Chapter 204: Clouds Leave No Trace 『 Part Three 』
〜Shingeki No Kyojin World〜
The evening wind lingered low, gently cradling the tangerine glow of the campfire. Tongues of flame unfurled and retracted within the night's embrace.
"The General's eyes… they look so weary."
Mikasa clutched the scarf around her neck tighter, her face clouded with worry. It was hard to fathom how General Jing Yuan had endured these past few centuries. In his memories lay the shattered remnants of the High-Cloud Quintet; in reality, he faced mountains of paperwork that could fill valleys, the duty of managing the Six Charioteers of the Luofu, and the constant political maneuvering against the Ten-Lords Commission and the Alliance high command…
No one could truly walk in Jing Yuan's shoes; attempting to do so would likely drive one to madness from the sheer torment…
"Come to think of it… Do you think the High-Cloud Quintet of the past is somewhat similar to us now?"
Eren, sitting beside her, suddenly spoke up.
"Oi, oi, Eren… isn't that a bit ominous?"
Armin shot Eren a dissatisfied glare.
"And how are we alike? The High-Cloud Quintet fell apart in the end, but we won't! No matter what happens in the future, the three of us will always be together, right?"
As he spoke, the blond youth looked toward her.
"Mikasa, don't you agree?"
"Mm…"
The evening wind lingered low, gently cradling the tangerine glow of the campfire. Tongues of flame unfurled and retracted within the night's embrace, much like the unspoken thoughts weighing on a young girl's heart.
Mikasa's gaze quietly climbed up to Eren's profile.
Amidst the flickering firelight, Eren's silhouette was gilded with a flowing edge of gold. The tips of his brows were dyed in warmth, yet the depths of his eyes harbored a shadow far darker than the night itself… He seemed burdened, as if something incredibly heavy was pressing down upon his shoulders.
A gust of wind passed, causing the flames to suddenly bow low. In that instant when the light dimmed, Mikasa hastily averted her gaze from his face.
"Yes, we will be together forever… Eren."
—
「 Meanwhile, inside the Seat of Divine Foresight.
Jingliu intended to embark on a journey to revisit several places of old, to pour a libation of wine and reflect on the memories of the past.
She demanded that Dan Heng accompany her—refusal was not an option. Accepting her letter was tantamount to accepting her invitation; her attitude was uncompromising. Dan Heng, wishing to avoid further complications, acquiesced.
For the first stop of this nostalgic tour, Yanqing selected Starskiff Haven on Jingliu's behalf.
Upon arriving at the haven, Yanqing gazed at the sky filled with starskiffs, his curiosity about her intentions growing. However, before he could ask, Jingliu posed a question to him: "Little boy, have you ever heard the name of the Foxian pilot, Baiheng?"
The name Baiheng sounded rather familiar to Yanqing, though he couldn't quite place it. Conversely, Dan Heng felt a sudden wave of dazed trance—although the name was as unfamiliar as a breeze passing by chance, somehow, a voice was carried within that wind.
"Just let the noble High Elder summon the clouds and rain to drown the enemy formation. We side characters just need to watch from the sky, right?"
"…!!"
Dan Heng's eyes snapped open. That fleeting voice pierced his heart like a needle.
Jingliu noticed Dan Heng's anomaly and was curious about what he had recalled. Dan Heng took a few deep breaths and spoke slowly: "She… seems to have been a comrade of Imbibitor Lunae."
"A comrade, and a friend. She was Imbibitor Lunae's, and she was ours." Jingliu tilted her head back, watching the starskiffs coming and going in the sky, her voice as light as a withered leaf in late autumn.
"But enough… it is all merely passing smoke and clouds. The reason I came to Starskiff Haven was simply to pay my respects to her here." 」
「 .....」
〜Frieren: Beyond Journey's End World〜
"It is a Foxian Memorial Ceremony…"
Stark lay sprawled on the chair. The atmosphere of regret and sorrow radiating from the light screen was nearly overflowing, weighing heavily even on the hearts of those watching.
"Frieren-sama, I get the feeling that while the High-Cloud Quintet had a good relationship, the bond between Jingliu and Baiheng seems to have been exceptionally close,"
Fern remarked from the side.
"I don't think so,"
Frieren gently shook her head.
"I believe it is simply pure remembrance of a comrade and the past. However, if the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae had never occurred, Jingliu's tone would not be this heavy today."
"…In Jingliu's eyes, Imbibitor Lunae is the source of the problem."
Sein gazed at Dan Heng's back on the screen, sighing with emotion.
"But we, watching now, know clearly that Dan Feng was also left with no choice. The regret of a comrade's death, the crisis of his dwindling kin, the heavy burden of being the High Elder… rather than doing nothing and letting the sorrow grow, he chose to make a dangerous gambit."
"He staked everything on the Transmutation Arcanum… unfortunately, he lost everything, suffering a crushing defeat."
—
「 Jingliu knew nothing of starskiff manufacturing, so Yanqing took over the task for her. It was only then that he suddenly remembered reading the name Baiheng in a travelogue titled Starskiff Tours of the Boundless Sea.
Nine out of ten entries in that book detailed the author's starskiffs crashing in different worlds and encountering frequent perils. Yet, the sheer luck that allowed the author to turn danger into safety and survive unscathed every single time left Yanqing in awe.
"Indeed, her luck was always shockingly bad. Whenever she piloted a starskiff into battle, she would either be swallowed whole by the giant beasts of the Denizens of 『 Abundance 』 through some twist of fate, or crash-land deep behind enemy lines."
Speaking of Baiheng's past, a rare warmth seeped into Jingliu's voice. "But in the sole matter of staying alive… her luck was shockingly good. No matter the hardship or danger, she always managed to land on her feet."
As they spoke, the starskiff assembly line roared to life. The group arrived at the port, where a starskiff they had just constructed sat waiting.
"After leaving the Luofu for so long, I can finally come to bid you farewell."
Jingliu took a deep breath. As her fingertips grazed the cold hull of the starskiff, she turned back to look at Dan Heng and continued to ask: "Imbibitor Lunae… the battle where we slew Shuhu. Do you remember it?"
"I remember nothing," Dan Heng shook his head.
"Let me refresh your memory. During that battle, Baiheng, being the headstrong girl that she was, managed to exhaust the luck that was bestowed upon her by the Reignbow Arbiter."
"She charged into the formation alone, allowing the Alliance soldiers to break through Shuhu's Crimson Hellscape, and even called you back from your draconic frenzy. But she never walked out of that battlefield. We all incurred a debt that can never be repaid."
"For the Cloud Knights, to be buried on the battlefield is an honor. But Imbibitor Lunae… you did not understand this."
Jingliu's fingers clenched unconsciously. Recalling the scene where she slaughtered the draconic abomination of the past, she felt a chill seep into her very marrow, and her shoulders began to tremble involuntarily.
"You could not accept Baiheng's departure, so you dared to use that on her… In the moment she should have found peace, you committed an irrevocable sin." 」
「 .....」