The rapture spread across Dell’s face twisted into irritation, and blood came streaming bright red down Coco’s wrist from the hand she’d grabbed the fallen sword with.

A sword buried deep in my chest.

Right before it could punch clean through my heart, Dell pulled back the force he’d been driving into it.

The instant Dell raised the sword, I threw my weight into Coco and shoved her away.

His strike had been true. It had just gone into my chest instead of the lady’s, because I was shorter than her.

A wet surge rose in me.

I can’t swallow anymore.

Blergh.

It’s foul. Horrible. Swallowing blood...

is even more disgusting than vomit.

When blood spilled from my mouth in a stream, a terrible grief spread across Coco’s face.

Why are you looking at me like that? You saw how much medicine I had in the carriage, didn’t you? I was going to die anyway. And getting stabbed hurts less than the seizures do. I’m fine!

"......."

But I couldn’t speak.

My lips moved again and again, then stopped. I could barely move my head a little.

It’s okay! This isn’t your fault! If anything, I’m happy this is how I die!!

Just make sure that piece of shit dies too! Now that I think about it, you’re actually nicer than I thought—you’re just exactly the kind of person people misunderstand.

What happens after you die?

It’d be nice if I could become a ghost for a little while!

"Ha... seriously. This is beyond anything I imagined."

Dell trembled.

"The feel of it isn’t bad. It’s deliciously chilling. This feeling... it’s like the first time I killed someone...."

"Re... Ren...... Ren... Ren! Ren! Re—en! Let go! Let go of it! Don’t do this! Stop! Please! Dell Belkerman!!"

Coco shook her head, clutching the blade. Her white hands tore open easily, blood pouring from them.

God, what the hell are you crying for...!! More importantly, you’re getting hurt, you idiot.......

Dell kept clenching and unclenching his hand.

"Hoo...."

His face was full of excitement. His eyes gleamed as if he were looking at something fascinating, like they wanted to lick me whole.

"Self-sacrifice?"

His voice was brimming with curiosity.

Self-sacrifice my ass! I’m doing this because you’re fucking vile and what you’re doing is filthy, and I wanted to ruin it!!

I wanted to yell that and spit in his face, but all that came out of my mouth was a bubbling sound.

"Ren....... Ren—! Please, stop! °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° I’m the one you want alive!"

"To think I’d get to see the lady’s face fall apart like this."

Dell smacked his lips.

"Shame, but I can’t drag this out too long...."

"Blergh."

No, Dell Belkerman.

You’ve already wasted too much time.

I kept coughing up blood.

My breathing turned ragged. The breath that rose into my shoulders, into my throat...

would linger in my mouth for a moment, then disappear.

The sour stink mixed with the reek of blood and filled my nose.

Dell Belkerman pulled the sword free.

The blade slid out in one smooth motion, and it felt like my chest was being torn apart. Pain like being seared alive.

Coco’s small hand pressed against my chest, and the gray-haired man blocked my view.

When did you wake up?! I’m really glad you didn’t die. Please keep Coco safe! I’m sorry about earlier.

And behind the man’s back, two jet-black shadows were approaching.

One wrapped in blue light.

One in gold.

I couldn’t see their faces, but I knew exactly who they were.

I folded my eyes into a bright smile.

"This makes no sense."

Dell’s eyes went wide, and he froze.

Murderous intent so sharp it made the backs of my knees go weak filled the tiny space until it was hard to breathe.

A vivid, cutting bloodlust had stepped into every gap in the air. Coco’s body shook violently too.

"I... t-told... hngh... you...."

"Y-you idiot... hic... d-don’t, don’t talk!"

Coco shook her head, gathering up the blood bursting from me.

Hey! I just saved a life here—at least let me deliver a cool last line!

"M-my b-brother... he’s... a Hero... who’s never... hngh... failed a mission......."

Ah! Didn’t I tell you that? Then sorry!

Coco! I told you earlier, didn’t I? I was right, wasn’t I!

My brother’s a Hero who’s never failed a mission!

"You mustn’t speak. Take this... My lady, you need to press harder, harder."

The pressure on my chest increased.

The gray-haired man put something in my mouth.

I tried to spit it out, but he shook his head.

His eyes were gray, but somehow they looked warm.

You’re someone who wants to protect Coco enough to jump off a cliff for her, aren’t you?

That’s good.

Heh.

"......."

"Ren!"

Luman’s voice, and my brother’s silence.

The Hero’s sword cut in for a single instant—

and took Dell’s head off in one stroke.

A neck severed cleanly.

The traitor, Dell Belkerman, his face still frozen in shock and disbelief as his head dropped with a dull thud.

The head rolled, then stopped.

Those wide-open eyes were staring straight at me.

"Don’t look. You have to swallow it."

The gray-haired man covered my eyes.

I won’t look! Let go!

I need to see my brother.

Brother! I trusted you. I knew you’d come save Coco! Because you’re a Hero!!

If I can just see you one last time, that’s enough for me.

"Temar! We need to interrogate him—no, forget it. You did well......."

Luman stepped past my brother, who was standing rigid, and found me.

"......Ren?"

Luman didn’t even blink.

Ah... I hate this kind of thing.......

"Hhk... hic...."

The lady’s sobs, crushed down as hard as she could.

"......Ren! Ren......! What in God’s name happened here?"

Dropping to his knees, Luman rubbed my cheek.

Ah, warm.

When I closed my eyes, their voices became even clearer.

Brother, I like it better when you pat me.

I did good, right?

Brother! You always said weak people should be helped. Does this make me a good little brother?

"......."

"Aren’t you going to ask what happened, Temar? Isn’t this the man you said you’d found? The skinny gray-haired one you said was a corpse... no, this is someone else. That corpse was someone else."

Luman stopped mid-thought, then guessed it after a brief silence.

"My brother."

"Haa. Ren is... a physician! His condition...."

"I gave him medicine. It can stop the bleeding for a moment, but...."

"Temar!"

Luman’s furious voice shook the hollow.

My head hurts. Too loud.

I opened and closed my mouth.

By now Coco was sobbing like she couldn’t breathe.

You’re loud too, Coco.

"Temar!"

Crk.

Luman’s shout, charged with power, made the whole hollow hum.

Dust fell from the ceiling onto my hair.

The gray-haired man brushed it off for me.

"Use your ability and bring a physician. Unless you want your brother dead."

"......."

No, Luman, you don’t have to do that.

It feels like every last bit of blood has drained neatly out through my fingertips.

I’m probably going to die in a few minutes anyway. I’d rather stay with my brother.

Brother! Don’t go!!

"Temar—!"

The gray-haired man covered my ears.

Wow. Your hands are big. Um, thanks. Why is Luman yelling his lungs out like that?

"Ren."

My brother called my name in a voice so faint I could barely hear it—

and vanished in an instant.

Just like back then, when he disappeared to go save Coco.

Blue light flickered where he’d been standing.

A light that looked hot enough to burn like fire.

"R-Ren. Does it... hurt a lot...? I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry."

The man wiped away my tears.

Brother.......

You’re leaving me again......?

No. This time... this time, I’m the one who didn’t tell you not to go... so this one’s my fault. But if I die like this, I think I’d feel cheated. I want... I want you to praise me.

I want to live a little longer...

but I’ve lost too much blood... my thoughts keep breaking apart.

The man carefully wiped my face, soaked in blood, and the vomit around my mouth.

"‘Luvien.’"

With a cautious light, a yellow fox appeared.

A warmth and glow that gently stroked through the hollow.

Lante came padding over. Black eyes. Black nose. Rubbing its snout against my face....

The silence was so deep it felt like even breathing had become careful.

The warmth felt like it was holding me.

Like being in my mother’s arms, though I can’t remember that.

"Ren."

Luman’s sad face.

That golden hair, burned pale white, and those bright gold eyes beneath it.

All those hands holding onto me.

In Lante’s light, I could see Luman clearly.

He was covered in blood.

So was the gray-haired man who’d taken Dell Belkerman’s blood all over himself instead of me.

Ah. Then that means Brother too.......

I can’t breathe right. My heart hurts. Brother, you’re not badly hurt too, are you?

I thought of the symbol of the Seven-Year War—my brother returning with the deep scar on his back that had never healed.

"Ren... Ren?"

"Calm down. Breathe. Just follow me. In, out... Is there nothing like a bag? We need an air pocket."

"‘Lante,’ ‘Lante!’ Please... do something......!"

"...Hey...! D-don’t joke around. You’re supposed to curse me out for this, what are you doing... hic."

With one last flash of blinding blue light—

pitch-black darkness

swallowed me whole.

***

A small hollow blasted open by an artificial explosion.

A dangerous blue light surged through it like it might swallow the whole place.

What appeared in a flash like lightning was Temar. In his hand he had a terrified man clutching a bag and shaking all over. Judging by the wet front of his pants, he seemed scared half to death.

The young man’s arm had gone dark and mottled. Temar’s grip was so strong the blood couldn’t circulate.

But he couldn’t even ask to be let go.

Because he knew if he said one wrong thing, it wouldn’t be his arm that fell—

it’d be his life.

So this was what a Hero was like?

When he’d been asked if he was a physician, should he have said no?

The man trembled.

Temar didn’t seem capable of remembering to let go of his arm.

A blood-soaked Hero! He should’ve run the instant he saw his face! Thinking he might be hurt and speaking to him had been the mistake! Mother, please, please let me get home alive!

Still shaking, the man followed the direction of Temar’s eyes, which were nailed in place.

What is he staring at so hard—!

Shock flooded the man’s face too.

And it wasn’t just because of the head rolling on the floor.

Only then did he catch the sickening stench of blood, and along with the girl whose face was soaked through, he saw a man with one arm and one leg bent at grotesque angles as if the bones were broken, another man drenched in blood, and behind them, only belatedly visible, a boy with blood all over his mouth and throat.

Thin arms and a broad hand were pressing over the boy’s chest.

Blood pulsed out in heaving bursts, like something alive.

One look was enough to know his life was hanging by a thread.

Turning his head toward Temar, the man had the awful thought that every person here was suffering through the same nightmare.

They were all covered in blood.

And if that boy died, every single one of them would be trapped in that nightmare forever.

To keep from being swept away by the terror running down his spine, by the desperation, fear, and agonized grief in the air, the man pinched the softest part of his inner thigh hard with his palm.

"Let go!! He needs treatment, doesn’t he?!"

The people trapped in nightmares could come later.

Without even thinking of rubbing his numb arm now that the blood had finally rushed back into it, the man shoved aside the blank faces turning toward him and knelt in front of the boy.

Reassured, at least, that the little medical bag held every medicine he needed.