Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai suru - Volume SS01 - Chapter Ep

Epilogue

Hauling the recovered underclassmen, they left the studio. By the time they reached the fourth layer’s reading area, they found a rescue squad of upperclassmen waiting to escort them to safety. The students on campus above were shocked to see Godfrey carrying Severo’s final work with him.

They gave their reports, and the next day, the school declared the situation resolved. The sealed paintings were restored to their original locations, and Kimberly was back to its usual level of constant violence.

Godfrey was standing alone before the painting when Tim yelled his name, throwing his arms around Godfrey from behind. The boy had recovered from his injuries quickly and earned himself a smile.

“All good, Tim? Those weren’t mild injuries…”

“See for yourself! Never been better. The moment you arrived, my mind was fully healed! My body was just being a quitter, so I couldn’t get up.”

“I was scared you’d actually try.” Carlos chuckled, catching up. “You ought to listen to your body sometimes, okay?”

Lesedi and Ophelia joined them. Godfrey turned to the neighborhood watch and made it formal.

“Lesedi, Carlos, Ophelia—I put you all through a lot this time. As the leader, I regret exposing my companions to harm.”

“Godfrey…” Ophelia sighed.

“Remorse is useless,” Lesedi scoffed. “You’re gonna do this same thing umpteen times.”

Godfrey winced. “Can’t argue with that,” he admitted. “Naturally, I’ll try to learn from this and avoid risks…but I suspect Lesedi’s right. As long as there are those in need of help, I’ll go running after them. Just as Mr. Escobar’s paintings were his burden, this is my lot as a mage.”

He’d come to that realization a while ago. He glanced around at their faces.

“But I don’t intend to rope others into my mess. I’ll go the rest alone. As of today, the neighborhood watch—”

Before he could say another word, a fist hit his solar plexus. Lesedi hadn’t held back at all, and her punch left him gasping for air.

“…Guh…”

“A solid hit. Rejoice—that was good enough to make me forgive what you just said.”

With that, she fixed him with a glare. For once, no one admonished her. Ophelia stepped forward, speaking quietly.

“…The whole time we were in the painting, I never doubted. I knew you and Carlos would come to save us.”

“Ophelia…”

“Even consumed by the spell, Mr. Escobar was drawn to you—and I think I get why. Kimberly is a cold place. But that’s not true around you. Here…there is warmth.”

Ophelia took Godfrey’s hand in hers, staring right into his eyes. She’d felt something along these lines before, but now those feelings came into focus, and she wished to share them.

“…Let me stay by your side. I will not die easily. I will get stronger—”

“Ain’t nothing to worry about, Godfrey! Next time I’ll kill ’em all solo!”

Tim, never one to take a hint, started talking over her. One of Ophelia’s eyes twitched, and she spun around to face him.

“Tim, I was in the middle of something.”

“And there was no need to hold his hand while you did. Can’t put anything past you! Godfrey, give my tits a squeeze as a palate cleanser.”

“Fake tits made with a transformation spell?! Move aside! I’m not finished!”

The two first-years were now grappling, and Godfrey just blinked at them.

“…You’re sure?” he asked. “If you stick around—”

“Perhaps it’s a foolish choice,” Carlos said, smiling. “But I know this for sure—not one person here will regret it.”

That smile banished Godfrey’s last concern. Casting aside his pain, he looked proud, gazing upon his stalwart companions.

“Thank you… I’ll shoulder the burden of your lives once more.”

His eyes flicked down—and two older students came their way.

“Oh, it’s the band of fools! Breaking records again? Congrats!”

“I—I don’t think…that’s the best phrasing…”

A third-year girl, as dangerous as she was outwardly friendly, backed by a second-year male with the distinctly gloomy vibe of a curse wrangler. This duo had made a powerful impression, and the watch braced themselves.

“Bloody Karlie…!”

“What do you want?!”

“Ah, settle down. We ain’t here to fight. Just taking a gander at the old boy’s success. You the same, right?”

She fluttered her hand and slipped past them to the painting. She and the boy looked up at it awhile.

“Okay…I get it,” Karlie said. “That is something else.”

She looked up at the rafters, fingers dabbing at the corners of her eyes. The boy handed her a handkerchief, and she took it, blowing her nose.

“Really put a tingle back there. Damn, dude could paint…”

“I-I’m shocked. D-didn’t think you had a s-sensitive bone in you.”

“Robert, how dare you. You think I’m some sort of lout?” Karlie put his head in an iron claw.

Here, Lesedi voiced a question.

“I felt something from it myself, but what meaning does this have, specifically? Something about the path of our sorcery…?”

“Girl, don’t ask me about philosophy shit. Post-realist art ain’t anything that concrete. All I know is, it moves something in the viewer—what that means is beyond me. Could be a few centuries before we work it out.”

Karlie flashed a grin, then pursed her lips, tearing her eyes away from the painting.

“…Ah, I can’t. If I stare at this any longer, I’ll dry out. Hate to run, but I gotta.” She swung around. “See ya later, Purgatory.”

She slapped Godfrey on the shoulder and headed for the door, the gloomy boy in tow.

“…Did you mean me?” Godfrey asked.

“Who else? That’s the painting’s title. You got Mr. Escobar to paint it, and you brought it back up here. Might as well call you the same thing. Not sure who first came up with it, but most of the upperclassmen are calling you that now.”

Karlie shrugged it off, yet Godfrey had no clue how to respond. She shot him an impish grin.

“Not many idiots serve as a Final Visitor in only their second year,” she said. “Makes people expect things. So this ain’t an encouragement so much as it is an order: Don’t die easy, kid.”

With that, she was off down the hall, leaving Godfrey clutching his head.

“What an epithet…”

“Agreed.” Lesedi grinned. “But it’s memorable. Nearly every student here’s seen this painting.”

Tearing their eyes off the painting, Carlos added, “This is just the beginning of your legend.”

A second prophecy. A few years in the future, they’d all look back—and know for a fact it had come true.

END