CHAPTER 60

Death Flag

After I return to the café and tell the others that Seiya is training under Chronoa, Aria’s face lights up with a smile.

“He would be unstoppable if he learned the Goddess of Time’s skills!”

Kiriko, who’s in the middle of practicing Eternal Blade with Adenela, looks our way and cheerfully chimes in:

“Wow! He’s training to manipulate time? Seiya really is incredible!”

“But would he truly be able to do something like that?”

Jonde tilts his head in doubt, but I smile at him.

“Normally, it wouldn’t be possible, but who knows with Seiya? I think he’s got a pretty good chance of pulling it off!”

“Hmm… So, Goddess, should Kiriko and I continue training, then?”

“Yep. At least, that’s what Seiya said to do.”

“What are you going to do, Rista?”

I frown at Aria, then vent my frustration.

“Wait until you hear this! Seiya told me to go somewhere and play again!”

Kiriko bounces up and down, mirthfully swinging her arms about.

“I knew it! What do you want to play today?”

“Hmm? What do you mean…‘you knew it’?”

“Oh! Seiya told me to play with you while we were in the spirit world!”

“What…?!”

“Give me a little more time to practice, okay? I’ll be done before you know it! I can’t wait!”

“O-okay…”

Kiriko seems to be genuinely excited to play with me, but I can’t make sense of it at all. I recall his words as I watch Jonde and Kiriko practice.

“You should relax every once in a while.”

Hmm… When have I heard Seiya say something like that before? I’m so close to remembering, but it keeps slipping away. Frustrated, I continue to watch Jonde and Kiriko train and have a flashback of my time with Mash and Elulu.

Now that I think about it, Mash and Elulu trained in the spirit world like this, too.

I’m overcome with nostalgia when I suddenly realize something.

Th-that’s it! It was that time! During our last days in Gaeabrande, Seiya left us behind and went to fight the Demon Lord alone! Seiya, who usually does nothing other than train and fight, and stoically so, unusually showed compassion that day and suggested we rest. We were thrilled, but that was all part of Seiya’s plan as he left us behind and went to fight the Demon Lord alone.

W-wait…! Does he plan to go off by himself?! No, he can’t! He can’t leave the spirit world unless I open a gate for him! Then why did he…?!

“Seiya Ryuuguuin will lose someone else very important to him. This is not prophecy. The future has already been determined.”

I remember what the Dark God said to me and break into a cold sweat.

I-I’m going to die during the battle against the Demon Lord…! Is Seiya telling me to enjoy myself and relax because he knows?! B-because he doesn’t want me to have any regrets before I die?!

I wasn’t afraid of dying when I received a death sentence from the Dark God during the battle against Celemonic, but now that it has a ring of truth to it, I can’t stop trembling.

I—I don’t want to die! There are still so many things I want to eat and places I want to visit! I want to dress up sometimes, too!

I sternly shake my head.

R-relax, Rista! You’ll be okay! Once Seiya learns how to manipulate time, he’ll have no problem defeating the Demon Lord!

…I start to feel like Seiya’s training with Chronoa is my last hope for survival.

For the next three days, I try to act as cheerful as possible in an attempt to forget my fears. Being alone would just make me depressed, so I hang out and chat at the café with the others during the day and spend time with Kiriko at night. I feel at peace when we play with the toys Seiya gave me. Before long, though…Seiya’s training comes to an end. On the third day, I anxiously wait for him in front of the Chamber of Eternal Stasis. The door soon opens, revealing the Hero.

“Seiya! Have you finished your training?”

“Yes.”

I wonder how it went. Seiya’s usual stoic demeanor makes it hard to guess.

“S-so were you able to learn how to manipulate time?!”

“I’ve hardly slept the past three days. I tried everything I could.”

“Oh, really? And?”

“…I failed.”

“What?!”

“It appears humans really can’t manipulate time.”

“Oh…”

I feel a knot of despair in the pit of my stomach.

I-it makes sense, though. Not even Seiya would be able to control time. Which means…sniffle…I can’t escape my fate…!

My knees start to tremble, but Seiya walks forward without a care.

“S-Seiya, wait!”

I manage to chase after him as he heads back to Ishtar’s room.

“Oh, if it isn’t Seiya Ryuuguuin and Ristarte.”

Ishtar is seated in her usual chair, wearing a compassionate smile. Just when I think Seiya’s going to thank her for helping him train with Chronoa, he says:

“Hey, old lady. I want to watch the past fight against Ultimaeus in your crystal ball as a kind of simulation before the final battle. Oh, and make sure to show me the unedited, violent version.”

“Very well…”

Ishtar places a hand over the large crystal ball in her room until we can see the final battle from our past play out within. The Demon Lord, in his final form, brutally slaughters Princess Tiana and Seiya. It takes everything I have to not look away, but Seiya watches in silence. After the battle is over, he places a finger on the crystal ball, rewinds the events, and curiously studies the battle once more with a penetrating stare.

“H-how many times are you going to watch that?”

“Until I’m satisfied. Who knows if a simulation like this is going to help, though? The Demon Lord has probably evolved into something incomparable.”

…Seiya reviews the battle ten times in a row after that. Before long, the sun sets, and the room grows dark.

“Hey, um…Seiya? You’re going to ruin your eyesight like that.”

“Even so, I still need to do this.”

Ishtar timidly speaks up:

“I could loan you the crystal ball if you would like.”

“I appreciate it. I would need to borrow it for around a week. Is that okay?”

“A-an entire week…? V-very well…”

This isn’t a video rental shop! Does he seriously plan on borrowing it for that long?! Even Ishtar seems taken aback!

But Seiya casually holds the magic item under his arm and says:

“By the way, I’d like to ask your opinion while I’m here. Let’s imagine the Demon Lord has completely powered himself up. Do you think it’s possible for him to have an attack power of two million or more?”

“While he may be the Demon Lord, he is still a living creature. I could not imagine him having attributes greater than yours in your berserker state.”

“I see.”

“However, I am worried. I feel as if something is going to happen that goes…beyond normality—something unrelated to status attributes.”

“I have already prepared as best as I can in that regard.”

With that, Seiya turns on his heel and leaves, so I bow to Ishtar and retire from the room as well.

“H-hey, Seiya? How much longer do you plan on analyzing the Demon Lord?”

“It’s gonna be awhile. I’ll let you know when I’m ready.”

“Oh… Okay.”

My life is on the line here, so there’s no reason for me to rush him. Soon after, we go our separate ways.

A few more days pass. Adenela, Jonde, and Kiriko are crossing blades in the plaza today as well, but Adenela suddenly stops and smirks.

“Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh. G-good work. Y-you have completed y-your training.”

“Thank you so much!”

“K-Kiriko, y-you will a-always be my pupil.”

Kiriko is filled with glee as Adenela pats her head. I rush over to congratulate them.

“Jonde, Kiriko! Did you learn Eternal Sword?”

“Yes!”

“Wow, Kiriko! You’re amazing! Jonde, you too, right?”

“…Yes.”

“Hmm? What’s wrong? You don’t look so happy.”

“Goddess, what is the Hero doing right now?”

“He’s using a crystal ball to analyze his last fight against the Demon Lord.”

“I see. But ten days have passed since we came to the spirit world.”

“Oh… Has it already been that long?”

Now that he mentions it, this might be the longest we’ve ever stayed here. Usually, Seiya would give a firm timeline and train for about three or four days.

“I-it’ll be fine, though! Time moves slower in the unified spirit world, after all!”

“You still have to draw the line somewhere. Countless people in Ixphoria are suffering because of the Demon Lord.”

Ixphoria is Jonde’s home, so of course, I can understand why he’s worried.

“But this is going to be the final battle, right? Just let him do his thing.”

“Hmm…”

While trying to calm Jonde down, I notice Seiya walking in the distance.

What the…?! I thought he was analyzing the fight!

Jonde is going to be pissed if he sees Seiya wandering around. I decide to sneak away from the café and follow the Hero. He’s usually hyperaware of his surroundings, so I make sure to keep plenty of distance as I tail him. Now that I think about it, I guess I’ve become a little more cautious as well.

I follow Seiya until we arrive at the base of the secluded celestial mountains. Countless tombstones populate the otherwise deserted space. Yes, Seiya has chosen to visit that eerie cemetery, and floating in front of him now is the Goddess of Ghosts, Nephitet, with a triangular piece of cloth on her forehead.

What in the world does he need from her now? He already mastered Ghost Buster…

I hide behind a tree and spy on him from afar.

“Nephitet, I want to ask you something.”

“Yes?”

“You said that some deities consider eternal life a curse, so they willingly choose death, right?”

“Yes, Eternal Beings.”

“What happens to their souls after they die?”

“All things are in a state of flux. That includes the spirits of humans, deities, and even monsters. Once a spirit is released from its shackles, it is free.”

“Does that mean it’s reborn?”

“I cannot say for sure. Some spirits are reborn while some are not. However, there is no way to find out unless the spirit is freed. And being free is far better than being trapped for an eternity.”

“I see.”

Seiya then turns around and walks away. I hold my breath as I watch him go.

Th-there’s no doubting it now! He’s thinking about what to do after I die!

The thought of imminent death turns my entire body pale as my legs tremble.