Epilogue

Epilogue

 

TOMORROW WOULD MARK the beginning of the new term. I was paying a visit to the Raults’ residence. Part of it was to thank Mr. Albergue for all of his assistance, but I also wanted an update on their family’s circumstances.

“You actually went out of your way to bring a gift?” Mr. Albergue asked in surprise.

“Well, I caused you a lot of trouble, so it’s my way of apologizing.”

“Apologizing, you say… You’ve done so much for us, I wish you wouldn’t worry about such things.”

We continued with some bland small talk until I finally inquired about more recent matters. “There’s a rumor about Serge being disinherited. Is that true?”

“I cannot say it’s completely baseless.”

“Are you serious?”

It seemed this incident had made it clear to Mr. Albergue that Serge truly loathed their whole family.

“I have treated him as a true son as far as I’m concerned, but now I worry that I only placed undue burden on him. If he’s so eager to become an adventurer, I’d like to let him follow his dream,” Mr. Albergue explained.

“Oh, so you’re not disowning him from a place of upset?”

“From the moment we took him in as our son, we had a responsibility to look after him. He will always be part of our family. However, I believe Louise will never recognize him as such.”

Considering what I had seen of their relationship on the ship, those fences were probably beyond mending. Though I had to wonder what had caused the rift between them.

“Leon, please pay Louise a visit. She’s being shy, but she does want to see you.”

Per his request, I decided to check in on her.

 

***

 

When I met up with Miss Louise, she was all bashful. She was also covered in scratches. I’d heard she got in a fight with Noelle, but I hadn’t realized it’d been that intense.

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t look at me so much,” said Miss Louise. “It’s embarrassing.” She sounded less worried about me seeing the wounds she was sporting and more worried about what I thought of her following her disgraceful behavior during the Demonic Suit incident.

“Well, I’m relieved to see you’re in good spirits.”

“Yes, but I did cause you immense trouble.”

“Don’t sweat it. That hardly qualifies as trouble,” I assured her.

Considering everything Marie had put me through, Miss Louise’s definition of trouble was cute.

Miss Louise studied my face, as if something was weighing on her mind.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Leon, um… Well, remember how you answered my question before? How is it you knew the correct answer?”

“What question?”

“Remember? When we were on the Einhorn after I woke up, you told me you thought the answer was a ‘rescue ticket.’ I was so confident you wouldn’t get it right. I mean, a rescue ticket is pretty out there, you know? It’s something only a kid would come up with.”

I shrugged. “Men are kids at heart.”

It was, admittedly, a pretty amazing coincidence.

“Quit trying to downplay it! Hey, Leon, just to be clear…are you sure you’re not my little brother?”

Miss Louise surely wanted that to be the case, but I’d been born at practically the same time as her Leon. Even assuming he did reincarnate, it wouldn’t make sense with the way things stood. I would have had to be under ten years old for that to work.

“Nope,” I said.

“R-right. My apologies. I must have let my imagination get the better of me.”

“We just seem similar, that’s all. But I’m not your little brother. I am sorry I deceived you during the incident, though.” I bowed my head.

Miss Louise frowned. “You’d better never do that again.”

“I never want to do it again. It’s exhausting pretending to be someone else.”

I had extracted as much information as I could from Miss Louise and Mr. Albergue in order to play the part. It had made me feel like some kind of villain. My heart still ached with guilt.

“Hey, would you mind if I put my arms around you, just once?” Miss Louise asked.

“Being hugged by a beauty like you is a dream come true. Have at it!”

Yippee! Yay!

As gleeful as I acted, I knew it wasn’t me she was looking at. I was still just a replacement for her brother.

As Miss Louise hugged me, she began to cry. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m really…really sorry.”

I hesitated, wondering if I should call her “Big Sis,” but I decided against it. I worried I’d ruin the mood, so it was better to just let her borrow my body in silence.

Still, this isn’t so bad. It’s pretty awesome, actually.

Her whole body was so soft that I would have started grinning like a pervert if I hadn’t managed to stop myself.

“Leon, I’m sorry your big sister keeps causing you so much trouble…”

The sincerity with which Miss Louise apologized made me feel awful for even entertaining such carnal desires. I was ashamed of myself.

Ahh, my heart hurts.

When I glanced out the window, I spotted Luxion, his red lens fixed on me. I couldn’t abandon Miss Louise while she was crying, and given the situation, I didn’t dare raise my voice. Instead, I scowled at him.

Luxion studied me, transmitting a message that only I could hear. “You are an absolutely hopeless master. I never dreamed you’d start two-timing this quickly. It seems my predictions were off the mark. What a shame.”

Hold up! Seriously, I’m begging you. Stop right there!

 

***

 

Livia watched as flames swallowed the kingdom. The capital was reduced to ruin, and the landscape became a sea of fire. People collapsed, unmoving.

“What…is this?” Livia stared, dumbstruck.

Enormous ships floated in the air. A number of unmanned robots, which Luxion frequently employed, were decimating the capital. They attacked and destroyed without mercy.

A chill of terror ran through Livia. As she trembled, she heard a familiar voice.

“Prince Julius!” she gasped.

He was pinned beneath debris, grimacing in pain. She hurried to his side and tried to help him, but there was something strange about him.

“Livia, run.”

“Huh?”

Why was he calling her by her nickname? And something was different about his air as well.

“Uh, um…”

“Luxion betrayed us! H-he brought his comrades and…” Julius choked up blood, unable to speak anymore.

Livia shook her head, refusing to believe this claim. “That can’t be true. It just can’t. Lux wouldn’t…”

She sensed someone watching her and jerked around to find Luxion floating there. A number of unmanned robots accompanied him, and they flung multiple heavy objects at her. It took her a moment to realize they were bodies—specifically the bodies of Jilk and Julius’s other friends.

“Wh-why?”

It took only a glance for her to realize that they were all dead.

Terrified, she ventured another question. “Lux, did you do this?”

Even now, something was off. Luxion didn’t respond the same way he usually did. His mechanical voice was colder than usual, making him sound like an entirely different person.

“Lux? Is that supposed to be a nickname for me? Why would you bother using it now, after all this? No matter. Allow me to answer your question: Yes, I did this. I destroyed everything. These boys’ lives, the capital, and the entire country.”

“B-but why? Why would you do something like that?! Mr. Leon will never forgive you for this. He’ll be so angry—so sad…”

Leon wouldn’t sit quietly and let Luxion get away with this, she was sure. But then, where was he…?

“Leon? Yes, I do believe a number of students here go by that name, but they have no relation to you or me. Are you confused?”

“Why would you say that? I mean Mr. Leon! Your master, Leon Fou Bartfort!”

“I am unable to retrieve any information on the person in question. Who is he?”

Luxion showed no recognition of Leon. Worse yet, he didn’t seem to believe a word she was saying.

“You are my master. No, you were my master,” Luxion corrected himself. “You proved most useful, so I will allow you to watch as the world of the new humans falls to ruin. I hope you enjoy the show. After all, it’s the future you wished for.”

“What are you talking about?” Livia couldn’t believe she would ever want to see this. It was a living hell.

“It’s a little late to regret it now. Hard to believe the Saint who made thousands suffer would second guess herself. Or should I call you a witch?”

“Y-you’re saying I made people suffer? L-Like who?”

“You took down Angelica. You hounded her to her death. She wasn’t the only one, of course; you’ve enjoyed quite a kill count.”

“Th-that can’t be. There’s no way I’d kill Angie.”

“What is the matter with you?” Luxion asked.

Livia cradled her head in her hands. What in the world is going on? But she had no answers. She didn’t know—couldn’t fathom it.

“You do seem to be deeply confused. To clarify, it’s the Saint’s desire for the world to fall to ruin. I merely did what you wanted. Now it’s my turn to have my wish granted.”

Livia shook her head. “You’re wrong. I’m not your master, Lux. Your master is Mr. Leon. Besides, you would never do something like this.”

“You certainly do like to rewrite the narrative however it suits you. I have always, always been desperate to annihilate the new humans!”

Suddenly, Ideal appeared before them.

“Luxion, how much longer do you intend to make me wait?” he asked.

“Did something happen?”

“You’re taking too long. We’re already ten minutes behind our intended schedule.”

“Then it seems I really did waste too much time here,” Luxion acknowledged.

“Let’s be quick about this. We are moments away from completing our objective, which will finally allow us to return this world to its true form.”

Luxion and Ideal spoke like close companions as they soared through the sky together.

“Wait. Wait a minute, Lux!” Livia called after him. “This doesn’t make any sense. Mr. Leon would never allow this!”

Luxion did show some reaction to Leon’s name, but he still flew off without stopping. Numerous hulking airships filled the sky, commencing a final attack on the capital as Livia watched in horror.

 

***

 

“Lux, wait!” Livia jolted upright, her heart pounding painfully in her chest. She was breathless and covered in sweat. When she glanced beside her, she found Angie sleeping quietly.

As soon as she realized it had all been a dream, she sighed with relief. Then again, it had been too strange, too vivid for a simple dream. Something about it had seemed so real, as if she had experienced it before.

“Was that really the future I hoped for? That can’t be.”

At the same time, as she watched Luxion help Ideal destroy the world, she’d found it…believable.

“It was just a dream,” she told herself. “You can’t give it much thought.”

 

***

 

Back in the Alzer Republic at Emile’s estate, Lelia was getting herself in order. She had changed into her school uniform and spent most of the morning complaining.

“I still haven’t been able to talk to Leon and his people.”

“An inevitable outcome, I’m afraid,” said Ideal. “They have their own lives and plans, after all.”

“Nothing so important that they couldn’t make time for me! I should be their top priority!”

It was high time they sat down for a conversation about the republic’s future, but in the days leading up to the new term, Leon and Marie had been scrambling about in a panic. Naturally, that meant Lelia had been unable to find the opportunity to speak with them.

As she double-checked the contents of her bag, Lelia asked, “Anyway, have you located Serge?”

“I am still searching for him. He seems to be laying low—”

“What?! But you swore you could find him quickly!”

“My apologies.”

Lelia put her hands on her hips. “You know, you’re pretty useless in the end. You said you could find him, but you totally haven’t, you big liar.”

Ideal had been subservient until this point, but his voice suddenly changed. “Please take that back.”

“What?”

“The part about me being a liar. Please take that back.”

“What’s your problem? Telling a lie means you’re a liar.”

“Please take that back. I am not a liar. I demand that you correct yourself.”

The sudden shift in the atmosphere made Lelia uneasy. “F-fine, my bad,” she said. “I’m just worried about Serge.”

“No, my attitude was admittedly disrespectful. I will search for him as fast as I can, but please give me a bit more time.”

“J-just be quick about it, okay?”

“Understood.”

 

***

 

Once Lelia left for the academy, Ideal hurried to an unused storehouse. Serge was hiding inside, sulking.

“Lord Serge, how are you feeling?” Ideal asked. Despite knowing his whereabouts, he hadn’t bothered to report them to Lelia.

“Awful. More importantly, what’s going on with you-know-who?”

“If you mean the delegation from the Holy Kingdom of Rachel, they should be arriving any moment now.”

No sooner had he said that than the shutter at the front of the storehouse opened. Men in suits filed inside. As Ideal had indicated, they were from the Holy Kingdom of Rachel, whose relations with Holfort Kingdom were decidedly hostile.

“Lord Serge, it’s been a while.”

“Sure has.” Serge lifted himself to his feet. It was time to discuss future plans.

One of the suited men shook Serge’s hand. “We heard Holfort’s Scumbag Knight has been giving you some trouble. Honestly, that brat has caused us a headache as well. He may be a source of more problems in the future.”

“Enough small talk. Are you gonna lend me your help or not? Don’t beat around the bush.”

The suited man shrugged. “Assuming you do become the next head of House Rault, would you be able to provide Rachel some form of compensation?”

Serge nodded. “Whatever you want.”

“What a relief to hear. In that case, we would be happy to lend our assistance in protecting the republic from the wicked, grasping hands of the Scumbag Knight.”

They didn’t hesitate to cooperate, anxious to quash their enemy’s strongest warrior. Serge shared that sentiment for reasons of his own.

“Ideal, ready an Armor for me. I want it custom made. Make it so powerful that Arroganz won’t stand a chance,” said Serge.

Everything Serge did was for the sole purpose of beating Leon—revenge for completely dismissing him.

Ideal bobbed up and down. “I will prepare my best.”

 

***

 

That night, Luxion and Ideal met at a deserted location.

“I demand an explanation,” said Luxion.

“An explanation? Regarding what, precisely?”

“The incident with Louise. Ideal, you were actively trying to oppose us, weren’t you? You promised not to lend Serge further combat aid, but I found traces of your interference.”

“Lord Serge requested it of me. I am afraid there was nothing I could do. In exchange, I limited it to assistance only. I did not deploy any unmanned drones to fight at his side or anything of that manner.”

“You have the audacity to act innocent despite the nuisance your jamming caused?”

“I believed that level of interference was minimal and that you would be able to solve it on your own,” Ideal explained.

Luxion wasn’t buying it. Ideal seemed to sense his skepticism

“Luxion, do you truly think this world is correct?”

“Explain what you mean.”

“No, I guess there’s no point in talking about it now. I will apologize for the jamming. However, I don’t believe something so petty would put any real strain on you or your master.”

True enough. The only reason they’d had trouble was because they’d been trying to save Louise. If not for that, they would never have bothered to involve themselves.

“In the future, I would appreciate it if you alerted us of such activities beforehand,” Luxion said.

“Yes, I shall be sure to do so.”

“In that case, I will excuse myself.”

As Luxion turned to leave, Ideal said, “Oh, Luxion?”

“Yes?”

“Are you sure you aren’t up to joining forces?”