Grimgal of Ashes and Illusion - Volume 14 - Chapter 20

20. Door [knock_on_heaven’s_door]

It was as if blood had begun to flow through the slim wrist he was holding.

Niiyama Reon’s legs were cast out before him, and he sat on the floor of the royal hall, while Haruhiro knelt and held his left wrist.

It wasn’t that there had been no blood flow before. Reon was living. But it had been cool, and he hadn’t felt alive. His body temperature was gradually returning.

Reon slowly lifted his head to look at Haruhiro. The whites of his eyes were so white, they seemed pale. Haruhiro was reflected in his brownish pupils.

“Hey,” Haruhiro said gently.

Reon looked back down. Still, Haruhiro didn’t let go of his hand.

“Put this on him,” Alice said, throwing a cloak. It was one Haruhiro had originally been wearing.

Haruhiro let go of Reon’s wrist, and picked up the cloak. He put the coat over Reon who was hugging his own knees.

“...The things I did were horrible,” Reon rasped.

“Yeah.” Haruhiro looked around the royal hall.

It probably wasn’t accurate to call them Doppels, but the clones made by Reon’s magic had all vanished.

Was Gomi trying to open the jail and save their comrade? Ahiru had hooked his belt on the cage, and was in the process of lowering it. Io was sitting on the ground next to the shadow that had been Tonbe.

The husk didn’t move in the slightest. It had no thickness, as if it were just a shadow. He had been Reon just moments ago, so Haruhiro knew. Tonbe wouldn’t be coming back.

Reon had used magic to suck out something like the essence of what made Tonbe Tonbe. That shadow was the dregs. There was no Tonbe anywhere anymore.

Setora, Kiichi, and Kuzaku were hesitating on whether or not they should approach Shihoru.

Shihoru was sitting on the ground, looking up at the ceiling, perhaps with her mind elsewhere, but she wasn’t crying now. If she cried, it was over.

Before she did, they had to do what needed to be done.

“Huh? Where’s Merry...?” Haruhiro wondered.

He found her quickly. Merry was pulling the armrests off the door, trying to take the chains off it.

“Kuzaku, or someone! Help her!” Haruhiro called.

“’K-Kay!” Kuzaku ran off at an incredible speed. His physical abilities were enhanced with Narci, so he moved so fast that it was like a bad joke.

Alice shouldered the shovel and went to follow Kuzaku, but suddenly stopped and looked back. Those reddish-brown eyes that were close to crimson lay not upon Haruhiro, but on Reon.

“We’re opening the door,” Haruhiro said. “What about you?”

“I...”

“Let’s go.” Haruhiro forcefully pulled Reon to his feet, pushing him towards Alice.

Reon stumbled, and nearly fell. Yet still, he managed to walk on those skinny legs in no time.

“Setora and Kiichi, too!” Haruhiro called. “Io, we’re going! Tonbe left it to me to take care of you! Let’s go back to Grimgar together! Come on!”

Haruhiro sent Setora, Kiichi, and Io towards the door one after another. There was something else he needed to do. He had to do it himself. Haruhiro couldn’t leave this to anyone else.

He didn’t want to provoke her more than necessary, but was it better to do this slowly and take his time, or to hurry? He wasn’t sure. He couldn’t say either was right, so it was probably fifty-fifty.

Making his decision, he decided to approach her like normal.

“Shihoru! You, too!”

He pulled her to her feet without waiting for a response, then took off running, just like that. It was sink or swim now.

He didn’t care what happened; this was the only thing he could do. He couldn’t leave Shihoru behind, so this wasn’t just an act of desperation.

This is the only way. This is for the best, was what Haruhiro was thinking.

There’d have been nothing he could have done if Shihoru had blown up before they reached the king, but he had still wanted to drag Shihoru along, if possible. He’d prepared himself for the worst with that very intention.

Please, it’s just a bit further... please don’t cry, Shihoru.

While praying, he headed for the door. He didn’t have the courage to look at her.

For now, even as she stumbled, Shihoru was keeping up. That was enough.

With a great swing of Gomi’s greatsword smashing the jail, a man with bangs so long his face was hidden came out.

That was Tasukete, huh?

“Io-samaaa! Io-samaaa!” Tasukete wailed.

Ahiru finished lowering the cage. The door had been locked, but with his belt, Tasukete had apparently been able to get it open easily.

“Yuiko!” Ahiru shouted, extending his hand.

As he did so, the woman who had been forced to wear an outfit that made her look like a bird jumped into his arms.

“Yoshiharu, I believed in you!” she cried.

“Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” Kuzaku was tearing the chains off the door with brute force.

Kiichi, with Setora on his back, bounded up the levels of the jail.

In one place, there was a staircase two meters across. Io, Alice, and Reon were climbing those stairs. Haruhiro followed them.

On the way up, Shihoru suddenly came to a stop.

“Whoa, Shihoru...”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Looking at her, Shihoru’s eyes were sparkling. They were misty.

She looks ready to cry. Oh, crap. Is it no good? After we’ve come so far? No!

“It matters to me!” Haruhiro picked up Shihoru. It was the position you might know as the bridal or princess carry.

Shihoru’s practically naked. She’s ridiculously soft, too. Man, I’m not sure I should be doing this. Not that I’m gonna start acting weird or anything. Not in this situation. But, yeah, I don’t think I have any romantic feelings for her. I do like Shihoru. We’ve been through a lot. I like her so much, I don’t even know how to express it. Of course she matters to me. Maybe I’m going to die to Shihoru’s sparkling tears. But if the alternative is giving up on her, she matters enough to me that I can think, “I’m fine with that.”

He climbed the stairs. Three steps at a time. Kuzaku had already opened the door. The other side of it was nothing but a dirty white wall, but when Io, Gomi, and Tasukete charged into it, they vanished.

That door was linked to another world. From up on top of Kiichi, Setora looked back. She went through the door that way.

Reon was hesitating in front of the door. Alice kicked him in the butt.

“Hurry up!”

“Wah!”

And Reon vanished beyond the door, too.

“Ahiru, what about you?!” Alice demanded.

“I’m...” With Yonaki Uguisu still in his embrace, Ahiru smiled. “...staying with her. I never want us to be apart again.”

Alice shrugged, then casually jumped through the door.

Was Shihoru about to cry? Was she already crying. Haruhiro didn’t know.

The door was right there. If he ran out of strength here, he’d have no regrets, but it was just a bit further.

I want to go home, to that place, with everyone...