The eastern sky began to lighten. The morning star twinkled, heralding the arrival of dawn.
The group, having spent the night in the dwelling, especially the pilgrims, efficiently prepared themselves and turned towards Moore and the Countess's companions.
"Haha. Both of you, why the gloomy faces? If we part ways here, who knows when we'll meet again? Let's part with smiles."
Scarlet directed alternating amber gazes at him and Rapi. Moore, unsure if his expression was indeed dark, rubbed his face with the gloved right hand. He could feel the rough texture of his stubble but couldn't determine if his face was gloomy.
"...Are you leaving?"
"Yeah, we are. The day is coming to an end. It's time to go our separate ways."
"As for me, I feel like the day is just beginning."
"Indeed, you could say that."
In response to the sarcasm, Scarlet chuckled softly and, eventually, withdrew it. Then, he turned his gaze towards the golden saint.
"Rapunzel, are you going to see off the guests?"
"Yes. I brought them here, after all."
"I see. Well then, young master."
After nodding to Rapunzel, Crimson turned to him, spreading his arms slowly. Moore, puzzled by the gesture, tilted his head.
"Can't you even say goodbye? Come on, come here."
It seemed to mean "Give me a hug." Though not entirely convinced, Moore had no reason to refuse. Scarlet, who was a head shorter, approached him, and before he could react, he was embraced.
"Mmm... not bad."
"I can't tell if it's good or bad."
"Rather than worrying about that... isn't your hand unoccupied?"
Crimson urged him. Even Moore, despite the vague feeling, understood what he meant. Letting out a faint sigh, he wrapped his right arm around her back and lightly pulled her closer.
"...Yeah, not bad."
A satisfied voice leaked from Moore's chest.
"Young master, if fate allows, let's meet again. Until then, stay safe."
"...Take care."
"Yeah. I'm always fine, so there's no need to worry. Let's meet again, little ladies."
A bit reluctant, Scarlet turned away, and as she walked away, humming slightly off-key, she untangled the arms he had put around Moore. Realizing this, Moore also released the embrace, keeping only his right arm.
Looking up at Moore, who was tall, her amber eyes narrowed, and she lightly tapped his left arm. Then, she put on a large hat and grabbed the sword sheathed in her hand.
She turned on her heel, and her retreating figure, accompanied by a slightly off-key humming, faded away.
"I'll go too."
Snow White, who had finished her preparations for the return—mainly items handed over by Moore, worn-out rations thrown into a worn bag—called out.
"Snow White! Next time, be in a place with better communication, okay!?"
"Yeah, please! Take an easy-to-find path!"
Anis and Neon seemed to be bothered by the fact that they still couldn't contact Snow White. Well, from her perspective as a pilgrim, it might be an impossible request.
"...I'll keep that in mind."
Moore sensed that the reply meant, "Remember it, but don't expect too much."
Leaving that aside...
"Snow White, I'll be counting on you for Marian from now on."
"Don't worry about that. I won't betray your trust. ...Ah..."
"What's wrong?"
She seemed to recall something. Snow White slightly opened her mouth and let out a short sound.
"Well... there's something I wanted to consult about Marian."
"What is it?"
Formally asking for advice on something. Moore tensed up a bit.
"Well... it's about her... I mean, it's nice that she takes care of me, but..."
"Can't you be more straightforward?"
Where did that tone of refusing to provide information about the Unchained go? Moore sighed as he adjusted his shotgun in his left hand.
"...How can I get her to stop wiping my mouth with a handkerchief after meals? It suddenly makes me feel unbearably childish."
"...Isn't it enough if you eat more politely?"
She was probably wolfing down his meals with the intensity reminiscent of a starving child. Moore recalled the scene when he handed over the half-eaten combat ration to her.
"...I'll make an effort."
"Do that. ...I know I'm repeating myself, but I'm counting on Marian."
"Understood."
Snow White, who responded with a small nod, turned her back on them and started walking.
However, after a few steps, her steps came to a halt.
"Moore."
Her name was suddenly called out. He wondered if there was another consultation or something, but...
"Absolutely don't die."
Without turning around, she left just one sentence for him, then continued walking, her silver-white hair swaying like new snow. She headed in a direction different from where Crimson had gone.
As her figure gradually became smaller, Rapunzel spoke up.
"...Now that everyone has left, shall we go back too?"
"Yeah, that's right. Sorry, but I'll rely on you for guidance."
"Yes, leave it to me. I'll escort you to the nearest elevator."
The golden saint started walking towards them. As expected, it was in a different direction from the others.
It seemed they would go down the mountain path they had used to reach the abandoned village.
The footprints they left when they arrived had already been covered with snow that had accumulated during the night.
Descending the mountain path and about to step into the coniferous forest, Anis suddenly spoke up.
"...You really have no attachments and are going your own way."
It hadn't been long since they parted ways with the pilgrims, but the exchange at that time and the demeanor of the others came to mind. Perhaps having spent a long time on the surface made her senses indifferent to such things.
"...It's really strange. This is the first squad I've seen like this."
"Everyone has their own goals. We promised not to interfere with each other's, a long time ago."
Anis' murmuring must have reached Rapunzel's ears. She slowed her pace slightly, turned back over her shoulder with a smile, and responded.
"...Was that during the first invasion?"
Anis asked, and the golden saint lightly shook her head.
"No. It was after Ark was established, a little later. When we, who had lived separately, reunited and saw each other's changed selves, we realized we couldn't live aiming for the same goal as before."
---...That we couldn't live aiming for the same goal as before.
The golden saint, sighing, stopped walking, and then, with narrowed eyes of forget-me-not color, she looked up at the sky, which was becoming ominously cloudy, and opened her well-shaped lips.
"At that time, we decided. Let's respect each other's lives. However, let's meet once a month to confirm life and death. ...That's the promise we made."
It was surprisingly straightforward. That was Anis' impression.
On the other hand, one could say it was cool, but in a different way, one could say it was peculiar.
Suddenly, she glanced sideways at Rapunzel beside her. There was something off.
Normally, the reliable leader who would stand at the forefront of the squad was currently lost in thought, with her red eyes lowered.
"Rap? What do you think?"
Talking to her, who seemed absent-minded, Anis received no response.
Extending her arm, Anis patted her slender shoulder. After her body jumped slightly, Rapunzel's red eyes, now directed at her companion standing beside her, were revealed.
"Ah, sorry. What is it?"
"...No, it's about Rapunzel and the others. It's unusual for them to move separately."
"...Yeah, it is. Unusual."
It wasn't just awkward wording; it was evident she hadn't fully listened to the conversation. Perhaps it was due to Anis knowing Rapunzel's usual self, but it was clearly an abnormality.
"Rap. Is there something on your mind? Since earlier—"
Just as Anise was about to mention Rap's strange behavior, sharp metallic sounds echoed from the front. Anise, sensing it slightly delayed after that, heard a familiar voice warning them.
"Rapi, Anis! Don't stay back there, come over here! Don't engage the Raptures naturally, Master! Don't fight with them!"
"Don't worry about me. I can fight. Besides, I'm already healed."
"There's no way you're healed!!"
Maybe she was still dragging her right leg a bit. Neon prompted Moore to step back. However, he wasn't an easygoing person to comply with such advice.
In the coniferous forest, red monocular eyes, six Raptures in total, were wriggling.
As soon as they recognized this, Rapi and Anise started running.
While Neon fired the shotgun, and Moore promptly fired the assault rifle, starting their engagement with the enemy, Rapi and Anis joined in.
In the battlefield where the quartet played the melody, resounding with the loud and tumultuous tune of gunshots and explosive blasts, Rapunzel, the only spectator to hear the only melody, narrowed her forget-me-not-colored eyes. She gazed at Rapi, who rushed through beside her, firing the assault rifle and initiating the sweep.
"Any enemies left?"
Amidst the exchange of large-caliber bullets and large shotgun pellets, with explosive grenades detonating, the trunks of coniferous trees shattering, and trees falling sideways to the ground, a single gunshot echoed.
He delivered a finishing shot into the struggling enemy machine that had been pinned under a thick pine trunk, cracked open and broken by its own weight.
"No reactions in the vicinity. Situation concluded."
"Understood. Everyone, you did well."
Having relieved the tense atmosphere, he showed a slightly weary expression as he sat down on one of the fallen trees.
It was clear that he wasn't in top condition yet, but even so, it was commendable for him to check the remaining rounds by removing the magazine.
"Thank you, everyone. Brother, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. No problem."
Shortly after the battle ended, Rapunzel approached and spoke to everyone while looking around.
When she inquired about his physical condition, Moore shrugged his shoulders lightly in response. He attempted to stand up, but Rapunzel stopped him.
"Let's rest a bit longer."
"I'm fine."
She suggested a short break. However, Rapunzel knew that he wouldn't be satisfied with just that. Crouching down in front of Moore, who was sitting on the fallen trunk, she lightly took his right hand while looking up at him.
"Yes, I understand. But... let's rest. Just 15 minutes."
Simultaneously filled with a genuine plea in her eyes, she looked up at Moore.
Reluctantly, he nodded.
Having obtained his consent, Rapunzel stood up, released his hand, and used her now-free hand to search through the pouch on her body. She took out a cigarette from the soft pack and lit it with an oil lighter.
Although the air was cold and clear, the scent of metal burning from the remnants of gunfire, the destroyed enemies, and the lingering scent of gunpowder mixed in. In the midst of this, the fragrance of the purple smoke subtly asserted its presence.
"By the way... Rapi looks really similar to my friend. Despite having different atmospheres and personalities... their fighting styles are identical."
As each of them began to take a break in their own way, Rapunzel mentioned this observation. When Anis and Neon sat down next to Moore, enjoying the wafting purple smoke, Rapunzel turned her gaze towards Rapi.
Rapunzel seemed to feel that her forget-me-not-colored eyes were being scrutinized as if overlapping with someone. Rapi also directed her crimson eyes toward the golden saint, opening her perfectly shaped lips.
"...Is that... Red Hood?"
"Oh? How did you know? Do you know about Red Hood?"
──It hurts.
A bothersome pain raced through the inside of his skull. It had been happening frequently lately. Although he should have gotten used to it by now, the nuisance of frequent headaches was not something one could easily adapt to.
Moore, doing his best to keep the purple smoke calm, fortunately, went unnoticed by anyone.
"I guess I wasn't mistaken after all. ──Red Hood, the Nikke of the First Invasion, and the Legendary Commander. ──Was your squad name always Pioneer?"
A name carrying the meanings of pioneers and trailblazers. It could be considered quite fitting, but to Rapi's question, Rapunzel leisurely shook her head to indicate denial.
"No. This is the name we received when we met the two of them on the surface. The original squad name was──"
"──GODDESS. Right?"
Rapi was the first to mention the squad name, surprising Anis and Neon, who were sitting with their hips hovering while revealing their astonishment.
Meanwhile, Moore, sitting between them, exclaimed in pain.
"──Ah...!"
With an unbearable headache striking him instantly, beads of sweat flowed from his forehead, and for a moment, the GODDESS cigarette he had been holding in his lips fell.
----
Author: In the meantime, the results are in for the vote for Modania, or rather, Marian, and she has taken the first place. It's quite delightful since she is one of the commanders I have as a main member. (...So, why is Raip ranked like that?
Aside from that, upon rereading my current chapter, the distance between Scarlet and Rapunzel toward Moore feels off. What's up with that distance?
Oh, probably the next chapter will be the conclusion of the current arc.
The eastern sky began to lighten. The morning star twinkled, heralding the arrival of dawn.
The group, having spent the night in the dwelling, especially the pilgrims, efficiently prepared themselves and turned towards Moore and the Countess's companions.
"Haha. Both of you, why the gloomy faces? If we part ways here, who knows when we'll meet again? Let's part with smiles."
Scarlet directed alternating amber gazes at him and Rapi. Moore, unsure if his expression was indeed dark, rubbed his face with the gloved right hand. He could feel the rough texture of his stubble but couldn't determine if his face was gloomy.
"...Are you leaving?"
"Yeah, we are. The day is coming to an end. It's time to go our separate ways."
"As for me, I feel like the day is just beginning."
"Indeed, you could say that."
In response to the sarcasm, Scarlet chuckled softly and, eventually, withdrew it. Then, he turned his gaze towards the golden saint.
"Rapunzel, are you going to see off the guests?"
"Yes. I brought them here, after all."
"I see. Well then, young master."
After nodding to Rapunzel, Crimson turned to him, spreading his arms slowly. Moore, puzzled by the gesture, tilted his head.
"Can't you even say goodbye? Come on, come here."
It seemed to mean "Give me a hug." Though not entirely convinced, Moore had no reason to refuse. Scarlet, who was a head shorter, approached him, and before he could react, he was embraced.
"Mmm... not bad."
"I can't tell if it's good or bad."
"Rather than worrying about that... isn't your hand unoccupied?"
Crimson urged him. Even Moore, despite the vague feeling, understood what he meant. Letting out a faint sigh, he wrapped his right arm around her back and lightly pulled her closer.
"...Yeah, not bad."
A satisfied voice leaked from Moore's chest.
"Young master, if fate allows, let's meet again. Until then, stay safe."
"...Take care."
"Yeah. I'm always fine, so there's no need to worry. Let's meet again, little ladies."
A bit reluctant, Scarlet turned away, and as she walked away, humming slightly off-key, she untangled the arms he had put around Moore. Realizing this, Moore also released the embrace, keeping only his right arm.
Looking up at Moore, who was tall, her amber eyes narrowed, and she lightly tapped his left arm. Then, she put on a large hat and grabbed the sword sheathed in her hand.
She turned on her heel, and her retreating figure, accompanied by a slightly off-key humming, faded away.
"I'll go too."
Snow White, who had finished her preparations for the return—mainly items handed over by Moore, worn-out rations thrown into a worn bag—called out.
"Snow White! Next time, be in a place with better communication, okay!?"
"Yeah, please! Take an easy-to-find path!"
Anis and Neon seemed to be bothered by the fact that they still couldn't contact Snow White. Well, from her perspective as a pilgrim, it might be an impossible request.
"...I'll keep that in mind."
Moore sensed that the reply meant, "Remember it, but don't expect too much."
Leaving that aside...
"Snow White, I'll be counting on you for Marian from now on."
"Don't worry about that. I won't betray your trust. ...Ah..."
"What's wrong?"
She seemed to recall something. Snow White slightly opened her mouth and let out a short sound.
"Well... there's something I wanted to consult about Marian."
"What is it?"
Formally asking for advice on something. Moore tensed up a bit.
"Well... it's about her... I mean, it's nice that she takes care of me, but..."
"Can't you be more straightforward?"
Where did that tone of refusing to provide information about the Unchained go? Moore sighed as he adjusted his shotgun in his left hand.
"...How can I get her to stop wiping my mouth with a handkerchief after meals? It suddenly makes me feel unbearably childish."
"...Isn't it enough if you eat more politely?"
She was probably wolfing down his meals with the intensity reminiscent of a starving child. Moore recalled the scene when he handed over the half-eaten combat ration to her.
"...I'll make an effort."
"Do that. ...I know I'm repeating myself, but I'm counting on Marian."
"Understood."
Snow White, who responded with a small nod, turned her back on them and started walking.
However, after a few steps, her steps came to a halt.
"Moore."
Her name was suddenly called out. He wondered if there was another consultation or something, but...
"Absolutely don't die."
Without turning around, she left just one sentence for him, then continued walking, her silver-white hair swaying like new snow. She headed in a direction different from where Crimson had gone.
As her figure gradually became smaller, Rapunzel spoke up.
"...Now that everyone has left, shall we go back too?"
"Yeah, that's right. Sorry, but I'll rely on you for guidance."
"Yes, leave it to me. I'll escort you to the nearest elevator."
The golden saint started walking towards them. As expected, it was in a different direction from the others.
It seemed they would go down the mountain path they had used to reach the abandoned village.
The footprints they left when they arrived had already been covered with snow that had accumulated during the night.
Descending the mountain path and about to step into the coniferous forest, Anis suddenly spoke up.
"...You really have no attachments and are going your own way."
It hadn't been long since they parted ways with the pilgrims, but the exchange at that time and the demeanor of the others came to mind. Perhaps having spent a long time on the surface made her senses indifferent to such things.
"...It's really strange. This is the first squad I've seen like this."
"Everyone has their own goals. We promised not to interfere with each other's, a long time ago."
Anis' murmuring must have reached Rapunzel's ears. She slowed her pace slightly, turned back over her shoulder with a smile, and responded.
"...Was that during the first invasion?"
Anis asked, and the golden saint lightly shook her head.
"No. It was after Ark was established, a little later. When we, who had lived separately, reunited and saw each other's changed selves, we realized we couldn't live aiming for the same goal as before."
---...That we couldn't live aiming for the same goal as before.
The golden saint, sighing, stopped walking, and then, with narrowed eyes of forget-me-not color, she looked up at the sky, which was becoming ominously cloudy, and opened her well-shaped lips.
"At that time, we decided. Let's respect each other's lives. However, let's meet once a month to confirm life and death. ...That's the promise we made."
It was surprisingly straightforward. That was Anis' impression.
On the other hand, one could say it was cool, but in a different way, one could say it was peculiar.
Suddenly, she glanced sideways at Rapunzel beside her. There was something off.
Normally, the reliable leader who would stand at the forefront of the squad was currently lost in thought, with her red eyes lowered.
"Rap? What do you think?"
Talking to her, who seemed absent-minded, Anis received no response.
Extending her arm, Anis patted her slender shoulder. After her body jumped slightly, Rapunzel's red eyes, now directed at her companion standing beside her, were revealed.
"Ah, sorry. What is it?"
"...No, it's about Rapunzel and the others. It's unusual for them to move separately."
"...Yeah, it is. Unusual."
It wasn't just awkward wording; it was evident she hadn't fully listened to the conversation. Perhaps it was due to Anis knowing Rapunzel's usual self, but it was clearly an abnormality.
"Rap. Is there something on your mind? Since earlier—"
Just as Anise was about to mention Rap's strange behavior, sharp metallic sounds echoed from the front. Anise, sensing it slightly delayed after that, heard a familiar voice warning them.
"Rapi, Anis! Don't stay back there, come over here! Don't engage the Raptures naturally, Master! Don't fight with them!"
"Don't worry about me. I can fight. Besides, I'm already healed."
"There's no way you're healed!!"
Maybe she was still dragging her right leg a bit. Neon prompted Moore to step back. However, he wasn't an easygoing person to comply with such advice.
In the coniferous forest, red monocular eyes, six Raptures in total, were wriggling.
As soon as they recognized this, Rapi and Anise started running.
While Neon fired the shotgun, and Moore promptly fired the assault rifle, starting their engagement with the enemy, Rapi and Anis joined in.
In the battlefield where the quartet played the melody, resounding with the loud and tumultuous tune of gunshots and explosive blasts, Rapunzel, the only spectator to hear the only melody, narrowed her forget-me-not-colored eyes. She gazed at Rapi, who rushed through beside her, firing the assault rifle and initiating the sweep.
"Any enemies left?"
Amidst the exchange of large-caliber bullets and large shotgun pellets, with explosive grenades detonating, the trunks of coniferous trees shattering, and trees falling sideways to the ground, a single gunshot echoed.
He delivered a finishing shot into the struggling enemy machine that had been pinned under a thick pine trunk, cracked open and broken by its own weight.
"No reactions in the vicinity. Situation concluded."
"Understood. Everyone, you did well."
Having relieved the tense atmosphere, he showed a slightly weary expression as he sat down on one of the fallen trees.
It was clear that he wasn't in top condition yet, but even so, it was commendable for him to check the remaining rounds by removing the magazine.
"Thank you, everyone. Brother, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. No problem."
Shortly after the battle ended, Rapunzel approached and spoke to everyone while looking around.
When she inquired about his physical condition, Moore shrugged his shoulders lightly in response. He attempted to stand up, but Rapunzel stopped him.
"Let's rest a bit longer."
"I'm fine."
She suggested a short break. However, Rapunzel knew that he wouldn't be satisfied with just that. Crouching down in front of Moore, who was sitting on the fallen trunk, she lightly took his right hand while looking up at him.
"Yes, I understand. But... let's rest. Just 15 minutes."
Simultaneously filled with a genuine plea in her eyes, she looked up at Moore.
Reluctantly, he nodded.
Having obtained his consent, Rapunzel stood up, released his hand, and used her now-free hand to search through the pouch on her body. She took out a cigarette from the soft pack and lit it with an oil lighter.
Although the air was cold and clear, the scent of metal burning from the remnants of gunfire, the destroyed enemies, and the lingering scent of gunpowder mixed in. In the midst of this, the fragrance of the purple smoke subtly asserted its presence.
"By the way... Rapi looks really similar to my friend. Despite having different atmospheres and personalities... their fighting styles are identical."
As each of them began to take a break in their own way, Rapunzel mentioned this observation. When Anis and Neon sat down next to Moore, enjoying the wafting purple smoke, Rapunzel turned her gaze towards Rapi.
Rapunzel seemed to feel that her forget-me-not-colored eyes were being scrutinized as if overlapping with someone. Rapi also directed her crimson eyes toward the golden saint, opening her perfectly shaped lips.
"...Is that... Red Hood?"
"Oh? How did you know? Do you know about Red Hood?"
──It hurts.
A bothersome pain raced through the inside of his skull. It had been happening frequently lately. Although he should have gotten used to it by now, the nuisance of frequent headaches was not something one could easily adapt to.
Moore, doing his best to keep the purple smoke calm, fortunately, went unnoticed by anyone.
"I guess I wasn't mistaken after all. ──Red Hood, the Nikke of the First Invasion, and the Legendary Commander. ──Was your squad name always Pioneer?"
A name carrying the meanings of pioneers and trailblazers. It could be considered quite fitting, but to Rapi's question, Rapunzel leisurely shook her head to indicate denial.
"No. This is the name we received when we met the two of them on the surface. The original squad name was──"
"──GODDESS. Right?"
Rapi was the first to mention the squad name, surprising Anis and Neon, who were sitting with their hips hovering while revealing their astonishment.
Meanwhile, Moore, sitting between them, exclaimed in pain.
"──Ah...!"
With an unbearable headache striking him instantly, beads of sweat flowed from his forehead, and for a moment, the GODDESS cigarette he had been holding in his lips fell.
----
Author: In the meantime, the results are in for the vote for Modania, or rather, Marian, and she has taken the first place. It's quite delightful since she is one of the commanders I have as a main member. (...So, why is Raip ranked like that?
Aside from that, upon rereading my current chapter, the distance between Scarlet and Rapunzel toward Moore feels off. What's up with that distance?
Oh, probably the next chapter will be the conclusion of the current arc.
