Volume 15 - CH 25

Chapter 25: Conclusion. And Then...

Ikki was aware that he was dead, but now he wakes up in a room while lying on a bed. He sees Stella and wonders how he is still alive with his body healed. Stella tells Ikki that Shizuku came and reconstructed his body on a cell-by-cell basis. He is amazed that Shizuku was able to revive someone from death. Stella also informs him that Vermillion won the war though she said it in a way that made Ikki feel that she’s being distant to him. She also says it’s been 3 days and the Cradleland citizens didn’t suffer any casualty. Johann is somewhat okay since Lunaeyes is by his side. Nene also has gotten her arm back thanks to the League of Mage-Knight Nations having enough stocks of somatic cells in their cell bank for a KOK A-League player to use. But Tatara lost half of her face, one arm and half of her digestive system with her lower half of her body completely destroyed. The stimulant Tatara took prevented her dying from shock of pain and her brain has been cured from the side effects of the stimulant. However, her body is too damaged to be cured by “Capsule” and her lost body parts can’t be repaired. Body tissue can be rebuild with somatic cells but the maintenance cost of a cell bank is expensive, so the only ones who can use them are very rich people, top officials of a nation and Blazers that are vital to a nation. Ikki is glad everyone is still alive and asks for Shizuku in order to thank her. Stella says that Shizuku has been in the room the whole time but Ikki doesn’t see her which confuses him. Stella then explains that Ikki was dead and his body was too damaged, so Shizuku supplied her own cells to Ikki by becoming part of his body in order to revive him. Hearing such explanation causes Ikki to be shocked and crying. Stella realizes Ikki is misunderstanding things and asks Shizuku to come out. Shizuku’s snickering voice is heard and says that there is no other way even though she wanted to be worried by her older brother.

Ikki turns to the direction of Shizuku’s voice and is shocked to see her, in the size of a palm, sitting on his shoulder. He is shocked to see Shizuku’s body has become so small and semi-transparent. Shizuku explains that Ikki’s somatic cells were damaged at considerable amount but some parts of his body were still usable and so she used her own body to act as a “link” in order to repair his body. In addition, Ikki and Shizuku are siblings that share the same blood so there was perfect compatibility. But because she is also lending her own supply of somatic cells to Ikki, she can’t maintain her body’s original size. Shizuku wanted to remain like this but she knows Ikki would be against it. She then says that the reconstruction of Ikki’s body is finished and that his body is at the stage of self-repairing by making use of the cell growth space. Shizuku is currently inside Ikki’s body in order to help the process and she can separate from his body if he wants her to. A blue light then comes out of Ikki’s body and then forms into Shizuku in her original appearance. Ikki thanks Shizuku for saving him, but she’s giving off a strange reaction while looking at him. While her eyes look feverish in a scary way, her nose inflating and she’s hugging her own body, Shizuku says that Ikki thanking her while he’s in a very cute appearance might cause her to become a weird type of person. Stella also says that she understands how Shizuku feels, while Stella’s face is slightly dyed and her mouth is loose. Ikki is confused by the two’s behavior but when he looks at his reflection in the window, he realizes that his body has become smaller. Ikki panics after seeing his appearance is like when he was in primary school as shown in a pic. Shizuku explains that this is Ikki’s current true appearance.

“There is a limit to my mana and concentration ability, so we can’t stay united the whole day. It’s necessary for Onii-sama alone to have a body that can move to a certain extent. But the amount of somatic cells is not enough. After thinking what to do, as a good opportunity-’cough’! As a last resort, I tried reproduce the Onii-sama from childhood.”

Ikki was able to maintain his original appearance because Shizuku was sharing her somatic cells but after she left his body he is left with his own amount of somatic cells which is only enough to make a smaller body. Ikki understands that it was necessary and that it wasn’t Shizuku’s hobby though he was a little suspicious. Ikki has the physical ability of a 10 year old and so he can’t do reckless things like before or else his body will break. Shizuku says that even if Ikki looks adorable now Stella is not allowed to do lewd things to him because he has a small body and the burden is heavy. If Stella does something like “Ittou Shura of the Night”, Shizuku will spread about it through SNS. Stella strongly denies she will do such thing but Shizuku thinks Stella is a monkey that has been lusting for Ikki the whole year. Shizuku also doesn’t mind if Stella is doing such thing while Shizuku’s body is united with Ikki’s body because there’s no guarantee that the child that will be created during that time will be Stella’s. Stella thinks Shizuku is really scary and asks Ikki how she grew up to be like this, but Ikki doesn’t really know and thinks that his running away from home during middle school could be the cause. Shizuku then tells both Ikki and Stella that they should never forget that Ikki is a seriously injured person that has lost almost 30% of his body. Ikki complies since he can tell by himself that his physical ability has been reduced by about 50%. He then asks if he’s going to remain like this but Shizuku denies this. Ikki’s body has been repaired by making use of the body’s growth space and humans generally can still grow up to the age of 25, so there’s still enough room for growth in Ikki’s 16 year old body. If Ikki fully exploits Shizuku’s magic technique, he can return to his original appearance in half a year.

Nene suddenly comes into the room and also comments about Ikki’s current appearance. Ikki thanks Nene for protecting everyone while he was fighting Or-Gaule. Nene came to inform Shizuku that the League HQ evaluated her “reviving the dead” ability and so she’s being promoted to A-rank as of today. Ikki is delighted because the only other A-rank student knights in the League right now are Stella and Ouma. But Shizuku asks if she’s the only one getting a promotion since Ikki has been more active than her. Nene explains that Blazer rank is not like a medal, but is actually a standard created for the purpose of managing Blazers and so the criteria can’t be changed for the sake of just one irregular person. Shizuku is disappointed but understands that a Blazer whose life would be in danger after receiving just one bullet can’t even be given E-rank status. But Nene also adds that since Ikki has already achieved “Brute Soul”, his rank is just a decoration on the surface. There is no one in this world that looks down on him after seeing the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival and the recent battle just now. Nene also came to give Ikki a message from Levi Ascarid. Levi is grateful to Ikki for not making Iris’ last moments not of regret and so Ikki should contact her if he’s in trouble. She has promised to do everything in her power to help Ikki even if it’s just once. Nene also says that Iris’ body and Or-Gaule’s ashes will be buried in their hometown. Having Levi’s backing also means having the backing of the League’s France branch, which is something more incredible than achieving a high Blazer rank. Ikki wanted to decline the offer at first because he feels he’s not qualified to have it but Nene says that he can’t refuse it. Ikki is not the one to judge whether or not he has the right, and it’s useless to refuse because Levi is not the kind of person who would back down easily from someone else’s opinion. But the biggest reason is that it’s a necessary power for Ikki because his position has largely changed after this war. After defeating Iris who was the 4th ranked knight in the League, Ikki is now considered a major force for the entire League. Various types of people will try to come after Ikki from now on and so Nene tells him that it’s better to have more allies. Nene’s advice causes Ikki to remember the scheming that occurred during Hagun’s selection battles. He then realizes that in order to prevent something like that happening again and without troubling other people, he needs political power. Thus, Ikki accepts Levi's offer of help.

Nene tells Shizuku that they should leave especially since Shizuku needs to take a break in healing Ikki. But before they leave, Shizuku tells Ikki that what he did to Stella this time was the worst. She believes that even if a strategy that requires dying is the only way to achieve the best results, the people who choose that are scums. Shizuku is fine with it because she only loves her older brother, but Stella is different. Ikki loves Stella and has sworn to be by her side, so he needs to take responsibility for that love. Shizuku is not on Ikki’s side for this so she tells him to do his best to be forgiven. Shizuku said these things with a smile but Ikki can tell that she’s angrier than she’s ever been. After Shizuku and Nene leave the room, Stella locks the door and closes the curtain of the window. She approaches Ikki with anger which causes Ikki to be scared and trying to make excuses. Ikki argues that he couldn’t think of any other way to prevent everyone being killed by Or-Gaule but Stella doesn’t consider it as a good excuse. After remembering what Shizuku just said, Ikki realizes that what he did was selfish and he made Stella went through so much pain. He then apologizes to Stella and says that he will do anything to make Stella not hate him. She asks if Ikki will give her good morning and good night kisses every day, which he agrees. She also wants him to recite a different poetry on what he likes about Stella for an hour every day and that he will use the royalties produced from the distribution of the compiled contents to support her. Ikki finds it strange but Stella then laugh and says that she was just joking. She is not angry anymore because what she wants to say to Ikki was already said by Shizuku. But the biggest reason is because she’s happy to see Ikki alive. She then immediately hugs Ikki’s small body and apologizes because Ikki wouldn’t have to die if she had noticed Or-Gaule’s “Dead Maccabre”. Ikki replies that it was also his fault because he should have realized Or-Gaule’s trump card, not letting Stella fight alone or been much stronger. They then promise to each to other to be stronger so that what happened before won’t repeat.

Ikki and Stella kiss and feel each other’s warmth. This causes Ikki to remember that the world he saw when he was dying was a place of total darkness. He doesn’t want to go to such place again and so he has sworn to become stronger. Ikki tries to make the kiss deeper but Stella stops him. She is very emotional right now so she might not be able to hold back if they go further. But Ikki says it’s too late and that he can’t hold back anymore. Ikki grabs Stella’s back and head, and then gives her a rough kiss. This surprises Stella at first since she didn’t expect this from the usual Ikki, but she eventually let him deepened the kiss. During that moment, the door to the room was forced open by Stella’s parents who came to tell Stella something while panicking. When they enter the room, they clearly see the appearance of Ikki and Stella who had just kissed. Sirius is about to go berserk since he sees his precious daughter being that intimate with a man, but Astrea stops him by pinching his butt. Astrea is glad to see Ikki is okay and already filled with energy now. Ikki and Stella are embarrassed that their physical intimacy was seen by Stella’s parents. Stella then asks why her parents were in such panic when they came into the room. Astrea replies that it’s about Tatara and what she tells Stella causes her to be shocked while angered.

At Vermillion International Airport, Dandalion has prepared a small jet aircraft with autopilot function for Tatara who is in an electric wheelchair. The aircraft is a reward for Tatara’s role in the war but she asks if it’s okay for Dandalion, who is a branch leader of the League, to supplysuch goods to an assassin from Rebellion. Dandalion claims the only information he has on Tatara is that she’s a student of Akatsuki Academy. A League branch is not an extension of the headquarters but is actually a body that serves as a point of contact in order for member countries to cooperate with the headquarters, and so it more loyal to its country than to the League headquarters. The significance of the League’s existence is that small countries cooperate with each other and face the threat of major powers together, but the League’s expansion would be hindered if intervention in a nation’s internal affairs becomes too much. Such organizational structure is the reason why the League’s mobilization in the recent war was limited. Tatara thinks there might be a movement to create centralization of power with the recent war being used as a reason and so she might receive some “work” from the League. In order for her to continue her professional work, she needs to heal her body. She plans to have a surgery that will restore her body and then have rehabilitation immediately, but it will all take about a year. When Tatara is about to leave, Dandalion says Stella will be sad but Tatara doesn’t care. Tatara’s body was in a state where it couldn’t possibly be saved but Stella begged Shizuku to save Tatara even though Shizuku was reluctant in saving a terrorist. Tatara’s not sure what stupid thing Stella will do when she sees her and so she tries to leave fast. But as Tatara is about to board the prepared small aircraft, Stella shows up from the sky and destroys the aircraft.

Tatara is unharmed from the flying debris of the destroyed aircraft by using her reflecting ability and angrily asks Stella what she’s doing. Stella is also angry at Tatara who is trying to leave so suddenly and asks where Tatara will go even though the Abgrund family has been destroyed. Stella also says there will be an announcement of engagement between Lunaeyes and Johann once Cradleland has settled down. Since Luna is renouncing her succession to the throne, Stella will be the next queen of Vermillion. She wants to hire Tatara as a personal bodyguard since Tatara’s ability is best suited for such duty and she also offers benefits and residency. Stella believes no one in Vermillion would oppose Tatara since she helped saved the country and that Tatara should quit her work as an assassin and start a new life here. Tatara responds by asking Stella to come closer to her and then suddenly accelerates her electric wheelchair so that its footrest hits Stella’s shin which hurts Stella. Tatara says with an unpleasant face that Stella is misunderstanding things. Tatara wasn’t fighting for Stella’s country, but for a personal problem. Her wounds are the result of that and so she doesn’t need Stella’s pity. Tatara also says that Stella should be more careful about who she’s talking with if she’s going to be the ruler of a country. In the first place, whatever happens to Tatara has nothing to do with Stella’s life anymore. But Stella disagrees because she has come to love Tatara. Stella was able to become stronger after Tatara taught her what she was lacking, and Tatara fought so hard in the recent war, so Stella just couldn’t leave Tatara alone. Tatara thinks she has gotten too close to Stella and she doesn’t really hate her. However, Tatara believes she doesn’t have right to receive Stella’s kindness. She thanks Stella for worrying about her but she also says it’s a fact that she has killed dozens of people. Tatara also doesn’t believe all the things she had done were bad things because she was never taught such morals, so it’s meaningless for her to try to atone. At the very least she wants to stick with her beliefs and if she manages to survive through her crappy life without deceiving herself then she will be able to like herself. This is a battle which Tatara is betting her own ego and so she wants Stella not to interfere. Hearing Tatara’s explanation causes Stella to have no choice but to back down. Tatara also says that the person named Yui Tatara doesn’t truly exist in this world and so she is like a ghost that will be eventually be forgotten.

Tatara moves her wheelchair towards another small aircraft that was already prepared with her back facing Stella. She can hear Stella’s sobbing but she still keeps going so that she won’t be able to hear the sobbing anymore. However, Stella’s sobbing is becoming louder and less natural which causes Tatara unable to bear with it anymore. Tatara turns around and throws a card at Stella in order to shut her up. The card is Tatara’s business card as an assassin and it has her contact detail. Tatara will at least go to Ikki and Stella’s wedding ceremony and so she asks Stella to stop her weird crying. Stella becomes happy because it means she doesn’t have to forget about Tatara and can still form some connection with her. Tatara wonders why she did such unnecessary thing and if it was because she wanted to do so. Thinking about it is such a bother and so Tatara starts leaving in order to have a break. Once she’s in the small aircraft, she turns on the autopilot and set the coordinates for the Abgrund house’s recuperation facility. Tatara then realizes she forgot to tell Stella about something and so sends her an email. The message Stella had just received says that Tatara’s real name is Vier and so Stella should call her that when they meet next time. As the plane is leaving, Stella shouts her gratitude to Vier. Stella has decided to continue persuading Vier to choose a different way of life since the email she has received is proof that it’s possible.