Chapter 88: Ciel Illusian and Ciel Nightwalker (3)
"Hmm? Where… is this?"
Happy woke and glanced around the room, then shook Charle, who was lying beside him.
"Charle, wake up!"
"…A male cat."
Charle rubbed her eyes and sat up when she saw Happy. The two cats scanned the room and tried to piece together what had happened before they fell asleep.
"What… happened to us?"
"They must've put us to sleep… but where are we?"
"…"
They'd all been captured by the kingdom's soldiers in the underground tunnels.
Natsu and Wendy had been taken easily because they couldn't use magic.
Lucy had been seized before she could even summon her spirits.
Then Ciel and the Edolas Ciel had appeared.
They'd assumed Ciel would win by overwhelming force—but even he was defeated by the Edolas counterpart.
After being captured, they'd been paraded into the castle amid the kingdom soldiers' reverent chanting of "Exceed," and then some kind of smoke had put them all under.
That was the last scene Charle remembered before losing consciousness.
Charle bowed her head in gloom, blaming herself as the memories resurfaced.
"Charle?"
"My information was a trap…"
"No! We were found by accident! It's not your fault, Charle!"
"I swore to protect Wendy…"
Charle had proudly declared she would abandon her mission to protect Wendy, and had steeled herself to do it. So this outcome felt bitter and unjust to her.
Happy moved to comfort the despondent Charle.
"Are you the ones who completed your mission in Earthland? Hmm… you smell nice."
"Ichiya?!"
"?!"
The door opened, and a yellow, slightly chubby cat struck a stylish pose as he entered.
Happy and Charle saw him and, thinking of Ichiya from Blue Pegasus, called his name.
"…But a cat?"
"Why so surprised? We're Exceeds too, after all."
A long-faced black cat entered behind the Ichiya lookalike and introduced themself.
"I'm Nichiya, captain of the Imperial Guard of Exstaria."
"I'm Nadi. Good work completing your mission."
"Mission?"
"…"
Happy cocked his head, puzzled by these formal-sounding cats, while Charle remained sullen and kept her head bowed.
Nichiya ordered the two to come outside and follow them. Though they didn't understand the situation, Happy judged it efficient to go along and took Charle's paw.
"A male cat…"
"Charle, leave it to me. For now, let's just watch what happens."
"…"
"I'll protect you — don't worry."
Holding Happy's paw, Charle followed Nichiya and Nadi out of the room.
...
"This 'me' over here."
"That's all the story I can tell you."
After hearing Nightwalker's entire tale, I glared at him as if I wanted to kill him.
His words and his resolve stirred something—a seed of hesitation—in my mind.
But I couldn't afford even that small hesitation.
If I could restore that power, I could kill Acnologia and even #xx....
If that happened, the Dragon Slayers and the children connected to the dragons—like Natsu—might not have to suffer those goodbyes.
I could raise Fairy Tail to the strongest in the world, beyond the Ishgar Continent.
I let that pitch-black malice soak into me.
I mustn't pity him.
I mustn't accept it.
Why should that numb being, who's lacked proper emotions since we split, be allowed to feel what I cannot?
I could not forgive this world, nor that other "me."
Forcibly stoking my hatred, I rekindled my will to fight.
"You still can't let go of the desire to kill me completely, can you?"
"Your arrogance does not appeal to me."
'Arrogance'… Isn't that one of the core emotions that shapes us?
'Pride that one is the strongest,' 'envy toward absolute power,' 'greed to claim the world and its might as one's own,' 'rage to destroy the world…'
But I am different from you. I am filled with other things besides those emotions.
"That's what irritates me. To see that other 'me' who's thrown away every feeling I cultivated over countless lives… it makes me sick."
"Listen— we are no longer 000. The ideal of destroying the world and devouring gods is no longer necessary. Honestly, the current 'me' probably senses that faintly too. Just like you entered the castle to save your comrades in Earthland… you must have people you care about, somewhere."
"…"
Nightwalker rose from his seat, picked up his chair, and moved toward the door.
"But… just as you have things you want to protect, I have something I want to protect as well."
"You— a half-baked being who can't even control his emotions—do you dare give me advice?"
"If you know your emotions but are too afraid to reach out, then I'm better than you—so be it."
"…"
"Then let us meet again when this is over. Another 'me'."
With that he left, and the thick iron door groaned shut behind him.
After he left, I let the murderous glare slip from my face and sank my head in exhaustion.
I… that thing…
....
"As the legends say, it's confirmed: wizards on the surface do indeed harbor mana within their bodies."
"Hmm—almost like Exceeds."
"But that mana doesn't compare to an Exceed's."
"Hrm."
In the castle's council chamber, the Magitek Battalion captains—excluding Ciel—along with Chief Clerk Bairo and His Majesty King Faust gathered to discuss future plans. The King and Bairo pointed at the empty chair and asked where Ciel was.
"Wasn't the overall commander said to have returned? Why isn't he here?"
"Your Majesty, Lord Nightwalker is currently questioning the Earthland Ciel."
"Ah, that fellow— he's so identical it startled me."
"Ugh, I accidentally let that terrifying man hold Setsura-chan."
"That's fine. He's slated for execution anyway, so it doesn't matter."
"Your Majesty speaks rightly. Let's continue discussing the operation."
I nodded to the King's remark and urged the other captains to focus the meeting.
I was afraid they might suggest using the Earthland Ciel Illusian for our purposes. Even sealed, mishandling him could endanger Ciel.
"But did that girl named Lucy also have mana within her?"
"She did."
"In that case, both the Earthland commander and that girl Lucy are too valuable to simply kill. It'd be ideal to siphon their mana semi-permanently."
"Hughes…!"
As expected, I tried to stop Hughes when that answer came from his mouth. But before I could speak, His Majesty dismissed Hughes's suggestion.
"Queen Shagotte of the Exceeds has ordered that they be annihilated."
"The Queen's order?!"
"Mm~ yes. We can't disobey the Exceed, after all."
"What a waste, damn it!"
"And besides, with our current technology, it's still impossible to extract magic directly from the human body."
"Then what about the two Dragon Slayers?"
"They're not purely human. If the experiments succeed, we could gain near-permanent magic from them."
At Bairo's words, everyone's faces brightened with excitement.
The world's magic was drying up.
And now, perhaps, the Dragon Slayers could be the solution.
But none of that discussion registered in my mind.
"Ohh!! Incredible!"
"Amazing indeed."
"Well done, Bairo. Begin the preparations immediately. But just in case, accelerate the extraction of surface-level lacrima as well."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Just a little longer, and the magic of this world may return! Splendid—truly splendid!"
"Mmm~ I'm feeling rather good about this."
With that, the meeting ended. Everyone rose from their seats and left the chamber.
I followed after them.
…
Next on the agenda was to handle the Earthland girl—Lucy.
But after everything that had happened this morning, my head throbbed.
I'd proceed after a short rest in my quarters.
Had Ciel finished the interrogation yet?
Why hadn't he killed that one already?
Such thoughts circled my mind as I entered our private chambers in the annex.
"Kyah~! Kyarr-r-r~!"
"Setsura, sorry Daddy's late. You've grown since I last saw you, haven't you~?"
"Kya~ kya-uh~ kyaaa~!"
"Yes, yes. Here—your birthday present, even if it's a bit late."
"Kyahaha~! Kyarururu~!"
When I entered, Ciel was playing with Setsura, holding her in his arms.
He'd missed his daughter's first birthday—
and he'd been gone for nearly two weeks—but I had too many things I wanted to say.
In the end, I just spoke his name softly.
"Ciel."
"Erza~, you're back?"
"I'm not the one who just got back—you are."
"Ah, right~ that's true."
Cradling Setsura, Ciel greeted me with a fox-like grin.
The moment I saw him, my fatigue melted away.
He laid the baby in her crib, then climbed onto the bed and stretched out beside it.
"You came here to rest, didn't you?"
"…No, I was just going to sit in the rocking chair—"
"Erza~."
Supporting his head with one arm, Ciel tapped the mattress gently with the other, his tone soft and teasing.
"Come here~."
"I'm fine, really…"
"Come here, Erza."
His eyes — clear and blue as the sea, deep enough to drown in — met mine.
That alluring posture, that gentle voice calling my name…
I was drawn in, unable to resist, and I lay down in his arms.
"You must be really tired."
"S–Setsura's watching."
"It's fine. We're husband and wife, aren't we?"
I tried to use our daughter as an excuse to pull away, but Ciel's hand — softer and more delicate than any woman's — brushed through my hair.
From him drifted that faint, indescribable scent — warm, soothing, and sweet — and the stiffness in my expression melted away.
Every time I was in his arms, I never wanted to leave.
I wrapped my arms around his waist tightly, pulling him closer.
"Ciel… why didn't you kill him?"
Even in his embrace, a small tremor of unease ran through me.
Ciel hadn't killed his Earthland self in the tunnels.
He could have ended it there, become one again—
but he hadn't.
The thought that he might still be clinging to that old goal made my body tremble.
"I just wanted to talk with him. That's all."
"You still haven't abandoned your old goal, have you?"
"…"
At my trembling question, Ciel gazed at me with those melancholy eyes.
That goal he once had—to one day die by his own hand, to return to being one.
Could he still be wishing for that?
I couldn't bear the thought.
I didn't want to lose the one reason I still lived.
"No. I've abandoned that goal. There's no hesitation left in me."
The gentle hand that had been combing my hair slipped down, wrapping softly around my waist.
Ciel drew me close, his arm under my head like a pillow.
"The old me would have chosen death. But now… it's different."
"Ciel…"
"I have a reason to live now."
"But I'm still scared. If you were to disappear, I…"
He pressed his lips — soft and red as a cherry — against my forehead and whispered in that tender, heart-stirring voice right beside my ear:
"I'll never die. Not unless you tell me to. I'll stay by your side, until the day you grow old and gray."
"…You'd better keep that promise."
"I will."
"You're mine. I'll never let you slip from my hands."
"I promise."
In my husband's arms, I let myself act like a spoiled child.
I believed — truly believed — that he would never leave me.
And yet, even so, I wanted to hold him every day, to feel his warmth, to be sure of his heart.
Because if I didn't hear that answer from him again and again, this man — beautiful as a single fragile blossom —felt as though he might wither and vanish from my side.
"Stay with me… until I die."
"If that's your wish, then I'll keep it — always, Erza."
Hearing his answer, I slowly closed my eyes, and drifted into a brief, peaceful sleep in his arms.
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