Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 15 - Chapter Ep1

The Final Epilogue: Him, Her, and...

Paladin, Ray Starling

The place I appeared once I logged in after my death penalty expired was the same one I’d logged into after the first time I’d died — the fountain at the capital.

There were two differences, though. First was that the sun was still high up, and...

“Nemesis...”

...Nemesis wasn’t out of the crest.

I was well aware of the reason.

At the final moment of the battle against Behemot, I’d made her pierce through my body.

I knew Nemesis well enough by now.

She always accompanied me on my endeavors, but she also worried about me more than I did.

And yet, I’d asked her to stab me.

I wasn’t so inconsiderate that I hadn’t considered how hard that must have been for her.

“Sorry, Nemesis...”

“Mhm...” Nemesis replied, agreeing.

This was unlike the first time, when my apology was met with “No need.” That made me realize that I’d actually done something that warranted an apology.

“...My bad.”

“You say that...but it is not like you would ever limit what you do in pursuit of your possibilities, right?”

“...I wouldn’t,” I replied, with nothing but honesty.

“There is no helping it, then. That is how you are, and it is my duty to help you.”

Following those words, she left her crest.

Her eyes were slightly red.

“You always do absurd things without considering yourself. You are always tattered... Look, even the armor B3 gifted to you is gone.”

“True... I’ll have to apologize to her.” The armor had been completely destroyed by King of Beasts’ attacks. I still had the casual clothes I wore in town, but I would clearly need a replacement sooner than later.

“But bear this in mind, Ray,” Nemesis said as she turned away. “You ended up in this tattered state because you protected those things you needed to protect... That surely means that the anguish I felt while obeying your order...was also not without meaning.”

“Nemesis...” I couldn’t see her expression as she said that. She’d probably looked away to prevent just that.

I thought of what to say to her...and came upon two sentences.

“Nemesis.”

The first was just her name.

In response, she said, “What is it?” without even turning back to me.

The second sentence contained what I wanted to convey to her.

It wasn’t a “Sorry” nor a “Thank you.”

Her tiny back made it feel that she could disappear at any moment, so...

“Stay by my side.”

...that was what I was compelled to say.

Nemesis still didn’t turn around. With her back still towards me, she wasn’t moving an inch.

No... She was actually shaking a little.

“...I-I’m your Embryo... Of course I’ll stay by your side...”

“I don’t want you by my side because you’re an Embryo born from me. I want you to stay with me because you’re Nemesis.”

I wanted her to be with me not because the Master-Embryo system made it inevitable, but because she wanted to as her own person. She knew me better than anyone else and had always been there for me.

“Heheheh... Of course! I am the greatest Embryo, after all!”

“Yeah. You’re the best, Nemesis.”

“Nhm...?!” My honest reply froze her in place.

“Nemesis?”

“D-Do not mind this! It is nothing... I-I am going back to my crest! Farewell!” And so, with her face still covered, Nemesis returned to the back of my hand.

I didn’t fully understand her attitude, but it seemed that she would stay by my side.

I walked through the capital, but I was still unable to meet up with my fellow Death Period members who got the death penalty before me. From what I’d seen, they weren’t even online yet. In real time, the time between our deaths wasn’t that great, so I supposed that I’d just happened to log in first because I had been waiting for the penalty to expire.

And according to Shu, who’d contacted me in real life, Azurite and the others had yet to return to the capital.

The reason for that was Azurite herself — she was in bad shape.

Apparently, the battle against The Ram had been extremely draining. Well, I was told she’d also talked to Claudiah right after the battle, and once Dryfe retreated, the relief of all that tension made her collapse like a loose marionette.

The reason for her fatigue was the ultimate job skill she’d used...and Shu’d told me that she’d been immobilized for two whole days.

According to him, she’d recently said, “I never expected to be nursed by the parasite...such humiliation.” Regardless of whether or not she was serious, I saw that as a sign that she was recovering.

They’d departed yesterday in Dendro time, and they were on course to come back here by evening today.

Before meeting up with my clan members and Azurite, I decided to check on the situation at the castle. I passed the main street near the fountain and headed towards my destination.

“Hey, that’s...” I was in my casual clothing, so there were fewer people that recognized me.

However, there were some who knew my face, and I could hear them speak.

“That’s The Unbreakable...”

“The guy who matched KoB...”

...We were hardly matched, and it certainly wasn’t just my doing.

Fuso had lowered KoB’s stats, Rook gave me a chance to fill up my damage counter, B3 and I cornered her together, Marie and Tsukikage broke her Superior item — and in spite of all that, we weren’t able to finish her off.

If Fuso hadn’t been there to strike a deal and get Dryfe to retreat, all of those efforts would’ve been for naught.

However, there were rumors that I had fought KoB head-on and even ended it with a draw.

Their source was a certain video on the internet.

I didn’t know how or from where it was taken, but it seemed to be hidden camera footage of our battle.

Additionally, it was cleverly edited in a way that was only apparent if you’d been at the scene yourself, and the purpose of that editing seemed to be elevating me...and Death Period.

That actually kinda creeped me out, for some reason.

I passed the gate to the noble district and arrived at the castle. Azurite had already given me permission to enter, and the guards who knew me let me into the castle without any trouble.

“...It’s burnt,” I muttered as I passed the gate. It seemed to have been broken...melted by some intense fire.

That was far from all of it — there were also holes in the walls as well as broken and scorched spires. Just how intense of a battle did this castle go through?

Were Liliana and the others okay? The state of the castle filled me with unease, but then...

“I was just informed that they will return in about two hours.”

“I’m happy that I’ll get to meet Her Highness again... Wait, she’s Her Majesty now, isn’t she?”

...I heard a familiar voice and turned towards it.

There, I saw Liliana, slightly injured but in one piece.

“Liliana!”

“Huh...? Ray!” Upon hearing me call out, she turned to me and ran over.

“I am glad you are well!” she said.

“That’s my line. What about Milianne and the princesses?”

“...They are well... Though, there are some issues.”

“Like...?”

“Hello, hello! A pleasure to meet you! So you are Ray Starling!” Before I got Liliana’s response, an unfamiliar voice intruded on the conversation and called my name.

“Who are you...?” I asked. She was the person Liliana had just been talking to.

She was about as small as Nemesis, if not smaller, but she didn’t seem all that young. Her tiny frame was swallowed by a wizard’s robe straight out of a picture book, and on her head there was a pointy hat of the type you’d expect to see on a generic witch.

“I’ve been wanting to meet you! The one who brought down enemy Superiors in Gideon and Quartierlatin and thus saved the kingdom twice! No, now it’s thrice!” Saying all this with a cheerful voice, she took my hand and shook it up and down.

Her voice and attitude both were brimming with friendliness. But for some reason — no idea why — I felt like there was nothing friendly about those eyes that were looking at me.

Was there a shine in them akin to that of a carnivorous beast that had found its prey...?

No... Her gaze was more like that of an insect that had found a cadaver it had to deal with.

“Whoops! Where are my manners? I haven’t introduced myself! I am...” She let go of my hand, spun around, and gave me a slight bow before beginning the introduction. “I am the favored disciple of the previous Arch Sage, and now I am the current Arch Sage...”

Hearing the job alone filled me with surprise...

“My name is...Integra Sedna Clarisse Flagman.”

...but before it could subside, she gave a name that was even more surprising.

“Pleased to meet your acquaintance...Unbreakable Hero.”

As I looked at her, still bowing, I felt uneasy...as if something had just been set in motion.

To Be Continued...