Sofia's ring began glowing pale blue. The moment it did, Miyuu moved. She placed one hand on the ground. Her consciousness focused on the edge of soil barely visible between the stone pavement's cracks. Swoosh!! Five vines shot out simultaneously. Each one wrapped around the guards' ankles, freezing them in place. Just as they braced themselves to avoid falling, the vines tightened with crushing force. The villagers gasped. "[cold]……Hmm," Sofia's smile never wavered as she slowly raised her right hand. White mist swept across the space. Everything froze. From root to tip, it crystallized like glass in an instant. Crack!! The vines shattered. White fragments scattered across the ground. The guards were free. "[cold]Ice magic honed in the mountain ranges of the Naviel Duchy. Even with life force, once frozen, things become brittle. Simple, isn't it?" Miyuu gritted her teeth. (So that's it. It's the exact opposite attribute to plant manipulation.) Second strike. This time she pulled up a thick root from the ground to create a wall between the guards. Sofia's ice magic froze that too. Third strike. She tangled grass around their feet. It froze again. With each exchange, heat drained from deep within her body. The aftereffects of overusing healing sprouts had already lowered her body temperature. Her fingertips were turning white. Eliza called out softly. "[whispers]Master, your fingers……" "[serious]I'm fine," She said it knowing it wasn't true. But she couldn't stop. Just as she was about to activate plant manipulation for the fourth time, Sofia spread her ice magic in a wide arc. Not just the vines—all the grass at Miyuu's feet froze solid. Her feet slipped. She lost her balance and dropped to one knee. "Miyuu!!" Rion tried to rush forward but was blocked by the guards. "[sad]Please stop. You don't have to get hurt for me. I'm begging you, please stop……!" His voice echoed across the plaza. It was trembling. Miyuu slowly raised her face. Rion was watching. His blue eyes wavered. That clumsy prince she'd been afraid of and running from all this time—he was looking at her now with tears threatening to spill. She remembered the previous world. The night she ran from work. The people she'd cut contact with. The version of herself that made excuses like "I don't want to be a burden," running away from everything precious first. Rion's words and that night's excuses overlapped perfectly. (I didn't get reincarnated to make the same choice as back then.) Something ignited from deep in her belly. Still on one knee, Miyuu laughed. She really laughed. Not as the pathetic version of herself from her past life, but as who she was now, from the bottom of her heart. "[angry]Shut up!!" The plaza fell silent. "[angry]I'm doing this because I want to! It's got nothing to do with you, Rion—I want to be here! I'm fighting because I want to be by your side, seriously!!" It was less a shout than a scream. Rion froze. Those words pierced something in his chest. For so long, the fear of "maybe I'll lose this" had kept weaving curses. The more he cherished someone, the more he'd cower in fear of losing them, pushing them away of his own accord. But now Miyuu had said "I fight because I want to be here." Not fearing loss, but trusting this moment—that's what she meant. Rion closed his eyes. He clenched both fists tightly. Deep in his chest, he felt something crack and crumble. "……I might lose this," His voice was quiet. "[serious]But——even so, I want to be by your side!!" Boom!! White light exploded from his chest. The Thornis thorns—the curse magic that had solidified over a long time from Rion's own fear—scattered all at once into particles of light. They spread gently, dissolving into the twilight sky. Rion stared blankly at his own hands. "[surprised]……My body feels light," He sounded the most surprised by his own words. "[excited]The thorns are gone!? Really!?" A scream came from behind the scenery. Just as Miyuu started to turn toward it, Rion's hand went to his sword's hilt. ——From that point on, everything was fast. Rion's movements without the curse were unlike anything they'd seen before. It was his true swordsmanship with all the weights removed. The first guard was disarmed. The second. The third. One after another, he sent them sitting on the plaza without injuring a single one. The villagers lost their voices at that speed. Once all five guards were sitting, Miyuu placed both hands on the ground. One final plant manipulation. Everything she had left. Boom boom boom boom boom!!! A massive tree with a trunk diameter exceeding two meters shot up from the center of the plaza. Its roots pushed up the stone pavement, its branches covered the sky, completely blocking Sofia's rear and both sides. Sofia's expression cracked for the first time. Miyuu and Rion stood back-to-back, facing Sofia. "[cold]……The curse shouldn't be able to break," Her voice was low. There was a meaning hidden in it—that it was designed never to disappear as long as the person's fear continued. Rion turned toward Sofia. Not with anger or hatred, but with a quiet voice. "[serious]No matter how much you deny me, I'm not afraid anymore. Because I have a place to return to," That calm simplicity of merely stating facts was, paradoxically, heavier. Sofia's lips tightened. She was silent for several seconds. "[cold]……Don't think this is the end. I'll be waiting in the royal capital," She urged the guards toward the carriage and climbed in. As she left, Sofia's red eyes caught Miyuu's for just a moment. Fear and——something more complex mixed in that gaze. Miyuu didn't miss it. The carriage raced away. The sound of hooves faded and disappeared. ──────────────────── The plaza fell silent. Frozen vine fragments. A suddenly sprouted giant tree. The remains of sitting guards. In this chaotic scene, the villagers slowly began to raise their faces. Elder Berund stepped forward. The conservative 62-year-old man bowed deeply. "[serious]Emerald Shrine Maiden……We were wrong. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for protecting this village," "[gentle]Please raise your head, Elder," The moment she started speaking, a golden short bob came flying in from the side. "[excited]Noooo!! Master, you were so cool I fell for you all over again!!" Three villagers fell over backward. Rion let out a small laugh. Elder Berund's eyes went wide. "[surprised]This girl is……" "[excited]My apprentice! Eliza Metz, apprentice to the Emerald Shrine Maiden! Nice to meet you!" She bowed deeply with a beaming smile. The elder froze. The villagers exchanged glances. Someone let out a wry laugh. It spread, and small laughs began breaking out here and there. The tense atmosphere loosened. Miyuu watched it happen and let out a small breath. (Well, that's about right.) The tension left her shoulders. ──────────────────── As the village's tension began to ease, the three of them quietly made their way back toward the cottage. The sun was sinking into the western trees, painting the sky orange. It was the time when Luna mushrooms began to glow from deep within the Velde Great Forest. The moss beneath their feet caught the evening light and turned a faint gold. "I'm a bit tired, so I'll excuse myself first!" It was obvious Eliza was being considerate. She disappeared into the cottage with a skip in her step. Though the two of them both noticed her crouching low by the window immediately after entering. Miyuu and Rion stood side by side in front of the cottage. The evening breeze blew. Miyuu's chestnut-brown wavy hair swayed. Rion's pale silver hair caught the orange light and shimmered softly. For a while, neither of them spoke. It was a silence that needed no words. The lingering echoes of the plaza's commotion dissolved into the wind. Rion turned toward Miyuu. His voice was slightly tense. "[gentle]……Meeting you changed my entire life," After a beat. "[gentle]I love you, Miyuu," Miyuu's face turned red all the way to her ears. She was silent for two seconds. "……I knew," She said it quietly. "Your heartbeat was so loud the whole time. Plus your face is way too easy to read, you know," Rion gave a wry smile. "[gentle]……I feel the same way. Every time I hear your voice, my pulse speeds up on its own. I'm truly sorry," "Don't use the word 'sorry' like that," She said it while holding back a laugh, and Rion slowly leaned his face closer. Miyuu didn't pull away. The distance between them closed. The moment they kissed—— "[excited]Kyaaaaaaaa!! I saw it!! I saw it perfectly!!" A scream echoed from the window. Startled by that voice, the Luna mushrooms on the ground all lit up at once. Blue-white light enveloped the area in front of the cottage, and as if someone had flipped a switch, the entire plaza blazed with light. Both of them reflexively pulled apart and turned toward the window. "[angry]How long have you been there!!" "[excited]The whole time!!" "Why are you confessing!!" Eliza bolted from the cottage and ran. Miyuu chased after her. Eliza yelled "I'm getting away!" and tripped over a vine, face-planting. Miyuu caught up while shouting "Seriously……!!" Rion was left standing alone in the Luna mushroom light. He stood there, barely holding back his laughter. ──────────────────── By the time the commotion settled and the three of them caught their breath, the sky had turned deep indigo. Eliza said only "I'm going to sleep! Good night!" and this time truly went into the cottage. The door closed. The quiet air returned between the remaining two. Miyuu took Rion's hand. "[serious]Let's go to the royal capital together," Rion looked at Miyuu. "Show Sofia and everyone in this country what kind of prince you are. I'm coming too," Rion was silent for a moment. Then he squeezed her hand back. Firmly, so he wouldn't let go. "[gentle]……Yes. Together," Luna mushroom light spread at their feet. Pale blue and quiet, continuing light from deep in the forest. The royal capital Legrante—approximately 70 kilometers southwest from Timone Village. A day and a half's journey by carriage. Sofia was waiting there. The politics of the Baltea Kingdom, the queen's schemes, King Hendrick's illness——and many things still unseen. But tonight, that was enough. In the Luna mushroom light, it was enough.