"Hahaha! I didn't expect you to come back. I thought that after stepping down as head of the Family and leaving altogether, you wouldn't want to return. I also didn't expect you to still be capable of wielding that level of power."
A short old man with completely white hair, yet more energy than many young people, smiled cheerfully at Sunday.
"Mr. Oti, from my perspective, I've actually been away for quite some time. I originally had no intention of returning this soon, but I simply couldn't stop worrying about my sister. Once something happened to her, I asked someone to bring me back."
Sunday spoke calmly, then tugged on the golden thorns in his hand, dragging Grady and his Master, Scott, across the floor toward them.
"I apologize for interfering with the Holy Grail War you organized, and I also apologize for my excessive actions earlier. Still, I hope you can understand. When Robin faced a life-threatening crisis in the past, I was far away on Penacony, and even a few words of comfort took far too long to reach her. When something similar happened again, I couldn't simply stand by and watch, nor could I face it calmly."
Sunday withdrew the golden thorns binding them. Scott remained sprawled on the floor, staring lifelessly at the ceiling. The thorns had torn open his skin in several places. If he had not known this was a Dreamscape, he probably would have contacted his superior immediately to file a workplace injury claim.
Grady wiped the blood from his face and rose from the floor. Looking at Sunday with obvious irritation, he said, "This is exactly why horror movies shouldn't have absurdly overpowered characters! And you definitely shouldn't drag gods or anything like that into the story, because then everything falls apart just like this!"
"Director Grady, I apologize for my rudeness earlier. I also respect you as a director willing to pour all your money into filmmaking in pursuit of your art. However, I cannot forgive what you did. Because of your actions, my sister could have suffered permanent consequences."
After saying that, Sunday turned back to Old Oti.
"This Holy Grail War is a marketing campaign, a way to take advantage of the Eternal Dreamscape's popularity and spread Penacony's name throughout the universe once again. But it's also a way for you to meet old friends from the past, isn't it? Aren't you going to see the last of them, Mr. Oti?"
"Hahaha! I'm sure that old friend has plenty he wants to say to other people. Someone like me should probably avoid disturbing what little time he has left."
Old Oti still wore the same smiling expression, giving no one the slightest chance to read what he was truly feeling. Perhaps only someone like that could become one of the most formidable capitalists in the cosmos.
Meanwhile, aboard the Astral Express, Mikhail, once again wearing Misha's appearance, scratched his head and gave Pom-Pom an awkward smile.
"I didn't expect us to meet again so soon, Conductor."
Pom-Pom narrowed their eyes at Mikhail. With Caelus's help, the three Nameless who had remained behind on Penacony had previously spent some time speaking with Pom-Pom. When they parted, everyone had tears in their eyes as they exchanged what were supposed to be final farewells, creating an appropriately melancholy atmosphere.
They had even agreed that the next time the Astral Express stopped at Penacony, they would meet again.
And yet only a few days had passed before they were face-to-face once more, making the atmosphere rather awkward.
"Welcome back, Passenger Mikhail."
"This time, I should have enough time. Last time, Conductor, you said Miss Himeko's coffee was especially terrible. I've actually wanted to try it ever since. Do you have any right now?"
"Uh... we do, but are you sure you really want to drink it? I'm warning you again, Passenger Himeko's coffee is really, really awful!"
In truth, if Himeko simply brewed an ordinary cup of coffee, there was nothing wrong with it. It was actually quite good. The problem was that whenever she made coffee, she tended to have inexplicable bursts of inspiration and add all sorts of strange things to it, eventually producing something almost impossible to describe.
"A Nameless is always willing to face any challenge."
"All right, Pom..."
Mikhail poured Himeko's coffee into his mouth and began carefully savoring it. He maintained his smile for three full seconds before collapsing to the floor with a thud, a trace of coffee still leaking from the corner of his mouth.
His trembling hand slowly reached upward.
"Never stop Trailblazing..."
Mikhail's outstretched hand dropped heavily to the floor. His head tilted to one side, a relieved smile still on his face as he lost consciousness.
"PASSENGER MIKHAIL!!!"
Pom-Pom's scream echoed throughout the entire Astral Express.
Caelus once again stood in Okhema. The city-state had been conquered by Caesar once more, and this time it probably would not be long before all of Amphoreus fell under her rule.
After reaching an agreement with Lygus, the Black Tide no longer spread with the same speed, aggression, and destructive force it had shown in previous cycles. Its advance had slowed considerably, giving the people of Amphoreus ample time to prepare.
Of course, that breathing room existed specifically so enough data on Order could be collected and the unified legal code enacted by Caesar could truly take root across the land. If the Black Tide continued advancing as quickly as before, events might once again lead to the same ending in which Caesar sacrificed herself for Amphoreus's future.
So for now, the merfolk beneath the sea were still living peacefully.
Whether because fate had a tendency to repeat itself or because of some unseen connection, one particular mermaid eventually left the sea and came ashore, where she encountered Cerydra during her ongoing campaign of conquest.
And so Caesar was reunited with her knight once again.
"Teacher, I hereby appoint you as my Minister of State. Help me with the paperwork."
Caelus set down the bronze arrowhead he had been working on and looked first at the stack of documents beside his desk, then at Cerydra, who was smiling at him.
"I seem to remember that you already have people specifically responsible for this kind of work. Why are you asking me?"
"Because I want you to step into the public eye, Teacher. I also want the chance to repay even a small part of everything I've owed you over the years."
"Let me guess. You're planning to make me prime minister, or perhaps establish a cabinet?"
"I'm still considering the details. Later on, I'm also thinking about whether I should imitate that system and establish an assembly that allows ordinary people to participate in government."
"...Then you'll need to establish universal education first. Only after education becomes widespread and the general level of civic and cultural knowledge rises can you begin moving toward the next stage."
"I know, Teacher. That's why I'll be busy handling those matters from now on. I'll have to leave the people's day-to-day welfare to you. After all, no one understands Amphoreus better than you, do they?"
Cerydra paused before continuing.
"Teacher, in the past, I was always wondering about something. Why did you devote so much effort to raising me? Why did you keep helping me without ever asking for anything in return? I considered countless possibilities.
"I wondered whether you were raising me to become some educated curiosity you could sell to princes and nobles, or whether you wanted me to serve as a double for some princess or noblewoman. I even wondered whether you intended to use me to bear your children. What I never expected was that you truly would help me without holding anything back.
"Now that I'm on the verge of completing the unification of Amphoreus, and now that I sit upon the throne I once dreamed of reaching, I can't help remembering the person I used to be. The girl curled up in a dark corner, for whom even eating a full meal was an impossible luxury.
"Whenever I remember her, I find myself asking the same question. Why did I pursue unification? Why did I pursue conquest? Why did I want an age of Order?
"I think... perhaps all I ever wanted was to hold an umbrella over those standing in the rain. I want ordinary people to be able to live peaceful, happy lives. I want them to receive something in return for their labor. I want them to live without having to bow and scrape before others. I want every person to have enough to eat and warm clothes to wear.
"I hope my rule, my conquests, and the Order I establish will ultimately create that kind of world."
When she finished speaking, Cerydra extended her right hand toward Caelus.
"Teacher, will you help me? Will you transform Amphoreus with me into something it has never been before?"
"All right."
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)