My father is dead.
Everything is my fault.
My own selfish desires led to this terrible ending.
“Ugh, ugh… Uwaaaaaaaah, ahhhhhhh!”
I continue to wail and sob.
My tears don’t stop. My wails don’t stop.
It’s a ceaseless outpouring, like the beating of my heart. I need to vent my emotions through crying, or I’ll be crushed by my guilt and die. So, my instincts keep me alive, forcing me to cry and wail.
I don’t know how long I’ve been crying.
I don’t know what happened while I was crying.
I’ve cried so much that I can’t even tell what’s what anymore.
I’m screaming so much that I’m starting to forget why I’m sad.
Surely, if I forget, I will be saved.
That oblivion is probably a form of defensive instinct to protect my heart.
I know that. That’s why, even as I grieve, I continue to wish that I won’t forget. Hearing my own screams, I reconfirm my father’s death. Then, I grieve his death again from the bottom of my heart and scream from my gut. I continue to repeat this.
Death is truly a sad thing. But to forget it is even sadder. I learned this from the appearance of a former friend, and I knew it to be true.
I continue to regret within the ravaged room at the center of the 45th floor, after the battle has passed, vowing not to repeat the same mistakes as her.
My father is gone. He was killed and taken away.
Ragune, who did it, is no longer here.
She went upwards, stating she had no interest in me.
I, left behind, continue to cry and cry and cry and cry—until, something shifts.
“—?!”
My wails abruptly cease.
For a moment, I feel a strange sensation as if time has stopped—and then, immediately, realizing this is no time to be crying, I lift my bowed head and whip around.
I feel as though someone saw me, spoke to me, told me something, and I search for that someone.
Naturally, no one is there.
There is only the shattered wall and floor from the magic I unleashed.
There is no sign of a third party. If there were, I would have noticed. It is impossible for me, the Thief of Principles of Light, to fail to notice. If such a being existed, then…
“N, ugh…—”
As I scan my surroundings, I recognize the voice of the person I’m holding in my arms.
I had been crying so much that I hadn’t thought about her until just now. But this is not something I can ignore. I quickly wipe my tear-soaked face with my sleeve and utter words beyond a scream.
“Ra, Rustiara…! Ah, aah, the blood! The blood…!”
In my arms is my sister, bloodied and near death.
Even now, blood gushes from her abdomen like a spring. I hastily try to seal the wound with healing magic, but there’s no sign of the bleeding stopping. Of course. It’s a wound I created; I know the reason. Because I stabbed her with Hermina’s Heart, this wound will never heal.
“Ugh, ugh, I won’t let you die…! I absolutely won’t let you die…! Rustiara, I for sure…! ”
If the wound won’t heal, what can I do?
I already have the answer.
Besides the Thief of the Law of Blood, the owner of this power, only I can do something about this wound. This is a self-assured belief—that only my Law of Light can counter this killing intent-filled Law of Blood.
So, I wish.
Closing my eyelids tightly, I wish to be the substitute.
Rustiara Fuziaze was a good, obedient child, while Nosfy Fuziaze was a disobedient, bad child. After all, she is the one who created this wound that will never heal. She’s not just a bad child. I am the worst sinner imaginable.
A sinner doesn’t matter what happens to them.
So please, save Rustiara alone.
I don’t wish for anything else. Just the one in my arms right now, please save her somehow.
Of course, I know all I can do is be the substitute. Though I can do nothing, let me save her. Please, let my substitute save her.
Please, please, please, please…
God, or the world, or anyone…
Please, I beg you…!
For me and Rustiara…!!
“—’Now, I cast aside my banner’—”
The prayer spills from my lips.
The moment I realize it’s an Incantation, a flame-like heat ignites in my abdomen.
“Pain—!”
My eyes snap open, and my gaze shifts from Rustiara, whom I’m embracing, to my own stomach.
Seeing the new wound that has formed there, I carefully examine Rustiara’s abdomen.
—It’s gone.
The wound has transferred.
As I wished, I became the substitute and took on the wound.
Joy wells up from the bottom of my heart, only to be immediately extinguished.
The burning sensation in my abdomen spreads throughout my body, and I’m assaulted by a pain and breathlessness like being in a fireplace.
“Gu, aaah—!!”
It’s more than just pain.
It’s a pain that surpasses intense pain.
It ruthlessly burns my brain, rendering me unable to move even a single finger.
This kind of pain… I…
To my dear father and sister…
Regret swells thickly within me. Now, I can’t believe why I did such a thing. I desperately want to erase the me from that time. Hatred and anger towards myself grow, and my unfettered emotions are expelled from my throat.
“Ugh, aah! Aaaah…—!!”
I want to scream.
I want to scream so much more.
I want to scream until my throat tears, my chest bursts, and all my limbs crumble.
However, a faint voice from within my chest stops me.
“Nosfy…?”
Rustiara, her face pale, opens her eyelids and looks up at me from my chest.
I immediately realize I have no right to be crying and screaming.
Right now, Rustiara is more important than myself. I suppress the pain and call out to her to check her condition.
“……Did you wake up?”
The reason I could pretend to be normal was thanks to the reduced bleeding from the wound in my abdomen. I could feel the area around the wound becoming a ‘half-corpse.’ Even though the wound couldn’t be healed, it was temporarily stopped by a simple hemostasis covered in reptilian scales.
More than anything, my ‘lingering desire’ has increased, and thus my power as a ‘Thief of the Principles of Light’ has grown. With my father’s death and my own sin—if I leave this enlarged ‘lingering desire’ unchecked, it will be impossible to die a proper death. The world definitely won’t allow such a peaceful end as death by bleeding.
That’s why I can be sure it’s best for me to bear this ‘[Never Returning]’ wound as a ‘substitute’ for Rustiara. The wound aches and is painful, but the danger of death is incomparably less. It’s a very rational division of labor.
“Yes. My body suddenly feels energetic… Did Nosfy recover?”
Above all, seeing her with a healthy complexion in my arms is the greatest reward for me. A sense of relief, as if the pain had vanished, flows through my entire body like medicine.
“…Yes. My healing magic is the best in the world. You’re safe now.”
Answering with pride, I stand up while holding her. Rustiara, drawn by my movement, also stands up, and I support her wobbling body with my own feet. Knowing there was no longer any danger of death, I now leap into her chest.
“Rustiara…! Ah, Rustiara, I’m so glad…!!”
From deep within her chest, I can hear the beating of her heart. It reaches my cheek, and then my own heart. I have saved one of my family members. I feel as though my sins have lessened slightly, and I am indescribably happy.
“It, it tickles…! It’s okay. Everything’s okay now…! More importantly, right now…!”
Rustiara gently pushes me, who is clinging to her, away and immediately checks on the situation on the forty-fifth floor. Her gaze, ignoring the destroyed furniture and rubble, focuses on a single spot. Severed human limbs float in a pool of blood.
“Rustiara… Father… is he…?
I try to convey whose they are, but Rustiara nods without letting me finish.
“Yes, I know. Although his consciousness was hazy, I was able to catch fragments of the conversation…”
Surprisingly, he wasn’t unconscious in that tragic state. This means he heard all of those ruthless words from Ragune. Among them were words blaming me. I, who couldn’t even act to protect my dying father despite being so selfish. Knowing that she knew this makes me feel pathetic and ashamed, and I try to avert my gaze from Rustiara.
However, the words thrown at me, who was tormenting myself, were not of disappointment or reprimand, but of confirmation.
“Hey, Nosfy. Tell me. Nosfy, is Kanami your ‘father,’ right?”
“Huh…? Ah, yes… It’s a bit late, but… that’s what I think…”
“I’m glad… I see. Kanami reached them… At the cost of his life… one step, or rather, just for a moment. But he certainly changed himself.”
Rustiara looks at me with kind eyes. She was nearly killed, and her beloved was murdered. Yet, she still believes in me and loves me. Understanding this, I am, of course, confused.
Rustiara approaches the place where my father died and kneels in the pool of blood. Her eyes fall on the remaining limbs and blood, and she murmurs in a very small voice.
“That’s why I remained.”
I don’t understand the meaning of that. Her expression and words are unreadable—is she sad, grieving, or angry? No, it’s impossible for her not to be sad. He’s dead. Father is dead. She must be terribly sad, despairing, and resentful of the injustice of this world. Otherwise, it would be strange.
As I watch the grieving Rustiara, tears fall from her downcast eyes. However, only one drop. It was so modest, unlike myself, who shed over a thousand large tears.
“Then, let’s go. Nosfy.”
Then, shaking off even that single tear, Rustiara lifts her face, filled with vitality. She stands up, forcefully stamping her two feet on the floor, and moves forward. Her extremely rapid shift makes me confirm her words.
“Go? Go where…?”
“We’re going to question Ragune-chan. Why she did something like this.”
Tension runs through my entire body, and I stiffen.
—Ragune.
Just hearing that name makes me step back as if there were an enemy, and my teeth begin to chatter. Weak words well up from the back of my throat.
“What’s the point of questioning her? Even if I ask, Father won’t come back… No matter what she says, it’s meaningless… There’s no point in chasing after her anymore…”
Every cell in my body screams that I shouldn’t face Ragune again. It’s not just about her having defeated Father. She is dangerous. A person who greedily seeks power and is utterly devoted to victory. In terms of fighting and killing, there is no one as specialized. I wanted to say that confronting her would be suicidal. But Rustiara quietly shakes her head at my suggestion.
“There is a point. I believe that those left behind need to know the reason in place of the person who was killed… If there’s a reason they can accept, then Kanami might be able to accept his death.”
“A reason to accept death…? Are you an idiot!? There’s no such thing anywhere, not in the whole world! Don’t say such absurd things!”
I understand that the question is about the ‘reason for killing.’ However, the way she spoke as if that might make it acceptable depending on the reason was completely beyond my comprehension. It’s too absurd. But Rustiara looked surprised by my outburst. Then, she carefully stated her opinion as if handling a delicate object.
“Huh? Is it that strange…? Even if Kanami were alive, I think he’d say the same thing… Anyway, talking comes before revenge, that was Kanami’s habit…”
Hearing that, I lost my words.
It’s true, Father would say something like that. Even against someone as absurd, troublesome, and the worst kind of enemy as me, Father didn’t give up fighting until the very end. He reached out to me, risking his life. I can’t deny that he might do something similar to Ragune. It’s a strong possibility.
However, I can’t possibly emulate that way of thinking.
It’s impossible. Normally, if you lose a loved one to murder, you can’t have a calm conversation.
“I can’t understand… It’s strange. That’s strange…”
I repeat the words I said to Father to Rustiara. She accepts them without denying them, with a dry laugh.
“…Sorry. As expected, my feelings are shallow, aren’t they? Or maybe it’s because I came here prepared to die today, both me and Kanami?”
She had a look on her face like a condemned prisoner who wasn’t afraid of death. The thought that I was the one who made her prepare for that made me feel terribly sad. Naturally, I couldn’t stop myself.
“Don’t say you’re going to die! You can’t say things like that so lightly! Absolutely not! You can’t!”
If Rustiara dies now, I will truly be finished. I’ll lose even the faint meaning of life that remains, become all alone, and never be able to stand up again. That is more terrifying than death. I walk up to her and beg, as if clinging to her.
“Please… Rustiara, you must not die…”
Rustiara looked at me with a troubled expression at my plea. And then, finally—
“…I’ll try not to die.”
She didn’t promise me.
At the same time, I recall Father’s words from earlier. “If something happens,” “together,” “I’ll die with you then,” “Rustiara and I are willing to die for you.”
Perhaps that’s why she doesn’t fear standing before Ragune, who is the embodiment of murderous intent. Rather, if she finds a reason that satisfies her with Ragune, then she will—
“Nosfy, I’m sorry but I’m going after Ragune-chan alone. It’s not just to hear the reason this time… I also want to find out why Ragune-chan took the corpse. I think there’s something about that corpse. And depending on what that something is, I feel like there’s still hope. Something that can turn the tables, it must still be there…”
Rustiara directs her golden, shining eyes towards me, who is on the verge of tears. The words are bright, filled with hope… but her overly bright gaze blinds my eyes and brain.
Facing the eyes of someone precious to me, I feel fear. The golden color is so deep that I feel like I’m being drawn in, and the depths of my chest tremble. It’s undoubtedly not the eyes of an ordinary human. Even though she’s a “Magic Stone Human” like me, I keenly feel that she is completely different from me.
—It’s the same difference I felt a thousand years ago with Tiara-sama.
What’s most different, I think, is the form of love. Rustiara, who is so optimistic even after losing the person she loves most, clearly has a deep and distorted love. The word “shallow” she just used is not wrong. Tiara-sama was also shallow in many ways. However, in exchange for that shallowness, her love is immeasurably broad and deep.
Because of that “shallow, broad, and deep love,” Rustiara seems to unthinkingly believe that “nothing can separate two lovers, not even death.” Even if separated by life, as long as the souls are connected, love is immortal. True understanding, not physical touch, is what matters.
—That’s why she has this composure.
Frankly, it’s abnormal. However, Father’s view on love was just as abnormal, so perhaps they were a perfect match. As I knew, Father loves Rustiara the “most,” and she is the closest to him. Not me. If Rustiara, who is the “most” important, says there is hope, then I thought there was a possibility.
“Does that mean Father is alive…? Even in that state, he’s not dead yet…?”
“I think it’s possible. What do you think, Nosfy, who lived a thousand years ago? Hasn’t something like this happened before?”
Rustiara’s immediate answer is so dazzling and strange. If I keep facing her, I might go mad too. Of course, I’m at a loss for a response. In front of my eyes, Father died. Stabbed in the heart, his limbs cut, his neck broken. How could he possibly be alive after that? The only possibility is that he became a monster, but Father was human until the end. Under Ragune’s vigilant watch, he undoubtedly died as a human.
At least, that’s what my reason told me—but the word “a thousand years ago” snagged my attention. As if a thread of memory connected, I recalled a past event, and words spilled from my mouth.
“A thousand years ago… If it’s about hope… if I use my true ‘Magic,’ perhaps…”
I heard something similar a long time ago. Once, Sis and Diplakla said that the power of “Thief of the Principles of Light” was meant to unite the world. And they wished that I would save the world with that power and lead it to peace. However, there was one person—Legacy—who presented a different use for it. It was the “Immortality” magic. At the time, I felt no need for it and ignored it, but it’s like magic made for this very moment.
“If it’s magic that utilizes the world’s principles I stole, then for one person—I can grant ‘Immortality.'”
“Immortality”…? Can Nosfy use that magic?”
“One of the Apostles who created me said so. It doesn’t require grand preparations or sacrifices. If I reach that point, it will simply revive one person.”
Of course, I have no confidence.
It’s natural, as I’ve never consciously used magic like that before.
The “Principle of Light” I used on Rustiara earlier was a first. However, if I aim for a realm far beyond that… I don’t think it’s impossible magic. I might even be able to heal those who died as humans.
As I was seriously considering the possibilities of magic,
“Nosfy, does that magic have a ‘Price’?”
I was asked what would be lost in exchange for that power.
I could think of many things. So many that it was a problem.
However, if I vocalized them, I would only cause worry. I hid most of them and answered with the most moderate one.
“…Yes, but it’s alright. The ‘Price’ for being a ‘Thief of Principles of Light’ is ‘having one’s heart become honest,’ which is relatively easy. Now, I am riddled with ‘Prices,’ but it’s not that painful— , —kuh!?”
Before I could finish speaking, I was hugged.
Rustiara buried my head in her chest, hugging me tightly to prevent me from continuing. I immediately broke free from the embrace and voiced my confusion.
“—kuh, phew. Rustiara…?”
“No, I absolutely think it was painful… I’m sorry, it’s not Kanami. You did well, alone, until today… Forcing one’s ‘heart to become honest’ is practically torture. It’s abuse. You’re truly amazing, Nosfy…”
What I had considered the most moderate, Rustiara declared unacceptable.
Then, she stroked my head as if praising me.
“N-no… That’s not… That’s not the case…”
I tried to deny it, saying it was no big deal—but my voice trailed off.
Her gentle, warm palm was shattering the shell around my heart.
The wounds within that shell flashed in my mind. A thousand years ago, being created as a tool, eventually having my heart broken, pursuing Father, repeating “Incantations,” and the days of continuous battle.
All those wounds were cared for, comforted, and praised as having done well, and my eyes inevitably grew hot from the inside.
—I feel like crying.
But I mustn’t cry.
As I said myself, it’s not like that.
I am not in a position to say I’m suffering or sad right now. I, who tormented Father and caused him pain, absolutely have no right to think such things—
Yet, being petted felt so good that my vision narrowed more and more. It felt like it would close completely at any moment.
Rustiara, who reached out to me, staking her life, Rustiara, who trusted me even after being stabbed in the abdomen, Rustiara, who called me family, was stroking me.
It wasn’t just the depths of my eyes; my whole abdomen felt warm. Above all, my heart felt warm, fluffy, and filled with something good.
This was a feeling I had never experienced since I took on Father’s emotions a thousand years ago.
This is bad. If this continues, I… I… —
No good!!
“A-anyway! I believe that magic is worth trying…! Honestly, it’s a magic I lack confidence in, but no matter what I lose, I will achieve that magic! Please let me try!!”
I shouted, pushing away her petting hands.
Seeing that, Rustiara grumbled.
“Hmm… Hearing you say ‘no matter what I lose’ here makes me feel like our efforts with Kanami were in vain, which is a complicated feeling… After all that posing and coming to help, I end up being the one receiving help…”
She bit her lip, looking genuinely regretful.
This is probably making her feel like she hasn’t helped me. I could tell Rustiara was thinking of a way to turn the situation around without letting me use my true magic.
“No! I was helped by both of you! And now it’s my turn to help everyone! I will repay all the selfishness I’ve shown! I must repay it! Ragune is frightening… but I will somehow find an opening and use magic on Father’s body! I will somehow handle her—”
As I boasted to myself, my own words sent shivers down my spine.
Exploit Ragune’s opening?
And succeed in one go with magic I’ve never even tried?
Beyond anxiety, my reason screamed that it was impossible.
Cold sweat poured down my face as I spoke, and the warmth that had just settled in my cheeks vanished. Again, I desperately tried to stop my body from trembling, not wanting to worry them. But,
“We’ll all hold Ragune back. Nosfy isn’t alone anymore. We’re here, so rely on us more…”
That pretense was destroyed before it could be completed.
Rustiara noticed my inner turmoil, shook her head saying it wasn’t necessary, and reached for my hand. I didn’t resist, accepting the warmth of Rustiara’s hand and nodding.
“…Yes. Please. …I probably can’t beat Ragune at all.”
I had learned from the lessons of a former friend.
If I kept up the pretense of being strong here, I would eventually break down and fail. Knowing that, I didn’t continue to pretend.
Seeing my honesty, Rustiara smiled and nodded back.
“Yeah. …Well then, now that we’ve agreed, shall we get going? …If we’re going to see him, it seems we should hurry.”
With this exchange, we began to move.
However, before that, Rustiara pointed to the scattered things on the floor.
“Ah, these limbs…”
“Um, yes. I’ll put them in my magic.”
Just in case they were needed someday, I placed Father’s right arm, left arm, right leg, and left leg into my “Inventory” with a frown.
“Oh. That’s a handy one, same as Kanami’s. Nosfy can do that too.”
“Yes. I had the aptitude for it, so I practiced…”
Considering where I was born, this was natural. I had an aptitude for both curse techniques and dimensional magic.
As I recalled practicing desperately to catch up to my father, who had abandoned me a thousand years ago, Rustiara began to walk, following the trail of blood from where her limbs had been.
Her destination was the stairs leading to the forty-sixth floor.
“Kanami’s blood is leading upwards…”
“Yes, he said he was going to the Senate…”
I followed behind her.
I walked behind her, not beside her, so she wouldn’t see my hand clutching my abdomen.
With every step, I was struck by a sharp, stabbing pain.
Climbing the stairs, I could barely keep from groaning in agony.
Still, I carefully pretended to be healthy and followed Rustiara’s back.
Following the blood to the upper levels of Fuziaze Castle, we encountered a pool of blood that covered all the bloodstains.
“—This!”
“This is Ragune’s doing. There’s no mistaking this way of dying.”
Inside the pool were multiple corpses.
Looking at their expressions, one could infer the circumstances of their deaths.
Few faces were contorted in pain; most were surprised. They must have all died without realizing they were dead.
Furthermore, each had a single fatal wound. The blood was still warm, meaning they had just been killed. This matched the characteristics of the person we were chasing.
“Let’s hurry. If we linger, someone might come.”
I urged Rustiara, who had stopped with a grimace, to move forward.
Rustiara, understanding that there was no time to mourn the dead, passed through the gruesome blood pool and continued up the stairs.
Along the way, many corpses lay scattered, killed in various ways.
These were likely the knights who had been guarding the stairs. All of them had been slaughtered. However, thanks to them, we were able to reach the Senate’s chamber on the top floor with ease.
Naturally, the elders of the Senate were also dead. There were no survivors along the path Ragune seemed to have taken, not even guards.
We had assumed Ragune would be waiting in the Senate’s chamber, but upon finding bloodstains leading to the rooftop, we decided to continue climbing the stairs.
There, another corpse lay.
A woman’s body—I remembered Ragune mentioning her as special before. Even this special person had become a corpse, staining the narrow staircase red.
We finally reached the summit, having followed the red path.
The top of Fuziaze Castle. The altitude was so extreme that a cold morning wind blew horizontally with the clouds.
Emerging onto the rooftop, we were bathed in the golden morning sun.
“Wow, it’s so beautiful…”
As soon as Rustiara stepped outside, her eyes widened.
She then walked to the edge of the rooftop and soaked in the golden wind, clouds, and sun.
…Beautiful?
It was indeed a beautiful view.
It felt like being in the sky, and I felt a slight sense of exhilaration. However, I couldn’t afford to dwell on it now. I didn’t go to the edge of the rooftop; instead, I followed the trail of blood from the stairs alone.
The blood trail, just like Rustiara, led once to the edge of the rooftop and then continued to the atrium in the center of the rooftop.
“Rustiara, the blood is over there…”
I called this information out to her back, and she flusteredly apologized, “S-sorry,” and immediately rushed towards the atrium.
Rustiara strained her eyes, glaring into the depths of the atrium.
“Ragune-chan seems to have gone down… Is the magic power strongest on the lowest floor?”
Even with her excellent eyesight, she couldn’t grasp the situation at the very bottom.
However, she sensed a surge of magic power and determined that a fierce battle was taking place beneath Fuziaze.
I could sense it too. Honestly, it was filled with a magic that evoked a sense of nostalgia.
“If we’re going down, should we perhaps rendezvous with Dia and the others on the twentieth floor first…?”
After all, Ragune wasn’t on the rooftop.
Rustiara decided on their next plan and turned her shining eyes not to the atrium, but to me on the rooftop. Then, she extended her right hand.
I knew without being asked.
Rustiara intended to jump into this hole.
Judging by the blood trail, Ragune must have fallen in as well. I was sure Ragune was below. Thinking so, I couldn’t take a step to grab her outstretched hand.
Honestly, I wanted to run.
If Ragune was below, I wanted to run up.
Higher than the rooftop of Fuziaze Castle, much, much higher. To the edge of the sky—
“—It’s alright.”
As if reading my mind, Rustiara whispered with a smile.
Instantly, my consciousness shifted from the Ragune in my head to Rustiara before me.
Her hair was fluttering.
Following the flow of the clouds, her shimmering long hair swayed as if dissolving into the golden sky.
I thought it was beautiful.
With Rustiara, I was able to feel an emotion that this scenery alone could never evoke, one that now sprang from my heart.
It had been a long time.
How long had it been?
Perhaps since I was caring for my father a thousand years ago.
I felt as if I had grasped a fragment of what I had been pursuing for so long.
Since that day, I had pushed forward, believing that the righteous would be rewarded, and fought continuously—until I arrived at the rooftop of Fuziaze Castle a thousand years later.
There awaited Rustiara Fuziaze.
Not my father, but a girl born to be a substitute, just like me.
A “Magic Stone Human” with whom I felt an inexplicable connection, unable to think of her as a stranger.
Mesmerized by her appearance, I was drawn in—and took her hand.
“—Yes.”
Without thinking, I answered.
Rustiara pulled my body closer, and I fell backward.
Thus, we plunged into the hole together.
