Epilogue: Her Place
The distant mountain ridges, stained in the clear crimson of the burning grasslands, basked in the setting sun.
Inside a carriage slowly heading toward Fejite.
“…What an adventure, huh?”
“Yeah… really… there was a moment I thought we were done for…”
Sitting by the window, facing each other, Rumia and Sistine murmured softly.
“But, it’s good… everyone’s safe.”
“…Exploring those ruins was an amazing experience, but… ugh… I never want to go through something like that again… I’d rather explore safer ruins…”
Rumia gently stroked Re=L’s head
Looking around at the other seats, Kash, Gibul, Cecil, Wendy, Teresa, Lynn… all of them, exhausted, were slumped in their seats, fast asleep.
Their friends, who had believed in Glenn and the others’ return had waited an entire day at the campsite.
Rumia felt truly grateful that they could reunite with them, alive and well.
“…Well… putting that aside…”
Sistine puffed out her cheeks with a slightly dissatisfied hmph.
Every now and then, she kept stealing glances at the driver’s seat outside the carriage.
Noticing this, Rumia smiled knowingly.
“What’s wrong, Sistie? …Could it be… you’re jealous?”
“—Wha!?”
The moment it was pointed out, Sistine flinched.
“W-Who’s jealous of who over what!? I’m just—!”
Flustered, Sistine started rambling, but Rumia cut in.
“Mm-hmm. I totally get how you feel, Sistie… but for now, let’s leave them alone, okay? …Right?”
“I’m telling you, it’s not like that! Ugh, whatever! I’m tired too! I’m going to sleep!”
Sulking, Sistine plopped down heavily into her seat and shut her eyes.
The noise stirred Re=L, who briefly opened her eyes…
“…?”
With eyes even sleepier than usual, she glanced around…
“…Mmm…”
And then, with a soft thud, her head fell back onto Rumia’s lap.
“Hehe…”
Rumia watched over the two of them with a gentle smile.
Outside, at the driver’s seat of the carriage.
At the twilight hour, where light and darkness melded, in the midst of a golden grassland world tinged with the breath of night.
Glenn and Celica sat side by side.
“…”
“…”
Glenn held the reins of the horses.
Celica hugged her knees with both hands, resting her head on Glenn’s shoulder.
The two of them, wordlessly, felt the gentle sway of the carriage and the cool breeze.
A comfortable silence enveloped them.
Just being by each other’s side like this felt as though everything had been said…
No magic was needed… it was as if time had stopped just for the two of them.
“…Hey, Glenn…”
Suddenly, Celica murmured, her expression dreamy.
“What?”
“…Nothing. Never mind.”
“…What’s that supposed to mean…?”
Glenn sighed in exasperation, while Celica let out a soft, amused chuckle.
“Tch… you seem pretty relaxed, huh?”
“Not really. I did push myself pretty hard, after all…”
Celica said casually.
“So… uh, what’s the deal? You… can’t use magic anymore…?”
Glenn hesitantly asked the question he’d been dreading.
After everything had ended, Glenn had heard the details.
Using such powerful magic in her soul-damaged state… it wouldn’t have been surprising if Celica could never use magic again. Glenn had faintly suspected as much.
He braced himself for the worst possible answer, but…
“Hmm… who knows…? Even I’m a bit surprised, but…”
Celica closed her eyes for a moment, as if checking her body’s condition, before speaking.
“At this rate… I’ll probably need extensive spiritual treatments for a while… but completely losing the ability to use magic? Probably not.”
“…Really!? You’re not lying, right…?”
“Yeah, it’s a miracle. I got lucky. Or maybe thanks to a certain meddlesome someone.”
Celica’s cryptic words made Glenn tilt his head.
“But either way, I won’t be able to wield magic as recklessly as before… there’ll likely be some restrictions and limits to my magic use from now on.”
“I see…”
Glenn’s shoulders slumped weakly.
While they had avoided the worst outcome, the reality still weighed heavily on him.
“What? Feeling responsible or something?”
“Well, yeah… if I hadn’t dragged you along, this wouldn’t have…”
“Idiot. This whole mess was pretty much my own doing.”
Tap.
Still resting her head on Glenn’s shoulder, Celica lightly bumped her forehead against his cheek.
“Besides, if I kept exploring that underground labyrinth… I would’ve eventually faced that demon, alone. …In a way, you saved my life.”
“…”
For a moment, Glenn fell silent… then, abruptly, he asked Celica.
“Hey… are you still going to keep searching for your true identity and purpose? Chasing the mystery of your immortality… are you going to keep challenging that underground labyrinth?”
As he asked, a memory flashed in Glenn’s mind—
The final conversation he’d had with Nameless, just before leaving that cursed underground labyrinth—
—After barely managing to fend off the demon.
Glenn and the others, guided by Nameless, navigated through the underground labyrinth once more…
Eventually, they arrived at a room with a monolith identical to the one they’d seen when they first arrived.
According to Nameless, these monoliths were scattered throughout the labyrinth.
When Glenn, empowered by Rumia’s ability, operated the monolith as Nameless instructed, a door of light suddenly opened in the void.
This door, Nameless said, led to the great planetarium chamber in the Taum Astronomical Temple.
Finally, they could go home.
With high spirits, Sistine, Rumia, and Re=L passed through the door.
Just as Glenn, carrying a deeply sleeping Celica on his back, was about to step through—
“ …I need to talk to you, Glenn.”
Nameless whispered softly into his ear.
“What is it…? If I don’t hurry, the door’s gonna close…”
“ It’s fine. I made sure there’s enough time. …Just listen, this is important.”
Reluctantly, Glenn stopped, and Nameless continued.
“ …Glenn… in the near future… you will visit the Taum Astronomical Temple again with Celica, just once more…”
“Hah? No way, I’m never coming back to a place like that. I’ve had enough.”
Glenn spat out the words irritably, but Nameless ignored him and went on.
“ And after that… you will face a great choice. You will have to weigh the things most precious to you against each other…”
“…What, are you some kind of prophet now?”
Glenn sighed.
“Nameless. Look, I’m grateful for everything, despite it all. Your true identity’s a mystery, you’re annoyingly cheeky despite looking like Rumia, you don’t explain anything, and when you do open your mouth, it’s always some cryptic nonsense that pisses me off… but still, you helped us. I’m genuinely thankful for that…”
But, he continued.
“Can you just cut it out already? Stop messing with people’s heads with your vague nonsense…”
But Nameless completely ignored him and declared one final thing.
“ If you want to avoid that future… don’t let her remember.”
“Huh? Remember what? Who’s ‘her’? Celica? Or…?”
Before he realized it.
Nameless was gone from his sight—
“I just… wish you’d stop doing dangerous stuff like that.”
Trying hard to push Nameless’s final words out of his mind, Glenn said.
Even after all this, even after losing her magic, Celica might still obsess over her true identity and purpose, chasing them relentlessly.
He didn’t believe a word Nameless said, but…
As if to dispel Glenn’s fears.
“…It’s okay, don’t worry.”
Celica said clearly, almost breezily.
“I’m done searching for myself. Besides, in this state, it’d be impossible anyway.”
“Celica…?”
“And… I don’t need to anymore. I have… people who’ll stay by my side… a family that supports me. I’m fine as I am now… right?”
Celica turned a slightly playful, warm smile toward him.
“…Y-Yeah… maybe, yeah…”
“Besides, doing things that worry your family isn’t right, is it?”
“Tch… finally figured that out, huh… jeez…”
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Glenn snorted and looked away.
His flustered expression was tinged with a faint blush.
“Oh, but if you get married someday and move out, I’ll be so lonely… you’d come visit me sometimes, right? Your mom might just die of loneliness, you know—might even storm the underground labyrinth out of sheer boredom!”
“What are you even saying, idiot!”
Teasing Glenn as usual, Celica laughed heartily…
…And then.
“Hey, Glenn…”
“…What?”
“Thanks…”
“…For what?”
That was all.
Without another word, the two leaned close, feeling the breeze.
The sun slowly sank behind the ridges… and the curtain of night began to envelop the pair nestled together.
Before long, in the sky ahead along the road, the faint, nostalgic silhouette of a phantom castle came into view.
Until they reached Fejite.
The two remained… immersed in that comfortable silence.