Yahallo... This week's chappie is up...
Please enjoy :D
Chapter E7: Envy.
The battle was over.
The Joyeuse— Kamijou Touma's trusty sword— was sticking out of Solon's chest. Its blade having impaled his body, had managed to accurately pierce through his heart.
The monstrous Solon Ehrenstein.
Holding unrivaled powers, while he could slaughter entire parties of saints with ease…
But even then… it wasn't like he was absolutely invincible.
He was not immortal.
Solon Ehrenstein looked at Kamijou Touma's face. He wondered what sort of expression his killer was making.
He spotted merely a shadow cast upon it.
It was born neither of malice or anger. It seemed more akin to sadness… no, perhaps turmoil?
Ahh, so that was how it was.
The young man had probably met the copy of himself maintained within the halls of St. Maurice.
For that face was indeed a mask of mixed guilt. The mask you wear when you slay someone you used to know.
What a fool.
Solon having realized that the hilt of the Nocturne had long slipped from his fingers, guided his hand towards the cheek of his slayer— Kamijou Touma— instead.
"Don't be a fool. He and I… we are no longer the same. You don't need to mind." (Solon)
"…" (Touma)
Considering the feelings of the person who had killed him— he couldn't help but smile at the irony of the situation.
Solon Ehrenstein's death was surprisingly sudden and anticlimactic.
I couldn't deny it was a fool's wager.
I ended up relying upon the combined powers of Pride's Lion and Lust's Knight.
The Lion would emit a damage neutralizing wave once hit. You could compare him to a reactive armor in some ways.
The Knight, on the other hand, had the power to summon multiple illusions. It could display a whole fake scenery with an object, myself in this case being shredded within it.
You could call it a physics engine of impeccable holograms.
However, since that was all they were— illusions— they couldn't possibly emulate the sense of touch.
And when destroyed, they'd obviously disappear. Just like how Solon had sent them to the nether now.
Solon Ehrenstein would have undoubtedly seen through the illusion under normal circumstances.
However, with the Silver Lion's reactive wave, he also ended up feeling a concrete physical feedback from his attack.
He might have felt only a tiny bit of resistance before the whole thing turned to dust and vanished, but it was enough to fool him.
That was why he let his guard down.
Despite his training, a part of him did evaluate the battle to be over.
And with all his attention directed towards the illusion, he didn't have an inkling the real me had actually been circling behind his back.
Solon Ehrenstein shall die with a sword thrust through his heart.
He finally reached the future he was wishing for.
But, in light of that fact, the expression on his face betrayed satisfaction.
He could even muster the strength to raise his hand to my cheek and murmur forgiveness.
He asked me not to mind killing him.
Those were his words, but the request was impossible.
I met him at school. I knew him.
Yet I killed him. Stuck a sword in his chest with my own two hands.
It was one thing if he was a mindless, lunatic killing-machine…
In that case, killing him could be considered a mercy.
A form of euthanasia.
But this…
The guilt overtook me, a shudder running along my skin—
"Kamijou-san!" (Elaine)
Her voice tugged me back to reality.
I wondered if I should stop Elaine from coming here as she proceeded to dash towards me in frenzied steps.
"No. She has to see this. And Nika, don't bother wasting your breath to persuade me otherwise." (Anna)
"…" (Nika)
And, as if on cue, a saint and a witch appeared next to me from the shadows.
"But—" (Touma)
"We'll probably have to go through many more gruesome sights in the future. And she's already seen the garden of heads on spikes, hasn't she? A clean kill like this shouldn't unnerve her at this point." (Anna)
That wasn't the issue.
She was acquainted with Solon Ehrenstein.
That association could prove to be a bit of a problem.
"Y-You're not hurt, are you? I'm sorry. I wasn't of any help at all—" (Elaine)
"No. You were plenty helpful. I was only able to get through this because of you. I thank your timely assistance from the bottom of my heart." (Touma)
"Wh-What? But I haven't done anything—" (Elaine)
I was able to keep her safe, and there was nothing more jubilant in this world than that.
Not to mention it was her timely words of encouragement that pulled me out of a destructive vortex of low-confidence and self-loathing.
"Is Solon… dead?" (Elaine)
"Almost… It seems his heart is still beating, just barely." (Anna)
"…" (Elaine)
Elaine, with all emotions washing off her face, gripped Solon Ehrenstein's hand gently.
"…I'm sorry, Solon." (Elaine)
She whispered. Anna and Nika observed the display, not a hint of emotion in their eyes.
I could guess they've lived through countless scenes like this in their millennia-spanning lifetimes.
And, as I was deep in thought, Solon's eyes slowly fluttered open.
"I have a message for you, now that I think about it." (Solon)
"Solon…?" (Elaine)
"I fulfilled what was expected of me. I will soon die, there is no doubt about it. What lingers here in front of you is just a fading residue of myself." (Solon)
"…." (Elaine)
"I finally reached my promised future. I have no complaints. The end result was always my death— the question was of timing— and my heart is filled with nothing but satisfaction from this outcome." (Solon)
"But aren't you scared?" (Elaine)
Anxiety on her face, Elaine naively asked Solon a rather cruel question.
The boy, however, didn't seem to mind. Instead, he merely regarded her with his trademark nonchalant expression.
"Maybe I am. But at the same time, I am relieved, for I will finally be returning to the place I belong." (Solon)
A correct existence living in a correct world in a correct time.
It seemed Solon knew all along that such a reality couldn't possibly exist.
"Are you seriously trying to say that lying in the dirt with a sword stuck in your chest is where you wished to belong?" (Touma)
"Yes. Indeed. Finally… Finally, I reached my future. My existence is rectified at long last." (Solon)
Probably not comprehending the sarcasm lurking behind my words, Solon responded with a genuine answer.
"But… that can't be true! How can dying in a place like this be any correct?!" (Elaine)
Elaine's voice was barely a whisper, but it was still on a level that Solon could make out.
"Oh, but there is. For it is his will. For he was the only one who could define my shaky existence into something concrete." (Solon)
"…He? Who are you talking about?" (Anna)
"Who indeed. I don't owe you any answers, Divine Witch of the Night. I'd rather take at least one secret to my grave." (Solon)
Solon gave us an impish laugh.
Not finding words to refute that logic, Anna returned to silence.
"I still don't get it… I don't get it… like at all. Why would anyone choose an ending like this?" (Elaine)
"Hmm, I see. I understand that you're facing difficulties comprehending my reasoning. Then, allow me to ask you something. Do you have something to justify the life you've spent living?" (Solon)
"…No. I have no memories." (Elaine)
"Then find it. Once you do, I'm sure you'll understand it. The gravity of your calling." (Solon)
"The gravity…" (Elaine)
"I'll pray that you may find your true calling one day." (Solon)
"…" (Elaine)
With nothing left to say, Elaine took a step away from Solon.
Taking her place, I kneeled down on one knee and considered him.
"You seem to be in much pain. Do you want to make it quick?" (Touma)
The luxury of a painless death is not something that many could afford, doubly so when it came to crusaders or guardians.
Yet… I felt like offering him that luxury.
"Please don't mind. This pain… It isn't as unpleasant as it looks. But… if you wish to help me: could I ask you for something else? How did you manage to survive my attack at the end?" (Solon)
"An illusion. I tinkered with it a little." (Touma)
Hearing that, chagrin passed through Solon's lips.
"Tch. What the hell, just that?! If we fought again, I'd never lose." (Solon)
"I agree. If we fought again, I would have less than twenty percent possibility of making through it alive. You see, this kind of strategy works only once per opponent." (Touma)
"Yeah. I wouldn't lose the next fight… Aah. What am I to do now? I actually have made a regret on my deathbed." (Solon)
It didn't seem he was especially serious about it as the faint smile still lingering on his face sweetened his words.
Contrary to what he had just said, he might as well be on his way to the nether with no real regrets in his heart after all.
"There is always something to regret once you are on your deathbed." (Touma)
"Really?" (Solon)
Before I knew it, the dawn on the horizon signaled the end of our long night.
The temple restoration was beginning.
A veil of faint blue started its ascent upon the sky. It would soon color the heavens in their old self of vivid azure.
The Ahathoor temple had fallen, and Paris was liberated.
"Is this…morning? I see it for the first time here." (Solon)
Solon blinked a few times.
And as he finally grasped the sight stretching before him, angst twisted his features.
"Ahh. You're right. I can't believe it… How can I not regret losing this now? It's gorgeous. I have never seen a more dazzling sight. Why is this city so beautiful?" (Solon)
Having lost a lot of blood, there was not a hint of color on his face.
Yet he ground his teeth as if having realized he truly had found something to regret on his deathbed.
"I didn't realize the place I was defiling with blood was this beautiful. Ahh, I wish I could've seen more of it. Just a little bit more, goddammit." (Solon)
"…" (Touma)
"And that's not all. I wish I could've bet my life against yours again in another deadly battle. I truly wish I could've lingered at this border between life and death for a little while longer." (Solon)
"Would that not be awfully selfish of you at this point? You have spent all this time cutting others, sending their souls away filled with regrets." (Touma)
Just as I had to atone for the fifteen billion I buried… he, too, had to receive just punishment for his deeds.
What goes, comes around. Such is the cycle of karma.
"Ahh, indeed. I slayed more that I can count. I suppose I deserve this end, after all. But still, regret is quite truly an unforgiving mistress." (Solon)
"It is, but don't worry. For my end, too, shall be just like yours." (Touma)
"…You, too, will have regrets?" (Solon)
"I do not know for sure, but I imagine I will." (Touma)
Filled with regrets.
Pleading for more time.
I shall probably die in the middle of despair.
I could see such an end for myself vividly in my mind's eye.
"Is that so? …Then I have one last request of you." (Solon)
"What is it…?" (Touma)
"Please die without regrets when you do. May your death be full of so much hope that naught but satisfaction would fill your chest." (Solon)
"Why would you…?" (Touma)
"I was a villain to this world. And I want to keep being one in the end. And so, you who bested me, are bound to carry the name and fate of a hero— a paragon of justice." (Solon)
The fate of a hero… huh.
Solon Ehrenstein let out a short chuckle.
"Kukuku~ My curse will stick with you till the end. That thought alone makes me feel almost like it was all worth it." (Solon)
"…" (Touma)
"…Promise me." (Solon)
I had no choice but to bear his curse.
In exchange for the responsibility of having killed him.
"All right. I shall accept your curse." (Touma)
"Thank you… from the bottom of my heart." (Solon)
I gripped his shaking hand.
We did not hold anything back when we were fighting to the death, yet now, I felt as if there had, indeed, sprouted a peculiar kind of bond between us.
"Yeah… Well, I guess I have had enough." (Solon)
I did not know what "enough of" did he have, but, as if truly coming to terms with his regrets, Solon Ehrenstein closed his eyes forever.
His chest that had been lightly moving up and down till now fell silent, the beat of his heart fading as his pulse vanished to the nether.
"Solon…" (Touma)
Solon Ehrenstein had passed on.
Elaine and I mourned his passing, while Anna and Nika stared at his dead body as if it had been the most puzzling thing in the world.
The cause of his death was clear as day, but whatever has guided him to this point had been left shrouded in mystery.
We didn't know.
We didn't have an inkling of what "master" he served.
Finding a remote place with a good view of the city, we buried Solon Ehrenstein under a tree. The Nocturne was embedded into the soil to continue serving him after death as a headstone.
And so, with its guardian's demise and the post-liberation temple restoration activities complete, peace once again returned to Paris.
Now there was but one thing left for us to do here.
"Well, before we can go home, we still need to find the door leading to the third temple. Once we do, Nika can copy its spatial data and then we'll be able to open the door straight from St. Maurice." (Anna)
So they called it crusade, but apparently, we didn't have to complete our whole journey in one go.
"…?" (Touma)
I just noticed a decrease in my eye performance.
No, that wasn't it. My whole mind seemed to display performance issues— I felt lightheaded.
But it wasn't bad enough to interfere with the current mission. I should brace myself, and—
"…Touma?" (Nika)
"…You don't look too good, you know." (Elaine)
Nika and Elaine each gave me a worried glance.
"Must be your imagination." (Touma)
I reduced the blood flow to my cheeks to reduce any accidental red coloration.
"Um… I understand you can use your mojo to fix your blush, but doing that doesn't make you feel fine, alright?" (Elaine)
H-Hey…
No one blushed, alright? That part was truly your imagination, Elaine.
I was just trying to appear normal.
"Oh, that's too bad. But it's not like we need to have Touma look for the door with us." (Anna)
"No, it shouldn't interfere with my mi—" (Touma)
"It's alright. You should take a breather." (Anna)
"But—" (Touma)
"Just shut up and take a da*n break, alright?" (Elaine)
As Elaine thrust her finger at my face, I was suddenly overcome by an instinct to obey.
"…All right. I will rest for a while." (Touma)
"Good. Anyway, Elaine, Nika, you two can go ahead and look for the door. I'll look after our guy." (Anna)
"E-Eh?" (Elaine)
Elaine seemed completely lost. She vacantly stared at me and Anna.
"I mean, someone should keep an eye on him just in case, don't you think? You have the eyes, and Nika is needed to copy the locational data and all." (Anna)
"Don't you think today's been a tad too convenient for you?" (Nika)
Nika's icy gaze pierced Anna.
…Anna's idea didn't seem to sit well with her.
"Ohh. I mean, I-I'm not big on looking for things, y'know? And I'm terrible at—" (Anna)
"Just shut it, and let's go." (Nika)
Nika took a firm grasp of Anna's shoulders and pulled the witch to her side.
"Whoa… Anna's eyes look like those of a poor little calf on the way to be sold at the market." (Elaine)
"Moo~ Moo~ Mooooo." (Anna)
"Yeah, yeah, let's go." (Nika)
And so she was off, pulling Anna after herself.
Either way, I got permission to rest, so I figured I should do that.
I had to stretch everything— my physical strength, magical abilities, willpower, and whatever other energies there are— to its utmost limit for this victory.
Slumping down on a nearby bench, I directed my gaze towards the ever-stretching nothingness of the sky.
Elaine took a seat next to me.
"Um… Kamijou-san?" (Elaine)
"Yeah? What is it?" (Touma)
"Say… are you sleepy by any chance?" (Elaine)
With a fog still veiling my thoughts, I gave her a nod.
Rather than feeling sleepy, I had trouble holding my consciousness together, not that the two concepts differed much from an outside perspective.
"Then… G-Go ahead." (Elaine)
She tapped her thighs a couple of times.
What on earth was she doing? How was my sleepiness supposed to be related to her body parts?
"Mhm. If you're not coming, then I'll bring you over here by force." (Elaine)
"…" (Touma)
Although I doubted that she could "force" me into doing anything, this was something different.
"Hmph. Resistance is futile!" (Elaine)
She faced absolutely no trouble in grabbing my head in her hands and bringing it down to her knees.
Pressing my head against her thighs so I couldn't get up, she whispered in my ear.
"And don't you dare move from here. Sometimes you really don't know what's good for you, do you?" (Elaine)
"So, no resisting?" (Touma)
"Yep. No resisting. There're things in this world that you should simply go with the flow of." (Elaine)
"I see…" (Touma)
So, apparently, this is one of the things I had to go with the flow of.
The skies of Paris had turned to bright morning by now. A refreshing breeze shifted the big white clouds across the deep of the azure canopy.
There was hardly anything left of the battle that had transpired here moments ago.
Even the garden of heads vanished without a trace with Solon Ehrenstein's last breath.
With the devastated arrondissements and most importantly its iconic landmark— the Eiffel Tower— restored, Paris felt like the incarnation of serenity itself.
"It truly is over, huh." (Elaine)
"We only got through the second temple to be precise. We still have five more ahead of us." (Touma)
"Ehh, when you put it like that it makes me feel like our journey will go on forever." (Elaine)
"…But we made our first step at least." (Touma)
"Yeah. Haha, and you totally put your all in it. You must be dead tired, Kamijou-san." (Elaine)
"…I am indeed exhausted. But definitely not to the level where I should be shackled to a leg in a prone position, I think." (Touma)
"You think, huh… Just rest, Kamijou-san. Anna and Nika spent the whole fight goofing off, anyway." (Elaine)
Well, I couldn't argue that.
"…Is it soft enough?" (Elaine)
"What is?" (Touma)
"Um… the thighs." (Elaine)
"Had to confirm. You made it sound like you're talking about poultry. Speaking of thighs, yours are so soft I can tell the shape of your femur." (Touma)
"Hahh! 100% fat?!" (Elaine)
"No, probably not to that level." (Touma)
"Um… so all in all my thighs are comfortable enough." (Elaine)
"Yes. However, since it is my first time resting my head on someone's lap, I do not have enough data to compare. Do you have more experience with this process?" (Touma)
"Heh heh heh. You do remember I have amnesia, don't you?" (Elaine)
"…Oh, that is true." (Touma)
"But, well, um… I probably haven't done this either before. My heart's beating like crazy." (Elaine)
Giving a small smile, Elaine proceeded to trail her fingers through my hair.
"Well, it's the first time for the both of us, I think. So let's enjoy it while it last, mano meilė" (Elaine)
I didn't quite get the last word.
"…Myl... what? I'm sorry but I didn't quite catch the last part." (Touma)
Confused at what she meant, I asked her a question.
"Eh?" (Elaine)
Apparently, my question appeared to have confused her as well.
But why did it confuse her? Wasn't she the one who spoke those words?
Anyway, for some reason, she seemed to be blushing from her neck all the way to her ears.
Her thought processes seemed to have frozen over as well. It seemed like prodding her any further on the issue would prove to be a futile endeavor.
And if I left her alone, I would be able to enjoy this prone position for a while longer.
Which wasn't such a bad deal, after all.
I totally messed up.
I didn't expect myself to be this much of an innocent damsel type…!
The words— "mano meilė"— is a form of endearment from my "supposed" hometown of Vilnius. In Lithuanian, it simply means "love."
Anyway, I couldn't believe I blurted that out.
Just as those words left my lips, every part of my body went off the rails: my face and neck flushed red as if suddenly caught fire, and it felt like even my internal organs had started melting down.
This oaf, on the other hand…
"Dead asleep…!" (Elaine)
Kamijou Touma snoozed like a baby on my knees.
I felt as if I'd die from embarrassment when I let those words slip, but this guy didn't seem like he minded, or noticed at all!
Hm? Wait, does that mean I was getting riled up for nothing?
…Why should I feel embarrassed about something he didn't even notice?
But that by itself was kind of…
You dense bast*rd!
I tried to lightly poke his cheek with my finger in revenge. It would have been creepy if his skin turned out to be soft like jelly, but it didn't.
His skin felt smooth, and springy, like elastic.
And it was quite white, especially at his neck region.
Th-Thinking about these things kind of makes me feel hot for some reason.
"…Who on earth are you, Touma." (Elaine)
He displayed the strength of a beast when I first met him.
He had yet to let me down on that front, that's for sure.
This world was full of psychics and supermen, and swordsmen who spent their whole lives learning martial arts.
It felt as if I had fallen into the pages of some fantasy novel. A book where the gathering of heroes is as common as breathing.
And Touma was one of them.
After all, when I asked Anna about him, she returned my question with a troubled look in her eyes.
"Touma? Mhmm. I don't think he's the type. If anything, I think he's the type that gets in the hero's way." (Anna)
"Eh? What do you mean?" (Elaine)
"Well, I read my fair share of novels, and Touma is, you know, that type. The type that says lines like "My victory is 99.99% guaranteed" when confronted by the hero." (Anna)
"…But that's the role for the guy that always loses." (Elaine)
"Well, that's the gist of it." (Anna)
Anna then went on to cackle for a while.
In other words, regarding the issue of Touma's background, she beat around the bush and left me none the wiser.
Which is strange as she faced absolutely no difficulty in revealing her own past as "Awan."
…Or at least I thought that back then.
Now I think her words had a ring of truth to them.
He best the polished techniques— the sweat, blood, and tears— of his opponent with his innate talent alone. That alone totally sounded like a villain's role to me.
Not to mention that he never hinted that he thought himself or his actions just.
People who throw justice left and right were certainly fishy, but at least they were thinking themselves to be in the right in their hearts.
Touma was nothing like that. It seemed like he considered himself a penitent sinner.
At least that was the feeling I got.
So, in other words, he'd probably—
"…Well, who cares, anyway." (Elaine)
Whatever. It didn't matter what he thought of himself. To me Kamijou Touma was the defender of justice— a hero who's never failed to save me from a tight spot.
"Take this, and this, and that." (Elaine)
And so poking his cheeks like this is how I expressed my maidenly affection.
Affection…
Ahh, here we go… Looks like my cheeks caught fire again.
"I don't get it. I don't get it!"
Regis came to her with panic on her lips.
"What the hell's up with that Solon Ehrenstein?! Not only do I have any information on that bast*rd, now he's picking fights with other guardians?! It's a wonder Marina-chan survived..." (Regis)
"I'm afraid that I am just as much as at a loss as you are."
Azura shook her head with a troubled expression.
Regis meanwhile alternated between pacing around and clutching her head with such a force that strands of hair would tear and fly into the air.
Elaine Le Fay.
Azura, on the other hand, was more interested in Elaine Le fay.
A perfectly normal girl that Kamijou Touma rescued from Elizabeth Bathory's temple.
Call it her instincts, but there was something about Elaine that made Azura very hesitant to accept that normalcy of hers.
…Didn't the fact that she adapted to this deranged environment so easily, and inherited Elizabeth Bathory's eyes, indicate that there was something abnormal about her?
Surely amnesia wasn't the explanation. Someone without memories should have found it even harder not to feel out of place; she'd expect such a person to become intensely high-strung under these circumstances.
She'd expect them to wallow in homesickness; the siren song of one's home was that strong, after all.
For that reason, Elaine Le Fay puzzled her. She couldn't comprehend the girl's behavior whatsoever.
Even Azura, who wandered the earth ad nauseum, would still be assaulted by wistfulness and nostalgia when reminiscing about her old home.
How?
How can she live here and not mind her past one bit?
Does she not realize how odd that is?
As far as the magic world was concerned, Elaine Le Fay was just a random victim that accidentally got entangled in its affairs, and so no one ever bothered to pay her any special attention.
Even her illustrious sister doesn't see her as any more than a flesh-vessel housing the [Ankh of Thoth].
…But was she as harmless as everyone thought?
"What's wrong, Azura? You look spaced out…" (Regis)
"…It's nothing. Don't mind me. I just remembered there was something I had to do. You'll have to excuse me." (Azura)
"Eeeh? We're not going to go after them?" (Regis)
Regis looked at Anna, who had been standing below totally unaware of their presence, and pursed her lips.
"You should know that I'm the last person fit for battle. But if you wish to fight them, please go ahead." (Azura)
"Mhm… Is your sister tough?" (Regis)
Anna answered Regis with a sigh.
"Things like strength doesn't apply to what my sister truly is." (Azura)
The powers of Anna Sprengel, unlike those around her, could not be defined that easily.
In that sense, she was the most "mysterious" amongst everyone now gathered in this world.
"I see. I guess I'll pass for today, then. Don't wanna die and stuff." (Regis)
Without another word, Azura disappeared. She had already left the second temple.
Now left alone, Regis merely continued observing Anna from a distance.
A glint of jealousy flashed across her eyes.
"Haahh. How I wish I had something to play with, too…" (Regis)
Regis muttered to herself in a lonely voice.
"…What's wrong?" (Touma)
Elaine's face was bright red. The first thing that came to mind was a heatstroke, but that didn't seem to be the case at a second glance.
It was not that hot, after all.
"It's nothing." (Elaine)
"Am I bothering you?" (Touma)
I tried to lift my head, but she hurriedly lurched forward and held me down.
"Nope. I'm not bothered by it… like at all. You just keep still and relax. R-E-L-A-X. I said keep still!" (Elaine)
After that litany, I had no choice but to cease struggling.
However, having concluded that it was fully rested, my body refused to relax.
Especially considering the embarrassing nature of our posture.
"I seriously believe it's time I get up." (Touma)
"Hmph. Really? ...Then, alright…" (Elaine)
And so I was finally relieved from her clutches.
"Hey, Kamijou-san." (Elaine)
"Yeah?" (Touma)
"Did you date someone back in your world?" (Elaine)
It took me a minute to process what she was asking about.
"…Am I correct in assuming that you use the word "date" to indicate the process humans undergo to find a lover?" (Touma)
"If you put it blandly like that, people might start wondering whether you're a cyborg or something. But… y-yeah. I was just wondering if you had a girlfriend or two in that world of yours." (Elaine)
I see.
Yet the premise of the question was completely off— I was never intended to seek human courtship.
As there was no need for me to reproduce, companionship— whether it be lovers or girlfriends— was something scientists decided to discard when designing me.
But how could I say that to her?
"Um… Elaine." (Touma)
I thought long and hard and came up with one perfect answer to solve this situation.
An answer that won't leave any room for misinterpretation.
"…I am—" (Touma)
"Hey, we finally found the d*mn thing. Got the data of the third temple alright and stuff. Anyways, I'm beat." (Anna)
"Who would have thought it would be hidden behind the Mona Lisa." (Nika)
"—not interested in women." (Touma)
The local temperature seemed to instantly plummet to about absolute zero. I swear I could hear the world creak before it completely froze up in eternal winter.
"So naturally I've never had girlfriends." (Touma)
"…" (Elaine)
"…" (Anna)
"…" (Nika)
Oh, I didn't notice Anna and Nika were back. The two, for some reason, stared at me with expressions that I'd imagine girls wear when face to face with a dead cockroach.
"Welcome back." (Touma)
Anna suddenly gasped, and I could swear I saw a light bulb appear above her head. The physical laws of this place were still a bit of a mystery to me.
"Yeah… Yeah, I see! I see! I got it! Yeah, I'm alright. I got what you meant. But those two are totally getting the wrong idea, you know." (Anna)
"…?" (Touma)
Anna was acting stranger than usual.
"By the way, Touma. You don't dig boyfriends as well, do you?" (Anna)
"…!" (Elaine)
"What? Did I not say I was not designed to participate in such social relationships?" (Touma)
"And that's that. You can calm down right about now, Elaine. As for you, Nika, feel free to be disappointed." (Anna)
"Phew." (Elaine)
"Awww…" (Nika)
"…W-Wait! Awww? Why?!" (Elaine)
And this was how we conquered the second temple and set our sights on the third.
"…I'm back." (Azura)
"Have they perished?" (Seth)
"No. They proved victorious." (Azura)
"Hmm. I see. That is quite unexpected indeed." (Seth)
"You think so?" (Azura)
"That man, Kamijou Touma, had only a faint trace of magic about him. Not to mention he hasn't discovered his magic name yet." (Seth)
"I have to agree with that assessment." (Azura)
"So I believed that he would meet his end in the second temple right away. Apparently, I was mistaken." (Seth)
Seth shrugged.
"Do you feel frustrated?" (Azura)
"Frustrated? What do you mean? Why should I feel so?" (Seth)
Azura, merely chuckling in response, considered her husband with slightly amused eyes.
Letting out a perplexed mutter at her odd behavior, Seth cocked his head to the side.
"I wish I was the one who got to slay that Solon Ehrenstein in their stead. He was supposed to be quite strong, after all. Wait… I wonder if this is the emotion that you called frustration? It makes me linger on thoughts that I could have fared much better than they." (Seth)
"Yes. That would be it." (Azura)
"Hm. Then I am indeed frustrated. There's something like molten rock seething in the depths of my chest." (Seth)
"Do you think it's ugly?" (Azura)
"Ugly? Why?" (Seth)
"This thing in your breast— it's called "Envy." (Azura)
Observing a bitter smile run through his wife's lips, Seth nodded to himself as if struck by a revelation.
"Oh, so this is the infamous "envy." Envy at having lost a chance of beating a worthy opponent. I didn't know it would feel so… pleasant." (Seth)
"…Pleasant?" (Azura)
Azura gave Seth an astonished look.
"Envy leads to aspiration. As long as it makes one work harder to improve oneself, I do not see any issue with it. Albeit getting in the way of the one you are envious of, is not something I would condone as correct." (Seth)
"B-But envy's one of the seven deadly sins." (Azura)
"Sin? That might be how it's called by others, but it's the one that harbors the emotion in his breast who should define its nature." (Seth)
"…" (Azura)
"I shall acknowledge this emotion." (Seth)
"Haah." (Azura)
Azura tried to fake bemusement, but genuine glee tickled her chest from within with too much fervor.
She could not help letting out a chuckle.
"Did I say something odd?" (Seth)
"No, it's nothing. Please don't mind me. But, um… there is something else I would like to ask of you." (Azura)
"What is it?" (Seth)
Azura glanced around their rather minimalistic bedroom.
Making sure that no one was watching them, she proceeded to sit on the bed and point at her lap.
"Could you please rest your head here?" (Azura)
"…Why?" (Seth)
"Um, I don't have a reason. It's just that Elaine Le Fay did this to Kamijou Touma, and I got curious." (Azura)
"I see. I shall then heed your request." (Seth)
Seth, without a moment of hesitation, placed his head on Azura's knees.
"…" (Azura)
"…" (Seth)
Silence fell upon them.
"…Is this what you wanted?" (Seth)
"No, um, I was just curious, that's all." (Azura)
"Hmm." (Seth)
"Am I making you uncomfortable?" (Azura)
"No, not really. But am I not heavy for you?" (Seth)
"It's alright. I can barely feel the weight." (Azura)
"I see." (Seth)
"So are my thighs comfortable enough?" (Azura)
"It is comfortable, but there's merely one matter…" (Seth)
"Wh-What matter?" (Azura)
Azura gulped in anticipation of what Seth would say next.
"This position is making me feel sleepy." (Seth)
"Then please feel free to go ahead and sleep to your heart's content." (Azura)
Azura's face bloomed in happiness.
"Are you sure? I intend to sleep for two hours. It cannot be comfortable for you to spend that long in this position." (Seth)
"Don't worry about it. If Elaine Le Fay could do it, so can I… I think." (Azura)
"Is that so? Then I shall indulge myself." (Seth)
"Go ahead." (Azura)
Before long, Seth's voice was replaced with the calm, rhythmic breaths of sleep. Azura, narrowing her eyes in pure contentment, reached out to caress Seth's blonde hair.
"…" (Azura)
She didn't know what came over her to attempt this.
But as she was playing with Seth's hair, she'd realized that the inferiority complex she harbored towards Elaine Le Fay since seeing her in the park had waned.
The sight of Kamijou Touma calmly exposing his most defenseless state to the girl while he slept in her lap, infused Azura with a peculiar sense of rivalry.
But why?
Azura couldn't understand.
She wasn't in love with Kamijou Touma. That man was utterly inconsequential in her eyes.
So, it couldn't be a rivalry based on love.
Was it perhaps envy?
But how could it be envy?
She had long thought herself free and above such trivial emotions.
As such, Azura couldn't make head or tail of what she felt at that time.
But idle thinking wasn't going to help.
If she couldn't figure it out on her own, then so be it.
"What am I to do. I am, after all, not among the most admirable of my brethren." (Azura)
Azura shelved all her feelings behind that serene smile of hers.
Yet she failed to realize that the true nature of the emotion seeped even through the last line she had just uttered.
Guest Reviews and Author Notes:
Mr. X: Thanks a ton for dropping a review as usual.
1) Oh... Thanks for pointing out my error. The correction has been made ^ω^
2) That is true. Actually, unlike Book 1, Seth/ Azura will be focused a lot on in this Book. While the mysterious person (it is who you think it is) is the elusive antagonist, this volume will focus on the two possible aspects of the Seth/ Touma relationship. Also, I plan to have it give some closure to the Azura aspect of the mystery as well.
3) Ahaha, it wasn't a kiss, but the end result turned out to be something quite similar, don't you think?
That should be it, jaja...
This chapter was a bit about humanizing the guardians. They are deranged mofos, but they too had their situations lol. Only very few of them were inherently evil- something that I wanted to explain using the "sane" Solon Ehrenstein.
The hidden purpose of Solon's plot was to incite Elaine to search for a magic name as well.
Let's see how that unfolds jaja... I won't spoil it lol.
The "Extras" page is up, and info on that thing has been/will be updated to match the latest chapter. And like I previously said— an expanded cosmology map is there as well in "Profile."
Both of them contain some exclusive information, like some unrevealed background, etc... so it is good to check them out as well ^^
That's it for today...
Let's meet again next weekend...
~VG out~