Chapter 89:
Shaula
Ragged, ragged, scattering away.
Crumbling, crumbling, flaking away.
Tired, tired, fading away.
Ragged, crumbling, and tired, everything in the distance was shimmering.
1
—Outside the tower, the witchbeast Master broke through the stampede of countless witchbeasts by fighting with all her strength.
—On the second floor, Reid Astrea, who had seized the body of Roy Alphard, was defeated.
—On the fourth floor, the blasphemer of fate, the vile Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, was defeated.
—On the first floor, Emilia broke through the unknown Trial by fighting bravely and heroically.
A variety of obstacles they had faced while trying to capture the Pleiades Watchtower had been cleared. This was the result of them trusting in each other, staying unified, and cooperating.
To put it in an Emilia-like way, this was the result of “everyone getting along.”
Thanks to this, they had finally managed to make it to this point.
Therefore, the next step was—
“—It won’t mean a thing if we don’t win this together!”
When they first arrived to the Pleiades Watchtower, this was what Emilia had said.
They had come here not to lose anything more, but to recover what had already been lost.
Everyone had agreed with what she’d said back then, and that everyone returning from the sea of sand safe and sound was of absolute necessity. It would not be an issue even if more people returned than came.
In addition to Subaru, Emilia, Beatrice, Ram, Rem, Meili, Anastasia = Echidna, and Patrasche, one extra Shaula wouldn’t be a problem at all. It wouldn’t even matter how loud and boisterous things would be on the way back because of her.
“—Go!”
Of the two Spirit Knights standing side-by-side, the one who had made the first move was, of course, Julius.
—Julius brought back Kua, who was in the process of healing someone, temporarily halting their treatment, and once again clad himself in an aurora of light with the help of his six spirits.
Due to the effect of Cor Leonis, Subaru understood that in order for the light of his Od to expand so much, both Julius and his spirits would have to be under a considerable load.
It was a rather cool technique to pull off. However, no one here wanted to fight an extended battle in the first place.
“—A short, decisive battle.”
Julius flew over the sand, leaving a trail of rainbow-colored light in his wake.
Closing the distance in a single instant, Julius brought his sword closer to the Crimson Scorpion. Seeing his movements with its compound eyes, it swung its pincers and stinger with the fierceness of a storm. However, the moment his sword made contact with its shell, white smoke began to rise.
It had caused it to melt.
It wasn’t even able to protect itself after receiving that blow, for Julius’ strike had turned into a rainbow, his magic sword wrapping itself in a sixfold light due to the constant use of Al Clarista.
Moreover, the light of the rainbow enveloping his entire body wasn’t just for show, either.
“───”
The ray of light, fired from the stinger at close range, had killed Subaru more than a dozen times, and had also been used as the weapon of Death that led to the deaths of Emilia and Julius—it was also known as Hell’s Snipe.
Julius did not deflect it with his sword, but rather by using the defensive capabilities of the aurora of light. The aurora of light, which enveloped his entire body, applied the concept of Al Clauselia, which created a rainbow barrier.
And so, a high-level swordsman who could unify both offense and defense was born, and could thus be called the Rainbow Spirit Knight.
“~~ッッ!!”
Its defenses were being broken through, it could not land a single lethal blow, and so, as a result, the Crimson Scorpion was having an awful time.
However, the witchbeast that had been the guardian of the watchtower for the past 400 years had a sense of dignity. Its crimson shell growing brighter and brighter, a great amount of heat was released from its powerful pincers and slammed into Julius, blowing the Rainbow Knight quite a ways away.
Its pincers were extremely hot, distorting the atmosphere around itself due to the intensity of the heat. If Subaru were to give a name to the blazing-hot pincers, he would call them the “Jesus Scissors Hellfire Form.”
It was quite admirable for it to show off its new techniques in order to try to liven up the last battle, but the reality was that he did not want it to show any growth. An enemy breaking out of their shell was extremely undesirable at the moment.
“MINYA!!”
It swung its crimson pincers through the air but was deflected by purple stakes from the side, preventing them from making contact with Julius.
By himself, Subaru was not enough to do anything in the high-level battle between Julius and the Crimson Scorpion. As a result, Beatrice covered for Julius to the side whilst Subaru waited for an opportunity to do something.
“───”
Subaru made sure to keep himself out of harm’s way so he wouldn’t be killed by the aftermath of the battle. He then pointed his gaze at the sea of sand that had been devastated by the whirlwind that drove the swarm of witchbeasts from there.
In terms of the damage inflicted and their sheer vigilance, the witchbeasts that inhabited the Augria Sand Dunes had a major impact on Subaru and the others during their journey.
However, what was truly unusual was that they were now staying away from the watchtower and looking at it from a distance.
Emilia had probably rewritten the rules of the tower on the first floor, causing the clouds to disperse.
Perhaps that had served as a measure to keep witchbeasts away from the tower? witchbeasts did not seem to even approach the watchtower originally, so the fact that a stampede of witchbeasts approached it was rather unnatural.
Whatever the case may be, the fact the witchbeasts didn’t start popping up all over the place was a huge relief to Subaru and the others, who were attempting to get the Crimson Scorpion’s—Shaula’s sanity back.
“—SUBARU!!”
“Ah.”
So that he could find an ideal position, Subaru cut across the sea of sand diagonally, but while doing so, he heard someone’s shout.
Right as Subaru looked up to confirm what was going on, the Crimson Scorpion, which had been dodging the many sword thrusts of Julius, somehow landed right next to him.
Subaru stopped in his tracks after hearing Beatrice’s call, who was right next to him holding his hand. However, as if flicking away an insect, the witchbeast’s tail whipped towards them, and Subaru had a premonition of Death in the face of it.
“Persevere—!”
“—Murak!”
Subaru and Beatrice made their judgments simultaneously. The effect of gravity lessened, causing them to become as light as cotton candy. And Subaru’s whip simultaneously wrapped around the base of the Crimson Scorpion’s tail.
In the next second, Subaru and Beatrice were flung through the air due to the swinging of the tail.
“Wha-”
“Pyyah!?”
They hadn’t been flung into the air, but shaken off. After feeling as if they were floating through the air, they had immediately fallen to the ground and were now covered in sand.
If there had been a hard surface beneath them, even though they were as light as cotton candy right now, their bodies would have shattered due to the sheer power and force. Luckily, they had only had their breath knocked out of them since it was on the sand.
“We gotta give up on chasing after it—!”
“—ッ.”
The Crimson Scorpion continued to target Subaru and Beatrice, who were still buried in the sand. However, the light of the rainbow cut in between them, preventing it from making a move, and the heat and sixfold light clashed with each other.
Every time the light was scattered, a sea of destruction was left in its wake, and the shockwave it caused kicked up a sandstorm under the clear sky. The destructive power of each was equal; Julius had speed on his side, but the Crimson Scorpion was rather resilient.
“—*Spit* *Spit*! Shit, something needs to be done!”
“—*Spit* *Spit*! Figure out a way to win then, I suppose!”
—Together, Subaru and Beatrice got themselves out of the sand and spat the grains of sand in their mouths out at the same time. With tears in their eyes, they tried to figure out how to get the sound of Subaru’s voice as well as Julius’ rainbow light to reach Shaula.
There were three possibilities they could rely on—
The first was for Julius to suddenly awaken to an even greater power and defeat the Crimson Scorpion in a single blow. This one was a bit unpleasant but would be a win nonetheless.
The second was for Subaru and Beatrice to successfully complete their new spell and finish off the Crimson Scorpion, obtaining a win with their teamwork.
The third was for Emilia to suddenly drop down from the sky with love and peace in tow, bringing about world peace with her cuteness.
“I was really hoping for the third one to happen first, but...”
As has already been stated before, Subaru didn’t believe that he was capable of successfully awakening, and it was unrealistic to expect Emilia to show up with the perfect timing.
That being the case, the best they could hope for was Julius suddenly becoming stronger.
“He’s already done that once, so I can’t expect too much from him...”
Julius and the Crimson Scorpion continued to fight at a speed that Subaru’s eyes could not follow. Pondering what to do next, Subaru stared at the devastation occurring right in front of him, the aftermath of which was capable of turning him to ash if he got too close.
The only thing he could do in the end was to fight with all his cards. If that was the case, then the least he could do as the complete Natsuki Subaru was to exhaust every card in his arsenal.
“Think-think-think....”
His brain going at full throttle, going over that which was not simply a hopeless dream or observation, he found something with substance. As he was searching through his hand for something to use, Subaru realized something.
He still had one last card he had yet to use.
“—Beako!”
“Did you think of something, I suppose!”
Beatrice responded to Subaru’s call with eagerness, as if she had been waiting for it. Blessed to have such an understanding partner, Subaru clasped her hand with his once again and nodded vigorously with a “Yeah!.”
“—Here, I’m gonna use all of the strength this journey gave me!”
2
Ragged, ragged, scattering away.
Crumbling, crumbling, flaking away.
Tired, tired, fading away.
Ragged, crumbling, and tired, everything in the distance was shimmering.
The fierce light of a rainbow flashed in front of her eyes, and, following her instincts, she swung her arms to get rid of it.
Her two bright crimson pincers glowed, containing enough power to burn anything in existence regardless of whether or not the object was rock or steel, and could cut through them as easily as cutting through butter.
“Buuuuuut, I’m not really sure what “butter” even is, either.”
Talking about things based off of secondhand knowledge, she continued to chase after that shimmering target. However, this place was a vast sea of sand without any obstacles, so there was no way for her to corner them. But whether this was a place where there was nowhere to run or where she had to fight from a distance, she had complete mastery in such things—
“After all, snipers are always alone, right?”
This was also something she had heard before. A sniper was a sharpshooter who needed to wait patiently before completely finishing off their prey. And so she also chose to wait. With the pride of a sniper in her heart, she continued to wait.
Day after day, night after night, she gazed into the horizon, forever waiting, looking at those who attempted to come to the tower.
There were rules there; rules that bound her to the tower.
She was upset about that, but she also thought that if there were no rules at all, her forgetful self would have forgotten various things in no time.
Whether it was the places they went together, the words they spoke to each other, the time they spent together, or the feelings and thoughts they shared, they would all be forgotten.
“Aaaaaah... That would be sooo terrible.”
Everything had moved on and left her behind.
Because she had been asked to wait, she could wait for as long as they desired, but since she was waiting, she couldn’t help but hope that the person she was waiting for would come back. As long as they came back, she could wait forever.
Therefore—
“I was soooooooooo happy that Master came back.”
Because, one by one, everyone disappeared. When he came back, she wasn’t sure if she could believe the words he said.
Did she wait because she believed in him, or did she continue to wait simply out of habit? She wasn’t even able to answer this question. She had never even thought about it before.
There was no reason to think about it, either, for before it had disappeared, they made true on their promise.
“Aaaah, I’m sooooo happyyy, Master.”
So, she hoped he would never leave. She thought it would be great if he could stay here forever. Because she was no longer alone and could graduate from being a sniper, she thought she should receive an appropriate reward for graduating.
“Master, I don’t want to be left behind agaaain... Aaaah, I also…want to be loveeeed.”
Everything had moved on and left her far behind.
Therefore, this time, she wanted to follow him, no matter where or when.
So—
“I hope you...can come to love me. —Master.”
3
The Crimson Scorpion twitched, the glow of its crimson shell growing ever brighter.
It was possible that it was an increased reaction of its Warning Color, but in the eyes of Subaru, that didn’t seem to be the case. It was as if that crimson hue came about due to Shaula crying.
It was the expression of the true thoughts of the being named Shaula, who had locked her feelings away for the past 400 years and kept her promise to stay in the tower.
Red was the color of fervor, of passion, of unrestrainable Love. The crimson hue of the Crimson Scorpion must’ve been brought about by its strong desire to love and be loved by the person it loved.
“—AFTER ALL, EVERYONE SAYS THAT SCORPIO WOMEN ARE EXTREMELY LOVING!!”
Kicking up a lot of sand with his own two feet, Subaru shouted that out with a burst of enthusiasm and brought his hand up to fling his whip with his broad shoulders.
“───”
He aimed at the one whose back to turned to him and was fighting and fooling around with Julius, the Crimson Scorpion. He used his whip to announce his presence, seeing that she was so busy, but the Master she longed for was standing right there. Since she was making advances on another man, he had no choice but to say some nasty things to her—
“SEEING YOU GO AFTER ANOTHER MAN LIKE THIS REALLY MAKES ME SAD AND WOUNDS MY MANLY HEART, YOU KNOW—!!”
“Subaru’s way of speaking is disgusting as usual, in fact!”
Subaru unleashed his whip and landed a perfect hit, having been pushed onwards by Beatrice’s harsh words from behind his head—it had been beautifully wrapped around the base of the Crimson Scorpion’s tail.
However, just this alone would still lead to what had happened not too long ago where they had been buried into the sand.
The Crimson Scorpion, perhaps because it did not think much of their game of tug-of-war, instead focused on the fight with Julius, completely ignoring Subaru and co. altogether.
Subaru and everyone else was weak. —It would take advantage of that idea.
“EL VITA—!!”
“GAAAAAH!!”
Beatrice chanted the magic spell, causing the effects of it to pour over Subaru’s whole body, his legs sinking into the sand due to the sheer weight.
In contrast to Murak which mitigated the effects of gravity, Vita increased the effects of gravity—Subaru’s weight class had been raised to the Yokozuna level of the Makuuchi division of sumo wrestling, allowing him to compete with the tail of the Crimson Scorpion.
Naturally, that alone would not be enough. It could enhance the effects of gravity, but only up to 220 or so pounds (100 kilograms.) That was nowhere near enough to compete with the monstrous strength of Shaula, who could easily pick up and carry a dragon carriage.
Therefore—
“—Time for the climax! DO IT!!”
With both hands pulling hard on the whip and his feet firmly planted in the sand, Subaru let out a loud cry. In the next instant, Subaru’s body, which was being pulled up by the brute strength of the Crimson Scorpion’s tail, returned to the ground.
The obvious reason as to why was because the strength of the Crimson Scorpion and Subaru—no, Subaru and the others—was evenly matched.
“—ッッ.”
Now in front of Subartu, still standing firmly in place, was the Hungry Horse King, who had broken into their game of tug-of-war with its huge, strange-looking body. Moreover, it wasn’t just the Hungry Horse King that had joined this unprecedented game of tug-of-war.
Courtesan bears, winged moles, and suspicious serpents all joined the battle. All of these witchbeasts, who were supposed to be Subaru’s enemies, were giving him a helping hand in this battle.
The cause of this scene was none other than—
“...Really, you’re such a slave driverrr!”
It was the voice of a girl enveloped in a weary and unhappy atmosphere. The owner of that voice was a young girl whose cheeks were devoid of blood and having trouble breathing—Meili.
Tightening her lovely face, she let out a long, hard sigh. Then, yelling out a “Hoorah!” and clapping loudly—
“Okay! Come here, everyone. Watching from the side is a waaasteee.”
With a single clap, and, after a single beat, the sea of sand began to rumble. Continuously pouring into this area were witchbeasts, whose footsteps and roars could be heard. This environment was well-suited for witchbeasts, and the one who had taken control of it was the witchbeast Master—no, she could no longer be called that.
The massive phenomenon occurring wasn’t caused by a mere witchbeast Master. Using the Divine Protection of Magic Manipulation, she guided and took control of the witchbeasts of the Augria Sand Dunes, so the title of witchbeast Master no longer suited her.
It was as if the Mother of witchbeasts, who had left a trail of destruction in the southern empire, had returned. She once again made use of her skills to cause a stampede for this battle, turning it into an all-out war.
“───”
Though Meili wore a painful expression on her face, she still managed to stay conscious and had recovered enough to participate in the final battle. Naturally, there was a little trick behind it.
Subaru had, naturally, used Cor Leonis to distribute the damage Meili had taken to another. —Sharing it had been the last card in his hand.
Not with Emilia, not with Beatrice, and not with Ram, either. Nor was it shared with Julius, Echidna, Patrasche, Meili, or the sleeping Rem. It was the one who had come with them to conquer the Augria Sand Dunes, their last ally—
“—Sorry to get you involved, Gyan! Give me a hand!!”
The earth dragon Gyan, who had been left on the sixth floor of the distant watchtower, was also within the range of Cor Leonis’ influence, so, as a result, Subaru made the decision to share that burden with the earth dragon.
The decision to do so was heartbreaking for Subaru, but what was even more heartbreaking for him was that Gyan met the conditions of Cor Leonis for those who wished to share his burdens.
This meant that, just like Beatrice and his other friends, Gyan wanted to support Subaru’s actions. He was grateful for the spirit of the theatrical version of Gyan, transferring most of Meili’s burdens to the earth dragon through himself. This was the trick that allowed Meili to get back in the game.
It was also the main reason why the Crimson Scorpion lost in the competition of strength. And also—
“—This will be the cause of your defeat, Shaula.”
Subaru had taken command of the battle, and even used the power of witchbeasts and an earth dragon, and, as he spoke, the Crimson Scorpion lifted its legs up.
The Finest of Knights did not let this opportunity go to waste. Unleashing a rainbow slash, Julius cut the tail of the Crimson Scorpion, who had been struggling against them in a battle of strength, clean off.
The severed tail let off an explosion, much like it had earlier, spreading a mass of destruction throughout the area, but it was unable to get through the rainbow light. Its trump card having been blocked, it violently swung his large pincers down at Julius’ back.
However, its attack appeared to have been born from a feeling of agitation and impatience due to losing the battle of strength and having its tail cut off. As a result, it was not able to overpower the knight who had defeated the first Sword Saint and overcame his limits.
“—Hiss…!”
The slash drew an arc through the air, beautifully slicing through the vulnerable joint on the left pincer. Still trying to regain its balance after its left pincer got sliced off, it attempted to chop Julius in half with its remaining right pincer.
Right as the pincer closed, threatening to bisect his slender body from the waist—
“—Al Cranvel.”
A moment before the pincer snapped shut, an aurora of light enveloped Julius’ entire body in a single breath. As soon as he deactivated his rainbow armor, that aurora of light let off an explosion inside the pincer that was about to close, blowing it to shreds.
“—ッッ.”
Pushed by the shockwave of the explosion, the massive body of the Crimson Scorpion flew into the air. The witchbeast flew through the air, spinning, before finally falling into the sand, its tail and arms lost and covered in injuries.
The other witchbeasts quickly swarmed around it and pinned down the eight-legged Crimson Scorpion. Still resisting its fate, it turned its large head, barring its sharp teeth.
Taking the Crimson Scorpion’s resilience into account, it would not be surprising for it to suddenly come up with a new move at this very moment, spurred on to achieve new growth due to its current predicament, however—
“—This is the end, Shaula.”
Subaru stood right in front of the writhing, struggling, Crimson Scorpion so that its compound eyes could see him fully. With no weapons left and its legs pinned down, it was in a rather sad state. It would be easy to strike the final blow now, but that was not what he wanted.
Subaru was not sure what the correct answer was despite being driven to this point—
“Meili.”
“...If I had not been here, I wonder what you and everyone else would’ve doneeeee, mister.”
Having been called by name, Meili sighed and walked over to the Crimson Scorpion. She stood next to Subaru and snapped her fingers with a sigh. She then had its compound eyes focus on herself.
“Who are you? The crimson, scary Miss Scorpion? Or are you…”
“───”
“Or are you someone else, I wonder?”
Having been asked such a question, the compound eyes of the Crimson Scorpion gradually slowed down. Gazing at Meili, its compound eyes showed signs of wavering before turning its gaze to Subaru. Those aggressive, compound red eyes slowly changed color.
“Shaula.”
The crimson hue of its shell slowly began to fade away. Its eyes turned green once more, its shell went back to being black, and it slowly began to calm down, and finally—
“—Shaula!”
At last—
4
Ragged, ragged, scattering away.
Crumbling, crumbling, flaking away.
Tired, tired, fading away.
Ragged, crumbling, and tired, everything in the distance was shimmering.
Ragged, crumbling, and tired, everything shimmered in the distance.
Even though she was left behind, even though her memories faded somewhat, they still shined so brightly.
Because they were so precious to her, she desperately tried to preserve them.
“───”
“Master, do you still remember? You told meee, ‘I’ll definitely return, so wait here for me’, and then you disappearedddd.”
In a seated position, Shaula hugged her knees, inclined her head, and asked like so.
Subaru shook his head at her, who seemed to be thinking about nostalgic memories of her past.
“I don’t remember. And I’ve already told you I don’t know, right? Don’t keep making me repeat myself!”
“Weeeeelllll, it can’t be helped then. After allllll, Master is so much better at forgetting things than me. Master and I realllllly are similar.”
“That creeps me out! No, I admit that we have a similar way of speaking, though.”
That said, it was only the fact that she was using words from Subaru’s world that he unconsciously felt a sense of closeness with her. He was not as charming, cute, or spirited as she was. He wasn’t willing to wait 400 years for someone who had abandoned him.
“After all, I’m an impatient guy who wants immediate results. Well, if I could at least be with the other person, I might be able to endure it...”
“Aaaaaaaaah, Master, you’re no good like this! Ready? There’s a saying for this: ‘The key to love is patience!’”
“Aren’t you confusing this with ‘The key to fashion is patience’!? Isn’t that like the slogan of a tribute woman rather than a devoted woman!?”
“It’s all about realizing the love swirling around in the depths of my heart. You can even laugh at this sad, pathetic woman. That kind of smiling face is also verrrrrry attractiveee...mmm.”
“Nope, I’m not laughing at all. Look, I’m starting to tear up.”
“Let me see, let me seeeeee.”
When Subaru pointed at his face and said that, Shaula got up and walked over to him. Shaula, who had jumped up enthusiastically, came close enough to where he could feel her breath, so he once again examined her face that had fine features from up close.
Her shining eyes were large and long, and she had a finely-shaped nose between them. She had long, slender eyelashes, and her skin was so soft and firm that it was hard to imagine that she had been living in the sea of sand for so long. Although hidden by her spirited and varied expressions, her body as a whole was rather beautiful instead of cute.
Given the name of a star, she had been destined to wait in this place for the return of the one she loved.
“Huh? Master, are your eyes glistening, or are you crying a little?”
“...Your Master…is a piece of shit. I’m gonna punch him in the face if I ever get the chance.”
“Then I’ll have to witness it with superrrr-superrrr mixed feelings! What sort of horrible situation would it be if Master KO’d Master!... Jeez.”
Lips quivering, Subaru squeezed his eyes shut. His hot emotions rose, pushing past his eyelids and falling down his cheeks. Seeing those tears fall, Shaula gently whispered “Jeez.”—
“───”
While Subaru’s eyes were closed, his cheek was suddenly attacked by a wet sensation. When he opened his eyes, he saw Shaula’s face pulling away from his. Her fingertips on her lips, she mischievously smiled with her red tongue slightly sticking out.
“...Master’s body fluids…are salty and sweet.”
“Saying it like this...”
“The way I say it…doesn’t change anything at all. Ah, I always express my feelings with my whole body and soul, you know. —Master, I love youuu.”
I love you. She had often told him that. Once he understood the context, it was impossible for Subaru to say that it was a meaningless statement. Shaula said “I love you” as often as she could because her heart was overflowing with love.
Always, always, the words she wanted to convey overflowed from within. For 400 years, she had been waiting, wanting to love him, wanting to be loved by him.
“I love youuu, Master.”
“...I…won’t tell you I love you.”
“I know, I knowww. Because Master is a bad guy, is thin-skinned, and shy, but this is what I like about you. I’m crazy about you. Only you.”
“───”
Time had left her, and the role she had been assigned had bound her like chains. When she had almost hurt to one she loved, she cried and begged for Death. Instead of hurting him with her own hands, she would rather lose it all.
What did he say to her, who was in tears? He said he would never allow her to continue to cry like that.
“I…will not say that to you…I love you…words like that.”
“...It’s okay. I’ll keep saying the words Master won’t say. Master will definitely want to say them to me sometime in the future.”
“Sometime in the future, you say… That’s a looooong time. 400 years of waiting…can you really do that?”
“Is it? 400 years went by soooo quicklyyy.”
Waiting for so long, she had once cried out in anguish at that fact. Having been left behind by the passage of time, her love holding her hostage, she cried out that she was lonely.
Now she had no idea that a world had once existed where she had spilled her heart out. Therefore, concealed behind her spirited attitude, how much emotion had been swirling around in her own heart?
Subaru had swore to never make her cry. And he wasn’t going to break that vow even now. That’s why—he hoped she could cry out. He wished she would cry. But now that wasn’t going to be enough.
As long as she cried, bawled her eyes out, cried out, and howled, Natsuki Subaru, who wasn’t her Master or anything like that, would run with all his heart and soul to her side to stop her tears.
And yet—
“A mere 400 years…is almost like the day after tomorowww.”
The Crimson Scorpion was nowhere to be seen, and in its place was a beautiful girl, smiling.
She was so beautiful that he could not help but become speechless. So ephemeral that it seemed as if she would collapse at the touch of his hand. Shaula’s soft cheeks flushed red as she said “because” with the look of a maiden in love.
Continuing, the maiden in love said “because—”
“—I also loved waiting for you.”
“───”
“Hey, Master. That’s why…one day…again—”
5
Ragged, ragged, scattering away.
Crumbling, crumbling, flaking away.
Tired, tired, fading away.
Ragged, crumbling, and tired, everything in the distance was shimmering.
Ragged, crumbling, and tired, everything shimmered in the distance.
“—Shaula.”
A part of her shell fell off, crumbling and flaking away, and turned into dust. It didn’t stop there, but spread elsewhere, her whole body peeling off and turning into dust.
The tail and pincers that had been cut off, the eight legs being held down by the witchbeasts, and the head that Natsuki Subaru held in his arms, everything—
“...Did she…fulfill her purpose, I wonder?”
While Subaru attempted to bring all of the pieces of her existence that had been diminishing together in his arms, Beatrice uttered that to him in a hushed voice.
The adorable spirit was listlessly gazing at the witchbeast powerlessly crumbling away—no, it was someone just like her who had given their life to the role that fate provided them.
His brain refused to comprehend what Beatrice had just said. But he instinctively understood. —This was not Death.
This was, after being entrusted as the Stars-Keeper of the Pleiades Watchtower, the inevitable end that she had met today.
“Then...we...”
If they had not come here, she might have been able to exist here for eternity. Forever, in this sand tower, waiting for a person who would never return—
“—Subaru, you should be of the understanding that this assumption…is insulting to her.”
“───”
“And so, what you should do…is not live in regret.”
Sheathing his knight’s sword back into its scabbard, the knight tidied up his appearance, which had been dirtied by blood and sand, and spoke such words.
It was a ruthless thing to say, but he was right nonetheless. At that, Subaru gritted his teeth and took a deep breath to hide his hatred for that correctness.
Then he hugged the one who had been alone for so long tighter. She who had been left behind and spent such a long time in this place. Slowly, not being alone, she was being sent off by her one and only.
Subaru, Beatrice, Julius, and Meili were all there.
In the distance, people could be seen running here from the tower. They must’ve been their other companions. Everyone was gathering together for her who had been alone for so long.
“But, even if Master were here alone, that would be enough.”
The image of her saying such words, not being demanding at all, appeared in front of his eyes, which slowly began welling up with tears. The witchbeast’s fangs gently brushed the tears that were falling down Subaru’s cheeks.
The sharp fangs that seemed as if they could destroy anything, intimately, tenderly, and gently caressed Subaru, who was the most fragile of all. And then—
“—Ah.”
The arms that had been wrapped around her suddenly no longer felt her. Crumbling, the shell of the Crimson Scorpion that had lost its weight scattered into dust. As he watched the black particles scatter over the sea of sand, Subaru opened his mouth wide.
“Shaula...”
“Yes, Master.”
“Shaula…Shaula…Shaula.”
“Did you call for me? Master.”
“Shaula, Shaula...”
“Mmmmm, ahhhhh, being loved sooo much by Master like this makes me feel soooooo embarasseedddd!”
Closing his eyes, the sound of her voice responding to his call rang in his ears. And yet, now, she no longer existed anywhere.
“—Ah.”
Subaru crouched down to the ground, scratching at the sea of sand in front of him. The sound of someone’s voice reached his ears. He didn’t know whose voice it was. He didn’t have the time to confirm who it was, but simply looked up at where it came from and widened his eyes.
Still covered in black particles, a mound of sand shook slightly, and something crawled out from it. It was rather small, about the size of a palm. The small creature with a crimson shell swung its two pincers in order to get through the sand and then expertly pulled its body from the sand with its tail—
“───”
It skittered over to Subaru, who was on his knees, and brushed against his sandy hand. The mere act of brushing against him seemed to have been her leaving behind a trace of her charm.
6
Ragged, ragged, scattering away.
Crumbling, crumbling, flaking away.
Tired, tired, fading away.
Ragged, crumbling, and tired, everything in the distance was shimmering.
Ragged, crumbling, and tired, everything shimmered in the distance.
—Everything shimmered, because you were there.
“A mere 400 years…is almost like the day after tomorowww.”
“Because I also loved waiting for you.”
“Hey, Master. That’ why, someday, again…”
“I hope you’ll meet me again someday.”
“This time…is it my turn to wait for you? Instead of the woman doing the chasing, the woman is being chased.”
“Master, this promise is…very, very important.”
“This time…please don’t forget it.”
“—I love youuu, Master.”
7
“You’re an…idiot.”
His voice trembling, Subaru muttered that, as if saying he could never forget that.
Then he picked up the being tickling the back of his hand and cupped it with both hands.
As if it were a little embarrassed, the tiny scorpion trembled, accepting his action.
Its shell was a bright shade of red, so vivid that it seemed like it could burn one’s eyes—oh so red.
—That was something that not even the span of 400 years could fade, the color of Love.
