["The crystal glowed with the light of a thousand hearts, and the Hero knew he had found the Source. But he was yet to be able to grasp it—for who could ever hope to grasp the soul but the gods themselves?" — Codex Orchestral, Canto 11:5]

"—And our children will grow up in a world without fear! Where their dreams are in reach!"

Kiritsugu could barely hear himself over the cheers and calls of the crowd far below, not to mention the pounding of his heart. But given how they reached towards the balcony with outstretched hands and raised fists, the message was clearly carrying. Helped, of course, by the sound-amplifying magic cast onto the podium he stood on. Letting his gaze sweep over the grounds below, he pulled more air into his lungs and pressed on to the final words.

"It's those smiles we carry with us on our journey—whether up on the ramparts, or into the dark. And now, I will take the first steps of that journey."

The audience stilled in anticipation, broken by snatches of conversations and yells from those a little slower on the uptake.

"For Senia!" he yelled, and heard it echoed from all corners.

Senia!

"For the Southlands!"

For the Southlands!, and the call deepened into a rumbling roar.

"For victory!"

The crowd went wild, cheering and throwing up hats and waving banners and flags of a dozen nations. He waved one last time, taking in the roaring support of a people he had scarcely known for more than a couple months, and then turned around to walk back into the castle. As the doors opened, he heard the assembled folk band begin to rally the crowd around some traditional piece of music. This was a celebrated event, he was told—bread and entertainment were a given.

The first person that met his eyes was Lupa, grinning.

"Looks like you managed to survive it," she drawled. "After that, the Demon Lord's gonna be a cinch, yeah?"

"Were it only so simple," Elana said, pushing her glasses up. But she, too, wore a gentle smile. "Though I think an audience with him would be… a… d-different sort of crowd-pleasing."

Solaire arched an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, did you just imply we should publicly torture him?"

"Oho, getting a little wild, are we?" Lupa replied, turning her attention to the witch. "I knew you had it in you. It's always the quiet ones."

Elana blushed. "N-no, that's not quite what I meant—"

"No no, it's okay, I get it." The warrior leaned on the stone wall and crossed her arms, smirking. "You've had that rage pent up for a long, long time, and who else to let it out on than the devil himself? You don't gotta justify yourself to me, I get it."

Kiritsugu was considering bringing the subject to a halt himself, but Elana took a deep breath and put a hand out. "O-okay, enough shenanigans. Yuusha-sama," she turned back to him. "How—ah… how are you feeling?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair—barely styled at all, to his surprise. Apparently it fit him too well to be worth fixing. "That was… tiring."

He was surprised at how well it was received. He was so completely unsettled in the spotlight, and the words he spoke meant little to him. Not nothing, though—there was something resembling an attachment to them. Perhaps crafted out of that long night they worked together, or because of the amount of time spent on affairs of the state. Whatever the reason, Kiritsugu found that there was something there. But pulling that something out had proven far too difficult for this to become a regular occurrence.

"Don't tell me you're already worn out," Solaire said, rolling her eyes. "A little speech got you this winded? We're barely gonna get through Yaïrva by next week."

"Now, now," Rosalind chided, entering from a side hallway. "It was his first public speech of this kind. Would you judge a fisherman's potential based on their first time at sea?"

Solaire grumbled something inaudible.

"How are things looking?" he asked the queen, who turned her golden eyes to him.

"They adored it," she said with a smile, motioning down the hall to get the group moving. "As I said, you're better at this than you think."

"I'll take that under advisement," he replied as they turned a corner together, his party following close behind. "Anything else I need to be updated on? Are the legions ready to launch the attack?"

Rosalind made a chiding noise under her tongue. "I'll have none of that now. Focus on your appointed task, and let me worry about my own. But to ease your mind—yes, everything is on track."

The shadow of a smile flitted across Kiritsugu's face. "You're good at what you do, too."

"Why thank you." Gracefully, her hand moved up to cover her mouth. "Ah, but unlike yourself, I don't need it pointed out to me."

"Heh." Somehow, the laugh didn't feel as forced as it used to.

Conversation drifted around him as they made their way through the castle, down corridors that had become familiar over the last few weeks. He found his thoughts drifting too, away from these stone steps and back to the summoning circle traced upon the throne room's floor, in a time that felt both like months ago, and only yesterday. The expected shock on their faces, the sense of being a grim square peg for a shining circle.

They'd welcomed him with open arms anyway, because they needed him. They had lavished him with praise and gifts and trust because of that need. However… pleasant, yes, their company was, he had not forgotten the goddess' smirk when she'd sent him off, nor the threat held over his head.

Yet perhaps he was growing sentimental after all, because it didn't all feel like cynical manipulation. The queen's easygoing fondness under her royal mask, the princess' righteous anger at what she deemed a broken promise, the witch's desperation for an outsider to give her honest assurance and validation, even the warrior's open admiration for tenacity in all its forms. They all felt true to the people surrounding him.

Or maybe they were excellent actors and it was all fake, after all. A construction of that twisted divinity meant specifically to let him hope again, only to pull the rug out from under him. He couldn't exclude the possibility—she had complete and utter control of the situation and of the environment.

And if it is?

If it really was, then…

Indigo light spilled from the room up ahead. The waygate.

Rosalind stopped a few paces from the entrance, then turned to face them all. "I suppose this is it, then. But before you go…"

Before the princess could so much as blink, her mother swept her up in a tight bear hug. "I'm so proud of you, Solaire. Your father would be too."

Solaire gradually eased into her embrace, slipping her own arms around her mother's shoulders to hug her back. "I'm coming home, Mother. I promise."

Head tucked into the queen's shoulder, she didn't notice the older woman's eyes meet Kiritsugu's over her auburn hair. When he returned her gaze and nodded in silent assurance, he saw some of the tension drain from Rosalind's stance. She reluctantly straightened after a moment, then walked towards Elana.

"Your Majesty, I promised—" the witch began, then squeaked when the queen enveloped her in an equally fierce hug.

"You too," said Rosalind before tucking a stray lock of blonde hair behind the woman's ear. "Please come home safely."

Elana's face flushed crimson beneath her glasses. "I… yes, ma'am!… I-I mean, your highness… your majesty!"

The queen chuckled. "Elana, it's okay."

The witch murmured a few more apologies under her breath as Rosalind turned to Lupa. Her face took on more of her regal bearing, but her smile stayed cheerful.

"Miss Arrernte." Golden eyes flicked towards Kiritsugu. "I'm entrusting him to you. Bring him home in one piece, please."

Lupa stared at her for a moment, then grinned with her canines on full display. "Don't worry. I won't let a single hair come out of place on his tail."

"Is this another one of your outlandish fantasies again?" demanded the princess as Rosalind's face took on that increasingly familiar mix of amusement and exasperation. "Even you should be able to tell that he's not of beast-blood, there is nothing there."

"You wanna bet on it?" The warrior idly folded her hands behind her head. "Could be he's got a small one under that coat. Didja even check?"

"I'm not taking off my coat," said Kiritsugu flatly, before Rosalind caught his eye again. After a beat, her smile returned, brighter than ever. There was a very clear undercurrent of apprehension and fear, but it paled before her warmth.

For a moment, he let himself believe in it.

"Yuusha-sama… Kiritsugu." She spread her hands. "I know that being a hero does not… come easily to you. And yet you're going anyway, for all our sakes."

The gnawing in his heart was back, more painful than ever. Some of it must have shown in his expression, for she sighed, not unkindly.

"I wish you could see yourself the way we do…" She brushed some hair aside and sighed again. "Well, another time. After you've settled accounts, of course."

Right. He still had the folded paper tucked in his inner pocket.

Rosalind smiled at him a heartbeat longer, then pivoted and spread her arms to encompass all four companions. "Then to all of you, best of luck in your quest. Our hopes and prayers go with you."

A salute from Solaire, a determined nod from Elana, and a cheeky imitation of the princess' salute from Lupa.

"Hey—!"

"Same chorus, kitty? Come on, change your tune."

Kiritsugu gave the queen a solemn nod, then approached the waygate. Indigo light swirled around him, from his boots to the shaggy tips of his hair. The same nausea as the first time hit him as Solaire recited the spell, settling in his body like lead. Then a bright flare, and his body stretched and scattered towards a strange new destination.

They were off.

Minerva's Note: And that's it. For now, at least. This is the end of book one. The second book will be out sometime in the future. I would like to see it out before the end of the year, but no promises. It has been started, though, so there's that. I hope all of you enjoyed the ride in some form or another. We've still got some ways to go before we reach the Demon King, and many things about the world and its people to show. Thank you to everyone who read, followed, favorited, subscribed, gave kudos, commented, etc. etc. I know this was a weird idea and that the execution had more than a few flaws, but it was a lot of fun to write, and I know it will only be moreso in the future. Your support has meant the world to us. Thank you for joining us.

Tunko's Note: Once again, Minerva expresses everything I meant to say. So I'll simply add that I honestly thought this brainworm would appeal to a very limited audience, one I could count on a single hand. That we've had your support, even during our bumpier segments or odd trains of thought, means more than I can express. Thank you.

Your ending theme is Far Horizons by Jeremy Soule.

Thanks for reading. See you next time.