'Yo, yo ......, run away ....... Kanami can help you too, can't you ......?

　However, once we were away from the Walker family, the Snow instantly became weak.

　The brave figure he showed against the head of the Walker family is nowhere to be seen, and he looks for my reaction as if he were sneering.
　I chuckle, thinking that people can't change all of a sudden.

'Yeah. If anyone tries to take Snow away, I'll fight them. Snow is my partner, my friend.
'La, I wonder if Lady Rastiara can help us out: ......, what do you think ......?'
I don't know. He's a freaking genius.
'Yeah, yeah ....... Then can you ask nicely from Kanami?　Heh.
I'd be happy to do that for you. ......

　In Snow's mind, it seems that Rustyala is also on account of the people who protect him.
　I'm more than a little dismayed to see Snow clinging to others again. When she sees my reaction, she puts her chest back up and shows her independence.

''Yes, no ...... hi, I can handle it alone, okay?　It doesn't matter if there isn't even a single "hero" in the room, this time I'm going to get away with it. ...... But where shall we run to?　Anyway, I don't mind being anywhere outside of Lauravia.

　Snow takes the lead in walking away, frightened.
　He looks like he's going to leave "Vualhura" and leave the confederacy any moment now.

'Wait, Snow, wait. There's still someone I need to talk to.
What?　After all that I've said, I'd like to get away from your mother-in-law right away: ....... Honestly, just being in the country with her scares me tremendously. ......
Settle down. The Walkers can't be too hard on themselves if they're in Vualhura during a tournament, can they?
'Yes, but ......'

　Snow was fidgety and restless.
　He's not sure what to do in this kind of situation as he's not used to it.

''I'm going to ask Rastiara and the others to properly escort Snow, so calm down. ...... Wouldn't that be reassuring with those guys?
It's reassuring, but isn't being around those people going to get you a shot at the Hoosiers ......?
Don't give yourself up. To be frank, I've got a lot of targets on my back.
'I knew it. ....... Yeah, I knew it: .......

　Snow has to accept that he is being targeted by many countries.
　Even though I invited him to join us, I can't help but feel that Snow's situation is getting worse.

　I tell the despondent Snow about my plans for the future.

I'm going to have a talk with Maria. "I'm going to have a talk with Maria and I'm sure she'll destroy my bracelet after the discussion. However, considering the fact that my bracelet is intact, there is a high possibility that Maria will fight back. Help me restrain Maria, Snow.
I see. By the way, your sister had a 'bracelet' on her, too. It's ...... a pain in the ass, but I'll help you. I want Kanami to like me.

　Snow says he wants to be liked, as he should be.
　That makes me a little embarrassed.

'It helps. But you'll have to be careful, Maria's strong, so be careful.'
'What, strong ......?'
'If she's not good, Maria could be as strong as the Guardian (Rowen) ....... Maria has the power of a guardian (Guardian) Alti in her: ......
'Guardian' ......!　I'm not sure what to do about ....... I want Kanami to like me ......, but I might want to refrain from being a guardian (Guardian) ......
'No, Snow shouldn't have to fight, he shouldn't have to. Just like when we hid in the labyrinth together, Snow just needs to stay back. That's all the relief I need.
'Oh, really?　Then let's go: ......?

　It's a conversation that reminds me of the time we were exploring the labyrinth.
　Even though he has decided to fight for real, Snow's mind still seems to be looking backwards.

　But it's just right.
　I can feel most at ease with Snow, who hasn't given up too much and isn't too obsessed.

　Now all that's left is Maria.

Good. Then let's go now. We'll have Maria back by tomorrow (・・・・・) and then--
So...?

　But the momentum that had been going well was interrupted by every word.

　Before I knew it, darkness was ahead of me.
　And out of that darkness came the voice of the Reaper.

'Aren't we in too much of a hurry until tomorrow, brother?

　The Reaper shows up.
　Then he stands in the middle of the road and congratulates us with a smile.

'Anyway, congratulations, brother. Congratulations to you for saving your sister, Snow. Congratulations, Sis Snow. You're finally able to be honest with yourself. I'm jealous of both of you.

　There appears to be no pretense there.
　I congratulate him wholeheartedly and sincerely envy him.

　I had expected the Reaper to show up, but not Snow.
　He speaks to me with a surprised look on his face.

'Li, Reaper ....... I knew you were there .......
'Yeah, I've been around forever. So I have a pretty good idea of what's going on.

　The Reaper answers Snow and quickly turns to me.

'You've crossed quite a dangerous bridge, brother. I didn't expect you to be so forceful in convincing Sister Snow. I didn't realize you were that passionate about it at all. I had the impression that you were not good at Snow's sister. ......
I'm not good at ...... for sure. But it could have been my last. You're supposed to hit each other as hard as you can so that there's no unresolved issues, right?
Hmm. "So that you don't have any 'unresolved' feelings, huh?

　Immediately the smile disappears, and with a serious look on his face, Reaper asks.

'Hey, brother, let me ask you. Why are you going to your sister Maria's right now?　We should take a break here and get in shape before we go, right?　Look, you're still wobbling.　Maria's sister is a strong woman.　If you're going to be safe, you should sleep tight and fight tomorrow.

　The Reaper's question is obvious.
　If your main goal is to defeat Palinkron, there's no point in overdoing it here.

　My power and Maria's power are necessary to defeat Palinkron.
　And yet, there's no reason to force yourself to lose money here.
　In the face of that correct logic, I desperately try to make my case.

'...... Maria, like me, has lost her memory. Lack of memory is a very painful thing. I'm the only one who understands that pain. So isn't it only natural that you would want to bring back Maria's memories immediately?
No, of course not. If your brother is returned here, you'll never get your sister Maria's memory back.　There's no time limit for bringing back your sister Maria's memories, so if you really care about her, you should increase your success rate here as much as possible. So, it's only right that we take all possible precautions and go tomorrow.
'...... Rationally, you might be right. But there are times when your emotions don't convince you, right?　I want to emotionally get Maria's memory back right now.

　I pile on the excuses that I think are impossible to make.
　Of course, the Reaper frowns. The darkness swirling behind her deepens.

　It was as if her suspicion of me was just as dark.

'...... I knew it was strange. I've heard that "Christ Eurasia" is rational, but now my brother doesn't make any sense at all. Why did you forcefully save your sister Snow like this?　There's no need to rush anymore. ...... Why would you go to your sister Maria in a state of exhaustion?　It's only a risk to go now. ...... Hey, why not?

　Eyes deeper than the reaper's darkness stare at me.
　Eyes that won't allow for a single lie.

"I don't think that's--
'Because you still have things to do in 'V'alfoura (here)' after you save your sister Maria?

　Before I could answer, the Reaper spoke my mind.
　That meant that the Reaper was already aware of what I was trying to do.

　Realizing that I couldn't fool him, I nodded in resignation.
　There seemed to be nothing more I could do to mend the situation.

...... Yeah, yeah.
'Doing what?　Once you save your sister Maria, you have no more business with Lauravia, right?

　Gradually, the Reaper's expression distorts.

'There is,'
No, I don't. No, you have to go. Hurry up and go after Palinclone, brother. Please, please go to ......!

　I shake my head.
　I clearly refuse the Reaper's wishes.

　The Reaper sees this and screams unbearably.
　I scream.


'-- Just (・・・・・), leave me and Rowen (・・・・・・・・・・) alone (・・・・・・)!　Big brother (・・・・・)!
'I can't go (・・・・・・・・・) without you guys (・・・・・・・・・) ......!


　I answered immediately.

'Why ......?'　That's not even the point, is it?　There's an enemy you can't tolerate!　Then get out of there!　You can't go to Rowen's place!
I'm Rowen's best friend, so I can't do that .......
You're my best friend, so what?　What are we going to do now!　I've already got all of Rowen!　He defeated the most powerful "hero" and took the "glory"!　I got my "honor" and I stopped pretending to be something I'm not!　There's no more room for my brother!
'I made a mistake before with ...... Alty, but I won't make a mistake this time. This time, I will fight (and save) you. I'm sure that's the role of a human being relative to a guardian ....... I'm not going to put that responsibility on anyone ......, take it again!

　If we leave it all to the Reapers here, it will be a replay of what happened with Maria and Alty.

　The end result would be 'Rowen will try to duel with me no matter what'. I can only see such a future for me. Loewen, who can no longer afford it, will surely be less means-tested as time passes.

'What are you talking about, brother!　I don't know!　I have no idea what my brother is talking about!　Why?!
Rowen's waiting for me. That's why.

　I replied to the Reaper, who asked me why.
　Hearing this, the Reaper's expression hardens. A moment passes as if time has stopped, and soon she regains her smile.

'...... Hee, hee, yes. ...... Rowen is waiting for her brother. That's right.

　He smiles, but the shadows on his face are deep.

　Laughing, the Reaper monologues.
　I stop mending, and the Reaper stops mending, too.

I've been watching Rowen for a while now, so I know what I'm talking about. I'm sure of it. "I've been watching you all my life," she said, "and you're the only one who has eyes for your brother. --Rowen doesn't know what she wants anymore, so she's counting on the 'hero' who called her out.

　The Reaper was thinking the same thing I was.
　No, no one could be wrong about Rowen.

　He has said what he wants more innocently than anyone else.

　-- "I want to fight Aikawa Kanami in the final of the 'Dancing Tournament' with Aikawa Kanami.

'I'm waiting at the top of 'Vualhura (here)', trusting that my brother will give me the answer and make my wish come true. I'm sure I'll be waiting forever ....... --but that's why you shouldn't go.

　The Reaper laughs and shakes his head in pain.

'--That's why (・・・・・), betraying Rowen (・・・・・)

　And then he brazenly asked me to rat out my best friend.
　There's no malice in that.

　It's all for Rowen.
　That's what makes the Reaper so tricky.

"You betrayed Rowen's trust and expectations, big brother. If you do, Rowen won't disappear. On the contrary, you might create a new, bigger regret. The more 'unregrets' we have, the safer we'll be in the future!

　The Reaper takes the scythe out of the darkness.
　It's different from the first time I saw it.
　The dark colored magic power that surrounds the scythe is several times greater than before.

I don't want to see Rowen disappear any time soon!　So go to ......!

　He holds his scythe at his side and blocks the way.
　It would be a statement of intent: "If you want to pass here, defeat yourself.

　But I'm already prepared for this.
　I'm ready to fight the Reaper.

"d*mn it, Reaper. I'll get Maria back by tomorrow. And I'll be at Rowen's.

　I take out the "Crescent Pectrazi's Straight Sword" from my "belongings" and hold it in the same way as the Reaper.

　The Reaper stares resentfully at my sword while biting his teeth.

'I'm asking for so much. ......!　Still, my brother is going ......!
Yeah, I don't get that request.
'Earlier you said you were going to Palinkron: ......!　Liar: ......!
Isn't that what the Reapers are doing?

　We both lied to each other.
　When it was pointed out to him, the Reaper raised his eyebrows and laughed openly.

'Hee hee ....... That's right ......, brother.

　The Reaper's innocence was gone, and she looked like an old witch.
　The girl in front of her was no longer the young child she once was.

　The Reaper looked calm and continued to speak.

''It looks like it was a mistake to leave the 'connection' at ...... insurance. I thought I could read my brother's emotions and actions from the 'connection', but that's not the case. I also thought that if he could see how much I hated him, he would naturally leave me alone. ...... I don't care if my brother doesn't like me, I don't care if he doesn't like me anymore ......

　And then he goes on to expose the ploy to date as a complaint.

'Oh, it's not going to work: ....... It's really not going to work. But then--

　Reaper never stopped laughing.
　She still looks like she can afford it. If anything, the old woman had a feeling that this was going to happen. A smile that convinces me that she still has a handful of cards left for that.

''--I have an idea, too.

　With these words, the Reaper disappears in the darkness behind us.
　The darkness that had surrounded us disappears, leaving me and Snow alone.

It's gone ....... Were you happy to let him go ......?
It's okay. Maybe they're headed to Maria's place at the 'Epic Seeker' headquarters: ......
Go to Maria at ......?

　I met with Snow first to lead me there.

　I believe.
　If it's Maria, it won't go the way the Reapers want it to.
　If it is Maria, who swore to Arti that she would move forward, she would have the strength and will to do so. That memory is in my head.

　It wasn't me who defeated the one who stole the logic of fire. It was Maria.
　It's a vivid memory.
　At the end of Purgatory, I can still vividly remember the sight of her, more dignified than anyone else, ripping out her eyes.

Again, please, Snow. I want you to fight the Reapers with me. I want you to work together as partners.
As a partner, or ......
'Yeah, I'm not just protecting Snow unilaterally. I want Snow to protect me too: ......
'So that's what you mean by an equal relationship: ....... Then I guess I don't have a choice. Yeah. Let's start there, me and Kanami starting over .......

　Snow's answer was a pleasant one.
　I had expected him to have the same attitude as before.

'...... You're going to do it this time. You were so reluctant to do it with Maria.
'We've known each other for a short time, but I consider the Reaper a friend. I'd like to get to know her better if I could. But if I run away from her here, I'll never know her again. I think so. ......
Well: ......

　Snow understood instinctively. And he's going to put it into action.
　It's a far cry from what I was doing one day.

　Snow calls out to me as he walks away.

'...... hey, you need to get to the 'Epic Seeker' soon or your sister is in danger, okay?　Can't you use Kanami's Connection to get to the Epic Seeker?
...... I dismantled the Connection we had in place in Epic Seeker a long time ago. It's impossible. ...... but it's fine. I've taken care of it.
What, you're taking steps?
Yeah.

　I nodded with a certain amount of trust.
　But that doesn't mean we can't take our time.

　Me and Snow hurried to the Epic Seeker where Maria was.