Entsy III-1

At night, Noel in his nightclothes had silently appeared in front of him.

"Are you not going to eat? The others have already finished."

"I'm not hungry. Just leave it."

"No. You have to eat. Especially now."

"One meal won't hurt you."

"No. You were told to keep living."

"That... that was words I said to William."

"You said the same thing to me... Are you feeling down?"

Peering in at me as usual, his collar loosely hanging.

Why is he so calm, just like always?

His usual casual tone, yet his emotions are unusually heightened.

"Noel should understand! You were sad when the captain died, weren't you? Even knowing it was your fault, you couldn't do anything about it—don't you feel regret?!"

I can't even control myself.

I instinctively latched onto Noel's shoulder.

"There's no doubt you regret it. It's unbearable, you want to cry out in frustration. But there's nothing you can do about it."

"Then what the hell should I do?"

Letting go of Noel, I sank weakly onto the bed.

Noel, in turn, placed a hand on my shoulder.

Having slumped forward and lost all my strength, I was easily pushed over by Noel.

Noel, now mounted on top of me, looked down at me.

"What are you talking about? It's simple enough. You helped out when the captain died and you were all shaken up, didn't you?"

Back then, all Noel did was get drunk, act out wildly, and then pass out.

"Noel, do you even understand what you're saying? Are you drunk again?"

"I'm not drunk. I understand perfectly. I really get how Taro feels, and I don't want him to keep looking like that forever."

"Why...?"

"Do you really need me to say it out loud? It's because I like you..."

After that, my memory is hazy.

A jumble of shock, joy, and a sense of 'what the hell, let it happen'—all tangled together, suddenly flooding out and then fading away.

The next morning, I woke up early and clutched my head in my hands.

What the hell am I doing? I haven’t done anything but make things worse.

As I sat clutching my head, Noel woke up.

Her face immediately turned red, and she dashed toward the door.

“P-please forget about yesterday, or you don’t have to forget, but, uh, it’s not urgent, so we can wait until everything’s finished.”

Without even waiting for my reply, she rushed out.

By morning, everyone had gathered.

Nothing unusual happened, and the magic four-wheeler started moving.

Today, unlike Coil, I was the one driving.

"Hey, darling. You look surprisingly refreshed compared to these past few days."

Coil teased, as if sensing something.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I was just saying you seem in a good mood. I didn't ask what happened."

That's right—this guy was still an information broker, even in his current state.

He was a tough opponent for someone like me, who wasn't good at games of strategy.

"Well, I don't need to know what happened. As long as you're moving forward with determination, there's no problem."

"I'm sorry. I've worried you."

"It's fine. So, what's next?"

"For now, I'm heading to Entsi. I'll report the full situation to the guildmaster there—he's someone who understands things."

"Got it. If we keep going this way, we'll reach the city by tonight. After Entsi, the Empire?"

"That's the plan. I'll see everyone safely to their destination. Then... I'll make my move in this battle."

"Are you sure? You might end up troubled again."

"Still, this battle must be brought to an end. That one—Noiman—must not be allowed to continue."

Someone had been listening to our conversation from behind.

"I would like to accompany you in that battle."

Alek.

"Next time, don't get so excited you can't stop fighting, okay?"

"I don't know for sure... but I'm just like you. There's someone I absolutely must confront. Until then, I can't die."

"I see. Then it seems you'll be all right."

As they spoke, the distant sight of Enshi's cityscape came into view.

Though still far away, they halted the magical quadruped carriage.

"William. We can't get any closer with the magical carriage. From here on, it's magic and walking....What do you say, shall we go into the city?"

After a brief hesitation, William looked up and answered firmly.

"We're going. I don't know when we'll be back, but I think we'll be apart for a while, so I want to remember this clearly."

Taking William's words to heart, the two began moving through the air above the city.

Even though it was daytime, no one was walking the streets.

The extent of the devastation was evident.

William's expression grew complicated as he took in the state of the city. The two siblings seemed equally burdened by responsibility.

"Land in the alleyway."

Following my words, the two of them landed in the alleyway.

Upon arriving at the guild, the guildmaster immediately greeted us.

"Third time meeting, Master Taro."

"Yes, I thought I'd never see you again..."

"Same here. And with that, I'll wrap up this tale. From the look of things, we don't have much time left."

"Good, you're getting straight to the point. I'll keep it brief..."

I recounted what had happened at the royal palace and informed him of Simon's death.

"So... that's how it was. I'm glad you at least got to hear his final words."

"Um... I'd like to build a grave here. Could you please accept this?"

William said this, then took out a small container.