Eberhart wore the disappointed expression of someone whose fun had been interrupted, and he spoke with an utter listless boredom.
“How boorish of you, Sighart. Can’t you see we’re in the middle of our entertainment?”
“This nightmare has gone on long enough! Your fun ends here and now! En garde!”
In stark contrast to Sig’s burning resolve, Eberhart picked up his longsword with a put-upon air—utterly casual, devoid of any tension whatsoever. Not bothering to wipe off the blood, he gestured to the entrance with his swordpoint.
“Off with these insolent traitors’ heads. Once we nail their bodies up in the square, the people will awaken from their foolish dreams of salvation.”
Eberhart’s assembled guards all roared with murderous rage. While their attention was briefly focused on Sig, Craig dragged me over to the wall, wrapping an arm around my middle to hold me close at his side. He dropped me to the ground a little roughly—I let out a small cry as the impact shot pain through my injured foot. Craig froze at the sound. Behind him, I could see one of Eberhart’s guards raising his sword.
“Craig!”
But my shout of warning was drowned out by the far higher angry yell of a girl. The Lion Princess—Natasha—leaped over, her long brown hair fluttering around her, and carried through her momentum to knock back the enemy’s sword and kick him in the stomach. Without even turning around, she tossed over her blue cloak. Craig caught it and unfalteringly sliced into it with his sword, cutting out a strip of cloth to wrap around my foot. That left his back to the fight; enemies came charging in at him, but Natasha fended them off.
“C-Craig... Don’t...worry about me—”
He cut me off angrily. “Be quiet. I’m not listening to anything you have to say anymore. You’ve taught me that trusting you only makes things worse.” He finished wrapping the bandage and tied it off tight. “There are countless things I want to say to you, and more still I need to say—and I’ve said none of them yet. I will not let you die.”
His lecturing voice and his intense stare were both overflowing with boiling rage; I could feel it on my skin.
But even though I’m the one you’re angry at, you’re still trying to protect me, huh...?
Yeah... After all this, I couldn’t tell him I wasn’t worth it. There was no way I could insult him like that.
“Hey, if you’re done giving him first aid, can you defend yourself now?! I need to get back to Sig!”
Craig raised his head at Natasha’s urgent voice. “Understood, my lady.” He turned to me. “Lord Heinreid. You are not to move from this spot.”
He stood in front of me, neatly stepping into Natasha’s place. A group of enemies rushed at him all at once, but he fended them off, cut them down, and forced them back.
The battle was an absolute free-for-all. I couldn’t join in the fight, so I just sat there and watched in a daze. The clamor and chaos only grew as time went on. But somehow, at odds with it all, I felt incredibly sleepy. Maybe it was because I couldn’t move. Maybe I’d lost too much blood. I had a feeling that if I closed my eyes, I’d never open them again.
Wait... That was what I wanted all along...wasn’t it? Then...maybe it’s fine if I go to sleep...
I started to relax, to give myself over to the drowsiness. But then, the wound that had just been carved into my heart gave a sharp twinge.
You wretched coward.
Just as I flashed back to that low, deep voice that had reverberated straight through my brain, the fierce clashing of swords fell silent. The victor had been decided—the hush spreading across the room like ripples through water was a testament to that.
The rebel’s sword was stabbed through the breast of the man who stood at the top of this kingdom.
Ah—
The instant I saw it, I felt my heart jolt out of my chest.
“Hmph.” Eberhart sighed. “A trite and boring ending indeed. I suppose this was simply the most I could do on my own...”
He gave a wet, hacking cough, adding more blood to the stains at his feet.
“Brother...” Sig said. “Here at the end, won’t you tell me why? Why did you end up like this? You were the one who taught me that a ruler’s place was alongside their people, preserving peace for all time. What changed you?”
“If I tell you why, and my reason satisfies you, do you mean to forgive me? How ridiculous... You truly are a fool, just like our father.”
Even all the way over here, I could hear that low chuckle in Eberhart’s throat, the same as always. He was facing Sig, so I couldn’t see his expression.
“I have nothing to say to you, Sighart. If you would kill me and become king...do not seek to understand me. Not if you wish to preserve this country from the hands of evil.”
Taking in those words of admonition, the rebel stared straight back at the tyrant.
“I tasted defeat and humiliation when you forced me to flee the kingdom. When I finally returned, I saw the people wounded and suffering, and my rage at those who’d plunged them into that hell grew all the more. And you’re the one at the root of it all. You don’t need to tell me twice—I don’t understand you, and I’ll never forgive you for what you’ve done.”
“Very good.”
As though declaring the conversation over, Eberhart gripped the blade of the sword skewering his own chest and yanked it out. Blood spewed and spattered from the open wound—plainly more than a person could survive losing.
“You there.”
His balance was shaky, but he still managed to stay standing. He turned his head in my direction and smiled at me. Those beautiful mismatched eyes shimmered with loneliness.
“If Heinreid yet lives...give him a message from me. Tell him...I’ll be wait...ing in...hell...”
Those were his final words. Eberhart crumpled to the floor. His silver hair trailed down after him, slowly dyed red by the blood pouring from his body. His beauty was still flawless, even in death, and I felt something squeeze tight in my chest. My villainous memories had been quiet for the past while, but now they were screaming inside me. The fierceness of their cries sent my old mind, my old emotions, clanking back into place.
No. No... How? Why? Are you leaving on your own? But... But we were accomplices, you and I. I would have been content all by myself—I would gladly have spent all my life alone. But you sank yourself down into evil to join me. You accepted me. You loved me. I was so happy, so joyful... I believed without a doubt that when the end came, we would meet it together—no, I dreamed of it. But now, you depart—only you... It’s not fair. This isn’t fair! Don’t... Don’t leave me!
“M...y...liege...”
I stretched out my hand to those silver strands lying in the pooling blood. But I was too far to reach.
I needed to get closer—I needed to be with him.
But as I started crawling across the floor, trying to make my way to Eberhart, something moved in front of me to block my vision—a man’s body. As I writhed like a worm, he grabbed me by the shoulders and shouted in my face.
“I told you not to move! You’ll worsen your wound!”
I stared up at him. “Craig...”
That loud voice stabbing at my eardrums suddenly brought me back to my senses.
Craig... It’s Craig.
I’d already fired him as my guard, but he’d still fought to protect me. He had wounds of his own, and he was covered in streaks of blood—he looked like hell. I owed him an apology.
No, not just for this. There are so many other things I need to apologize to you for.
“Lord Heinreid!”
But before I could produce the words, my vision gradually darkened, and I let consciousness slip from my grasp.