I felt a vibration.
When I opened my closed eyes, the sky was filled with moonlight.
Even though it was deep into the night, it was as bright as day.
It was because of the two women floating in the sky.
BOOM.
Lumps of magical energy and treasures rushed at each other, creating a fierce roar as they tore through the air.
The two attacks, clashing with the same power and speed, canceled each other out, creating a shockwave that reached the ground.
Thud, thud.
The two women did not move.
Gilgamesh, with her arms crossed, fired a massive amount of armaments from countless Gates of treasures.
Morgan responded by lightly extending her staff, drawing even more magic formulas in the air than the Gates Gilgamesh had created.
Then Gilgamesh would open an even greater number of gates…
This continued to repeat, and the sky was being divided into two worlds, gold and purple.
“The two of them fighting… does that mean Chaldea failed?”
I wasn't expecting anything, so I wasn't disappointed either.
The hill where the clinic was located was a truly great spot to watch their fight.
There were no obstructions in the wide-open view.
Except for the fact that their figures weren't clear due to my sight having returned to that of an ordinary human, it felt like I was in a movie theater.
Except for the fact that the moment the angle of those magic formulas or Gates of treasures was even slightly off, my life would be snuffed out like a fly.
So should I run away?
What could I do in the middle of a battle between powerhouses who have far surpassed the realm of humans?
I can only watch the banquet of beautiful colors that the two women are embroidering in the night sky.
“…?”
Something was flying towards me. Was it the remnant of some magic?
By the time I recognized its presence, it was already too late to react.
Whether it was an armament or the dregs of magic,
I was going to die.
“What are you doing.”
“…Wow.”
I should have died, but I somehow survived.
A giant beast's hand had protected me. The something that had been flying at the speed of a bullet couldn't pierce Draco‘s hand.
Draco, brushing off the smoke generated from the heat of friction as if it were a nuisance, glared at me with a deep frown.
“You should be hiding, obviously. If I wasn't here just now, you would have died.”
Draco was so angry she even used the strong word ’you bastard‘.
Really?
The word rose to the tip of my tongue, but I managed to swallow it.
If I said that, a truly enraged Draco might do something to me.
“…I thought Draco would protect me.”
Instead, I let a lie slip from my lips.
It was a lie if it was a lie, and the truth if it was the truth.
Because Draco was someone who came to protect me.
I was expecting it, about 10% of the time.
“That sounds like a subtle lie… but I‘ll let it pass.”
“Thank you.”
Draco, with her ’I‘m sulking‘ appeal, was quite cute.
If you looked at it by setting aside her identity, my situation, and all the other troublesome things like the state of this singularity, that is.
“For the record, I‘m thanking you for protecting me.”
“…Hmph.”
She really likes that.
Even in the dark night, Draco‘s reddened cheeks were unusually prominent.
Is it because she‘s young?
I pulled on the arm of Draco, who was standing next to me.
“Isn‘t it dangerous!”
Even as Draco fell into my arms, she was worried that her beast-transformed hands might hurt me.
“It‘ll just be a small cut, that‘s all.”
“My claws are not so ordinary! A curse could be placed upon you!”
“It‘s fine as long as it doesn‘t, right?”
Draco‘s expressions were so varied, it was a delight to watch.
What kind of safety-unconscious person is this?
I pulled Draco, who was saying this with her face, a little closer and held her in my arms.
“Draco.”
“…What is it.”
“I don‘t think I can be a good father.”
“What do you mean by that.”
“Come to think of it, I‘ve never once lived up to anyone‘s expectations.”
Am I not the traitor?
Would a good father curse his daughter for not recognizing him?
Would a dependable older brother fail to protect his only remaining family?
Even while speaking of love, I felt fear rather than the joy of reunion.
“Maybe the reason they betrayed me is because I was lacking…”
“Wait a moment.”
“Hmm?”
Draco turned her body to face me directly.
“Don‘t tell me you think they betrayed you because the problem was you?”
At the tip of Draco‘s pointing finger were Gilgamesh and Morgan.
The two of them are still fighting fiercely.
“That‘s right. Why?”
“You are truly a fool.”
…That‘s a bit harsh.
“You are not a transcendent being. Even if a few of your words can influence people, in the end, an individual exists as an individual.”
“Are you giving me advice based on your experience as an emperor?”
“That is correct. Even if those women were influenced by you, they were also influenced by others besides you.”
She‘s right.
I too have changed by meeting various people.
“Those women are strongly obsessed with you, but that is their problem.”
“…Don‘t you think that‘s not it?"
“Hah. Be quiet!”
Draco covered my mouth with her small hand. Though she immediately took it away with a disgusted look when I made a muffled sound.
“You are ordinary, and those women are not. Isn‘t it only natural that you cannot adapt to the way of thinking of madwomen?”
“I sympathize to some extent, but in the end, the reason those two are fighting is because of me, isn't it?”
“It is not.”
I became a mute who had eaten honey.
“Those women are mad, and you are going mad along with them because you are by their side.”
Draco said this so seriously it was almost funny.
“Hasn't your dream always been the same? But has there ever been a time when the dreams of those women and your dream were the same?”
“…There hasn‘t.”
My dream is to live a simple and comfortable life, and to die by the side of the people I love.
To go into more detail… I want to be at peace.
“They are the ones who disturb your peace.”
“That might be true.”
“Therefore…”
Draco placed her hand on my face. It was warm.
“Come with me. I will not betray you, and I will not cause you pain.”
“………”
“This is not an escape. It is merely a journey to find your true happiness.”
As Draco said this, a dark portal opened up behind her.
The moment I crossed that portal, the ’journey‘ Draco spoke of would surely begin.
I met the gaze of Draco, who was looking up at me with desperate eyes.
Without saying a word, I tightened my grip on the arm that was holding Draco.
“Isn‘t a little time already enough? How long must I wait?”
Draco even tried to force my closed mouth open.
“I want to be one too. I want to live under the same roof with you like that fox. I want to call you father. I, too, want to be an ordinary daughter who can be loved by someone…!”
“It's okay, Draco. Calm down.”
“It's not okay! Are you going to run away again?”
Draco buried her head in my chest, then raised her arm again and hit my shoulder. She would cry on her own, then stare at me blankly.
“No. I‘m here.”
“Lies. It‘s all lies.”
Draco pleaded as she tore at my clothes.
“No. Don't go to someone else. Please. Look at me. Don't see another woman superimposed on me when you look at me…”
Draco, who had been so sad, suddenly fell asleep as if her thread of life had been cut.
Draco did not sleep peacefully. Tears flowed endlessly from the corners of her eyes, as if she were having a bad dream.
It felt like my heart was freezing over.
I straightened Draco‘s head and wiped away her tears.
She, accepting my touch, held onto my arm tightly even in her sleep and never let go.
Because of that, I couldn't even wipe away her tears anymore.
How much time passed while I was unable to do anything?
Just as I was getting used to the noise of the fierce battle in my ears,
“…Can we talk now?”
This time, it was Johanna who came, breaking through the barrier.