At my side, Fialaat said, bouncing her long eyelashes. I noticed that his words had a strange tremor to them.

"Lugis. I'm not sure what to make of this.

　I'm not sure what to do. It was an unusual voice for Fialaert. For better or worse, she is not one to show hesitation or weakness to others.

　Even the anguish and weakness that bubbled up in her skull would be chewed up and swallowed down before she knew it. Fialat was such a person.

　But that was a long time ago. I feel so stupid. I don't know how long I'm going to drag this out.

　The woman she used to be is now a distant memory. She must be Fialat-La-Borgograd, and thus no longer the same person I knew.

　It would be impolite, then, to compare the Fialaert of today with the Fialaert of old. A breath escapes from the corner of his lips.

　Below me, the black mist of elven misery floated, laying waste to the Great Temple. The sight of the knights of the cathedral, so proud of their fame, falling without a shot being fired is more eerie than exhilarating.

　I wonder if this is how things are supposed to go. Have I overlooked something? A feeling of foreboding comes to the edge of my heart.

　Of course, for Erdis, the one who created this scene, this may be a mere flick of a finger.

　It is possible that even the knights of the temple are like this, and that Kalia and the knight of honor, Garrus Gargantua, have somehow been overcome by the black mist and fallen down. It is more likely than not that they have somehow fallen into a strange place.

　Normally, that is.

　But those two are anything but normal. At least, Kalia's certainly not. Then it's unlikely that they've both been swallowed by the black mist.

　That would mean they both disappeared somewhere. I don't know if they have moved, or if they are just out of sight.

　When I said that, Fialaat looked at me as if to ask what I was going to do. I responded with a shrug of my shoulders and a slight flex of my fingers.

　His eyes were fixed on the far end of the main corridor.

Kalia said I could handle it, and I said I would.

　"Then," he said shortly, his lips pursing.

"Then there's no need to doubt her words. That's what I think, and that's probably what Kalia thinks, too.

　At least, that's the way I know Kalia. So there's no need to doubt it or worry about it.

　Of course, I do have some concerns about her safety. But if you make a big deal out of it, he'll probably pucker his lips and let out a grumble. And he won't be able to stop until I quiet him down like I always do.

　So it must be right to be doing this.

　I'm sure it's the right thing to do." Fialaat opened her eyes and fell silent for a moment, but after a moment, she let out a few words.

...... Yes, yes. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

　Guardian, shield. It's not that I said so, but... I'm sure you'll agree that it's a great idea.

　So I'm not going to deny it. And having the hero you once admired protect you is more than enough. I'm a little afraid to keep him around, though.

　After that, Fialaat must have tried to say something else. I saw his small lips open for a moment. But he couldn't seem to put it together as he struggled to choose his words. Only a few white breaths were wavering in the air.

　I wonder what's wrong. He had been acting strangely for a while now.

　I thought about urging him to speak, but surprisingly, once words are stuck, it's impossible to pull them up. Especially in a war zone like this, it can be difficult to even speak.

　Besides, you know.

　Assessing the opponent's emotions and calming them down by relieving their mental distortions is something that only a calm and sane person can do.

　Otherwise, it will not be effective, but will push the other person even further.

　--And now I'm neither calm nor sane.

　My vision remained fixed on the far end of the main corridor. I force my lips to part, and say.

"And, Fialaert--or your accomplice, sir. Of course, it seems that we can't afford to be complacent either.

　Even as he says it, his lips quiver and his whole body loses its ability to breathe as if he were bound.

　As soon as you see it, all of the organs inside your body stop moving, becoming mere lumps of flesh. The blood drained away in a matter of seconds, and the body felt as if it had been stripped of its heat. The breath you exhale is pale and white.

　And yet, somehow, there is no suffering anywhere in my body. Rather, there was something that tickled deep in my heart.

　I opened my eyes. It was the only part of my body that was functioning properly. And as long as it worked, that was enough.

　Out of the corner of my eye, at the far end of the great hallway. There was gold there, as if to divinely repel the black mist technique that Erdis, the chief of the elves, had concocted.

　--It was the hero I longed for, and my childhood friend who had become a saint.

　My eyes narrowed. I knew that my cheeks would naturally go numb.



　Was it the joy of reunion, or was something else entirely dancing around underneath my brain? That was the only thing I couldn't seem to figure out.

　But whatever it was, it was a wonderful, wonderful encounter.

　It was as if the gods were telling me that if I wanted to leave behind my old journey, my fearless past of crawling around on the ground, I had the right place and the right partner.

　I naturally let out my voice to Erdis. From the look of him, it seems that even he can't just stroll around in this black fog.

　Then lead him to the right place. It would be a simple matter to change the destination of the black fog a little.

　Erdis opened his eyes for a moment as if he had seen something unexpected, but then he nodded broadly and folded his fingertips.

　Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the black mist change its movement slightly.

　Just in time, Fialat must have noticed the figure at the end of the great corridor. I could see its dark, beautiful eyes distorting.

You may stay here, Fialaat. You can stay here, Fyarlath. We're old friends, and if it's hard for you, so be it.

　I let him tilt his treasured sword and said as he stood up straight.

　There is no lie in his words. To be honest, I felt it might be cruel to take the ailing Feart under the wing of the illustrious hero.

　However, Fialaat replied as if to kick away my thoughtfulness.

You must be joking. You can't expect me to just sit here and wait for you.

　I don't think I've ever been what you'd call a slacker," she added, her black hair fluttering in the air. I'm not sure what to make of that.

　The first corner of the eye has a sheen, and the eyes have an air of dignity about them. It's a good idea to take a look at the actual photos on the web.

　Fialaert's lips parted with a burst of energy.

"That night. That night in the ghetto, when I took your hand, I decided that I didn't care what happened, as long as you, my accomplice, would be on my side forever.

　Fialaat smiled ecstatically, referring to such a very familiar phrase. I thought I heard the footsteps of something.