Obituary (1)
Rian thought he could never forget Tess's voice, but his memory was fuzzy.
"Huh?"
Looking up at the bulletin, Tess sat on his black mare with a scowl.
"You bastard… you're alive and in one piece."
"Ha—Tess, is that you? Long time no see." He hadn't expected anything, but being treated like some random stranger stung.
"You crazy bastard! Is that what you say to me? You haven't even contacted me all this time—"
Amy's voice cut Tess off.
"Shirone."
Her face, when she said it in a trembling voice, showed a kind of ecstatic terror.
"How are you here…?"
It felt unreal, but even if it was a dream, Shirone wished it would never end.
"Amy."
As Shirone walked toward her slowly, Rian stepped aside to give them room.
Soldiers, sensing the awkwardness between the two, whispered.
"I heard the demons call him Yahweh. Could he really know the battalion commander?"
Among those hardened by war, no one was ignorant of the Infinite Mage.
"This is unusual. Could those two—" "Shh."
Shirone stopped in front of Amy.
'Is that really Amy?'
Even seeing the flush that crept into his cheeks when he got excited couldn't make it feel real.
It didn't matter.
"Shirone—"
Before Amy finished, Shirone wrapped her in a sudden hug and buried his face in her shoulder.
"I missed you."
Amy's scent.
He couldn't call it a mere fragrance—he felt as if she could vanish any moment.
'Amy. It's really Amy.'
That primal, unique smell was the only proof she was real.
What should he say?
They'd been through so much—the sacrifice at Seongeum, Guy's death, Yahweh's rampage.
Still, holding Amy, Shirone could only say one thing.
"Don't disappear."
Tears sprang to Amy's eyes.
"…Yeah."
When they felt the same way, words didn't matter. Amy gripped Shirone's waist hard.
"Is that man your lover?"
The soldiers' eyes widened, and a few of them approached Tess to ask.
"Is it true, boss? Is the battalion commander's lover really one of the Ivory Tower's Five Stars?"
"The Ivory Tower's Five Stars?"
Tess, reading his men's minds, snorted.
"No—just a schoolmate." Fate worked in strange ways.
From a distance, another schoolmate, Maya, watched Shirone and Amy.
'There's nowhere for me to step in.'
It wasn't just distance; the look between the two said everything.
"Maya, let's go back."
Palmerus, who had been watching her, took Maya by the shoulder and turned her.
"…Okay."
Watching Maya head back to the barracks left a sour feeling in Tess's chest.
'What a shame. Terrible timing. Of all places for the three of them to meet.'
But it wasn't the time to fuss over other people.
Annoyed at Shirone and Amy's closeness, Tess slapped Rian on the arm.
"You idiot! Where the hell have you been?"
"Where? Fighting a war."
There was no answering that.
"I cut down so many demons. Slash, slash, slash—made my way here."
Rian ruffled Tess's hair and asked, "How was it? Was I any help?" Tess hooked an arm over Rian's shoulder and looked ahead with a smile.
"Good job."
For most, it was a happy reunion.
Even so, this was wartime; they couldn't linger in sentiment.
After hearing how Shirone had come, Amy gave orders to her adjutant.
"Send a courier at once and prepare to withdraw. We move as soon as we get orders from above."
"Yes, battalion commander."
With the thirty-thousand-strong demon detachment annihilated, there was no reason for Amy's forces to remain here.
'What a flawless victory.'
It was the sort of achievement that might earn a medal at the cathedral—if anyone cared to award it.
'Shirone and Rian.'
Standing before an Infinite Mage and a knight of Maha made today's victory feel small.
'They're worth more than a single battalion.' Even Amy, seasoned by countless wars, understood Shirone's true combat value.
"Shirone, you said you were going to Tormia?"
The death of Rian's eldest brother, Guy, was a sorrow for Amy and Tess as well.
"Yeah. I'm going to the Ozent family to beg forgiveness. It's the proper thing to do."
Typical of Shirone—an act of conscience.
"All right. Our unit will be moving anyway. Mind if we travel part of the way with you?"
"Sure. I'm not leaving immediately either."
Word that Shirone had entered the Valkyries would reach the Grand Marshal.
'If Iruki needs me, there's no reason to leave the unit early and create variables that keep me from responding to emergencies.'
The duty officer approached.
"Battalion commander, barracks repairs are nearly finished. About the performance—there have been inquiries from their side…"
Because of the contract, it couldn't be ignored.
"Oh, right. The performance."
Amy remembered belatedly.
"Shirone, Maya's here. She came to put on a morale-boosting show for our unit."
Shirone brightened.
"Really? Maya's here?"
Amy asked the officer, "What did the agency say?"
"They said their artist was shocked by the attack. If it qualifies as a breach of contract, they'll be forced to comply…"
'It wasn't because of the attack.'
Tess had told Shirone that Maya would be at the reunion.
"Fine. We were at fault too—call it settled. Serve beer to the soldiers."
Alcohol was normally forbidden during performances, but the nearby demons had been wiped out.
"Shirone, are you going to see Maya?"
"Um… is that okay?" Shirone wasn't a fool.
"What are you talking about? She's a schoolmate, not a stranger. Go on ahead. I'll check the workshop and catch up."
"All right."
When Shirone left the barracks, Amy put her hands on the desk and grabbed her head.
"Ugh, this is driving me crazy." She was nervous to the point of agony.
'Why today of all days?'
Why had fate sent Shirone away and then put him in the same place as Maya?
Still, there was work to do.
At the unit's entrance, soldiers were busy clearing demon corpses and repairing the palisade.
"Amy."
Tess, overseeing the site, ran over.
"How's it going? Huh? What did Shirone say? Did you kiss? No, wait—must be hot between you two…"
Amy turned to him, incredulous.
"What nonsense. This is the military. It's no place for lovers to be making a scene."
Tess felt his men's eyes on them too.
"Who said you had to be obvious about it? Everyone's thinking it. Not doing anything would be stupid."
"Hmm."
Amy was still human.
The stress built up on the battlefield was beyond imagining, and frustration had reached a peak. Part of the reason she'd managed so far was that she had so little experience with men.
"Commander, we'll reshape the palisade into a C. It'll save time."
She stared at the man studying the plans, dazed.
Out of habit, he popped the cap on his pen on and off.
She swallowed hard.
"All right! Heave!"
At the entrance, soldiers with hammers were driving thick stakes into the ground with dull thuds.
"Hey! Tighten it! More, more!"
On the other side, men were sweating as they threaded long bolts into nuts.
"…!"
Suddenly she felt hot.
'Get a grip.'
Amy shook her head to clear her thoughts before they dug deeper.
"You okay? Your cheeks are really red."
"Nothing. Anyway, I'll go see Maya. You finish up and rest."
As Amy turned, Tess asked, "Still worried?" She stopped.
"Shirone loves you. So don't overthink Maya."
"I don't know."
Maya was a rival, but she was also a friend and a comrade.
"This isn't simple. I feel guilty—like I'm committing a sin. In a way it feels violent."
Was it right to pursue love with Shirone while Maya was here?
"You missed him too. Besides, we're soldiers. We don't know when or where something might happen."
Soldiers have no tomorrow.
"You won't die. We'll win."
Amy smiled as she looked back.
"Don't worry about me—worry about Rian. You two are impossible to read."
Tess had no reply; he puffed his cheeks and looked up.
"Look to the sky if you want to pluck a star."
After midnight, in an empty lot, Amy and Maya stared at the night sky, lost in thought.
"I'm sorry, Amy."
Maya knew her place.
"For what?"
"For making you worry. It must've hurt to see you laughing with Shirone."
Amy snorted.
"You're still the same. So what? It's fine for friends to have fun."
Whatever their private feelings.
"But you know how I feel about Shirone. You know even now."
"Tess told me."
If she were in Maya's shoes—
"I didn't feel great either. Honestly, I don't know what to do in moments like this."
"Don't think that. I have no intention of spoiling things. If you care about me, do whatever you want."
"Do whatever I want…"
Amy turned away.
"I won't do anything to make you uncomfortable."
"Hmm?"
Maya blinked.
"It's not about virginity or conscience. We're friends. I want everyone here to get along."
She didn't want to worry over whether someone was a man or a woman.
"Amy…"
Wasn't this just like school days?
"What's that face for? Don't overreact. I'm not giving you a chance or anything…"
Maya wiped her tears.
"Thank you. Thank you, Amy."
She was glad to have such a wonderful friend, but her heart ached.
'This way I can't take him either.'
The next morning.
A Kaidra sent from the cathedral landed at Amy's unit like a whirlwind.
"Urgent orders!"
Surprised by the swift response, Amy met the courier with a tense look.
"What is it?"
Tess and Rian had arrived, and Shirone, who had been helping pack, came over with Maya.
The courier produced a letter.
"These are orders from Grand Marshal Iruki of the Valkyries. Shirone, Amy, and Maya are to return immediately to the Kingdom of Tormia and proceed to Creas City."
Maya pointed at herself.
"What? Me too?"
If it had anything to do with the war, even if Tess didn't have to be involved, Rian couldn't be left out.
Shirone fell silent, thinking.
'Me, Amy, and Maya?'
The only thing the three had in common was that they were alumni of the Alpheas School of Magic.
"Here's the Grand Marshal's letter."
Amy opened it while Shirone and Maya stood close behind and read over her shoulder.
"What…?"
It contained news of Pisho's death.