I felt warmth in my arms. I could hear the steady rhythm of breathing beyond the shoulder I held close, our hearts beating in unison, resonating with each other.
Thump— Thump—
Hilde was still alive.
“…Hilde.” “Lara.”
It wasn’t too late.
“…”
Despite the urgency of the situation, time seemed to stretch into eternity as we listened to each other’s heartbeats, exchanging the trembling warmth that pulsed beneath our soft skin.
Touching arms. Touching shoulders. Touching legs. Touching hearts.
Everything felt warm, and I was happy. With every breath, I could feel a slight trembling vibration.
'…You’re alive.'
Just knowing you were still breathing in this world made everything forgivable. It felt like I had found a reason to keep living in this world.
“Thank goodness…” “…Were you worried?” “Yes.” “I see… I tried to hold on as long as I could, pretending to be a possessed being, but then suddenly these chains appeared out of nowhere…” “I see.” “...” “Hilde, I’m sorry.” “Huh?”
Hilde shook her head, rejecting the apology.
“No, I was the one who got caught after drawing attention to myself, so it’s my fault.” “And that… you did that for me, right?” “…Yes.” “I see.”
Of course. If it were you, that’s exactly what you would do. You’re not someone who acts without reason.
“…That’s why I love you.” “…!”
Hilde’s eyes widened, and then she smiled widely, her face lighting up with joy.
“…That’s good to hear.” “Yes, I’m glad I got to see you again.” “I see… so that’s how it is… that’s how it is.”
Hilde murmured the same words to herself over and over.
Rumble—!
It felt as though I could hear the sound of lightning, symbolic of her, echoing in the dark abyss. Perhaps it was just another of my illusions.
“…”
I didn’t want to wake up from this blissful dream.
I didn’t love you because you loved me. I loved you because you were you.
Like a silver star shining in the vastness of space, you gave me the strength to believe in tomorrow.
In this endless abyssal space that felt like the universe itself, we clung to each other tightly, sharing and feeling each other’s warmth.
When I pressed my cheek to the nape of her neck, I could smell her scent, feel the softness of her skin, and the warmth of her touch. All these sensations combined to create a deep, satisfying contentment.
'…I’m so glad…'
That was my heartfelt thought.
“…”
From within my embrace, Hilde whispered softly.
“…Lara, but where are we…?” “Ah…”
Her normally stern voice, now softened and resonating gently in my ear, was endearing.
‘Why was I ever embarrassed and hesitant?’
Being honest about my feelings, and experiencing the joy and warmth of feeling you with all my being… It was something to be deeply grateful for.
‘I’ll make sure to tell you I love you from now on.’
I made that vow in my heart and answered her.
“…The Prophet’s inventory.” “…?” “…It’s like a bag.” “…” “…” Hilde tapped my arm lightly.
“…Then shouldn’t we get out of here instead of staying like this…? Isn’t this dangerous?” “…” Uh… Right…
Now that I thought about it, even though I had gotten ahead using [Bifrost], if the Prophet suddenly decided to do something with his robe, we might end up stuck here like Adam and Eve, living happily ever after.
‘Or is it Eve and Eve? Was there someone after Eve? I’m not sure.’
But doesn’t Christianity dislike this sort of thing?
…
I decided to think of it as a “you can’t leave the room until you do X” scenario. However, the Prophet would probably argue, “Yuri isn’t pure love,” and try to invalidate it.
‘What am I even thinking?’
Yuri is the purest form of love. If you don’t understand the beauty of love, you’re a loser.
“…!”
Then it hit me that the one controlling this “you can’t leave the room until you do X” scenario was the Prophet. Even though I might try to go along with it, changing the rules would likely happen faster.
‘If the Prophet opened an escape room, he would definitely change the rules… because he’s that kind of guy.’
The thought sent chills down my spine. We needed to escape this place quickly.
‘I’m glad Hilde is a T-type. But she seems to worry that she’s too rigid…’
I carefully reassured Hilde so she wouldn’t feel bad.
“Don’t worry about being a T. Hilde, if anything, you’re Pretty—☆” “…” “Love isn’t about empathy, it’s about sincerity—☆ So hang in there—☆” “…” Hilde blinked, then smiled softly.
“Lara, you must have been going through a lot too.” “…Yes.”
I had been. As always, you’re the only one who understands my struggles.
Thinking that, I hugged Hilde tightly. Hilde hesitated, looking troubled.
“…Uh, Lara. It’s not that I’m upset, but could you please stop rubbing your bare legs against my thighs…? There aren’t any spare undergarments here.” “Oops—☆”
It just felt so nice and warm, I couldn’t help myself—☆
“…” Hilde looked at me with a pitying expression, gently patting my head. Her eyes were like those of an older sister looking at her silly younger sibling.
‘Hmm… it must be a mistake. Honestly, I’m older.’
Swish swish—
Her hands, roughened by handling heavy lances, smoothed down my hair. But then her hands suddenly paused.
Flinch—
“Lara, your hair color…” “…?”
At that moment,
Boom—!!
“…!” “…!”
The space trembled.
Since this space was separated from the academy city’s dimension, I couldn’t use the vision I gained from the True Name Liberation, but I could sense something crumbling in the distance.
It seemed the Prophet didn’t like yuri.
‘In that case, I guess we have to go out and finish this!’
I grabbed Hilde’s hand and shouted.
“Hilde! Let’s go—☆” “Yes!”
She smiled brightly, her face shining silver as she firmly held my hand. We were enveloped in the brilliant colors of [Bifrost].
A rainbow-colored spiral surrounded our vision.
Shoooo—!!
When we opened our eyes again, we were under the blue sky of the wilderness.
“…!”
Hilde was startled by the sudden change in scenery. It was such a rare expression that I stored it deep in my heart’s memory album.
“Wha—?! Lara?! This is—!” “Hehe—☆ Pingchang’s secret technique♡” “…I see.”
We held each other close as we reappeared somewhere in the eastern wilderness where the Prophet and I had been fighting.
“…” “…” The wilderness was now eerily silent.
Only the large crater where I had been pummeling the Prophet remained. The dirt, shaped by the fierce battle, showed the intensity of the fight.
“…” There was no sign of the Prophet anywhere.
But I had [Find Pink Pink Vision☆] on my side.
I thought of the cartoon I used to watch as a kid where they collected magical orbs, and I gently placed my index finger against my temple.
“Kiiyooop—☆ [Find Pink Pink Vision☆]—!” “Where does that energy even come from…” “This way, I can see everything—☆” “…I see.”
Hilde looked at me with a mix of pity and fondness, gently rubbing my back like a grandmother comforting her indigestion-prone grandchild.
‘As expected of my beloved wife.’
Receiving Hilde’s affectionate gesture, I focused.
‘Open the third eye.’
I’ll find him and give him a good beating.
As I called out in my heart, the transcendent vision that reflected the academy city came back. I rode the vision like an internet search, looking for the Prophet.
The wilderness. The blue sky. The empty <Central Prism Academy>. Pass.
The north. Eir eating lunch, loudly smacking her lips. Pass.
Golden Street. Freya drooling and dozing off in the library. Pass.
‘These random thoughts are making me see things I don’t need to…’
What was causing this severe memory leak?
Since this was a power that had suddenly awakened today, there was still a lot I didn’t know. Nonetheless, I continued using [Find Pink Pink Vision☆].
“…!”
Then I couldn’t help but smile at what I saw.
A girl with flaming wings was flying in the sky, shooting crimson slashes. She dodged the fierce attacks of the [Twin Priests] and counterattacked.
'…You did it.'
I refocused on finding the Prophet. Soon, I saw him heading toward the roots of the World Tree.
He was muttering incantations, clutching his black robe with one hand. The edges of the robe began to disintegrate.
‘If I’d stayed inside, I might’ve been forcefully deleted.’
Finally, I returned my vision to normal and grabbed Hilde’s hand. The warmth in her grip was comforting.
“…Did you find him?” “Yes♪ Now, with my new skill… we’ll go straight there using [Bifrost]—☆ With this, we can go anywhere—!” “That’s quite a convenient ability. I guess you won’t need that old bicycle anymore.” “Oh.”
The Red Horse. Maybe it was time to let it go.
“…” But for some reason, the thought of abandoning the Red Horse made my heart ache.
“…No, it’s not.” “I see.”
Hilde nodded, then closed her mouth tightly, preparing herself for the spatial jump. The rainbow-colored spiral enveloped us.
We used [Bifrost] to head toward the farmlands of <Holy Alvenheim High School>. The sounds of chaos and screams were still loud in the distance.
The premonition kicked in.
“Kieeeek—!!”
A Chaos Beast of adult size, looking more grotesque and zombified than usual, charged at me. Even with the rainbow-colored vision showing it to me in advance, its appearance was chilling.
‘Okay, premonition over.’
I returned to reality. The scene from a moment ago replayed with vivid clarity. The clearer the view, the more nauseating it was.
The grotesque, zombified Chaos Beast opened its massive mouth, oozing thick slime.
“Kieeeek—!!”
I flicked a finger at it.
Boom—!!
Its head exploded, the spiral force piercing through it. It died instantly, scattering brain matter 10 meters away.
‘It’ll probably revive, but still.’
Hilde tilted her head, watching me.
“Lara, how did you know about that attack just now? If I’m not mistaken, you raised your hand before the teleportation was over.” “Hehe…☆ It’s the power of love☆” “…You seem unusually excited today.” “Hehe…!”
Hilde sighed softly.
“…Sigh, I love you.” “Yep! I love you too—☆” “…Good. That’s all that matters.”
With that, we ran in the direction where the Prophet was headed.
In front of the roots of the World Tree, the sword spirit and the Prophet faced each other.
“It’s been a while, Jinsu.” “…” “How have you been? I can hardly remember anymore.” “…You’re not Saint Ymir.” “No… I’m just a fragment she left behind. They call me Verdandi now. That’s what the junior calls me, at least.” “…” The Prophet remained silent.
The sword spirit, a girl with pink hair, smiled bitterly. But within that smile lay emotions far too deep for a mere fragment to possess.
“…” The Prophet saw this but chose to ignore it.
Because the people he loved had died 1,500 years ago.