Eremai, who had been waiting for an opportunity with his sword in hand, looked at the devastation before him with a blank expression.
Corpses formed a mountain, and blood flowed like a river.
As he gazed at the scene of carnage, he thought that perhaps he might actually have a talent for poetry, if it weren’t for the fact that the old comrades with whom he had been joking or talking just moments ago lay here.
The massive bodies were shattered, rolling across the ground, and the blood and viscera that flowed from them drenched the land, emitting a stifling heat.
“Grandidi…”
Amid the river of blood, a head rolled.
As they rushed in, it seemed as if they had died without being able to react, their expressions frozen in time.
‘At least they probably felt no pain.’
It truly was just a moment.
Had it been ten seconds?
The time in which all the Gigases and Titans had fallen to the ground without even a scream.
If such an impossible thing could happen, all that was left was emptiness.
Even now, he was almost convinced that this was not a dream.
After staring at the face for a while with a bitter expression, Eremai’s gaze shifted to one place.
The protagonist who had created all this devastation was looking at him with an indifferent expression.
As if asking what he would do now.
‘…Should I charge in?’
Eremai mentally repeated the question several times.
After all his comrades and Grandidi had been massacred, was it acceptable for him to still be alive?
The guilt of being the sole survivor pressed down on his heart.
At the same time, he felt a deep sense of unfairness.
What the hell had he done wrong?
Beryl. Why did that bastard have to turn Grandidi and his companions into butchered chunks of meat rolling on the ground?
“Are you upset?”
Whether that feeling had reflected on his face or if it was mere speculation, he couldn’t tell.
“…A little…? No… quite a lot, actually.”
He tasted bitterness in his mouth.
“Indeed, honestly, the devastation I saw in the village I passed through… I thought it was horrific in its own right, but seeing it firsthand makes the difference astonishing.”
The Elf did not respond much to Eremai’s words.
As if challenging him to say more.
“Really, I’m so damn upset. I can’t even explain it. This… this…”
Eremai, stumbling over his words, raised one hand to cover his face.
At first, transparent streams of water flowed beneath the covered hand, but soon they were dyed red.
“Right… I think I can understand what you meant by the value of blood. If this is how I feel, then I would never be able to forgive.”
Two red streams flowed from Eremai’s eyes as he lowered his hand.
“The most despairing thing is that I have absolutely no idea how to deal with the source of this situation.”
The Elf remained silent.
Eremai chuckled despondently and said, “Your name.”
“…”
“Now I can ask for your name, right? According to your damn promise, you won’t kill me.”
“Araiya.”
The Elf quietly spoke again.
“I’m El Araiya.”
“Araiya… El Araiya.”
Eremai nodded, bowing his head as if to never forget.
Then he raised his head, hesitating for a long time as if considering whether to say something.
“If you have anything you want to ask, speak. You have the right.”
“Right… right… ha! Damn.”
Eremai lamented with self-deprecation and opened his mouth.
“Is there a being stronger than you among humans?”
Eremai thought.
This Araiya before him was certainly not someone he could match, unless it was his father, Terato.
Not even able to withstand for ten seconds against the Gigases.
Araiya, who hesitated at that, seemed to think for a moment before shaking her head.
“There is none. I do have a mother above me, but she does not favor any particular race.”
“…Mother?”
“My relationship with my mother would probably be like yours with Terato.”
Eremai opened his mouth.
With such power, she was of a level comparable to the Gigases?
Having faced Dragons alongside his father, he thought this being before him could not possibly be inferior to Dragons.
No, if he were to face Titans, who had the support of his father’s sorcery, they would be more terrifying than Dragons.
“Then is there someone of your level—”
“I can’t tell you more than that. What I’ve just shared was the utmost respect for those who have perished to protect you.”
“…Respect?”
“Was there any information you gained from their sacrifices?”
“…Uugh.”
Eremai’s teeth ground together.
Yes, it truly was a meaningless death. I was a fool who couldn’t salvage anything from it.
“…Thanks.”
“They were enemies, yet they were individuals who understood courage and responsibility.”
“They were not fools who would die meaninglessly here.”
“That’s what war is like. It would be wise to count what one has lost and not to add unnecessary sacrifices.”
“Now, that can’t be.”
“I agree. Honestly, I think so too.”
Eremai looked at Araiya with resentment.
“I will resent you until the day I die.”
“Then let it be so. That is the karma and debt between you and me.”
“Ha… ha…”
Eremai, who was laughing and crying, slowly opened his mouth.
“At the beginning…”
“…”
“If I had received my father’s command instead of that bastard Beryl, the small human village would still be intact, and if your disciple had not died… would things have been better than now?”
“Well…”
Araiya slowly spoke as if she had bitten something very bitter.
“What has happened cannot be reversed, but yes… perhaps it would have been a little different.”
Hearing that, Eremai bowed his head.
After a while of silence, Eremai raised his head.
“I’m leaving.”
He started walking towards the direction he had slowly turned back from.
But after taking a few steps, he abruptly looked back and said,
“Hey.”
“…?”
“I have a question, can I ask?”
“…What is it?”
“Are you a woman or a man?”
At that moment, Araiya’s face twisted in an absurd way, and Eremai couldn’t help but laugh.
She seemed like an ice block yet could make such an expression.
“If it weren’t for the promise, I guarantee you would be cut in half right now.”
“Wow~ how scary. So what is it?”
“…Does it matter?”
“Of course, it really does. It’s a major factor for motivation.”
“…I am a woman.”
Eremai snickered.
“That’s good.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“Honestly, if you were a man, I might have felt bad killing you, but knowing you’re a damn woman makes it easier for me. I thought about it, but however pretty you are, being a woman seems tough. And you know…”
Eremai pointed to his chest and hips, laughing.
“In a battle, at least as a woman, I feel like I’ve won.”
“…That seems to cross the line a bit.”
As Araiya furrowed her brow, the killing intent leaked out, but Eremai just chuckled.
Seeing that, Araiya felt a bit forlorn and merely stared at Eremai without saying a word.
Eremai took one last look at the corpses of his comrades with sorrowful eyes before turning away.
And, without a word, he walked the road he had traversed with his long-lost companions, now alone, walking for a long time.
◈ ◈ ◈
“…Let me go.”
In the plains outside the city walls, where all that moved alive were now just insects or small animals burrowing into the ground.
He quietly murmured as he watched the pitiful footsteps of the giant disappearing over the horizon.
A moment later, an Elf, dressed in the same style as himself, appeared before him.
“…Is that the child of Terato? It appears to be a superior being, unlike ordinary creatures. Is it alright not to kill him?”
“We made a promise.”
“…I can’t understand.”
At Gal’s questioning expression, I chuckled.
Then I looked towards the horizon where Eremai, the giant, had vanished.
“Regardless, someone is needed to deliver a warning to that filthy Beryl and Terato.”
“Then wouldn’t it be better to let the ordinary one live and send him away?”
“Don’t nitpick too much.”
I unsheathed Bulrak and gazed towards the city wall of Pohelrn.
More than thirty giants were gathered in front of the plains beneath the city wall, and the worried citizens of the town had climbed up to the top of the walls to look.
But when I began to slaughter the giants, it seemed they cheered.
It wasn’t a pleasant thing, but it would surely add a bit of courage to the humans.
As those moments accumulate, someday, humans will be able to rise and protect themselves, just as Priegoss and Alia had hoped, even without my help.
“Let’s move, Gal.”
“Are we moving right away?”
“There’s no need to wait to return to Pohelrn.”
“Are you not bringing that foolish-looking deer with you?”
“I did take him on this expedition, but he gained too much weight while I was away for half a year. It would be better for him to walk on his own.”
“Hmm.”
I looked up at Priegoss on the city walls.
“I’ll be back. I believe you will endure no matter what happens.”
And I conveyed my thoughts to Palas and Saras beside me.
As for Anart… she seems happy enough, so that’s fine. I hope she won’t fight with Alia.
I scratched my head and took my first step.
“Has it been eight years?”
I’m truly going back home after a long time.
![[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come](https://i3.wp.com/darkmtl.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737407792-8993-TS-The-end-of-magical-girls-has-come.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come")