“Hey now, Mister. We would very much like to hear more about that crystal before you go up in flames.”
As swiftly as the wind, Toshisaka sneaked up on the enemy commander and caught the torch before it could land on the barrels.
“Y-You bastard!”
Toshisaka has his blade pressed gently against the squirming commander’s throat. Toshisaka had assessed the situation perfectly and come up with the most suitable plan.
“I don’t care what it takes; I want him in my country.”
Toshisaka returned a smile at the happily grinning Al, but...
“Arghhhh! Kill me! I’ll die anyway, so take my life right here and now!”
The commander was violently struggling in an attempt to cut open his own throat with Toshisaka’s blade.
“Don’t kill him!”
Hearing that, Toshisaka lowered his katana.
“Hyahh!”
The moment Gwain struggled free, he grabbed Toshisaka’s arm that held the torch.
“Die, you bastards!”
He pushed the torch toward the barrels.
“Your Majesty! Lady Lesfina! Get down!”
Al immediately jumped to protect Feena.
Bam!
It was a strangely quiet explosion for gunpowder. Once the shockwave had passed, Al looked up...
“T-Toshisaka?”
Toshisaka was lying there, his clothes in tatters. The surrounding soldiers had been blown away, but for some reason, he’d remained in close proximity to the center of the explosion, though there was no time to investigate how that had happened. He stood up despite his injuries, but his legs couldn’t support him for long.
“Toshisaka!”
Al rushed over to Toshisaka and held him in his arms, but his injuries were extremely severe.
“Toshisaka! Hold it together!”
“Gbwahh!”
Instead of an answer, only a massive amount of blood left his mouth. He was bleeding profusely from his stomach as well, despite his best efforts to apply pressure to his wound.
“Hey, is there a doctor here?! Help... Help Toshisaka!”
Al cursed his decision to leave Cecilia behind.
“Magic is... forbidden for... us...”
Toshisaka turned his head toward Al. His more or less irrelevant answer was probably due to his fading consciousness.
“We can... use magic only once... in our lives to save the Inquisitor... Your invitation to Althos... meant the world to me... I would gladly ta— Gahhh!”
“I know, just... don’t talk now!”
Al hugged him even tighter.
“Ahh, Your Majesty... My sincerest apologies, but... this is the end... for me... Please... tell Inquisitor Kanon...”
As his arms dropped to his side, blood began gushing forth from the open wound in his abdomen. Al desperately tried reapplying pressure to stop the bleeding, but...
“Shit, why won’t it stop?! Hey, Demon King! Stop protecting me and help someone else every once in a while, you bastard!”
While Al was cursing the Demon King, Toshisaka drew the dagger equipped to his belt.
“This is... an heirloom I received from... the Inquisitor’s father... Please, bring it back...
“Don’t screw with me! Who would be happy to receive a memento from a dead comrade?! You go and lob it at him yourself! So, please... Please open your eyes, Toshisaka!”
“Give the... Inquisitor... my regards... They’re...”
“Toshisaka!”
The dagger fell from his limp hand.
“Sorry... I should’ve...”
Al’s own orders were what caused this situation.
“Al...”
Feena picked up the dagger and handed it to the grieving Al.
“Al. Toshisaka gave his life to protect his current master. The least you can do is... carry out his will.” she said as large tears streamed down her cheeks.
How could anyone call her an emotionless doll?!
Looking at her, Al closed his eyes and...
“Toshisaka, I’m sorry you had to serve such a lousy leader. Don’t worry, I’ll carry out your wish. I promise.”
Al gently laid Toshisaka’s lifeless body down and took the dagger from Feena.
“I will give this to your true master.”
Al promised one last time before standing up.
“We’ll head back to Althos once we release the captive citizens and bury Toshisaka. I’ll put an end to this meaningless war.” He looked straight into Feena’s eyes. “Will you stay by my side for a little longer?”
“Yes. You are Toshisaka’s master and my husband, so it’s my duty to carry out every one of your requests!”
Al thanked Feena and looked up at the sky. Had he not, an unstoppable river of tears would’ve escaped his eyes...
Eshantel’s army was stationed a few kilometers away from Althos’s border, alongside the Empire’s soldiers.
“How long are we going to idly stand here, Inquisitor?! We’re here to aid in the assault on Althos, not fool around at camp all day!”
The captain of the Empire’s forces, Bouda, stormed into the tent acting as the temporary headquarters.
“We have our own way of handling things. I deeply appreciate your help, but that doesn’t make you our boss. We’ll do as we see fit.”
The armor-clad Kanon didn’t say a word. Instead, his trusty aide, Kanemitsu, replied to Bouda’s question. Bouda may have been the commander of the Imperial army, but he himself was a nobleman lacking any war experience. He could never go toe-to-toe with a hardened veteran like Kanon.
“T-Tomorrow! Tomorrow is your last chance! If you don’t launch the assault, we’ll pull out of this fight, got it?!”
Kanon remained silent. After shooting one last angry stare at him, Bouda promptly walked to the exit.
“Tch, this damn knock-off Diva!” he said as if no one could hear him as he withdrew from the tent. Kanon was left alone with his guards.
However, this time, Toshisaka was missing from their ranks.
“Inquisitor, if I may... I am well aware of your promise with Subdera’s Diva, but I advise you to make your move soon.”
As if his commanding posture were simply a farce, Kanemitsu tried to persuade his lord to rethink his ways with a gentle, sweet voice.
That earned him some looks from the other guards. Meanwhile, after a few moments of thinking, Kanon stood up, signified by the clunking of his armor.
“We will carry out our assault tomorrow. This fight will mark the end of Alnoa, the Demon King. Everyone, make sure you’re prepared to face the ultimate evil!”
“Yes!”
After hearing his guards’ unified response, Kanon left the tent.
“I’m sorry, Feena...”
He looked up at the golden sky spreading over all the lands and apologized to his dear friend.