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　Holding her abdomen and repeatedly vomiting blood, the silver-haired girl moved her legs incessantly, letting the blood drain from her normally white skin.
　If she encountered a demon in a place like this, she wouldn't be able to resist any of it. The magic power is nearly empty, and the brain, which is the only one that can compose it, does not work normally.

　Even so, the only thing I hold in my heart is the safety of my loved ones.
　That was the only source of power.

　The whiteness of her barely exhaled breath showed that she could still move. So she would move her legs.
　So he wouldn't close his eyes.

　Would he be angry? For disobeying her instructions while telling him to run away.
　Still, even Loki has an argument to make. He fought for his life against the role given to him. It's fine to give him a little praise, isn't it?
　I have such faint expectations. If I had to stop him from saying a few words, Loki would answer with a big smile on his face.

　I'm alive, so it's all good as long as it turns out well! And.

　Now it's all over and Ars can finally go his own way.

　I'm so happy about that.
　I'm so proud to be there for him.
　And I'm proud to be there with him, right where it all started.

　Looking in the direction he's looking I'll be in step with him... no, I'll be walking just half a step behind him with that big back of his. You wait for him to turn around so you don't lose sight of him.

　There is no one to stop his steps anymore. He uses his feet to determine the direction, the distance, and starts walking under his own power.
　Will he adjust his stride to the fact that he's a little behind me? I'm sure he would be happy if he was. I'd be so happy that I'd probably poke him in the back and say, "Please don't underestimate me," with a face that made my cheeks puff out and dye at the same time.


　He regretted that he wasn't the only one by his side, but I suppose it was no use. If he wanted to, Loki didn't care who was there.
　If he wants it as the world he's in, no matter if Tesfia is there, Alice is there, and Felinella is looking at him with an adult's eye for a tiger's eye, then jealousy is just a trivial emotion, I guess.

　It didn't matter if he wasn't the best anymore, second or third, if there was a tiny seat there, that was all Loki needed to know.

　That's all I need anymore.
　Can you let him peel back a little bit?

　Would he call himself a simple, emotionally-challenged person, an unfit mage?
　You could say that... or maybe it would hurt a little bit.

　But Loki, who despicably knows that he will surely put his hand on his head afterwards as usual, will turn his face down nastily just to get back at him.
　I believe that even if I embarrass him a little bit, he won't be punished, and I'll have him go along with my selfishness. That kind of expectation and premonition is already in front of me.

　I want to be with him, celebrating the freedom he has seized by himself. No, I just want to be with him, that's all. I want to live in the same world.
　I guess I can't seek meaning in these feelings.
　I have the words to guess, but they are overwhelmingly insufficient. The formless sounds spun by his mouth are not enough for any vocabulary to get Loki's heart out right now. Nothing will fill him up satisfactorily. No matter how much time we are given, no matter how much time we spend together, we will eventually be short of words.

　I want him to hear and tell me all of the important and trivial things, all of which I want him to hear and tell me. Maybe he is selfish, greedy, and greedy. Will he forgive me for my absurdly long list of words?
　Will he be an outlet for this unstoppable mind?

　I'm sure he'll make a difficult face, wrinkles between his eyebrows, and gradually twitches his cheeks.
　Still, I'm sure he'll listen to the end. Because he is the kindest person Loki knows, the sweetest person anyone has ever known, the one who has experienced loneliness more than anyone else.


　So I want to be there for him.
　I want to touch him if I can.
　I want to be close to him.

　That's all I want to do.



　When you come close to the changes in the wasteland, which cannot be called a faint view, your feet are hurried, enduring the agonizing pain, and there is no way you will be able to restrain yourself.
　Walk along the half-broken trunk of a huge tree, around the last tree that blocks your view, and you'll be right there.

　The traces of the battle are still fresh in this area.

　He must be quite tired, perhaps sitting and waiting for someone to lend him a shoulder.
　As expected, I'm not likely to be of any use right now, and they won't allow me to lend them a shoulder.

　So we'll both be waiting for help with a dumbfounded look on our faces. Still, I'm going to at least support him like a stopgap where he can rest.

　Loki puts a final blackmail on his hazelike vision and puts his strength into scratching the bark.
　His knees don't lift anymore, so much so that the soles of his shoes scrape over the ground every time he moves his feet.

　It was so ragged that I couldn't help but chuckle. Although I had nine deaths, I was sure I had the help of Ilyce. I still realize that I am still inexperienced, and I still have to grow as a magician and as a person.
　There is a lot of time for that in the future. Let's get closer to him, slowly but surely.

　Loki shakes off all sorts of pain and worries, and the prevalent feeling of wanting to see him with a radiant look on his face now comes out in full force.
　With the last of his strength, he pulled his body out of the trunk that was blocking his view.

''Al.........!

　But although Loki squeezed out his voice, his gaze was immediately focused on his feet. There was something there that he couldn't ignore, so much so that he had to stifle the urge to see him quickly.


　His sleeves had been shredded and his arms, which had been bleeding out in bright red blood...........were discarded like a waste product.


''Ah..........''

　The sound of grief leaking from the back of her throat as it was snatched away.
　It was an arm and a hand that had been placed on her head, many times. The thought that she couldn't be mistaken, and the rejection that it was a lie made her pick up her arms.

　Her throat trembled, her body trembled. Her brain played out the premonition on its own, showing Loki two words of fear.
　Her empty mouth didn't close, only the vibrations leaking from her throat trembling in the air.

　The thought of voicing it was terrifying. Once he said it aloud, Loki would understand the consequences. His eyes wouldn't stop looking directly at him, but his ears would accept it.

　Hugging his bright red-tinted arms, Loki hobbles and begins to walk, fixing his gaze on his arms as if he were being propelled with an unsteady step.
　But her face lifted almost reflexively, as if that wasn't allowed.

　The only thing there is the reality that shatters all the hopes and forebodings of the future that she had before coming here.
　The figure she had scorched with a bright red line on the ground was creeping toward somewhere else. And then it was out of power. There was no need to think about where he was headed. He was headed to the place where Loki had fought and nearly died just a few minutes ago - it was the only place he could find.

　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

The only thing that matters is the fact that it's the only place where you can get your hands on it.

　I hugged my arms and moved my legs in a frantic manner.
　Tears had already begun to run down her cheeks as if she'd expected them.

　It was too different. The disparity between expectation and reality was tremendously open. I didn't want to see this kind of scene, even if I was wrong. That's why I wanted to die first if he was going to die, even during the bad meal, and that's why I wanted to do so.

　This was absolutely non-negotiable. I couldn't bear to just let his death be burned into my eyes. It would be far more painful than my own death.
　My chest hurts as if my heart has been directly crushed.

　It hurts, it hurts.

　--help me, Al.

　Looking down at the back of his black head, Loki's knees folded in horror.
　And then he shook it with one hand, though he shook it with the other, as if it was some kind of mistake.

'Al, Al, Al, Al...'

　I can't feel his warmth, his body heat. The blood must have run out, leaving the cross-section stained red.

　Loki kept refusing, kept fighting against the reality, and I guessed.
　Still, I made him turn over on his back and repeat the massage on his chest. It was as if his bouncing body wasn't that of a person.

　Like he was training against a doll.

　Next, his arms weakened and Loki collapsed onto Ars's chest. He sobbed and let out a sob.
　But there was no vibration in the sound that bounced back.

　He didn't want to taste this kind of pain. It's almost as if I'm an alien, as if no one loves me.

　Still, the offering I made to him must have been untrue. It must have been the best wish.

　Gently placing his detached arm on Ars's chest, Loki raised his upper body up, threading his arm through his back as he was supposed to do.
　He stepped into the gap and felt the weight of him. He was able to support himself.

　Even if he didn't respond, Loki still forced a smile on his crumpled face.
　Then he rubbed his cheek against his head on his own shoulder.

　There was nothing to miss about the world without him. But I hugged his cold body tightly one last time as I savored the time I was in the same world as him.
　All of his things are his, and I am his. Loki's world turns only for him.


'Next time we'll take a tour of the world together.
　We'll fight the world together next time.
　Next time it will be more fun.
　Next time ... next time ... I'm sure I'll be there for you from the beginning.
　Tsugi will definitely be there for you...........


　With his left hand around his waist, Loki pulled out the last remaining knife. There was no hesitation in that hand - as if that hand was the only one that had no connection to the trembling.
　There will be a next time.
　So much thought, so much cruelty.
　It's not just a matter of time before you're able to get your hands on it.
　I should have told you sooner. With that regret included, he parted his lips.

'I will find you, and I will love you.'