Chapter 25

What Will You Do at the End? -grand guignol- Now, this is a little sudden, but Ithea Myse Valgulious was a shady girl. Her “na-ha-ha” laugh always sounded forced, and she never showed how she really felt. Even when her companions were hurt, even when they perished, she never removed the mask of that vague smile. That was why there was a misunderstanding among the younger girls who didn’t know her very well that she was heartless. They thought that since she always kept that smile on her face, no matter what happened to whom, she must not have any interest in anyone but herself. And the girl in question was doing research in the reading room. She would pull a large book from the shelf and spread it open on the table, turn the pages, cradle her head in her hands, and mutter, “This isn’t it, either…” then return the book to the shelf. “I knew this already, but there’s only so much I can find here…” “Are you looking for something you can’t find here?” Rhantolk called out to her from behind, and Ithea made a silly-sounding “Nyuh!!” as she jumped in the air. “Books on theology, is it? That doesn’t suit you at all.” “Wh-wh-what is it, Rhan? That’s cheap, coming at me from behind like that!” “How am I supposed to approach someone who’s practically lying facedown on the table from the front? …It seems you’re doing quite a bit of research.” “Oh, well, y’know, ha-ha. I’m also just wasting time on a real grand scale, see.” She placed her hand on the back of her head and gave Rhantolk an unnatural smile. “…The room next to yours, Ithea, is mine, by the way.” “Huh? Sure, okay.” “I admire your will to be strong and not cry in front of others, no matter the cost. But when you do cry in your room, I would prefer you didn’t overdo it. The walls here are very thin, so I can hear everything.” “Are you serious?!” It was the first time in a long while that she’d seen Ithea genuinely flustered. “Er, then… Okay, I’ll be more careful in the future, so couldja just pretend you never heard me…?” “You didn’t have to ask me twice. I won’t let that strong belly cackle of yours go to waste.” Chtholly and Nephren. It had been a little over two weeks since they’d lost their two companions—their two friends. Everyone understood it was about time for them to start putting their emotions back in order. They knew that, but it wasn’t going very well. By the way, a man named Willem Kmetsch was here not too long ago. Rhantolk could spot traces of this man as she walked around the faerie warehouse, even if she didn’t want to. A hanger for a man’s military uniform. A razor for a beard. A large spoon. A big bottle of spices. Several provisions had been added to the bath-time rules. TODAY’S DESSERT had been added to the bottom of the dining hall menu that had previously been bare, but two lines had now been struck through it. “…This is not funny.” The faerie warehouse was their house, the place they belonged, their home in all but name. And yet, in just the two months they were away, a place so close to their hearts had been overwritten by a stranger. Why did she have to feel uncomfortable and estranged in the one place in the world that was supposed to be filled with good memories, that was supposed to let them relax? She couldn’t agree with this. Once again, she recognized the man as an enemy. “You saw him and talked to him, didn’tcha?” said Ithea. “You saw the officer. You could tell what kinda person he was, right? Lemme just say, he was terrible at hiding stuff and most of all, he was a simple idiot. You noticed that, right?” “Unfortunately, I only ever saw the capable, very active, and devoted sides of him.” Rhantolk shook her head. “I cannot pass judgment on the basis of such biased information. My conclusions will be warped.” “…You’re a pain. I knew that already, though.” Be quiet. “Glick said all the good ones die first,” spoke Nopht after resting her hands that had been crafting a melody on the old piano. She was without her sword now, since Chtholly took Desperatio with her, so for the moment, she was a weaponless faerie. That wasn’t exactly the cause of it, but she hadn’t cut her hair for a while now. Her very short hair had grown just a bit in these two weeks. “That’s why I’m pretty sure that emnetwiht was a good guy.” “That logic is very faulty, but it does sound convincing. The only dug weapon–compatible ones left safe here are, of all people, Ithea and myself.” “Hey, c’mon, you have to add Tiat to that list.” “…Oh, right.” To be quite honest, her only impression of Tiat was that of a tiny little faerie who was constantly trying to follow in Chtholly’s footsteps. She hadn’t even imagined that such a small girl would be standing alongside them to fight. But that’s how things were. Time was always flowing, and things were always changing. And the people who stood still would always be left behind—or perhaps be pushed along by the flow. “And this isn’t the end for me. My life was saved. You think I’m gonna put that to waste? I’m gonna give my all to put my life to good use.” Nopht began playing the next song. It was a bright piece with a quick tempo. She either chose the song to reflect how she felt, or it was out of consideration for Rhantolk. “It does seem quite fun to give up on the past and live looking forward,” Rhantolk muttered as she lay her head down on the desk and basked her heart in the comforting melody. It was in an endless gray wasteland. There, Willem opened his eyes. “…Rgh…” He closed his eyes straightaway. All his senses were off. His sight wasn’t functioning as it should. The same went for his hearing and touch and everything else. It was almost like his physical body had been transformed into an entirely different creature. His senses and consciousness weren’t meshing together correctly. Everything felt so wrong, he even felt like he was going to throw up. …Wait, it wasn’t an almost like situation. He had been changed. Something like a flame was burning deep inside his consciousness. It was anger, hatred, an enigmatic urge to kill the green earth and all the moving and living people and everything else like it. Ohhh, so all the Beasts harbor this inside them. I get it now. Of course the world would be destroyed. Because I want to destroy things so badly. He couldn’t stand the thought that there were still living people out there, that there were still things not yet broken. They were all stains that clung to their gray mother earth. They were things that should not exist, things that needed to be erased. Surely, this was an impulse engraved deeply into this very body of his. The only way he could escape it was to lock himself inside a dream. Slowly, he opened his eyes. He stood. Beneath the twinkling stars in the night sky, a beautiful gray desert lay before him. He was home. That joy—that comfort—spread within his heart. It was in the dark of night. There, a lone Beast gave its first cries in the center of a gray expanse.