Epilogue: After the Feast

…After everything had come to an end.

“You gotta be kiddin’ me, you jerk!?”

That was Glenn’s first outburst upon reuniting with Albert.

“Your damn shot grazed my cheek, didn’t it!? One wrong move, and I coulda been dead!”

“Probably would’ve been.”

Albert responded coolly, his stern expression unwavering, as Glenn grabbed him by the collar.

“Hah!? What’s that supposed to mean!? Why’re you actin’ all casual like it’s no big deal!?”

“Idiot. It’s your fault for carelessly stepping into my line of fire.”

“What’d you say!?”

“For that matter, why the hell did you lure the enemy to a place like that? There were countless spots on that mountain better suited for sniping. Spare a thought for the guy pulling the trigger, would you?”

“Gahhh!? Why have you always been like this since way back—!?”

It was the usual scene— Glenn barking like a stray dog and Albert brushing him off with cold indifference.

“You damn beast! I knew it—I really can’t stand you!”

“Funny coincidence. Same here.”

The two snorted and turned away from each other, their prickly attitudes on full display. Watching this unfold…

“Those two… are they in sync or completely out of it…?”

“Haha…”

Sistine shrugged with an exasperated, half-lidded stare, while Rumia let out an ambiguous chuckle.

That little episode aside.

The moment Zayd’s baton was destroyed, rendering him powerless, Glacia and Seth sensed the tide turning and retreated, and Eve regained her senses.

Naturally, the students and orchestra members within the Academy, who had been manipulated by the [Demonic Melodies], came back to themselves…

“Huh? …Why… are we out here…?”

“Um… wasn’t the finale dance supposed to start soon…?”

As expected, they had no memory whatsoever of the time they were under Zayd’s control.

Feeling as though they’d been spirited away in a dreamlike haze, they staggered back to the Academy.

The Special Missions Annex had successfully captured one of the enemy’s core members without sustaining any losses—a monumental achievement that would go down in history.

After the battle, the question arose of what to do about the interrupted social ball.

Naturally, after such an incident, cancellation seemed the obvious choice.

However, the students had no memory of being controlled, only recalling the lively, joyful moments leading up to the interruption. Driven by an almost possessed fervor, they flocked back to the ballroom, eagerly awaiting the finale dance by the competition’s winning couple.

It seemed that once the [Demonic Melodies] seeped deep into one’s subconscious, it left the affected in a peculiar mental state for a while—dreamlike, as if drunk, without self-awareness.

The students’ memories of being in the northern forest just moments ago were already growing hazy. Some didn’t even recall that the ball had been interrupted.

The melody’s terrifying power allowed it to unconsciously rewrite the facts to suit the caster’s convenience, erasing any sense of discrepancy. This explained how it had facilitated numerous high-profile assassinations without ever revealing its true nature to the Empire.

Fortunately, as the only person uninvolved in the incident, the student council president, Rize, had emerged unscathed.

“Senpai—protect your mind, and if possible, block out all sound, and don’t move from here!”

Rize, who had faintly sensed something was amiss that night, followed Sistine’s instructions to the letter. She erected a mental defense and soundproof barrier in the waiting room, staying put and escaping harm.

Since it was also necessary to conceal the traces of the battle left within the Academy, Bernard, taking command in place of the dazed Eve, reluctantly disclosed some of the situation to Rize and requested that the social ball be resumed as if nothing had happened.

With her inherent sharpness, Rize quickly grasped the truth and the gravity of the situation, hastening to comply with Bernard’s request to restart the ball.

Of course, some likely found the unaccounted-for gap in time suspicious. But the lingering effects of the [Demonic Melodies] dulled their sense of unease, making them forget.

The participants, swept up in a dreamlike mood, accepted the ball’s resumption under Rize’s lead with surprising ease, leaving the organizers almost taken aback.

And then—

“…Phew. For a moment there, I thought we were done for…”

As originally planned, Glenn and Rumia danced the finale under the dreamy gazes of everyone in the venue, marking the grand climax of the night.

“…Thank you, Sensei.”

Rumia, taking Glenn’s hand and stepping gracefully, murmured in a whisper.

The [Robe de la Fae], which promised eternal elegance, remained pristine and unblemished despite their frantic dash through the mountains.

“Hm?”

“For always… always protecting me…”

Rumia’s expression, as she gazed steadily at Glenn, was endlessly serene and clear.

“For someone like me… you always go all out… treating me like I’m precious…”

“…Oh, yeah, when was that? Way back, I promised, didn’t I? That I’d always be on your side… Well, y’know… once I make a promise, I gotta keep it…”

“Hehe… Liar. Even without a promise… you’d do the same for anyone, not just me… You’re that kind of person, I’m sure of it.”

“…Hmph. You’re overestimating me. I ain’t that noble. People outside my circle are, relatively speaking, kinda whatever.”

Glenn tugged Rumia’s hand, feigning irritation.

Entrusting herself to his lead, Rumia spun gracefully under his raised arm.

“Even if that’s true…”

Rumia was smiling.

“The fact that you’re on my side… that you protect me… that doesn’t change.”

She smiled, endlessly serene.

“Thank you, Sensei. I’m so glad I met you. Despite everything… tonight will surely be my lifelong treasure…”

“Haha, I’m honored, really.”

Slightly embarrassed, Glenn turned away, losing himself in the dance.

And so, he didn’t notice.

Because Rumia was smiling so blissfully—Glenn didn’t notice.

The faint trace of sorrow hidden behind that smile.

(…Maybe, after all, I’m not someone who should be here…)

Rumia couldn’t help but think so.

This time, thanks to the efforts of Glenn, Sistine, and the others, it ended safely.

But what about next time? And the time after that?

Would such a happy ending, where everyone could laugh together, be guaranteed?

No. Of course not. This time—it was just a stroke of luck.

That’s right.

A dethroned princess, a cursed Ability User.

A target of the Researchers of Heavenly Wisdom, a harbinger of calamity.

Glenn would surely continue to protect someone like her, even at the cost of his life.

Even if she begged him to stop, he wouldn’t listen.

(Because that’s the kind of person I fell for that day…)

That’s exactly why she fell for him.

And—because of that.

Someday, Glenn would be hurt beyond repair… and fall.

All to protect her—

Not just Glenn. Sistine, Re=L, everyone at the Academy.

Someday, because of her—

—If only you weren’t here—!

The voice of a girl with her exact face, white hair, and grotesque wings echoed in her mind.

(Ah… I really am… someone who shouldn’t be here, aren’t I…?)

But.

Even so.

After losing everything.

Could she really abandon the place she’d finally found for herself…?

Oh, what a horrible girl she was.

Oh, what a selfish girl she was.

Knowing her existence would surely bring disaster to everyone—

(…Even so, I want to stay here…!)

“…What’s wrong, Rumia? Are you… crying?”

Glenn’s sudden words caught her off guard.

Rumia, with the faintest tears welling in the corners of her eyes, gave her brightest smile.

“Yes… I’m just… so happy… so overjoyed…!”

“…I see… That’s… good to hear…”

Whether he knew the turmoil in Rumia’s heart or not.

Glenn gently pulled Rumia closer—

The finale dance finally came to an end.

The long, long night of the social ball was over at last.

The roaring cheers and applause, like an explosion, swept away the whirlwind of emotions swirling in Rumia’s heart with their overwhelming force—

Rumia, still wearing her blissful smile, leaned into Glenn’s arms…

And silently, in her heart, she wept.

And then—

After the social ball had completely concluded.

After escorting Rumia, Sistine, and recently, due to certain circumstances, Re=L—who had started living with them—back to the Fibel estate.

As Glenn dragged his exhausted body back to Celica’s mansion alone.

He suddenly sensed a presence ahead and stopped in his tracks.

Under the evenly spaced oil streetlamps lining the dark night.

Beneath the faint, flickering light of the flames overhead—that figure stood.

“…Eve.”

“…”

Eve stared at Glenn in silence.

(Tch… Of all people, I had to run into the one I least wanted to see…)

But seeing Eve clearly waiting for him, Glenn couldn’t just ignore her. Clicking his tongue and scratching his head, he spoke irritably.

“…What do you want? It’s all over, isn’t it? Just go home already.”

“…”

But Eve remained silent.

She just stared at Glenn with eyes that seemed to hold something unspoken…

“Good job, Eve. You pulled off a pretty uncharacteristic blunder, but somehow you turned it into a massive victory. After all, your strategy and leadership took down the enemy organization’s《Adeptus Order》… This breaks the stalemate in our fight against them, and things are finally moving forward. You’ll get the recognition you deserve from everyone around you. It’s your total win.”

“…”

“Pretty impressive. Now don’t ever show your face in front of me again. …See ya.”

Glenn tossed out the words curtly.

As he passed by Eve, intending to walk away…

That’s when it happened.

“…Pointless.”

A faint murmur.

Eve’s whisper reached his ears.

“…Huh?”

Instinctively, Glenn stopped and turned back to her.

“This is… pointless… completely pointless…!”

“!”

Glenn’s eyes widened slightly.

He hadn’t noticed until now, hidden by the darkness.

The dim streetlamp’s light revealed Eve’s face, emerging from the shadows—

It was wet with tears. She had been crying silently, unnoticed—

“Huh!? Why’re you crying—?”

“Because this pathetic, miserable outcome… it doesn’t prove I’m right over you…!”

He genuinely didn’t understand. What was wrong with this woman?

“Why… why do you never change!? How can you keep clinging to being a ‘Mage of Justice’!?”

“…Hah? ‘Mage of Justice’…? I’m not following. What’re you even talking about? I threw that kinda thing away a long time ago…”

“Liar!”

Eve clenched her fists at her chest, squeezing her tear-soaked eyes shut, shouting with raw emotion.

“Nothing but lies! Because you’re like that… it made me look like a fool! Because of you, I… I—!”

Her shoulders trembled like she was feverish, and Eve roughly wiped her eyes with her sleeve in frustration.

“…Eve?”

“I’ll never acknowledge you! Someday, I’ll prove it! That I’m right, and you’re wrong…! With perfect results and victories that leave you with no room to complain… I’ll show that the path I chose is better than yours…!”

With that, Eve turned her back on Glenn, emotions laid bare, and spat out further.

“You, who keeps chasing naive ideals without facing reality… you should just stay beneath me! Under my command, following my orders, fighting in silence!”

Glenn stood stunned as Eve, having unleashed her torrent of passion, suddenly regained her composure.

“…We’ll meet again, Glenn… When my righteousness is proven… you’ll serve under me again, as my subordinate… That’s an order…”

She declared unilaterally.

Eve stormed off, shoulders tense, her footsteps brisk.

Glenn watched her retreating figure, brows furrowed…

“Tch… Looks like even that insufferable woman’s got her own baggage… Not that I care.”

Eve Ignite, head of the Imperial Court Mage Corps’ Special Missions Annex, Executive Number 1, 《The Magician》.

The darkness she carried in her heart… Glenn, at that moment, couldn’t comprehend a single piece of it.

“Goddamn… Everyone’s just so damn complicated…”

Glenn’s murmur echoed faintly in the chilly night air, unheard.

As the streetlamp’s faint, fleeting light gazed down on the weary Glenn, unyieldingly…