Sheila's figure appears in the center of the magic circle I've drawn.
She slowly opens her eyes and captures a man in her field of vision, who is looking into her face with concern.
''......Ray....?''
Mom!
Ray reaches out to Sheila and hugs her tightly.
'....Thank God...Thank God, Mom...I thought I'd never see you again...'
The words turned to tears, and Ray croaked.
As if stroking her head, Sheila gently held her on her shoulder.
''It's not a dream.....is it? Or is this heaven?
This life, of course. You threw yourself on the line to protect your child. That was an excellent gesture.
Okay.
Sheila happily pats Ray's head as he breaks down in tears.
She seems more relieved that she was able to protect her son than that she was able to come back to life.
''.....But how did you cure the spirit disease...? If the root is weak or gone, no amount of magic can restore it... right?
Mass asks me.
'It's simple. I spread the rumors and lore that gave rise to Sheila's roots.
'What...? But Anos-sama was fighting in the finals until now, and when did he do that...?
Not long ago. I told you how it felt to be the winner. It was a magical broadcast that went viral all over Dirheid.
Oh...........
And then Misa raised her voice as if she had noticed.
'They say that a sword forged by a true master craftsman with all his heart and soul has something other than magic power in it...?
I nod.
'So it was the rumours and lore that formed the root of Sheila.
The impact of beating Initio to death and winning the Magic Sword Tournament was huge. The sword that he had forged with all his heart and soul had something other than magic power in it. It is no wonder that there are people who believe in this hard-to-believe rumor and lore.
With that, Sheila's roots, which were nearly gone, were rapidly restored. If it had come to that point, it would be easy to revive her with .
Missa spilled the words, as if surprised.
'When I saw Sheila yesterday, her condition was slightly better and she was able to talk to us. I wondered if the rumors and lore I was supposed to be managing at the Lognorth Magical Clinic weren't well controlled, but I suppose it was because of something I said in the first round.
A true master craftsman's sword, forged with all his heart and soul, has something other than magic in it. That's what I said during my battle with Kurt.
It was just a bluff, but some people believed it, and that's why Sheila's condition improved slightly.
'Of course, that's still not enough to make a conclusion. Before the start of the final match, a Thought Communication (Leaks) arrived from the Owl. ＜If the sucker's ring is destroyed, Sheila will die, and if the final match is won, Ray will die. But there was no mention of me losing by having the Vajra Iron Sword destroyed.
I thought it didn't matter about winning or losing, but it was more fitting to think that I had dared to create an escape route.
It was probably not calculated for Avos Dilhevia that I had unexpectedly spread that lore and rumor.
There was a chance that Sheila's spirit disease would be completely cured. If that happened, his plan would be ruined. Without letting me know that was the case, he wanted to show the crowd that the Vajra Iron Sword wasn't much of a challenge.
'Sheila's condition has improved since the finals began, hasn't she?
''Yes. ＜We managed to use to get the magic power to be flexible, but it was still not enough at all. But all of a sudden, the magic power kept recovering and Sheila-san was able to walk. So we ran to the magic sword tournament together...
The manipulative Melhayes said he was recovering Sheila in order to take her hostage, but that was a lie.
He said that so that Sheila wouldn't notice that she was getting out of his control and recovering from her condition.
''The fact that I had a decent fight with Initio with the Vajra Iron Sword means that the belief in Sheila's rumors and lore grew larger and larger among the spectators who were watching.
It was probably because of this that Sheila was able to change into her true body.
Her altered form was much like the Vajra Iron Sword. The true body of a spirit is the embodiment and materialization of rumor and lore. Its root is in the heart.
In the minds of the spectators, there was a clear image of a sword forged by a true master craftsman and imbued with something else that was different from magical power. They were actually looking at the Vajra Iron Sword. And so Sheila's true body took on that appearance.
If you put all of that together, you can naturally imagine her rumors and lore.
'Thank you, Anos-kun. After all, you're just like Ray said, you're an amazing person. I thought I'd never see her again either...''
Sheila says as she hugs Ray.
''Thanks to you I can still watch her grow up...''
Nothing to be thanked for. I'm just reaching out to a friend.
Turning on my heel, I say.
'See you later, Ray. Let's go ahead.
Oh," Ray replied, his voice wet with tears.
I left, not wanting to be seen crying too much, I left the scene.
'Anosk!'
Dad, Mom and Misha came down from the audience.
'You did it, you son of a b*tc*! That's my boy!
Dad thuds his fist against my chest.
"Dad,
I showed Dad the sheathed Vajra sword.
"It's the only thing that saved me.
Don't be silly. I don't want you to get embarrassed when you say that to my face...
Dad says happily, tears in the corners of his eyes.
It's not a lie.
It's true that this sword didn't hold any magic power and was of no use in fighting the magic sword tournament.
Still, that's why I was able to save Sheila. It wasn't my father's intention, and everything happened out of the blue.
But because I put my heart and soul into making this sword, I said so in the first round. That's how I was able to cure Sheila of her spirit sickness.
The sword my father made for me was a lucky charm.
''You. We better get going or we won't be able to get a good seat for the closing ceremony. I'm sure Anos has things to do.
Oh, yeah, yeah. So, Anos.
My dad gestures for me to raise my hand.
I raise my right hand, and Dad gives it a bashful high-five.
'I'll see you later.'
Anos, thank you so much for your hard work today. Wow, that was really amazing! To win a demon sword tournament for being so small, I wonder what my future will be like.
Mom says happily.
'But you got hurt a lot, didn't you? Are you okay?
Worryingly, Mom looks at my wound.
'Yeah,'
It's not a big deal, but I've healed the wound with
It's all right.
Good.
Mom leans in close to me and whispers softly in my ear.
'I'll say hello to your mother later, Ray.
Hmm. It's not good.
If you're trapped in your mother's space-time, we won't be able to help you as much as we could if we were in the Azeisys.
You're not going to be able to help us today.
Yeah? All right!
Mom is kind of convinced that she's on her own.
'I'll see you later. I'll see you later.
Dad and Mom hurried to the closing ceremony.
'Happy?'
Before I knew it, Misha, who was standing beside me, said.
'Does it look like that?'
She nodded her head.
Then she looks into my abyss with her straight, evil eye.
Into the depths of my heart.
It's a nice thing to be a parent. I didn't have them in the past.
'Hmm,' Misha countered.
'I don't know if I can be like that when I have kids one day.
What?
I heard a startled voice behind me.
'What are you surprised about, Sasha?'
Well, I'm not really surprised...
Hmm. What's the painful excuse you're making?
Do you want a baby?
There will come a time when that happens.
Oh, yeah. Hmm. Maybe some day.
The Seven Demon Emperors have my blood in their veins, and all of their blood families are my descendants, though.
Looking at my father, mother, and Sheila, I feel like that's not enough to call them parents and children.
''Hmph.''
So Misha laughs.
'Well, I know you can't.
Then Misha shook her head, buzzing.
'I'm sure Anos will be a good father.
Really?
Yes.
I'm not sure I'm feeling it right now.
"Doesn't feel right.
No. If Misha says so, I'll believe him.
He turns back and says to the girl, who is lying on her back as if thinking.
'What are you doing, Sasha? Let's go.
I know, I know.
Sasha runs up to us in a hurry and lines up with us.
'Oh, by the way, we won,'
You're telling me now? If it's in your power, isn't that obvious?
Well, that's true.
Then Misha said.
'Did you have fun?'
Yeah.
A lukewarm tournament of swords, not so much in danger of death.
A proxy war between the Unificationists and the Imperialists.
Everyone was shouting loudly.
The two days were like a festival, with all the troublesome things happening, but it was still quite meaningful to have that time of sword fighting with Ray.
When it's over, I feel a sense of loneliness.
What is this, I wonder.
It's a feeling I've never experienced in those days, when life and death were always at stake.
It was quite an enjoyable tournament.
There was hardly anyone in the audience anymore.
I slowly left the place, feeling the silence after the festival, as if my hair was pulled back.