Epilogue

Epilogue – The Path Leading to Sanctuary

–

Part 1

That night after the matter of Dragon Marauder was concluded.

The talk with Soffice was settled due to Magialca who came to check on the situation.

At the same time the danger that was approaching the new kingdom also came to an end. Queen Raffi was also liberated from the heavy responsibility temporarily.

Magialca listened to the story from Lux and Airi and accepted Soffice’s surrender.

Because Soffice’s relationship with Dragon Marauder was only being their employer temporarily, she refined a plan to make Soffice getting accepted by the countries.

In short, for the sake of capturing the Dragon Marauder, Soffice intentionally acted hostilely to the world alliance under Magialca’s order. That would be how they explained it.

Of course, the alliance wouldn’t accept it with just that after all the confusion they were thrown into.

But in addition of the annihilation of Dragon Marauder, the remaining two Grand Forces were also obtained. Exactly because they obtained such ideal results that it became a material that could possibly persuade the countries.

Right after Lux and Soffice defeated Deus ex Machina, the employer of Dragon Marauder seemed to escape right away, leaving the Moon completely deserted.

There was also Re Plica who returned to her senses, but it seemed the detail of the events was erased from her memory and she couldn’t recall them.

After that, Soffice entrusted the management of Moon to her and it was decided that Soffice would be left under the Academy’s watch for a while.

………….

In the end, the mastermind who moved the Moon at that time was still shrouded in mystery.

Even so, from the chain of events until now Lux had a suspect of the true identity of this person who was moving behind the scene.

「Fuu……」

Deep at night, Lux was looking up to the ceiling of his own room in the girl dormitory alone and sighed.

He was also worried about the matter of Coral.

From the story of Lisha and others, after participating in the battle against Dragon Marauder, it seemed Coral got injured by explosion and died. But when they searched after that, for some reason they couldn’t find his corpse.

Was he really dead, or else──.

「…………」

In any case, now that they had all the Grand Forces collected, arriving to Avalon was the priority right now.

The abandoned capital at Marcafal Kingdom, Gelsera. (TN: Now it’s back to Gelsera again, so I guess the previous one was the author’s mistake)

Magialca already built a base near that old castle. It seemed she was arranging logistics from all the countries of the world alliance starting from Drag-Ride hangar and food.

A swarm of powerful Abyss was clamoring around Avalon, and even more complex traps were set up inside the old fortress. That was the report they received from the scouting force.

The capture of Avalon by Drag-Knights dispatched from various countries and the Seven Dragon Paladins was finally going to start from next week.

Lux was thinking of such thing while starting to take off his clothes.

He was unable to enter the large public bath today due to time’s circumstance, so he would only wipe his body using towel that was soaked into hot water.

It was a bit unsatisfactory in this season where the winter was at its peak, but he couldn’t ask for luxury.

After wiping his face with hot towel, he continued with his neck, chest, shoulder, back──and then, the moment he untied his belt and pulled down his trouser──*knock knock*. A knocking sound could be heard.

「Err, is someone inside?」

「Ah, yes. Right now I’m in the middle of changing, so can you wait for a bit?」

Lux hurriedly replied at Soffice’s voice that he could hear from behind the door.

Lux was recalling about the barging events that repeatedly happened in this room while feeling relieved that this time an incident was somehow averted.

But, in contrast with that expectation of Lux, Soffice spoke out an unexpected sentence.

「I see. If it’s just the young man inside, that makes it much easier.」

「Yes. I’ll be thankful if you──huh……eeh!?」

The door of the room opened at that moment and Soffice wearing her usual pilot suit leaped inside.

Lux reflexively tried to hide his body, but his towel was taken away.

「Wai-!? What are you doing Soffice!? I told you I’m in the middle of changing──!?」

「I know. I’m in your debt young man, but that is that, this is revenge. Because you had seen my embarrassing moment, I’ll have you young man to show me yours too.」

「That was an act of god! This will be bad in various meaning if someone see us!」

Lux said that while hiding his body in panic, but Soffice attempted to tear off his clothes from him.

「Show it to me properly, it will only be balanced with that.」

Lux’s face was reddening while he desperately prevented Soffice’s hand from taking away his underwear.

After a desperate offense and defense that spanned several times was unfolding, the two of them were sitting down when they realized it.

「A, also, that’s, in order to deepen relationship as friend, naked association is necessary……」

「That is for fellow male you know!? Where did you hear that kind of knowledge from!?」

「I, is that so? I, didn’t have proper friend so I didn’t understand……. Err, is it fine, me becoming the friend of you young man?」

For some reason Soffice averted her gaze with her cheeks dyed red. Lux sighed in respond to that while nodding.

「There is no doubt about that. I really think of Soffice as friend.」

「……Thank you, young man.」

Soffice’s blank face was cold like mask.

Even so the slightly bashful atmosphere caused Lux’s cheek to loosen.

「The, then, I’ll consider the case of you seeing that as you owing me.」

It seemed she had given up seeing Lux’s lower body. Soffice muttered so and stood up quickly.

In that moment, Lux got taken aback from noticing something. He spontaneously averted his eyes and shut his mouth.

「What’s the matter? Is there something?」

「No, that, it’s a bit hard to tell Soffice right now……」

「……? It’s fine so don’t be reserved, if you think of me as friend then──」

「Err, that──slipped off.」

「…………?」

Soffice tilted her head in puzzlement, but a few second later she noticed.

The cloth on her chest that was clinging to her brown skin shifted from the previous quarrel, and the feminine undulation of her chest became exposed.

「──N-, NOOOoOOOOOOO-!?」

Soffice raised a high-pitched shriek and ran away in full speed.

After that she declared 「Relationship break off」. A total of one hour was needed to run around the girl dormitory until 「Reconciliation」 was reached.

Also it went without saying that during that time, everyone of Syvalles including the Triad became aware of it and a trouble occurred from that.

At the end everyone gathered in the dining hall and opened a welcoming party for Soffice.

The night of holy night festival with the lively girls was advancing.

–

Part 2

A few days later after that.

After a war council at the royal capital, Lux was called as Seven Dragon Paladins for the sake of conquering the entrance of Avalon that existed in Marcafal Kingdom──the abandoned capital Guernica. (TN: Now it’s back to Guernica again, what the hell.)

At the fortress base located before the old castle which seemed to be where Avalon was at, the Drag-Knights group of world alliance was already in battle.

The abandoned buildings were prepared using Drag-Ride so they became usable, and it seemed that it was arranged so it was possible for them to fight continuously for a month here, but the old castle had become a den of Abyss. Even with the chosen Drag-Knights from every country gathered here, they couldn’t even approach to its surrounding. That was the situation.

With the help of Soffice who was an Xfer, the door to the deepest part of Garden was unlocked. Furthermore after that Krulcifer unlocked the door to the deepest part of Hall. And then it was concluded with Magialca using her authority to liberate those Ruins in turn by placing the Grand Forces there.

And then Lux who departed from the Academy arrived to Marcafal Kingdom as one of the advance troops along with other Seven Dragon Paladins as well as the Lord.

「Yo, long time no see, prince-sama.」

The base town that was the nearest toward the abandoned capital──the fort city Forto. When Lux arrived there, Greifer who was in front of the fortress called out to him.

Dull blond hair, sanpaku eyes, and sulky attitude. Those were his trait, but in reality he was a good person.

He was the Seven Dragon Paladins of Vanheim Principality, but the other day his aide Coral died in battle.

It seemed the fight against the Abysses protecting Avalon had entered a lull, there was no sign of enemy in the surrounding.

After talking to the fortress guard and confirmed that, the two of them began to walk through a stone corridor.

「Sorry about Coral. That, I was unable to save him.」

「Why are you apologizing? Dying is included in the job of us soldier. You did the best you could right?」

「That’s right……but」

「Besides, somehow I still cannot believe it. Ain’t no way that guy will croak just from explosion, that’s what I feel.」

「…………」

In fact Lux also couldn’t believe it.

And also about Coral’s dying words that Lux heard from Lisha, where he apologized to him, Lux didn’t understand what he meant.

Somehow everything felt in limbo and his guts couldn’t accept it.

「One more thing, I’ve got a basis why I think that guy ain’t dead. By the way this gonna be a bit of awful story but, if it’s you prince-sama then I’m fine talking about it, you wanna hear it?」

「Eh……!?」

Lux was bewildered at Greifer’s voice that vaguely gave a hint of dangerous atmosphere.

「You better not listen to this if you wanna to believe in that guy. It ain’t a story that will make you feel good to know.」

「What do you mean? No──let me hear it!」

When Lux flared up with a serious face, Greifer let out a long sigh and began to talk.

「You know about her highness princes Milmiette right? Coral was among us as our princess’s distant relative but, that guy’s name vanished from that family tree.」

「……Eh!?」

Lux was resolving himself to not get agitated no matter what he was told, but as expected he was perplexed in incomprehension.

「The guy called Coral Esther ain’t exist from the start among the royalty of Vanheim Principality. Surely his name also didn’t exist in the family tree from the beginning. But for some reason we didn’t have any doubt about that guy’s status all this time. For nearly a year──nobody noticed it at all.」

「Such, thing, no matter how──」

「It ain’t possible, right? Currently we also thought so yeah. But, I want to ask you prince-sama seeing that you were close with that guy. Was that guy male? Or female?」

「-……!?」

The moment Lux was asked that, his vision was covered with static like sandstorm.

Coral’s figure in his mind flickered.

His figure that he thought was completely a male figure certainly looked like a girl on one occasion.

Even the color of her hair and eyes were different, he wondered why it looked like that to him?

The true identity of Coral Esther.

How did he become able to notice her his true identity so suddenly?

The last Ragnarok Sacred Eclipse.

The secret medicine of evolution, Elixir and Baptis.

A memory that he knew nothing about, and the transformed figure of Coral.

(Why at this time I──)

Where did his perception become mistaken?

Perception, perception……?

「By the way can I ask a question too? The guy who contracted the Dragon Marauder the last──the mastermind who made them betrayed that tanned girl, it seems you got an idea about it, is that true?」

It seemed Greifer heard about that from Soffice.

He was a caring person in spite of his outward appearance, so Lux introduced Soffice to him before this gathering. This seemed to be the result from that.

「Yes……it’s still nothing more than my personal speculation though.」

Although, Lux couldn’t be the only one keeping secret after he heard a confidential information from Greifer already.

And so, he said it.

The conjecture that he didn’t want to be correct.

A person other than the Lords who shouldn’t be in that place, and who was able to control the Moon. If speaking about such person──.

「It’s……Hayes vi Arcadia. She should have died, but it’s likely that she is alive.」

That way of talking which was conveyed through Re Plica, it was the very tone of Hayes.

And then, in case his reasoning was correct, it hinted at a single fact.

The Lords who right now became the central existence of conquering Avalon.

He didn’t know when Hayes was resurrected, but she contacted Dragon Marauder once more and controlled them by using Avalon as bait. If that was the case──.

「Oi, then don’t tell me……」

Greifer seemed to reach the same conclusion. His expression turned forbidding. Lux nodded.

「Yes. I have to tell this to Captain Magialca. if she, Hayes is alive, then from the beginning this battle──……-!?」

Lux suddenly looked forward. The moment he saw the stone paved corridor, a single girl──no, a girl was standing there.

A girl with braided hair weawring pilot suit for female.

Her face features that looked somewhat androgynous but well-ordered was familiar to Lux and Greifer.

「Co……ral!? No, you──」

Greifer’s eyes opened wide and he stiffened while raising his voice.

But, the figure of he who should have died was colored differently from before.

The same silver hair and grey pupils like Lux and Airi.

But only her right eye was dyed with faint light green color.

It was the proof of Baptism that the Lord Listelka and Hayes also received.

「──I’m sorry, both of you.」

Coral withdrew her Sword Device with an expression that looked somewhat sad.

Without pause her sword flashed toward Lux and Greifer, hitting the back of their head.

Fortunately it seemed she was hitting them with the back of her single-edged sword so they weren’t slashed, but the impact made them collapse.

It seemed she hit the precise spot, strength left their body and the consciousness was getting far.

Lux looked up at her face while still not understanding what was going on.

「……There is, no more time. All of you are more able than we imagined. If you reach Avalon and learn this world’s secret, the truth, the countries will surely cause bloody war. I’m sorry, for deceiving you two all this time. Also──thank you for calling someone like me a friend.」

「Co……ral, you, bastard……!」

Greifer’s groan came from the side.

Coral who heard that looked down on the two of them with her differently colored eyes without a single twitch in her expression.

「My name is Aeril vi Arcadia, the second imperial princess of Holy Arcadia Empire. The power of Baptism that was applied to me is to use a part of Avalon’s system that can convert other people’s perception.」

「Perception, conversion?」

「Even though I’m deceiving you two, now I have no more leeway to use this power. Now if I don’t use it to trick the eyes of Seven Dragon Paladins, I wouldn’t be able to make it in time.」

In other words, Coral’s figure was like this since the beginning.

Whether it was the color of her hair and eyes, or the bulge of her chest, everyone was only made to hallucinate that they weren’t there.

「However, don’t worry. I won’t let Nee-san kill all of you. When this battle is all over and we obtain Avalon, at that time let’s one more time──……such thing, is just too selfish isn’t it.」

Coral muttered with a smile that looked somewhat pained.

Lux’s consciousness was falling.

At the end Coral’s……no, her voice remained in his ear.

「……But I, saw a possibility inside you. That’s why, I intend to try opposing this fate in my own way. Not just as a Lord. I intend to show my own answer.」

Her footstep was getting farther.

Someone was carrying Lux’s body.

「Thank you, Lux-kun. I really like you, you know?」

「…………」

Not to mention replying, he was unable to even think about those words.

Lux’s five senses were enveloped in darkness and before long his consciousness was sinking.

–

Part 3

A chalk white ship with streamline shape was hovering in the sky of the new kingdom.

It was the residence of the Lords as well as an airborne mobile fortress──the prehistory legacy called Heaven Palace.

At the beginning it was a part of Avalon, a vehicle that was exclusively for the use of royalty. It flew in full speed and the other day it entered into Ymir Theocracy’s Hall.

It arrived to the deepest part that had been unlocked by Krulcifer beforehand and the Grand Force was placed there. And then now it was heading toward the Garden below.

「This is the third including the Dungeon. Looks like I’m number one. With this I finally fulfilled my duty as the shrine maiden of oracle.」

Wearing pure white dress, the silver haired and grey eyed first imperial princess, Listelka Rei Arshalia said that while patting down her chest in relieve.

Beside her, the blue haired main Mishis was silently standing.

「But, I believe that the body of her highness Hayes might not last long. If we make her participate in the battle ahead, her lifespan that was lengthened by Baptism will become short.」

「Hah……!」

When Mishis said that and turned her gaze to the side, a robed girl standing there formed a wide grin on her lips.

Two mismatched eyes with gray color and blue color.

The one who once maneuvered secretly by selling weapons from Ruins as the Dark Marketer, Hayes Vi Arcadia.

After almost dead from her battle against Lux, her body became unable to move, but she recovered her consciousness around two weeks ago and her brainwave was detected.

What Hayes wished was to participate in battle even if only temporarily and died rather than surviving in this condition.

Revenge to Lux and others who made her felt such bitter experience and accomplishing her dearest wish as a Lord.

Hayes received Baptism of body strengthening into her whole body. Several tattoos with black geometrical pattern were running through half her body.

It wasn’t injection of Elixir to transform into Nocturnal, but a Baptism simply so she could move her body properly.

Naturally, because she was forcefully moving her body that originally couldn’t even walk, she wouldn’t hold long.

After around ten more days, Hayes would run out of life force and fell asleep for eternity.

But, Hayes’s awakening was a godsend for them.

Making use of Hayes’s connection with Dragon Marauder in the past, they succeeded in circumventing Soffice Xfer.

「You talk impudently after making this me to clean up the misconduct of your fellow Xfer. Aren’t you ashamed to receive the middle name of Holy Arcadia Empire after all that huh?」

「Hayes, stop bothering Mishis. If we look further back, it was your bad because you didn’t wait for us to wake up correct? This is because you didn’t listen to what Fugil said.」

When Listelka chided her, Hayes pouted in annoyance.

「Fugiiil? Aneue-samaelder sister is also really hopeless, getting so attached to a traitorous asshole like that. Did he make you completely putty in his hand with his technique while I was sleeping?」

Hayes thought of Fugil as 『fishy』 and didn’t trust him from before. She snorted scornfully at her elder sister’s trust toward him.

But, hearing Hayes’s line, Listelka who was usually showing a gentle bearing of a princess was wrapped in killing intent.

「You have become so high and mighty now. My foolish little sister who had Baptism just in her right eye and only obtained the power to rule over Gear Leader from that, dare to insult me, the shrine maiden of oracle, and him the hero.」

「……-!?」

Receiving Listelka’s gaze that felt like a sword point, Hayes twitched and turned speechless.

*Chih*, when Hayes clicked her tongue and exited the room, the tense atmosphere loosened slightly.

「Now then, it seem that Aeril is subduing Seven Dragon Paladins just as planned, so let’s go to Garden soon. If I can arrive to Avalon with this, I will finally be able to correctly rule over this world. Now Mishis, please call my knight here.」

「Understood.」

The maid Mishis bowed to her master. She then walked through the corridor with silver wall and headed to another room.

*Clack clack*, the footstep sound resounded with regular rhythm, giving Mishis time to think.

She couldn’t say it just now, but Mishis was also growing unable to trust Fugil.

Even though he who was from the family of traitor saved the imperial princesses of Holy Arcadia Empire, even though he had been truly loyal until now, she was cautious toward something of him. Though it seemed the second imperial princess Aeril was also the same like her.

What she felt wasn’t something like simple malice or ambition.

Something, yes, it was like his eyes were looking at them as though watching fish in aquarium. For some reason she was having vague fears from those eyes.

「Fugil. Listelka-sama will disembark from the ship. Please come as guard.」

「──Yeah, got it. I will do as her highness command.」

Inside the room, Fugil was toying with a golden balance scales.

A cross silverwork was placed on the scale, as though he was testing something.

–

A few hours after that, a proclamation that hit the world into chaos was declared toward the people.

Before the world destruction by Sacred Eclipse, the signal fire of a battle that would shook the underlying principle of each nation was going to be fired right about now.