“Yeah… A wicked witch from the era of debauchery, when every man was for himself… I’m starting to doubt if people change…” Sir Dinadan pulled out a pack of cigarettes he’d just bought at a convenience store, tapping the bottom of the carton and taking out a cigarette. He popped the end into his mouth. Covering the other end with one hand, he used a dollar lighter to start it, then took a long drag, slowly pooling smoke in his lungs. “…You look good doing that.” “Right?” Sir Dinadan let out a puff of smoke. She eyed him in exasperation. “…Okay, Reika. As your Jack, I have to ask you: How are things coming along?” “Satisfactory. In fact, it couldn’t be going better.” Swoosh. Reika unsheathed her sword—the white blade that pierced through Luna, Emma, and Ainz. Her eyes were reflected in that blade… “Satisfactory…huh? Really? That’s not how I see things.” Sir Dinadan blew out another cloud of smoke. “What do you mean?” “Well, they’re still alive. Luna and Emma, I mean.” “Only because someone butted in. And I’ve basically completed my goal.” “But not perfectly. And I find it hard to believe you actually let a chance to kill someone slip by you…” “…It was a fluke.” “Hmm? …Okay.” Sir Dinadan took the lit cigarette from his mouth and looked at Reika. “Hmph. Say what you want, but they’re on their deathbeds. They won’t recover—ever. We can kill them whenever… What’s the problem?” she asked. “Since I can’t fight for you, I’ve been passing the time snooping around. Seems that old man—Ainz—survived. He apparently just woke up in the hospital.” Sir Dinadan added that he’d dropped out of the battle since he was without his Excalibur and Round Fragment. “…Was that also a fluke, Reika?” “…Hmph. So I might be out of practice… Never imagined I would fail in killing a senior citizen…” Her expression stayed in place. “…Are you…having second thoughts…? Just a guess. That might be making you lose your edge.” “Absurd,” Reika spat. “Everything is going according to plan. These are steps to achieve my goal.” “……” “Obviously, I’ll need to wrap up loose ends. Luna, Emma, Ainz… I’ll take their lives sooner or later. And then I’ll get Felicia—and Hitoshi. I’ll kill all the Kings. No exceptions. I won’t show mercy or compassion.” “You never change. Are you sure? No regrets?” “I’m a sinner. Everything from my body to soul is corrupted. But I still have to achieve my goal, even if it means tainting myself. To atone.” Her eyes hardened, looking unkind…and flooding with purpose. Sir Dinadan didn’t say anything as he watched her… He let his cigarette burn. “…If that’s your decision,” he said. “Hmph… I’ll never understand you… You know you can betray me, right?” she challenged. He went silent. “I can tell when you’re playing dumb. You’d rather stick a knife in my back, huh?” “……” Sir Dinadan took a silent puff of his cigarette. Eventually, he turned to the skies. “No… I have no right, Reika. I told you. I’ll watch you become king… That’s my duty as the knight who couldn’t stop the fall of the Round Table.” The corners of his mouth curled up. “I was their balancer… A nickname that I couldn’t care less about… And I still couldn’t do a thing.” His cigarette turned to ash as his eyes became distant. “……” Reika stared at him, a troubled expression on her face. — Nayuki Fuyuse thought quietly. When she closed her eyes like this, she seemed to recall vivid memories of her happiest days. Back when everything in the world seemed to shine. Back when she felt blessed… On that day, he and I had just taken a stroll through the flowers lining the shores of a beautiful lake. “I just don’t get it,” he muttered, using my lap as a pillow. His head rested on my knees, and he looked up at me like he was ready to throw a tantrum. “Why do you keep hanging out with a jerk like me?” Like a child who couldn’t be honest about his feelings. Cute, I thought. “You know what they call me on the streets? …The devil’s bastard. The incarnation of destruction. The harbinger of calamity… Even the Round Table won’t get near me…” I answered him. “But I know your true self.” “……” “You might look like a horrible person…but you’re actually kind and gentle. But you can be stubborn. And you’re chronically lonely. You’re dying for attention. You just want people to see you and be by your side. Right?” I giggled, confident in my reply. “And I just can’t seem to leave you alone.” I may have been a little too direct. His eyes narrowed. He started to look upset. “…Hmm. As if you’d understand… Stop.” He reached out and yanked me by my arm, pulling me closer… “Ah?!” He pinned me to the ground, binding my palms together above my head with a single hand. “Maybe I should make you rethink your impression of me. How does that sound?” As I lay immobile, he looked down, using his free hand to tilt my chin up, threatening me. “Right now, I could assault you until you lose consciousness. I could physically show you that rumors of my heresy are true… See? I knew you didn’t want me. Cry! Scream! Call for help! Push me away!” But…I ended up in a fit of laughter when I saw his desperate attempt to scare me off. “…What’s so funny? Don’t you understand the position you’re in right now?” “You wouldn’t do that.” Well, I thought to myself, I wouldn’t mind…if I became his…by force… And I trusted him. “Tell me I’m wrong,” I said. “…” He awkwardly averted his gaze…and let me go, rolling to his side and turning away from me. “Tch… You throw me off my game…” “Hee-hee-hee…” I stroked his hair, gently combing through it with my fingers. “Good boy, Merlin… Here, I’ll give you a pat on the head.” Warmth radiated through my body from my fingertips. Our time together had made me melt into a temperate heat. “…Hey… Sorry…for doing what I just did…” “Hmm, hmm. ” Everything would have been better if their memories had ended with those happy times. “You’re kidding! You betrayed me!” It didn’t take long for my happy memories to be obliterated into detestation, anger, and outrage. The scene had changed. We were deep in a certain forest, in front of a large boulder. “I’m sorry…! I’m so sorry…!” I wept as I apologized to him. But he didn’t forgive me. There was no ground for forgiveness. After all, I had done a terrible thing. I had trodden on his feelings and trust. I had betrayed him. It was barely acceptable for me to apologize. He would never forgive me. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, Merlin…! I’m sorry…!” All I could do was parrot this phrase. “You were the only one I trusted…! Dammit! Curse you! You got close to me…fooled me! Curse the Dame du Lac! I’ll kill you…! I’ll murder you in cold blood!” “Hic… I’m…sorry…! Sniff… Aaaah! …I’m…sorry! I…! I had no other choice…!” “Sorry, Arthur! I…can’t be…by your side…anymore…! AAAAAAAAAAAH!” And every moment of joy was smashed to pieces…by a grave sin that would almost never be forgiven. — “…Nayuki? What’s wrong?” Rintarou called out. She seemed lost in thought. Nayuki snapped back to her senses, cracking a small smile. “I-it’s nothing…” They were still in the campus infirmary in the netherworld. “Rintarou…are you mentally prepared for this?” “Yeah.” Rintarou nodded and looked at the floor around him. Celtic Ogham letters and a triquetra had been drawn to create a magic circle. Nayuki had created it for him. “…I’m going to go into my own netherworld…digging deep into my subconscious… I’m going to confront my other self that haunts me.” “Right. I’ll guide you with magic. Your Fomorian power is held hostage by your other self… You need to seize it and bring it under your control… Then no one can lord it over you…and you’ll be able to use it of your own volition… I think it will lighten your physical burden, too…” Rintarou recalled his other self went by the name of Id. “…I think you already understand this, Rintarou, but…” “Yeah. Gaze into the abyss, and it gazes back at you… This is a suicide mission. I might not be able to come back, but…” Rintarou knew what he had to do. “But I’m still going to go… Things will fall apart if I don’t do anything… And I can’t leave them in this condition.” He looked over at Luna and Emma. “I don’t want to lose them… To me, Luna is……” …What was she to him? He almost didn’t realize he had said that out loud. He hesitated. “Do you have…that hawthorn charm on?” Nayuki asked, giggling. “Huh? You know about this thing?” Rintarou prodded at the cross that hung from his neck, blinking at her. “Yes… I saw Luna make matching ones in the student council room.” “…Matching ones? What’re you talking about?” “Ah. Forget what I said. I shouldn’t have told you… Um. Anyway… I’m sure this will let you and Luna…” Nayuki muttered something in old Celtic at the cross, reaching out to touch it. “Hmm? What did you just do?” “A bit of magic. Asking for your safe return.” “…?” Rintarou seemed skeptical. But Nayuki seemed relieved, smiling with confidence. He just couldn’t get a good read on her. “Hey, Nayuki… Can I ask you something?” “What would that be?” “How do you know so much about me?” “!” “Even I didn’t know someone was controlling my powers until recently… But you knew everything about it… In fact, you know a lot about me in general.” Nayuki was silent. “Hey, what do you know about me? Who is my other self? And…who are you?” Nayuki looked troubled and apologetic as she kept mum. “…Keeping it to yourself, huh?” “I’m sorry… I’m really sorry…” Nayuki kept apologizing, looking at his unreadable expression. She turned her imploring gaze to him. “But please believe me when I say I’m your ally…! I know I used to trick and deceive people…but I’m not lying about this!” “……” “I exist for you… I don’t care what happens to me if it helps you… You can do anything to me. And I’ll help in any way I can… I just want to support you…lend you my strength… Please…” “……” “I don’t need anything in exchange… Just use me in any way you see fit. Use me until I serve no utility… Please…,” Nayuki begged, appearing to be at her wit’s end… Rintarou quietly stepped toward her… “…Geez. Don’t be stupid…” He sighed, placing a hand on top of her head. “…R-Rintarou?” “Sorry about…all of that earlier. I just had bad associations with the Dame du Lac… Sorry for saying that I was going to use you…” He offered a dry smile. “I just…can’t seem to be mean to you… I wonder why…” “……!” Nayuki swallowed her breath. With Nayuki in his periphery, Rintarou once again looked over at Luna and Emma in bed. He fixed his eyes on them. “I’ll come back with Fomorian power. We’ll beat those losers and save Luna and Emma. A grand finale. Maybe I’ll make Luna throw another banquet, and we can party like there’s no tomorrow… And you’re invited, obviously,” he said. “…What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” “Nothing…nothing at all… It’s just that your words…” She gently wiped at the corners of her eyes and regained her composure. “…Let’s do this, Rintarou. Are you ready?” “You betcha.” Nayuki started to whisper some kind of spell. The magic circle at Rintarou’s feet began to glow, engulfing him in light…and opening the door to his subconscious. He melted into the netherworld. “Be careful, Rintarou… The other Rintarou hiding in your depths…is formidable,” she called out. “…I know. I’ve already experienced him.” “Please don’t forget…there are people waiting for you.” Nayuki glanced at Luna. “And for their sakes…make sure you come home in one piece…” “…Yeah.” Rintarou disappeared into the light. He crossed the boundary between the real world and the illusory world, digging into his own depths. “Rintarou…” Nayuki quietly emitted magic as she watched him go and prayed. — He plunged down. Deeper and deeper, Rintarou plummeted into the abyss. This was his own netherworld—the world of his psyche. He was heading toward the deepest part of himself. Suddenly, a chill sprayed his entire body. It was a column of water, slowing his free fall. Water gurgled in his ears. His body sank. Am I underwater?! …Is this the ocean?! The taste of brine spread into his mouth. The seawater seemed to coat him thickly. He scowled as he dived under. There was no light at all. The darkness became more saturated as he dived farther underwater. The water became icy. He didn’t know why an ocean would be inside him…but Rintarou realized…this was a forbidden realm that no healthy person would ever enter. …Gah. Terror faintly gnawed his mind. However, he didn’t retreat. He had already prepared himself. Rintarou pushed out his unease, diving deeper. He could hear bubbles. Because he was underwater, he could pick up the sound of something miles ahead of him. It indicated there was something lurking on the other side of the darkness. Monsters of fear and madness. He wouldn’t stand a fighting chance against them. Their fangs or claws or maws or tentacles would rip him into shreds. These sounds of despair tested his soul and mind. If he were an average person, that would have been the last of his sanity. He would have lost his mind. …Hold yourself together. After all, this is just another netherworld… This is your mind… I’m just being tested by my own psyche… He listened to the sound of his mind from the ocean water. Rintarou went down. — — — —Maybe a hundred yards. —Or a thousand. —Or even tens of thousands. For almost an eternity, Rintarou continued to dive. “Hey, do you know the meaning of Fomorian?” He suddenly appeared in front of Rintarou. “The origin of the word comes from old Celtic—Fomoria. There are many meanings… ‘Bottom of the ocean.’ ‘Family of devils.’ ‘Giants.’ And…‘the menace of the sea.’” His smile was lurid, welcoming Rintarou. “In other words…the Fomorian line are gods that belong to the sea. Making this the ideal place.” “…Id!” His other self—Id—had appeared. In his hand, he raised an eyeball with a golden iris, lording it over Rintarou. “Yo… Feels like it was just yesterday, mate…” “No need for introductions. If we’re the same, you know what I’m here for.” Rintarou drew his swords. “I’m going to beat you and take your Fomorian power. Prepare yourself.” He pointed at the eyeball in Id’s hands with his weapons. “Hey, hey, hey, hey… That’s no fair… Without me, you won’t be able to finish your mission.” “Which would be perfect. I have no idea who assigned me that mission, but I refuse to be strapped down to it! Get out!” “…Aw. You were never good at listening…” Because they were each other, they no longer had anything else to say. Their fight was unavoidable. “Well, fine. You act as the front end, and I’m the back… Our existence is mutually exclusive…” A sinister power started to rise from the eyeball, wrapping around Id to make the evil alteration. Fomorian Transformation. “I hope you know I’m much stronger than you. This is a good opportunity for me. If I can kill you here, I can become you…” “……” Rintarou was aware. But this was all he had. To save Luna, he needed that vile power. “How can we be the same if I want to kill Arthur…and you want to save Arthur? …Well, it doesn’t matter. How about we start this thing?” Id drew his sword. They were the same red and white swords as Rintarou’s. “Perfect. I’ll show you how to use them… The swords of Ddraig the Red Dragon and Gwiber the White Dragon!” A wicked aura brimmed from Id’s swords as he charged Rintarou. It was like he wasn’t in the ocean. “It’s…begun,” Felicia observed as she stood by in the hallway. Nayuki meekly came out of the nurse’s office. “Seize the power from the dark side of his soul in his subconscious… Bring it under his control… Will it be that easy?” Felicia asked. “I think it will be difficult…but I believe in him.” Nayuki broke into a confident smile, trusting him from the bottom of her heart. Felicia found herself believing in him, too. “Okay… All we can do is wait for him…” “Since his power is the only way to get out of this quandary…”
Chapter 40
15 min read