Chapter 645 — Arc 9, Chapter 57 – “Final Act of Servitude”

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――The reason why Ferris assisted the Aldebusters was, of course, none other than for the sake of his master, Crusch Karsten.

Originally, Ferris and Wilhelm had visited the Royal Capital with the intention of negotiating directly at the Royal Castle, hoping to join the survey team en route to the Pleiades Watchtower that had been cleared for entry.

It was during this time that the Aldebaran Troupe attacked the Royal Capital―― a raid that unleashed a battle between the Sword Demon and the Divine Dragon, and saw the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony break loose from his prison.

???: [——There is a matter I wish to share with you, and something I would like to ask for your assistance with.]

It was Otto, the Internal Affairs Minister of the Emilia Camp, who gave Ferris and Wilhelm the rundown, requesting their cooperation. When the details of Al’s―― of Aldebaran’s atrocities, as well as the fact of Reinhard’s participation in the conflict, had reached Ferris’s ears, he was not as willing as Wilhelm was to offer their complete cooperation.

Of course, as a member of the Royal Guard, he felt indignance towards any who dared to disturb the Kingdom’s peace. However, he was powerless in combat, and even his healing arts, which ought to have been his lone strong suit, were insufficient to save his master, the one whom he held dear above all else, so what more could he do?

In fact, in the battle that immediately followed, Wilhelm was defeated by the Divine Dragon, suffering serious injuries that left him unconscious, which only served to further reinforce Ferris’s sentiments.

However, a situation arose that forbade Ferris from keeping his gaze downcast any longer.

???: [It has been some time, Felix-sama.]

Face-to-face with the maid―― Rem, as she bowed out of courtesy towards him, Ferris recalled the events of the conversations they had shared, the battles they fought together, and realized that she was one from whom the Authority of Gluttony had been rescinded.

In other words, she was a living testament to the prospect of breaking one of Crusch’s two curses, those being of her Memories and of the Dragon’s Blood.

Ferris: […In that case, I’ve got nyo other choice, do I?]

There was also the fact that Wilhelm, who had been a continued source of encouragement for Ferris at times when he felt worthless at Crusch’s side during her torment, had been taken down.

Accepting that request, he lent his strength to the Aldebusters in an attempt to stop the Aldebaran Troupe, who were determined to accomplish an unknown goal, even if it meant making an enemy of the world. To that end, he resolved himself to do whatever it might take.

But then again――,

Ferris: [――Of all things, I never thought I’d be used as the trump card like this.]

As he was hit by the tremendous eruption of smoke, violent wind, and pouring rain, Ferris covered his mouth with his hand to block the dust as he reflected on the unexpected role that had been levied upon him.

With Petra’s power of Compression, it was possible to move objects swiftly or complete discussions in the blink of an eye―― using this, the Aldebusters repeatedly employed the unfair tactic of transporting their wounded to Ferris to be healed before being sent back to the battlefield, progressively sinking their teeth into their formidable opponents.

That alone was already quite the major duty, but to be entrusted with delivering the decisive blow to Aldebaran, someone who possessed an outrageous ability, was something he could have never imagined.

――Upon Aldebaran, he cast perpetually active healing magic. That was the duty entrusted to Ferris, the trump card to be used against Aldebaran, a role that permitted no failure.

Ultimately, even now, Ferris did not fully grasp the meaning behind his role.

Taking into account the words of Petra and Rom-jii, whenever Aldebaran “sustained a mortal wound”, time would turn back to before he received that injury―― such was his interpretation. By exploiting this, Aldebaran had been able to continue tiding over many a tight spot, allowing him to sidestep even Reinhard.

Frankly, Ferris found himself perplexed over what everyone was seriously considering as a possibility. Supposing that were really true, it would be far too invincible. Nobody could defeat that sort of thing, could they?

All the more so if they were saying that Ferris’s healing magic was the only way to overcome that invincible power.

He thought it would be far, far too big a gamble.

That just maybe, it might have been a foolish act to fully restore the enemy that everyone had worked so hard to corner.

Still, what if, by some chance, Ferris actually could deal the decisive blow to this battle?

???: [Don’t lament, Ferris. Your heart is precious. Be proud of your talents… You have the kindest power in all the world.]

Ferris: [――Your Highness…]

In the past, there was someone who spoke of Ferris’s power that way, taking pride in it.

Both back then, and even now, Ferris’s power still fell short of the title of Blue. Even so, he wished to believe that there had been meaning in the fact that he had continued to polish it, not viewing it a curse.

To that end――,

???: [――Roy!! If you’re there, then come out! Come and… come and eat my Name!!]

Unseen within the cloud of dust, mixed with the roaring wind and the screams of the land, a voice could be heard.

It seemed that Ferris’s healing magic had certainly proved effective as a trump card. This was evidenced by Aldebaran’s violent discomposure, and his desperate cries through the wind.

But, the opponent had not given up just yet. ――As Ferris also stretched out his slender knees to stand up, he began to ponder.

Ferris: [What else can I still do for the people I hold dear?]

So he spoke.

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Aldebaran: [Rigel. ――Natsuki Rigel!!]

Raising his voice amidst the dense enshroudment of dust, Aldebaran assiduously strained his vision.

The pouring rain, gusting winds, and rumbling earth roared, rendering him unable to discern the sounds in his surroundings. Even while bearing those unreliable senses of sight and sound, he still raised his voice as if to tear his throat apart.

The abominable power of healing that had been cast made it so that instead of spewing forth blood, his shrieking throat was instantly being repaired. While being bestowed such an ironic boon, he continued to scream with all his might.

Aldebaran: [ROY! ROOOY!! FIND ME! IT’S RIGEL! NATSUKI! RIGEL!!]

Each time he said it aloud, he felt a heartache as if sandpaper filing away at his soul unseen, yet amidst it all, Aldebaran continued to cry out that name; time after time, he cried it out.

Natsuki Rigel. ――Before he wore the mantle of the Following Star, that was the true name belonging to Aldebaran.

Aldebaran: [――Hk.]

Nothing about it felt real. Only, it caused a sense of irksomeness to cling to a corner of his mind.

For Aldebaran, rather than the name given to him by his parents that none had ever called him directly, it was the name that the Witch had called him by countless times, “Aldebaran”, that was far more familiar to his ears. Even that name had been transformed into a wound when the Witch had been reduced to the Witch of Greed.

As for who he “originally” was, he no longer knew. ――But, self-recognition had no bearing upon it. The only thing that mattered was how Od Lagna had recorded this pathetic life.

That was why――,

Aldebaran: [――I’m… Natsuki Rigel.]

That which he deemed only an abhorrence to give as his name, Aldebaran recognized it as part of himself.

Even if one rejected, shunned, or hated them, nobody could choose their parents in life.

Aldebaran: [――――]

Continuing to scream even now, Aldebaran frantically searched for Roy amidst the fog.

Swept up in the devastating windstorm from a moment ago, all present on the battlefield had been scattered. Aldebaran had also been thoroughly tossed around, and the Witch of Tristitia, Ferris, and Roy were of no exception either.

At present, there ought to have been nobody else capable of mobilizing here. But, his opponent had preserved their trump card, Ferris, until the very last minute. It would not have been strange at all if they still had some cards left concealed. ――Now that Aldebaran’s Territory had been sealed, such a thing could serve as the deciding factor.

Aldebaran: [FUCK…!]

He thought that he might have been able to at least force the Territory’s imposition upon Ferris, but it was no use. Upon being sidestepped by the Witch of Tristitia, the sensation of freedom he had grasped over the bug had once again receded into the distance. Even if that was not the case, there was a strong randomness to the target selection. He could not bear to witness the Witch of Tristitia be chosen again. On top of that, Ferris’s healing magic―― that which persistently sustained Aldebaran’s recovery, was sourcing the Mana necessary for its operation from Aldebaran himself.

And now, because of his connection with “Aldebaran”, that was practically inexhaustible.

Aldebaran: [If I can’t rely on the Territory…!]

Intending to exhaust the entirety of the very Mana that was impeding him, he would clear away the obstacles with great magic. Formulating such an idea, Aldebaran visualized many techniques within his mind.

They were all things he had learned from the Witch, knowledge that had been shelved on account of lacking the requisite resources for activation, but now with his connection to “Aldebaran”, he possessed the ability to employ them.

As was the case against Reinhard, he would wield them to the utmost, and break this deadlock without use of the Territory――,

Aldebaran: [Blergh… hk.]

――The moment he thought that, a nauseating sensation of vomiting filled Aldebaran’s mouth.

At the vehement dizziness and tinnitus in his ears, Aldebaran nearly fell to his knees with an “Ah?”. Under the impression someone had attacked him, he scanned his surroundings in a panic, yet no one could be found. ――Then, he made the realization.

Right now, the true culprit behind Aldebaran’s disorientation, was an unfathomable sense of pressure.

The pressure of being unable to make the wrong choices, was crushing Aldebaran’s heart.

Aldebaran: […You’ve gotta, be kidding me.]

Staring down at his trembling right hand, Aldebaran was struck speechless.

In this high-risk situation, at this critical juncture where everything he had worked towards could be rendered meaningless, in peak physical condition thanks to that horrendous healing magic, in a scenario that demanded optimal and expedited decision making, to think he would lose his ability to think straight due a lack of nerve; what a terrible joke.

But, in truth, it was not a joke or anything of the sort. Even if it seemed as though a nightmare, it was reality.

――After all, Aldebaran had never definitively decided upon anything without the use of his Authority.

Prior to the commencement of this battle, in the Vollachian Empire, in the Royal Selection, on the Gladiator Island, and even before all that during his days with the Witch, every choice of Aldebaran’s had always been the optimal decision, safeguarded by his Authority.

No matter how he might have failed, he would always redo, choose a different option, and nullify his mistakes. Living his life through those accretions was Aldebaran’s very nature. And right now, that would not apply.

Aldebaran: [――――]

He did not know what extent of wind he needed to generate in order to wipe away the dust without resulting in anyone’s death. The heat to evaporate the rainfall, the impact to offset the rumbling earth, whether it would be best to step into these plumes of dust leading with his right leg or left; everything was an unknown variable.

The fact that he could not verify anything, was terrifying.

To walk down a path without the guarantee of the right answer, was an act tantamount to fumbling around in pure darkness.

Such a path, with no certainty of reward, was one Aldebaran could not tread. ――After all, with his Authority rendered ineffective, Aldebaran was nothing more than a helpless, wooden doll.

Neither the two Witches, nor the beloved woman, had that wooden doll been able to save.

Aldebaran: [――Hk.]

Once he began to think, nothing but undesirable notions flashed through his head.

Was feeding his Name to Roy truly the most optimal stratagem? Were there no other measures he could take? Should he use the curse mark as a shield and let Roy wreak havoc to capitalize on the chaos? What about discovering an unprecedented manner of death to slip through a gap in the perfect healing magic? Would it not be better to flee through the clouds of dust? Et cetera, et cetera, with his emotions racing ahead――.

???: [――Look at that, it is…]

Aldebaran: [――――]

Those impatient emotions of his came to a halt at a sensation akin to being dashed in cold water.

Hesitation and fear, all of Aldebaran’s negative emotions that boiled over upon the sealing of his Authority: as if being dragged out by those, the greatest regret he had kept submerged down at the very depths of his being became tinged with heat.

A heat so intense that it would sear with a mere touch, enough to warm one’s skin just by drawing near to it; yet contrary to that, feeling a chill that seemed to penetrate down to every last drop of blood in his body, Aldebaran sighed.

???: [It is mine――]

Aldebaran: […Stop.]

???: [Mine――]

Aldebaran: [STOOOOOOOOOP――!!]

Plugging his ears, averting his eyes, and nearly forced to confront something he had buried at the very bottom of his heart to avoid facing, Aldebaran screamed.

Rejecting the voice that sounded within him, rejecting the smile that flashed across his vision, rejecting the warmth that tried to enter his being, he bared his teeth. ――That instant, he forced his eyes open, and caught a glimpse of a faint silhouette beyond the fog.

In an instant, the figure was lost amidst the veil of dust, but not a shred of doubt existed within him. It was Roy. It was Gluttony.

To pull Aldebaran away from these surging regrets―― no, from this worst-possible situation that he was currently wrapped up in, there existed a sole ray of hope, and he had glimpsed it. That instant, he broke into a dash.

Aldebaran: [――Roy! I’m right here! Eat me! Come eat my Name!!]

The hesitation of which leg to step forth with, the cowardice of seeking a way to die, the weakness of trying to escape to enact a different stratagem, the carelessness of questioning his own choice; all of it was shattered in an instant with the impact of his foot kicking off the ground.

That moment, Aldebaran gained the composure to seize the choice fluttering before his eyes, deciding to flee from the most terrifying outcome.

――Up until this point, Aldebaran had always relied upon the power of his Authority to avoid ever locking in the “choice” he made on the first go. Ergo, he did not know.

That, when making a “choice” regarding a single thing, a decision motivated by a single-minded desire to escape a situation, would never affirmatively change the course of one’s own fate.

As if to prove that――,

???: [――Al-sama.]

As Aldebaran attempted to rush towards the figure eclipsed by the fog in an effort to escape, his body was restrained by a being that had appeared right before him―― the actions of Yae Tenzen, who was supposed to be his ally, served as proof of that.

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――Upon her defeat in the battle against Rem, Yae’s “next” battle commenced.

Blown away, she rolled down the side of the ice mountain that had been made by freezing the great river, and abandoning all the blood-stopping methods she originally could have performed, she put all her efforts into playing the role of the defeated on the verge of death.

Her objective in doing so was――,

Rem: [――I do not intend to take your life. It would sadden that person, after all.]

When the Oni girl spoke those words and applied her healing magic, Yae won her initial wager.

In all honesty, considering her lack of relent during combat, it was difficult to believe that she had no intent of taking her life, but since Yae had actually made it out with her life, she could not complain. ――Above all else, if she dared to complain here, her only chance would fizzle away like a bubble on water’s surface.

Unfortunately for Yae, she had no chance of turning the situation around on Rem here.

So long as she could not solve the contrivance that Rem had used to nullify Yae’s attack in their final skirmish, then even supposing she succeeded in launching a surprise attack, she would likely fail to take Rem down. Thus, it would be none other than an act that wasted any chance at a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Ergo, Yae’s aim lay elsewhere. ――It lay in one final act of servitude, devoting the entirety of her soul with what little she had left to offer.

As expected, Rem was also wary of a counterattack, and so the effects of the healing magic were kept to a minimum, leaving her condition at just closing up her bleeding wounds and stopping the countdown towards death. On top of that, she chained up Yae’s hands and feet without any pushback, a thoroughness refusing to grant her any role above that of a hostage or prisoner. ――But, with that alone, her perception of how to deal with a shinobi could only be called naive.

So long as they did not experience an instant death, it was in a shinobi’s nature to get the job done, even if it meant letting their head fly.

She could dislocate all of her joints to escape the chains, and ignore her mortal wounds by burning her lower abdomen.

By doing so, Yae believed that she would still be able to do something for Al at the very end of the end, having failed to accomplish a single one of the duties entrusted to her.

Thus――,

Yae: [――――]

――The once-in-a-liftetime opportunity Yae had aimed for, materialized quicker than she ever could have imagined.

A tremendous impact vehemently engulfed the Agzadd Canyon and the entire surrounding area, so while the corollary cataclysm of aftershocks, wind storms, and flooding quaked the earth as an assault on the land, Yae sprung into action.

Fleeing from Rem, who had attempted to protect Yae from the impact, she broke away from the canyon, and arrived at the clifftops―― it was then that Yae painfully realized the inadequacy of Al’s henchmen, herself included.

Amidst the dust storm that seemed to be covering the entirety of the vast canyon, she saw that Al, far from reaching the Grand Mogolede Geyser, had been kept occupied by the enemy immediately after climbing up.

If Yae, if “Aldebaran”, if Roy Alphard, if Heinkel, if the henchmen whom Al had gathered had been able to fulfill their roles, this ordeal would have never transpired.

That was precisely why――,

Yae: [――――]

Her vision disrupted by dust, her hearing disrupted by rumbling, and her sense of smell disrupted by surging billows of the wind, Yae consolidated what little information she could from her five senses, and accurately pinpointed the person she needed to find there.

Likely, there was nobody who could make the best of this situation like a shinobi could. Feeling grateful for her abduction into the shinobi village for the first time in her life, Yae gallantly hastened to that person.

This time for sure, no matter what, in order to become his strength――,

???: [――Roy! I’m right here! Eat me! Come eat my Name!!]

――She had no choice but to be useful to Al. That was what she had believed, and yet.

Yae: [――Al-sama.]

Piercing through the enshroudment of dust, she caught the man’s rushing body head-on. Feeling the warmth, weight, and the pulsations of life from the touch of his skin, Yae hesitated from the bottom of her heart over what she ought to do.

Aldebaran: [――Ya, eh?]

Al, pitching forward from forcibly being stopped, immediately peered into Yae’s side-profile, and muttered those words as if witnessing something utterly unbelievable.

His trembling voice was filled with equal parts wonder and turmoil; however, the same could be said for Yae. ――No, considering her resolve from a moment ago, it could be said that Yae was even more troubled than Al.

Yae: [I…]

She more or less had a grasp of the situation Al was currently in.

He had been cornered by some means, and was now attempting to maneuver out of these chaotic circumstances. Gluttony possessed the means to that end, so in order to help Al accomplish his objective, hastening toward the Sin Archbishop amidst the dust would have been the best thing Yae could have done for her final act of servitude.

Despite understanding that, Yae obstructed Al’s path. Slamming her entire body into his, she held him back.

Why had she done so? Shocked at her own actions, she scrutinized herself. ――Yae feared Al, and she had wished for him to die, so she was trying to help him accomplish his objective in order to let him die. But, with Al as cornered as he currently was, Yae might have been able to kill him with her own hands. Was that why? Was that why she had stopped Al? Was she attempting to repay the dread he had made her feel?

Yae: [I…]

???: [――Is love.]

At the budding doubt, the figure of Rem declaring so without hesitation flashed through her mind, and Yae’s breath caught.

It was different; there was undoubtedly a difference. They may have both been maids trying to fulfill the objectives of their masters, but Yae and Rem’s motivations differed at a fundamental level. They could not be compared.

Only, recalling the Oni who pursued her single-minded devotion driven by her absurdly immense passion, Yae suddenly became privy to certain feelings of her own.

Yae: [I――]

Yae had wished for Al to die. After all, the monster known as Al was terrifying, so there was no helping it.

However――,

Yae: [――I… it seems like I just can’t bear the thought of forgetting you, Al-sama.]

――From now to eternity, I could never wish to lose you.

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Aldebaran: [――――]

As Yae restrained his movement, and voiced the reason for doing so, a momentary lapse was born in Aldebaran’s mind.

He did not understand. He did not understand. Far too many things, he did not understand. ――With Aldebaran’s Territory having shattered Yae’s heart, she ought to have become an absolute collaborator on the condition of his death.

The selfish confidence he had placed in Yae, had now betrayed him in this ultimate climax.

Had she always been waiting for the perfect moment to enact her betrayal?

He did not understand. He did not understand. Only, with his steps halted, it finally caught up to Aldebaran. ――He had plugged his ears to it, averted his eyes from it, and even buried it at the very bottom of his heart; the voice he had wished to run away from the most.

???: [――Look at that, it is mine victory again.]

Aldebaran: […Priscilla.]

In this moment where he needed to exert every effort towards pulling the possibility right before his eyes even a little bit closer, the mutter that spilled from Aldebaran’s lips was neither the name of Gluttony, nor that of the woman restraining him, nor even that which belonged to himself.

In this moment where he needed to do so, in this moment where he needed to carry that out, even now that his regrets for having failed to accomplish anything were piling up like ash, once again, Aldebaran wished upon that very mountain of ash.

Aldebaran: [What…]

Do you mean it was your victory, Priscilla?

You died. You died, didn’t you? The fact that you died, means that you lost. The fact that you died, means that your desires can’t be fulfilled anymore. The only ones in this world who get to continue on after death, are me and Natsuki Subaru. That’s why, it’s not the same for you.

And yet, what the hell do you mean it was your victory? Even though you’re the least suited to being a poor loser out of any woman in this world, at the very end, why didn’t you admit defeat?

In the end, why did you smile, Priscilla?

Yae: [Your stars――]

Aldebaran: [――Ah?]

Yae: [Your stars were bad, Al-sama…!]

As Aldebaran devoted his attention to those unanswerable questions, Yae stared up at him from within his chest.

Hearing her voice so bereft of composure, the words contained within caused Aldebaran’s breath to catch. Blaming the stars; it was a phrase that Aldebaran would sometimes vocalize, and something Yae had also heard him say.

So, was this an act of revenge? Now that she had halted Aldebaran, she would say those words out of retaliation―― no, Yae’s crimson eyes were telling him that such was not the case.

The sincere radiance alight within those eyes, it was of the same quality as what had once illuminated the eyes of the Witch; they spoke to him:

It isn’t your fault, Aldebaran.

Aldebaran: [――Hk, there’s no way that…]

Could be true; such violent emotions immediately welled up within him.

The situations leading up to this point, the circumstances up until now, the merits and demerits of things having turned out the way they had, the fault for absolutely all of that lay with Aldebaran, and with Natsuki Subaru; it being any other way was an impossibility.

Thereupon――,

???: [――Al!!]

Unobstructed by even the maelstrom of dust, a voice of silver bells tore through his momentary ardor in the blink of an eye.

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Jumping to her feet before scurrying to hop out of the canyon, Emilia was shocked by that sight.

Emilia: [Just when I thought I felt a reaaally big tremor…]

As dust filled her vision to the brim, the voice of the wind would not cease its roaring. Furthermore, with the tremors of the land that seemed only to be getting bigger, things had visibly gotten quite bad during the time she was unconscious.

But, that would not discourage her. She would not lose heart. Emilia did not have the time to feel disheartened.

Emilia: [I have to hurry to Al…]

The reason why their allies had entrusted Emilia and Rem with stopping Al, was because everyone believed that the two of them were the most suited to the task. And then, the reason why Rem had sent Emilia off to go chase Al as he flew away, was because Rem placed her faith in Emilia to do so.

Carrying all of that upon her back, and since she fired herself up in order to save Subaru and Beatrice, she could not allow Al to get away――,

Emilia: [――Found him! Al and… eh!? That girl!?]

Emilia plunged through the dust with determination, and beyond it she found the figures of Al and Yae embracing, causing her all the more surprise.

Rem ought to have been keeping Yae at bay. The fact that Yae was now here caused her to worry about Rem―― Ferris had placed powerful healing magic over her saying it was a good luck charm, but even so, Emilia was still concerned for her safety.

Emilia: [I have to――]

Catch up to them and find out right away; it happened the moment she firmly kicked off the ground. ――Within Emilia’s vision, from beyond the embracing Al and Yae, a great shift sweeping aside the dust was approaching.

That was the true source of the tremors that refused to subside below her feet, the origin of the ceaseless screaming of the land. Drawing ever closer, as it violently quaked the earth, was a flash flood of tremendous volume.

Bearing witness as it attempted to mercilessly wash away everything on the battlefield, Emilia picked up the pace of her steps without even thinking,

Emilia: [――Al!!]

As he raised his visage in surprise at her call, she crossed gazes with the eyes veiled behind his helmet; leaping over the embracing pair, Emilia faced off directly against the flash flood surging forth.

And then――,

Emilia: [――Icicle Line!]

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Aldebaran: [――――]

The atmosphere raised a high-pitched shriek, and an unbelievable scope of glaciation was enacted against the flood.

They were inundated by a deluge of mythical proportion, as if a great lake had been upended like a bucket. To combat it, the beautiful girl with her silver hair fluttering behind her rapidly froze all of the water pouring in, fashioning it into a glacier.

Emilia: [YAHHHHH――!!]

However, that was an unfavourable game of cat and mouse between glaciation and flash flood.

Even if the cold air Emilia produced froze part of the flood, the next wave would just crash over the ice, forcing her to freeze that too. This cycle, repeating again and again, created an ice umbrella, a glacier that constantly expanded as water flowed over it.

Emilia: [UYAHHHHHH――!!]

With Emilia as the origin, the ice umbrella expanded radially as she emitted cold air in parallel with the flow of the flood water, arching over Aldebaran’s head before it continued past him.

The larger that structure grew, the heavier it became, and as cracks began to form in the umbrella, it was only a matter of time before it came crashing down with immense weight――,

Emilia: [――――]

For a moment, Emilia glanced back, locking eyes with Aldebaran.

Perhaps thinking something of that, Emilia tightly pressed her lips together――,

Emilia: [URYAHHHHHHH――!!]

She reinforced the umbrella of ice as it loudly creaked and fissured, and continued the construction of the great glacier that had been on the verge of collapse. To keep the umbrella from falling, pillars of ice shot out from the ground one after another as support beams; however, Aldebaran focused his attention elsewhere.

Emilia styled herself the Witch of Glaciation, and in fact, she exhibited enough power to back that title up. But, now, at this very moment, if the reason why Emilia was exhibiting power that surpassed her limits was because of the look they had exchanged a moment ago…

If it was the same as when she had protected Aldebaran in the canyon after he had deployed the massive boulder as a trap, if Emilia was manifesting her strength in order to protect Aldebaran…

With those thoughts, he now realized. ――Emilia had properly been looking at Aldebaran, and had also been trying to talk to him.

Aldebaran: [I’m――]

A raspy voice escaped his throat, but no further did it continue.

Merely, he felt that there had been some vast, irreparable discrepancy. ――A discrepancy from even before his Authority had been sealed, one he could no longer redo, one he could no longer reverse.

???: [――Look at that, it is mine victory again.]

What do you mean it was your victory? Ultimately, he never knew.

But, Priscilla, when you said those words, when you smiled with that triumphant look strewn upon your face, you were so truly――,

???: [――That will be as far as you go.]

――That instant, the absurd iron hammer mowed down nearly everything in the vicinity, piercing the battlefield as a streak of light.