“Damn… we've really gone soft, huh?”

A room bathed in pure white moonlight, cutting through the deep blue of the night.

A man sits, speaking to another man lying down.

One has his eyes open.

The other keeps his eyes closed.

“Once upon a time, people used to scream our names—‘Unrivaled Monster Arms,’ ‘The Eastern Blade.’ And now? Laid up with back pain, stuck in bed? This is exactly how old men end up, isn’t it?”

The sitting man laughs in self-mockery… his expression caught somewhere between nostalgia and loneliness.

Thud.

His rough hand rests atop the blanket covering the sleeping man.

“Both strength and life can disappear in an instant. When we were kids, we thought ‘I’m the strongest’ would last forever…”

But it turns out, that’s not how things work for us.

With dry lips, the man speaks.

“———But still,”

Grinning, he laughs off his own words.

“It’s funny, isn’t it? Those tiny brats who used to be like little specks of dust now have the nerve to talk back to us. Even as you and I grow weak, they keep swinging their swords like nothing’s changed. I always thought old men and women drinking while watching others grow was just some bad habit, but damn, they weren’t wrong when they said you pick up seven bad habits as you age.”

With a grunt, the man stands.

He moves briskly—though for just an instant, a grimace of pain flashes across his face. But he doesn’t let it linger.

Looking down at the sleeping man, he speaks.

“I gotta admit, I’m a little jealous. Must feel nice, huh? Just dumping everything on your students and snoozing away.”

Of course, there is no reply.

A second passes. Then another.

Only silence.

“…Well, whatever.”

The man turns his back.

“Sounds like there's some unfinished business. Guess I’ll go ahead and join the kids, acting like I’m still young.”

“Jealous, aren’t you?”

Leaving those words behind, he slides the shoji door shut.

The sleeping man’s fingers—

—Twitch, ever so slightly.

Thud, thud.

Testing his body, Ziel bounced lightly on the ground a few times.

Beneath the watchtower, the command center and starting point of the operation. In the flickering glow of torches and magic stones, dozens of people were on edge, moving quickly back and forth.

Looking up, the night sky was clear, not a cloud in sight—only the moon and stars shone above.

It was pure coincidence, but the auspicious weather lifted the mood. On top of that, his rotation duty had conveniently ended a few days ago, leaving him in peak condition.

Everything was in place.

Which is why, once again, that thought crept into his mind—

Why didn’t I realize this sooner—

“Oi! Still got that same gloomy look on your face, kid!”

“Wha—?!”

A slap sent him flying.

With terrifying force.

And since it happened right as he was mid-jump, the impact sent him soaring nearly twice his own height.

He didn’t even need to turn around.

Only one person would do something like this.

“…Oi, middle-aged man.”

“Rude. The proper term is ‘distinguished gentleman.’”

Valdfried.

His master—and an utterly childish old man.

There was no one else it could be.

And sure enough, when he turned, he was right.

“You always do this when I’m thinking about something seriously…!”

“Yeah, because you’re always seriously thinking about dumb stuff. Waste of time.”

“Wha—?!”

Well, honestly, it wasn’t like he couldn’t see that point.

Before he could argue, Valdfried suddenly wrapped one of his ridiculously thick arms around Ziel’s neck.

“Chikano’s focused as hell over there, and here you are, brooding as usual, huh?”

“…Must be nice, having no worries at all.”

“Right? That’s the secret to being a real man.”

“That was sarcasm,” Ziel muttered.

“Didn’t sound like it,” Valdfried shot back.

Still holding him in that ridiculous grip, he lowered his voice slightly.

“Look, don’t take it all on yourself.”

“……”

“People call you ‘Dragon Slayer’ and ‘The One Who Resealed the Ruin King’ and all that, but at the end of the day, you’re just a socially awkward brat who can barely hold a normal conversation. Don’t try to be perfect. Don’t get stuck in your head. Don’t dwell on things too much.”

“…Yeah.”

“And stop overthinking everything. Just listen to me. Don’t talk back. Always respect me.”

“Stop slipping in unrelated demands!”

Thud—Ziel struck Valdfried in the side with a backhand.

But the man only laughed. “Hah! Didn’t even feel that.”

“Just keep making a ruckus like that. You’re twenty—you’re barely past the stage of stumbling around like a toddler. Run wild while you still can.”

“…Running wild without thinking of others sounds pretty irresponsible.”

Ziel adjusted his glasses with a small push of the bridge.

“But I’ll take your advice.”

“…Damn, you’re really an un-cute brat… At this point, it’s just grotesque.”

“Who are you calling grotesque?”

“Ziel!”

As if on cue, Klaha’s voice called out from nearby.

“Is there anything you’re missing right now…? Also, uh, Valdfried, why are you on all fours…?”

“Heh, even his own disciple is calling him a freak, pfft…”

“Don’t mind him. He’s old now. He’s entered that phase where he connects random things in his head and then bursts out laughing all on his own.”

“O-oh…?”

As Klaha looked puzzled, Ziel spoke up.

“Well, anyway, about missing things… I think I’m fine. I’ve got my sword, and I’ve got my glasses.”

“You wearing clothes?”

“If I wasn’t, that’d be a huge problem. What do you think I am, some wild man? …See? The soles the Magic Federation guys attached to my boots are good to go, too.”

He lifted his foot to show the underside.

Though a little dusty with sand, the engraved pattern was still clearly visible—

A magic circle.

“I see. That’s good… Um.”

“Hm?”

“Uh, well…”

Ziel could tell she wanted to say something. But he could also tell she was hesitating, struggling with whether or not to voice it.

So he waited patiently.

“I-it’s not really something that needs to be said, but, um… G-good luck!”

“Ah, thanks. Klaha, you too… No, wait. First, thanks for helping with all the preparations. And also—”

“You two don’t get tired of having conversations that sound like you’ve both got broken bones?”

Valdfried cut in with an exasperated sigh.

Ziel shot back, “Shut up. We’ve got our own way of doing things.”

“More like you’re just making things needlessly complicated… Anyway, you, the grand-disciple.”

“Y-yes!”

“If there’s anything else you wanna say, just spit it out already. The cleaner you say it, the better your combat luck today. Sharp words, sharp blade.”

“Eh?!” Klaha was taken aback.

“Oi, don’t just say whatever to Klaha—” Ziel started to protest, but—

“Um, me too!”

She suddenly raised her voice.

“I’ll do my best! I’ll do everything I can!”

Ziel’s eyes widened slightly.

Ah, so that’s it. Even the simple declaration that she’d try her best—she’d been about to suppress that too, if she hadn’t said it just now.

Human relationships truly are difficult.

People see each other in different ways. And the ties that connect them also look entirely different depending on which side of the knot you stand on. And no matter what, you can never truly share the view that the other person sees.

That’s why—

That’s why the worries he’d had before coming to this town still existed, and would probably continue to exist in the future.

But even so, at least in this moment—

She’d said it.

“—Alright. Wishing you the best in battle!”

“Yes!”

They exchanged looks, nodding to each other.

Each thinking of the other.

And then, not long after—

“—They’re caught in the net.”

Valdfried made the announcement.

The bells rang out—clang, clang, clang, clang.

That was, of course, the signal to begin the battle.

Ziel glanced toward Chikano, positioned a little farther away.

She returned the look with a nod, then took off running toward the southwest.

“Klaha! Let’s go together!”

“Icca—yes!”

Icca, who had rushed over, led Klaha away.

Ziel had a slight delay before following after Chikano—that was part of the plan.

So for a moment, as the surroundings grew hectic, it was just him and Valdfried once more.

“—Master.”

Well, just in case.

Even if the opponent was who they were, it’d be a little too cruel not to say anything in this situation.

Maybe he should say something. Just as a formality.

“…Well, I guess, try your best or whatever.”

“No thanks.”

“Hah!?”

“Kidding.”

Pon.

A ridiculously large hand landed on his head.

And then—

“Go get ’em, Ziel.”

“—Like I need you to tell me!”

With Valdfried laughing behind him—“You really aren’t cute at all”—Ziel turned his back on him.

And took off at full speed toward the northeast.

The path ahead—

The magic circle glowing before his eyes would show him the way.