Chapter 427. All Matters Concluded
"Mas~~ter~~~!!"
Waving and shouting from afar, Shaula stood on the balcony of the Pleiades Watchtower, hopping up and down. Having watched until her eyes grew dim with longing, she had finally waited long enough for her Master to come pick her up. Overjoyed, she lunged straight at him.
"Master, Master! Master-Master-Master! I missed you so much, Master!"
...It must be said that Shaula was the most unique individual of all.
Whether in the future or the present, before or after losing her memories, Shaula belonged to that category of people whose favorability for him was irrationally maxed out the moment they met. She was close to him without any reservations, interacting with him with total abandon.
In contrast, everyone else—even after merging their memories—at least required a few opening lines, some small talk, and a moment to appreciate each other's faces before they could approach that state from the future and fully dissolve the lingering sense of vagueness.
Shaula was the only one who needed none of that; the moment they met, she reached that level of intimacy without further explanation.
Looking at this "cheap" apprentice who had leaped into his arms, Hikigaya Hachiman was about to say something when Shaula looked up, baring her white teeth in a goofy smile: "Don't worry! I understand! Master!"
"Master is the New Master, and Master's name is Hikigaya Hachiman—as long as I can stay by Master's side, I will obey this and keep it firmly in mind, Master!"
Who could possibly reject a Shaula like this? Besides, Hachiman had already intended to take this apprentice under his wing.
Throughout the encounter, Echidna maintained a look of utter boredom and disinterest. She possessed all the memories of the Witch of Greed from when she was alive and was intimately familiar with the Sage, Shaula, Reid, and the like—and naturally, the Watchtower as well. To her, nothing in this tower held secrets; no "unknowns" remained.
If possible, she wanted to go to Earth sooner. Even if that wasn't an option, she would rather watch the love-hate drama between Hikigaya Hachiman and that group of Royal Candidates.
In this currently warped situation, what their relationships would evolve into was an unpredictable unknown, and she was very curious.
Unlike the yawning Echidna, Hachiman and Reinhard broke through the third and second layers in succession, intending to find the Divine Dragon on the first layer for a talk.
While they could certainly ask Echidna for certain information—as she currently had no right to refuse—they remained wary of the Witch, fearing a trap. Thus, it was safer and more
reliable to consult the Divine Dragon, who had also lived for four hundred years and possessed deep knowledge.
On the second layer, during the battle against Reinhard (who held the sheath of the Dragon Sword), Reid was no longer his usual lazy, arrogant self who looked down on everyone from a position of guaranteed victory.
His eyes shone with excitement as he and Reinhard fought a relatively spectacular battle.
The expression on Reid's face when he was defeated was one of pure astonishment. He hadn't expected someone younger than his current self to be stronger than him; this significantly altered his worldview.
Accepting his defeat gracefully, he praised Reinhard and remarked that he truly wanted to try fighting him at full power. Afterward, Reid began to crumble into shards. This wasn't due to the trial rules of the Watchtower, but rather because he had exerted too much power in his attempt to defeat Reinhard, and this vessel could not withstand it; he was being destroyed by his own excessive strength.
Echidna could have used magic to try and save Reid.
Considering Reid had once protected Ram and Anastasia and had helped slay Satella, Hachiman wanted to repay the favor. However, thinking of Reid's unrestrained, ego-driven personality, he worried about the innocent civilian casualties Reid might cause if he lived.
Ultimately, he made saving Reid conditional on a contract: Reid was forbidden from acting recklessly after leaving the Watchtower, was not allowed to kill or destroy at will, and could not baselessly insult others or make lewd comments.
"Let's get this straight, you. You really think I'll agree to that? Do you think I care whether I live or die? I'm tellin' ya—"
"The moment you can defeat Reinhard in a one-on-one duel without borrowing any external force other than your sword—specifically excluding help from others, and especially help from Echidna—all these restrictions will be void."
"—I'm in!"
Reid didn't think for a second that he couldn't turn the tables. He figured he'd just find a way to harden this body later, train himself, and achieve a breakthrough in swordsmanship beyond the peak.
He wasn't blind to Reinhard's terrifying strength, but he held absolute confidence in himself.
Taking along the very weak Reid, who had been snatched back from the brink of death, Hachiman reached the top of the tower only to find that the Divine Dragon, Volcanica, had suffered "mental death" from being alone for too long, leaving him in a state akin to senile dementia.
In fact, his condition had improved quite a bit; after watching the future broadcast and receiving future memories, Volcanica had gradually begun to break out of his catatonic state. However, progress was slow, so Hachiman decided to give him a push.
Facing the demented Divine Dragon, Hachiman first had Reinhard draw the Dragon Sword and fight him, letting the sense of crisis awaken the dragon's instincts, which in turn would awaken his will. Then, he presented Shaula, Echidna, and Reid. The sights of these three old friends constantly struck Volcanica's soul, accelerating his self-recovery and memory recall.
...Once the dragon's mind was awake, Hachiman explained the current situation and asked several questions.
Given Hachiman's special status, Volcanica answered everything without reservation. Through his descriptions, the true face of history finally unfolded.
Four hundred years ago, the Three Heroes, the King of the Lugunica Kingdom of that generation, Echidna, Satella, and Hoshin of the Wasteland were all extremely close friends. However, Satella possessed two personalities: one was their dear friend, and the other was the Witch of Envy. To ensure the safety of the world, the Three Heroes had to endure the pain of sealing Satella.
Reid and Hoshin of the Wasteland, being human, had died long ago when their lifespans reached their end. The King of Lugunica was very close to Volcanica, so a pact was made; from then on, the Divine Dragon became the guardian deity of the Kingdom.
Echidna went off to associate with Pandora and established the Witch Cult. Flugel entrusted the Witch Factors to the Witch Cult for safekeeping—which was originally safe and logical—but later, Echidna was expelled by Pandora, and the Witch Cult became Pandora's personal mouthpiece.
Under Pandora's subtle instigation and indoctrination, the Witch Factors were used without authorization, creating the Archbishops of the Seven Sins. After Geuse was twisted into Petelgeuse, the Witch Cult, under Pandora's management, transformed completely into an evil faction that plagued the world.
When Echidna was being persecuted by Pandora, Volcanica had already been asked by Flugel to sleep at the top of the Pleiades Watchtower and knew nothing. The others had either died of old age or gone missing, which was why no one came to her rescue.
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