"So I'm the final boss?! I knew it!"
One by one, the tales of Chaldea's exploits were told. Tomoe listened to them all with a proud smile.
"Master Rikka. For your long stay and your unwavering persistence, you have my deepest gratitude. It has been the highest honor to fight alongside you."
"Ahaha, I just did what I could."
"…So humble. That makes you all the more wonderful. …Allow me to say one thing."
"?"
"Please, live a long life. Your journey has only just begun. Be healthy, and live long. For that is the true battle of your life—the one that spans your entire existence."
"—Yes!"
The party continued. A testament to the strength of those who refuse to succumb to despair, choosing instead to laugh together…
V. The Flower Girl's Crown
At the flower shop.
"Grandmother. I've finished stocking the flowers."
Ana, having finished helping at the shop, stood beside the blind elderly woman.
"Thank you. You've been so good to me. That someone like me could survive until the end of the world… it's all thanks to you."
"No, it was nothing…"
"…I'm a stubborn old thing. I kept the shop going even when my family told me not to. …But it was all for show. I couldn't stand at the storefront. I couldn't call out to customers. I spent every day just watching the flowers my grandson's family brought me wither away. …But you changed that."
Ana listened in silence, leaning close to her.
"I've felt decades younger these past few days… Even when the sickness took me, you stayed by my side. My family had given up; they were trying to help me pass on. I had accepted it, too. I thought I had lived enough. But… you clung to me. You said, 'Grandmother is still alive, don't give up.' …That is why I am here now. Because 'as long as a person isn't forgotten, they aren't dead'… I woke up, and I touched your face…"
"…"
"I was startled. I had no idea you were such a beauty. It's a waste to hide it under that hood. You'd be the prettiest girl in the city. I told you to hold your head high… but a head held high needs a flower to crown it. So… I wanted to give you this."
The old woman reached out and placed a crown woven of flowers upon Ana's head.
"Grandmother, did you make this alone…?"
"Hehe, actually, I had some help. A tall girl with a calm voice. A small, mischievous-looking girl. And a tomboyish, headstrong girl… they all came to the shop."
"That was…"
"They said, 'For a crown that would suit our sister.' …You are well-loved, aren't you? Stand tall. You… are not alone."
"…Yes. …—Yes…"
Tears fell as Ana stood in silence. The grandmother held her with a gentle, accepting warmth.
Until the very end… the grandmother and Ana continued to tend the flower shop together.
VI. The Shield and the Spear
At the training grounds, Mash and Leonidas were sharing their convictions.
"There is no shame in fearing battle. Fundamentally, it is a struggle for life. It is only natural to be afraid. Just as some are suited to certain weapons, some are suited to certain mindsets. Ms. Mash, you are not the type who can simply swallow your fear or grow used to it. That fear will follow you for the rest of your life."
"…I think you're right. But I want to overcome it. If I don't, I'll never be truly useful to my Master."
"...Forgive me."
Leonidas removed his helmet. His fiery hair and piercing gaze were revealed to the air.
"Haha, it's getting a bit hot. The final battle with a god is upon us, after all. My spirit is blazing. Now, to continue—you aren't the type to forget fear. You are the type who pushes fear down with courage. It is that kind of warrior I trust and honor most."
"Pushing it down with courage…? King Leonidas, are you perhaps the same?"
"Hahaha! Unfortunately, I only fear ghosts. I am a King, after all. I was trained from childhood never to feel fear in combat."
"Oh… I'm sorry…"
"No, it's fine. —I may not feel fear, but going to war was always terrifying. Leaving my country empty, protecting it… when I thought of the lives of those left behind, I would squeeze my spear so hard the wood would splinter. —The pinnacle of that was the Battle of Thermopylae."
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