“Once again, allow me to apologize for this discourtesy.”
“O-Oh, no, don’t worry about it! I said all sorts of rude things before the duel as well.”
He shook his head from side to side before hurriedly turning back to Elias.
“Also...there’s something I have to tell you about my master.”
“...About Reilly?”
“Yes. My master did not desire death as a duelist out of despair.”
The Reilly Malbork Yuri knew had not left the city stained in disappointment and despair. She had chosen to step back from active duty to raise a disciple. But there was a different reason Reilly sought out death.
“My master often spoke of you, Mr. Elias. ‘He’s always got this grumpy look on his face, but truth be told, he’s a delicate guy who always looks out for me,’ she said.”
A friend who had studied and fought alongside him. Precisely because she understood him better than anyone, Reilly knew that her leaving the duel city would weigh heavily on Elias’s mind.
That was why Reilly chose death and left without a word.
“‘I want him to just forget about me and start thinking about himself,’ is what she said.”
Elias included, her teammates had done so much to support her. She knew all too well that she had become a burden to them. For this reason, Reilly had to choose death. Indeed, if she was no longer a duelist, she would become a loser—a worthless existence destined to be forgotten.
In order for her comrades to forget about her and fight freely, Reilly Malbork had died as a duelist. That was the best way to part with her friends, the most she could do for them. At least, that’s how it was in the mind of one terribly awkward fighter.
“When I heard that, I told her, ‘You really are awkward, aren’t you, Master,’ and, ‘We got so close in the duels, and yet, it was way too embarrassing to face them straight and say goodbye,’ she said. And so—”
Though he was about to go on about Reilly, Yuri suddenly stopped himself.
“Yeah...when she was so resourceful in a duel, I often wondered how she was always stumbling through everything else,” Elias said, hanging his head. “There’s no way someone like that could have understood how we felt.” With every word that came out of him, a thin tear uneventfully rolled down his cheek. “There was no way we could ever forget about Reilly.”
They had fought together, chasing one another’s back. The fun days of battle they spent, those memories would never disappear as long as he lived.
“She’s an idiot—it’s as if I never understood that.”
And Elias laughed as if the devil had left him. He smiled without a care in the world, like the spikes stretching him thin had vanished. After quietly wiping away his tears, Elias took on a more serious expression.
“Eniastar, can I count on you to pass on a message next time you see Reilly?”
“Err, a message?”
“Quit trying to act cool, dumbass. I demand an apology for leaving without a word.”
“Ahahah...got it. I’ll give it word for word.”
Entrusted with a message ten years in the making, Yuri gave a wry smile and nodded. The two of them shared a laugh when—
“Aah! Eli! What are you doing to Yuri!?” Athena, back with Fram, marched up in a huff. “Let me guess, you’re making fun of him again!”
“No, I was just—”
“And you even took off his restraints!”
“I’m more worried about my little sister’s thought process that led her to restrain someone with a futon.”
“Ah, God, I hate you, Eli! I’m not talking to you until tomorrow!”
“I see, a very lenient time period.”
While the two of them broke into an incoherent exchange, Fram cautiously tugged on Elias’s sleeve.
“Elias. If you came to apologize, you must have brought a dessert or two.”
“I see you never change, Aizberg.”
“If you didn’t come bearing gifts, offer up some advice about the Babel Roulette. Then we’ll call it even,” Fram said with a shrug, prompting Elias to remember why he was there in the first place.
“That’s right, Eniastar. You should make a team with yourself as the leader.”
“I-I’m the leader!?”
“Correct. The fame and strength of the team leader directly influences how willing people will be to join you. While Athena and Aizberg are both popular, at the moment you are a duelist known across the continents.”
“You do have a point, but...”
While Yuri crossed his arms and mulled, Athena’s face went into full bloom.
“Nice, I like the sound of that! A team made by Yuri sounds fun!”
“If we leave it to Athena, I get the feeling she’ll just pick up anyone who asks, and I find socialization to be a right pain. Yuri’s probably our best bet.”
“Err, Fram, aren’t you just shoving your trouble onto me...”
“I never said that.” She sullenly turned to face the other way, but it was certainly difficult to imagine her assertively trying to recruit people.
Eventually, at the end of his mulling...Yuri energetically lifted his head. “...Understood! I’ll do it!”
“Hooray! Let’s all join the Babel Roulette together!”
“I’m somewhat counting on you, leader.”
“Hey, make sure the two of you pull your weight as well!”
“Aye, sir! Big Sis will give it her all!”
“Not too much, I hope. You’ll tire everyone out.”
The three made a ruckus, discussing the birth of a new team. After reflecting a bit on this familiar sight, Elias chose the right time to cut in.
“If you’re forming a team, make sure you think up a name before you register. I grew so attached to my team’s name I used it as the name of my shop.”
“Hmm... Then, what does the word Argent mean?”
“It was cobbled together from the words for ‘Silver’ in various tribal languages. Reilly thought it up when she saw me acting as team leader.”
“I see... Since we’re here, Athena, Fram, do you have any ideas?”
“Ultra-Hyper-Yuri Team!”
“Eniastar Team.”
“Rejected out of sheer lameness!”
“Say what!? That was my greatest masterpiece!”
“...Was mine really that lame?”
Bluntly rejecting their proposals, Yuri stood brimming with energy. “Then while we’re at it, how about we decide with a duel!”
This was Duel City Babel, the last fighting arena left in the world. Where strength was everything, and everyone aimed to stand at the top. It was not a fair world, nor was it a just one, but Yuri Eniastar continued to smile. He had been born to the weakest lineage, yet all he could imagine was spending fun duelist days with his comrades in arms.