The priests exchanged greetings, acknowledging each other’s hard work. Dolores, who had been leading the drawing of the magic circle for days, nodded happily, looking like a person who had just relieved herself of a heavy burden. All that was left now was to wait. A small festival unfolded in the pitch-dark forest, where not a single ray of light penetrated.

“Sister Dolores! How much have you suffered to come this far?”

“That’s right. Today’s joy is all thanks to Sister Dolores.”

“Where wouldn’t there be devoted followers who were moved and gained strength by your efforts to fulfill your destiny without giving up hope?”

People carried away by excitement came with cups in hand. Dolores accepted the cup handed to her and laughed kindly.

“All this great work today wasn’t something I could have done alone. It’s all thanks to everyone joining forces and not giving up until the end. You are all the protagonists today.”

Touched by her affectionate words, sighs of emotion were heard here and there. Someone raised their cup high and shouted.

“On this happy day, let’s celebrate Sister Dolores!”

“For Sister Dolores!”

“For Sister Dolores!”

Everyone around raised their cups, chanting her name. After Dolores took a sip of the drink she received, everyone applauded, pleased. It was a lively cheer that seemed out of place in the serene and old-fashioned pine forest.

After catching her breath for a moment and rubbing her throat, Dolores exited the forest.

Standing at the edge, she gazed at the horizon beyond, watching the sunset. The sight was as if the sun were screaming in agony after being murdered. The red blood flowing from the sun dyed the once-blue sky red.

It was not a beautiful sunset, but Dolores saw no more beautiful sight than this. With a content smile, she turned around. Beyond her expectation, Greta was standing at the forest’s entrance.

“Well, then…”

Dolores, leaning against the moist pine tree, looked at Greta. When Greta stood upright, Dolores’ face, which had been gentle enough to be somewhat languid, instantly turned chilling. Dolores, her lips ending in a sharp and cruel smile, spoke coldly.

“Let’s call upon our ancestors.”
Hebenkyo’s ancestors, specifically the leaders and central figures of the former Hebenkyo who were beheaded, were mentioned. Pitiful souls who, even after being driven out of the Solserion Empire as heretics, eventually faced execution. Unfortunate beings who, unable to embrace their doctrines, wander in limbo, unable to reach a better place due to unresolved resentment. The ultimate goal of Hebenkyo has always been one.

“It’s time to console our ancestors. So… let’s offer them everything we couldn’t have at that time.”

Devoting this world to Hebenkyo.

Greta, wearing a smile with chilling undertones not inferior to Dolores’s eerie laughter, nodded. Observing this, Dolores, with a very satisfied expression, gazed at the dusk that was slowly dying. The cruel scene, dazzling enough to blind the eyes, was endlessly beautiful. Dolores, who had no hesitation as if her soul had been stolen by that sight, remained unaware.

“…….”

The absence of vitality in Greta’s eyes.

Turning her back on everyone’s celebration, Greta left the edge of the pine forest. The destination she arrived at was a place where a silent carriage was haphazardly placed. Entering a sagging tent, in the dim space, a shining crystal bead was laid out. Greta, taking off the hood she had been wearing inverted and casually hanging it anywhere, approached and sat in front of the crystal bead.

― We met under very difficult circumstances. Let’s never part again. Okay? Let’s not drift apart.

― Yes, okay, Mother.

Inside the bead, Greta’s lips sank into a melancholic expression as she looked at Lillian and Yurisien.