Chapter 603 — Arc 9, Chapter 15 – “The Defeated”

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???: [――Your old man’s been captured by an accomplice of mine.]

The moment he employed that trump card of his, Aldebaran felt his own defeat to a painful extent.

One-hundred-and-thirty-two thousand and forty-four, such was the number of attempts in the matrix it had taken him to solve this one problem; the Witch had conditioned him into the habit of counting them up, and this marked the second occasion in his life the count had reached this number.

And thus, much like what had happened that first time, once again had Aldebaran been defeated.

The preparations laid out had been flawless, all possible stratagems had been put in place, he was possessed of limitless chances to fine-tune his plans so long as his heart did not shatter, and yet, he lost.

How frail his own heart must be; he was truly, oh so truly disgusted by it.

His heart was frail.

Far more than his lack of talent, far more than the lack of rewards for his efforts, far more than nobody loving him, that frail heart was the deadly poison that everlastingly made Aldebaran loathe himself so.

???: [――――]

By way of the repeated trial and error alongside the Dragon, he had finally succeeded in having the Sword Saint spill blood.

This successful experience, too, was overruled by means of the Divine Protection of Bloodshed, a ridiculous Divine Protection that made him more powerful the more blood he shed, yet the figure of Reinhard, both his arms having been rendered useless, served as the spoils of battle.

In frankness, since Reinhard would have gone through most of the battles in his life without sustaining injuries, his hope had been that giving him a taste of pain would cast a shadow upon he who was the strongest.

Alas, the man strongest in the world, the man strongest in generations, the man strongest in history, stood likewise firm in the face of pain.

Henceforth, albeit his arms had been torn to shreds and into ribbons, his complexion had not changed whatsoever.

Therefore――,

Aldebaran: […I get’cha.]

To his fore, as Reinhard looked down on him toppled amidst a sea of sand, Aldebaran nodded in assent.

Never mind the discomfort of having soil in his mouth, the flavor of blood pooling on the inside of his cut cheek, the unavoidable sluggishness and pain throughout his entire body from being rocked by the shockwave; he still could not help but declare so.

Amidst the bouts whose grand total surpassed one-hundred-and-thirty-thousand, not once had Reinhard’s complexion changed, even when his arms had been reduced to such a state. ――That face had thus contorted into a thing of dreadful sorrow.

Aldebaran: [I get’cha.]

Reinhard’s face looked very much akin to that of a child who had let go of the parents’ hands and lost sight of them whilst shopping at a mall, to which Aldebaran piled on words of understanding.

Piling them on, he continued.

Aldebaran: [Family, it’s what always holds us back.]

Reinhard: [――Hk, how can I know what you say is true…]

Aldebaran: [Why don’t you take a look? For example… with that, with the Duchess’s Divine Protection of Wind Reading. If you can discern if someone is lying with that or something similar, then you could see whether I’m being truthful or not.]

Reinhard: [That is――]

Aldebaran: [Not something you can do? ――I guess you do have some trauma from taking away someone’s Divine Protection.]

When he pointed that out, anguish flashed across Reinhard’s expression.

A miniscule opening was born in the defense of the invincible, of the impregnable Sword Saint. Akin to water starting to overflow from a levee. The more the water seeped through, the stronger Aldebaran’s feelings of defeat would grow.

Neither his Body nor his Technique could be outrivalled. As a result, he would have to torment his Heart, a most foul approach.

And that strategy had been evidently effective.

What Aldebaran had attempted more than a hundred-and-thirty-thousand times, and failed to do, he would now accomplish by playing dirty, shedding not a single drop of blood or sweat.

And, that was no fault of Reinhard van Astrea, the young man born carrying the expectations to become the Sword Saint.

Aldebaran: [In that case, how about we use logic alone?]

Reinhard: […Logic?]

Aldebaran: [Indeed, logic.]

Raising his body upon the sand as it creaked, Aldebaran gave pursuit to Reinhard.

Perhaps, had “Aldebaran” been able to get up, they would have had the option to fight while still instilling uncertainty in Reinhard.

But, with no signs that the fainted “Aldebaran” would come to its senses, he had already deployed the key to conquer the Heart. So, the only option left to him was to use this key to pry open a closed route. ――Aldebaran resolved himself to do so.

Aldebaran: [As you can tell from getting to this point, I’ve taken every possible measure, and laid preparations to face off against you, Sword Saint-san. A mountain of plans, the Augria Sand Dunes riddled with Miasma, and in addition…]

Reinhard: [――Enlisted the Divine Dragon Volcanica, to your cause.]

Aldebaran: [Strictly speaking, that one was only managed via a secret trick… but yes. However, though I went that far, I had no confidence that I could take you down, and in fact, it was no good. You understand then, right?]

Reinhard: [――――]

Aldebaran: [Your old man, he was a collaborator of Princess’s. I had plenty of chances… of opportunities.]

Aldebaran was convinced that this reason was certainly not the one for which Priscilla had allowed Heinkel into her Camp.

Haughty, arrogant, unafraid to profess that all things in the world belonged to her, was Aldebaran’s beloved woman; the beautiful and the ugly she forgave equally, regardless of her likings.

She would not have used Heinkel for the purpose of dealing with Reinhard, nor would she have shunned Heinkel, deliberately hurting him for his way of being, in any way.

The source of her intent lay concealed within her heart, her heart that was fierce like flame, whence it could not be laid bare.

――Or perhaps, that was what he should have done.

Minding not the conflagration, Aldebaran, having been dispossessed of his left arm, ought to have fumbled and groped around in the flames with his other arm, steeled with the resolve to let it turn to charcoal, to let it burn to ash.

Had he done as such, Priscilla Barielle would still be――.

Aldebaran: […She’s, no longer among us.]

Reinhard: [Al-dono?]

Aldebaran: [I ain’t got even a single reason to hesitate. I’d take those sorta measures with no qualms whatsoever.]

With Aldebaran asserting thus, Reinhard’s eyes narrowed a smidgen.

Reinhard did not wish to be bestowed with the Divine Protection of Wind Reading due to various reasons, but surely even he had been provided with sufficient info as to believe Aldebaran.

Reinhard: [――――]

From what he could tell by a glance, Reinhard’s injured arms had yet to commence being healed.

Blessed by the world, and loved by fate, it was said that when Reinhard sustained wounds on his body, the Spirits in his environs would flock to him so that he may be healed; the Augria Sand Dunes were riddled with Miasma however, the natural enemy of Spirits. Accordingly, Reinhard’s little fangirls were unable to assemble.

It was possible that, since the dawn of history, no one but Aldebaran had ever cornered Reinhard to this extent, so given such an unprecedented situation――,

Reinhard: [……You, what do you desire from me?]

As if wringing that out of himself, Reinhard took a seat at the hostage negotiation table.

Hearing that, Aldebaran let out a long, long breath, relief that tormenting the Heart had indeed been worthwhile,

Aldebaran: [Nothing outrageous. I ain’t gonna give you an unreasonable demand, like asking you to join me like the Divine Dragon. Nor will I have you betray your master, or do anything I wouldn’t like being done to me.]

Reinhard: [Inscrutable, I cannot believe that. You use my father as a shield, and try to say you have a conscience?]

Aldebaran: [What a terrible shameless person I am, eh? Having to deal with a guy like that, I kinda feel sorry for you. ――My request is simple, I only wish that you let us go on our way.]

Reinhard: [Let you go?]

Impossible, was the nuance that reply was laced with, to which Aldebaran shook his head up and down.

Ordering Reinhard to commit suicide, or having him halt the Council of Wise Men’s actions in exchange for his father; unreasonable negotiation demands of the sort were not within his intentions.

It was already clear to him, from the start. ――Reinhard would not go along with hostage negotiations.

Reinhard: [――――]

He was seriously concerned for Heinkel’s safety, he did not want to let Aldebaran, hostile as he was, die, and he was worried about his comrades, Flam and Ezzo, who yet remained in the Tower.

And all of that human compassion, he would be capable of gathering together and heartlessly sacrificing in order to protect the world’s equilibrium if necessity arose.

Reinhard would be able to sacrifice Heinkel, for whose safety he was seriously concerned; he would be able to slay Aldebaran, who he did not want to let die, hostile as he was; he would be able to abandon the comrades he was worried about, Flam and Ezzo, who yet remained in the Tower, leaving them to meet their deaths. ――The Sword Saint, was simply that sort of being.

Henceforth, only those individuals willing to sacrifice their own selves to protect the greater good could become the Sword Saint.

Aldebaran: [Lemme tell you one thing, letting me off the hook here won’t result in any huge differences in the world. If anything, it’ll remove two users of cheat techniques from the Royal Selection, increasing your master’s chances of becoming the Monarch.]

Reinhard: [A throne attained through the elimination of her opponents, is not what Felt-sama desires.]

Aldebaran: [How virtuous. But, I guess that adds up. If her personality wasn’t one that minded such things, she could’ve put an end to the Royal Selection by process of elimination the moment it began.]

This would not serve as a bargaining chip. Of this he was well aware.

Through many twists and turns, Priscilla had ultimately come to approve of the four other Royal Candidates. For those who had lived up to her standards, going along with boorish dealings of the sort was by no means a possibility.

In the end, these hostage negotiations themselves were merely a farce of conclusion foreseen.

No matter how much he rambled on, the fact that Aldebaran was a dangerous existence had already been demonstrated by Reinhard’s wrecked arms. Even if he were to insist he was a harmless man, there was no margin to believe that.

There was no way that the Sword Saint, Reinhard van Astrea, could have ever let Aldebaran go.

Then, just what could the purpose of this dialogue possibly have been? The answer was obvious. ――Everything Aldebaran had devised, had been for the sole purpose of accomplishing what he had set out to do beyond this point.

Aldebaran: [――Has it arrived?]

That minute alteration in the air was first perceived by Aldebaran because unlike Reinhard, who had not anticipated it, the former had been waiting for it impatiently. ――For the coming of one who could bring his unending battle with the Sword Saint, Reinhard van Astrea, to an end.

That was――,

Reinhard: [――Absurd.]

Lagging half a second behind Aldebaran, Reinhard grasped its presence, a voice rife with dumbfoundment spilling from his lips.

It was likely that, in the life he had lived thus far, half the length of Aldebaran’s own, Reinhard had peered into many abysses of the world, which all others of his generation had never seen.

Even when the Divine Dragon Volcanica, with whom a strong relationship of trust existed as per his link to the Kingdom of Lugunica via a Covenant, had turned into an adversary, he had handled it with serenity rather than discomposure.

That Reinhard was now utterly speechless. No wonder. This was the first time he had ever laid eyes on it.

Pleiades Watchtower, built upon the Augria Sand Dunes―― the reason why the Tower had been erected, had been neither for a battle-worn Sage to go into retirement, nor because that was where a knowledge-hungry Witch had wished to place the tasteless Library she had tricked Od Lagna into creating.

Reinhard: [――The Witch of Envy.]

――It had been, for guarding that which had been sealed.

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――It was around the time that Aldebaran’s one-hundred thirty-two-thousand and forty-fourth battle had begun.

???: [I’ve given first aid, but…]

Having said that, Petra finished bandaging up one of the two injured people and watched over them with concern.

Petra had just finished treating the limp and unconscious Garfiel. She had carried Garfiel and Ezzo, who had collapsed on the First Floor, down to the Fourth Floor and treated them as best she could.

Petra treated Garfiel, and Ezzo was treated by――,

???: [I am finished with my treatment as well. Thank you for lending me the equipment.]

Petra: [No problem, but are you okay, Flam-chan?]

Flam: [Yes. Fortunately, Al-sama only managed to restrain me, so I was not harmed.]

Indicating her own body with her hand, Flam responded.

Upon hearing that name, Petra’s expression darkened slightly. Flam was safe, but Garfiel and Ezzo were in critical condition―― and that was all thanks to Al.

He had not brought harm to Flam, and not only that, he had not raised his hand against Petra and Meili either. However, this did not mean Al’s actions could be justified or forgiven.

???: [Are you two~, done treating the~m?]

Petra clenched her fist in frustration, silently. Meili had been the one to call out to her from behind, having looked into the room. Having declined to help the injured on the pretext of guarding the Tower, Meili donned a small Crimson Scorpion on her head, and looking at Garfiel and Ezzo, who were wrapped in bandages,

Meili: [Both fanged onii-san and Sensei-san are all bandaged u~p.]

Petra: […Both of them have terrible burns all over their bodies. It would have been better if one of us could use proper healing magic.]

Flam: [I am sorry, but being around the young master has drained my motivation to learn magic.]

Meili: [Petra-chan, don’t get discoura~ged. I can’t even apply bandages right, let alone use healing magi~c. When treating Elsa, I made it up as I went alo~ng.]

Even after hearing excuses that were no excuse and words of comfort that were of no comfort, there was no relief for Petra’s heart. While she also had a lack of aptitude for healing magic as a form of Water Magic, the reason Petra had not acquired the necessary skills was undoubtedly due to her lack of resolve.

Petra: [If only Garf-san would wake up…]

Even though he would be left to treat himself, Garfiel was the one in the Emilia Camp who could use healing magic the most proficiently. His strength was found in his toughness and durability, thanks to the fact that he would become lively just by standing on the ground due to his Divine Protection of Earth Spirits, and he could even use healing magic while doing so.

So, it would have been fair to say that neither Petra nor any of the other members of the Camp had expected that Garfiel would have been the first to become unable to fight. ――Incorrect, Garfiel had not been the first to be incapacitated this time.

Petra: [Subaru…]

With her clenched fist held against her chest, Petra’s lips called out that name.

Subaru and Beatrice were nowhere to be found within the Tower. It seemed to be that Al had taken them out before moving on to Garfiel and the others, but where could they have gone?

She did not want to think about it―― but she imagined the possibility that all traces of them had been erased without leaving any dead bodies behind.

Meili: [Judging from how Helmet-san was acti~ng, it doesn’t seem like that’s the case, does i~t?]

Petra: [You are just trying to make me feel better…]

Meili: [I’m not just trying to make you feel bette~r. I would’ve lied to you if I was, but this isn’t a lie~. It’s what I really thi~nk.]

Petra: [――――]

Meili: [I can borrow the power of the Witchbeast-chans, so it’s a little differe~nt, but it’s actually pretty hard to make a body completely disappea~r. So I think Helmet-san didn’t kill Onii-san and Beatrice-chan, but took them away some other wa~y.]

With a finger on her lips, Meili speculated, to which Petra winced at the unsettling experience that backed her reasoning.

Meili was right; the best case scenario would be Subaru and Beatrice not being dead. If they had been taken somewhere, they could be rescued.

Just what was Al thinking――,

Flam: [――Whatever Al-sama was thinking, his scheming will soon be foiled.]

Meili: [O~h, you sure are full of confide~nce.]

When Flam suddenly interjected, Meili closed one eye and tilted her head, playing with her long braid. Flam nodded back with a, “Yes,”

Flam: [I will not go into the details, but I informed my younger sister, Grassis, of what happened here. Grassis is with the young master now, so she will have passed on the same information to him.]

Petra: [The young master…]

Flam: [The young master is the Sword Saint, Reinhard van Astrea.]

In saying that Flam seemed proud of herself, puffing out her chest.

Petra’s eyes widened at the mention of the Sword Saint, but Meili, who had come over, reacted with a “Wow” that felt as if tinged with both disdain and sympathy.

Meili: [If Sword Saint-san’s going to swoop in, it looks like whatever Helmet-san had planned will be for nothing. I’m starting to feel so~rry for Helmet-san.]

Petra: [I don’t know how you’re able to say that, Meili-chan…]

Meili: [Sword Saint-san clashed with Divine Dragon-chan as if it was no big deal, ri~ght? Oh, but now Helmet-san has Divine Dragon-chan by his side, so maybe I shouldn’t feel sorry.]

Petra: […I wouldn’t feel bad at all if Al-san got beaten up.]

Rather, Petra could not help but think that he should have been beaten up.

The fact that Al had trampled on Petra’s feelings was not so bad. Petra hardly knew Al, so the pain was not so great, even if her feelings towards him had been betrayed.

The ones who had been truly hurt were the people who knew Al better than her.

Both Subaru and Emilia were genuinely concerned about Al, which was why they had made the time for this journey despite having to sacrifice their own time together. ――But Al had betrayed them.

Petra: [I don’t want to forgive you…]

At times, Petra found herself thinking that she was a narrow-minded, unpleasant person.

It was not just the anger she felt towards Al. From the time of the incident within the Sanctuary, she had never forgiven Roswaal, and in the Empire, she had also come across many things that she could not forgive.

Her heart simply could not forgive them, and she did not feel like forgiving them either. Petra only wanted to be kind to those who did not do the things she could not forgive.

When she was around genuinely kind people, she felt like a very unpleasant person.

Meili: [Petra-chan, you’re very ki~nd. I can tell you that for su~re.]

Petra unconsciously looked to the ground, and Meili patted her head with a light touch. When she looked up at the feel of her palm, she came to see Meili making a strange face.

She held a strange expression on her face, as if she was disgusted with herself, or perhaps with Petra.

Petra: […It will be tough, but let’s take Garf-san down the stairs. With his Divine Protection, it might be better to lay him flat on the ground to help him heal.]

Petra made that suggestion without commenting on either the expression on Meili’s face or the hand on her head.

Fortunately for them, Garfiel and Ezzo were not particularly large compared to other men. More importantly, Petra and Meili were just weak girls, but――,

Flam: [That is fine. While we are at it, we can also take Ezzo-sama. It is much more inconvenient to take them down the stairs separately.]

As she spoke, Flam unexpectedly lifted the two men.

Despite being the same age as Petra and Meili, her physical abilities were incomparable. She was a servant at the Sword Saint’s mansion, and perhaps that was the reason for her strength.

Anyway――,

Petra: [It feels like this is not over just yet.]

Al, after having done something unbelievable, had left the Tower with the Divine Dragon and, not long after, was being pursued by the Sword Saint, Reinhard, who had been contacted by Flam.

While both Meili and Flam seemed to think that there was no way Al’s plans would work out, whatever they were, Petra was unable to be so optimistic.

That was possibly because Petra did not know Reinhard personally.

But more than that, she thought it was a little strange that Al, who’d had Subaru at his mercy, had not taken any countermeasures against Reinhard.

If even Reinhard was unable to stop Al, what would they do then?

Petra: [――Huh?]

It happened just as Flam carried Garfiel and Ezzo out of the room. Petra and Meili were packing their travel gear, which had been unloaded, and were about to follow her. ――Petra was packing her equipment into her bag, felt something strange at the bottom, and pulled it out.

It was――,

Petra: […A book?]

Petra’s hand fell on a book that had been in her bag―― a familiar one. One of the many books that were stacked upon each other within the Tower.

There was no doubt about it. This was one of the many Books of the Dead arranged on the shelves of the Library up on the Third Floor.

The presence of a Book of the Dead was not strange in itself.

However, it was strange for it to be here. Ezzo had sternly warned them in advance not to remove the Books of the Dead from the Library, and everyone had been in agreement.

And yet, a Book of the Dead had turned up in this bag. Moreover――,

Petra: [――Subaru’s… bag.]

The bag at hand was one containing the personal belongings of Subaru and Beatrice.

For some reason, in a bag that contained items such as the Beatrice Growth Diary that Subaru had been writing, and necessities such as changes of clothes, a Book of the Dead had been secretly hidden away.

Petra: [The place where the name should be, is unreadable…?]

Gulping down her saliva, Petra furrowed her brow as she checked the spine.

She had heard that upon the spine of a Book of the Dead, the title would be written―― in the case of the Books of the Dead, that would be the name of the person whose life and death was documented in the Book. In fact, regardless of whether one possessed the qualifications to read any given Book of the Dead in the Library, they would have been able to ascertain the title written along the spine.

However, the title of this Book was unreadable. It had been scratched off to ensure that doing so would be impossible.

Petra: [――――]

Petra wracked her brain to imagine the name that had been scratched off the Book and the significance of it having been hidden in the bag.

The intent behind scratching out the title was obvious; in order to conceal whose Book of the Dead this was. And the reason for hiding it in this bag, was probably to hide the presence of this Book of the Dead.

And, since this Book of the Dead had been hidden in Subaru’s bag――,

Petra: [A book, that Subaru hid…]

Meili: [Petra-chan? I’m done with packing up the stuff over he~re. How about yo~u?]

Petra: […Meili-chan.]

Petra, who had stopped what she was doing, turned around as she heard Meili’s voice. At first, Meili tilted her head at Petra’s unusual behavior, but became startled upon noticing the Book in her hands.

Meili: [Petra-chan, what’s with that Bo~ok…]

Petra: […I found it in Subaru’s bag. Just maybe, with this…]

Meili: [With that Bo~ok?]

Petra: [――There may be a hint as to what is happening right now.]

With a firm grip on the Book’s binding, Petra concluded that it was not a completely wrong assumption.

Al’s sudden, reckless behavior in the Tower―― originally, Al’s goal had been to read the Book of the Dead of Priscilla Barielle, the deceased Royal Candidate. It was possible that he had also had another goal in mind but, in any case, his objective would have resided in the Tower.

What if his goal had been this Book of the Dead, and Subaru had decided not to give it to Al, instead hiding it in his bag?

What if that had been the cause of an irreparable rift between Subaru and Al?

Petra: [If I read this Book, maybe I will be able to find out.]

Meili: […I don’t think it’s safe, so I wouldn’t recommend i~t.]

Petra: [――――]

Meili: [Bu~t, I also understand your feelings, Petra-chan, that you don’t want to just sit around and do no~thing.]

With a worried look Meili stated so, to which Petra stuck out her tongue slightly with a “Sorry”.

No matter what Meili said, Petra intended on going through with it. ――Subaru and Beatrice had told her over and over again that reading a Book of the Dead was incredibly dangerous.

In any case, Ezzo had boasted that the trick to reading a Book of the Dead was to close off one’s mind and empty it, but Petra was not sure if she could do that.

However, Petra Leyte was not the kind of girl who would allow herself to sit quietly and do nothing.

And so――,

Petra: [――Meili-chan, if anything happens, I’m counting on you for later.]

Meili: [Asking me to do such a thing, Petra-chan, you really are such a poor judge of cha~racter.]

After that exchange, Petra took a deep breath, and slowly began to turn the page of the Book in her lap――,

Petra: [――Ah.]

――With Memories that were a Taboo of this world, she thus came into contact.

△▼△▼△▼△

As to how soon that might have happened, Aldebaran had borne no confidence.

Perhaps, if the girls were frailer of heart than Aldebaran had imagined, anguished in their crying as they failed to accept the events that had transpired, a situation in which this trap card had never been triggered would have arisen.

Had that been the case, it was possible that Aldebaran would have ended up looping another one-hundred and thirty-thousand times, bound to lay the bricks up to the realm of a billion forever and on without end.

However――,

Aldebaran: [I merely thought that those lil’ misses in particular would’ve pondered that much.]

The girls who had been left behind, Petra, Meili, and even Flam, all were owners of wisdom and experience beyond their years, blessed with rare talents by their circumstances.

Aldebaran had predicted that once they finished rescuing Garfiel and Ezzo from the verge of death, rather than coming to a standstill, the girls would begin to act in a constructive fashion.

And thus, in their attempt to do so, the girls would find it. ――Inside of Natsuki Subaru’s bag, they would find a Book of the Dead, a profound significance in its concealment.

With nothing to rely on, with naught a sign leading the way, it must have seemed to the girls as the sole possibility that Natsuki Subaru had left behind. If they could reel in the thread of that possibility, they would assuredly arrive at a light that enabled them to escape a sealed-off dead-end.

The leeway to realize that this was a trap set by Aldebaran, they possessed not.

That Book of the Dead――,

Aldebaran: [――Belongs to 菜月・昴.]

Belonging to one who violated the natural laws of this world, ‘twas a Book of the Dead that truly ought to be deigned a Taboo.

As to what might occur were somebody to read it, witnessing that sight first-hand would be far more intuitive and difficult to misrepresent, compared to it being explained through language.

That was――,

Reinhard: [――Absurd.]

His blue eyes wide open, Reinhard once again uttered selfsame words in dumbfoundment.

However, no matter how much he attempted to deny that reality, it would not be rescinded. If the Sword Saint, Reinhard, was one blessed by the world, that was one whom the world cursed.

Blessings and curses were but two sides of the same coin; the power balance not one in which either was stronger.

Henceforth――,

Aldebaran: [The Sword Saint aside, nobody can stop that.]

Plunking himself down into a cross-legged position, he gazed over Reinhard’s shoulder to the nighttime sand sea―― the sight, illuminated only by faint starlight, contained a threat that unceasingly painted the world an even deeper shade of black.

At the very eastern edge of the world, even further east than the Tower inhabited by the Sage, coming forth from the sealed shrine that caused all beings alike to turn away, laid a symbol of upheaval, and of ruination.

Ferociously surging forth like a tidal wave of black, were the Witch’s magic hands, kneaded from her Miasma.

With the Taboo violated, the Witch of Envy would intervene in the world.

That, was the colossal time bomb that Aldebaran had prepared for use against Reinhard――,

Reinhard: [――Hk, I must…]

Aldebaran: [If you’re gonna say you need to take me down first, then I’m also gonna fight back with all I’ve got. I’ll say this now, but if you don’t go, the world’s gonna be destroyed. Not that it’d particularly matter to me.]

Reinhard: [What are you…]

Aldebaran: [Even if the world’s destroyed, I won’t perish. ――That will keep ignoring me, after all.]

For that reason as well, Aldebaran himself could not have served as the switch for the bomb.

Only a being of keen eye and intellect, with the bravery to break this deadlock, could serve as this switch.

Aldebaran: [Reinhard, I don’t wanna destroy the world. Rather, it’s the opposite.]

Reinhard: [Kuh…]

Aldebaran: [I won’t lay a hand on your old man. ――Go.]

Reinhard: [Al-dono, please do not believe everything is going to go smoothly for you.]

Gritting his teeth in frustration, he had likely utilized the most foul language he was capable of. Nonetheless leaving behind his overly refined chivalry, Reinhard kicked off the sand.

Turning his back to Aldebaran and “Aldebaran”, Reinhard launched a ferocious onslaught―― intercepting the magic hands of the Witch of Envy directly as they raced to swallow up Pleiades Watchtower.

――That instant, Aldebaran experienced the illusion that sound, color, light, heat, and all things that ought to be present were eradicated from the world.

Aldebaran: [――――]

The white strike of the Sword Saint met the black oblivion of the Witch, giving birth to a color that was neither black nor white.

That was something that rivaled the cataclysmic big bang of starlight, of lightning bullets, of flames that scorched eventide to ash, yielded during the fight between the Sword Saint and the Divine Dragon just a moment prior.

And now, this big bang ceased not with just that one collision; it continued, and continued, and continued.

Over and over, again and again, without end, without cease, knowing no end; as if to birth heat, as if to birth light, as if to birth color, as if to birth sound, as if to birth the world anew, as if to cleanly divide the world that was from the world that would be, they collided.

――A battle that could never reach its terminus, between one who would never cease, and one who would never perish.

???: […I got put to sleep. What happened?]

The stratagem had been fulfilled, successful in getting Reinhard to clash with the Witch of Envy.

The legendary conflict between the Sword Saint and the Witch of Envy, despite unfolding in the vicinity of the Tower several kilometers away, was so fearsome that its aftershocks could be felt at their location.

Perhaps due to the sensation of those aftershocks, the fainted “Aldebaran” had woken up.

Spread-eagled atop the sand, “Aldebaran” was exposed to disgrace unbecoming of the strongest Dragon, but narrowing its golden eyes at the shockwaves being propagated from over yonder,

“Aldebaran”: [Seems like things went pretty damn well.]

Aldebaran: [Yeah. A half-asleep incomplete Witch of Envy, and a Sword Saint not in perfect condition due to the Miasma and his injured arms… It was worth traversing a hundred and thirty-thousand severed threads. You good to go?]

“Aldebaran”: [Aside from having a sore throat, and being seriously low on Mana for a Mana-Tank dragonhusk. Flying away from the sand sea shouldn’t be a problem.]

Aldebaran: [Excellent. As for what happened while you were sleeping, it’ll be better to sync you up later. For now――]

Let’s go; the moment he attempted to stand up, something came flying in from afar with tremendous vigor, aiming at Aldebaran’s legs, which “Aldebaran” promptly swept away with its tail.

Deflected, what rolled upon the sand was merely a small pebble. ――Likely, it was something that Reinhard had fired at Aldebaran as he held back the magic hands of the Witch of Envy.

“Aldebaran”: [They’re coming one after the other! It might keep going until my eyes can’t keep up with ‘em anymore!]

At the persistent onslaught of tiny pebbles, “Aldebaran” spread its wings to protect him, leaving Aldebaran to marvel at Reinhard’s sense of duty.

On top of understanding his role as a savior, he nonetheless devoted his everything into the aspects not encompassed in that role. ――This Sword Saint seemed avaricious, even more so than the personification Aldebaran knew.

Whilst thinking that it was surely due to the influence of someone close to Reinhard――,

Aldebaran: [――I told you, hero. I’ll win regardless. Even if it means losing a hundred-thousand times.]

Leaving behind words that would never reach, Aldebaran ascended to the sky once again in the grasp of “Aldebaran”.

Amidst the sand sea of night, the Sword Saint, holding back the obsession of the Witch of Envy darker than even night, seemed a martyr facing the great tidal wave all by his lonesome.

But then again, were the world to be destroyed, this martyr would be the lone person left standing in the aftermath.

“Aldebaran”: [Right now, wouldn’t it be possible to do a pincer maneuver alongside that, and bring down the Sword Saint?]

Aldebaran: […And what then? If Reinhard were to die, then the lid holding down hell would vanish. We need him to play the part of the lid.]

“Aldebaran”: [I’m just saying.]

Aldebaran: [It’d be troublesome if he happened to die.]

From the outset, he had not had even the slightest intention of letting Reinhard die.

Only, had they not utilized attacks powerful enough to kill, they would not have achieved the feat of injuring him. He had simply recognized that the Sword Saint was that high of a wall.

Aldebaran: [Don’t believe everything will go smoothly, huh.]

The towering wall, the martyr who would be left behind in the world, the words he had spoken upon their parting came to mind.

Was this perhaps the power of some other Divine Protection? Supposing it was, it was possible he had received something like the Divine Protection of Vital Spots or the Divine Protection of Weak Points, and activated it at that juncture.

Verily, through an unlimited number of attempts, Aldebaran had the power to bring about the results he desired.

But despite having such power――,

Aldebaran: [So far in my life, nothing I’ve ever truly wanted to go well has ever gone well. Not a single time.]

Despite making it through a struggle numbering one-hundred thirty-two thousand and forty-four, within the heart of one divorced from blessing and curse alike, that sense of defeat did not vanish.