Final Chapter

The duel city was once again rowdy with talk of Yuri’s party.

“Hey, guys, did you hear? The mix-blood did it again.”

“If you’re talking about driving out the Tormentor, then hats off to him.”

“I was half in doubt when he made a speech about it, but who’da thought he would really go and do it?”

“It was disgusting to see those fake duelists prancing around on their high horses, after all. And now we can go to the dungeons with a bit of peace of mind.”

“They say they got all the slave incident victims this time. Good work, I say.”

“It’s a bit of a gray area, though. Babel staff was pretty pissed.”

“Still, you gotta admit, it was pretty refreshing to watch the Flame Deva chasing around Navie’s goons.”

“And the Ice Jailer freezing them into fine works of art was also a sight to behold.”

“Come to think of it, I hear the Beheader lent a hand as well. Do you reckon it was his idea?”

“Nah, he’s the Deva’s brother, so he helped out, is all. Friend of mine went to see how it all turned out and heard the receptionists saying it was all the mix-blood’s idea.”

“Come to think of it, Haring was involved again. Anyone know anything about that?”

“I heard he offered info on Navie’s gang. I guess he can do good now and again.”

“Speaking of Haring, he apparently paid more than ten million in support money for the victims. Maybe that’s why he was gathering money?”

“He was involved, so maybe he’s just trying to redeem himself. Well, at least he used it for something good, so I’ll forgive him for the ten copper he shook me down for.”

“He got two of my silvers. Though, I just found them on the side of the road.”

“Oi, those silver were mine, give them back this instant, you bastard.”

Haring smiled bitterly as he gazed at the bulletin. “...Good grief, the people here sure like to get worked up.”

He was back in the holding cell in Babel Tower. His release had been temporary, and now the staff members were all busy interrogating Navie and his men, so his verdict—while it would probably be in his favor—had been put on hold for the moment. At least, that was what Mirka told him.

Strangely enough, he didn’t feel too bad here. Up to this point, he never really had a place where he could kick back and take it easy. Now he had a place to be.

As he basked in his thoughts, the wall to the jail abruptly swung open. “Mr. Haring, would it be alright if I let in a visitor?” a staff member of Babel asked.

“...A visitor? Is it the brat?”

“No, two girls from outside.”

“...Whatever. Let them in.”

The staff member left, and one girl came in. And Haring...opened his eyes wide.

“It’s been a while, Haring.”

“...Yeah, it has been a while,” Haring curtly replied to the young Beast Tribe girl across the glass pane.

A girl he had saved from Navie. She had filled out a bit since he last saw her, but he would never mistake her for anyone.

“You eatin’ well, Foley?”

“...You still remember my name?”

“Haven’t forgotten a single one of you... It was my job to keep an eye on you guys, remember?”

When he answered as such, Foley stroked the ends of her drooping rabbit ears with a troubled look on her face. “I got called in by someone from Babel. Apparently, they found my brother.”

“......Really?”

“Yes. They got the date and time of the transaction from the testimonies, arrested the person who bought him, and confiscated him back. I think he’ll be resting back home for a while.”

“......I see.” Her words did bring him a sense of relief, but Haring’s expression immediately hardened back up. “I’m sorry. Sorry it took so long to free you all, and sorry your brother had to go through all that.”

“N-No, not at all! There’s nothing for you to apologize for! It’s all...every last bit of it is the fault of that man who tricked us.”

While a slight shadow still crossed her face, Foley made a cheerful smile.

“Thank you for fighting for us,” she warmly told him. “It may take some more time to forget the past...but I think it’s because of you that we can move forward.”

Just seeing that smile made him feel like his actions carried some modicum of worth. So Haring reciprocated the gesture.

“Don’t let a bad guy trick you next time.”

“If that happens, will you save me again?”

“I’ll save you whenever you want. But next time, one copper won’t be nearly enough.”

Just as Foley let out a giggle, she suddenly raised her face as if she had just recalled something important. “Come to think of it, I met someone at the docks who said they came to see you, so we came here together... May I bring them in?”

“Mn? Well I don’t mind, but...why didn’t you come in together?”

“Err... According to her, because you’d be really, really surprised,” Foley said and then scampered out of the room.

Haring could hear the sound of some sort of cart rolling in the corridor and—

“Haring! I heard you got into a fight for someone again!”

The moment he heard the voice, Haring rushed up to the glass.

A Dragon Tribe girl in a wheelchair. Her body had wasted away somewhat, and she was thinner than he remembered. The months and years had gone by, so she was more of a woman than when he last saw her. And yet—it was as if her voice was the one thing that never changed.

“Dear me, when dad told me, I felt fed up beyond belief! You are definitely going to lose out in life with that personality of yours! Seriously, it looks like becoming a duelist hasn’t changed you in the slightest!” she said in a teasing tone and then broke into a laugh. Her appearance might have changed, but the vestiges of her old smile remained.

The girl who altered the meaning of his own name.

“Loads of things happened when I was asleep, right? I came all the way here, so you’d better tell me everything!”

And then the girl asked the same question she always would.

“So, Haring! What story are you going to tell this time?”

Haring hung his head. The tears streaming down his face prevented him from looking her in the eye.

“Yeah...it’s gonna be a long story this time.” His voice shook as he violently rubbed his eyes. “I’ve got loads of things I want to tell you.”

Clumsy as it was, Haring did his best to smile.

◇

Mirka took a seat on a rock as she talked to someone over her Proof.

“Being real here, Gandor, I really do have to thank you.”

“Hmmhmm. Which matter might you be referring to?”

“Both of them. For saving Haring last time, and now for bringing his family to him.”

“Ni shi shi! It matters not. Old as I am, I’m still the Administrator of the Dragon Tribe.”

Her conversation partner...Administrator Gandor gave a peculiar laugh.

“He is, after all, the candidate I’ve placed my hopes on. It wouldn’t be fun if he was crushed by trifling affairs. And if I selected him, it only makes sense to take responsibility for him to the end, don’t you think?”

“You say that, but you’ve pretty much abandoned him up to this point.”

“Ki shi shi. That’s what you call a difference in teaching practices. Little old Velt is putting quite a bit of effort into shaping his candidate, but I’m the sort who lets the base ingredients shine through.”

“I see. So is he going to meet your expectations?”

“Of course he will. Up until now, he was always fighting unaware...but a rare spirit polished solely by fighting to protect others shall surely let him ascend to become a true dragon.”

Mirka quietly closed her eyes, letting Gandor’s gleeful ramble enter her ears. “...Well, all that aside, please do hurry up and come to the city, okay? It pains me to say that Velt’s the only Administrator who’s showed up so far.”

“Sorry about that, Mirka, dearie. We have our hands full with our own continents, but I guess we can’t leave the duel city management in your hands forever.”

“Yes, with all that’s happened lately, I’m about to die from overwork...”

“Hmhmm, that tired? A good groping ought to pep you right—”

“Drop dead, pervy old man.”

After one-sidedly cutting off the conversation, Mirka let out a sigh. “Haaah... I thought it would be more interesting than being an administrator, so I chose this side, but...”

A wrinkle slowly spread across her brow as she recalled the events of the last day. “Well, let’s just get this job over with, so I can make Yuri sleep next to me as punishment,” she joked before directing her eyes down to the line of several men made to sit in handcuffs.

“Now then, now then, what’s going to happen to you now?” she asked the man in the center, Navie Ionesca.

“Hah... Hell if I know. All I know is that you dragged us out here to exile us from the city.”

They were currently in a ruined, desolate land. Not a speck of green around, only dull brown rock and gravel filled their field of vision.

Mirka broke into a chuckle after hearing that one. “Exile, is it? I’m sorry, that’s not quite how these things work.”

“...What do you mean, eh?”

“I mean what I say, and I say what I mean. You don’t seem to understand what it is you’ve done.” Mirka twirled the tip of her finger as she explained. “If abusing contracts was all you did, you would’ve probably gotten off with exile. However—murder and attempted murder solely for the thrill of it. Slave trafficking, which is prohibited across all the continents. There’s plenty more I could list off, and I must say, you’ve done just a bit too much.”

It would be accurate to call Navie Ionesca a heinous villain. The central figures of his organization who not only knew about his misdeeds but also actively supported him shared the same offense.

“And yet...you want to be exiled? Ridiculous. Laughable. Absurd. If we return a villain like you to your original continent, the peaceful world everyone’s trying so hard to maintain will fall apart.”

Unable to contain her laughter, Mirka’s eyes turned to look down at Navie with scorn.

“Did you honestly believe that exile was the highest punishment the duel city could offer? Did you think, after instilling them with the power to fight, we would offer salvation to those whose thoughts and actions stepped off the path of ethics?”

If someone who not only had the power but used it to maliciously hurt others was set free, there was no way the peace of the world could be maintained. That was precisely why exile wasn’t enough.

“A place for you no longer exists in this world,” she firmly declared.

Overwhelmed by her intensity, one of the bound men raised his voice. “I-It ain’t my fault! I was just following Navie’s orders!”

“T-That’s right! I just did it because he was threatening me!”

“I wouldn’t have helped him if I knew it would come to this!”

The followers suddenly started acting up. Such ugliness caused Mirka to move a finger to her lips in irritation.

“Ah...just shut up.”

Her tone was as if she was dealing with the buzzing of an annoying fly as she protruded a claw from one of her fingers.

“I should start by taking out a few.”

A moment after her cold declaration, the bodies of the men who began protesting were vertically bisected.

“......Hah?”

The few who survived turned their heads to what had once been their comrades. They didn’t even have to look to know they had died instantly.

“Haaah, I’ve had enough of this job. It really is such a drag.” Her black wings swayed, almost as if she was a child throwing a tantrum. It was like the lives she took meant absolutely nothing to her.

After staring at her for a few moments, Navie’s expression turned from shock to smile. “Oh...I get it now.” Defeated by his encroaching fear, he raised his voice in a broken laugh. “Hahahahahah! I see, it’s you! The mysterious number one! The undefeated duelist who holds the top seat without anyone knowing their name!”

Watching as Navie continued to laugh and laugh, Mirka listlessly pressed a hand to her cheek. “Ah, whatever, just say whatever you want. Your verdict is already set in stone.”

After Mirka shifted her blood-stained fingertips, the air rumbled, quivering in fear. An invisible existence lurked in the atmosphere.

Imperfect as they were, being duelists, Navie and his men surely sensed it. And that was why—they surely got a taste of the greatest terror.

“This is my job as head of city management. Don’t fault me for it.”

By that point, her words could no longer reach them. There was nothing left. No bisected bodies, no men cowering in fear, no Navie repeating his broken laugh.

All that remained was a sizable divot in the ground.

“Hah... How boring,” Mirka complained for the umpteenth time as she stared at the impacted earth.

Boring.

Boring.

Boring.

That was the emotion that was always filling her head these past couple hundred years.

“Honestly, I truly envy all those duelists out there. Just by living in the duel city, they can always enjoy their fights.”

Naturally, this should have applied to Mirka as well, a duelist in her own right. However...there was a difference between fighting and violence. The way Mirka saw it, to fight was an impulse that surged up from the depths of one’s heart. Violence was to wield power against anyone who just happened to be in the general vicinity.

At the very least, Mirka never used violence by choice. But she knew in her heart of hearts that she would never be able to have a fight. As Wallis said, Mirka’s strength was seen by others as one-sided violence. She herself, upon seeing her opponents so unequivocally crushed, only ever felt she was using tasteless violence.

At the peak she stood on, no one could fight Mirka in the truest sense. That was why she now placed her hopes and dreams on people like Yuri.

“Fufu. How strong will they grow to be?”

She hoped for their growth more than anyone. The strength gained from growth was one that didn’t exist for someone like her, who was strong from the start.

How much power could they gain? Was there a limit to their strength? Would they be able to surpass her when no one else could?

Her intrigue was unending. She wanted them to grow up fast and show her a strength that was different from her own.

And—she wanted to fight. She yearned for it. Not to one-sidedly exercise violence, but to fight in a duel where both sides contested with all they had.

The duelist called Mirka Stein longed for such a battle more than anyone else in the city.

She whispered an aimless wish to the blue sky. “Won’t the world hurry up and become one that can entertain me?”

◇

A week had passed since the riot Yuri raised. City management officially announced that Navie Ionesca and the twelve closest to him were sentenced to exile.

Yuri, Athena, and Fram were given a three-day house arrest and a harsh reprimand, while Haring’s case was properly dismissed and he was released without issue.

And—

“Alright! Let’s start Mr. Haring’s welcoming party into Team Eniastar!”

The members had all gathered around a table on the terrace of Café Argent.

“So anyway, it’s a pleasure to work with you!”

“Yeah, I don’t really mind that part, but...”

Haring was already starting to feel tired, his head propped up by his hand as he stared fixedly at Yuri.

“Fox, spirit, are you always like that?”

“Mn? This is the norm for us,” Athena immediately replied.

“Yes, these are normal operating conditions,” Fram added.

They had set up camp around Yuri, stuck fast to his side.

“I mean, these days, Yuri’s only paying attention to Haring, Haring, Haring! As his Big Sis, I have the right to hug him as much as I want!”

“It’s an obligation by this point. An obligation imposed upon us of admiring Yuri up close.”

“...Oi, Yuri, ain’t it hard to breathe like that?”

“I kinda got used to it by now!”

“You’re pretty adaptable, ain’t you.”

Too enervated to say any more on the matter, Haring painstakingly began stuffing his cheeks with food.

“Well, I’m on the team, so I’ll do my work. I know better than to stick my mouth where it don’t belong.”

“Yeah, you’d better not! A croissant isn’t going to get in the way of sisterly love!”

“Hey, you know those delicious-looking horns on your head? Have you ever tried taking them off and eating them? I’m talking about emergency situations, of course. But what do they taste like?”

“Aight then, dueling it is. We’re gonna have to lay some ground rules here...!”

“Oh, a duel!? Then count me in!” Yuri exclaimed.

“You ain’t even a part of this, butt out!”

As they began getting worked up and making a ruckus, Elias quietly stepped out from the back of the shop.

“Quiet. You’re bothering the other customers.”

“Ah... I’m sorry, Mr. Elias,” Yuri apologetically replied.

“Also, if you’re going to duel, wait a bit. A duel between you guys will definitely attract some customers,” Elias added.

“You’re all up for using us, aren’t you!” quipped Yuri.

“Just like you keep using my store. Hey you, Haring, was it? You seem comparatively decent, so if these kids start making a ruckus, please stop them.”

“You’re seriously the only person to call me decent upon meetin’ me for the first time...”

Feeling satisfied after complaining to them, Elias returned to his job. They couldn’t quite raise another uproar after that, so they kept their voices just a bit more subdued.

“Anyway, we have a new member now! That’s one step closer to making it through the Babel Roulette!”

“Well, he may be Haring, but he’s definitely strong!”

“And having Haring will strengthen our front line. We can finally implement some real tactics.”

“Tactics? What’re you talkin’ about? There’s plenty of stuff you coulda done, just the three of you.” Haring doubtfully tilted his head. “That firefox has her white flames, so instead of just bein’ a vanguard, she can also act as a diversion and disrupt enemy lines. The ice spirit can just stay in the back if she wants, but if you start by showin’ off her high firepower, you can use her as a decoy after that. After doing some work on the front line, Yuri’s the sorta fighter who can help out whatever part of the battlefield’s at a standstill.”

Haring chewed on his food, arbitrarily spinning his fork around as he explained.

After they heard his piece, the three of them gathered their faces to the side.

“E-Eh? Wasn’t Haring an idiot like us?”

“He just said something surprisingly decent.”

“That’s why I told you. Unlike what his face suggests, Mr. Haring is good at using his head.”

“I can still hear you, you know. If you’re gonna lower your voices, at least insult me or somethin’.”

Haring took a disgruntled bite of meat before going on.

“Anyway, the point is, there are plenty of plans we can write up as we are now. If possible, I’d like one more person, but you can still recruit members after the preparation period, so that can wait. What we need to do now is see how well our team can operate.”

“Oh, in that case I do have a lead—”

Before Yuri could say any more, Eleanor dropped in from who-knows-where with, “Yuri! Sorry keep you waiting!” and hugged him with her greeting.

“Was worried when heard about incident, but glad to see doing well!”

“Whoa there... Yes, I should thank you for the blood paste!”

“Was useful? Very good!!”

Eleanor seemed bursting with joy as she took Yuri’s hands in celebration. This promptly caused the silverware to fall from Athena and Fram’s hands with a clang.

“Yuri...brought a new woman...!?”

“It seems we weren’t enough for him...”

“Wait, what are you two talking about!?” Sensing restlessness in the air, Yuri inadvertently took a step back. “I told you two about her, didn’t I!? The elf I met in the dungeon, who looked up to Human Tribe ninjas so much she became a duelist!”

“So in short, a blonde-stacked-loli-ninja-elf,” Fram snapped back.

“Please don’t make her sound like a walking mass of buzzwords...!”

“Aah, for crying out loud! You can’t stick to Yuri too much! Big Sis doesn’t permit it!”

“Really, really!? But Yuri adorable good friend!”

Athena and Eleanor seemed to be exactly on the same wavelength, the former menacingly waving her bushy tail around, while the latter took on a bizarre, intimidating pose.

There was a reason he had called Eleanor here. She had contributed in the matter with Navie, and he did want to thank her for that...but he also wanted her to mediate a certain something else.

“That’s right, Ms. Eleanor! Did you ask your leader?”

“Of course, perfect! Called him here!”

“Eh? What’s this about?” Athena tilted her head.

“I asked if we could have a duel with Ms. Eleanor’s team before the Roulette began. Rate won’t change right now, so we can fight to our heart’s content.”

With all that happened, they had used up quite a bit of their time, and Yuri determined that the most efficient way to grow experienced as a team would be real combat.

“On top of testing our coordination, I thought we could see how other teams move and use it as reference!”

“Sounds good to me. No matter who we’re up against, right now any experience is good experience,” Haring agreed.

All of a sudden, Eleanor turned to the road. “Ah, there you are! Tenebre! Here, here!” She flailed her hand around at the small young boy walking in their direction.

Upon noticing her, the boy jogged up.

“Oh, Tenebre! So slow!”

“Hm. It’s not me, you’re just too fast, or rather, too impatient... Whatever the case, please stop suddenly jumping along the rooftops. I lose sight of you if I rest even a second.”

His dark purple hair swaying, the boy let out a tired sigh. Judging by his hair color and build, he was presumably a spirit.

“Hah... Hm. So you’re Yuri Eniastar. I’ve heard the rumors.”

“Yes! And you’re, umm, err...”

“Hm, Tenebre les Nuits. I’m the leader of team Nebra-Disk,” he said in a polite tone and held out his hand.

Yuri lightly lowered his head and gripped the hand back.

“I’m thankful for your request,” Tenebre went on. “Even if we are still in the entry period, you don’t get many opportunities to hold a proper team duel. It will be a good lesson.”

“That should be my line; thank you so much for accepting! I just hope we can both be a good learning experience for each other.”

Seeing Yuri’s friendly reception, Tenebre found himself led into a smile. “You’re as good of a kid as Eleanor said. How very promising.”

“Fufu, only natural! Yuri good person I recognize!” Eleanor proudly puffed out your chest.

“And, of course, it isn’t only you, Yuri. When I heard you had such famed fighters as the Flame Deva and Ice Jailer on your side, my personal interest was piqued.”

“Ah, by the way, we got another member too!”

“Hmm, hmm, how rude of me. I’ll watch out for your dragon as well.” Tenebre looked at Haring and calmly nodded. “Incidentally—ice spirit, why do you keep your head turned away?”

Hearing that, Yuri also turned to look at Fram. He saw her there, silent, turned away, with a nebulous look on her face.

“A-hm. It appears you didn’t hear me—” Looking at Fram, Tenebre spoke out a certain name. “—Grace Aizberg. I’m talking to you.”

For a moment, Yuri didn’t understand what it was he had said.

“U-Umm... Her name is Fram.”

“Hmm. Is that what she’s calling herself here? Back when we were in the same village, I distinctly remember she had the name Grace,” Tenebre said with conviction, before offering another correction. “And Fram Aizberg is the name of a spirit no longer of this world.”