Chapter 315
Chapter 315
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 315
Chapter Title: Sunset, Sunrise
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"...Sarante?"
Ronan let a hint of bewilderment slip out. It had been a long time, but this was a face he could never forget. The memory of carrying him on his back—only his upper body left—and fighting against Brigia, an executive of Nebula Klazie, was still vivid.
"My god, how long has it been?"
Ronan's face lit up instantly. He'd thought Sarante would remain stone until he himself died. Ah, but since I died... I guess it ended up similar in the end? He strode forward and grabbed Sarante's hand, shaking it up and down vigorously.
"How've you been? Looks good having legs again. You finally quit being Ophelia's pillow? Wait a sec—you and the Grand General being here... doesn't that mean I didn't actually die?"
He was so thrilled that words tumbled out more than usual. They were comrades who'd fought side by side, staking their lives, after all. Sarante simply gazed at Ronan with a benevolent smile, saying nothing.
"But why haven't you said a word since earlier?"
Ronan belatedly sensed something off and tilted his head. The atmosphere was different from when they'd met before.
More detached, perhaps? It was common for long-lived races like elves or dragons to act that way, but this went beyond—it carried an inexplicable, mystical aura. Adeshan, who had been standing with her hands behind her back, finally spoke.
"That is not the person you know, Corporal."
"Pardon? What do you...?"
"It's merely borrowing the appearance of someone familiar to you. Show some respect."
It made no sense. At that moment, Sarante's form dissolved like mist into an amorphous cluster of light. Its overall bluish hue resembled the comet he'd seen on some nameless planet.
"What the f—...!"
Ronan's eyes widened. Before he could react, the surging light enveloped him.
"......!"
In that instant, unfamiliar memories flooded into Ronan's mind. At the boundary between space and stars, the unidentified light was battling some giant. A race now extinct alongside Abel. This one was markedly larger than the other giants, with eight wings sprouting from its back.
"This is..."
Ronan gasped. The hulking figure clashing with the light was unmistakably the giants' primordial king. The being whose fall to the Savior Village had set everything in motion. The various scars left on its corpse had been etched then.
The memory ended with the giant king plummeting to the earth. The light reformed into Sarante's shape. Instinctively realizing what stood before him, Ronan murmured softly.
"...Seniel."
Sarante smiled warmly instead of replying. Ronan had heard the name countless times since his second life began. A great spirit that transcended time, dwelling in one's will.
Before turning to stone, Sarante had pointed to Ronan's heart and said Seniel dwelled there. Why manifest only now? What was going on?
As questions swirled in his head, leaving him confused, Adeshan spoke up.
"Calm down, Corporal. I'll explain everything."
"Damn it, what the hell is going on?"
"No time, so I'll make it quick. First off, it was this being who gave me the orb that turns back time."
"What?"
Ronan's face hardened at the shocking revelation. He'd thought it a secret he'd never uncover.
"Seniel foresaw the calamity the giants would bring. But battling their primordial king drained too much power. With what remained, it created the time-reversal orb and delivered it to a suitable candidate who could avert the star's destruction—me."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"Just stating facts. At the end of my first life, I happened upon the orb by chance. On a battlefield turned to ruins by the giants..."
Adeshan nodded. It was now a distant tale from the ancient past. Crawling across the field with limbs severed, she'd found the orb amid the mire of corpses and mud.
She'd swallowed it, and from then on, her lives repeated in pursuit of toppling the giants. Spotting the inconsistency, Ronan raised an eyebrow.
"But Grand General... you didn't know anything. Not even that there were more than three giants, let alone their king."
"I only learned the full story moments ago. Seniel gave me the orb but no further aid. If I may presume, it probably lacked the power."
Sarante nodded at her words. It seemed she'd hit the mark. The deeply ashamed expression was rather infuriating.
"So... what exactly is this Seniel? A god?"
"I don't know. It doesn't say much. Probably something similar, though..."
"Acts all high and mighty. Like spilling the beans would kill it."
Ronan grumbled. He wanted the precise identity, not vague terms like "will" or "spirit." Then, Sarante scratched its head—and its body exploded back into the light cluster.
"Wh-what?!"
"What...!"
Ronan and Adeshan gasped in shock. This was agitation unlike anything before. A genderless voice echoed from somewhere.
The voice was sweeter than any they'd heard. The scattered light swirled around them. Soon, unfamiliar memories—like those Ronan had just experienced—poured into both of them.
"My god."
But the scale was different this time. In mere seconds, Ronan and Adeshan had the star's history from birth to now imprinted in their minds. It didn't take long. Adeshan, dizzy from the memory transfer, pressed her forehead and muttered.
"The world's... soul?"
"Holy shit."
Ronan couldn't hold back his awe at the unimaginable identity. It made sense why it struggled so against the giants. An entity too profound to name simply, but put briefly: Seniel was the soul of the star they lived on.
"I see. So that's why it chose us..."
Adeshan trailed off. She'd never imagined a star could have a soul. As her final curiosity resolved and she murmured to herself, the voice echoed again from the light.
"Ah..."
As Adeshan opened her mouth to speak, the swirling light particles melted away like dew. Startled by the abrupt departure, Ronan blinked. Adeshan, twisting her lips, turned to him.
"Looks like... time's up."
"Time for what?"
Ronan asked. The mood felt ominous. Adeshan met his gaze steadily and spoke gravely.
"The time for us to part forever, Corporal. I'm fading away now."
"...Pardon?"
Ronan gasped. It felt like lightning had struck his mind. Regaining composure, he asked Adeshan.
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly that. You've probably guessed, but you haven't died yet. Seniel, valuing your deeds highly, healed your drifting body and returned it to our world."
Adeshan spoke calmly. She explained his body lay unconscious on the battlefield. Meeting his eyes, she smiled.
"But the wounds are too severe; you won't wake. So I'm transferring my remaining life force to you and vanishing."
"No..."
"Don't worry too much. Your girlfriend will be fine—no harm to her. My meager life force should be enough to restart your heart."
"What the hell... What do you mean? You commanded so boldly. Weren't we sharing a body together?"
Ronan's voice trembled as he asked. He'd never anticipated this farewell. Adeshan shook her head with a bitter smile.
"I was never whole to begin with. Just a fragment of lingering thought nestled in your heart. Luck let me borrow this life's body, but dissolution was inevitable."
"That can't be."
Shocked, Ronan sighed. Her gradually fading form crushed any faint hope. Returning alive was what he wanted, but not like this.
Suddenly, his vision blurred. A tear escaped, sliding down his cheek. Watching him, Adeshan slowly raised her hand.
"Corporal Ronan. You're too young to greet the night."
"Yes...?"
Adeshan cupped his cheeks gently with both hands. Her callused palms felt rough. Lowering her head, she pressed her forehead to his.
"I've seen the sunset thrice yet never the night. The resentment of unfulfilled purpose kept me from rest. I'd have died unrested in the end too, but you granted my wish."
"What wish did I grant... You just said be a founder's daughter... Never even told me properly..."
"Corporal. You did your utmost for me. I know how much you pondered for my sake. You showed me there's a life grander than returning as the founder's daughter."
She carefully wiped his tears with her thumbs. Ronan tried to speak but choked up. Adeshan continued.
"Thank you for trying for me. Meeting you in this third life was my greatest fortune. Now, I truly have no regrets."
"...Can't you just stay?"
Ronan finally managed. Instead of answering, Adeshan pulled him into an embrace. The warmth from her made his eyes well up again.
"This life's me grew into a kind, bright girl. Already had the looks and figure, so this time she's perfect. Don't let her slip away—treat her right."
"Damn it, joking at a time like this?"
"Ah, one flaw though. I'm quite jealous, appearances notwithstanding. Not that you would, but don't even think of cheating. Or I'll... come kill you from the afterlife."
Adeshan's voice quivered. Her form was noticeably more transparent now.
Unable to reply, Ronan hugged her tighter. Finally releasing the embrace, Adeshan spoke with a watery voice.
"Remember my words... Ronan."
Ronan clenched his teeth instead of answering. Adeshan's face was a mess again. Tears streamed endlessly beneath her beautiful ash-gray eyes.
"...Yes. I will."
"Good. That's it. Now, finally..."
Suddenly, Adeshan yanked his head back by the nape. Their lips met in a deep, lingering kiss. Long and intense, but no orb passed this time.
"Mmph...!"
Ronan's eyes widened. She pulled away soon after and laughed aloud.
"Ahaha... No improvement since then."
"...Grand General."
"Glad it's true you've never made a girl cry like that before. I'll stop tormenting a taken man here."
As she patted his shoulder, cracks began spiderwebbing across the all-white background. Now nearly transparent, Adeshan shrugged.
"Lucky. I can see you off to the end."
"Gr—"
As Ronan tried to speak, his throat closed, voice gone. Consciousness faded with the spreading cracks.
He sensed it instinctively. This was the moment of parting. Only one phrase left to say. Summoning his last strength, he forced it out.
"See you again."
Adeshan didn't reply. Her expression was strangely serene—not smiling, not crying. Consciousness severed. Confirming Ronan's presence gone, she murmured softly.
"Farewell. My first love."
The voices of the departed echoed in her ears. Mother, two brothers, those lost on the battlefield—they came to greet her.
Fully transparent now, Adeshan turned. Wiping her tears, she walked toward where the departed must go.
"Ronan!"
"Hah!"
Startled by the shout, Ronan opened his eyes. His head spun like waking from deep sleep. Vision clearing, he saw the brightening sky.
Where...?
Dawn air chilled him. The familiar star cluster pattern overhead. He'd really returned. Staring at the sky, Ronan clenched his fist.
Grand General.
The farewell replayed vividly. With Seniel gone from his heart, nothing linked him to that first life anymore.
As unfamiliar loneliness reared up for the first time, a familiar voice rang from beside him.
"H-he's alive! Ronan's alive!"
"Asel...?"
Ronan turned slowly. Asel looked down at him with teary eyes. Familiar faces surrounded him: Special Adventure Club friends and more.
"You idiot. We were so worried...!"
Marya covered her face with both hands upon seeing him awake. Her trembling voice leaked through splayed fingers. Cita and Braum wailed like wild beasts.
"Waaah! Waaaaaah!"
"Uwaaaah! Hic, huwaaaah!"
"...Hmph."
Schlieffen, now conscious, stood guard nearby. He turned his head away to hide his tears. Then, as Ronan tried to rise, Iril pounced.
"My little brother! Waaaaaah!"
"Sis."
"A-are you okay now? No pain? I was so scared you'd...!"
Iril sobbed, clutching his neck. Her eyes were puffy from crying but still beautiful. Naviroje, wiping her face, muttered curtly.
"...He survived."
"Tough little punk."
Zaifa chuckled nearby. Navardoje, Orsay, the Dragon King, and other dragons kept vigil. Suddenly, from right beside him, a voice he'd desperately missed.
"Ronan."
Ronan's eyes widened. Turning, he saw Adeshan sitting by his head. Tear tracks stained her pale cheeks.
"Adeshan..."
"Glad you're back."
Adeshan stroked his hair wordlessly. Her gentle smile was just as before. Gazing at her, Ronan spoke.
"...She left, didn't she?"
Adeshan's expression stiffened briefly. The question's meaning was clear. Biting her lip, she nodded.
"...Yeah."
No more voices in her head. The Grand General was gone for good. Ronan nodded in acceptance and hugged Adeshan, whispering.
"Thank you."
"Me too. Um, Ronan. Everyone's waiting."
Adeshan smiled again. Understanding, Ronan rose. As his view lifted, the devastated wasteland and encircling allied soldiers came into sight.
"H-hey, is he awake?"
"My god, really...!"
Soldiers buzzed upon seeing him. They'd all awaited his revival. Amid growing murmurs, Ronan's brow furrowed.
"Uh... damn it..."
Their sparkling eyes were burdensome. He should say something, but nothing came to mind. Damn, speeches aren't my thing.
Scratching his head, he blurted.
"...You all did great."
"Waaaaaaaaah!!!"
Thunderous cheers erupted. As if on cue, they hurled held items skyward. Across the quaking dawn, a ruddy sun rose.