Chapter 166

When I heard Ginny’s anxious voice, I forced myself to set my own feelings aside. Her anxiety had to be much greater than mine. To encourage Ginny, I needed to act as confidently as possible. “Lady Verda won’t go down from something this minor. She herself said as much, right? All we can do is to trust those words and keep going.” I smiled gently to show that the current situation wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. And then… “Let’s keep going, Miss Ginny.” “…All right.” …we stood side by side as we continued. Just how long had it been since that moment? The two of us marched onward toward the next rift in the west. Even when the battlefield was behind us, the land seemed to continue forever. At times, we crossed mountains of needles. At times, we crossed a blazingly hot wasteland. At times, we walked through torrential downpours. We walked ceaselessly until we finally arrived at the middle of a snowy plain buffeted by a blizzard. Blinding white winds tore through the air, and frigid cold sapped our bodies of heat… I had nothing to base the feeling on, but this felt like our final destination. He was nearby. Alvarto was waiting. But… “Ard. It seems. I can’t. Go any. Farther.” …it was here that Ginny gently sank to her knees and then collapsed into the snow. I lifted her slender form and peered into her face. She had long since exceeded her limits. Her eyes were sunken and her cheeks gaunt. Heavy breaths escaped her mouth. It was remarkable that an ordinary human born in this modern age had gotten this far. Her strength of will was worthy of praise. “Miss Ginny. Please leave the rest to me.” When she heard my words, tears formed in the corners of her eyes. “I don’t want to stay weak…or remain a burden… That’s my wish, but…it seems some things can’t be helped…” Her voice was filled with strong frustration and regret. She must have wanted to reclaim what she had lost with her own hands. Ireena, her best friend. Her daily life and the story that she shared with her classmates. Those were the most important things to Ginny, and they were precious beyond all measure. Thus, she seemingly refused to entrust everything to another, even someone like me, who she had great faith in. Ginny declined to say, “I’ll leave it to you.” “You might think it foolish, but…I have my pride as a woman…” She wanted to see that through to the end. I felt Ginny’s emotions from her dim gaze. “Oh…I only wish… But…Ard…” There was no need for me to hear the rest of her statement. I understood the intent. All that remained was for me to see it through. “Please, wait here and rest. Wait for all of us to return.” Without a word, Ginny slumped her head backward. I took the necessary measures to ensure her safety. Then I continued onward alone toward the opponent who waited for me. “…Cold. It’s so very cold.” My breath came out as white fog in the freezing air. I let my mind wander as I trudged forward. The first thing that came to my mind…was Ginny’s expression. It had all but implored me to defeat the hated enemy. To her, that’s what Alvarto was. He was the wicked monster who had destroyed her life and the lives of her friends. That was all he was. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to hate him. How could I? I was one of the causes that had led him to these actions. “It’s so thoroughly cold. Not a shred of warmth. I see. So this is how you truly feel.” This frigid world of white was probably a reflection of Alvarto. He had lost his companions one by one until nothing remained. Ultimately, his heart had become a frozen wasteland, and he was forced to suffer an existence in that state. I could easily imagine how agonizing that must have been. I had fled from facing Alvarto’s reality. The promise I had made to him. The promise I had made to Luminas. I had been caught between the conflicting promises and had been torn… In the end, I’d given up on finding an answer and had run. “I, too, am a self-centered fool. I truly regret everything, from the bottom of my heart.” At first, I was only angry over this entire situation. That was selfish, however—wholly irrational and unfair. I had no right to despise him. Thus, what I was about to do wasn’t vengeance. It was merely tying up a loose end that I’d neglected. To bring an end to the heart of a comrade I had once abandoned. Which was why now… “Sorry to keep you waiting, Alvarto Egzex.” …in the middle of this snow-swept plain, I faced my fate.