Metabasis of Ashen Embers · Chapter 12
Things That Never Change
Haydee
Kgh...!
Cristelle
Haydee! Are you all right?!
Haydee
Tch... Worry about yourself...! You almost died just now!
Cristelle
Ufufu... He's far stronger than I expected...
...He's strong.
Royal Guard Captain
...Must protect... the princess...
Cristelle
Your precious princess is standing right here! You useless tin can!
Tch... If only we could get through to him, we might be able to talk some sense into...
Haydee
It's no use. You know that too, don't you?
That bastard's brainwashing isn't something you can break that easily.
The castle's about to collapse soon...
Can we really take him down in time?
Haydee
Probably not. We were already fighting at full strength just now.
Yet all we managed to do was strip away one layer of his armor.
...At this point, we should assume we have no chance of winning.
Cristelle
None of our attacks are landing a proper hit. At best, the impact only knocks him back.
...He's a monster.
I'm sorry, Captain.
I've dragged you into something completely absurd.
Bringing you here, and letting things come this far... It's all my responsibility.
I'll hold it off somehow. You find a way out.
Haydee, you go with the Captain.
Haydee
...Hmph. That's nonsense.
If you stay behind alone, you'll last a few exchanges at best before that greatsword cleaves you in half.
Cristelle
Fufu... Haydee, have you forgotten?
I, Cristelle de Montua, cannot die until my revenge is complete.
This body, half-tainted by the Void, refuses to die despite my wishes!
Being buried under a little rubble is hardly a problem!
Haydee
...Quit showing off.
Cristelle
What...?
Haydee
You know your body's trembling, right?
Cristelle
Y-you're seeing things! I'm not afraid at all!
Haydee
That doesn't suit you. Just act like you normally do.
What's gotten into you all of a sudden?
Weren't you the one who told me to "hide the fire of vengeance beneath cold reason"?
Besides, even if you sacrifice yourself, there's no guarantee we'll make it out safely.
Cristelle
B-but...!
Haydee
Hmph. Forget it. I'll handle this myself.
Because there's still one thing I can do.
One thing...?
Haydee
I'm sure you've both realized it by now.
This world was forcibly constructed from my memories.
So if this world loses its blueprint, everything should disappear in an instant.
In a space that becomes something that never existed, there'll be no ceiling to collapse and no floor to give way.
When you two open your eyes, you'll probably just be standing amidst the ruined remains.
...?!
Wait, do you mean...
Cristelle
...!
Don't be absurd!
Haydee, I still have one last ace up my sleeve.
If I fully unleash the power of this eye, I should be able to bring it down some—
Grgh, nngh...!!
Cristelle tried to sweep back the hair over her eye, but her body crumpled with a groan.
Haydee
...Don't overdo it. You've already pushed the Void Force to its limit.
If you go any further, you won't remain human.
Cristelle. Admit it. This time, we've lost.
We couldn't break free from Morcerf's trap.
There was only ever one way out from the beginning.
My death.
Cristelle
Ngh... No...!
Not... like this...!
Haydee
Just so we're clear... this isn't like before.
I'm not doing this because revenge has lost its meaning or anything like that.
If anything, this is my final act of will for the sake of revenge.
Cristelle.
My guardian, my partner, my companion, and...
My friend.
My revenge ends here, but I want you to keep moving forward.
I know that's irresponsible and selfish of me.
It's nothing complicated. It's simply...
The ashes of a burned kingdom that should've died long ago finally letting its long flame go out and returning to dust.
...So live. Live for my sake, and take revenge on Morcerf for my sake as well.
That's my wish.
Cristelle
...
Haydee
And Captain.
I still—!
Haydee
You still can't accept it?
Stop fighting reality. This is the best option we have.
Still...
Thanks to you, at least I won't have to die with regrets.
...You said I could just find something other meaning, right?
Maybe if I'd met you after my revenge was over...
A life like that might not have been so bad.
So...
...Thank you.
That's enough goodbyes.
Don't come any farther.
It may all be a false illusion, but this kingdom is still my home.
I'm the one who has to untangle this knot.
Haydee drove all her remaining spears into the ground to form a wall, then advanced toward the knight without looking back.
I wanted to run after her and grab her at once, but for some reason, I couldn't force my feet to budge from the ground.
It wasn't simply because I was exhausted.
Then why?
I'd said all those grand things about saving her whether she liked it or not, about refusing to accept this ending. So why couldn't I stop her now?
...Perhaps it was because...
This wasn't a choice she'd made on impulse. This time, she'd known everything and had agonized over it before reaching her decision...
And I couldn't simply trample over the conclusion she'd chosen for herself, free from anyone else's interference.
Haydee
Your princess is here.
Royal Guard Captain
Impostor... You are... not... the princess...
The knight in gleaming silver armor let out a horrific roar at Haydee, who stood defiantly before him.
In the blink of an eye, the knight raised his greatsword toward the sky.
Cristelle
Ggh... Ngh...! Hay... dee...!!!
Cristelle, barely able to hold herself upright, struggled to lift her head.
Her red gaze shot toward the knight.
The knight staggered back several steps.
Haydee
No!
You'll die if you keep that up!
Cristelle
...But...
I don't...
Want to lose anyone again...
I refuse to make the same stupid mistake and regret it only after it's too late...!
Haydee
...Idiot.
Behind Haydee's faint smile, I saw the greatsword come crashing down with a terrifying roar.
...Huh?!
Cristelle
That's...!
That statue...?
The statue's greatsword pierced the silver armor, and the Guard Captain collapsed with a pained death cry.
Cristelle
Is it... on our side...?
It's good that it took down the enemy, but...
...We may be a little too late.
The palace walls, barely holding together, finally began to crumble.
The statue's massive arm swept Haydee up, as though pulling her into an embrace.
The, without hesitation, it turned and threw itself toward us.
The instant its hard, heavy frame wrapped around all three of us...
Cristelle
Ngh...!
The falling debris swallowed the entire garden.
Light, sound, and form all collapsed away, and darkness settled over the void that remained.
Haydee
...
It...
...It was all my...
...Aaaah...
Royal Guard Captain
...Princess! Guard Captain Perses, reporting back in haste after receiving word from the royal capital!
Please, you must take shelter at once...
Haydee
...It was all my fault...
Royal Guard Captain
...
Haydee
If I'd known this would happen... Someone like me...
Royal Guard Captain
...Princess, I am but a fool and do not know the whole truth behind this tragedy.
But there is one thing I swore beneath the heavens that I still remember.
Perses
...Please forgive my insolence.
I, Perses, swore to protect you.
Every other knight shares that vow with me, and so...
Even if we must offer everything, even our very existence, as sacrifice, our loyalty to the princess shall remain...
Perses
...Eternal.
The earth swallowed everything.
The towering walls, the burning palace, even the lifeless dead.
Everything.
Statue
...
Haydee
...I wasn't the only one who saw that just now, right?
I saw it too.
Haydee
If... If all of that was real...
Cristelle
...I see.
So that's why the ruins...
...Haydee. It seems that statue is...
The battered statue knelt before Haydee.
Haydee
...Yeah.
My... guard captain.
The statue lifted the stone tablet from the altar and offered it to Haydee.
Cristelle
They used the rampaging Void Force within you, as well as their own bodies...
...And even the very existence of the fallen kingdom itself as a sacrifice to save you, Haydee.
Haydee
...Fools.
In the end... they still fell prey toMorcerf's machinations.
...Hmph.
Haydee stared at the statue with lonely eyes, then accepted the stone tablet.
Haydee
I'll take this with me for now.
...I'll come back when our revenge is over.
The statue silently returned to the altar and stood, as if it had never moved to being with.
Cristelle
...
Haydee
...
All the way out of the ruins, Haydee and Cristelle remained grim-faced and silent.
Just as I was about to say something to break the awkward silence...
Cristelle
Was that enough to satisfy you?
Huh?
Cristelle
The ending.
You said you wanted to see a different ending.
Would you say this one was acceptable?
The ending? Hmm, who knows?
After all, I don't think we've seen the ending yet.
Cristelle
...Is that so?
Ufufu! I see what you mean. We still haven't completed our revenge, after all.
Then this was merely... a turning point in our tale of revenge.
Haydee
...Yeah. We've let her toy with us for far too long. Now...
It's our turn to start the hunt.
Cristelle
Precisely, Haydee! I knew you were the only one who truly understood me!
You two are strong.
Cristelle
Hmm? What brought that on all of a sudden?
You almost killed Haydee, remember?
Are you two really okay with each other?
Cristelle
...
Ufufu! Captain! It was all merely a misunderstanding on your part!
I, Cristelle de Montua, have learned from you. Never again shall I commit such foolishness!
Haydee and I are bound by our shared vow of revenge! Nothing can ever come betwee—
Haydee
...I get it, so stop clinging to me and back off.
Cristelle
H-how cold, Haydee! Don't tell me you're still holding my earlier sins against me...
Haydee
...*Sigh* Of course not. I don't care.
I would've done the same thing in your place.
I was the one who wanted you to, after all. It's just...
...You. I let it slide earlier, but since when am I yours?
Cristelle
Huh...?
Haydee
You said it earlier, remember? Something about me being wholly yours.
Cristelle
Hmm... Isn't that only natural?
As I've always said, when I rescued you, it felt rather like...
Taking in a little kitten drenched by the rain...
Haydee
I told you to stop with that stupid kitten nonsense...?!
Cristelle
Ufufu! No need to be shy! Come here and embrace me! Accept my forgiving hug!
Haydee
Kgh...! D-don't come any closer! Stop clinging to me!
Haydee scampered away from Cristelle and hid behind my back.
I felt her grip tighten around the hem of my coat.
Tired?
Haydee
...My legs just went a little weak once I relaxed.
I'll be fine after a short rest, so you don't need to worr—
So your legs hurt?
Then I'll carry you on my shoulders.
Haydee
Ngh?! W-what?! P-put me down!
Cristelle
Oh... How bold of you, Captain.
Very well! Let us take turns carrying Haydee home.
Haydee
I-I told you to stay back...!
Get your hands off me...!
I'm covered in sweat and all sticky, so stop putting your hand on my shoulder!
Cristelle
Now that we've become true companions, surely this much is acceptable!
Haydee
What does that have to do with anything?!
Besides... you're hardly better off than me! You're the last person who should be helping me!
Cristelle
Oh! Are you worried about me, Haydee?!
I, Cristelle de Montua... am so moved I could weep!
Haydee
Th-that's not what I meant, so don't get the wrong idea!
I just... don't want you butting in and getting me hurt, too!
Cristelle
Ufufu! Haydee, you complain so much, yet I can't help but notice you're not actually running away...?
Haydee
...Shut it!
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