiara’s abdomen. However, it was only a temporary measure, and it was clear it would reopen immediately.
More importantly, the rough treatment today is causing the faint warmth of life that remained to be lost.
But that’s also irrelevant.
As long as Rustiara is safe, that’s all that matters.
After applying first aid to the wound on my leg, I decide to ask about the location of the most important thing right now: the “blood.” I cannot formulate an escape or counterattack plan without understanding how the ceremony was distorted.
“But, I’ve been beaten… Rustiara, what’s happening with the ‘blood’ now? Is it hopeless to try and continue the ‘Rebirth’?”
“…I think the amount of Tiara’s ‘blood’ is about the same for all three of us right now? I think it’s possible to continue the ‘Rebirth,’ but with this amount, I don’t know what will happen. Will it fail, or will there be defects in memory or power…?”
It seems to be roughly divided into three equal parts among Emily, Rustiara, and Tiara.
Knowing that much is enough.
“So half of it is here. Then, we can negotiate with the other side—”
I mutter to myself quietly so Rustiara can’t hear.
Depending on the situation, I might even offer a truce in exchange for some of the “blood.”
While I calmly try to resolve the situation, Rustiara beside me re-examines Tiara’s body, searching for a way to re-initiate the ceremony.
“Ahhh, as expected, it’s no good. Repairing this body now requires magic at the ‘Resurrection’ level… If the ‘Rebirth’ is successful with this body, Tiara will die immediately…!”
Despite having brought a Magic Stone Human’s corpse, Rustiara is on the verge of giving up on the repair.
A sword was pierced into a body that was already dead. Logically speaking, it’s probably beyond repair.
However, I was different.
I had a premonition. You could even call it an “intuition.”
I touch the body that Rustiara had given up on.
Then, I pour all my healing magic into it and try to make contact with her using my magic power. I think I felt her eyelids twitch slightly—
“If it’s come to this… do I have no choice but to ‘Rebirth’ Tiara into my body right here and now…? Even if I have to give up my power, I’ll twist the incantation to try and ‘Rebirth’ at least her personality—”
During that time, Rustiara was alone, contemplating and trying to come up with an answer.
And that answer was the worst possible ending that I and Tiara had feared.
To “Rebirth” into Rustiara’s body?
That must not be allowed. I’ll buy time by repairing Tiara’s body.
“That’s no good. I won’t allow you to use your body. Give up on Tiara now.”
“Give up…? There’s no way I can give up that easily! I’ve been working hard for this day for a year…! From the day I relied on Tiara instead of Maria-chan, there’s no turning back now…!!”
“Calm down. I’m just saying it’s realistically difficult. In the current situation, anyone would tell you not to do anything reckless. I’m sure Tiara, if she were alive, would say the same thing—”
“—H-hey.”
I am interrupted mid-sentence.
“Why have you been casting healing magic just now… not on your own legs, but on her…”
It seems she noticed that I was concentrating more on magic than on our conversation. Rustiara curiously tries to ask the reason for my actions.
However, it’s enough time spent.
I confirm that Tiara’s body’s “blood” begins to move with a *throb*.
Even though her heart isn’t beating, the “blood” starts to circulate throughout her body on its own power.
The corpse begins to breathe, its limbs twitch, and life is breathed into it.
Tiara, having received the healing magic, starts to move.
She slides out of my arms and, though stumbling, stands on her own feet. Then, with her bloodless face, she looks at me. Immediately, I continue my previous words to her.
“Isn’t that right? Tiara-san.”
“—Yes. Just as Rainer-chan says.”
Although gasping for breath, Tiara replies.
She grimaces as she checks the condition of her body, but she still seems to have the composure to respond. Holding her head with one hand, she replies clearly.
“—Huh?”
Naturally, Rustiara is stunned by the fact that the corpse has started moving.
Leaving her there, the two of us confirm each other’s situation.
“Phew. You saved me, Rainer-chan. I’ve managed to recover enough to move.”
“You’re late coming out. And, that Emily’s sword, couldn’t you dodge it somehow?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. At that time, I was responsible for ninety percent of the grand magic and was concentrating on it! By the time I realized it, my stomach was bright red. It was impossible, impossible!”
“More importantly, how are you not dead? The outside is sealed, but the inside is still full of holes, isn’t it?”
“It’s thanks to Rainer-chan not giving up and continuing the healing magic. But I feel the worst. Honestly, the holes in my spirit are more dangerous than the holes in my body. They’ve been pecked at all over the place and I’m falling apart.”
Although I wanted help during the ritual attack if possible, I was told in a light tone that it was impossible.
Then, I gauged Tiara-san’s condition from that conversation.
Her voice was cheerful, but her expression remained contorted. The fact that she, who was usually good at maintaining a poker face, couldn’t control her expression meant… well, it meant just that.
While I was confirming Tiara wasn’t fit for combat, Rustiara understood the situation.
“Huh? What…? Could it be… the contents are different? Tiara-sama… who are you?”
Tiara replied to that.
“That’s right, my daughter. I am your mother, Tiara-sama, the mother of you all, Magic Stone Humans. There’s no time, so listen carefully to your mother’s words. –I absolutely refuse to be reborn by sacrificing my daughters. Sacrificing yourself for me is a waste, so stop doing it from now on. Okay, promise me, Mother?”
Despite breaking out in a cold sweat from the pain, Tiara-san continued to admonish them in a light tone. I could tell she was putting on a brave front to avoid worrying us or burdening us.
To sort out the situation, Rustiara looked at me, not Tiara-san, and asked.
“Rainer… you knew Tiara-sama…?”
“Yeah. Actually, we met a while ago. But I kept it a secret for your and Christ’s sake. For now, calm down and listen to Tiara-san’s story.”
At this point, there was no hiding our circumstances and intentions. However, it would be better for Tiara-san, the one she admired, to explain rather than me. I handed over the role of explainer to her.
“My dear daughter, listen closely? I can’t be saved anymore. That’s absolute. Even if I gather all the blood in this body now, rebirth is impossible. That’s because I myself don’t wish for rebirth.”
“Huh? Huh?”
Rustiara became confused as she heard all the assumptions being overturned.
“Therefore, I’ve decided to transfer what little I have here to Rainer now. Because it would be a waste otherwise.”
She pushed our plan forward quickly, but Rustiara didn’t go along with it and responded.
“To Rainer? No, then it would be better to transfer it to me—”
“No. Because if I went into you, you’d definitely try to hand over your body, right? Rasuchii-chan, you’d try to save me even if it meant killing your own ego. I know that much about you, Mother knows. Mother won’t allow such a thing.”
“That’s… well… that’s my original role, and I was born for that purpose… Tiara-sama, you don’t have to worry…”
Tiara-san tried to force the conversation forward, but Rustiara shook her head, saying that was unacceptable. Tiara-san also shook her head back and rebuked her strongly.
“I won’t acknowledge such a role. There’s no need to obey such a ridiculous role.”
Upon being reprimanded, Rustiara faltered for a moment.
However, she quickly recovered and continued her claim head-on.
“…Indeed, it is a ridiculous role. I think so too. I’m sorry, that last statement was a mistake. …However, regardless of my role, I wish for Tiara-sama to be reborn with my own will. Because I believe your story deserves a continuation… I am willing to give you my body.”
Rustiara patted her chest, looked directly at Tiara-san, and declared that she could offer everything.
I realized from her expression the strength of her will, which made it seem impossible to push through by simply overwhelming her. But Tiara-san still didn’t give up. She continued in a light tone, trying to make her obey.
“No, no! It’s already settled with Rainer. From now on, he will inherit my blood and crush my consciousness. Then, the lingering spirits that remain until a thousand years later will disappear. Rustiara-chan will be able to live as Rustiara-chan. Everything will be resolved with this!”
Tiara-san said with a laugh, moving her trembling infant-like legs, and approached Rustiara.
“Well then, I can’t weave magic well anymore, so shall we finish the ceremony with resonance magic by holding hands, the three of us? It’ll probably be incomplete due to the location, but that can’t be helped. This is the only way now. No, rather, I’m glad this method still remains. Everyone should be satisfied with this. Come on, hurry, hurry!”
Tiara-san beckoned to me and Rustiara, trying to get us to form a circle and hold hands.
However, neither of us approached.
–It’s impossible now.
Rustiara’s gaze fell on Tiara-san’s trembling legs, and her expression changed as if she had decided on something. Seeing that, I also finished my decision to draw my sword.
Then, Rustiara uttered a single word that sealed our breakdown.
“–No.”
Rustiara moved slowly like a phantom, gathering magic power in her hand. However, no matter how much magic power she gathered, she couldn’t use proper magic in her current state. This was because all the blood in her body had been specialized for one type of magic for the rebirth ritual.
Therefore, the magic she muttered and constructed was that specialized magic.
“–Blood Magic: Tiara Fuziaze.”
It was a magic to bring herself closer to Saint Tiara.
With her right hand imbued with that magic, she grabbed Tiara-san’s shoulder.
“Ngh–!? Ah, aah—!!”
Tiara-san groaned.
Even though I didn’t know the details of the magic, I instinctively felt it was dangerous if it continued, and I dashed forward.
I embraced Tiara-san’s small body with both hands, snatched her roughly from Rustiara, and created a significant distance.
“Tiara-san! Are you okay!”
“You… you sucked some of it out…! Ah, so it didn’t work after all…”
With the magic just used, some of her blood must have been transferred.
The little vitality that remained was now fading from Tiara-san’s already pale face.
“Of course! There’s no way we could just push past that so carelessly! The opponent is that Rustiara!!”
“No, if it had worked… I would have thought I got lucky… *pant, pant*…”
I scolded her for her sloppy approach. Tiara-san tried to answer lightly, but she was already struggling to even converse. Her judgment was dulled by pain, and she might have been in too much of a hurry for a solution.
“From here on, I have to be the one to take charge,” I thought, so I embraced Tiara-san’s body and tensed every muscle, ready to bolt at any moment.
In contrast, Rustiara before me moved incredibly slowly.
Just like at the Cathedral.
Slowly… but her presence was terrifying.
Her unsteady steps and the dark circles under her eyes showed her exhaustion. Her radiant golden hair was disheveled, and her breath was ragged. Rustiara, possessing a mysterious beauty, approached with a demonic expression, her hands cloaked in a red, mist-like magic power, step by terrifying step.
“Tiara-sama, first, let’s transfer your body to mine… You have nothing to worry about. This body of mine should be the most comfortable in the world…”
Her gentle tone now sounded like a devil’s whisper.
She looked like a restless spirit attempting mutual suicide.
Tiara-san must have sensed that fear as well.
Wrapping her arms around my neck, she answered with a slight pull away.
“Mmm, Mmm… I think Rainer’s body would be better, don’t you?”
With Tiara-san clinging to me, one of my arms became free.
I interpreted that as having received permission from Tiara-san.
With this—I can swing my sword.
“If you transfer to a body that doesn’t suit you, you’ll really be finished…! That’s unacceptable! If you do that, everything up until today will be in vain. Your feelings for Kanami, all that stored up, will be wasted. It will all end here in this back alley, just the three of us…? The story that began at that tower, like a starry sky, ending quietly in this dirty darkness… That kind of ending is the absolute worst… I absolutely forbid it!! That would be so devoid of dreams and hope!!”
Rustiara persisted.
Meddlesomely, she continued to insist on her interpretation of how other people’s lives should end.
And that insistence was precisely—
“It’s alright. You have nothing to worry about. Leave the rest to me, Tiara-sama. I will definitely convey your feelings to Kanami. I will absolutely ensure that the story under the starry sky has a happy ending. I will definitely make both you and Kanami happy. —It’s all for everyone’s happiness! That is the true role I, Rustiara Fuziaze, have found—!!”
—She shouted as if it were her own “mission.”
All for everyone’s happiness.
For an ending filled with dreams, she charged forward with a life-or-death expression.
“You won’t!”
With the first step of her charge, I stopped her with a horizontal swing of my sword.
Rustiara retreated, dodging the sword, and glared at me.
“Rainer, do you know what you’re doing?”
She reprimanded me sharply, seeing the weapon in my hand.
However, I nonchalantly brushed aside her hostility, as I was merely doing what was obvious.
“I was just trying to save Tiara-san.”
“…No. What you’re trying to save is me.”
We were saying the same thing, yet our intentions would never align.
The fighting spirit and hostility in each of us proved it.
“If that’s what you believe, then do as you please. We will simply do what we believe in, for the sake of you and Christ. As your knight.”
“…If you call yourself my knight, it would be very helpful if you would listen to me.”
“That’s impossible. My masters—you and Christ—are masters who do foolish things, so I’ve recently learned that just blindly obeying isn’t enough.”
Since reconciliation was no longer possible, I spoke frankly.
I clearly declared that she was idiotic and couldn’t be trusted.
Naturally, Rustiara became enraged and gathered strength in both legs.
“You—!! How is that—a knight—!!”
And this time, she charged without fear of the weapon before her.
“Grab on tight, Tiara-san!”
At the same time, I kicked off the ground and retreated.
While falling back, I swung my sword at the approaching Rustiara.
She ducked and dodged the same horizontal slash as before, then took another step forward.
I had anticipated her dodging.
I immediately brought my sword back and attempted a diagonal slash downwards at her—but that swing was parried.
“Wh—!?”
Rustiara wasn’t holding a sword. In fact, she wasn’t holding anything at all, clad only in her ceremonial robes.
The answer was simple.
In an instant, she had responded to my sword with her bare hands.
With the back of her hand, she had deflected the flat of my blade.
Although I was flustered, I swung my sword again as I retreated further.
But Rustiara countered all of them with just her fists.
Dodging my sword with minimal movement, sometimes deflecting it with the back of her hand, she pressed forward.
A shudder ran through me, and inferiority and anger swelled.
“Are you—serious…?!!”
Her talent was incredible…!
Even though she couldn’t use magic due to the ritual, and despite being exhausted and unsteady—she was parrying my sword with her bare hands.
My sword strikes were by no means slow.
Even with various handicaps, I was fighting several ranks faster than any ordinary knight. I was fighting with the dexterity befitting a Level 30.
Yet, not only could I not cut Rustiara—I was being pushed back.
Suddenly, I recalled a conversation between Christ and Rustiara from a week ago. It was before the confession.
At that time, Rustiara had said she stepped back because she “couldn’t keep up with the fighting.” But seeing this scene, it was hard to believe.
Not only can she keep up, but she could probably easily overwhelm Nosfy and Aid.
The very idea of presenting her bare fists to match a sword strike was abnormal.
This was innate talent.
Even if inferior in Level, that “Aptitude” will compensate.
Even if inferior in Dexterity, that excellent “Intuition” will lead to Victory.
If it continues like this, I will be closed in on by that reasonless, Unreasonable power—”The numerical value that doesn’t appear in numbers.”
“Damn it!”
A strong inferiority complex, which I hadn’t felt for a while, made my head spin.
At the same time, I understood that the Girl before me was a treasure favored by heaven, and that I was worthless trash.
Thanks to that, I can return to my usual self.
If I cannot overcome it, I have no choice but to rely on someone. Cooperation, not self-destruction. Not alone, but everyone. That is the only way for worthless trash like me to fight—
“Tiara-san! Do something!!”
“I-I’m at my limit too…!”
Tiara-san, who understood the disadvantage not just from my words, but also from the situation, grasped my request with just her name being called.
However, Tiara-san, like Rustiara, was in a state where she couldn’t use Magic.
Therefore, the only support she could offer was to supply her excess Magic Power.
From her entwining arms, Saint Tiara’s pristine Magic Power streamed into my Body. My depleted Magic Power filled my Body.
It wasn’t just that.
What was poured into me wasn’t just ordinary Magic Power; it was the Magic Power of that Saint Tiara.
—Of course, it was no ordinary power.
The pristine Magic Power instantly mixed with my Magic Power and permeated my Blood. Then, the Magic Power surging through my Body gave me instructions.
I was prompted by the infused Magic Power itself on how to use the increased Magic Power.
It was a similar sensation to the “Talks” magic of Nosfy, the Thief of Principles, whom I had fought in the Labyrinth.
Guided by Tiara-san’s Magic Power, I understood the best way to use it.
In this situation, there was no time to construct proper Magic.
There was only one way to use the Magic Power I received.
“F-F-F-Flyyyy—!!”
I poured all my Magic Power into my right leg and stomped on the ground.
Then, I failed the Magic, into which all my Magic Power had been poured.
It was a detonation of Magic Power that I was once familiar with. However, the scale was different compared to when I used it against Christ.
Before, it was a gust of wind that could blow away one person, but this time, it was a tempest that could easily swallow a house whole.
The immense Magic Power, with nowhere to go, exploded at my feet.
As the Magic failed, the wind lost its directionality and raged. No, it was no longer wind, but closer to a wave containing the phenomenon of destruction.
The moment the wind expanded, the back alley collapsed.
Caught in the explosion, the robust Street, through which the Magic Stone Line ran, was easily stripped away, the stone Wall on the side was shattered, and the surrounding houses were on the verge of collapse.
Naturally, Rustiara and I, who were at the center of it, were blown away.
Fortunately, as the one who caused the explosion, I was prepared to brace myself. While I couldn’t avoid damage to my leg, I adjusted my posture in mid-air and successfully landed far away.
What’s important here is that I was blown away in the opposite direction from Rustiara. And that an extraordinary amount of sand and dust was swirling around due to this explosion.
These two factors allowed me to succeed in making Rustiara lose sight of us.
I immediately stood up, moved Tiara-san from my arms to my Back, and began walking through the dust cloud as if escaping from Rustiara.
Amidst this, Tiara-san whispered into my ear.
“Rainer-chan, walk faster, walk faster. My daughter is coming after us.”
“Because of your instructions… my leg hurts, damn it…”
I retorted in a small voice.
The pain from my right leg made it difficult to even speak properly.
When I emerged from the dust cloud, I looked at my leg.
All my toenails were gone, and several of my right toes were broken. It was covered in bloody lacerations, and I felt nothing but pain. However, thanks to my bones and muscles being intact, I could somehow move it.
There was no time to cast recovery magic.
I left the back alley and started walking down the Street of Fuziaze. Naturally, seeing my piteous wounds exposed, the people passing by almost screamed.
However, while some showed concern, no one tried to get involved with me.
While part of it was probably due to not wanting to get caught up in trouble, even before that, this was an Allied Nation. Most people probably saw me and Tiara-san and thought, “Two Explorers who had a bad experience in the Labyrinth and are heading back to their inn or the Church.”
This was not an uncommon sight in these Allied Nations.
While receiving curious glances, I continued to walk silently, carrying Tiara-san on my Back.
Even though it wasn’t an uncommon sight, it was still dangerous to keep attracting attention. To avoid being spotted not only by Rustiara but also by the pursuing Knights, I entered a different back alley from the Street.
Along the way, I looked back several times.
Had Rustiara, who was blown away, completely lost us? There were no pursuers.
Rustiara doesn’t have any perception-type magic.
Since she hasn’t been taught magic application for tracking by Titty like I have, she probably can’t weave a tracking spell.
The problem is her surprisingly good “Intuition,” but… right now, there’s someone here with better “Intuition” than Rustiara.
“Rainer, let’s go that way. It’s less crowded there, and we can escape.”
“…Understood.”
Following the Saint’s instructions, I alternated between the Street and back alleys, continuing to walk through the labyrinthine streets of Fuziaze.
Once we were far enough from the Cathedral and Rustiara, and had secured a certain degree of safety, we began to talk. I could continue to flee to another country like this, but I had no intention of doing so.
“Tiara-san, can you move…? Honestly, it’s hard to walk with you on my Back…”
“…Sorry, I don’t think I can. Right now, I can only move my mouth and Magic Power. I think out of the three Magic Stone Humans, I’m the weakest. My physical body and my consciousness, I only have a few more hours to live. Ugh, this is really bad.”
“I see… Then let’s just talk about what to do next.”
“Yep.”
Tiara-san replied with a listless voice on my Back. Although I tried to keep the tone as light as possible, looking at her face made it clear how little Remaining time she had.
Not only had his vitality vanished, but the deathly pallor etched onto him was overwhelmingly profound.
“……Can we, with just us now, transfer your power to me?”
“That’s impossible. Tiara-san spent half a day building up magic within her body. Ideally, I’d want Emily-chan as well. I can’t do it alone. What I do is, after all, ‘talking’ to someone else’s blood to borrow their spell formula.”
It seemed that the continuation of the ritual could not be carried out without Rustiara, at the very least. However, now not only Emily but Rustiara too had become an enemy.
“Then, should I give up on inheriting the power and just incinerate your ‘blood’ here and now as the best option…? You said your personality is contained in that body right now, correct? If that disappears, it will at least deviate from Rustiara’s intentions.”
“Considering my daughter, that might be the safest option. …I don’t mind it?”
When asked if she was okay with being killed now, Tiara-san answered without hesitation that she didn’t mind.
She had probably been prepared from the very beginning.
If it came down to it, she was prepared to disappear for Rustiara’s sake――
That was the same resolve Rustiara had shown earlier.
She too had been prepared to disappear for Tiara-san’s sake.
Frankly, it was irritating.
It reminded me of my past self.
It felt like I was looking at a version of myself I hated, and I didn’t want to accept it.
And with that irritation, I also remembered Christ’s words.
I heard those words when we were fighting together around the sixtieth floor of the Labyrinth.
“The path of self-sacrifice is easy, but that alone won’t solve the problem. Don’t just seek happiness for yourself, nor sacrifice yourself alone. Find a path where everyone helps each other and everyone becomes happy. No matter when, no matter what happens, no matter how difficult it is, never give up on that path until the end.” That’s what I was told by my Lord.
So, I asked Tiara-san.
I asked now, choosing to ask rather than part ways without a word.
“……But you want to leave something behind, don’t you? There’s something you absolutely want to do, isn’t there? That’s why you appeared before me. You appeared before me, even though you could have quietly disappeared without anyone knowing the truth about ‘Saint Tiara’.”
“……That’s right. I want to leave my power in the world. …Yes, I promised ‘She’.”
Tiara-san pondered for a moment before answering honestly.
“I see… So you are too…”
I didn’t ask who she made the promise with.
What was important now was that Tiara-san was the same as the Guardians.
The same as the ‘Thieves of Principles’ like Titty.
The same as Mr. Hein, who had died.
Precisely because they knew their end was near, they cherished what would remain after they were gone.
I wouldn’t sacrifice those lingering feelings. I didn’t want to.
Most importantly, as a Knight, I wanted to cherish the words I received from my Lord.
Therefore, I――
“Then, let’s do it. Your ‘blood’ here, Rustiara’s ‘blood’, Emily’s ‘blood’ too, I’ll take it all―― I’ll take it all myself.”
I won’t give up.
I resumed walking, conveying to the girl on my back that the battle was not yet over.
“……Are you serious?”
Perhaps surprised, Tiara-san asked for confirmation.
“Rustiara is strong, I admit, but she’s full of openings. Fedelt and Emily are the same. Now that I know they don’t have the guts to go through with harming the hostages, there’s no point in falling behind anymore.”
Seeing the determination in my strong reply, Tiara-san didn’t try to stop me. She calmly reported her condition.
“We’ve both become quite battered, haven’t we? We have about fifteen minutes left, but…… can you really do it?”
“It’s not about whether I can do it. I’m going to do it.”
What was important here was that it wasn’t time to give up yet.
If I didn’t do what I could, I would regret it.
So, I was going to do it――stubbornly, like a child.
Seeing me, Tiara-san laughed.
She laughed from the bottom of her heart.
It wasn’t a fake smile meant to keep a poker face. She just laughed because it was funny── I felt like I saw her expression for the first time.
“Heh, ahaha. Well then, shall we two come up with a plan?”
“Yes. It’s time for a counterattack. We’ve been pushed around enough. Now it’s time for us to do as we please. I will definitely take revenge.”
“Alright! I’m getting a little fired up now. After all, it has to end like this!”
Perhaps caught up in my momentum, Tiara-san started to get excited. The strength transmitted from her back was weak, but she was still radiating a sure fighting spirit.
Thus, without stopping our steps, we began to brainstorm a counterattack plan together.
Our victory condition was to secure the bodies of Rustiara and Emily, and restart the ritual under our lead.
For that purpose, we meticulously devised the best plan―― no, since time was short, we quickly decided on it based on ‘intuition’.
After consulting while walking for several minutes.
We started moving towards our destination――
“——Alright. We aim for the ‘Eleventh Crossroads’, the center of Fuziaze. We’ll intercept everyone there.”
“It’s a situation where the results of your special training will be put to use, my disciple~”
“I will do my best without being told. I’ll fight as if my life depends on it.”
I responded to the expectations and encouragement of my master on my back.
At that moment, somehow… I felt like I could see the flow of events. This was something I had come to see thanks to my long training with Tiara-san.
Now, Rustiara wished for Tiara-san’s ‘Rebirth’, Fedelt was aiming for Tiara-san’s power, and Emily was trying to undo everything.
A faint glimpse of how the outcome would unfold, not aligning with any of the three enemies’ intentions, appeared――though it might just be my imagination.
The breakdown of the sixth volume’s bonus content has changed slightly. I apologize.
The details of the changes have been added in the activity report.
Maria’s massage unexpectedly doubled.
