Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou Zero - Volume 2 - Chapter Ep

Epilogue

After returning to the continent, Laus gave his report to the pope, fully expecting to be reprimanded. He explained how the pirates had broken the terms of the agreement, so he’d attempted to eliminate them as per his original orders. He then went on to say that he’d been unable to overcome four ancient magic users, and had been forced to retreat. He continued by speaking about the existence of the Liberators and the fact that Andika had sunk into the sea. And to end things, he explained how the divine beast had been resurrected, then summarily defeated.

Though each item on his report beggared belief, the pope didn’t seem the least bit surprised by any of the information. Furthermore, he didn’t punish Laus for his failure. He simply ordered him to stand by.

Down below, the residents of the theocracy believed that since the church’s airship had returned, Laus had succeeded in his mission without a single casualty. Never in their wildest dreams did they imagine that Laus had failed, and returned with barely a fifth of his force. Laus believed it was for this reason that the pope withheld punishment. If he censured Laus, word would get out that the church’s strongest knight had failed, which would cause unrest with the populace. That being said, there were plenty of ways to punish him without letting the public find out. Laus considered that something far worse might be in store for him as he exited the pope’s audience chamber and headed to his room.

As he walked through the cathedral’s corridors, he passed by someone. Laus was too preoccupied by his own thoughts to give the passerby much thought, but a second later recognition flashed through his mind.

“Wait,” he said as he turned around him. The man who’d walked past him was someone who had no right being here—Ace. However, looking behind him, it wasn’t Ace standing there but a beautiful nun wearing a hooded robe.

“Yes?”

“Ah, my apologies. I mistook you for someone else.”

Feeling nervous for some reason he couldn’t quite explain, Laus shook his head and apologized. Seeing as the nun gave no reply he continued the conversation on his own.

“I haven’t seen you around the cathedral before...”

“My name is Ahat.”

“I-I see.”

Her voice was as clear as a bell, but devoid of all emotion. Laus took an involuntary step backward as he heard it.

“Do you need anything else?”

Laus once again shook his head, and the nun bowed and took her leave. He watched her go, then turned and continued the trek to his room. A few seconds later, he realized something, and a shiver ran down his spine. He whirled around, but the nun was no longer there. He was certain, without a shadow of a doubt, that the nun had no soul. He hadn’t sensed one within her.

Various thoughts flashed through Laus’ mind. Why is it that I wasn’t punished even though I failed to carry out my sacred duty? Why is it that the divine beast was revived and Andika sank while we were there? Why is it that the pope seemed so indifferent to hearing about Andika’s loss when he himself said it was a valuable asset? Why didn’t I realize the answer to these questions sooner? It’s obviously because someone with even more authority than the pope willed it.

The Leviathan had been revived only after Laus and his knights had attacked. He could think of no logical reason for reviving it then, nor any logical reason for why he wasn’t informed about the plan to revive it, meaning there was no logical reason. He’d received incomprehensible missions like this before. Those, and this mission too, had been Ehit’s will.

“So we’re just playthings to you, huh?”

The emotions that welled up within Laus were the complete opposite of those he’d seen in the dazzling girl he’d fought. As he thought back to that girl who was as bright as the sun, he realized something else. The reason he, the commander of the Holy Templar Knights hadn’t been informed of the Liberators’ existence. Along with the reason Belta had died, and her connection to Miledi. Those disjointed facts led him to one conclusion.

None of this had a good reason. It was simply happening because Ehit willed it.

Laus gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. He wanted to scream. His emotions threatened to boil over. But in the end, Laus Barn was a man who’d chosen not to fight. He let the strength drain from his fists, heaved a weary sigh, and resumed walking.

“A world where the people can live free...” Those words resonated in his head, but he ignored them. And he was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn’t even notice one of his subordinates monitoring him intently.

A month had passed since the fateful day Andika sank into the sea. In its place floated a new island made entirely of ships. Though quite some time had elapsed, Miledi and the others were still there.

Thanks to Oscar and the others’ valiant efforts, all of Andika’s residents had been evacuated before the island sank. They’d watched from Oscar’s rafts as their home fell to the depths of the ocean, and Miledi’s magic had run out, causing the walls of water around it to crash over everything, erasing all trace of their previous lives. No one would ever forget that wondrous and terrible sight.

Having lost everything they’d ever owned, the residents of Andika had been in shock. Even Meiru and Diene, who’d been rejoicing at their reunion, and Miledi, who’d barely spent any time on the island at all, felt a pang of sorrow at the loss of Andika. But after a few moments of silence, Miledi had once again gotten the ball rolling.

While everyone had escaped alive, plenty had been injured, and Andika’s residents couldn’t sit packed like sardines in tiny boats forever. If they’d tried to sail to the continent in their current condition, people would have died during the journey. So first, they’d linked the ships together, raised a few more to make them less crowded, treated the wounded, and gathered enough food to feed everyone.

The next morning, Miledi presented Andika’s residents with their options. They could either continue to live on the ship island, return to the continent, or test their luck and search for a new continent where the church would never find them. If they returned to the continent they would naturally be hunted by the church, since they were heretics, so Miledi had offered to let any residents who wanted to return live in the Liberators’ hidden village.

While most citizens were content to remain on the ship island under Baharl’s leadership, a good chunk of them elected to return to the continent and live with the Liberators. Part of the reason so many had signed up was because they’d been inspired by Miledi. In fact, most who wanted to return had asked not only to live with the Liberators, but to join them as well. After all Miledi had done for them, they wished to be of use to her in return. After watching her pick a fight with the church, save Andika’s people, and kill a giant sea serpent, they were convinced she could do anything. Miledi Reisen had left that big an impression on them.

Afterward, Miledi and the others had remained behind to help Meiru and Diene expand the island by raising up more ships and gathering enough food to ensure the residents could have a stable life. They’d also wanted to stay for a while to make sure the church didn’t return to finish the job they’d started. In the meantime, they’d of course kept in touch with the Liberators back on the continent. But a month had passed now, and Miledi was ready to return. Today would be the day of their departure.

“Hey, Miledi! From here, the first thing you see when you get to the continent is a desert, right? I heard it’s like a huge ocean, but full of sand instead of water. I can’t even imagine what that looks like. I can’t wait to see it!” Kiara hugged Miledi from behind, her bunny ears flopping up and down in excitement. She was one of the people who’d chosen to join the Liberators. In fact, she’d been the first to apply. It was because she’d yelled “I don’t like any of those choices! I wanna join your organization Miledi! I wanna follow you!” that so many other people had thought to apply as well.

“Oh yeah, I forgot you were born in Andika, Kia-chan. Yep, the desert’s one giant sea of sand. There’s a lot of problems with it, but it’s definitely pretty! By the way, Kia-chan. Are you sure you want to join the Liberators?”

Miledi had asked Kiara that a dozen times already, but she wanted to confirm one last time before they departed. Seeing the serious look on Miledi’s face, Kiara stepped back and looked at her head-on.

“Yes, I do. I want to help you, Miledi. We may have lost our home, but it’s only thanks to you that I, mom, dad, and everyone else are still alive. I have to repay you somehow.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. I just did what I wanted to. You don’t owe me anything. But if you join the Liberators, you’ll make the world your enemy.”

“You told me that a hundred times already. I’m not really sure if I’m ready to do that or not, but...” Kiara closed her eyes, then gave Miledi a determined stare.

“But this isn’t just about repaying you. The reason I... No, the reason everyone, even my mom and dad, want to join the Liberators is because we respect you! We want to be able to live our lives like you do, and we want to make the world a place where we can say the things we want to without fear of persecution!”

The other people who’d asked to join the Liberators all turned to Miledi. They were all ready to depart, and it was clear they wouldn’t be dissuaded. After all, they all had the glint of rebellion in their eyes.

“Alright.”

That was all Miledi said in response. They’d chosen to follow her of their own free will. And in truth, that made Miledi incredibly happy. She tried to keep a straight face, but after a few seconds she was smiling. That pure smile of hers captivated the hearts of every man who’d petitioned to join. They blushed and looked away, too embarrassed to make eye contact. Even Kiara blushed slightly.

“Besides... I’m, you know, your friend. It’s normal for friends to help each other out. I’m not that strong, and I might not be able to do much, but...” Kiara fidgeted, her bunny ears twitching nervously.

“You’re too freaking cute!” Miledi squealed, blood dripping from her nose.

“Miledi, are you okay!? Is the battle from the other day still hurting you!?” Kiara shouted, panicking.

“I-I’m fine. This is friendship flowing from my nose, don’t worry about it.”

“Uh, you sure you didn’t hit your head somewhere?” Kiara was a perfectly normal girl, and her reaction to Miledi’s strange behavior was also perfectly normal.

Before Miledi could respond, Baharl walked up to her, followed by Diene and Meiru.

“Yo, Miledi. We’ve—”

“Excuse me, Baharl? How many times must I tell you to add honorifics after Miledi-chan’s name? Do you wish to die? If so, I can grant you that wish.”

It appeared saying Miledi’s name was a capital offense for Baharl. A bead of sweat poured down his forehead as he looked at the razor-sharp saber pointed at his neck.

“N-Nee-sama! Father didn’t mean to be rude! He’s just a bit slow, that’s all!”

“Oi, Diene. What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” Baharl raised his hands in surrender, his expression stiff as he questioned his daughter.

“Oh my, it appears you get to live another day. You should be thanking Diene for her kindness. In fact, prostrate yourself before her right now. I’ll step on you until you’ve reflected on your actions.”

“You know what, I take it all back. You’re nothing like Reej.”

Meiru smiled gently and slapped Baharl’s cheek with the flat of her blade, urging him to get to his knees. Sighing, he made to do as he was told. Before he could though, Diene grabbed Meiru’s arm and stopped her. Reluctantly, Meiru pulled her saber away.

Their relationship was a little complicated, but it appeared Meiru and Baharl had made up to some degree. So long as Diene was there to mediate between them, they wouldn’t be trying to kill each other any time soon. For her part, Diene had begun to open up more to Baharl after he’d started acting more like a proper father to her.

Miledi smiled at the trio and Baharl awkwardly scratched his head.

“Uh, so where was I? Oh yeah, thanks for all your help.”

“Help? But I skipped out on my casino debt and then raided it afterward.”

“You saved Andika’s people. Compared to that, your debt’s chump change. You even provided this island with the supplies it needs. If anything, we owe you now. Big time...” Baharl shrugged. Over this past month, he’d mellowed out. Having lost the city he’d ruled through force had caused a profound change within him.

“You owe me, huh? In that case, you better take good care of Diene-chan. Promise me!”

“How the hell’s that going to repay you— Stop, stop, I get it already. I promise I’ll protect not just Diene, but everyone who’s too weak to protect themselves!” Baharl started to argue, but stopped when Meiru began poking him in the back with her saber. He threw his hands into the air as a gesture of resignation.

“Well said, Father!” Diene exclaimed, and pulled her nails away from his stomach. When all was said and done, Baharl couldn’t hold a candle to his daughter. He cleared his throat awkwardly, then said in a grave tone.

“If you ever meet Ace... Err, actually, you said he was an apostle, right? Anyway, if you meet him again, give him my regards. And if you can manage it, get a good punch in for me.”

After hearing Naiz’s explanation, Miledi and Oscar had agreed that Ace had likely been killed by one of God’s Apostles who had then masqueraded as him. No one but an apostle possessed silver-colored mana. The group had also surmised that the reason the God’s Apostle had unsealed the Leviathan was because god had likely thought it’d be fun. The apostles existed to properly set the game board for Ehit, and make sure the pieces were moving in an amusing manner.

“Yeah, leave it to us. The beautiful, genius mage Miledi and her merry band’ll make sure to beat the shit out of the apostles, the church, and even god!”

“I’ll be counting on ya. I doubt those guys’ll come after us again. We can’t pay ’em bribes anymore, but they still need a place to throw all their heretics.”

“Yeah, there’s no reason for them to go out of their way to destroy this place when it’s in the middle of nowhere.”

Now that the ship island was only useful for containing heretics, the church had no reason to bother with it at all. Which was why the Melusine Pirates intended to leave the island as well, along with Diene. Meiru planned to return to the island regularly so that Diene could meet her father and the pirates could stock up on supplies, but otherwise they planned to wander the seas. They wanted to keep their position hard to track, so that the church wouldn’t be able to find them. That was the only way they’d be able to live in peace. Furthermore, they’d be putting the island in danger if they remained there permanently.

“Thanks. Anyway, I’ll uhh, do my best to keep things running out here. If you ever get your asses handed to you and have nowhere else to go, you can always come back. I’ll try to make it a bigger island by then.”

“Huh, you sure?”

“Our island might be gone, but this is still the city of freedom. We don’t turn away anyone, no matter who they are. And we don’t stop anyone from leaving either. Well, I guess we’d turn the church away, but that’s it.”

“Ahaha. Thanks. I’ll keep your offer in mind!”

Baharl blushed at Miledi’s sincere expression of gratitude, and he scratched his head to hide his embarrassment. A few seconds later he shrugged and said, “Well, see ya. Try not to kick the bucket too easily,” before walking off.

“Miledi-san. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done,” Diene added. She gave Miledi a brief hug, then tottered after Baharl. Meiru watched her go with a smile. She could tell Diene had left to give the two of them some time alone. But before either of them could say anything, Oscar, who was saying his farewells to Chris and the other pirates, shouted at Miledi to let her know their ship was ready to go. They’d been given one by Baharl as a token of gratitude. Starting with Kiara, the newly minted Liberators started boarding. Eventually, it was just Miledi left. She smiled at Meiru and said, “Guess it’s time for me to go, Meru-nee.”

“So it is, Miledi-chan.”

Meiru was wearing the same gentle smile as always.

“There were some rough spots, but I had a lot of fun hanging out with you.”

“I see. I had an enjoyable time myself. Also...thank you. I’m more grateful to you than words could ever express.”

“Nyufufu. What’s this? You’re being surprisingly honest today, Meru-nee.”

Miledi provoked Meiru with a vexatious grin. But for once, Meiru didn’t rise to the taunt. Instead, she hugged Miledi tight.

“M-Meru-nee?”

“......”

Meiru said nothing. She just kept hugging Miledi, tight enough to choke her. After a while, Miledi closed her eyes and hugged Meiru back. Finally, they broke apart.

“If Oscar-kun’s Artifacts aren’t able to cure his siblings, come find me. I promise I’ll do everything I can to help.”

“Okay, I will.”

The two exchanged a brief glance, then Miledi smiled and turned on her heel.

“Ah!”

Meiru reached her hand out to Miledi, but then pulled it back. She straightened her posture and quietly watched the back of the small girl who’d sworn to fight the world—the girl who was like a sister to her—recede into the distance. Once Miledi was on board, the ship cast off. The remaining residents of Andika cheered and waved as the ship sailed away. Meiru went to the deck of her own ship, the Melusine, and saw Miledi off with her crew. The Melusine Pirates were cheering and waving with the rest, but also throwing in occasional shouts of “Visit us again sometime!”

Their ship grew smaller and smaller as it receded into the distance. Miledi continued jumping and waving to everyone until Meiru and the others were out of sight. As Miledi vanished beyond the horizon, Meiru gripped the ship’s rudder with such force that her knuckles turned white. Her smile vanished, replaced by a stiff grimace.

This is for the best. I can finally live together with Diene. It’s too dangerous to join Miledi-chan. If I became a Liberator, Diene and my family would be in even greater danger than they are now. So this is for the best. Running for the rest of our lives is much safer than fighting. This is...for the best.

Meiru kept repeating “This is for the best” under her breath over and over. But no matter how many times she told herself that, she couldn’t get the image of a beaten and battered Miledi out of her mind. Meiru knew that Miledi would continue recklessly putting herself in danger for the sake of others. For the sake of freedom. For the sake of fighting against this unreasonable world.

What if this is the last time I’ll ever see her alive... The thought left Meiru terrified. Her heart felt like it was being squeezed by a vice. Meiru had no idea when it had happened, but somehow, she’d started to consider Miledi just as important to her as Diene. Even though they’d only known each other for a few months, Meiru loved Miledi like a real sister.

“Nee-sama.”

“Ah...what is it, Diene?”

Meiru plastered on a smile and turned to her beloved sister. Diene was looking up at her with an expression of unbelievable kindness. It was this smile that had caused others to call Diene a saint.

“Go with them, Nee-sama.”

“Huh? What are you...”

“You want to join them, don’t you? You want to help them, I can tell.”

Diene gently took hold of Meiru’s hand.

“It’s because you worked so hard that I have such a wonderful family now.”

Meiru turned around, and saw her crew gazing at her. Each and every one of them was smiling.

“I know Father loves me now too. This is more than enough. I don’t need anything else.”

“Diene...”

Diene pointed toward the sea with her free hand. She was pointing in the direction Miledi had gone.

“I’ll be fine, because I have everyone to protect me. But Miledi-san needs you to protect her, nee-sama.”

Diene’s smile turned from a gentle one to a fearless one. As odd as it seemed, that cocky grin suited her just as well as a benevolent smile.

“Besides, I hate the church. They stole my home from me. Or well, I suppose unleashed the thing that stole my home. But I’ll never forgive them.”

“D-Diene?”

“So, nee-sama. You have to get revenge on them for me!”

I suppose she is the princess of outlaws. Meiru thought to herself. Unsurprisingly, Diene had quite a backbone herself. Meiru looked up at the sky to hide her tears. The little sister who’d begged to be saved all those years ago had grown up into a woman strong enough to send her older sister off.

“Go, Meiru.”

This time, it was Chris who told her to go.

“It’s too late to change course.”

“What do you mean, too late? Running is still a better option than fighting the church head—”

“That’s not what I mean. You know as well as I do that those guys have already become a part of our family. It’s too late to pretend they’re not. And the number one rule of the Melusine Pirate Crew is that we never abandon our family, isn’t that right?”

The other pirates nodded in unison.

“If you really wanted to stay here, that would have been fine with us too. But you obviously don’t. And we don’t want to see you looking like that. Isn’t that right, boys!?”

“Yeah! It’s not like you to be this hesitant, you moron! You’re that tomboy’s older sister, aren’t you!? So hurry up and go after her, Meiru!”

“That’s right, Cap’n. Besides, it’s not like you to just keep running away. If the church hates us either way, then ya might as well take the fight to them!”

“I shall allow your departure, if it means you will send me blessed pictures of Miledi-kun in a maid outfit.”

Everyone was telling Meiru to join the Liberators.

“It won’t hurt to have a place to run to on the sea if you need to. So we’ll hold the fort down here, and make sure the Melusine Pirate Crew’s ready any time you need us. So, Meiru. You’ve gotta go in our place and make sure those cocky brats don’t kick the bucket!”

Meiru covered her eyes, hiding her tears. After a few seconds she took a huge breath, and made her decision. She gathered her resolve and gave her beloved family a fearless smile.

“You’re all fools, the lot of you!”

The pirates cheered. The Melusine Famile had found a new goal—bring down the unreasonable system that governed this world. Meiru dropped to one knee and hugged Diene tight.

“I suppose I’ll be going then, Diene. Will you look after this foolish family of mine for me?”

“Of course, nee-sama. Good luck! I’ll be waiting for you to come visit me again!”

The sisters nodded to each other, and Meiru rose to her feet. She climbed up onto the ship’s railing and prepared to jump.

“Hey, Meiru.”

Chris called out to her. Meiru turned around to see Chris walking up to give her the Melusine Pirates’ farewell gift. Considering how rehearsed his act was, Meiru guessed he’d prepared this beforehand.

“You’ll be leaving us and the ship behind for a while. Which is why you’ve gotta at least take our name with you.”

“Fufu. I suppose so. In that case, I shall take you up on that offer.”

Meiru smiled happily at her family and shouted, “As our representative, I, Meiru Melusine, shall show the world our power!”

With that, Meiru leapt backward into the sea. The Melusine Pirate Crew saw her off with final, resounding cheer.

“Haah...”

Miledi stopped waving her arms and sighed. She turned her back to the ship’s stern, her expression glum.

“Feeling lonely, Miledi?”

“Not really.”

Miledi’s denial lacked vigor. After exchanging a troubled glance with Oscar, Naiz walked over and tried to cheer Miledi up.

“It’s not like this is goodbye forever. As long as you’re both alive, you’ll be able to see each other again.”

“I know.”

Miledi said with a pout. She’d kept up a smile as they’d been leaving so as to not alarm Andika’s residents, but she no longer had the energy to maintain the act. That was how much she missed Meiru. Oscar followed up with a joke, trying to distract Miledi from thinking about Meiru.

“Sheesh, I never knew you were such a siscon. Looks like you can’t do anything without you’re big sister around.”

“Wha— That’s not true! And I’m not a siscon!”

“I can’t believe you miss her already. You should grow up a little, really.”

“Not you too, Nacchan! I don’t miss her! Even if Meru-nee’s gone...even if she’s gone...”

Miledi’s face fell again. Oh no, this is serious. Oscar thought. Miledi lost all will to argue, and she staggered away.

“Oh my, and where do you think you’re going?”

“To my room. Sorry O-kun, Nacchan, but I want to be alone for a bit.”

“I’m afraid I can’t allow that.”

“God, stop bugging me! I’ve got times I want to be alone too, you know!”

“I know that very well. But that doesn’t mean I’ll let you be alone.”

“Look, if you don’t cut it out I’m gonna get mad for...”

Miledi glared at Oscar and Naiz, but then realized the voice wasn’t coming from their direction. On top of that, both of them were looking at something behind her. A second later, a pair of hands grabbed Miledi’s cheeks and pulled.

“Owwwwwie! Wha!? Whash going on!? Wait, ish that you, Meru-nee!?”

“Yeeeeeeeeees. It’s me. Here to see my lonely little sister.”

Meiru let go of Miledi’s cheeks and she hurriedly turned around.

“B-But why?”

Why’re you here? Meiru smiled gently and said, “I think I’ll join your little group after all. It’s a pleasure to be working with you, Oscar-kun, Naiz-kun. And of course, my soft-cheeked little Miledi-chan.”

“R-Really? You’ll join us? B-But what made you change your mind?”

“Well, you see...”

After a very long pause, Meiru said, “I haven’t teased you enough!”

“You know what, go back! Go disappear in the ocean somewhere! Stupid Meru-nee!”

“My, how mean. I’m afraid mean girls like you need to be punished.”

“No not aga—Stoooooooooop!”

Meiru hugged Miledi and once again began playing with her cheeks. The other passengers came to see what all the ruckus was about, then smiled when they saw Meiru was there. Though Miledi looked like she was annoyed, it was obvious she was happy Meiru was joining them. On the other hand, Meiru was leaning into her sadistic side to hide her own embarrassment. As always, the two of them resembled a pair of actual siblings.

“Heeey! O-kun, Nacchan, stop staring and lend me a hand!”

Oscar and Naiz looked at each other and smiled. Then the two of them ran over to their beloved leader and their newest comrade to join in on the fun.