To Carry On With Purpose

Soren’s funeral was a simple affair.

Anna and I made a shrine for him at the tree that magically survived his tempest.

It only felt fitting that we’d immortalise him here.

Maelle did not attend.

I asked Anna to conjure any blue flowers she knew of. We settled on a bloom that looked something like hydrangeas from my previous life—light blue, full of grace, a representation of my gratitude towards him. It nearly matched the shade of his armour.

So many things happened at this tiny place.

Did I make the right decision?

There was someone like who Soren was to Maelle in my previous life. Someone that I took for granted because in the impulsiveness of my youth, I assumed I knew everything. Someone who I cast aside because I was more focused on fulfilling the other expectations that’d been thrust upon me. I had my whole life to impress her, and only my limited youth to achieve the things I needed to do to amount to “someone”, so it was logical that I’d place her as my last priority.

Not even losing everything else was enough for me to remember she was there. By that point my impulsiveness calcified into pride, and my focus on trying to live like I was in control transformed into an unreformable habit of denial. And even then, to be grateful towards the person that’d always been by my side since day one, whose love was unconditional regardless of whatever I chose, instead of being bitter that I’d lost what I once had—that was something that never crossed my mind as a possible answer to it all until it was already too late to go back and change my mind.

Should I really have forced that on Maelle?

To make his death a sudden plane crash instead of a gradual realisation?

I could’ve easily turned him into a myth. Planted a delusion in Maelle’s head that, one day, if she just worked hard enough, if she casted hard enough with the correct sequence of spells—she would be able to find him, stranded in another dimension. That he wasn’t dead, just missing. Then she could come to terms with his disappearance herself, under her own terms.

There was some merit to that idea.

What about what Soren could have meant to me? In the short amount of time I’d spent with him, he had shown me what a true hero was supposed to be like. He inspired me so much that, just through his words alone, I believed in my own potential enough to cast for the first time without even having even figured out the secret behind why magic worked. His blade was what laid the framework for my own. And, in the end—he sacrificed himself to save my life.

What would have happened if he lived on? Would he have taught me even more techniques? Shown me magic I would never have discovered myself? Taught me the significance of the gauntlet he used to wear?

I could only imagine and long for it.

Soren—there was still so much for you to do in this world. It’s dark now, without you.

“...Is it really okay if we leave her alone?”

In the moonlight, it was hard to see Anna’s expression. But judging by her tone, I could tell she was more worried about the girl than in mourning for Soren.

And it made sense. She’d only known him for a day. A week if you counted time dilation. And while Soren wasn’t here, Maelle still was. With no other adults in the room… the duty of protecting her fell to us.

Only a day, huh.

Things change so quickly.

“She’ll be fine. She needs time to process his death. If you try to force her out of her shell now… it’ll only backfire.”

“I know, but—”

“If you’re worried about external stuff, like bandits attacking, I’m sure Cockie will scream if anything happens. Then you can beanstalk me over there and I’ll aura farm to save the day.”

“That’s not funny.”

“I tried my best.”

It’s true.

This was my own way of mourning as well. Soren wouldn’t want us to get caught up moping over him.

No regrets.

Our group was exhausted. Soren was gone. Maelle was in no place to think strategically. Anna had been tired out by the battle beyond belief, and stopped repaying her sleep debt solely for this funeral. There were no obvious goals now, no low-hanging fruit to keep on going.

In that case, someone had to set the tempo. To keep the story going.

“Anna… I’ve decided.”

“Hm?”

I took a step beyond her, towards the tree.

“I’m going to become a Templar.”

I squatted to get a better look at the flowers.

“I want to get stronger. So that I can protect Maelle. And so that I can defeat the cult. There are a thousand things going on under the surface of this world that need fixing which I didn’t notice till just recently… and until all of those things are resolved, I won’t be able to live with myself.”

Because I caused them.

“So—for Maelle’s sake—and his sake… I will fill the void he’s left. I will become the world’s strongest templar.”

“Aren’t you forgetting someone?”

“Huh?”

“...”

“O-oh, right. W-w-well, once I’m done with all of that, we can retire in the countryside together and get a farm or s-something with all of my riches from saving the world! Who cares if our marriage is legally recognised or not? By the time I’m done, religion will be nothing more than a little afterthought in the chronicle of—”

She took a step forward and chopped me on the skull.

“Ow.”

“You’re lucky, you know… That I don’t care at all for my husband.”

“...”

“I was betrothed to him when I was ten because my parents missed their grain tax. There was a famine that year. To be honest, I was excited to start living in a castle, and be the wife of a future duke... but then, because I was too unrefined, his father sent me off to church to learn etiquette and become a more ideal concubine. I didn’t mind. To be honest, the things I learned in church were fun. Back then, even just the idea that there were numbers beyond twenty was enough to fascinate me for days. I read and studied about everything, from cooking to cleaning and even first aid to be the best wife I could, and then when I turned eighteen… I ran away. I ran away on the night I was supposed to consummate my marriage with a duke’s son, just because Master Edgar had told me about the Crown Princess the month before. She spoke and wrote a lot about defying fate, and it put ideas in my mind that I didn’t have to serve someone I didn’t want to serve.”

“Ah. Hm. Yeah.”

“It’s funny, realising she was just a little girl in the end. That she was just as lost as me, trying to rebel against a decision forced on her. And now it feels like… everything has come full circle.”

“Yeah.”

“I guess I’m her mother now.”

“...What?”

“You said… you wanted to fill the void Soren left. And Soren’s basically her daddy.”

“...”

“So you’re her daddy. And I’m your—”

“Alright. Calm down.”

Anna and I laughed, but it didn’t last very long. The air felt hollow. Soon enough, we were both staring at the bouquet of flowers again.

“But um… I wasn’t referring to myself when I said you were forgetting someone. What do you want to do, Daisuki?”

“...”

“Daisuki? Hello, Daisu—”

“Just call me Quantum or something.”

Destroy the cult.

“...And speaking of your question, I want to create a world where you and Maelle can be happy. That’s all.”

Anna smiled weakly.

“Sounds reasonable.”

I stood up, brushed off my knees, then talked about plans for a bit.

“Let’s make getting to Highcrest our medium-term goal. We have no political capital, so we’ll have to start from the ground up if we want to help Maelle… Let’s make names for ourselves as Templars, and try to find a way to get her back on track. We can use the next few months screwing around this forest and getting to Lionsdock slowly, but by the time it starts getting cold, I want us to be back at your sect. Then we’ll stage her comeback from there.”

“...And her hair? She doesn’t have the hood anymore.”

“We’ll dye it. You can teach her that. Honestly, I was even thinking of dyeing my own too. You realised I was from another world right away because of it, right? Not just ‘cause of my face?”

“...”

“Anna?”

“Maybe… don’t dye it. I think black is cool.”

“...”

Not now! I’m trying to strategise here!

“And besides that… What about her face?”

“I mean, she made an entire suit of armour for Soren. I don’t think it’s a stretch that—”

“Hello.”

The sudden influx of a third voice led us to, quite literally, spin on our heels.

The look of the person it belonged to was wrong, though.

Her hair wasn’t in braids anymore. They were straight, and they barely reached her neck.

Her dress was gone, in favour of a more simple outfit. I had no idea where she got it from.

Like this—you would never guess she was the descendant of royalty.

Without a word, she tossed something into my hands. I caught it less than smoothly.

Anna blabbered. “M-Maelle? Are you alright? What are you doing out here in the dark, all by yours—”

“Paying my respects to my mentor.”

I looked at the metallic object in my hands.

A mask.

“Honestly, the two of you—discussing plans without me? That’s awfully rude.”

“W-well, Daisuki and I just thought that you were… um, sad.”

“I am. But I won’t let something like that drag me down.”

She walked past Anna and I, straight towards the tree. Squatting down next to the flowers, she closed her eyes in what looked like a quick prayer.

She spoke while facing the flowers. “Ah. Daisuke?”

“Y-yeah?”

“That thing in your hands—it’s a visor. Please wear it. I adjusted the mechanism so it doesn’t need a helmet to latch onto. It should fit you perfectly now.”

“...What? This is Sor—”

“Just do it,” she said. “He named you as his successor. I can’t trample on his wishes now.”

“...”

“And in return… I’m going to make this world a better place.”

I couldn’t help but smile.

Stand proud, Maelle.

You are strong.

“Wait wait wait. Before he does that… How did you get past Cockie? I specifically asked her to—”

“Oh, it wasn’t that hard. I just gave it half of my supper. Then I tried promising that I would give it half of tomorrow’s breakfast, but it’d already run off somewhere. I don’t think it understands Calicean, truth be told.”

“...You… what?”

“That bird eats anything.”

“...Okay? And how much of our conversation did you eavesdrop on before deciding to surprise us?”

“Hmm? Not much. Besides the mommy and daddy part—I didn’t hear anything. Nothing about you cheating on your husband or anything.”

“Wha— you little…”

“Hehehe.”

“For someone who said they’d never employ me in a million years, you’re awfully boastful now.”

“...Guh.”

I looked up into the night sky.

Soren, can you see us from up there?

We’re doing well.

You were right not to worry about anything.

Look at the daughter you raised.

The legacy you left.

I’ll carry on your dream of seeing her on the throne, and vanquish the people who plot against us—I won’t let you down.

I won’t have any regrets.

We’ll save Calice together, me and her.

I’ll become a hero for my own sake.

I looked at Maelle one last time before putting on the mask.

The infinity symbol on her neck kind of looks like an eight if I squint hard enough, right?

Well… whatever.

Here’s to the beginning of a new beginning. 

VOLUME 1: THE END