Arc 10, Chapter 18 – “The Dream I Saw”

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Translated by:

• Archbishop of Transportation
• Archbishop of Valiance
• Archbishop of Gluttony

Proofread by:

• Archbishop of Regalia
• Archbishop of Being A Very Big Meanie
• Archbishop of Angst
• Archbishop of Transportation
• Archbishop of Shipping

Art Sources:

• Kirataki_52
• n_n_3123

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――The moment that existence descended upon the street, breath came to a pause.

As for whose, it was not. What had paused, was the breath of the world.

When Garfiel had been afforded the opportunity to speak with the strongest of the Vollachian Empire, eager to learn of the convictions that sustained his unbounded strength, this was what he had been told:

Cecilus: [In other words the world is a stage! Everything including the rays of the sun and the howl of the wind and the fragrance of the soil and the richness of the greenery are all nothing more than just stage props and effects meant to help the actors sparkle. In that case you might wonder why does the world go to such lengths in order to flashily adorn its actors in such brilliant splendor? That is because none other than the very world itself is a SUPER! HUGE! FAN! that loves to stir up the most excitement for any majorly quotable lines and iconic scenes in the actors’ performances!]

That ideology was quite far removed from common sensibilities, and to be perfectly honest, he had somewhat struggled to come to any decent understanding of it.

But, in this moment alone, he felt as if he could grasp at least part of the rationale that the Blue Lightning had so loudly proclaimed. ――That the world seemed to watch over its people as if it were enjoying a theatrical production.

If it were not so, then why, right now, did it feel so vividly clear that the world was holding its breath?

Garfiel: [――――]

With the tall bulwark partitioning the Noble and Commoner Districts at their backs, the path which stretched ahead of Garfiel and the others had been blocked by a lone man, distinguished by his blazing red hair and his eyes as blue as the clear sky.

Not standing, but blocking the way. ――Indeed, the man was obstructing their path.

???: [Reinhard-san, is it…? As far as I can imagine, you are the last person one would want as their pursuer.]

Reinhard: [I share in that sentiment, Otto. It’s a shame that it has come to this.]

The first to regain their senses following the shocking impact was, as one might expect, the one who possessed the most daring of guts within the camp: Otto.

With even Otto unable to completely suppress the emotions within his murmur, the man who responded―― the Sword Saint, Reinhard van Astrea, did not disavow that designation of pursuer.

With his hand resting on the hilt of the Dragon Sword at his waist, as he slightly narrowed his eyes,

Reinhard: [The Royal Castle has given the command to apprehend you. I ask you to surrender.]

Otto: [And if we refuse, it would be by force?]

Reinhard: [That it would. Deep down… no, my own feelings on the matter are irrelevant.]

Otto: [Indeed. What is being called into question is not where your heart lies, but rather, the results of your actions.]

Imparting those words, the feeling of tension throughout Otto’s body gradually heightened. On the other hand, since the moment Reinhard had appeared, there had been no change in the atmosphere cladding him whatsoever.

After all, he had long since decided the actions he would take. And, to decide on enacting something, and then to fully see that intent through until it was brought to completion, was to be that which was known as the Sword Saint.

???: [――Reinhard-san, was it? You mentioned that you had received the order from the Royal Castle, so might you be aware of what is happening with Nee-sama and Emilia-san?]

Thereupon, Rem, the one positioned diagonally behind Garfiel, discharged an utterance.

Though Garfiel and Otto had been the ones to step to the fore, standing to their rear, Rem had promptly moved to shield Petra and Meili as they huddled shoulder to shoulder, all the while keeping a firm gaze over Reinhard.

The answer to Rem’s query was something Garfiel also wished to know. ――Though, he thought that this situation was something Otto might have foreseen when he had made the decision to immediately flee the Royal Residence.

Reinhard: [Unfortunately, I did not get the opportunity to meet with them within the Castle. Merely, I am aware of the circumstances regarding their summons to the Castle. Likely, their persons are being detained.]

Rem: [Has anything violent been done to…]

Reinhard: [Not at present. At the very least, I can declare that the royal soldiers would not engage in any such conduct. Both Emilia-sama and Ram-san are also unlikely to make any decisions that would carelessly cause a disturbance.]

Rem: [――Is… that so. For your act of so kindly providing an answer, you have my thanks.]

Even after giving information that served to reassure Garfiel and the rest, Rem did not forget to spike her addendum with spite, causing Reinhard to close a single eye.

However, what Otto had spoken earlier was the truth. More important than his sentiments, were his actions.

Otto: [Reinhard-san, this situation is obviously a setup. The suspicions towards Natsuki-san and Crusch-sama, moving to contain us members of Emilia-sama’s Camp… Felt-sama will not be safe, either. And yet――]

Reinhard: [――I am the Sword Saint.]

Otto: [――――]

Reinhard: [Bearing the role of sword belonging to the Kingdom, I shall fulfill the duty with which I have been allotted. I urge your surrender. Nothing bad will be done to you even if you are taken to the Royal Castle. I will also do everything I can to――]

Otto: [As you stand here right now, just how persuasive do you believe your words are?]

With his expression and voice uniform across the board, Reinhard called for their surrender, to which Otto thrust his resolute response.

That was the will of not only Otto, but shared collectively between the five of them, including Garfiel.

No matter how much Reinhard attempted to coax his words, he stood as though to block their path.

Otto: [――. It would seem that we cannot become friends after all.]

Reinhard: [Indeed. I had a feeling it would turn out this way.]

With that, the discussion between Otto and Reinhard, where each had attempted to change the other’s mind, had reached its terminus.

Oddly enough, both parties had synchronously arrived at the same conclusion: any further exchange of words would prove meaningless.

And as a matter of fact, Otto’s judgment had been right on the mark.

Given that Reinhard had caught up to them, the Royal Castle would have also been aware that Garfiel and the rest were present here. Their routes of escape would diminish the more pursuers were sent after them, and if it got to the point that even Marcos were to be sent into action, their prospects would only narrow even further.

Reinhard: [No other soldiers will be coming. An encirclement has been ordered, but the only one here is me.]

Rem: […And, may I ask as to why?]

Reinhard: [I wish to avoid meaningless casualties. I do not mean to downplay the proficiency of the soldiers, but neither do I intend to underestimate you all. Therein also lies the reason why I accepted this duty.]

Rem: [To prevent us from harming any of the soldiers, is it?]

Reinhard: [That, and to prevent any of you from getting hurt. For me, that is possible.]

In the stead of Otto, who had closed himself off from any further contact, Rem continued the interaction with Reinhard, prompting his answer. The moment that response was given, the sensation of goosebumps running across the world swept through the Royal Capital.

Reinhard’s will, his conviction, had been conveyed to an almost painful degree.

Though, however, as a matter of fact, such a thing, was out of the question.

Garfiel: [――Ya know, I kept myself shut up ‘n listenin’ thoroughly to all yer talk with Ottobro ‘n Rem, but there’s somethin’ you’re sayin’ that just don’t fuckin’ sit right with me, oi.]

Reinhard: [Doesn’t sit right?]

Cracking the knuckles of his fists, Garfiel donned his silver gauntlets on both of his arms. And as the Sword Saint’s gaze sharpened at that stance, Garfiel gnashed his fangs with an “Ahh”.

Reinhard’s intent in coming along to quell Garfiel and the others, he understood.

The consideration of wishing not to produce any unnecessary victims, was a notion Garfiel shared.

Even so, it rubbed him the wrong way.

That was because――,

Garfiel: [For someone sayin’ y’ain’t gonna underestimate us, ain’t’cha failin’ to consider somethin’? ――THAT RIGHT HERE! RIGHT NOW! MY AMAZIN’ SELF! IS GONNA KICK YER FUCKIN’ ASS!!!]

In that instant, Garfiel roared as he stepped forth onto the street, launching himself at Reinhard.

Watching as Garfiel took that first step, that which flashed through Reinhard’s eyes was neither the hue of surprise nor vigilance.

Reinhard: [――――]

What had flashed through was the hue of anguish, coming to terms with Garfiel’s decision.

A pitiful gaze, upon a person who had clearly made the wrong decision, as if having witnessed a child who, rather than apologizing to their parents upon shattering a vase, took instead to interring the shards of the vase beneath the soil.

As that hue of sorrow resided amidst Reinhard’s eyes, Garfiel slammed his fist into him.

In the past, when Garfiel had first encountered Reinhard, he had been so overwhelmed by his presence that he had launched an attack on conditioned reflex; their current clash took on the same form as that initial encounter in Pristella.

As Garfiel’s strike swung downward, Reinhard held his right arm overhead. Catching the mighty fist with his five fingers, opened wide, he would easily brush it aside――,

Reinhard: [――Hk!?]

――No such thing occurred.

Garfiel: [ORAHHHHHH――!!!]

Howling, Garfiel’s body pulsed with vigor, forcibly rejecting the redirection of his strength. As Reinhard received that directly with his arm, the impact exploded, shredding the sleeve of the Sword Saint’s white garb while the undeflected energy caused the ground beneath him to fissure in the pattern of a spider’s web.

Then, to Reinhard, marveling at the strike that had far surpassed his imagination, Garfiel laughed a “Hah!” in a manner which flashed his bared fangs,

Garfiel: [Don’t’cha go thinkin’ that everyone other than ya’s just gonna keep trudgin’ around forever!!]

Extending both of his folded knees in a dropkick, he drove his legs directly into the center of Reinhard, at the intersection of his two arms, the resulting shockwave ferociously ravaging this corner of the Royal Capital.

――At the commencement of that battle, he felt as if he could hear the world clapping its hands in joyous applause.

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Clenching her small fists, Petra kept an attentive gaze over the battle that had begun to unfold.

Garfiel’s thunderous onslaught as he howled was the epitome of bestial fury itself; a ferociousness that turned his arms, legs, claws, and fangs, every single part of his body, into weapons aiming to sink into his opponent’s windpipe.

Against that overwhelming salvo of blows from Garfiel, nearly impossible to follow with the naked eye, Reinhard, in opposition to him, was able to ward off the vast majority of it through evasion and his single arm held aloft. ――And yet, that which he had warded off had merely been the vast majority; the remainder that could not be completely evaded was able to reach his exterior.

Petra: [Garf-san, that’s amazing… You’re able to put up a fight…]

What unintentionally spilled forth from Petra’s lips was commendation for Garfiel, fighting furiously.

Petra was also a subject of the Kingdom, and tales of the exceptionality of the Sword Saint Reinhard had reached her ears ever since she had been a mere village girl. In fact, within the Kingdom, he was a presence so renowned that even if someone were to be clueless about the name of the King, they would still know the name of Sword Saint Reinhard.

Once, when the Sword Saint was even younger than Petra was now, there had been a plot by the three other Great Countries besides Lugunica to attempt to simultaneously infiltrate the Kingdom. His achievement in singlehandedly crushing their ambitions had filled the hearts of many of the Kingdom’s citizens with hope, driving home the grandeur of the current generation Sword Saint into the populace.

Even in Petra’s hometown of Arlam Village, all the boys longed to be such a Sword Saint, and as a daydreaming girl herself, it was not as if Petra had never envisioned a romantic Cinderella story. ――But then again, as far as Petra was concerned, her prince was completely different from the Sword Saint, spoken of in rumors with innumerable flowery words; instead, he had been just a most charming boy.

In any case, for Petra, whose loose connection to such a living legend as the Sword Saint Reinhard came by way of belonging to an opposing camp in the Royal Selection, the sheer absurdity of the man himself exceeded all imagination. Compared to the genuine article, the contents of the rumors she had heard were reduced to naught but the product of the base fantasies of children. ――During their journey back from the Pleiades Watchtower, Petra had witnessed the real thing, experiencing that truth firsthand.

Thus, with amazement at Garfiel’s feat of going toe-to-toe with such an extraordinary entity, Petra felt a wave of awe and even a sense of pride, ill-timed given the situation.

???: [Kgh, no one will listen to me… Hk.]

Gritting his teeth was Otto, distributing his focus across their entire surroundings.

Even as he kept an eye on the battle between Garfiel and Reinhard, Otto was frantically utilizing his Divine Protection of the Soul of Language to search for any means to break out of this situation.

However, his muttering indicated a dearth of creatures he could turn to―― fundamentally, the reality was that that groundwork of his to prepare reliable collaborators, or rather, reliable collaborating beings, no matter where they were, had ended in failure.

In the first place, the reason Reinhard had even caught up with them here was, as Otto put it, because “the insects had deceived him”. Yet, it was hard to believe that the insects had maliciously done so and led him into a trap.

In other words, there was something. ――Their adversaries possessed a means of subjugating the insects with a compelling force equal to, or perhaps even greater than Otto’s own.

And that was――,

Petra: [――Like Meili-chan’s Divine Protection.]

Catching Meili in the corner of her eye, huddled so close to her that their shoulders were pressed together, Petra made a conjecture as to the trick used by the opponent who had outwitted Otto.

Otto’s Divine Protection of the Soul of Language had proven useful in a diverse variety of scenarios and applications, but that spoke less to the efficacy of the Divine Protection than to Otto’s competency in utilizing it.

The Divine Protection of the Soul of Language merely allowed him to communicate with any living creature, nothing more; whether he could actually secure their cooperation was entirely dependent on the fruits of Otto’s own talents for negotiation and coordination.

Until now, they all had relied entirely upon Otto’s personal talent in that aspect.

But supposing there was an enemy who possessed a method to force creatures into submission without question, much like Meili how controlled her Witchbeasts, then that advantage would easily crumble.

Meili: [Petra-chan, if it comes down to i~t…]

Petra: [――Absolutely not.]

Right beside her, Petra sharply cut off the words Meili tried to whisper.

Unable to rely upon the Divine Protection of the Soul of Language, what Meili had tried to propose was a way to shift the tides―― in short, to rely upon Meili’s Divine Protection. However, while that was certainly a move that would allow them to alter their situation, at the same time, it was far too sharp a double-edged sword.

Petra: [Meili-chan, if you summon a Witchbeast, there’s no turning back. Subaru, the villain from the Witch Cult, will be allied with Meili-chan, the Witchbeast Master. Emilia-neesama will also be a Witch… connected to the Witch of Envy, that’s what they’ll all think.]

Meili: [Bu~t, even the Sword Saint-oniisan is already here, you kno~w? The people in the Castle must have long since…]

Petra: [No, that’s not it. The ones who mustn’t see us that way aren’t the people in the Castle, but the people of the Royal Capital… of the Kingdom.]

Meili: [――――]

Petra: [Just like we believe in Subaru, the people he and Emilia-neesama have saved are bound to realize something is wrong with all of this. We have to make sure we keep that possibility alive.]

While it was indeed true that this present moment was a critical situation, if they resorted to any means necessary just to survive the present, they would just be handing their opponent more cards to play against them.

That was why, even when fleeing the Royal Residence, they had not relied on brute force from Garfiel or Rem to smash their way through.

The more Petra and the others―― no, the more the Emilia Camp proved how dangerous they could be, the worse things would get for Subaru, on the run, and Emilia, at the Castle.

That was something they had to avoid at all costs.

Meili: […How frustra~ting.]

As the weight of Petra’s words sank in, Meili bit her lip in vexation. Perched atop Meili’s head, the little Crimson Scorpion clacked its pincers, as if in agreement with those feelings of hers.

To possess power, yet be forbidden from wielding it. It was a different sense of helplessness than Petra’s, and the bitter taste of vexation she chewed on was likely entirely different as well.

Petra: [I have to watch.]

She had not experienced the anguish that resulted from having a Divine Protection like Meili or Otto. It was for that very reason that, by eliminating all superfluous options that came to mind, Petra could concentrate entirely on a single solution.

What she could even do, she could not say just yet. However, she single-mindedly focused her awareness, so that she would not miss it when that “something” happened.

For that was the manifestation of Petra Leyte’s resolve to stand against the Sword Saint.

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Vision narrow, sound distant, olfaction sharp, pain heightened, palate faintly bloody; the singular life known as Garfiel blazed in incandescence, ego lost in a state of pinnacle focus.

Surpassing all of his opponent’s expectations, he had taken a near perfect starting dash in the commencement of their bout.

Garfiel’s stout arms, ferocious legs, and beastly claws berserked freely as per his will, successfully forcing a purely defensive stance upon the one standing to his fore, Reinhard.

That was a feat of combat incomparable to the time he had gotten the opportunity to test his strength against Reinhard in a contest at Pristella, resulting in him suffering a complete and utter defeat, as if he were a literal baby unable to do even a single thing.

Garfiel: [Back then, I couldn’t even move ya off the gravel in the courtyard, yet…]

Reinhard: [――Hk.]

Garfiel: [This time, that ain’t how’s it gonna go!!]

Winding his arms back behind him before thrusting them forth, the entirety of his might was channeled into a single blow towards Reinhard’s chest. In response, Reinhard pulled up the Dragon Sword from his waist, and caught the blow with its solid scabbard. But, unable to disperse the entirety of the impact, his feet lifted off the ground, sending him a large step back.

Through a series of mighty strikes, he had displaced Reinhard from where he had once stood. ――For Garfiel, who had been made aware of their gulf in strength on that day, this was a decoration of the highest honor.

Perhaps Reinhard had also realized that keenly, as the Sword Saint raised his visage with a faint stiffness in his cheeks,

Reinhard: [Your skills――]

Garfiel: [Ya wanna fuckin’ say they’ve improved, do ya!?]

Reinhard: [Certainly, I was just about to say that.]

Commend was not something to be exchanged through words, rather, it was to be wrested by means none other than victory; with such sentiments, Garfiel stepped forth.

The fact that his blow had caused his opponent to move back, meant that Garfiel’s combat power had been delivered unto Reinhard as something beyond a mere gentle breeze. ――Of course, Garfiel would not mistake the good fight he put up as evidence that he had surpassed Reinhard in strength.

Garfiel: [――It pisses me off, tho’.]

Reinhard stood in their way as their pursuer, and yet it was plain to see that he did not find it by any means pleasant to oppose Garfiel and the others, and by proxy, Subaru and Emilia.

Reinhard was doing nothing more than acting as the Sword Saint, abiding by the orders delivered unto him by the Royal Castle. Moreover, in order to avert casualties, he had enforced that no other soldiers be brought along―― personally sealing his own destructive combat ability, he currently stood in conflict against Garfiel.

In proper terms, Garfiel was in his strongest state borne out of willpower and physical strength, while Reinhard, with motivation at its lowest, had constrained himself to his weakest state with considerations for potential harm to the surroundings.

That was precisely why, this could be described as a miraculous leveling of the field induced in their combat.

Garfiel: [――Really, fuckin’ pisses me off.]

He wanted to win. Garfiel wanted to win.

Facing the powerful opponent against whom he had been unable to do a single thing previously, without permitting him the leeway to make even a single excuse, he wanted to rapidly carve out an absurd rate of development, and win.

He wanted Subaru to tell him “Just as I expected of you, Garfiel. I knew you’d win!”, and he wanted Otto to be impressed with him “You truly helped out there, Garfiel.” He wanted to make Frederica admit “I am surprised, Garf. You are now well and truly an adult.”, and he would likely find it pleasant for Mimi to clamour “Yaha~! Garf, amazing! You’re super strong!!”, and he wanted Ram to praise him “Hah, not bad, Garf.” He wanted, to have everyone smile.

――Devouring the avaricious heart coveting victory within his own self, for the sake of this revenge match against the Sword Saint where not a single thing was fair, in this moment, he ignited his very soul.

Garfiel: [――ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!]

Up, down, left, right, front, back, over, under, heaven, earth: in all directions Garfiel surged as he leaped around, but with the four, eight vectors of his omnidirectional assault insufficient against the steadfast Reinhard, Garfiel launched a furious onslaught transcending the realm of all directions, firing on all cylinders with sixteen, thirty-two vectors of assault leaving nary a gap for a mouse to slip through.

The thundering report of his barrage of fists was faster, weightier, grander, far more unceasing than even the rhythmic beating of drums, seeking to pulverize, sunder, and ravage the tranquility of the Royal Capital.

But, that was only natural. An inevitability. Destiny.

The tranquility of the Royal Capital present here, was but a lie. A falsehood. Papier-mâché.

Underneath this, in the background, in the shadows, Subaru, Emilia, and all the rest of them, were under threat.

To Reinhard, who stood in their way in the form of that outrageous threat――,

Garfiel: [I’M GONNA FUCKIN’ CRUSH YAAAAA――!!!]

All of his might he channeled into a right hook, and the moment Reinhard caught the blow with his upraised scabbard, Garfiel pivoted the knee of the left leg he had lightly raised up―― and firmly tread upon the ground.

That instant, the power of the land that had yet to be enacted even once amidst Garfiel’s furious onslaught until now―― the energy amassed as the fruit borne of his Divine Protection of Earth Spirits, surged forth all at once.

――Until now, while Garfiel had been hammering in attacks bearing his whole strength with no end in sight, not one time had he diverted his Divine Protection of Earth Spirits to an offensive in order to shake Reinhard’s footing.

Doggedly, he had utilized the effect of his Divine Protection for the sole end of reinforcing his own body, retaining it as a trump card.

All had been for this moment, this gambit of launching Reinhard into the air from where he stood.

If one’s body was launched up into the air, the only way to come back down would be through a free fall, even for Reinhard. While airborne, holding one’s ground would be rendered impossible, and so it would be possible for Garfiel to either deal damage by means of a follow-up attack, or to fully commit to an escape.

Ergo――,

Garfiel: [THIS IS ITTTTTTTTT――]

Reinhard: [――Truly, your skills have improved.]

The energy swelling up directly beneath him, Reinhard trampled underfoot.

Reinhard: [――――]

In that moment, just before it could erupt, the energy lost its destination, expanding radially outward below the soles of Reinhard’s feet. As that power was left to run rampant, it fissured the road, upheaving it, rupturing a corner of the Royal Capital. One after another, many of the buildings in the environs of the battlefield were enveloped by the explosive energy, and came crumbling down.

At that sight, Garfiel widened his emerald-green eyes――,

Reinhard: [All residents of the area have been evacuated. ――You need not worry.]

In a flash, a combination of light and impact dashed from edge to edge of his vision, piercing Garfiel’s body obliquely, slamming his upper body down into the ground by his head.

Crying out a “Kah” in pain, as if to reproduce the fissures from when his attempted protrusion of the ground had been trampled underfoot just prior, cracks far larger and deeper were created in the street, birthing there a semi-circular crater.

In the Empire, Garfiel had even resisted a blow from the Cloud Dragon square-on. Of course, he had not escaped unscathed, but he had managed to withstand it nonetheless. ――But this toughness, he could not endure.

G?rf?el: [――Agh.]

All the bones in his body creaked, his flesh screamed out in pain, and it was made clear to him that all his organs had opted for silence.

Faced with a level of might beyond rationality, a panic arose in his body, as if attempting to convey taste to his vision, pain to his hearing, color to his olfaction, sound to his taste, and smell to his touch, he could not make sense of a single thing.

Was it painful? Was it bitter? Did it smell rusty? Was it noisy? What had happened? He could make sense of nothing.

A strike so lethal that all such things became unclear to him, he had suffered. He had suffered it. He had suffered it, he had suffered it, he had suffered it, suffered it, suffered it, suffered it, suffered it, suffered it, suffered it, suffered it suffered it suffered it it it it――.

Re?????d: [――Hk.]

His consciousness was scrambled around, torn apart, and on the verge of dispersing to dust. However, even in such a state, he could sense that someone had swallowed their breath in his immediate proximity.

Having swallowed his breath, and staring with eyes widened, was the man of red. The blue-eyed man. The opponent whom he needed to stop. ――That opponent’s right arm, which had executed the karate-chop, he held it down with both of his own arms, and refused to let go.

He had decided… that he would at least… do this… and so… he did it. He had done it. He had to.

???????: [AhhhORAHHohgRAOHHHH…!]

Red: [Garfiel, you are――]

Wringing out all of the air within his heart―― heart? Stomach? Which one stored the air? Either was fine. Anyhow, even if it meant completely emptying out his air bag, he roared. Roaring filled him with more strength. If he had strength, he could end things without releasing this arm.

If he could end things without releasing it, that would――,

????: [Uwahhhhh――!!]

――Without letting the opportunity slip, the green “something” he trusted fully leaped into action.

Red: [――――]

With his arm being held tight, the red man took notice of the voice, and faced forward. Thereupon, as the green “something” charged in without concern over its appearance, the red man’s eyes filled with caution.

What it would do next was unreadable. What tactic it would employ was unclear. What it intended to enact could not be guessed. In the meanwhile, the distance between green and red closed, closed, closed, closing―― without anything having happened, the distance between green and red arrived at zero.

Red: [Do not tell me, it is nothing at all?]

Green: [That is the best way to invite your caution, is it not…?]

With one of its arms sealed, red swung its other arm, grazing green by the chin.

Having charged straight in without bringing anything, green basked in that blow, and thereby, without any means of resisting, was robbed of its ability to take action. And, upon collapsing, it muttered.

Green: [――Now.]

Those lips seemed to produce a sound bereft of sound, or perhaps not.

All manner of phenomena, present outside the realm of his comprehension, while taking that which merely flowed from right to left in as information, Garfiel―― right, he was Garfiel. As his brain, once again recognizing his own self as Garfiel, took all of that in, he processed the information.

Red was there, green had collapsed, and Garfiel was present.

And thereupon――,

?????: [Together now!]

?????: [Crimson Scorpion-cha~n!]

Two streaks of white light shot through the sky, tracing the firing line that had opened upon green’s collapse, charging in a mad dash directly towards red.

Devoid of sound that resembled any notion of sound, twin streaks of light closed in on red faster than any arrow―― on red, which still had its right arm sealed, and had just performed a full swing with its left.

Red: [I’m surprised.]

However, utilizing the elbow of the left arm that had felled green, red flicked the sword in the white scabbard hanging by its waist up, by half a revolution, perfectly parrying the lights from the side.

Repelling the lights with a sound akin to splashing water, the assault that ought to have reached red, Reinhard―― the combined offensive of Petra and Meili was, therefore, thwarted.

Garfiel’s all-out gambit, Otto’s sacrificial play, Petra and Meili’s surprise attack, all had failed to reach Reinhard――,

???: [――――]

――A spiked ball of iron, ferociously revolving, pummeled straight into Reinhard’s core.

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Holding her breath, in order to pour all her body and all her soul into just a single instant, Rem forbade herself from any futility whatsoever.

Clearing her mind of various thoughts so as not to lose focus on her goal due to excessive enthusiasm, or through agitation and wavering emotions that could diminish her strength, she embedded literally everything she had into that single throw.

Garfiel had challenged him, Otto had tricked him, and Petra and Meili had seized the opportunity.

Yet even so, in order to overcome Reinhard, an overwhelming wall that could not be breached, it was absolutely necessary to use even the humiliation of being treated as a noncombatant as a weapon.

Swallowing all those psychological factors, Rem poured the entirety of her strength into that single throw.

Rem: [HAAAAAA――!]

As the timbre of the chain that extended straight ahead rang out, the spiked iron ball―― the Morningstar bludgeoned the air as it soared through the sky, closing in on Reinhard’s torso.

Naturally, if a deadly weapon of such weight and hardness scored a direct hit, a human body would not escape unscathed. Even so, Rem cast aside any hesitation, trusting in the exceptionality of her opponent.

Even supposing his head received that blow from behind under perfect circumstances, Reinhard would never lose his life; such was her reverence and trust towards the opponent on a completely different level.

The black ball of iron containing those feelings was drawn in toward the center of Reinhard’s chest――,

Rem: [――Hk!?]

The instant she thought it would hit, Rem was struck by an impact so violent it nearly dislocated her right shoulder.

Rem: [What just――]

Happened? Within Rem’s vision as her eyes widened, Reinhard, who ought to have taken a direct hit from the iron ball, had raised his long leg high up in the air. ――No, that was wrong. The leg had been kicked up.

Following the tip of his foot extending to the heavens, the Morningstar Rem had unleashed had been deflected, blown away into the sky faster than the eye could follow in a single kick. The impact of the chain snapping taut had traveled all the way to Rem’s body, nearly devastating her shoulder.

Rem: [――ah.]

Before the pain could tear through her flesh, it was her mind, having comprehended that reality, that felt like it would be torn asunder first.

She had failed. Even though Garfiel had exhausted his strength to the point of death, Otto had deliberately feigned having no plan, and Petra and Meili had served as a distraction, all to open a path for Rem, their winning hand.

That had been the only chance for all five of them there to work together as one, and it had――,

Rem: [It didn’t reach――]

???: [――No, it shall reach.]

――In that instant, that which drowned out her lament, had been the voice of a man unknown to Rem’s ears.

Rem: [――――]

The breath of all present was taken away, as they turned in the direction of the voice that had struck them like a surprise attack. ――The owner of that voice was a white-haired man in a butler uniform, grasping twin swords gleaming with silver light in both hands.

With an immeasurable aura of swordsmanship cascading from his entire body, the man spoke.

???: [For the sake of the only means to save my lord, I, the Sword Demon, Wilhelm Trias―― shall render my assistance.]

So he declared.

△▼△▼△▼△

Directly following the delivery of that introduction, the split-second combat that commenced decided everything.

Reinhard: [――Honored Grandfather.]

The moment his mutter sublimed of shock and sorrow spilled, what Reinhard’s entrembling eyes reflected was but a body forthleaning, the Sword Demon―― Wilhelm, barreling forth as if a bullet from a chamber.

The street, fragmentalized and upheaved, responded to the other party’s kick with a force equal and opposite, launching Wilhelm forth to syncopate his distance from Reinhard in the blink of an eye, readied with a silver flash of the twin blades poised at his waist.

Prior to its unleashment, prior to its deliverance, he would take advantage of even the slightest of openings.

???: [Where th’ fuck d’ya think yer lookin’, oi.]

Eyes bloodshot, Garfiel remained channeling his full strength for the purpose of holding down Reinhard’s right arm; and inducing a swell amidst the ground to which he clung with half his body, he commenced an offensive against Reinhard with the protruding road.

Formation poor and target indistinct, the haphazard assault was let loose, its scope and dimension expanding without rhyme or reason, as if aiming to simply hit anything at all. However, with a semicircular slash of his retracted left arm, Reinhard wrought devastation upon it. A shock wave birthed, and smithereens abounded.

Thereupon, Wilhelm’s oncoming slashes――,

???: [AHHHHHH――!!]

Brisker than even that, a loud cry erupted from Rem with a powerful downswing of her right arm. ――A horn veiled in a faint glow burgeoning from her forehead, the daughter of the Oni who had enabled herself to take action surpassing her physical limits, pulled tight on the iron ball previously kicked skyward, meteoring it down anew.

For Reinhard, whose attention had been stolen by the swell of the land and the encroaching Sword Demon, the onslaught from the mid-heavens, one which he ought to have already averted, would have come as the extremity of surprises.

However――,

Reinhard: [To think you are capable of going this far, all of you.]

Muttering so, Reinhard received the starfall of the iron ball with the Dragon Sword’s scabbard.

The sword removed from his waist to defend against Petra and Meili’s attack, kicking it up into the grip of the left hand with which he had prevented Garfiel’s protrusion of the ground, he parried the iron ball.

All the attacks till now, he had simply defended with his superhuman reflexes, exhibiting his aberrant combat ability.

However, even so, at long last,

Wilhelm: [REAAAAAAHHHHHHH――!!]

Alongside a rending battlecry that seemed to cleave the ground, the Sword Demon’s twin blades streaked forth as silver flashes.

Beyond compare to the many attacks that had targeted catching him off-guard until this point, what closed in on the Sword Saint was an assault of the blade imbued with the essence of a domain attainable only by those who had singlemindedly devoted themselves to the sword.

The Dragon Sword in his left grip was occupied receiving the iron ball, and his right arm was yet sealed by Garfiel. ――This time for certain, it appeared that he possessed no means of warding off that swordly shimmer.

――That was, so long as he did not brandish his right arm with Garfiel’s body altogether.

Garfiel: [――Ah.]

With Garfiel still clinging to his arm, Reinhard intended to slash Wilhelm down. Having said that, if Garfiel were to release his arm, given that he had no means to go against this, Reinhard would simply intercept Wilhelm directly with a karate-chop of his freed hand. Still, Garfiel being Reinhard’s blunt weapon would be more of an inconvenience.

However, if Garfiel were to collide against Wilhelm as a weapon here, this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity granted by the arrival of a reliable reinforcement would be lost――,

Garfiel: [――――]

That instant, Garfiel and Wilhelm crossed gazes, conversing through instinct.

Thus, as if telling him to bring it on, Garfiel accepted Wilhelm’s determination.

The firm resolve of the Sword Demon, its answer was――,

Reinhard: [――Don’t tell me.]

The answer presented in a form before his eyes, Reinhard’s visage was stained a hue of shock.

Wilhelm: [It is a bad habit of yours… of yours. To misapprehend, the extent of others’ resolve.] [1]

Gazing upon his astonishment, thus did Wilhelm proclaim, tranquil as the surface of a lake.

The light of the sword unleashed traced a crescent arc―― slicing through the flank of the upraised Garfiel, the blade cut across to inflict a deep gash upon Reinhard’s leg.

Garfiel: [Finally, reached ya…!]

Certainly, rending flesh and severing bone―― their experience of fighting back-to-back in Pristella, now functioned to serve the wordless coordination between Garfiel and Wilhelm.

Per Reinhard’s intuition, were Garfiel to be wedged into the sword’s trajectory, Wilhelm would have forfeited his means of attack. However, the Sword Demon did no such thing, taking on the objective Garfiel and rest had to accomplish to matter what.

Ergo, placing faith in Garfiel’s resilience, he had slashed Reinhard along with Garfiel.

Reinhard: [――Hk.]

Sustaining a serious laceration to his leg, Reinhard held his breath, and Garfiel slipped off his arm.

With a hand over the wound on his flank, he activated healing magic on the verge of his consciousness slipping. Even while feeling a peculiar sense of impairment at that invocation, he poured the entirety of his strength into first-aid treatment.

Wilhelm: [You did magnificently.]

Thereupon, before Garfiel could fall to the ground, Wilhelm caught his body with an outstretched arm. At a glance, it was clear that Wilhelm had already returned both his twin swords to their sheaths, and in the arm opposite to the one carrying Garfiel, the collapsed Otto was present.

Bearing the two of them, Wilhelm turned his gaze over to Reinhard,

Wilhelm: [Even for you, that wound is not something you can heal in an instant.]

Reinhard: [Honored Grandfather, please wait! They are, Crusch-sama is――]

Wilhelm: [To the Kingdom of today, my sword cannot be lent.]

Reinhard: [――Hk!]

Responding so to the voice attempting to halt him, Wilhelm took a great leap backwards.

Thus left by his lonesome, Reinhard widened his eyes, but just as Wilhelm had pointed out, with his leg having suffered a deep laceration, even he would not be able to move immediately.

Wilhelm: [Awakened Rem-dono! The girls!]

Rem: [Yes! Unfamiliar old man!]

Meanwhile, in response to Wilhelm’s call to action, Rem adroitly pivoted her body and rushed over to Petra and Meili, snatching up their bodies as they cried “Kyah!” in surprise.

With a sidelong glance to that, Otto slightly stirred while being carried by Wilhelm,

Otto: [Please, follow the wall, and head west…!]

Rem: [Otto-san! Are you ali――]

Otto: [I’m alive…! On the western side, there are no signs or voices of the insects. ――There is no way to be deceived.]

Rem: [――Understood.]

Presuming that his Divine Protection of the Soul of Language was being used against him, Otto took the measure of deliberately taking a direction where there were no voices of living creatures in order to avoid a surprise attack.

Following his directions, Wilhelm and Rem nodded to each other, breaking out into a sprint right away as they plotted to escape, leaving Reinhard behind at the battlefield.

Reinhard: [――――]

Violently swaying in the Sword Demon’s arm, Garfiel somehow managed to turn his head and look at Reinhard, left behind in this corner of the Royal Capital which had been rendered completely unrecognizable in a short timespan.

He did have his reservations on the matter. It was not as though he hated Reinhard either.

Merely, since he had become the chosen obstacle running counter to them here, the fact that they had nevertheless managed to somehow overcome him, brought a certain relief and sense of accomplishment――,

Reinhard: [――Even so, I am the sword of the Kingdom.]

At that moment, Garfiel felt as the world had its breath taken away.

It was not that it had paused its breathing, its breath had been taken away. ――After all, alongside the faint rumbling of the atmosphere, the legendary blade of Dragon Sword Reid gleamed in its cold pallid-blue radiance.

△▼△▼△▼△

――Dragon Sword Reid.

A blade counted among the Enchanted Swords and Holy Swords of this world, of which there existed no greater than ten, whose wielding was sanctioned solely to the Sword Saint of the Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica, a sword of legend passed through generations.

Whilst many a rumor proliferated about the leviathan might it concealed within, it was a blade veiled in a rather nebulous history, for its nature as a sword that decided for itself when it was to be drawn inevitably caused the occasions of its actual usage to remain predominantly unascertained.

In actual fact, opportunities for the Dragon Sword to be utilized declined precipitously even further once it was bequeathed to the hands of Reinhard van Astrea, the Sword Saint of the current generation, with the episodes of its blade being drawn with certainty being scarce enough as to be counted on the fingers of a singular hand.

That was to say, the nonpareil ability of its bearer, Reinhard, was the reason as to which his opponents were vitiated to ones the Dragon Sword needed not be drawn against.

In truth, amidst the preponderant amount of settings wherein Reinhard labored as the Sword Saint, the leviathan might of the Dragon Sword Reid was never necessitated.

Consequently, the Dragon Sword Reid had been appraised by Natsuki Subaru as “Wouldn’t it be better to swing it around like an absolutely indestructible blunt weapon?”, engraving a bitter smile onto Reinhard.

However――,

Dragon Sword: [――――]

On the seldom occasion that the Dragon Sword’s blade was laid bare, the world would acknowledge it as a singular instance of momentous import.

The conditions for the Dragon Sword Reid to be drawn, for those apprised with Lugunica’s ancient history, and even for the lineage of Sword Saints who had been its bearers for generations, were laden with mysteries. Was it their enemy’s strength, was it the weight of the responsibility they were saddled with, was it the onslaught posed by the peril confronting them; none corresponded as the right answer.

Although if there were a solitary fact to be stated with certainty, in all the times the Dragon Sword Reid had been unsheathed, never had it failed to fulfill its purpose.

???: [――――]

A shudder ran through mind and body alike, afflicted by a swordly aura as though the entire being was inundated in a glaciating wave.

Cannot. Cannot. Cannot. Cannot. Cannot. Cannot. Cannot. Cannot. Cannot.

That thing, under any circumstances, cannot be allowed to swing.

Garfiel: [――Hk.]

A sharp clink echoed with the chatter of Garfiel’s teeth, accompanied by the aged swordsman who wedged himself in between, clutching the former in his arms. The carried youth also peered toward Reinhard, though he would have been better off had he not done so, as he now bore witness to the unsheathed Dragon Sword, feeling all the hairs on his body arise on end.

Rem and the aged swordsman, both bereft of any margin to look back, must have surmised the magnitude of the radiating swordly aura with their backs, or rather, as it penetrated through their bodies entirely, with their very souls.

Yet, despite that, they remained earnest, they refused to cower in fright, and they endeavored to do what they must.

That, was honestly amazing. I can’t help but admire them.

I could never do something like that. Without any example to follow, how could they possibly be capable of that?

So, I’ll use them as my examples to follow, and do what must be done. ――Though, they’re sure to get angry with me.

Do, what must be done.

Because I want to live up to them, following their example, they who are always living every moment of their lives with everything they’ve got――.

Meili: [――Come on out, Sand Earthworm-cha~ns!!]

The subsequent instant, without exaggeration, a seism of convulsing earth quaked the Royal Capital.

Petra: [Meili-chan!?]

Carried in Rem’s arms, Petra’s eyes had been searching for something with which to resist the Dragon Sword, but now they widened in terror as she watched Meili violate the warning she had been given.

Meeting Petra’s gaze, Meili stuck out her tongue with an “I’m sorry~”,

Meili: [I know it’ll also be trouble for Subaru-oniisan and Emilia-oneesan if I do this, bu~t… we can’t let it end here, can we~?]

Petra: [――Hk, stupid! You stupid stupid! Even though you were finally pardoned… hk!]

Meili: [A~h, Petra-chan, that’s what you’re…]

Meili came to an understanding of the teary-eyed Petra’s words, repeatedly reiterating stupid.

The fear that if Meili, the Witchbeast Master, were to summon Witchbeasts, it would only further the notion of the Emilia Camp being dangerous; that had only been part of the reason. The reason why Petra had truly wished to stop her was because she wanted to prevent Meili, who had been pardoned for her past of being a dangerous assassin in order to serve as a guide to the Pleiades Watchtower, from being perceived as a threat to the Kingdom ever again.

Meili: [It’s fi~ne… For just a short while, I got to see a dream, after a~ll.]

I thought that perhaps, my sins could be forgiven, and I could walk upon a path of decency.

In truth, I even thought of walking toward such a future alongside those who treated me so kindly.

That was enough, because my chest was blanketed with warmth, the same as it was when I was with that handful of an elder sister.

――I got to see this dream, after all.

Meili: [Sword Saint-oniisan, can you really chase u~s? I released four Sand Earthworm-chans at each of the Royal Capital’s main gates, north east south west a~ll of them, so e~veryone’s gotta be in a huge panic about no~w?]

Sand Earthworms that dwelled in the Augria Sand Dunes, of an order of enormity incomparable with the rest of their kind.

Having secretly given them an order to follow her, they were her trump cards who had been lurking deep underneath the Royal Capital’s surface; Meili now commanded them through the Divine Protection of Fiend Manipulation, intentionally flashily as to incite as much terror as possible.

Reinhard had to go, or there would be casualties. ――Meili’s heart would not particularly ache if that were to happen.

As long as the ones present here, as well as Subaru, Beatrice, and Emilia, all met no harm, it would be fine.

Other than the people who treasured her, the people whom she wished to treasure, then regardless of whoever else died, it would be fine.

Reinhard: [――Meili.]

Faraway, hands clutching the Dragon Sword, the lips of Reinhard moved so; she could tell.

Meili, too, had traveled together with Reinhard and Felt to the Pleiades Watchtower. A time they had shared together, a memory of being cared for.

But even so, it could never match up to Subaru and everyone else.

Meili: [I’m a bad girl, after a~ll.]

With a mocking smile, Meili gave a small wave of her hand to Reinhard.

Meili herself had failed to notice the droplets pregnant with warmth overflowing from the corners of her eyes, trailing down her cheeks. The only ones to have noticed them were the Sword Saint, proprietor of eyes that could clearly detect anything from any distance, and Petra, weeping for her friend’s determination while being carried away by the earnestly sprinting Rem.

Petra: [Meili-chan, stupid… hk. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… hk.]

Against the weight of her friend’s titanic determination, the girl’s tearful apology fell futile.

At the end of that utterly titanic, gargantuan choice――,

Dragon Sword: [――――]

――For the first time since the Dragon Sword Reid had been bestowed unto the hands of Sword Saint Reinhard van Astrea, the blade reneged on the purpose for which it had been unsheathed, and returned to its scabbard.

 

Translation Notes:

[1] – Here, Wilhelm changes his manner of addressing Reinhard from the polite あなた (anata), to the impolite お前 (omae).

 

 

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