A single bullet pierced Oz's body right in front of my eyes.
　A small body lay on the ground with a thud.

"...... not dead yet?

　The bullet had pierced Oz's side. It was not a wound that would kill him instantly, but he was bleeding heavily. Oz would never be able to move again.

　He looked at Mize, who was hiding in the distance.
　Mize nodded silently and approached, holding BF28.

...... I don't get it.

　Oz moans at his feet.

"How did 28 end up like this ......?

"I don't know, .......

　I've been called the ace of the agency.
　I'm the one who repeatedly violated orders and even killed a colleague. It was understandable that Oz would have doubts.

　But I didn't feel bad.
　That much I can proudly say.

　That's when I heard a buzzing and shaking sound near Oz.
　From Oz's cloak, he pulls out a piece of newsprint.
　It contains an incoming call.

"How long are you going to do this?

　Chris's voice came from the piece of paper near his ear.

'As you know, you're the ones who are trapped. You've lost your means of transportation, and now you're going to be forced to go through an even tougher escape than before. ...... You alone might be able to manage. But I'm not so sure about you, Your Highness.

　The warning was irrefutable.

I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do that.　The Path of Wisdom is a powerful spell. There is no country in this world that treats Your Highness as a mere human being. If you run away, you'll probably end up doing the same thing again.

"I know.

　I know," he said, interrupting Chris.

I've known that for a long time.

　He cut off communication with Chris and threw the communication paper at his feet.
　Oz is already unconscious. If we leave him like this, he will bleed to death, but judging from the timing of the communication, Chris is probably waiting nearby. I'll leave the first aid to her.

"Mr. Toate, .......

　Mize looked at me with a worried expression.
　My carriage was destroyed and I lost all the food and medicine I had on the back of it.
　I was nearing the end of my strength as well as Mize. I'm exhausted both physically and mentally from the battle with Oz.
　Still, I can't stop.

"Let's go to .......

　Where to?　He didn't ask me where.



　Where to?



　I'd been aware of it since we left the kingdom.
　I knew this was a fool's errand.

　A few days have passed since the battle with Oz ended.
　I've been walking for a long time now in a wide wilderness that I can see beyond the horizon. There is no water, no food. The sunlight pouring down from overhead was hot and bitter, mercilessly sapping my strength.

"...... Mize, are you okay?

"...... Yes.

　As I continued to walk, barely eating or drinking, I gradually began to speak less and less.
　We were going somewhere, walking unsteadily, occasionally stumbling over nothing.

...... Eat this.

　It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your vacation.

"...... I'll have some.

　After roasting the lizard in the fire, Mize begins to eat, saying only a few words.
　After watching him chew the meat in silence for a while, I transferred the flames of the fire to the branch in my hand and left the scene.
　Then I reached for the animal carcass that I had hidden behind a rock.

　There was no meat left in the carcass. It was already too corroded to be eaten.
　However, the carcass was covered with a large number of maggots.
　I roast it and put it in my mouth.

　I still have more energy than you.
　I should give priority to Mize for food.

　Before I knew it, Mize, who was behind me, took the maggot from my hand and put it in his mouth.

"Mize ......

I can't be the only one who has it easy.

　I'm not going to take it easy on myself," he said, offering me the half of the lizard meat that was left.
　I chewed the skin off the lizard and thought about the future as I chewed.

　--I wondered how long I should continue living like this.

　I mutter in my head, not in words.

　I knew it.
　Even if we ran away, the kingdom would keep coming after us.

　Still, that time...
　I left the country with Mize because I knew I couldn't go on like this.



　I'm sure I made the right choice.
　If I hadn't taken Mize out, he would have been assassinated by now. So I have no regrets about that choice.

　--I had to run.

　Then and now.
　Even if there was no hope, all we could do was keep running.
　But that too--

"...... is the limit.

　I'm at the end of my rope, Mize is at the end of her rope.
　The patterns on the stones look like a child's face. The sound of the wind sounds like a baby crying.
　If the hallucinations and auditory hallucinations take over my consciousness, it's over. You don't have the strength to regain your lost sanity.

　Then... Mize, who was walking next to me, suddenly collapsed.

"Mize, ......?

　I slowly bent down to check on him, and he put his hands on my face.

"Mr. Toate ......, let's get farther, farther away from here.

"...... Oh.

"To a free, peaceful place where no one knows ...... us, together, forever .......

　I pulled my lips into a tight line as Mize smiled unreliably.
　Now I'm sure.

　--There is no freedom in flight.

　Even if you can escape from the enemy, you can't escape the fear of being attacked.
　That's what ...... I've finally come to understand.

I'm going to stop running ...... now.

　I muttered as I carried Mize on my back.
　When you saved Elysia, you realized that everyday life is a place to return to.
　So, is this ...... really the place to go?

　--No.

　I left a friend. We shot our friends.
　Are those days really where we're supposed to be?

　--Definitely not.

　I don't want to think of those days as a place to go.
　Neither do I. We're not looking for those days.

Somewhere, we've got to face it.

　I carry the fallen mise-en-scene to the shade of a rock and lay him down gently, saying.

"Freedom must be won ...... with dignity.

　I leave a small leather bag filled with water and some dead lizards beside the Mize.
　As I stood up, Mize looked at me as if she was about to cry.

"Where are you going ......?

"......, wait here for a while.

　I swallowed the words, "If I don't come back.
　If I don't come back, Mize will die. I'm not going to abdicate that responsibility.

　I pictured a map of the area in my mind.
　It would take about ten more days to walk from here to the Republic. But the city of Arcadia is only a stone's throw away.

　You walk through the empty wilderness at a brisk pace for about an hour.
　In the heat of the day, I spotted a pair of armored men.

"You're soldiers of Arcadia, aren't you?　

"What the hell are you?

　One of the men looked at me suspiciously as if I was about to collapse.

"Hmm?　Wait a minute. I know that look from somewhere. ......

"Oh, hey. He's not the wanted man from .......

　The men became increasingly confused.
　In front of them, I raised my hands.

"I surrender. Take me to the ...... king.