The Path We Walk Becomes Light
...N-no. I can't. I don't feel... anything at all...
Holding the Heart of the Star in her hands and concentrating, Charlotte shook her head and cried out urgently.
That power Tyria mentioned... I don't think I have it!
Even now, maybe we should call Carmen, or Lady Frey, or someone else—!
No. You do have that power, Charlotte.
But...
But I can't feel anything at all...!
I-I'm not a Savior with extraordinary power...!
I'm not the descendant of someone famous or remarkable...
I'm not as mature as Carmen, or as confident as Lady Frey.
I can't even properly introduce myself in front of others...
I'm just a Grand Master in name only...!
You shine brighter than you think you do.
That's right. Charlotte wasn't born to be destined for greatness.
She lacks maturity, and she isn't especially confident either.
But...
She's someone who never breaks or falls, no matter what crisis or hardship comes her way.
Even when everyone else starts thinking about giving up, she's the one who keeps standing until the very end.
Captain...
...I'll open the path.
Once again, I closed my eyes and focused.
The tangled memories filling my mind surge, threatening to tear my thoughts apart.
Within that storm of memories, I barely manage to grasp a single thread of light.
And I know... how this story ends.
...!
C-Captain! This is...!
...I can feel a powerful... warm force... inside me...!
Now... you know what to do, right?
Yes! ...I'll try!
No! I'll do it!
...!!
W-what is this... unpleasant vibration...?!
...Impossible...
Ngh...!
As Charlotte's power flowed into the Heart of the Star, it began to tremble violently and emit a resonant tone.
The relief that it was working properly lasted only a moment.
The Heart of the Star immediately began drawing in Charlotte's power—and mine—with terrifying force.
Kgh...! Errgh...!
I tried to open my mouth to call for help, but no voice came out.
My vision went dark.
My knees buckled.
Even the sensation of the Heart of the Star in my hands began to fade.
At the moment I felt every last bit of strength drain from my body...
—tain!
Captain...!
Charlotte's voice calling out to me pulled me back to my senses.
Catching me as I collapsed, Charlotte held tightly onto the Heart of the Star as it nearly slipped from my grasp.
Captain! Please hang in there! Just a little more...!
I... I'll make this work...!
...Need more power?
!
Ty... ria...
Tyria, barely able to move, had crawled her way over to our side.
...I don't know... whether this will work, but...
If you can use this... then take it...
The moment Tyria's hand overlapped ours...
...?!
Kgh...!
T-Tyria...! You...!
...Kgh! Aaaagh...!
...Kid, you all right?
...No operational issues.
Don't act tough... You're a mess...
You are the one in worse condition, Luna.
If my facial muscles were operational, I would currently be smiling at maximum capacity.
...What about Omega?
Forced return to Star Piercer after energy reserves dropped below twenty percent.
Well... still...
At least everyone made it...
Captain! Captain! Are you okay?
...Yeah. I think so...
With Asherah supporting me, I barely managed to get back on my feet.
She was also covered in dust, cuts, and bruises.
Hehe. Don't worry, these injuries aren't as bad as they look.
I stood up and looked around.
The Void aura Gille had been releasing was completely gone.
Across the ruined streets, the knights were already moving to stabilize the situation.
Captain!
Charlotte, who had been giving instructions to the knights, spotted me and ran over.
Charlotte... are you okay?
Yes...! I'm fine!
I'm incredibly tired and hungry, but...
Being sturdy is my one strong point!
Charlotte's bright smile made it finally sink in that the battle had ended in our victory.
Come to think of it...
Where's Tyria?
Frey was treating Tyria's injuries where she sat leaning against the wall.
Perhaps thanks to that, her complexion looked better than before.
What happened?
Can you explain?
...I told you earlier. Executors lose their power inside the Divine Barrier.
Trying to resist it only makes the backlash even worse...
So Gille probably got blown all the way near the dimensional rift. If she wants to come back... it'll take her a while.
Ahaha. Serves that idiot right.
And you...? You seem okay...
What part of me looks okay? Did something happen to your eyes? Ow, ow...
...I'm not resisting the pressure of the barrier.
...
So... to put it kindly, right now I'm no different from an ordinary person.
...Maybe even worse. Hehe.
Well? This is your chance to eliminate an Executor...
I can't even lift a finger right now.
...
Tyria...
Executor? What Executor?
...Huh?
Ahem. Through a historic joint operation between the Monastir Knights and the Voyager Savior Party, we successfully repelled the Executor Gille, who threatened Monastir.
There are no remaining threats here now!
Isn't that right, Captain?
Yeah. That's right.
...Haha.
Ahaha... Hmm?
...
...What? Do you have something you want to say?
...
...Thanks.
For fighting with us.
For helping to protect Monastir.
...Tch. You've gotten pretty good at saying embarrassing things, haven't you?
...Go finish cleaning up the streets, Grand Master.
Because I plan on resuming my cafe visits starting tomorrow.
Okay.
Captain, are you really all right? Your complexion doesn't look very good.
You should rest up for now.
Yeah...
The battle had ended in victory, but the chaos tangled inside my head didn't settle easily.
The memories that had surged through my mind like a storm began mixing again with other fragments, growing faint.
But for today, I just wanted to stop thinking about everything and rest.