When Ein had returned to the castle, he heard that she’d gone with Krone and Katima to Ist. Right after the conclusion of her brutal bout with Edward, Chris had stepped back into battle before her wounds had been given the chance to heal.
“I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “I...couldn’t be by your side. I’m so sorry!”
Ein placed his other arm around her back and drew her close as he gazed down. Before putting his thoughts into words, the prince believed that he should’ve been the one to apologize.
“I’m the one who was weak,” he said. “I’ve made you endure many hardships. I’m sorry. Because of me, you’ve suffered so much pain.”
“N-No...” Chris wept. “It’s because I’m weak!”
She continued to cry as Ein gently rubbed her back, denying her self-defeating remarks.
“Hey, it’s only thanks to you that I was even able to return,” Ein said. “And for that, I truly thank you. I know I’m a little late, but I’m here.”
The elf wrapped her arms around his back and hugged so tightly that it almost hurt. To her, his warmth was real—anything but a dream. She couldn’t be happier to hear his voice again. For a while, she continued to sob and tears fell down her cheeks. After her eyes had grown all red and puffy, she finally managed to wipe her tears away and smiled.
“Welcome back, Sir Ein!”
✦ ✦ ✦
That evening, another person had awakened from a long coma of his own. But when Warren opened his eyes, no one was by his side. A dazzling kaleidoscope of light spilled into his room from a nearby window—a combination of moonlight and street lamps from the oddly cheerful castle district.
“Why am I in bed?” he muttered. “Ah, that man... He...”
He tried to sit up, but his body felt like a lump of lead. The chancellor realized that he’d awoken from a coma and was determined to confirm his situation as soon as he could.
“You’re finally awake,” a familiar voice said.
He was sitting on a sofa in the corner of the room. Warren had failed to notice his presence. The area around the sofa was dark, making it difficult to see the man’s face, but his tone was all too recognizable.
“I know of two loyal subjects,” the man said. He stood up from the sofa and approached Warren’s bed. “One is Marco. He’s an irreplaceable subordinate to me, and there’s no knight in history who’s more loyal than him.”
“Y-You know Sir Marco?” Warren stammered. “You must be...”
As the man approached, the moonlight shone onto his face. The visage of a valiant, handsome man came into view, his glossy, silver hair falling to his waist. Warren’s memories of the past had grown vague and fuzzy over time, but not once had he forgotten this man’s face.
“A-Are you Sir Ramza?” Warren asked. “Wh-Why are you here?”
Ramza didn’t reply and went on, “The second is you. You stayed by Jayle’s—my son’s side, and even after he passed, you continued to devote your life to Ishtarica. You’ve changed your name and face many times, continuing to kill your true self while remaining loyal to this nation. It may be a truth that is obscured and hidden in history, but you’re also a hero.”
“But... I-In any case, if you were to trace my origins, you’d find nothing laudable about it.”
Warren had been in love with Consort Laviola. It was why he remained in Ishtarica and continued to serve the nation.
“I don’t blame you for self-deprecating remarks, but the question lies in whether you held any sort of love for Jayle and Ishtarica,” Ramza replied.
“I...” Warren started.
“You don’t need to tell me. I already know. Had you felt no such love and endearment, you wouldn’t have traversed the continent with Jayle, much less served Ishtarica until now. That thought wouldn’t have crossed your mind.”
Ramza had a satisfied expression on his face as he chuckled and returned to the sofa. Beside him stood a quiet girl, and he grabbed her by the scruff of her neck before slinging her over his shoulders.
“L-Lord Arshay?!” Warren gasped.
“Yep, my idiot sister’s right here,” the Dullahan replied. “If you want any details, pry them out of the current king. You might think that even my existence here is a dream, but I can assure you that this is reality.”
“Ugh... Ramza, you know that I’m strong,” Arshay mumbled in her sleep, seemingly upset by how she was handled.
“Yeah? So what?” Ramza grinned. “Bit ironic to see Nightmare Arshay fast asleep at night, huh?”
She hung limply around his shoulders like a sleeping kitten. As she was, she looked nothing like a Demon Lord. In fact, it would’ve taken some time for anyone to believe that she had once been on a continent-destroying rampage. Warren stared at Ramza as he turned his back to leave.
“What in the world happened?” he wondered aloud.
His mind was filled with questions. Both Ramza and Arshay were alive?! Impossible! Who could blame the likes of even the wise old Warren for being so baffled by this news?