◇ ◇ ◇
...Why did it come to this?
Was it really my fault, like Stieg said...?
Because I sought out comrades...?
Because I joined the Night Sky Silver Rabbit, everyone was killed...?
"Listen, Orun. Once you hesitate before making a decision, you will definitely regret it. Therefore, whether Orun joins the Night Sky Silver Rabbit or not, you will regret something in some form sooner or later. That is why what is important is to make a choice that the future you who regrets it can at least somewhat accept."
Why... am I remembering Gramps's words at a time like this...?
Was this the regret waiting at the end of the choice to join the Night Sky Silver Rabbit...?
What the hell...
Something like that—
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—Near the Night Sky Silver Rabbit headquarters in Tsutrail—
"Aaaaaaaaaah——!!"
As if responding to Orun's wail of grief, an enormous amount of pitch-black magic power surged up, and numerous cracks appeared in space.
"...As expected, the world cannot endure any more than this. You have despaired enough, so it is about time you died."
Eventually, Orun stopped wailing and stared into empty space as if his soul had been pulled out, and his eyes reflected nothing.
Even so, the pitch-black magic power continued to run wild on its own, and the cracks in space increased one after another.
Stieg, who did not consider the current situation good, approached Orun, who was staring into empty space like a dead man at the center of the rampaging pitch-black magic power.
He formed a hand blade by aligning his fingers and concentrated magic power in that hand.
"What an anticlimactic end. We... had expected a little more from you."
With a voice of disappointment, Stieg swung his hand blade at Orun, who showed no reaction at all.
"Well then, farewell."
Right before the thin, sharp magic power extending from the hand blade reached Orun's neck, a human figure suddenly appeared between Stieg and Orun.
"——!?"
Before he realized it, Stieg had been blown away by a shockwave.
With his eyes wide in surprise, Stieg slid across the ground for about ten meters or so to kill his momentum.
He then immediately looked toward the spot where he had been standing just moments before.
In his field of vision stood an old man with a long white beard — Cavadel Evans.
Cavadel pointed the staff he held in his hand, and countless chains of a blue color close to pure white extended from empty space toward Stieg.
The chains wrapped around Stieg's body and restricted his movements.
A box-like cube of the same color as the chains then appeared and enclosed Stieg inside it.
After neutralizing Stieg, Cavadel turned around.
When Cavadel caught Orun in his field of vision, he showed a sorrowful look in his eyes.
"I am sorry for making you go through such painful experiences, even though it was necessary, Orun. ...First, we need to do something about that magic power."
After apologizing to Orun like that, Cavadel began remotely operating the storage magical tool on Orun's wrist.
Then, the pitch-black magic power rampaging around Orun gradually began to be drawn into the storage magical tool, and the pitch-black pillar stretching toward the sky disappeared.
"...Gramps...?"
Orun, who had shown no reaction for a while, noticed Cavadel's presence.
"It has been a while, Orun."
He approached Orun while speaking to him in a gentle voice and lightly touched his right arm.
"It must hurt. I will heal it right away, so bear with it just a little longer."
While looking at the wound on Orun's right arm — the place where Stieg had sliced it off and a large amount of blood was flowing out — Cavadel exercised his unique ability.
Then, Orun's right hand instantly returned to normal.
In exchange, Cavadel's right arm disappeared into empty space.
"Hoh hoh hoh. It was settled with just the right arm."
"...Why...?"
In contrast to Orun, who let out a bewildered voice, Cavadel was laughing brightly.
"What do you mean 'why'? You are saying something strange. Orun knows that my unique ability is Equivalent Exchange, right? To restore the promising Orun's dominant hand, this old man's right arm was a cheap price."
"I... did not wish for something like this. I... have to die. Otherwise, a lot of people will die again. Because of me..."
Orun let out a trembling voice.
"Gramps told me properly, 'Once you hesitate before making a decision, you will definitely regret it' and 'You should make a choice that the future you who regrets it can at least somewhat accept.' I should have thought about that more deeply!"
Orun continued speaking as if confessing.
"Because I made such an easy choice, everyone in the Night Sky Silver Rabbit was killed. I cannot accept this result at all...! I should not have joined the Night Sky Silver Rabbit! I should have stayed alone!!"
He raised his voice while shedding tears.
"Yes, that is true. If you had not joined the Night Sky Silver Rabbit, the result would probably have been different. However, I am sure I also said this at that time. 'Whether you join the Night Sky Silver Rabbit or not, you will regret something in some form.'"
"But it should have been a far better regret than this..."
"The result of a path not chosen is something no one knows. Therefore—"
Just as Cavadel was about to convey something to Orun, a high-pitched sound like glass shattering came from a short distance away.
"...It has already come out, has it?"
Cavadel muttered that and turned his face toward the place where the box enclosing Stieg had been.
There stood Stieg, who had destroyed the box and come outside.
"To think there was a Transcendent we had not grasped. Could it be that you were the one who altered the guild's teleportation circle?"
"Correct."
"I see. An opposing Transcendent is nothing but trouble. I will kill you together with Orun Dura."
"Hoh hoh hoh. There is no need to trouble your hands, as I will disappear along with my existence anyway."
"...What do you mean by——!?"
Just as Stieg was about to ask about Cavadel's meaningful statement, chains of a blue color close to pure white assaulted him once again.
Stieg, who had already seen through it, kicked off the ground to escape the chains.
When he moved to a position out of the chains' reach, a magic circle rose up at his feet.
"!? This is a teleportation circle!? To think my evasion action was being guided... You are good. —Come, water dragons!"
Right before Stieg was teleported to another location, he made his next move.
Several holes opened in the red barrier covering the Night Sky Silver Rabbit, and water dragons came out from there.
The water dragons then began attacking Cavadel.
While watching that sight, Stieg disappeared from the spot.
"There is no time. Do not get in the way. Absolute Zero."
Cavadel exercised magic and instantly froze the water dragons.
"—Orun. There is not a single meaningless thing in this world. I believe you will surely turn this experience into nourishment as well. Listen carefully to the voice of your own heart. Your answer is surely there."
While speaking to Orun, Cavadel exercised his unique ability.
Then, magic power of a white color close to pure white — Titania's magic power — began to gather around him.
As if cherishing the remaining little time until "that event" occurred, Cavadel smiled at Orun.
"Gramps...?"
Orun, sensing something off in Cavadel's behavior, let out a bewildered voice.
"My life was a series of regrets, but if I can use this life for my grandson at the end, that is my greatest wish. The only thing this old man can do for Orun is something like this, but please accept it."
"The end? What do you mean!? I do not want even Gramps to disappear...!"
"Rest assured, the only one who will disappear is me... Orun, from now on many painful and difficult things will come your way. However, I believe that it is because there are difficulties that people can feel happiness. I believe you will be able to overcome the difficulties."
Cavadel spoke in a gentle tone.
So that his precious grandson could face forward and walk again.
"—It is all right. Orun is my proud grandson, after all. I pray from the bottom of my heart that you will be able to spend the rest of your life with a smile."
With those final words, Cavadel's existence disappeared from this world.
"——————"
Faced with the loss of Cavadel, Orun let out a voiceless cry.
Cavadel had exercised his unique ability, Equivalent Exchange.
It was the ability to obtain what one desired in exchange for offering a price.
The more difficult it was to grant that desire, the larger the price naturally became.
What Cavadel offered as the price this time was everything that made up the existence of Cavadel Evans, and most of the magic power that constituted the Fairy Queen Titania.
Both were prices that were far too large.
By paying such a large price, the world granted Cavadel's wish.
The world's time began to rewind...