❁❁❁
WHEN they got home, they enveloped each other in a group hug. Half-crying, half-laughing, they congratulated each other on a job well done. Due to having to pull off so many complicated spells, Charles, August, and Leo were even more exhausted than Lille and Ark were.
August breathed a heavy, gruff sigh as he collapsed onto the sofa, and Lille hesitated to approach him. Before she and Ark had returned, she’d done something she was starting to regret. She hadn’t considered how important it might be to August until afterward.
“Um, Master August? There’s something I need to apologize for. My pendant…”
“Oh, don’t dwell on it. It was nothing expensive, so I’ll just find you another stone,” he replied detachedly.
“But…” She knew he was lying; that stone was extremely valuable.
“It often happens that students lose their stones. In those cases, we simply issue them a replacement, so there’s no need to feel guilty.”
“Thank you very much…” she said, feeling conflicted.
“It makes sense that you left them with something that’s precious to you. Otherwise, there would be little point leaving them anything at all. If anything, I’m happy that you deemed it a worthy article,” he said gently.
Lille looked at him with wide eyes. Only Ark should’ve known she’d met her past family. “You heard what happened, didn’t you?” Lille surmised.
“I saw there was a family chasing after you, so just in case, I decided to listen in and block everyone else from noticing with magic. Don’t fret; I shan’t tell Charles a thing. I’ll say thank you in his place, though, for coming back to this house for us.”
“Oh, no, I don’t need any thanks…” she said, waving her hands as if to bat his words away. She’d come back because she wanted to be there. That was all. Really, she was the one who ought to be grateful.
“Make sure you talk to Charles when you want to see them again,” August advised her with a nod.
“I will, thank you,” she replied, nodding in return.
As soon as she grew into a full-fledged adult and the political situation calmed down, she would visit. She would hold her head high, and of course, Charles would be with her.
✦ ✦ ✦
❁❁❁
THEY all came together to drink some tea in the living room, courtesy of Lille and Leo. Once they all had their cups, Charles cleared his throat as if preparing for an announcement.
“Thank you, everyone. You all worked really hard today,” Charles said earnestly, looking at each of them with a sincere expression of gratitude. “It’s amazing that we pulled it off so well. I really can’t thank you all enough.”
“I’d like to say my thanks as well,” Lille chimed in. “Thank you all for saving my homeland. Thank you so much.”
She felt like no matter how many times she said it, it would never be enough. If just one thing had gone wrong, they would have had a terrible war on their hands. And yet, in the face of that pressure, everyone had worked together without a moment’s hesitation.
“Did you expect anything less from Master Charlie’s familiar?” Ark puffed his chest out.
“I mean, I’m an apprentice too, so it’s only natural that I’d help you both,” Leo said, grinning.
“Moving forward, it has made things much easier for me as well. Now, we’ll be able to form an alliance with no hardships,” August commented, pleased. “If you really cannot thank me enough, then I suggest you give Charles plenty of work to do on my behalf. I would appreciate that.”
“I’ll do my best.” Lille grinned.
Everyone wore mellow smiles as they sipped at their tea. It felt like forever since they’d been able to take things easy.
“It’s finally over, isn’t it?” The words happened to spill from Lille’s lips.
“Yeah,” Charles replied, his kind eyes holding Lille’s. “I’m so glad you’re alive. Your hair might be short now, but it really suits you.”
“Th-Thank you,” she replied bashfully, putting a hand to her cold neck in embarrassment. She still wasn’t used to the feeling of having short hair. It fell to about the same level as her chin, and her head felt lighter.
Somehow, Charles’s gaze and tone of voice seemed even softer than usual. As Lille fidgeted shyly, Ark—who was in human form—came up from behind and slapped an arm around her shoulders.
“We gotta celebrate! I think this calls for a feast,” he hooted.
“And who’ll have to cook this feast, Ark?” Leo asked, glowering. However, August quickly stopped him with a pat to his shoulder.
“There’s no harm in dining out every now and then. It’ll be my treat,” he offered kindly.
Lille beamed. “Really, Master August?”
“Of course. Now, we must all get ready to go into town.”
Whoops echoed through the house as three of them returned to their rooms with a spring in their steps. Lille, on the other hand, reached out to gently tug on Charles’s sleeve.
“Master Charlie…”
“What’s wrong, Lille? We need to get changed. You must be cold in that dress,” he remarked, gesturing toward the white, floaty dress she wore. The fabric was certainly thin, so she’d layered a thick cloak over it. She hadn’t felt cold when she was riding Ark through the sky, but that was probably just the adrenaline.
“Oh, no, I’m fine. Before we get ready to leave, I wanted to ask if you could do something with me…” she said uncertainly.
“All right, then. Shall we go to my room?” he offered, guiding her to his room. “You put so much work into helping me—it’s only natural for me to do something for you, too.”
Charles’s room wasn’t locked anymore. They walked straight inside, and the door shut behind them with a click.
“So, what would you like me to do?” Charles asked with a smile.
It was something Lille had determined she wanted before they’d even carried out the plan. They’d successfully put an end to a terrible future, but there was still one thing weighing on her mind.
“Master Charlie…let’s destroy the pocket watch.”
“What…?” He blinked, eyes wide. For a few moments he was rendered speechless. “I… I can’t do that. If we destroy it, I won’t be able to fix things anymore. What if another war breaks out? What if someone’s in danger?”
“Master Charlie,” she said firmly, grabbing Charles’s hand and squeezing it. He looked extremely nervous, biting at his bottom lip until it turned white. It was true that he never wanted to use the watch again, but that didn’t detract from his fear of letting it go.
“The world, as well as the people in it, is not so weak as to need your constant protection. Even if something does go wrong, everyone has the power to rebuild their lives. People are strong enough to start again,” Lille assured him, keeping a tight hold on his hand.
“Lille…”
“You don’t need to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders anymore. Instead, you can choose your own path. If something bad happens in our tale, we don’t have to start writing all over again—we should keep on going. I mean, both of us have the power to help people, don’t we?” she added.
Besides, Lille had an inkling that at that point the world would want to give Charles a little peace as thanks for all he’d done. She wanted him to concentrate on his own path in life, rather than dealing with everyone’s problems but his own.
“You think I should live for myself rather than for other people…?” he summarized, looking unsure. “To be honest, I’m not sure I can. It’s been so long since I’ve lived that way, I don’t even remember how to.”
“I’ll help you, then. I’ll make sure you’re so busy doing all the things you’ve ever wanted to do, you’ll forget the watch ever even existed,” Lille promised.
When she thought about it, she rarely ever saw Charles take some time for himself. Whenever he was free, he was either planning lessons or creating new magic items. Even the books he read were either textbooks or grimoires.
They could start small. Perhaps there was somewhere he wanted to visit, or a particular book he wanted to read. So long as he found something that he enjoyed for his sake and his sake alone, they could work up to bigger things based on that.
“Well…all right, then. If… If I have you here with me, I feel like I could learn to live like that,” he said, smiling. He closed his eyes, immersed in his thoughts for a few moments, then opened them again with a certain resolve. “Let’s destroy it. I don’t need it anymore.”
He placed the pocket watch on his desk. Lille drew out the same knife she’d used to cut her hair and passed it to him.
“Together,” she said, cradling his trembling hands in her own over the hilt of the knife. “Okay?”
“…Yeah. I’m ready. Let’s do it.”
When Lille nodded in reply, Charles drew in a deep breath.
“Here goes. One…two…three…!”
They brought the blade down on the watch at full force. With a high-pitched clash, parts and pieces went flying. Scraps of metal and glass littered the surface of the desk like tiny stars, and the clock face was cracked down the middle. The second hand stopped ticking, too. Thus, Charles’s companion through time was finally laid to rest.
“Now, it…it really is over, huh?” Charles whispered, stumbling over his words as he struggled to catch his breath. He wheezed as though he’d just finished running a marathon.
“I don’t think so, Master Charlie,” Lille disagreed with a hum. At first, she thought destroying the watch would mark the end, too. However, apart from the sense of relief she’d always expected, another, new emotion bloomed in her chest.
“This is the beginning.”