While I was reviewing me, the battle of Rustyala was going on.
　He dragged his body, which hadn't fully recovered, to the center of the storm that had occurred in the underground city, leaving Dia to try to stop it.

　The tactic Rastiara had chosen against Snow was simple.
　To approach her again with no guard and strike her from the heart in front of her eyes. It was exactly the same as Dia's persuasion earlier.

　Rustyala probably knows that this is the only way to truly understand each other. Maybe he's trying to imitate me. In order to save Snow, I see them approaching, teaming up, shoving down, and being knocked down while eating the attack - and starting to argue with each other right under their noses.

'--Lastiara-sama, I can't ......!　I'm no good and no good and no good, so I can't help but have Kanami: ......!　I can't live without Kanami by my side: ......!
I know, Snow.
'Kanami would spoil me ....... But Kanami isn't just mine anymore....... Ugh, ugh, if it wasn't for Lady Rustyala, she would have been mine all along......!　Always, always, Lady Rastiara says all the right things, and in the end, she makes it all about her!　It's mine and it's ......!　Kanami was mine. ......!
'Hmm. You're afraid to be alone again, aren't you Snow? ......

　Lastiara, assembled on the gutted ground of the underground city, put up no resistance at all, and risked his life again, unprotected, to consult with Snow.

'Snow, this is the second time you've been in this form ....... It was also like this during the 'Dancing Tournament' .......
The 'Dance Competition' ......?　Wow, I lost that day ....... I was a loser, and something important was taken away from me ....... But this time it's different, I'm on top of Lady Rustyala ......!
"You got robbed by ....... I don't blame you if you think so, but I'd like to tell you something.

　It's true that the situation is very similar to the 'Dancing Competition'.
　However, it's as if the form is different.
　In the past, Rustiala had mounted Snow's opponent, but this time, he was able to take it the other way. If Snow, who is now riding a horse, pushes his fist down, Rustiala will die. With its brain plasma scattered around.

　Nevertheless, Rastiara answers bullishly.

''Snow....... It's true, this time it's a bit different than before. We were like strangers then, but we are different ...... now. I sincerely want to save you, not Kanami, but me. And I'm not the only one who feels that way.

　Rastiara turned her eyes away from Snow, deliberately.
　Snow's eyes moved in response, caught by it.

　Beyond that, there was another companion. It's the same Dia who was present at the quarterfinal fight of the previous "Dancing Tournament".

　The expression on her face is completely different from the one from the "fighting tournament".
　On the day of the quarterfinals of the tournament, she hated Snow and denied all existence. She had raised her eyebrows in a crow's eye and worried about her friends from the bottom of her heart.
　Both Rastiara and Snow.
　She reached out her hand to Snow further and screamed as her throat tore out.

'Snow!　Come back!　We're on the same side!　Come back and practice your sword with me again!　I haven't taken one for you yet!
"Sis, Mr. Sis: ......?

　That Dea's voice arrived.
　The moment I recognized someone other than Rastiara, I think Snow's madness eased a bit.
　When it was me and Rastiara alone, my emotions were so high that I couldn't carry on a conversation, but when it was my friend Deah, I could sense solid reasoning from Snow.

''Not so!　Idiot!　When you call me--!
'Ugh. ....... Dear.......
Oh, Snow!　I'm Deere!　I'm right here, too!

　Snow was visibly shaken by Dea's arrival. His vision, which would have been narrowed, had widened and he could see his surroundings from a distance.

　The fire that had been lit in the depths of Snow's mind had not yet been extinguished, but the fire was certainly shaking. The wind that Dia delivers reassures Snow, and she is on the verge of coming back to herself.

　And then Rustyala gives further chase.

　She shifts her gaze once more, saying that there is something else she wants to show you.
　A pillar of fire climbing out of his gaze. Maria, who should have been full of herself alone, was standing there.

'Su, Snow-san: ......'

　Maria couldn't bear to look at it either. Slowly, step by step, she approached Snow, pillar by pillar of fire, dripping copious amounts of sweat and calling his name. Following that, he shakes his body to its limit and shouts.

''I'm sorry, Snow, ....... My magic is causing this ......!　And now, I'm sure you'll be fine, Ms. Snow. ......!　Because I know that this past year, Snow, more than anyone else, you lived strong and valued your bond with everyone more than anyone else!　Thanks to you, the bond between me and Mr. Rustyala has never been broken!　I know your kindness better than anyone else!
Maria. ......!

　After saying what she wanted to say, Maria collapsed in the pillar of fire again.
　There was no doubt that it was a cry for all the strength she had left. Snow knew that the last of Maria's strength had been used for her, and tears came to her eyes as she returned the name.

　In front of that teary-eyed Snow, Rustyala spoke as if to stop her.

'Snow, it's okay. Don't worry. It's not just Kanami anymore. Even if Snow gets serious and fails, she has a lot of friends who will give her a voice. There are... .......

　Rustyala moves her folded body and goes to hold Snow's head in her arms. She then begins to stroke him, proving what she said earlier on the ship, and tries her best to spoil Snow.

'Everyone here is not Snow's hero. But we all think of Snow as our 'best friend'. So, it's okay ....... It's okay, Snow: .......
And 'best friends' ......!　You guys are my 'best friends': ......!

　Those words tugged at Snow's heartstrings.
　Snow, who was similar to Rowen, the one who stole the reason of the earth, had always wanted a best friend just like him. However, the tragic loss of a best friend in the past must have been a kind of trauma for him.

　That is now being resolved in a perfect situation.
　It was also a moment that proved what Rastiara had said about chance.

　Snow is delighted at the birth of her new best friend.
　It was an exultation as great as the flame of Arti, the 'one who steals the reason for the fire' within himself.
　He immediately responded with a throaty reply, trying to drown out the fire in his heart with the wind of joy.

'Yes ......!　Yes, Mr. Rustyala: ......!　Lady Rastiara is a good friend of mine: ......!　You said you would live with me: ......!　You said you were with me to the end: ......!　You've made friends with this no good me: ......!　I don't want to lose a friend again!　My best friend who is willing to sacrifice himself for me!　My best friend who will do the best for me!　I'll never lose it again!

　Snow barked at the sky.
　At the same time, his entire body relaxed and Rastiara was released from his restraints.

''Un......''

　Rastiara accepts that confession from Snow with a little embarrassment. Then she moves her freed body, stands up, and hugs Snow's head again as she bows to the sky with her knees propped up, and continues to stroke it endlessly.

　Snow sinks her face into her chest and apologizes, tears, snot and drool on her face.
　She had already come to her full senses.

'Oh, oh my god, I'm sorry ......!　I'm sorry, Lady Rastiara!
'Well, we're back to the patterning. ...... but that's just like Snow, so it's okay. It's a pain in the ass to fix.
'Dear Rastiala, ....... Oh, I'm angry ......?　You are angry, right?　I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!　That was just a tragedy!　It's just a blip on the radar!　So please, don't abandon me!　Let me stay with you!　I still want to be with you guys!
"-- Snow!　Like I told Dear, it's okay!　They've been talking about getting in trouble a lot on the boat, to which I responded with a thud!　There's no way in hell I'm going to overturn that in the future!　So, Snow is still Snow, and I'd be happy to stay with you for the rest of your life: ......
'La, Lady Rastiara ah! ......!　Thank you ......!

　Snow, who is crying heavily, hears Rastiara's response and doubles her tears with more gratitude.
　After sufficiently caressing and loving that Snow, Rustyala pats her and then goes to the last problem that still remains in the underground city.

'Feng, the rest is at ......'

　It is a pillar of fire that rises a little farther away.
　The girl who is the magic user who gave birth to this situation and the girl Rustyala has known the longest. Facing Maria, Rustiala proudly reports.

''How's this?　Maria.
...... Yes. I'm too quirky for words. This is why I admire Ms. Rustyala so much.
'Yeah, yeah?　I mean, that's kind of a big grin on my face: ......

　Rustyala slackens her cheeks and moves closer to the pillar of fire that scorches her flesh.
　Likewise, Maria is smiling happily, but the cold sweat on her forehead is noticeable. She can't even stand, and it looks like she's having a hard time just talking.

''Now, all that's left is to eliminate all my magic ....... But, you know, can I ask you to hurry up a bit ......?　Actually, it's pretty close to the edge: ....... ......
'Yeah, let's turn it off. Those flames have helped me in a lot of ways, but it's not something I should use too much. It's called ......, so dire!　Help me!　It has to be Deer!

　Dea, who had been stunned when she was away, was called out to her, and she hurriedly approached at a small run.

''Oh, oh!

　Then, two of the world's highest class sacred magic users stand side by side, holding hands and casting the same magic to save Maria.

''-- 《Remove》!
REMOVE!

　Rustyala holds up her hand and emits a magical light, while Dia enlarges her arms of light and wraps them around Maria's body.

　The next thing you know, the pillar of fire is deflating as if it has lost its oxygen.
　Maria's disordered breathing also regulates and her expression softens. At the same time, the flames that filled the underground city weaken and the temperature in the space suddenly drops.

　With the loss of Maria, the master of magic, hell returned to the way it should be.
　And everyone's flames that had been lit in their hearts were also completely extinguished.

　Rustyala saw that Maria was feeling better and muttered a few words.

'It's done ......?'
It's done. It's perfect. It's a complete victory.

　Oh, it's over.
　It was so easy to finish ....... Much faster than it was for me, .......

'Phew, I did it ....... And I'm happy with five bodies. Not blown up anywhere.

　Delighted that it worked out better than expected, Rustyala checks her body.

　Burns and blue bruised skin are peeking out from her ragged clothes.
　The wound on her belly where Dia had stabbed her has not closed up and is bleeding softly. The skin on his face is still partially flaky, and his hands are missing a few fingers.

'No, Mr. Rustyala. Your fingers are blown off.'

　Maria calmly points out the most serious part of the injury, to which Rustyala responds lightly.

'Oh, really. Let's see if it can be healed, here: ......'
Rustyala!　--Cure Fool!

　Then I picked up the blown finger and ran over to it, casting a full recovery spell.

　From what the doctor told me when Dia was injured, it seems that if you carefully and quickly cast a recovery spell, the separated bodies will be connected. I pay close attention and heal Rustyala's injuries with my best magical power.

Oh, Kanami. I caught a glimpse of you. Thank you for believing in me, even though we were in the middle. ......

　Rastiala sends me words of thanks.
　But it wasn't for the cure, it was just a thank you for staying out of the fight.

　He makes it sound as if I believed in Lastiara's victory, and I give a small shake of my head, feeling guilty.

'No, ....... That was just--

　That was a calculated risk, not a trusted one.
　The whole time I was calculating it as the difference in strength of the field. I only stopped because there was almost no chance of Lastiara dying when Dia came to her senses.

　I tried to return that kind of thing as nothing more than trust, but that was denied by Rastiara.
　He shook his head sideways, many times more forcefully than I did with a small shake of my head.

'But (...) he saw me (・・・・・). He looked at me properly. So, next time (...) - and, oh, what?　The body is ......

　Just before he could say it, Rustyala wobbled his body and prodded his knees with a curious look on his face.
　The onslaught of his friends must have left his body ravaged to the core. And now that the tension has been released, all kinds of debts are going to ask Rastiara to repay them. It's a symptom I remember too.

　My friends who were immediately surrounding me nearby - Maria, Dea and Snow - approach me, and the best possible treatment is given.

'Dear!　Please!
'Yeah, I know!　I'll get you well soon!
'Awww. ......!　Lady Rastiara ah! ......!

　There is not an ounce of the madness and anxiety that was there earlier.
　There are three girls who are worried about their friends and sincerely trying to save them. Surrounded by those three, Rastiara laughs with satisfaction and completely loses focus.

''You did it. ....... This means that everyone ...... likes me more than I thought they did.... .... Another step toward Lady Tiara--close and stay--......

　The body falls down with relief and Rustyala passes out in the middle of speaking.
　Maria takes the body and instructs the remaining two to recover.

'Snow-san, use fresh blood magic to stop the bleeding in your abdomen ......!　Deer is still there!
'Uh-huh!　I can do that!　I will do everything in my power to stop the blood!
I will focus on the Cure Fool.

　Snow and Dia's healing is tremendous.
　Not only is their magic power enormous, but due to their specialized attribute magic, their level of perfection is different compared to mine. I took a step back, thinking that my recently learned 《Cure Fool》 would be more of a hindrance.

　As I walked away from them, feeling a little alienated, I heard a voice from behind me.

'Feng ....... Looks like it's all over somehow. ......

　It's Ryner, who has finished treating himself.
　Next to him is Ragne, who snorts in question.

'Yeah, yeah ......?　Yeah, yeah, ......?　I'm really getting by. ......

　Honestly, I feel the same way she does.
　I still can't believe that I really managed to do something about it. Even though I see the scene in front of me, I still can't fully accept it.
　With a frown on my face, I take another step away from the unbelievable scene.

　That's when Rainer asks me, looking into my face.

'Christ, are you mad at me?'

　It's probably about the fight we had earlier.
　For whatever reason, Ryner pulled out his sword and stood in front of me. I'm sure he wants to confirm how I feel about that action. I answered honestly, without embellishment.

I'm not ...... angry. Really.

　I'm not lying.
　All the emotions that had been so irritating have disappeared. If anything, the distrust of myself had chilled my heart to the bone.

　More importantly, I wanted to ask Ryner something.
　I want to find out what kind of feelings he is having.

I want to ask you more than that. Reiner, you fought me because I was the best person in that place--
'Oh, I thought the most dangerous person in this place was Christ. So I stopped him. I didn't want him to move.

　You knew you were going to be asked.
　Without a pause, Ryner answered.

'I see. ......'

　I can only nod back at that hesitant answer.
　I've confirmed that what I feared earlier was on target.
　Moreover, looking at the current face of Ryner, I can also sense the seriousness of the situation.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the midst of this boat trip, or perhaps since the time when you came out of the labyrinth and were rejected by Rustyala, Ryner has been wary of my instability. I was drunk that day, and it was quite an abomination. I don't remember, but Ryner may have heard from my own mouth that I made the same fundamental mistake in living as the other guardians (guardians).

　Realizing that I'm worrying about Ryner, I turn my attention to the sleeping Rustyala.
　My mind boggles just looking at her injured.

　This unusual obsession with Rustyala is probably the danger I'm in, as Ryner says.

　Immediately I look away and get as far away from Rustiala as possible.
　I can't get close to the danger that is obvious.

　After taking a sufficient distance, I think back to the words Rustiala was about to say earlier.

　Next, (...)--

　That's what Rustyala said.
　I know the words that will follow.
　It's me who knows Rastiara better than anyone else, and that's why it's definitely understood.

　Next - it's my turn (・・・・).

　I have to do what Rustyala just did, and I have to do it too.
　Rustiala says it's my role to do this (...) against Nosfies.

　That's why he set an example for me. This series of battles was not only for my friends, but also for Nosfies.

　Rastiara opened his heart and had a 'discussion' face to face - he accepted the 'swordsman' complex that Dia had been carrying with him head on. She made her cowardly and despicable admit that she was the 'best friend' that Snow had wanted to have. He established a true bond with his friends.

　You can feel, even if you don't have words, that Rustyala is asking you to talk to Nosfi like this. I'm being pushed back, because I'm the only one who can save Nosfi, and I'm being pushed back.

　And I walk as I'm pushed.
　Away from Rastiara and the others, as well as Ryner, I'm alone.
　I wanted some time to review myself and see what I needed to do.