'Toa..........'

　As soon as I came back to consciousness.
　Blocking the light sunlight with my hand, I try to remember what I was dreaming about.

　I feel like I'm forgetting something important.

　Surprisingly, I seem to have fallen asleep while standing.
　I was in an upright position on the ground.

　........hmm?

　I can see someone's back, covering me and crying out.
　She has blue hair.

"...Masamune, sir?

What is it, Sufiria?

　When Sufilia noticed me standing behind her, she made a face as if she was a dead man.

''Why do you look like that........''

　....Huh?

　Why am I lying here?

　I mean, that's... that's me, right?

What's going on...

　It was definitely my body.

　The only thing different than usual was the large windfall in my chest.
　There was something weird about looking at my face in anything other than a mirror, and I didn't notice it right away.

　Why is Sufilia crying in the first place?
　Crying while covering up, it's like I'm dead........

''Master........''

　Even Nem was crying.

'Nem, even you,'

What is this...?

　Even Lucius is looking at me like that.

'What's wrong with you guys, you look so creepy.

　Suddenly, the heel of my foot touched something and I turned around.

　He spotted another one lying behind him.

'.........Toa.

　--It was Toa.

　Eyes closed, asleep.
　With a large wind tunnel in his chest, just like me.

"Toa...

　When I crouched down and touched my cheek, Toa was cold.

　Was he always this warm? .........



　It was instantly funny.
　I don't know why.

'It's funny.......................what's funny?'

　I was asking myself like an idiot.
　I want to kill myself like that.

'Well you're gone.........'

　I can't get my head around it.
　But I know........I know.......

'Masamune-sama.'

　I turned around at the sound of Sufilia's voice, and I (he) was still lying there.

"Sufilia, get out of the way--


　--It was his fault.


It was his fault.　Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh! ----

　

'He's.......... ----

　I hit him over and over again.
　Lying there, not trying to do anything, not being able to ... that guy who couldn't.

　Even though the flesh of the body came loose and the flesh and bones inside were exposed, I kept hitting it.

　Before I knew it, a crater had formed as if it had been hit by a meteorite.
　Everyone was looking down at me at the bottom of the hole.
　Still.

　Over and over again, I kept hitting me.

'Why are you still alive...'

　Sadness is suddenly flooding me, I feel like I'm going to throw up.
　When it's too late I realize what it means....
　Emotions that I couldn't even voice.
　I deliberately coughed and faked it.

　My body was no longer there.

　When I climbed out of the hole, I saw the figure of an Imperial soldier in a state where he had stopped moving.
　They became quiet and motionless, as if they were even gasping for breath.
　For some reason, I felt an apology from Kawachi in the center of the squad.
　A hypocrite that made no sense.

　But not this guy.........

　I went back to Toa and picked up his motionless body with his eyes closed.

''Lucius-san, Toa.........''

　When he entrusted Toa's body to her, he could see the rogue staring at him as if he strongly suspected the person.
　He was still holding a black spear in his hand.

'Rogue, was it not?'

You've been warned.

Yeah, I heard. Thanks for the fun magic, Rogue.

Spillman will do.

　His tone is casual, but his expression is almost strident.

'Spillman........'

　I took the Foolishness and Deception of Death and Life out of my interspatial storage and tossed it to him.

'I'll give it back,'

　Shpilman stared at me in silence for a while, then unleashed his fire magic and burned the book.
　I gave him a big smile at the sight of him.
　It's the kind of happy smile that comes out when you're having fun.

'It's not my fault.'

　Suddenly Spielman said.

'I didn't hear it.'

Yeah.

Riddick's Lost ----

　It captures the target's entire body and draws it forcefully with the gravitational force of robbery, taking care not to hurt it.

''--Uggh!

　Then he grabbed the subject's head and maintained it in mid-air.

'I have nothing against you. I have no particular reason to kill you.'

　I said to Shpilman up ahead.

'Oh, well...'

　Apparently, he thought he was going to be killed.
　Shpilman laughed, faking his fear with relief.

'Hidaka-kun, don't!

　I heard Kawachi's voice.

''Oh come on, what a pathetic look you have on your face while leading your squad?''

Let Mr. Saijo go!

　I held the little bird in my right hand and gave a lighthearted smile to the hypocrite in front of me on the right - Kawachi.

..."----not me!

　A little birdie yells in a desperate voice as I grab her head.

'No, no!　It's not me, it's not me, Masamune, I am!

What?

"Please, Hidaka, send Mr. Saijo! --

Quiet, class president!

Hidaka-kun, your eyes...

"Didn't you hear me, class president!

　Finally, Kawachi shut up.

'Come on, little birdie, talk to me.

　I lowered the little bird to the ground and let go of his head.
　And --.

　--The little bird slowly opened its mouth and spoke the first word.

''Sufilia-san........''

　Immediately, I was hit with violent palpitations.

　Why.........why is Sufilia's name coming out there.......
　Why is Sufilia's name coming from the little bird's mouth........

　But the little bird's eyes clearly caught Sufilia.

''Sufilia? .....

　There was the face of the princess of Artemias, with an earlier - artificial smile plastered on her face.

'What is the matter with you, Master Masamune?'

'You're making up a laugh at a time like this what do you mean, Sufilia? How does a little bird know your name?

　When I asked that question, Sufilia's expression changed drastically.

''--Don't make such a sad face.

　Sufilia laughed with a face that looked like she was about to start crying.

''I freed Masamune-kun, I rescued him from that woman's brainwashing, didn't I, Sufilia-san!

　The little birdie said, appealingly.
　But there was no response from Sufilia.

'Brainwashing? .....

　What the hell are you talking about?

　The little birdie was impatient again--'

'It was you who told me to kill him, wasn't it, Sufilia?　Masamune said that he's being manipulated by that man, because he said so!

　What is this ... what's going on?

　Sufiria ordered this?
　You want me to kill Toa?

What? ... you, what are you talking about?

Ugh, stop...

　He grabbed the little bird by the neck.

''Stop it, Hidaka-kun, you're going to kill Nishiki-san!

　Kawachi was annoyed.

''What are you saying, you're saying that Sufilia ordered you to do this?　Are you making fun of me?

　A little bird, the problem is this guy....

　But now.

　A moment later, he clearly felt Sufilia's emotions.

''.................Sufilia?''

　Why........why didn't I notice?

　What is transmitted from within the Sufilia, it is unmistakably a killing intent.

　--It was a murderous intent to the Toa lying on the ground.

　Even after her death, Sufilia still had a killing intent towards Toa........

You're not going to be able to get a good deal more than that.

　Letting go of the little bird's head, I asked Sufilia.

　Sufilia smiled as if she was about to start crying again.

''Yes .........I gave you an order. For you, Master Masamune.

For me, you mean... what?　What do you mean--

'It's for your own good!　Otherwise, the Toa would destroy you!

　I don't understand what Sufilia is trying to say.

'Destroyed, you say?　I'm going to be destroyed by what...

Master Masamune...

　It's as if to say, "You have to understand.

'You killed Toa, didn't you?

　I understand.
　It wasn't the birds.
　The one who killed the Toa--

"You, Sufilia, you are the--

　I suddenly felt something warm in my hand.

''Eh........''

Sufilia?

Masamune, sir....

　Blood spilled out of Sufilia's mouth.

　He slowly looked down.
　I checked my hand.

''Heh........''

　I don't understand.

　He had a black spear in his hand.
　This was an anti-magic spear, which I believe was held by Spielman.
　The tip of the spear's blade was pierced by Sufilia.

　When the hand that was holding the spear relaxed, Sufilia collapsed from her knees on the spot.

　Spitting out blood from her mouth while twitching.

''Masa, Mune, sir.......I, for your sake.......''

　It wasn't me I didn't stab........

Sufilia!

　I was holding Sufilia's hand and casting a healing spell.

''It's fine, it's........this wound, it can't be healed anymore.......''

I'm....I'm....

　Why, why, why did I stab Sufilia........

''Why did you do this, why did you do this, why did you do this.......I didn't mean to kill you!　And yet, why, why is this...?

I should not be doing this for you.

　Sufilia's eyes had stopped moving as she stared at a point.

　It was as if time had stopped.

''Sufilia.........''

　What and where do I look?

　No matter where I look, I don't have an answer.

'Lucius, are you sure he's not?'

...that he has captured the Toa's control.

I see...

　I heard a conversation between Spielman and Mr. Lucius.

　What, what's "that kind of thing"?

'Mr Lucius, please help Sufilia, Toa, help Toa!

　I was pathetically hanging on to the Demon King.

　It was as if my mind and body didn't mesh, and I didn't know what I was doing or what expression I had on my face right now.

''What do you have on your face...''

　Taking Toa in his arms, Lucius said.

'Heh? .....

　Somehow I became aware of my own face and slowly I understood.

　--I was laughing, with tears streaming down my face.

''Master........''

　Nem was standing in front of me.
　He crouched down.

'Let's just go home...'

　He said with a pained look on his face.



Master?

'Sufilia ... the Toa ...'

It's over.

...done? .....

Yes. The battle it's over.

　Nem's smile, as best as he can, is haunting.