“Yes... Thank you...”
Resting on Fram’s lap pillow, Yuri repeated a rhythm of deep breaths.
The sight had Athena’s discolored body shaking. “I feel incredible Big Sis Power coming from Fram...!”
“The peanut gallery sure is noisy today.”
“Alright, that’s a wrap! Duel over! Let me hold and pet Yuri too!”
“No one can interfere with a duel. We’ll be alone for a while. Now either stay on my lap, or end the duel and let Athena hold you. I’ll leave the choice to you, Yuri.”
“When I’m in this state, please don’t present two options that will definitely have repercussions...!”
“Right. Maybe that was a little mean.” Fram broke into a giggle, “In exchange, you have to end our duel with surrender.”
“...Fram, could it be you’re not too good with blood?”
“That’s not true at all.”
“But in the duel I saw last time, you fought in a way to pressure your opponent into surrender.”
“If they surrender, I don’t have to needlessly tire myself out.”
“But when I was training with Athena, you covered your eyes quite frequently.”
“...I’m not fond of overly perceptive children.” Fram flicked him on the forehead, a sullen look on her face.
With a bitter smile, Yuri ambivalently nodded. “Very well. Then—I give up.”
The simple declaration shifted the sepia-toned scenery back to its original array of vibrant hues. As the Field was dispelled, Athena rushed in with her tail swinging to and fro.
“What’s this, what’s this? You want your Big Sis to hold you!?”
“Unfortunately, I’ve taken your little brother.”
“My little sister made off with my little brother!?”
“Pardon me...I have a headache, so if you could please quiet down...”
“You heard him, now off with the noisy Big Sis.”
“Never! I’m going to hold Yuri, you hear!!”
Half in tears, Athena jumped at the two of them. As he watched the boisterous girls, Yuri inadvertently laughed aloud.
“Haha. How should I put it... It’s kinda fun, doing things with the three of us.”
“Yuri found enjoyment in something normal...!?”
“I was sure he was a masochist who only delighted when being tormented.”
“Why, I never!” he snapped back jokingly, finding joy in even something that small. “Up to now, my training was always done alone. There’s no point even if a mix-blood does his best. All sorts of people, even my master would tell me that.”
Yuri’s master Reilly taught him all manner of techniques. But the words from her mouth were never encouraging. Having fought as a mix-blood duelist and fallen into a deep despair as one, Reilly understood Yuri’s path better than anyone.
By purposely refuting him, she had tempered his heart for what was to come. She had reared an indomitable spirit that would not fold to any vilification.
Despite this constant discouragement, Yuri chose to be a duelist. He had made the trek longing for the fun days that awaited him.
“Ever since I came to the city, and met you two...every day has been a blast!” Yuri said, his voice full of spirit, an innocent laugh on his face. As if infected by his energy, the two of them returned the same smile.
“Yeah, yeah! While we’re at it, how about we all join the Babel Roulette on the same team!” Athena proclaimed to the world.
“But if you want to win, wouldn’t someone else be—”
“It’s a festival, so rather than winning, it’s more important to enjoy it. That’s what this city was built for.” Fram had no objections.
Despite knowing he was a mix-blood, the two of them held out their hands to him as friends. As Yuri slowly reached out to take them—
“What are you doing here?”
His hand was intercepted part-way by a sharp call. The three of them reflexively turned to see a figure walking boldly from the direction of the voice. Elias’s face became bitter as he slowly approached.
“Just when I was wondering why you weren’t showing up at the shop... To think you really were helping the boy out.” Disappointment and sorrow mingled with each word.
The moment she saw him, Athena jumped out to cover Yuri.
“What’s wrong with us helping Yuri!?”
“Athena’s right. We’re free to do whatever we want.”
Even with Fram’s support, Elias’s expression didn’t change. He gazed straight at Yuri behind them.
“Boy...leave the Duel City this instant,” Elias forced out in a thin voice. No longer was it only a vague negative emotion, now rage swirled in the air around him. “You don’t understand...to continue as a mix-blood will bring misfortune, not only to yourself, but to everyone around you.”
“Eli! You’re going too—”
“You shut up!!”
Athena cowered under her brother’s angry yell, and even Fram inadvertently froze in place. Not lending an eye to either of them, Elias walked right up to Yuri.
“None of you understand.”
In his anger, his pitch-black emotions oozed for all to see. “What you’re trying to do...is the same as what we once did ourselves. All for Reilly, our members all helped one another, discussed technique and strategy, supported her so she could carry on as a duelist.”
The members of their team all supported Reilly, stacking up victories by implementing the tactics Reilly proposed. But Reilly herself could only stand and watch.
“While Reilly continued to lose, the rest of the team gradually came out victorious...and none of us ever noticed just how much agony she shouldered because of it.”
It was her own team and yet Reilly Malbork could only remain outside of it. Elias and the others never noticed up to the very end. And after the Babel Roulette, Reilly died as a duelist.
“Yuri Eniastar...do you know the last moments of Reilly the duelist?”
He clenched his large sword, grinding his back teeth with pain and regret.
“Despairing at the reality of being a mix-blood, despairing at her own weakness...at the end, she came to me and pleaded.”
At the very end, Reilly wished for death.
“I, with these very hands—killed Reilly Malbork.”
Death did not truly exist in a duel. However...the death of a duelist was very clear. After repeated defeat and losing every last point of rate, the life of a duelist was over.
And Elias had killed his dear friend with his own hand.
“The very last time we fought...she didn’t even reach my ankles. Her strength was nothing to me.”
The friend he had admired, and dreamed of chasing forever. And yet, it was Elias himself who said her last prayer.
“No matter how much effort you put in...the conclusion that awaits you won’t change. Eventually, the losses will stack up, the walls will close in, and in the end, you will tread the same path as your master.”
“—You’re wrong! The reason my master wanted to—”
“Silence. You don’t understand, you never could.”
Cutting Yuri off, Elias turned to Fram and Athena. “Do the two of you have the resolve? To help the boy on a momentary whim, to get closer to him as comrades in arms, only to do the worst thing possible to him at his darkest moment?”
Athena and Fram looked down in silence.
“Boy...do you intend to beg those who supported you to put you out of your misery?”
Elias’s solemn tone seemed to probe into Yuri’s resolve. Yuri replied resolutely.
“I don’t intend to lose to anyone. Not even myself. No matter who tells me it’s impossible, I will not give up on being a duelist.”
The moment he heard these words, Elias grit his teeth and clenched his fist.
“Once upon a time...Reilly said those very same words.” He let off a murderous air, as his hand went to his sword. “And even so—she chose death in the end!!”