Morning came to the golden land with the roar of crashing waves announcing the new day.
Waking to the sound of the surf, I headed with Ria toward the audience chamber where Leon would be.
'...It was the same in my previous life, but I still can't get used to the feel of mornings.'
For the record, I was a spiritual life-form now, so I didn't actually need sleep. But maybe because I had been human in my previous life, staying awake still gave me the strange sensation that my stamina was being drained, so I preferred sleeping anyway. The downside was that waking up in the morning was still rough.
As for Ria, she only slept occasionally out of curiosity, and on most nights when she didn't sleep, she spent the time watching me sleep instead.
According to her, it was surprisingly entertaining to watch.
...Well, a long time ago, that might have been a little scary, but now that we were lovers, all I could think was that it was very like Ria.
That was just one of her ways of expressing herself.
Anyway.
Lost in thought as I walked, I eventually realized I had arrived in front of the audience chamber doors.
"Come in."
As soon as we reached the audience chamber, Leon—having already sensed Ria and me from inside—called for us to enter.
Following his words, we stepped inside and gave a small nod at the sight of Leon standing there with his close attendants on either side.
"You came earlier than I expected. Are you planning to leave already?"
Leon's question.
It was asked in the same dry voice as always, but there was a trace of gratitude hidden underneath it.
"Yeah. I've taken care of everything I came here for, and I've also fulfilled what I promised Her Majesty the Heavenly Emperor, so..."
My contract with Ermesia had succeeded, so that should have been the end of it... no, wait. Now that I thought about it, there was still one thing left.
There was one request I had completely forgotten about.
"Ah... come to think of it, I forgot. Leon, Her Majesty the Heavenly Emperor asked me to pass along her regards to you."
"...Ermesia did?"
Leon Cromwell's eyes widened in surprise.
To him, who thought of his relationship with Ermesia as a troublesome sort of bond, it must have been hard to imagine that she of all people would directly ask someone else to pass on a greeting.
He had likely guessed long ago that she worried about him enough to think of him as family, but she had never shown it so openly before, whether with her own mouth or through someone else.
"...That's an unusual request from her."
With a bitter smile, Leon turned his eyes toward the cloak neatly folded beside him.
It was the very cloak I had given him.
Leon stared at that worn old cloak for a long moment, like an adult looking back on a memory from childhood, and then at last he began with, "If..."
"...Adelio, if you meet Ermesia again later, could you pass something on to her? Tell her, 'It's because you always speak in circles like that that you can't connect with your subjects.'"
It was a sibling-like jab, something that didn't suit emotionless Leon at all.
At that answer, mixed with both dissatisfaction and longing, I let out a small laugh and nodded to show I understood.
"If I get the chance, I'll tell her."
Right after saying that, I turned to leave again.
I had only meant to stop by briefly and show my face before leaving [Eldorado], so I had planned to slip away quietly.
Yeah. At least, that was what I thought—
"—On behalf of the people, we thank you."
"Thank you for suppressing [Jonne]."
The captains of the [Magic Knights] standing on either side of Leon.
Starting with the lead knight, the [Silver Knight] Alos, and the strongest among them, the [Black Knight] Claude, the captains drew their swords and offered a formal sword salute.
[Red Knight] Fran.
[Blue Knight] Okisian.
[Yellow Knight] Kizona.
[White Knight] Metel.
Shing...
Then that sword salute spread from the captains to the knights under their command, passed on one after another until it continued through countless blades.
Before I knew it, a road of swords had unfolded before us, stretching on as if it would never end.
A path of blades that looked as though it might reach all the way to the horizon. The sight was magnificent in the truest sense of the word.
"...This is..."
"You are the benefactors seeing us off. At the very least, this much should not look shabby."
My eyes widened at this completely unexpected farewell from the knights, and Leon drew his own sword last of all and offered a sword salute as well.
The meaning of that was different from the start, because he was the king of [Eldorado] and the lord of these knights.
Leon, the [Hero] who bore the title [Sword King]. In other words, the sword salute of the Platinum Saber, the Platinum Sword King, was itself no different from the highest courtesy.
'...'
Watching the sword salute of the countless knights all the way to the end, I thought to myself:
The golden land, [Eldorado].
Also known by another name: the land of abandoned knights.
"Farewell, [Blanc]—and [Grand Duke of the Underworld]."
It truly was a scene worthy of that name.
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