"Eugy!!!"
Airi's arms wrapped around me, hugging me with all her strength.
"Airi…"
When I gently placed my hand on her back, Airi buried her face in my chest and her shoulders trembled.
For a while, the only sound in the dark room was the faint sobbing of my childhood friend.
How long had we stayed like that? Several minutes passed.
"Eugy…"
Airi's hand touched my cheek.
Then, slowly, her face began to draw closer…
"Isn't it about time? Prime Minister-dono."
"Yes, it seems Her Majesty the Empress has calmed down as well."
People approached while speaking.
It must be Prime Minister Catherine and the Sword Hero.
"…Tch."
A small tongue click was heard.
Stop that.
I released Airi from our embrace.
"It seems you're feeling better now, Your Majesty." (Catherine)
Prime Minister Catherine spoke kindly with a smile.
"I was fine to begin with…" (Airi)
Airi averted her red eyes, pouted her lips, and awkwardly combed her hair with her fingers.
"Ahahaha! Those don't sound like the words of a recluse Empress who canceled every single audience and refused to see even her subordinates!" (Edward)
"Well, well. She simply didn't want to show weakness in front of Eugene-kun, Edward-san. At her age, she just wants to look cool." (Catherine)
"You two!!!" (Airi)
Airi shouted angrily at the two who showed no restraint at all.
(The Sword Hero I can understand; he was one of Airi's instructors since childhood. But even Prime Minister Catherine seems quite close with her.) (Eugene)
I realized these two were the ones who had supported Airi after she became Empress.
"Now then, Eugene-kun. What do you intend to do from here?" (Catherine)
Prime Minister Catherine asked in a casual tone.
"Yes, I have two requests. First, I'd like you to agree to a temporary ceasefire in the war." (Eugene)
"The only one who can decide that is the person right in front of you." (Catherine)
I looked straight into Airi's eyes.
"Airi." (Eugene)
"It's impossible… Just my command alone isn't enough to convince the military to accept a truce…" (Airi)
"It doesn't have to be long-term. A temporary ceasefire will do. A month, no…three weeks even." (Eugene)
"What meaning could such a short period possibly have…?" (Airi)
My childhood friend gave me a doubtful look.
"It does have meaning. Please, Airi." (Eugene)
I bowed my head, meeting her gaze.
"If it's only a short truce, it might be possible. Among the lower ranks of soldiers, there's already an anti-war sentiment. We can present it as giving them a rest." (Catherine)
The Prime Minister offered a lifeline.
"…Very well. Prime Minister Catherine, declare a ceasefire in my name." (Airi)
"As you command, Your Majesty." (Catherine)
Catherine nodded at Airi's words.
"And the second?" (Edward)
The Sword Hero asked.
"I'd like to borrow Airi. I want her to come with me to the Dungeon City." (Eugene)
"Haah!?"
Airi's eyes went wide.
"Isn't that impossible…?" (Edward)
"Hmm…" (Catherine)
The Sword Hero and the Prime Minister both frowned.
"Eugy… What are you planning?" (Airi)
"I want to change the current situation for the better. Not just me: Sumire, Sara, and Claude are here as well. I need your strength, Airi." (Eugene)
"Sumire, Sara and Claude too!? How!?" (Airi)
"The Eight Holy Maiden of the Holy Union, and the Ace of the Blue Waters Federation's top forces, is it?" (Catherine)
"That's quite the extravagant lineup!" (Edward)
All three were surprised.
"I swear it'll lead to a good outcome for you too, Airi. Please…!" (Eugene)
"…What are you planning to do?" (Airi)
Of course she would ask.
"…That, I can't say here." (Eugene)
"Surely you realize it's unreasonable to take the Empress away without revealing the purpose…" (Edward)
The Sword Hero's objection was perfectly valid.
Unlike during the Holy Union incident, there were no instructions from the Destiny Goddess this time.
I had no choice but to persuade them myself.
Just as I was about to voice some of the arguments I had prepared…
"It can't be helped then… I, Prime Minister Catherine, will act as regent in Her Majesty's stead under the pretext of her ill health. For three weeks or so, I can keep the military in check. Eugene-kun, will that suffice?" (Catherine)
The Prime Minister made an astonishing proposal.
"Are you sure!?" (Eugene)
"Catherine! You're okay with that!?" (Airi)
Airi and I both raised our voices in unison.
"Isn't that far too careless, Prime Minister-dono? The previous Emperor was assassinated, after all." (Edward)
"If it were anyone else, perhaps. But entrusting her to Eugene-kun poses no concern. He is Jubei-san's son, after all." (Catherine)
"…I-I see." (Edward)
So it was all thanks to Pops!
Now that I thought about it, Prime Minister Catherine had also been looking after my family home and Hana-san's employment.
I ought to thank her.
"Catherine-sama, thank you for managing my family's affairs." (Eugene)
"Of course. It's Jubei-san's household, after all. I wanted to preserve it as it was at the very least…" (Catherine)
So this was also because of Pops.
The Prime Minister seemed to hold an awfully high degree of trust in him.
Were they really that close?
As I wondered…
(…Eugy, did you know Catherine and Jubei-ojisan were…together?) (Airi)
Airi whispered into my ear.
(Is that true!?) (Eugene)
First I'd heard of it.
That stiff old man…?
I sneaked a glance at the Prime Minister.
A calm, composed beauty with a gentle air.
I didn't know her exact age, but she must have been much younger than Pops.
And yet, strangely, I could easily picture her standing by his side.
"I had intended for Jubei-san to tell you himself, Eugene-kun…" (Catherine)
The Prime Minister smiled with a hint of sadness.
So she heard Airi's whisper.
"I see…" (Eugene)
Pops raised me alone all these years.
I once asked him why he never remarried… So there really was someone.
But I never had a chance to hear about it while I was sealed in the Zenith Tower.
I would have preferred to hear it from him directly…
(Hold on… Did Mother in the Divine Realm know about this…?) (Eugene)
She always had a detailed grasp of my situation, so she must have been watching Pops even more closely.
Hmm… I'm curious, but asking might open a whole can of worms.
Better to play dumb.
As I silently resolved this…
"Hey, Eugy. So, when are we leaving?" (Airi)
My childhood friend tugged on my sleeve.
She was opposed at first, but somewhere along the way, she'd come around.
I was the one who suggested it, but…was it really okay to take the Empress along so casually?
"Well, if Her Majesty herself agrees, I won't stop you. But as her guard, things are about to get quiet for me." (Edward)
The Sword Hero drew his Holy Sword, which he hadn't used earlier, and began maintaining it.
(Holy Sword Colbrand… If he had used that in our match earlier, I wouldn't have stood a chance.) (Eugene)
Honestly, I didn't feel like I won.
It was a razor-thin victory thanks to a surprise technique.
"There aren't any direct flights to the Dungeon City right now, so we'd have to arrange a special one…" (Catherine)
The Prime Minister began to say.
"No need. Could you let me set up a teleportation circle somewhere?" (Eugene)
I asked.
"…Teleport all the way from the capital to the Dungeon City? Well, if it's a Treasure from the Zenith Tower, then perhaps…" (Edward)
The Sword Hero mused.
"I obtained a magic tool on the 310th floor of the Zenith Tower of Babel that allows deployment of an ultra-long-distance teleportation circle." (Eugene)
"Eugy!? You went up to the 310th floor!? When!? With whom!? Don't tell me you went alone!?" (Airi)
Airi shouted in shock.
"I'll explain later." (Eugene)
That story would take far too long right now.
"If you're setting up a circle, then Her Majesty's private chamber here is best. It's at the castle's center, right above a ley line. But this is for sending out only, correct? We cannot allow one that receives." (Catherine)
"There's no return trip. I'll make another for coming back." (Eugene)
"…Very well, in that case." (Catherine)
With the Prime Minister's permission secured…
I succeeded in bringing along the most difficult companion of all, Empress Airi herself.
◇Dungeon City◇
"It's been a long time…since I last came here." (Airi)
Airi said, gazing around nostalgically.
"How long did you end up staying here again?" (Eugene)
"I planned to wait until you returned, Eugy…but then Father passed away. In the end, it was about a year and a half…" (Airi)
"That's still quite a long time." (Eugene)
"My classmates stayed with me, after all. By the way, where are Sumire and the others?" (Airi)
"They should be waiting inside the Zenith Tower. Let's head there." (Eugene)
Lingering around too much risked acquaintances of Empress Airi spotting us.
Best to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Airi and I arrived at the entrance to the Zenith Tower.
There were no gatekeepers present, perhaps because the seal had only recently been undone.
"Is it alright to just enter…?" (Airi)
"Yeah. I already got permission from First Knight Claire." (Eugene)
"Claire Lancelot, the King's Sword of the Dungeon City, and now its highest authority… You seem awfully close to her." (Airi)
Airi looked at me suspiciously.
"It's not like that. Let's hurry." (Eugene)
"…You're not hiding anything?" (Airi)
"Nope." (Eugene)
I brushed aside my childhood friend's suspicion and rode the dungeon elevator with her from the 1st floor straight up to the 100th.
After a short ascent, we arrived at the 100th floor.
A green meadow spread before us.
Basically the state before a Deus Discipline begins.
Not far from the elevator, a few figures stood waiting.
Sumire, Sara, Claude, and the Angel Rita-san.
Miguel…wasn't there.
Well, he has never been inside the Tower before.
He was probably somewhere in the city.
I have to thank him later.
I waved and called out, "Hey!" while hurrying toward them…
Then I noticed Airi had stopped walking.
When I turned to ask what was wrong, I saw Sara striding quickly toward us.
"Airi!!!" (Sara)
Her hand went to the hilt of her Holy Sword.
"Sara-chan! No, stop!" (Sumire)
Sumire rushed to hold her back, with Claude following suit.
"Sara…" (Airi)
Airi flinched for an instant…but did nothing.
Sara closed the distance to stand right before her…yet did not draw her sword.
"..."
"..."
Sara and Airi stared at each other in silence.
The leaders of two nations at war: the Empire and the Holy Union.
Over half a million lives had already been lost…most on the Holy Union's side, judging by the vast communal cemeteries I'd seen there.
Airi said nothing.
Sara continued to glare.
Sumire, Claude, and Rita-san came closer, watching them anxiously.
I stayed near Airi just in case…though I'd known from the start there was no killing intent in Sara.
And then…tears spilled from Sara's eyes.
"…Sara?" (Airi)
Airi muttered, puzzled.
"Just look at you… What kind of face is that?" (Sara)
"…Eh?" (Airi)
Airi faltered, confused.
She hadn't realized…but her complexion was terrible.
"Airi hasn't slept properly in over a month. She canceled all audiences and shut herself away in her chambers." (Eugene)
"Eugy!!!!" (Airi)
Airi shouted at me, but I ignored it.
"…Weren't you supposed to be the cruel Empress trying to destroy the Holy Union?" (Sara)
"She doesn't have nerves of steel like that." (Eugene)
Airi looked like she wanted to protest.
"…I see. You're still as awkward as you were back in the student council." (Sara)
Sara's expression softened, and she gently embraced Airi.
"Sara-chan…" (Sumire)
Sumire let out a relieved voice.
The rest of us wore similar expressions…including me.
"…Sara, you haven't changed either." (Airi)
Airi returned the embrace.
And so, former comrades reunited within the Zenith Tower.