[Raiden Ei: "You are… Furuyama?"]
Ei seemed to recognize the old man, indicating he was an acquaintance.
[Furuyama: "Hm? Is that the General?"]
["Weren't you headed to the distant battlefield? How are you back?"]
The distant battlefield Furuyama referred to was Khaenri'ah. When he was alive, the General (Makoto) had gone to Khaenri'ah, and not long after her departure, he met his demise.
So to him, it felt as though the General had only just left and was already back.
Ei introduced Furuyama to the Traveler, explaining that he was a tea master who served at the General's side.
Though blind, his tea-brewing skills were unmatched, and his tea-tasting expertise was equally exceptional.
[Furuyama: "It sounds like the General has brought a guest?"]
Unable to see the Traveler, Furuyama deduced from Ei's words that she was introducing him to someone else.
Furuyama asked the General and her guest to wait a moment, as the situation outside was dire, and he needed time to prepare tea and snacks.
The Traveler and Paimon, following Furuyama's words, mentioned that the outside was pitch black, swarming with monsters, hoping to learn more about the circumstances from him.
Hearing Paimon's words, Furuyama sighed, realizing the catastrophe had reached this place.
[Furuyama: "Most of the nearby residents have already fled. They wanted to take this old man with them, but I saw no point."]
["The General is here. I have no reason to flee."]
["If this is something even the General cannot handle, where could an old man like me run to?"]
"Furuyama…" Ei sighed. She was too late, always just a step too late.
The people of Inazuma trusted her so much, yet she arrived too late!
Furuyama, however, harbored no blame. He had lived without regrets.
Because the regrets in his heart had long been filled by the General's "dream."
Even though blind, hearing the General speak of mountains, seas, lush forests, and verdant hills felt like experiencing them firsthand. Such beauty helped Furuyama gradually understand the General's romantic and dreamy ideals.
[Furuyama: "She always said, 'All beauty changes and fades with the passage of time. So in this life, one must seize the moment to enjoy it, leaving no regrets.'"]
Readers, who were deeply moved up to this point, noticed something off. These didn't sound like words Ei would say.
If it were Ei, she'd likely say, "All beauty changes and fades with the passage of time. So in this life, one must seize this moment and hold on tightly to avoid regret."
[Ei: "Perhaps, that's true."]
"Yes," the real-world Ei agreed.
Now, she understood that beautiful moments should be cherished with the heart. Clinging tightly not only fails to hold them but causes one to miss the beauty by focusing solely on "holding on."
Furuyama sighed that he was old and about to bid farewell to the General, unable to witness her clear the catastrophe and rebuild Inazuma.
His regret was not seeing the General rebuild Inazuma, but he never doubted whether she could save it.
The General was gone, and Inazuma was plunged into darkness. But as long as the General remained, as long as her lightning shone, that darkness would eventually be illuminated.
It was a pity that the "unromantic old blind man" couldn't offer the General a cup of tea at that time.
[Furuyama: "Oh, my apologies. I got carried away talking and haven't even brought out the tea."]
Furuyama wanted to pour tea for the Traveler and the General but couldn't find the tea set by his side.
The Traveler and Ei offered to help Furuyama find the tea set.
[Furuyama: "The General herself? No, no, this old man is utterly unworthy!"]
Ei insisted, as Furuyama, blind and unfamiliar with present-day Inazuma, could hardly find the tea set on his own.
[Unable to dissuade Ei, Furuyama: "This… alright. To think there'd come a day when the General herself would fetch a tea set for this old man…"]
["Is this my final regret or my final stroke of fortune? Haha."]
Ei and Lumine decided to borrow a tea set from the Kamisato Estate, as it was closer.
[Hirano: "It's the Traveler."]
The guard at the Kamisato Estate first noticed Lumine, then saw Ei.
[Stammering: "And… G-General!!"]
Seeing the General approach, his eyes widened in shock.
What's going on? A living General? The General herself, standing right before me?
Though a guard of the Kamisato Estate, he had never actually seen the General. After all, Ei was a recluse, and even when notifying the Yashiro Commission, she wouldn't come in person.
Ei stated there was no need to inform the head of the Kamisato Clan; they were only there to borrow a tea set.
[Ei: "Please handle the matter of the tea set."]
Though unsure why the General came all this way for a tea set, Hirano assumed she had her profound reasons.
[Hirano: "The General herself has come. How could I speak of hardship? I'll take care of it at once."]
After Hirano left, Ei finally had a chance to speak with Lumine alone.
The Traveler asked if Furuyama really brewed tea for Ei. The General he spoke of seemed quite different from her.
It was hard to imagine Ei speaking romantically about mountains and seas.
It'd be more fitting if she spoke of slicing through mountains and seas.
Ei admitted she rarely drank tea, spending most of her free time practicing martial arts.
Furuyama mostly brewed tea for Ei's sister, Raiden Makoto.
However, Furuyama was somewhat aware of the situation with the two Generals, though he acted as if he knew nothing.
Everything Furuyama mentioned earlier was about Ei's sister, Raiden Makoto's ideals.
[Ei: "In her eyes, the most precious thing in the world was 'dreams'—the yearning of life for a beautiful future."]
["When you broke into the Oneiric Euthymia, I saw countless stars symbolizing wishes light up in the sky, and my heart wavered."]
["Now, it seems she was right, and I had strayed onto the wrong path."]
Readers then understood that it wasn't the Traveler who "defeated" Raiden Ei back then, but that Ei had already "lost" from the start.
In that moment, she saw the "dreams" of humans her sister spoke of, and she wavered.
Dreams and wishes are different. Wishes are often specific goals or material desires, while dreams are the driving force behind those wishes.
As the two discussed Eternity, Hirano returned with the tea set. With it in hand, they prepared to return to Furuyama.
[Hirano: "Safe travels, General. Safe travels, Traveler, and, uh… well, safe travels to you too."]
Paimon was furious. She had been with the Traveler the whole time, yet somehow she was overlooked!
She vowed to go back to the Kamisato Estate and tell everyone her name was Paimon.