“Ms. Iris, you’re here again?”
“Ah… Higaki-san.”
“Are you alright? Being on this deserted balcony?”
“It’s alright, you don’t need to worry so much.”
Higaki-san looks at me with concern. I smile and tell her that there’s no need to worry.
This is the balcony of Niflheim.
From this place, surrounded by crystal-like railings, you can see the entire Netherworld.
Of course, that includes the ‘Tower,’ which I continue to gaze at.
“Besides, I want to be here and look at the ‘Tower’.”
Five days have passed since I was rescued from the ‘Tower.’
Father… Babi Niflheim’s curse was lifted by Thoth, a friend of Anubis-sama.
However, my lost memories have not returned, and the memories I had accumulated remain only in fragments.
Even so, the nightmare-like days where I couldn’t remember anything, and even though I knew there were people around, I couldn’t even distinguish who was who, have come to an end.
But even though it’s no exaggeration to say that I’m fortunate just to have been rescued from my family member who was possessed by that madness, my heart continues to feel a coldness deep inside.
To try and dispel that coldness even a little, I’ve started to come to this balcony whenever I have free time to look up at the ‘Tower.’
The ‘Tower’ is now completely sealed off, and many people are constantly casting barriers to prevent anyone from escaping from the inside.
There are only two people inside.
With the ‘fervor’ emitted by those two, the ‘Tower’ in my sight is completely enveloped in flames from top to bottom.
The two kinds of ‘fervor’ rage as if trying to devour each other, and their fierce and violent flickering causes them to explode and scatter each time they collide, yet from the embers, they create even greater flames than before.
The ‘fervor,’ which has gone beyond the realm of obsession, reaches even this balcony far away, warming my body.
“Is he still fighting?”
“Yes. Sakurai-san’s ‘fervor’ hasn’t faded yet. It’s as intense as Father’s, almost scorching.”
“I have no choice but to take my hat off to him at this point…”
Higaki-san muttered, looking very reluctant to admit it, with a bitter expression.
That face was somehow amusing, and I couldn’t help but smile.
Sakurai-san. Sakurai Toru-san.
A boy from the mortal realm who came to the ‘Netherworld’ with Higaki-san.
A boy who is always striving to improve himself, and who seems to have no interest in anything other than training to improve himself.
However, his ‘fervor’ for training far exceeds that of ordinary people, and now his skills, honed by that fervor, have become so proficient that he can put up a fight that rivals even a god who once wreaked havoc.
I have no memory of him, and I barely remember what his face looks like.
Higaki-san said he was “a hopeless good-for-nothing who takes pleasure in training himself,” but when I pointed out that he had made arrangements to save me, she fell silent as if she had been caught off guard.
Certainly, the ‘fervor’ he emits is essentially the same selfish thing as Father’s. However, I can tell that his ‘fervor’ is not just that.
He took in Higaki-san, who was trying to save me, and me, who was seeking help, and embraced everything within himself.
And he is still fighting alone in the ‘Tower.’
He has a ‘heart’ that thinks of others in his own way, and as long as that exists, Father will never be able to devour his ‘fervor.’
It’s a strange feeling that I can think of him even though I don’t remember anything about him, and it must be something precious.
“Where is Anubis-sama now?”
“He said he was going to a place called ‘Hell’ to try and bring in as many people as possible.”
“I see. I wish I could do something too…”
“Then, please keep watching Sakurai. You’re the only one who can tell if he’s still alive now, Ms. Iris.”
Higaki-san muttered, leaning on the balcony railing.
Her tone of voice makes no attempt to hide her dissatisfaction, but her conscientiousness is evident in the fact that she acknowledges what needs to be acknowledged.
“I wouldn’t have thought of doing something like that. If it were me, I would have been killed in less than a day. But he’s still fighting alone… Even though he’s younger than me, he’s like an older brother, and he’s an annoying guy, but still, the world would be too cruel if no one cared about him, right?”
“Don’t you care about Sakurai-san, Higaki-san?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve decided that I’ll kill him someday, even if it’s from behind, and for now, I’ve decided to chase him until I can reach him with my blade.”
“Isn’t that what it means to care…?”
“Is it like, ‘I’m the one who’s going to kill you, so I won’t let you die here’? It’s like something out of a story, but it’s impossible.”
Even as she says that, her gaze towards the ‘Tower’ is unwavering, without hesitation, confusion, or even worry.
The eyes are the windows to the soul, and her eyes were telling the story of how Higaki-san truly felt about Sakurai-san.
I look at the ‘Tower.’ The battle is intensifying, and there’s no end in sight.
It’s a fierce Gu poison that will continue forever if we don’t interfere.
If we were only concerned with our own peace, we could just leave it alone.
However, neither I, nor Higaki-san, nor Anubis-sama have fallen so low as to be okay with that. We are all determined to keep doing what we can for the final move he has planned.
“So, Sakurai-san. Please, just a little longer, please wait. We will definitely… we will definitely come for you.”
I say it, and pray.
I pray that my prayer will become his strength, even if just a little.
That was the greatest help I could offer right now.