A child’s voice can be heard.
And there is someone answering the innocent question of such a child.
[Me? I am a knight.]
[Knight? What is a knight?]
To the child’s naive question, a proud voice stretches out.
[One who overcomes the impossible.
Someone who can die for noble ideals.
Even overcoming unbearable pain.
Knowing how to reflect on and correct one’s own mistakes.
Loving justice and goodness more than anyone else.
Firmly toppling wicked foes.
A person with the courage to hold dreams, love, hope, and belief, racing to the ends of the world.
That, my boy, is what a knight is.]
“…….”
Cariel, having let go of the sword, focuses on mulling over the voice that had just passed through his mind.
‘What is this?’
What did I just hear?
-Why? Did you see something strange as expected?
Golden eyes peer in close.
Startled, he lets out a “Huh!” but fortunately manages to quickly compose himself, avoiding further embarrassment.
Clearly knowing it’s a situation where answering now would be futile.
“Ruel? What’s up?”
These gazes watching him closely might have inadvertently instilled some anxiety in them.
Cariel responds somewhat awkwardly as Alesia approaches.
“Ahh… I heard a voice.”
“Voice? What kind? Did you hear something when you touched the sword?”
“Ahh, yes. Something like that.”
She nods without suspicion.
At this point, Philbar bursts out in exclamation.
“Can you read the emotions embedded in objects? Or rather, since you heard it, should we say you eavesdropped? This is fitting! Oh! Inspiration! Paper! Pen! Quickly!”
Philbar’s subordinates rush to bring a pen and dried parchment paper in a flash.
They even carry a wooden plank to use as a stand, presenting it with both arms stretched out, allowing him to smoothly unfurl the scroll on top and begin writing furiously.
Alesia gently asks,
“What sound did you hear? Was it anything troubling?”
Now not only her but also the Baroneurs father and son have gathered.
“So….”
Cariel explains about the dialogue between a young boy and an unknown man.
“Could it be that Saint Cariel personally instructed a child on the mindset of a knight, which you somehow overheard? That’s quite remarkable.”
Lord Raia speaks, while Ludhi looks somewhat troubled and raises doubts.
“But isn’t this somehow different from the oath?”
“Nope. For a child, this explanation is far more romantic and thus more appropriate? Those embellished words are cooler, aren’t they?”
Luke strongly voices his opinion that it’s entirely possible.
“Romance! Excellent! Very good indeed! During the era when knighthood was born in human history, romantic knights awakened emotions rather than reason, planting dreams in children! To think such a romantic code of chivalry has been recited! It makes for a great picture! Picture!”
The pen in Philbar’s hand moves frantically across the blank parchment without rest.
“Answers were found in unexpected places.”
Somehow or other,
all eyes, as if by mutual agreement, shift towards Cariel.
“…….”
Wearing a perplexed expression, Cariel suddenly notices…
“……?”
Sees a vision of children playing.
Two boys and a girl.
The three little ones are running off somewhere.
“What do you see now?”
“Uh, well…”
In response to Philbar’s question, Cariel points to one side.
“I can see kids.”
“What are they doing?”
“They’re running somewhere.”
“Well, then, how about following them?”
Just as the tent is being taken down and Philbar boards the carriage,
Cariel, as if waiting for this moment, begins chasing after the shadow standing with its back turned.
“Here…”
Cariella.
It’s the city entrance.
“Just a moment!”
The carriage slips into the shade of a building at the entrance.
After disembarking, they start trying various things with a magic-drawn cloth they pull out again.
Eventually, he expresses regret.
“…There’s a reaction, but this isn’t the place either.”
“This headache is getting worse.”
Lord Raia complains.
“At least we’ve got some leads, right?”
“That’s true.”
“Thanks to me, right?”
As Luke smirks,
Alesia scoffs.
Of course, Luke boasts that it’s all thanks to him.
Observing this scene from a slight distance, Cariel feels like watching from across the river.
Everything seems so confusing.
Yet, amidst all these happenings around him,
he’s strangely moved by this situation where he’s fully absorbed in something.
Being able to mingle with so many people without any particular burden or tension—
it feels extraordinarily meaningful.
Then, suddenly,
from inside the city,
among the crowd, he spots someone standing.
Silently taking their position,
steadfastly gazing forward.
====
-Most humans. No, regardless of race, intelligent beings generally don’t care much about others.
Unless it provides an unimaginable amount of entertainment.
-A kid opening a fairy tale book may sparkle their eyes at the hero’s story, but no one cares about the unremarkable dwarf who passes by briefly, neither the protagonist nor the key helper.
But what if the dwarf is the hero, the main character?
-By that point, they’d probably just close the book.
Because it’s not my interest!
Because it’s not the story I wanted!
Because it’s not the character I wanted!
-How truly frustrating.
Cariel briefly gives attention to the mumbling Demon King above his head.
He wonders what she’s talking about.
-Was the guy standing there lucky, or unlucky?
Finally.
Among the passing crowds.
He approaches someone standing there.
However, it has no substance.
Since several people have already walked straight through his shoulder—or rather, body.
For instance, it’s something visible only to oneself.
-What do you think?
“…This isn’t my judgment to make.”
Cariel silently gazes at the steadfast apparition.
A man standing firm but looking like he could collapse or crumble at any moment.
His recently grown hair is disheveled, and his clothes are messy.
Torn, covered in dust and mud, completely disarrayed.
Yet, he doesn’t seem to care, only staring straight ahead.
The sword in his hand.
“…….”
Cariel knows what this is.
Until yesterday, he didn’t know.
No, until just a while ago, it was something completely unfamiliar.
But now, he understands.
“This person…”
Though his physique appears strong, his current posture looks rather pathetic.
Still, this person must be…
the same individual from 300 years ago.
His name.
Its origin.
“…….”
Cariel reaches out his hand.
He senses something is about to happen.
However, he honestly doesn’t know what kind of omen or conclusion it will bring.
But.
For some reason, he feels he must do this.
The moment Cariel’s hand touches the figure’s body,
many images flash by rapidly.
A clumsy boy.
An instructor in pitch-black armor giving commands and guidance.
The boy mimics the knight’s movements holding a crude wooden stick.
Even after the knight leaves,
the boy doesn’t stop.
Training his stamina by running across plains, climbing hills,
climbing trees, swimming against rivers,
and practicing with his stick again.
Strangely enough, these scenes feel familiar.
The black-armored knight occasionally returns to correct his stance before leaving silently again.
The boy starts growing older, becoming bulkier, his face maturing.
Also, the boyhood friends he used to play with grow up into respectable youths and adults.
…They quietly tie the knot in a modest wedding ceremony.
The young man watches.
Ignoring everything, he continues swinging—not the stick anymore, but an iron sword.
Cutting wood to provide for the village while receiving some food in return.
Catching fish barehanded from the river, hunting as well.
While self-sufficient, he spends half his day tirelessly training with the sword.
Having no parents, his only company are his friends.
Nevertheless, apart from them, he remains somewhat isolated.
But he doesn’t mind.
When the knight returns, he gifts him a decent iron sword.
“You should be able to make it somewhere with this level of skill.”
“I didn’t wield the sword to succeed. I did it because I wanted to become like you, sir.”
The boy has now become a man.
For over ten years, he has swung the sword relentlessly, stubbornly, almost foolishly.
He trained his body and even learned to read, just in case.
“Was there really a reason to work so hard?”
The black-armored knight asks.
The man doesn’t hesitate.
“My parents told me to live a life without regrets.”
It was their last wish.
Please look forward.
Don’t cry thinking about us.
“However, I regret every day. Because I was weak, I couldn’t protect them.”
No one scolded him.
It was unavoidable.
He was too young back then.
But.
If I had strength, maybe I could have lived with my parents longer.
Maybe I’d have a younger sibling.
The neighbor uncle, grandpa, grandma—all killed by bandits and robbers overnight—
Perhaps they’d still be alive.
“I had no choice.”
But.
“I don’t want other children to harbor the same regrets and sorrows. That’s why I want to become strong like you.”
“…….”
The black-armored knight sighs deeply.
“Most people disappoint me, yet the world is full of surprises. After wandering countless places without expectation, I never thought I’d meet someone with such unwavering willpower.”
The man doesn’t understand the meaning or weight behind the knight’s words.
Maybe he never will throughout his life.
“Perhaps this too is fate.”
The black-armored knight says.
“You said you want to protect others, guard them, shield them without regrets. Is that right?”
“Yes.”
“Why? Isn’t protecting yourself more important than others? Why not use that strength to rise in status, find a good partner, have children, and live happily ever after?”
“Will tragedies disappear then? The world is hell, isn’t it? Living well myself is nothing more than closing my eyes and turning a blind eye to all that, isn’t it?”
“Young blood may dream of changing the world, but it’s futile.”
The black-armored knight knows this all too well.
A single individual.
Thinking they can change the world with their own will.
The moment they decide this.
They inevitably confront reality.
Under this vast world.
Amidst its ugly yet dazzling nature.
They realize how powerless they truly are.
Their solitary strength.
How pitifully weak it is.
“But if no one does it, shouldn’t someone like me step up?”
“…Hmm.”
“Didn’t you travel around hoping to find someone who could change the world?”
“That’s….”
Strange.
They’ve only met for a short time.
Why.
How.
Does this kid see through me like this?
“I merely wanted to become someone amazing.”
At first, that was the goal.
As he gradually understood the tragic structures oppressing the world.
Getting closer to its true form.
He realizes it must be defeated at all costs.
But it has no shape.
Thus, it cannot be defeated.
How lamentable and infuriating is this?
“Isn’t that enough?”
“Enough? Why?”
“If not me today, then tomorrow’s me will do it, right? If I can’t, then another future version of me, my descendants, will handle it.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“You won’t know unless you try, right?”
When he first grabbed the wooden stick.
When he memorized the knight’s training methods.
The boy wondered.
Can I really do this?
That was his only doubt.
“If I can’t, that’s fine. But that’s no reason not to try, right?”
“Stop. Going further will surely lead to regret.”
The wall of the world is incredibly high.
Realizing it reaches the heavens.
It becomes an insurmountable barrier.
A mere castle wall becomes meaningless compared to this.
Such walls are beyond the reach of any individual in reality.
“But your argument has merit.”
So show me.
“From now on, you must engrave my words deep into your soul.”
Absolutely, definitely.
“Live a life you can look up to the sky without shame. You may stumble, choke up tears, collapse, or even lie down due to exhaustion. But remember one thing.”
Please live without shame.
“If you can uphold this, some of what you desire will come true.”
Perhaps.
“A better tomorrow than you hoped for might continue.”
Finally, the knight turns his back.
“Can’t I see you anymore?”
The man senses it.
“I’m heading back home.”
“To your hometown?”
“Yeah.”
Because I’ve done everything I needed to here.
The knight mutters quietly.
Back then, he seemed so strong and massive.
Too big, too blinding.
I chased after that figure blindly.
“What should I call you, master?”
“Master? You flatter me too much.”
After a long silence, the black-armored knight replies.
“Grandeus. Call me that.”
“And I will remember your name as well.”
“Cariel. As the successor to the will I abandoned, I hereby appoint you. Therefore, in the Middle Realm, you shall act as my proxy.”
![[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")
