Dear Lugis-- .

　The letter from the heraldic saint Mattia began with that sentence. Anne opened her small lips and read the letter out loud in a familiar tone.

　She must have had some training in that kind of thing. The beautiful phrases in the letter are very far from my mind, but when Anne speaks in a tone of voice, it's much easier to hear.

　Lying in bed, I listened to the entire contents of the letter, which was two sheets of parchment. Then I crunched the contents lightly in my head. In short, what I want to say is.

"--In short. Saint Mattia has sent word that you must return to Garou Amalia as soon as your wounds are healed. Your Highness.

　Anne said, a wry smile plastered on her cheeks as she narrowed her eyes. It was an embarrassed look.

　As she continued, she said, "It seems that you are still the same as usual," she said. The fabric of the bed ripples. The fabric of the bed ripples.

The fabric of the bed ripples. "You've still got your work cut out for you, Anne. What, I've got an iron screwed into my body. Tell Mattia I need to rest a little longer. Don't overreact.

　I say, lying down with my body wrapped in bandages. My body twisted lightly, and I sobbed with bone-jarring pain. There was a biting pain coming from the marrow.

　It's only natural. I had taken the white sword of that hero, Heldt-Stanley, straight into my flesh. Normally, I would be lifeless. It's almost a miracle that my heart is still beating here and now.

　I knew then and there that I had killed him and he had killed me. That's what my gut told me.

　Apparently life doesn't always give you a nice ending. It seemed like a clean ending to me.

　No," I twist my lips. Sure, I've put my finger on what I once longed for. But that doesn't mean I've put an end to my whole life.

　Behind my eyelids, I see the reflection of a familiar childhood friend. The golden figure that had vanished as the Great Temple of Flimsulat crushed its body into dust.

"Yes, it would be a loss to us and to me if anything were to happen to Master Lugis. Please take it easy, but we look forward to your early return.

　Master Wood and Cereal had missed you," Ann said, wrapping a piece of parchment around her and placing it under her pillow.

　No, I wouldn't read it even if she left it there. Besides, parchment is unfamiliar to me, and I find it hard to handle. However, it would be a problem to throw it away.

　Seeing the expression on her face, she was troubled and stiffened. Anne unknowingly put a smile on her face.

　She's got a pretty good personality. I hope she's not enjoying watching me suffer. I'm sure he doesn't enjoy watching me suffer," she said, raising her eyebrows lightly and narrowing her eyes.

I'm sorry about this. But it is true that I am glad that you are all safe, Lord Hero. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard that the Great Temple of Flimsulat was shattered.

　Anne said, covering her mouth with her hand, but still showing a hint of happiness in her eyes.

　Hearing her words, he nodded his head in agreement. Of course. Even I, who saw it firsthand, still can't swallow the scene and choke on it. How could I easily accept what I had only heard with my ears?

　I still don't fully understand what was done and what happened that day. What I do know is that Kalia used the Kuro Scarlet Sword, a Titan's ability, to force Altius to step back. That's all I know.

　So the temple collapsed, and I fell down the snowy mountain for my life, and I found myself lying in a corner of the lord's mansion in the autonomous city of Philos.

　Looking at the many unrecognized abrasions on his body, he must have unknowingly stabbed himself on a rock face or a tree branch as he ran down the mountain. He didn't even have time to think about it.

　So it was not only me, but also Kalia, Fialaat, and Elddis.

　It's not an exaggeration to say that everyone has wounds. At least in the city of Philos, I heard from the heraldic soldiers stationed there that none of them woke up for several days. I'm sure they're all resting well now.

　Right now, the only people in this autonomous city, or rather the puppet city of Philos, are us and a minimal number of heraldic soldiers.

　Mattia, the saint of the Order, had to return to her home base of Galuamaria, and Bruder and Vestalinu are accompanying her for treatment. Even the elves of Gazalia had to return home before the arrival of the full-blown deadly snow.

　Perhaps that is why the city of Philos has become so quiet. It was as if the dead snow had swallowed up all the sounds and disappeared.

　It was an unpleasant silence. I can't seem to like this silence right now. Silence is like an abominable claw that makes you open the lid of your thoughts one after another, and makes you harbor unnecessary delusions.

　The longing that has been burning in my heart, that I have put in my hands. The fact that I could not take the hand of my childhood friend, whom I had been seeking since the past.

　All sorts of unspeakable emotions mingle in my chest and caress my guts. It was like a ritual that went on and on as long as the silence lasted.

　So, to be honest, Anne's visit as a messenger was wonderfully welcome. At least when I'm talking to her, I'm never bored or thinking about anything strange.

　After all, I'm quite infamous here in the city of Philos, and even among the soldiers of the heraldry, there was no one who would easily visit my room.

　In such a situation, with Caria, Fialaat, and Elddis undergoing medical treatment, there are only a few people who would knock on the door of my room.



　I've just finished chatting with Anne, and then... The door of my room rang as usual. The sound was meticulous.

　He seemed to be waiting for an answer, but without much pause, the wooden door creaked and welcomed his visitor.

I'm coming in. It's time to change your bandages, Lugis-Vliriganth...

　A woman with a pair of glasses that reflected the whites of her eyes appeared, the ruler of the autonomous city of Philos, Philos-Treit.

　I'm not sure what to make of that. However, he can't be made to sit in the seat of the ruler as he once did. The citizens are still in a precarious situation, and she herself has not fully recovered enough to bear the burden of ruling.

　That is why she is now lending her knowledge to the heraldry as a ruler from time to time, but like me, she is keeping herself in the lord's mansion under the guise of recuperation. Of course, she may also be keeping watch under the influence of the heraldry.

　At any rate, she was one of the few people I could talk to now that I had so much time and silence on my hands.

　She probably hadn't been told that Ann was visiting me. The moment I entered the room, I saw the whites of her eyes move significantly. At the same time, Anne turned around and stammered for a moment.

　A strange silence fell between the three of us, including me.

I'm sorry about all this. It would be nice if you could bring me a glass of wine or something.

　I said lightly, uncomfortable with the silence that had somehow developed. The silence that had arisen was uncomfortable, and I said so lightly, hoping that it would break the air that had hardened a little.

　But in spite of my wish, Anne and Philos-Treit kept their lips shut and remained silent. I can see their white eyes staring at me for a moment. There was a hint of bitterness in them.

　No, what's that? What the hell did I do to deserve this?

　Leaving me bewildered, Philos turned his gaze back to Anne with an impatient slowness and said.

It's not that. It's not that. That's not what I meant.

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but it's a good idea.


　It's not about that.


I'm not sure what to make of it, but I think it's a good idea. I'm not sure what to make of that.

　While brushing his hair, Philos-Treit continued to speak. As she sat on the sofa alongside Anne, she looked uncomfortable.

　She looked as uncomfortable as ever. Philos-Treit was a stubborn and sincere person. I think that's probably why she was pushed into a corner by Roseau this time.

　In response to Philos-Treit's words, Anne nodded lightly, looked at me as she did so, and opened her mouth.

I'm not going to beak what you're doing, but you might want to exercise a little restraint, hero.

　I think I need to talk to Anne about what she means by that. Before the conversation turns into a tangled thread.

　I let out a breath from deep within my gut. But it could be a sigh or a smile.

　It was the first time in a long time that I felt a sense of noise. Yes, this is much better than silence. Although I have a few thoughts, it's much better than just anguish.

　A few words, Anne, and then I exchanged words with Philos-Treit. I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out. But I think he's getting the idea.

　He was leaning over his aching body, trying to pick up the bottle of liquor he had left on his bedside table.

　Suddenly, I saw a window.

　Beyond the window, the world was still painted white with a brilliant fall of sound-absorbing dead snow. It was as if they were trying to pretend that the world that humans and elves had created was not there at all.

　It looked like something I've seen somewhere.

　And then, among the dead snow. I saw what looked like a white butterfly. I opened my eyes.

　It flickered between the snow, and then disappeared into the white. But it's never the snow itself.

　The sound of my throat gulping down spit rings loudly in my ears. Every nerve in my body was exposed, and I felt my consciousness reacting to even the slightest movement of the air.

　I stared at my eyes. Trying to control my creaking body, I looked out the window. The butterfly was gone. But what I had just seen was indeed a foreign object that I had once seen.

　--It was the deadly snow butterfly that had once appeared in public to announce the coming of a catastrophe.

　My brain is telling me. A certain intuition was beating in my heart. The catastrophe that had once whipped the entire human species was now here.