Chapter 365






“Dude, you were so weak.”

With a smug laugh, Raniel covered her mouth and chuckled. Every time she laughed, psh, blood dripped from her body, but she didn’t seem to care as her laughter continued.

She did it. She really did it.

Clinging to the slim possibility, she achieved what everyone called impossible. The tragedy that her future self had faced would no longer occur, and no one would ever call Kyle a disaster again.

‘It was tough but…’

She had nearly died countless times.

‘Yet…’

She truly managed to pull it off.

It wasn’t the worst. It wasn’t even the second worst. It was the best ending she could accept with a smile instead of gritting her teeth in resignation.

Raniel seized that ending with her own hands.

“I beat you. I totally wrecked you.”

The joy of that fact made her happier than ever.

Raniel couldn’t stop laughing.

As she watched her laugh, Kyle felt a mix of strangeness and nostalgia. Raniel van Trias. The one who was once called the Wise One never smiled like that.

Derision, self-deprecation, light chuckles.

Those were the only fake laughs the Wise One lived off. Wearing a mask, she couldn’t laugh sincerely. But now, the Raniel before him was laughing genuinely, just like before she became the Wise One.

“…You crazy idiot.”

Kyle murmured with a laugh.

To say something like that in such a situation felt classically Raniel.

“What did you just say?”

“I called you a crazy idiot.”

“So that means you got wrecked by a crazy idiot?”

“…Do you really have to be that childish?”

“Where’s the childishness in winning or losing?”

Yeah, this is how it goes.

Kyle let out a short breath, relaxing his shoulders.

“If we’re being technical, I have 3 wins and 1 loss, and you have 1 win and 3 losses, right?”

“…What?”

“Back when you grabbed me by the collar once, when we met again at the main church in Deloheim, and also when we met in the North.”

Kyle said with a teasing laugh.

“I think I won all three times?”

“Hey, you were fighting without really trying. Plus, some of them didn’t even have a clear winner…”

“How generous was I? If I had seriously swung my sword, you’d have been down in one shot.”

“I showed you mercy too, you know? The reason I lost there was just…”

“You just said you lost!”

Raniel flinched and shut her mouth.

Kyle shrugged and continued.

“Well, if you got wrecked three times in a row and barely won once, I can see why you’d be happy. That one win after a losing streak is sweet, after all. I understand that feeling too.”

“You, you…”

Seeing Raniel’s twitchy demeanor, Kyle burst out laughing. It felt like he was back in childhood. He just listened with one ear as she squawked in protest.

Truly, it was absurd.

‘Childishness hasn’t changed, even now…’

Nothing was different. It was the same.

As Kyle rolled his eyes at Raniel, who was flailing her broken arm around and pointing fingers, his expression slightly stiffened. His gaze landed on her chest.

‘…A hardened bloodstain.’

There were marks that looked like they had been stabbed through the heart. Additionally, long scars running along her shoulder caught Kyle’s eye. None of those were light injuries. They were wounds that could lead to death if not treated properly.

“Hey, Raniel.”

Kyle spoke with a slightly stiff voice.

“Are you okay?”

“Okay? What do you mean?”

“The wounds. The injuries.”

“Oh, these?”

Raniel shrugged her shoulders.

“I’m okay! I told you, you were weak. This is nothing, not even a scratch.”

As she shrugged, she winced, clearly in pain. Naturally, it was bravado. Kyle had no way of not seeing through it.

“I…”

Kyle asked.

“Was I… strong?”

Thinking about showing bravado again, Raniel ultimately smiled bitterly and leaned against the wall.

“If you were weak, would I have gone through this hell?”

She sighed and answered.

“You were strong. Damn strong. I almost died several times. To be honest, I think I actually died once.”

“…Really?”

“Does it even make sense to grow to that extent? I felt chills all over. I was definitely moving faster than you, but your eyes darted around, and you came chasing after me.”

Ugh, Raniel shivered.

“Even when I unleashed my ultimate spell, you wouldn’t fall. I could tear your arms off, and you’d still recover. I could crush your throat, and it would pull back together again. Even when I slashed your sword through the air, you ignored that and split the space…”

…You crushed my throat?

Kyle absentmindedly rubbed his neck.

For some reason, he felt a rough texture against his skin.

“At the end, you were reading the flow of mana and splitting my spells… Wow, now that I think about it, that makes no sense. How did I even win?”

Laughing as if it was absurd, Raniel shook her head. After laughing like that, she murmured as she looked at Kyle.

“You’re really something, aren’t you?”

“…Something?”

“You cut down the Demon Lord. I saw the slash you left there in the wilderness. How on earth did you do that?”

How he did it, well…

It was a long, long story.

“Well…”

A long and drawn out tale.

Instead of boasting about the path he had walked and all his efforts, Kyle simply said one thing.

“You just gotta do it, right?”

Like Raniel.

“Somehow, it just worked out.”

Mimicking her speech pattern, Kyle did his best to adopt an expression that seemed ‘not to care.’

“…It just worked out, huh?”

The effect was exceptional.

Raniel shot him a look that seemed incredibly bitter. She looked like someone who saw an annoying brat. Unable to hold back, Kyle burst into laughter.

“How does it feel to be on the receiving end? That’s what you always said.”

“What nonsense are you spouting? I never…”

Guilty within himself, Raniel hesitated to say ‘I didn’t’. Yet, as if she had to argue her point, she spoke in a soft voice.

“…I didn’t do it that often.”

“I’ve heard you say that over a hundred times.”

“…”

As Kyle thoroughly deftly cut off her retort, he exhaled sharply. Just do it. It works. While he lightly spoke her phrase, he realized that that wasn’t always the case for him.

‘Just do it, and you can do it.’

‘Why don’t you just do it?’

‘Get up. Get up.’

Those words had been a curse that bound Kyle at one point. It was only now, having overcome all that, that Kyle could laugh and say:

“It was definitely as you said.”

“…What was?”

“The words that say, if you do it, you can do it. It was really true to that saying.”

Kyle grinned.

“You actually cut down the Demon Lord.”

He said it with a laugh.

“You cut down the Demon Lord. I imitated that strike I saw in my dream. Honestly, won’t this be something to brag about for the rest of my life?”

“…What’s there to brag about?”

“Didn’t you know? I’ve always liked bragging. It’s just that a Hero bragging doesn’t sound cool, so I never did.”

But, Kyle added.

“Now I’m not a Hero anymore.”

The starlight was no longer felt.

Kyle still sensed starlight from his heart, but it wasn’t the starlight he could wield. All of it was being used to heal his body.

“So about that…”

“Yeah?”

“I’m asking, though it’s a little late…”

Kyle asked.

“What happens to me?”

“What do you mean what happens to you? You just live like a regular human.”

Raniel said calmly.

“Thank Sara. It’s thanks to the seeds she planted that you’re able to live.”

“…What happened to Sara?”

“For now, she’s in a coma. Once you fully recover, she should wake up. Even if her memories are a bit hazy, well… somehow, she’ll be okay, right?”

The thing sprouting in Kyle’s heart.

That was Sara’s soul and her wishes. When that fully sprouts, both Kardy and the Goddess of Ashes predicted something would change for Sara.

“So where is the starlight going? That starlight you gave to me…”

“I left just a handful and gave the rest to you. Who the hell asked for that? You’re always doing pointless stuff.”

Raniel said, clicking her tongue.

“But that doesn’t mean you’re becoming a Hero. That starlight is just fertilizer to help bloom the seed. It was offered as a price for creating a miracle.”

“…The price for a miracle, huh.”

Kyle smiled bitterly.

It was indeed a miracle.

It was surprising enough to return himself, who had become a disaster, back into a human, but now a path that was about to end was being newly formed. It was almost like being resurrected.

What triggered that miracle?

Thud, boom.

The seed residing in his heart.

If he listened closely to his racing heart… he could feel the seed sprouting inside. A seed growing by using starlight as fuel.

‘Healing, huh.’

The white light seeping from the seed was slowly healing Kyle’s body. It sustained his collapsing body. Gauging the speed of his recovery, Kyle muttered lightly.

“It’s going to take a while.”

“Seems like it.”

“I think I’m starting to get sleepy.”

“…That too.”

Raniel smiled sadly.

“When the seed starts rooting deeply, you’ll likely lose consciousness. You’ll fall into a deep slumber.”

“Is that so?”

“You’re not surprised?”

“Dying and coming back, what’s there to be surprised about?”

Kyle shrugged.

Raniel glared at him, then slowly, very slowly, opened her mouth.

“Hey, Kyle.”

“What?”

“Do you roughly understand the situation now? Do you have no more questions?”

“I have many questions I want to ask… but I get the gist of it.”

“Then listen.”

Raniel sighed.

“How about we finish discussing that thing you mentioned before?”

“…That?”

“Did you really forget? That thing you mentioned in the North. If you can’t remember, I’ll beat you until you do. Answer well.”

What she mentioned in the North.

Kyle exhaled sharply.

“Once I fully repay my debt.”

“When I can stand before you proudly.”

“Then, I will apologize to you.”

Recalling those words, Kyle smiled.

He wasn’t sure if he fully repaid his debts, but at the very least, he could stand before Raniel proudly. If that was the case, he could say it now.

“I’m sorry, Raniel.”

Kyle opened his mouth and said just that.

How much time did it take to say these words? How much effort was required?

“I’m truly sorry.”

Kyle said, and right after, he furrowed his brow at the pain he felt in his side. A ache like he had been hit with a fist. However, with Raniel’s left arm hanging limply and her right arm broken, what on earth did she use to hit him?

Her foot.

With her still functional foot, Raniel kept jabbing Kyle in the side while showing no consideration for the patient, putting some force into her pokes as she said.

“Seriously.”

Gritting her teeth, she continued.

“You should really feel a bit sorry for me, idiot.”

She looked quite angry.

“Am I wrong?”

“…I know.”

“What is it? If you know, then just say it.”

With his side continually being poked, Kyle groaned.

“Giving up without permission. Dragging you into this and then giving up first. Not fulfilling my duty as a Hero.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about, you idiot.”

“Back in the tent…”

“That’s bullshit… Really, I have a lot to say about that, but don’t mention it.”

“So then…”

Exchanging words as if putting together an answer, with Kyle being stabbed repeatedly, he finally spoke the answer after he felt like his side was about to break.

“Giving up the starlight without permission.”

“Yeah, that.”

Finally, Raniel stopped her kicking.

“Who asked for starlight? Who even asked for you to save me?”

“…It’s because I sacrificed half my life for you. I was just trying to repay that debt.”

“Why is that your fault? You were trying to escape from the Demon Lord, and if I hadn’t sacrificed my lifespan, I would have died back then anyway.”

“If I hadn’t been there, then…”

“If we keep pulling at those strings, we could go on forever.”

Raniel sighed again.

“You know my personality. If you left me alive like that, would I have lived normally?”

“…”

“You met me, didn’t you? The one from the future.”

“…I did.”

“If you met me, it should be clear how things turned out.”

Raniel is not free from sacrifice.

She lives with her obsessions.

If she resurrected from the ‘death of an old friend,’ that life would certainly not be normal.

“Then there’s also the disaster. You’ve been reckless from the beginning, just diving in without thinking, how many times do I have to tell you to fix that habit?”

“…I’m out of words.”

“Right. You should be out of words.”

Ugh, Raniel sighed.

“So do you feel sorry at all? Do you think you did something wrong?”

“…I do. I’m doing this because I feel it.”

“Just knowing is enough.”

She said with her head leaning against the wall.

“Don’t sacrifice yourself. Save your life. You’ve got a girlfriend, you idiot; don’t be irresponsible.”

Though she seemed to have much to say, she didn’t push him further.

“Let’s end the grudge here.”

In a softened tone, Raniel continued.

“Thank you. For saving me.”

“…”

“No matter the method, I’m alive because of you, so I’m thankful. Honestly, I was scared.”

“…Scared?”

“Hey, death was slowly approaching. Naturally, it was scary. Just think about it; you couldn’t even move properly, and you had to calculate your remaining time down to the second.”

“…That’s horrifying.”

“Horrifying, right?”

So, she’s thankful. For saving her.

Muttering like that, Raniel moved her lips. She needed to say more, but it was somehow difficult to say those words.

“…And.”

Still, it was something she had to say.

Gathering her resolve, Raniel opened her mouth.

“I’m sorry too.”

“…You? Do you have anything to be sorry for?”

“I do.”

As Kyle blinked, Raniel spoke.

“I pushed you too hard. I didn’t give you a moment to rest, just kept pushing you. I’m sorry about that.”

“That was a situation that had to happen.”

“Still.”

“Back then, I didn’t understand, but now I do. Someone had to do it.”

“I feel like I could’ve explained it differently.”

“How could you have thought that back then? You’re human too.”

Kyle smiled bitterly.

“Both of us lacked the leisure for that. We could only choose that method.”

Now Kyle understands.

“I get now why you had to do it. You were in that position as the Wise One.”

With paths that had once crossed and then twisted now looking at the same point, he could grasp it. And now he could finally say something.

“I’ve always admired that side of you.”

“…”

“I’ve always looked up to you, always striving for something higher, always proclaiming ideals, always being right.”

Thinking about it, that’s the matter.

“I felt that way since childhood. From the moment you dragged me away in the village, you stood before me. You were always ahead of me.”

It had always been that way, from the very start.

“So I admired you. I wanted to stand by your side. I wanted to be an equal human being.”

Perhaps that was it.

“When I was chosen by the stars and stood by your side, I felt like I had everything. When we embarked on our adventures together, it felt like I had achieved everything.”

So perhaps that’s why he was so happy that day.

“But that couldn’t last forever.”

Kyle smiled bitterly.

“There were responsibilities. There were duties. I gained the right to become a Hero, but my mind couldn’t keep up. I started so lightly. My only thought was that I wanted to catch up to you…”

So.

“The moment I thought I couldn’t catch up to you, I turned away from my duty.”

And thus it spiraled.

“I didn’t see you as an equal. I regarded you as a being like a god. Since I faced the Demon Lord, it had been that way. I could only find comfort in that belief. I had to justify it to endure.”

From the beginning, you were someone I couldn’t catch up to.

You weren’t a being like me.

I could only endure by thinking that way.

“Thus I rationalized and turned my gaze away from my responsibilities. I desperately wished you would feel disgusted by me, that you would let go of me, that you would leave me behind, and I did so many horrible things.”

Yet still.

“You never let go of me. You kept telling me to get up. What the hell…”

“I crossed that line because I saw you.”

Raniel cut off Kyle’s words.

She sighed and continued.

“You wouldn’t know, but I never had a dream to begin with. That’s why I reflected on you, who had dreams. Not being able to abandon you, I didn’t want to see you give up.”

Isn’t it quite a funny story?

Muttering like that, Raniel said.

“The essence you admired is this. I had no dreams, so I just kept walking ahead without thinking. A hollow human. That’s all I was.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah. But that’s not who I am now.”

Slowly, Raniel lifted her body.

Unlike Kyle, who sat leaning against the wall, Raniel, despite staggering, stood up straight in front of him.

“Do you remember what your dream was?”

“…To become a hero.”

“Exactly, a hero.”

Raniel smiled brightly.

“A flawless hero. A symbol of victory. And the symbol you desired was victory.”

Victory, the symbol of victory.

“I’m going to try and pursue that too.”

“…What?”

“You saved me without asking.”

So she said.

“I’m going to steal your dream without permission.”

“…What does that even mean?”

Leaving Kyle stunned with laughter, Raniel bent her knees. She placed her broken arm on Kyle’s shoulder and tapped on it lightly.

“Just rest.”

In an entirely different tone from the one she had used when she adorned the mask of the Wise One, it felt relaxed, like she was speaking to a friend. In a light voice, Raniel continued.

“Take a good rest. How can a person just keep running? Now that you’ve run so much, it’s time to rest.”

You’ve worked hard enough.

You’ve done enough, so it’s okay to rest.

Seeing Raniel speaking like that, Kyle couldn’t help but burst into laughter. It was inevitable.

This was the very thing Kyle wanted to hear.

But, caught in the circumstances, without the leisure, for countless reasons, Raniel couldn’t express those words, and Kyle could not hear them.

‘…That’s why, at this moment.’

Kyle laughed.

Laughing, he raised his head. This place was a phantom territory where sunlight shouldn’t shine. But perhaps the clouds had cleared with the shade. The sun was rising.

The sunlight seeped through the gaps in the crumbled ceiling. It reached down to the basement.

Raniel’s ashen hair glittered in the sunlight. Though she looked beaten and disheveled, to Kyle’s eyes, Raniel shone brighter than anything else. The hero he had dreamed of stood there.

“Just rest.”

The hero said.

“When you open your eyes, everything will be over. Let’s share a drink then.”

Not as a hero.

Not as Raniel van Trias.

Not as the Wise One, just Raniel said.

“When that time comes, you’ll be paying for the drinks. You’ve always made me pay.”

“When did you ever struggle to pay?”

“Anyways, you’re paying this time.”

Kyle chuckled.

“Sure, when that moment comes…”

He began to slowly lose the struggle against the approaching sleep.

As the seed sprouted, Kyle’s consciousness faded. Amidst the fading awareness, Kyle murmured.

“Let’s have a drink.”