And that afternoon.
Just beyond the forest where Ermes and the others had been hiding, to the north — a small, open plain, utterly deserted.
"Hah — how gracious of you to come out on your own."
A group of soldiers stood facing Ermes and Katia. At their head, Aster's voice rang out bold and clear.
"So you've finally realized it — that you can never escape from me!"
As always, brimming with confidence — never once doubting that he was the center of the world.
Aster spread his arms wide and continued to speak in a beautiful voice, as though making sure all the world could hear.
...Well, everything he was saying was completely off the mark, though.
They could have escaped whenever they wanted. After the incident in the village, Ermes had suspected that some sort of tracking magic had been placed on Katia. He observed her, quickly discovered the spell emitting a special Magic Power Trace,
Disenchantment
had already been completed.
All they had to do now was give them the slip, and there'd be no way he could track them again. They had several trump cards up their sleeves, and in the absolute worst case, the Forbidden Move known as
Seamless Great Eagle
would let them take to the skies and fly away — even surrounded, it wouldn't matter in the slightest.
And yet here they stood, because after what had happened in the village, they had no way of knowing what Aster might do next if left unchecked.
...More than anything, they had come to the realization that running away was no longer enough — it was time to settle this head-on.
"Now then, let me show you! The fate of fools who selfishly disrupted the kingdom and refused to even acknowledge their crimes!!"
Aster spread his arms wide and began to chant his spell.
In response, Ermes raised his own magic power — but just then,
Katia stepped forward as if to cut through the standoff.
"…Lady Katia?"
"El. Would you grant me one selfish request?"
He blinked, caught off guard.
He had heard those very words just the other day. And that was precisely why he could predict what would come next.
Sure enough, she spoke exactly as he expected.
"Let me handle him on my own."
Her words struck every listener with shock.
Aster most of all. After the initial surprise, his face twisted with rage and humiliation—but only for a moment.
"Hah—ahahahahahahaha!"
He burst into laughter, his expression dripping with derision, as if to smother her declaration entirely.
"Interesting! So relying on nothing but power gained through some back-alley trick, with just enough strength to take down the likes of Chris—you've gotten rather full of yourself! Very well, I'll play along! Crushing that arrogance of yours along with you is my duty, after all!"
Ermes muttered inwardly that calling it "duty" was just a convenient excuse—he simply wanted to do it himself.
"You heard them, boys! I'm going to crush Katia one-on-one, and none of you are to interfere. In the meantime, keep that Ermes fellow from causing any trouble—pin him down!"
"…Well now."
At the order, the soldiers turned their hostility toward him.
Accepting their animosity, Ermes glanced at Katia beside him and asked.
"You're really going to be all right?"
"I'm doing this. …The power you gave me isn't something sinister. I want to prove that—on my own."
…When she put it that way, he had no choice but to agree.
Then, I should focus on the soldiers. If Katia has already made her decision, I have no intention of getting in her way — but if they come charging at us, I'll have no choice but to fight.
So, one last thing.
"One correction. — You didn't receive it from me. It's your own power. Have confidence in that."
"!"
With those parting words, Ermes turned and sprinted away from Katia.
"…That's playing dirty, honestly."
Katia murmured softly.
Parting words.
He always knew exactly the words she needed to hear. Sometimes, they were things she hadn't even realized she wanted.
She had always wanted to be acknowledged.
That everything she had pushed through up to now was remarkable. That she had every right to be proud.
That the path she had walked until now was one she could keep walking. That what lay beyond her beliefs truly did exist.
So she would hesitate no more.
She would choose what she believed in. Perhaps it was just as selfish a validation as Aster's.
But she had thought it through. She had wavered, agonized, and deliberated — and the confidence she arrived at was one she had chosen for herself.
With that foundation, she would move forward.
As long as he was there beside her, she wouldn't mind even hell itself.
"Well then, Katia — are you ready?"
Aster addressed her with the same haughty, overbearing attitude as always.
Just like him. This man harbored no doubts, no hesitation — without a single thought to spare, he held onto his confidence unconditionally.
She had once believed that was what it meant to be strong. She had thought it was terrifying, too.
But now... she didn't think that way, not even for a shred of a moment.
"— Yes. I'm ready."
And so she answers.
Royalty, superiors — she casts all of that aside. Bare and exposed, just as she is.
"I'm ready to defeat you, Aster Josef von Yustia."
This man was unquestionably the one at the very heart of this nation. If she defeated him, the country would be thrown into even greater chaos than before.
— So what.
If that was the case, then she would rebuild it herself.
First, she would apologize with everything she had to every person she had dragged into this until now. And beyond that, she would promise to lead them toward a future better than before.
She believed that was what this country truly needed.
Her declaration — stripped of every last trace of deference.
Aster twisted his expression in displeasure, raising his magic power with loathing and fury as he began the Chant.
"[Radiant Judgment Heaven — Final Star Judgment — my flame wheels carve the boundary between right and wrong—
Boundary—
with seven lights upon the heavenly sphere—
Judge—
them]!"
"[Proclaim peace upon the eve of annihilation — no dawn shall ever come again
The age of salvation...
Present
Behind the curtain"
Together with her, as well.
Now is the time to show it — what he had taught her this morning. The true value of her magic.
And with that, she would surpass the greatest mage of this era.
With resolve, she opened her mouth to proclaim her magic.
Meanwhile, Ermes—
"First, let me ask one thing."
He posed the question.
Not to the soldiers surrounding him, brimming with hostility.
"Lady Sarah. Will you fight?"
He was addressing the blue-eyed girl staring at him from behind them.
"What nonsense are you spouting! Someone like you — we can handle this ourselves!"
"There's no need to trouble Lady Sarah! Besides, she's a kind person — it would be sickening to let a demon like you lay a finger on her!"
"I was caught off guard before, but it won't happen again! Today, I'll strip away that disguise—"
"—I wasn't asking you."
Her words, imbued with unfathomable pressure, silenced the soldiers who had inexplicably begun to protest.
And in the silence that followed, Sarah, though tinged with a hint of fear, steeled her resolve.
"Yes. I will fight."
"...May I ask why?"
Though I'd more or less predicted it from her expression, a surprise is still a surprise.
After all, it was obvious she had doubts about Aster's policy. Otherwise, she never would have taken the action of evacuating the villagers Aster had decided to burn in advance—an act that, if discovered, would certainly erode trust.
She also had no intention of actively opposing Ermes or Katia. So when asked "then why," she answered:
"Ermes. You told me once before, didn't you? That if I chose to stand against you, we should fight fair and square. That magic exists for that purpose."
"Yes."
"I'm… still wavering. I can't bring myself to clearly leave Aster's side, nor can I steel myself to defeat you at all costs. I'm sorry… but that's why—"
She raised her face, wearing the most serious expression I'd ever seen from her, and declared:
"I want to see it for myself. What your magic, which you speak of with such conviction, truly looks like. …I want to see what kind of feelings drive you when you wield magic—the magic that changed Katia. That's why—would you grant me a spar?"
"I see."
She had no clear resolve of her own. But she wanted to fight to find out what that resolve looked like.
Even so, Ermes felt that was a perfectly noble desire in its own right.
"Then as I said—fair and square. …Be prepared."
"Y-Yes!"
And she steeled herself anew. She couldn't afford to let her guard down here.
He had seen her magic before. None of it seemed geared toward combat, and the direct threat level appeared low.
But if his guess was correct, then in this situation, under these conditions—
She might very well be the most troublesome opponent for him in this place.
Thinking that, Ermes stared her down head-on and made his declaration.
Sarah answered with a touch of tension, yet with a voice that somehow tinged with a hint of happiness. At the same time, the soldiers watching her suddenly bristled with killing intent.
As if in response, Ermes began his Chant and charged forward.
Thus, the stage was set with Katia facing Aster, and Ermes facing Sarah.
The fateful decisive battle, or perhaps the fight that would determine the future of this nation, had begun.