Behind her, the sounds of Yat and Jovian's battle still echoed—the sound of Achilles' kick shattering something, and the sound of Jovian's lightning scorching the air.
Then, the noise abruptly ceased. Esper instinctively wanted to look back, but she forced herself not to.
“She's not stupid. If she can't win, she can always use Godspeed Cavalry to make a quick escape,” Noelle added from the side.
“...Mm.”
Esper continued her pursuit.
After passing the end of the dead aspen forest, the main road made one last bend, opening up to a charred wasteland.
In this place where the earth was cracked, barren of life, and a faint grayish-black mist drifted through the air, she finally caught up with Eladia.
She saw that splash of azure blue.
Eladia was standing at the edge of the wasteland beside a stone monument half-buried in the soil.
She was wearing the shoes Esper had bought for her, standing on the blackened earth.
The hem of her holy robe remained as clean as new. The holy light was still active, casting a faint silver-white halo over her sky-blue hair in the morning light.
“Ela!”
Esper called out her name. Her voice carried far across the empty wasteland, startling a few black-feathered birds nesting on the dead branches of a nearby tree.
She quickened her pace, her boots crunching against the cracked soil, kicking up small puffs of dust with every step.
The Holy Sword at her waist clattered rhythmically against its scabbard with her movements.
Hearing her voice, Eladia slowly turned around. She gazed quietly at Esper with her sky-blue eyes.
There was no surprise, no joy, no guilt. There was nothing.
It was like looking at an insignificant cloud, or a passing breeze that would soon dissipate.
Her eyes were calm and empty, completely devoid of any warmth toward Esper.
“Are you Esper?”
Her voice was very soft, just as it had always been.
But that hesitant, lingering quality was gone. In its place was a mechanical, steady cadence—devoid of confusion, devoid of hesitation.
Then, Esper saw what she was holding.
A sword. A sword identical to the one hanging at her own waist. It was completely different from the broken sword Zhong had carried.
It was the Holy Sword.
She was cradling the Holy Sword.
Esper's footsteps came to a halt.
She felt her heart violently squeeze.
“...Ela... don't you recognize me?”
Eladia tilted her head slightly. That gesture had once been a habit of hers whenever she was trying to understand something. But now, it looked like a hollow mimicry, as if she were performing the action for the very first time.
“Should I recognize you...?”
Her voice held no hint of a question; she was merely confirming a fact she did not know.
“What are you saying?” Esper took a step forward.
“...I am Esper, and you are Eladia. You are my Saintess. We set off from Avalon together, went to Hart Town together, learned Greek from Kaylar together, celebrated our birthdays together... Don't you remember any of it?
“You were always so serious when you studied Greek, saying you wanted to be of help to me. We celebrated my birthday in the tavern, and you even sang a birthday song for me. You spent a silver coin on that cake, even though you said it tasted awful afterward...
“And we agreed that I would celebrate your birthday too. February fourth—I was going to find the best bakery in the city to order a cake for you. You really don't remember any of it? Just yesterday, in front of Beatrice, you clearly promised me you would wait—”
“I don't remember.”
Eladia cut Esper off, the last echo of her words scattering into the wind.
“But I remember the Pope telling me that my enemy is a bad person named Esper.”
She then tightly hugged the Holy Sword. The weapon, identical to the one at Esper's waist, was held close by the same slender hands that had once gently patted Esper's back.
“I remember that I have something I want to do. I have a wish to live in a certain place forever with someone. A wish that requires freedom.”
The white light on the blade remained soft, still resembling a light that reflected hope.
Except, the aura of the Black Tide was now rising alongside her words.
“And as long as I kill Esper, I will be free.”
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