Ellegaard investigated the battlefield. The crystals still glowed as if they were alive, and the destruction surrounding the area became more evident the closer she got to the castle.

The damp air still carried the metallic scent of blood mixed with wet ash and pulverized stone.

Further ahead, upon the king’s old throne, lay a large stain of dried blood splattered across the stone and dust, as if something had crashed there with tremendous force.

She touched the stain and immediately knew whose blood it was. Then she looked at the path ahead of the throne; the blood trailed forward until it eventually faded into a blurred streak. A few finger marks could be seen in the dust, desperate signs of someone who had tried to keep moving even when their body should no longer have been capable of doing so.

There was a great deal of ash nearby, swirling before the walls like a tornado of dust dragged out from the castle’s interior.

And before all of that stood an unstable bridge made of rubble and solidified ash. Beneath the bridge yawned a dark abyss where only the echo of the wind crashing against the ruined remains of the castle could barely be heard.

Without fearing the instability of the structure, Ellegaard walked across it toward the combat arena. Her magical staff tapped the ground with every step, producing a faint sound that vanished into the void beyond. The ash crunched beneath her boots, and parts of the bridge slowly crumbled behind her, falling into the abyss in small fragments.

Those blade-like crystals—flowers growing from the ground in a hauntingly beautiful way—spread out at the end of the path. Some had been split in half, while others remained intact, reflecting faint purple and bluish glimmers beneath the scarce light filtering through the clouds. They resembled an abandoned garden born from suffering and magic.

Jeanne was waiting there, observing the scene with an analytical expression. She studied the craters in the ground and the impacts carved into the crystal, reconstructing the battle in her mind as if she could see a past she had never witnessed herself.

Her eyes traced every crack along the walls and every sword mark embedded in the blackened floor.

"The battle was fierce..." the princess murmured.

Hearing Ellegaard approach, she turned toward her.

"Mitsuki was struck here and thrown against the castle," she told the elf without hesitation.

"So that’s how his torso and arm were destroyed. I’m surprised he survived that at all. He even crawled from the throne across the ground before managing to walk all the way here."

"Mitsuki really does have the makings of a warrior, don’t you think?"

Ellegaard shook her head.

"No. He’s just an obsessive idiot."

Jeanne smiled, because Ellegaard was being hypocritical again. In the end, she sighed and let those words slide. This elf would understand someday that she was the one in the wrong.

The princess turned her gaze toward one of the massive slashes carved into the crystal and imagined the sound of swords clashing beneath the rain.

Meanwhile, the elf continued her investigation. She examined the marks left by magical arrows buried deep in the stone, walked near the craters left behind by every impact, and eventually reached the place where they had found Mitsuki.

She closed her eyes and felt the magic that had once filled the scene with violent battle. She imagined herself back in that moment, when Mitsuki raised his hand toward the sky as though desperately trying to reach something that wasn’t there.

Broken, exhausted from fighting for survival. He was a man who had won, and somehow she could still feel that victory within the raindrops that touched his face.

She sighed, reflecting on her past thoughts, but suddenly, a soft "poof" echoed in the distance, causing Ellegaard to narrow her eyes for a better look.

A shadow leapt across the rooftops as though it could fly for brief moments. That shadow turned into a cloud of dust that literally flew toward them. Tiny whirlwinds of ash were left behind each time it landed atop a ruined roof.

That cloud of dust landed before them; it was Mitsuki.

"There you are. Aslan told me you’d be done soon, but you were taking too long, so I came to find you myself. I figured you’d be near here."

Ellegaard and Jeanne looked at him in surprise. Until now, they had not seen any of Mitsuki’s new powers. Even Jeanne, who was already used to absurd abilities, raised her eyebrows with genuine astonishment.

"So you finally woke up. You slept for two whole days. You practically looked dead while alive. Though that wouldn’t have been a bad thing," Ellegaard said.

Both girls approached Mitsuki and stared at him closely. The boy still carried that empty, calm expression that had become unsettling ever since the battle against Cinderella.

His long hair with purple tips swayed in the cold wind high above the ruins, and small particles of ash floated around him as though reacting to his presence.

"Looks like you’ve got some new tricks, Mitsuki. I should’ve expected that. Now I feel like I can’t afford to fall behind," Jeanne said. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Ah— Well, I guess. Putting that aside, I’m here because of something Monar told me. Aslan also agreed that you might be able to help me," Mitsuki said while looking at Ellegaard.

The elf frowned.

"What do you want? Power to destroy the world?"

"...Yeah. I want to destroy the world and do all those things world destroyers do," Mitsuki replied.

[ The skill "Sarcasm" has been activated. ]

Clearly, Mitsuki’s words were pure sarcasm, but they made Ellegaard step directly in front of him and stare straight into his eyes. The two looked at each other in silence, surrounded by a strange tension that made no sense.

It almost seemed as though they hated each other, yet Mitsuki displayed absolutely no emotion. The wind blew between them, moving the elf’s green hair and the boy’s black coat.

Jeanne showed a crooked smile, feeling out of place. Watching these two interact like this was uncomfortable, especially with Ellegaard always acting this way. Though that was also what made her cute.

"For the gods’ sake, Ellie, calm down," the princess said as she stepped between them. "If all you’re going to do is judge Mitsuki for something he hasn’t done, then I’ll have to do the same to you."

Ellegaard looked away. She was running out of arguments to justify her irrational hatred toward Mitsuki and humanity in general. Her fingers tightened slightly around her staff.

"And... what was it you wanted, Mitsuki?"

Mitsuki blinked a couple of times.

"Well, I should probably explain my situation first."

He took his time explaining everything.