Chapter 0: My sister died.

Even before reaching the intended location, she was already losing her mind.

Clutching only a single piece of paper left by her sister, she pushed the wyvern to its limit.

It was ominous. Everything was ominous.

Despite flying through enemy airspace without any preparation, there was no magical barrage that should have been there.

Neither the legions of the dead nor the monstrous creatures that should have filled the ground were present.

Only a deathly silence dominated the entire place.

The ominous atmosphere that usually accompanied such final battles was slowly dissipating. Golden rays of sunlight streamed through the thick clouds tinged with purple and red. It was weather that blatantly telegraphed, ‘Everything will be alright now.’

But she wasn’t pleased with any of it.

These hopeful omens only fueled her endless unease.

Upon arriving at the site of the final battle, it was already filled with horrific bloodstains and traces of destruction.

She dashed through the entrance, the halls, the long corridors, the courtyard, and the maze at full speed.

She wasn’t out of breath. Her legs didn’t hurt.

Her mind was filled with a single word, leaving no room for anything else to penetrate.

‘Why.’

Finally reaching the place where the beast of disaster, the end of the world, resided…

Her sister was there.

“Sister!!!!”

Yukomis threw away her staff and all her equipment, rushing toward her.

Yukomis’s breath caught in her throat as she saw the wound on her sister’s chest up close.

“No, no, oh my god, Sister! I, I need to he, heal you!”

But it was no use.

She prided herself on having seen most of the world’s traumas at a young age,

but the round wound that had cleanly pierced through her sister’s chest was larger than anything she had ever seen.

It was clear at a glance that it wasn’t something to even attempt to heal.

It was a fatal wound, without a doubt. A fatal wound leading straight to death.

The only reason she hadn’t stopped breathing yet was because of her powerful life force.

Or, because of the powerful spell binding her.

“Wa, wait! I’ll administer first aid right away…”

She said that, but she already knew. Was there anything more meaningless than first aid right now?

“…Ah, you… came.”

Cough. As soon as her sister finished speaking, she vomited almost a cupful of blood clots onto Yukomis’s clothes and neck.

“Sister, Sister! No! Stay with me!”

“You’re… such an idiot. Why did you come. Really. I… really… told you that you’re sa*ssy and… I’m sick of you… cough. Said…”

“You’re the idiot, Sister! You didn’t actually think I’d believe such a crude and stupid note, did you!”

She threw the note she was holding next to her sister.

“Someone as foolish as you could never say such heartless things to me, even in a thousand years!”

“Ah… is that so…”

Seeing her sister’s eyes losing focus every moment, Yukomis pleaded desperately.

“Sister, look at me, focus! Please don’t lose consciousness.”

Her sister couldn’t even turn her head properly.

“What… happened…?”

She raised her arm slightly, trying to grab the longsword placed beside her.

The two holy swords that only she could wield.

Swords with their own egos, capable of conversing with their master, but no one other than her sister could hear their voices.

But she couldn’t even lift the sword; even her fingertips felt too heavy.

Her arm, flailing powerlessly in the air, lost strength and dropped halfway.

“You did it, Sister. You killed the Demon King! You’re the savior of the world!”

“I did…? Me?”

“Yes! You did it, Sister!”

“Ah…”

She chuckled, making a senseless reply.

“Wow… awesome…”

“Yes. So let’s go back now. Let’s go back to the duchy!”

“Go… go back, and… what’s there…?”

“Th… that’s…”

Yukomis desperately racked her brain to think of something that would appeal to her sister.

What did she like? What did my sister like?

What can I do, what must I do, to prevent her from giving up her breath right now,

to make her hold on with even a little more will?

What?

Nothing came to mind.

“I, I’ll give you anything. I’ll do anything for you! Please stay with me. I’ll give you my snacks. I’ll give you as many books as you want!”

She was dumbfounded that all she could think of was snacks.

Even in this urgent situation, she suddenly realized that she didn’t even know what her sister liked, and she despised herself so much.

“Ah… snacks… sounds good…”

But unexpectedly, her sister seemed to like that.

She intended to smile, but because of her blood-soaked and weakened appearance, it didn’t look like one at all.

“Yes. I’ll give you everything. You can eat as much as you want! Let’s live a happy life now. Let’s go on vacation together, read books together. And let’s find a wonderful fiancé too! Please, please… stay with me!”

“The last one… cough! I told… you I hated it… you idiot…”

“Th, th, then… then anything is fine. I’ll do anything for you. I’ll do anything my sister likes. Just don’t die. Sister. My beloved sister. No, no, no…!”

Yukomis recited all the healing spells she knew, but the hole in her chest was so large that reviving a bit of flesh was not enough.

Moreover, the terrible vortex of magical power remaining in the Demon King’s claws was forcibly reversing the regeneration.

Every time she cast a spell, gruesome lumps of flesh bloomed on her sister’s affected area, only to burst like pus.

“Cough! Cough!”

“Yukomis!”

One of the other wyvern knights, who had belatedly followed her, shouted from behind Yukomis.

“What happened here? What in the world… Ah!”

It was a voice that Yukomis couldn’t possibly not know. It was Ilesha, the third child of the Emperor, a princess.

Ilesha, who had rushed in at once, quickly grasped the situation.

That there was no hope left for this person.

There was no need to even examine her. It was something that could already be seen from that distance.

The malevolent magic ingrained in the wound, the fist-sized penetrating injury, the pale skin…

The blood that had flowed down to where she was standing.

“Yukomis! Stop! That’s only making her more painful!”

“I refuse! Absolutely not!”

“Yukomis, calm down! You know it’s already too late!”

“…Shut up!”

A curse word suddenly burst from Yukomis’s mouth.

Yukomis was also the second daughter of a ducal family, so she was by no means of low status, but to tell a member of the imperial family to shut up was a completely different story.

Ilesha was shocked by her curse word, which she had never heard before.

Even though Yukomis’s personality wasn’t very good normally,

she had always respected the adage that ‘all members of the Knights are equal.’

And she had maintained at least a minimum of courtesy to everyone, even if it was just pretense.

“Too late? You say it’s too late? Don’t spout nonsense!”

But now, her eyes were only gleaming with desperation.

She didn’t seem to care at all that the person trying to stop her was a princess.

“But it’s already…!”

“Shut up!!! There’s no ‘but’ for me!”

Ilesha tried to forcibly separate the sisters, but Yukomis roughly shook off her hand.

“Kya!”

Ilesha was pushed back by the force, almost falling.

It was unbelievable where such strength came from in that small frame.

Ilesha, who was about to get up again, realized that she couldn’t muster any strength in her muscles.

‘Rapid exhaustion…!’

An amazing skill cast in an instant without chanting any spells.

It was clearly one of Yukomis’s signature magics.

“Y, Yukomis! Release this magic! It doesn’t have to go this far…!”

“Get lost, you trash! No, I can’t give up, I’ll save her no matter what! Please! Sister!”

Leaving Ilesha behind, all sorts of healing spells continued to be cast.

Of course, it was no use.

She was perhaps the greatest magician in the entire history of the Empire.

She was even called the ‘Scribe of the Underworld.’

She can revive people who have entered the afterlife. She ‘almost’ controls life.

That was how the world saw her.

She could reattach severed limbs before one could blink three times, recreate vanished blood, and even cure lepers.

Even with her giving it her all, she couldn’t fill this hole in her chest.

Once, twice, three times. She left the groaning princess and cast healing magic with all her might.

She was pouring in mana like crazy, and in just a few minutes, the mana catalysts she had in her possession were almost depleted.

The depletion of mana catalysts meant that she would soon be unable to use magic.

Only a very faint amount of mana remained in this place. Perhaps the Demon King had consumed all the mana in the surrounding area during the final battle.

And Yukomis’s energy was rapidly running out as well.

Her breathing became labored, her hearing slowly became numb, and her sister, who was dying every second, began to appear as two, no, three.

“Yukomis, please stop! She’s already suffered enough!”

She no longer cared about the stuck-up princess who kept babbling on.

The forcibly regenerated flesh on her sister’s wound was filled like seething mud…

Then it turned back into blood clots and splattered on the floor with a thud.

“Ugh!”

Even though she was standing a step away, Ilesha couldn’t help but gag at the grotesque and horrific sight.

“Why isn’t it working! Why!”

Yukomis’s mad magic burned out in vain in an instant.

Ilesha could only watch in horror.

“Last one… Please!”

Of course. Just like the thirty-second attempt that had already passed, it failed.

There were no catalysts left. There’s no spare mana in this place.

The Demon King must have already burned and consumed even the last handful during the bloody battle.

Now what?

What should I do?

I’ve tried everything, but I can’t save her?

…..OFLI.

“Then…!”

Not yet. There’s still one left.

Yukomis’s eyes began to burn bright red.

“Yukomis! What are you trying to do!”

Taking out the dagger from her bosom, she pierced it through the palm of her right hand without hesitation.

“Keuh…!”

“Yukomis!!!!”

Yukomis raised her bleeding right arm and shouted.

“I make my final plea to the providence of magic! Hear me through my blood!”

Ilesha, who was watching, also realized what she was trying to do.

The magic that shouldn’t have been there anymore was starting to spread from Yukomis’s body.

There was only one place that could be the source of that magic.

“I do not bow before the authority of death because…”

Yukomis began to chant an ominous spell that Ilesha wouldn’t even dare to think of reciting.

“What are you doing… forcibly converting life force into magic? Please come to your senses! I can’t lose you too…!”

“Because the maiden’s will lies in faith, not in longevity or eternal life…”

“Yukomis! Stop!”

It was then.

Something gently wrapped around Yukomis’s right arm, trembling in pain.

“That’s enough… That’s enough…”

“Sister…?”

“You always told me to… go die…”

“Sister? To, today you seem… kind…? I wish you had… treated me like this… normally… cough!…”

“Sister! Now’s not the time for those kinds of jokes…!”

“Listen… Yukomis…”

Her remaining warmth was conveyed through Yukomis’s right hand, pierced by the dagger.

“Your hand… must hurt… When you get home… make sure to apply medicine…”

Her sister showed her a smile, as if not wanting to miss a single word.

“I’m sorry. For deceiving you all this time…”

“…Sister? Deceiving me?”

“I’m sorry… for writing harsh words in the letter… And…”

More coughing.

“I’m not actually… your sister…”

“What? What, what are you talking about?”

Yukomis shook her head as if she couldn’t understand.

“No matter what anyone says, my sister is only you, only you!”

“I just… borrowed this body…

“Sister…?”

“Re…birth? Possession… happened…”

“Don’t say incomprehensible things!”

“Ugh… Cough…! Even though we might not have been related at all…”

“No, just don’t say anything! You need to conserve your energy now…!”

“But still, I didn’t want… you to get hurt…”

Shake, shake. Yukomis shook her head as if wanting to deny the confirmed end.

“I’m an adult, and…”

Her hand, barely reaching the height of the other’s face, gently stroked Yukomis’s cheek.

“You’re too young to do these things…”

“No…”

“Even in this kind of relationship… we’re family…”

“No, no… no! Don’t just say it’s the end like that!”

“I… have to take responsibility for you…”

More coughing again. More blood than before. The sound of wind leaking from her throat.

“I… actually… Cough! Cough!! Hngh!”

She seemed to realize that she wouldn’t even be allowed the time to finish what she wanted to say.

“…I’ll forgive anything. I’ll forgive any lie you’ve told! Just live! Please!”

“I think… this is the end… I’m sorry…”

“O SH…”

“Ilesha… are you still there…?”

“Yes..? Yes!!”

Ilesha, who was still slumped down, answered urgently.

“Please… take care of… my sister…”

“She’s… kind… I hope you’ll continue to be friends… Cough!”

“Y, you…!”

“Tell… the others… this…”…too…”

Nod. Nod. Ilesha forced her head, which wasn’t moving well, to move.

Even though the other person wouldn’t be able to see that.

“Yes… Yes! I will! Definitely! Whatever you say…!”

“Ah… as expected… you’re I…lesha…”

She wore a satisfied smile.

Hoo. And then, she heaved her chest as if gathering her breath for the last time from her lungs, which no longer existed.

“Tha… thank you… everyone… for helping… my useless…”

Puh-ook. Without finishing those words, her head fell downward.

“Sister?”

Yukomis shook her sister’s body, which had suddenly stopped talking.

“Sister? Sister?”

There was no response.

Her breathing?

Her heartbeat?

Yukomis, who was about to check her pulse, only realized anew that her sister had lost her heart a long time ago.

“No…! No!”

Yukomis’s expression contorted with terrible despair in an instant.

Soon after, a scream-like cry filled the large hall.

“Sister… Sister!! Open your eyes! Don’t die! You did it, Sister!”

Her clasped hands were already too cold.

“You deserve to be happy! How can you just, just take everything on your own like this, and leave alone! You can’t do that! No!”

Yukomis began to wail as if she had lost her mind.

“I’m sorry for only saying bad things all this time. I’m sorry for being cold! I won’t do that again, please! I was wrong, Sister! I love you. Actually, I’ve always respected you. I was just too young, you seemed like such a perfect person, and I didn’t know how to treat you. My family, whom I love the most in the world, my one and only sister! Please, please!”

Ilesha couldn’t bear to watch that scene and turned her head away.

Eventually, Yukomis’s gaze reached the door of wishes.

A divine artifact proudly placed in the final battleground.

An object capable of twisting causality, drawing nearly infinite magic from beyond dimensions, and creating miracles.

She began to shout at the door of wishes as well.

“Please, door of wishes! Save my sister! Save my sister, my precious sister, my beloved sister!”

It was no use.

The door of wishes, which seemed to have been smashed during the fierce battle, showed no reaction.

“Just save her, just save her. If only my sister and I could be together again… Please…! Please!!!!”

A faint light seemed to be emanating from the door of wishes, but there was no further dramatic reaction beyond that.

It was only natural. If even a trace of magic was felt there, there was no way she wouldn’t have noticed it by now.

Still, she shouted one more time.

“Please. Just one, just my one wish…!”

She shouted once again.

Again.

Then the request became a threat, a curse,

“Save my sister right now!!!!”

Eventually, only a broken wail remained, yet there was no reaction from there.

Everything was already over.

The final battle, her sister, even the miracle.

She hugged her sister’s cooling corpse.

She cried there all day long.

Until she collapsed from exhaustion. Until she lost consciousness.

When she regained consciousness, it was after she had been forcibly evacuated to the rear by Ilesha and her belatedly arriving comrades.

That was her sister’s end.

The world’s savior, who left this world carrying everything alone.