Apparently, it's because it's the last day.

Surprisingly, disciples, the church, the Magic Federation—and even the neighbors, it seems—had all been invited.

As a result, an unbelievably hectic luncheon was being held at the dojo.

The meal served was top-quality sushi. While eating, Ziel eventually noticed a few things.

Chikano had somehow disappeared without anyone noticing. Icca was surrounded by younger disciples, being fed to his heart’s content. Klaha, it seemed, had made some friends here as well, sitting nearby and chatting with a group.

And for some reason, Valdfried and Saminato were also nowhere to be found.

As a result, Ziel alone remained surrounded as one of the key figures in the whole Apocryphal Beast incident… and was gradually growing exhausted.

And so—

“Excuse me, I need to use the restroom…”

What a convenient phrase.

Ziel slipped away from the crowd, closed the sliding door behind him, and let out a deep breath.

Then, he muttered:

“…Damn it.”

He had come out alone.

If he wandered off somewhere like this, there was a real possibility he might never find his way back—he suddenly realized that.

Now, what to do…?

Just as he was about to embark on a completely meaningless and hopeless attempt to find a landmark—

“……?”

From the far end of the corridor, a hand peeked out and beckoned him.

Was it a ghost?

Recently, Chikano had been deliberately telling him ghost stories as a form of pure harassment, so that was the first thought that crossed his mind.

But surely, something like that wouldn’t happen in broad daylight in the middle of summer.

So, with cautious optimism, he followed in that direction.

Turning right, he spotted another beckoning hand from inside a small room.

He peeked inside.

“—Saminato sa… Saminato?”

“Yes. Come in.”

Ziel let out a small sigh and nodded.

He stepped into the unused room where Saminato was. As soon as he entered, Saminato slid the paper door shut behind him.

Then, he bowed deeply to Ziel.

“Eh?”

“I felt I should properly express this. Thanks to you, Ziel-kun, I—and by extension, the dojo and this town—were saved. Icca especially was in your care. Allow me to say it—thank you.”

“You don’t have to…”

Before he could stop himself, Ziel spoke informally, forgetting to maintain his polite tone.

Saminato, however, raised his head, laughing heartily.

“No, it’s only natural. Accept it. …Oh, and about cooperating with the Ruin King case, I’d be happy to assist. Though, considering how much of it I spent unconscious, I don’t know how much help I’ll actually be.”

“No, not at all. I’d be grateful for any help.”

“Haha. Hearing that from a younger person makes me feel like I still have some fight left in me… Well, regardless of me, Chikano seems quite eager about it, so you can definitely count on her.”

“Chikano is?”

Ziel raised his eyebrows in surprise.

They had spent a lot of time together, yet she had never once mentioned such a thing.

“She’s more loyal than she seems… Though if I say too much, she’ll get mad at me. Anyway—”

Saminato suddenly adopted a more serious expression.

“—The incident isn’t over yet.”

“…Yeah. I think so too.”

Ziel knew what he was referring to.

The Apocryphal Magic Mirror and the Apocryphal Beast had both been defeated, restoring peace to the town.

However, the person who had originally placed the Apocryphal Magic Mirror in the center of town remained unidentified.

“The dragon from four years ago—Vald smashed it to pieces, leaving no way to investigate. But if that really was a type of Gate Beast, then it means the plan had been in motion here for years.”

“The church questioned those who had been possessed by the Apocryphal Demon Armament during the re-sealing incident, but none of them knew anything…”

“In that case,” Saminato said solemnly, “you must be very careful, Ziel-kun. This is the third time you've been caught up in an incident like this… By now, coincidence has likely turned into fate.”

“Yeah. …But that might actually work in my favor.”

Saminato looked slightly taken aback.

“…I see. You certainly have a difficult destiny ahead.”

“Destiny…”

“Hm?”

“Oh, no. I was just thinking… someone else told me something similar recently.”

“Oh?” Saminato nodded in amusement, then met Ziel’s gaze.

“I had hoped that defeating all the Gate Beasts would clear it, but… the curse on your eye still hasn’t lifted, has it?”

“No. …Master says it might be tangled.”

“Tangled… Oh. That first—”

Then, suddenly.

Saminato’s expression turned to concern.

“Come to think of it, you still haven’t told Klaha, have you?”

“…No, um. She looks really happy right now. I was thinking of waiting a little longer.”

“Tell her soon. The longer you wait, the harder it’ll be.”

Of course, Ziel couldn’t bring himself to say It’s already too late for that.

“Yeah… I’ll do my best.”

“You should. …I was going to end this conversation with ‘Come to my place anytime if you need help,’ but now that just sounds weird.”

“No, honestly, I’d really appreciate it if you did.”

“…Human relationships aren’t exactly my area of expertise.”

As they spoke, Ziel found himself thinking:

—I’m really glad this man recovered.

“……?”

Klaha suddenly realized that Ziel had disappeared during the meal.

He was probably fine, but what if he got lost somewhere? Worried, she left her seat and stepped into the corridor.

Then, from the far end of the hall, she saw a sleeve peeking out, beckoning her.

Suspicious.

Just as she was about to turn around—

“I’M NOT SCARY.”

“Ah…!”

It was Valdfried’s voice.

Relieved, Klaha walked down the corridor toward him.

Turning a corner, she found him seated in a small room.

“Got a moment?” he asked.

There was no reason to refuse.

Klaha was about to sit across from him but hesitated.

“Um… I’m not very good at sitting seiza-style. Would it be alright if I adjusted my legs midway?”

“Oh, I can’t do seiza for shit either. Sit however you want.”

With a polite bow, Klaha sat down and relaxed her legs.

“No need to be so tense… it’s just a little chat. I’ll be staying here for a while.”

“Yes, I’ve heard. You’ll be undergoing rehabilitation with Saminato-san, right?”

“Eh, it’s nothing that serious. The old man’s just fooling around despite his age. Anyway—”

He called her name—

“Klaha.”

Looking straight at her, Valdfried continued,

“That guy’s not gonna ask you this, so I’ll ask instead. You’re learning the sword, hoping to become a proper adventurer, right?”

“Yes.”

“Why do you want to be an adventurer?”

Klaha paused to think.

It wasn’t something she could explain in a single phrase.

The reason she decided on this path, the reason she kept going despite everything, and the reason she still wants this now—they were all different.

But, if there was one thing that hadn’t changed—

“I wanted to see the world. …It’s a vague reason, but that’s all.”

“……I see.”

Valdfried closed his eyes deeply.

Then, opening them again, he asked—

“Are you happy right now?”

“――――,”

She couldn’t answer right away.

Or rather, she wasn’t sure if she should.

But surely—Ziel’s master, Valdfried, would accept a straightforward answer.

“…To be honest, I don’t know. I still have terrible nightmares sometimes… and there are times I hate myself.”

“…I see.”

“But—”

His eyes widened as she spoke.

“I think… I might be on my way to finding happiness. I still don’t know if I deserve it, though.”

The faces of the many people she had met here came to mind.

Along with the words, “Thank you.”

Some of those words had been directed at her, others she had spoken herself. All of those moments—

Maybe they were all connected to that place.

Right now, that’s what she believed.

“…The heart,”

Valdfried quietly spoke.

“It’s easier to warp than you’d think. If you spend two years without a single bit of recognition, or if you’re stuck in an impossible situation for six months… even the smartest person will start to break. They lose the ability to see things clearly.”

“…………っ,”

She understood.

He was talking about her.

“You start to hate yourself. Everything you do seems to fail. You think everything is your fault, that everything leads to bad outcomes, that nothing good exists… And sometimes, people die because of that.”

“…Yes.”

“That’s why—don’t forget where you are.”

His voice was firm, yet somehow gentle.

“If you believe you’re on your way to happiness, then as long as you keep living, you’ll find it. Just don’t forget where you are. …You’re my grand-disciple, after all. I won’t teach you too much.”

But—

“That alone, remember it well.”

“—Yes!”

“Good answer! That’s the end of my talk—”

“…What’s wrong?”

“…Ah. Just remembered something annoying.”

Klaha tilted her head.

Valdfried pressed a large hand to his face, leaning forward onto his crossed legs, muttering—

“…What a damn hassle. Why the hell would he keep something this important… what’s he even thinking?”

“……? U-um, is something the matter?”

“No. The one in trouble is you, Klaha.”

“Eh!?”

Startled, she let out an odd sound.

Valdfried prefaced, “Not that you’re at fault or anything, but—”

“Soon, that little know-it-all is gonna say something outrageous to you.”

“O-outrageous…!?”

“Yeah, something so ridiculous that you’ll wonder why he didn’t say it sooner. If it shocks you, just punch him and yell, 『Are you out of your damn mind!?』”

There was no way she could actually do that.

But if it was something so outrageous—

“M-my heart is racing…!”

“That’s the feeling of being alive. …Alright, enough of that. Forget what I just said until the time comes. Anyway,”

“Got any questions for me?”

“…S-sorry, I’m a bit overwhelmed right now… I’ll think of something!”

“Nah, if nothing comes to mind, that’s fine. I won’t be seeing you off, so this is the last time we talk. If you got something, ask now.”

At that, Klaha suddenly thought of something.

“Ah, um… You’re not coming to see us off?”

“Hm? Ah. Yeah. This is where my talk with you ends.”

“What about Ziel-san…?”

“Nothing left to say. He probably feels the same.”

…Is that really true?

Klaha kept her doubt to herself.

For the past two months, Ziel had seemed completely at ease whenever he talked to Valdfried, even happy.

“I see.”

Maybe this was just how their relationship worked. Even though she had been brought into this master-disciple connection, it wasn’t her place to interfere.

“Anything else? Even if it’s something you can’t ask him directly, my lips are sealed.”

With that, she felt like she had to ask something.

Yet—

“—Ah,”

“Oh? Got something?”

“Ah, no, it’s just…”

She lowered her gaze.

She was about to ask—but the tension made her feel like she might tear up.

She might never be able to ask Ziel himself. So maybe, here and now—

“Just ask. If it’s dumb, I’ll laugh at you.”

“—Um,”

His gentle words gave her the final push.

Clumsily, she asked—

“Why did Ziel-san take me as his disciple?”

Valdfried immediately responded, completely unfazed.

“Probably ‘cause you’re similar.”

“Similar…?”

“You and him. Ziel.”

“Eh… um,”

When she asked how, he answered easily.

“You’re serious, wounded… a little clumsy in strange ways. He probably couldn’t just leave you be.”

“S-similar…?”

She couldn’t see it at all.

There was such a vast difference between them—it felt impossible.

Could that really be true?

She couldn’t wrap her head around it.

“…I-I see.”

“Yeah, that’s how it is.”

That was all she could manage to say.

“Anything else?”

She needed more time to process it all.

Her thoughts were in chaos, but somehow, she blurted out—

“What do you think of Ziel-san?”

She covered her mouth, but it was too late.

After a moment of surprise, Valdfried scratched his cheek, looking awkward.

Then, as if resigning himself, he answered plainly—

“Well… if I had to tie it to the last question,”

“I figured, if no one else would, I’d be the one person to stand by him for life. That’s why I took him as my disciple.”

That’s all there is to it, he said.

The summer light streamed into the small room.