In the lord's chamber in Swilvane, Sigurd sat alone, idly musing that Sakuya would soon die and respawn here. (When she returns, I'll pretend to console her, then plant the idea of a traitor among the Cait Siths. That'll buy time. Once the Salamanders clear the Grand Quest, I'm done with the Sylphs.)
Imagining his bright future, Sigurd couldn't suppress a smirk. (Everything's going perfectly. Too perfectly.)
Unbeknownst to him, Recon had been captured shortly after Sigurd left, and the Salamanders he'd coordinated with had been wiped out by Hachiman's team, leaving no chance to warn him. Oblivious, Sigurd lounged in the lord's chair, feet propped on the table, hands behind his head, humming cheerfully.
"You seem in a great mood, Sigurd. Something good happen?" a familiar voice called.
Startled, Sigurd scanned the room. He hadn't noticed the slightly ajar door. On the wall, a Moonlight Mirror spell projected an image of Sakuya—alive and staring directly at him.
"S-Sakuya?" Sigurd stammered. "You startled me. How'd the talks go?"
"Sorry for the scare," Sakuya said. "The talks… didn't go as planned."
"Oh?" Sigurd said, assuming the talks had failed as he'd hoped, though puzzled she hadn't died. Hiding his glee, he feigned sympathy. "That's a shame. Maybe there's a spy among the Cait Siths. We should investigate and wait for the next chance, right?"
"A spy among the Cait Siths, huh?" Sakuya said.
"Yeah. There's no way a Sylph would betray us, so that's the logical conclusion," Sigurd said confidently.
"Exactly. No Sylph would betray us," Sakuya said. "But you're a Sylph who wants to be a Salamander, so you don't quite count, do you?"
"What…" Sigurd froze, unable to respond.
"I said the talks didn't go as planned," Sakuya continued. "You thought that meant failure, but it's the opposite. The Sylphs, Cait Siths, Undines, and Salamanders have agreed to unite."
"Impossible!" Sigurd shouted. The idea of the rival Salamanders joining a coalition was unthinkable.
"You'd think that, without them," Sakuya said.
"Them?" Sigurd asked.
"Us, Sigurd," a new voice said.
"Still clinging to your petty pride, escaping reality?" another added.
Sigurd recognized the faces. "You're the two with Leafa!" he shouted at the screen.
"Kirito, nice to meet you," Kirito said.
"I'm Hachiman," Hachiman added. "The current and former Undine lords are my friends, so that's why the Undines are on board."
"Former lord… you know the Absolute Tyrant?!" Sigurd gasped.
"Dude, you got a death wish or something?" Kirito said.
"What are you—" Sigurd started.
"Hmm, you'd say that to me?" a chilling voice interrupted.
Sigurd paled as Soleil stepped into view, a figure he'd seen only once before. "Hiii…" he whimpered, speechless.
"Easy, Soleil-san," Hachiman said. "This guy's got no future anyway."
"True," Soleil said with a smile. "I'll leave the rest to you. But if I see him again… well." She vanished from the screen, leaving Sigurd paralyzed with fear.
Kirito took over. "For the Salamanders, I beat Eugene one-on-one, and Soleil sealed the deal. That's how we got them to join."
"You beat General Eugene?" Sigurd said, reeling from the cascade of shocking revelations.
"Let Sakuya finish this," Kirito said. "Oh, nice one!"
"What are you talking about?!" Sigurd demanded.
"Not you," Hachiman said. "Go for it!"
A sharp pain struck Sigurd's neck. His vision spun, dropping lower. He saw his own headless body standing, and behind it, a familiar figure. "Recon…" he gasped.
With that, Sigurd disintegrated, leaving only a Remain Light.
"Hachiman-san, I did it!" Recon shouted.
"Nice work, Recon!" Hachiman said. "You surprised me. Traitors get death, right?"
"Absolutely!" Recon said. "I couldn't forgive him, so I snuck in."
"Well done, Recon," Sakuya said. "You acted in our stead."
"Yes, Sakuya-san!" Recon replied.
"Now, leave the rest to me," Sakuya said. "Sigurd, can you hear me? You despised being a Sylph, so I'll grant your wish. As of this moment, you're banished from Sylph territory. Go wherever you like."
Sigurd's Remain Light flickered in protest before vanishing exactly one minute later. Henceforth, he'd wander aimlessly as an exile from Sylph lands.
"Phew, not a pleasant task," Sakuya said. "Good work, Recon. You've heard about the big battle coming. Can you head to Arun?"
"Got it, Sakuya-san!" Recon said.
"Recon, thank you for punishing Sigurd for us," Leafa added.
"Leafa-chan…" Recon said, touched.
"You did amazing," Leafa said, patting him. "Great job!"
"Thanks!" Recon beamed.
"I'll wait for you in Arun," Leafa said.
"Okay!" Recon replied, overjoyed by her praise. (This is thanks to Hachiman's advice,) he thought, vowing to repay the favor.
After the talks, the group dispersed to prepare. The Sylphs and Cait Siths, funded by Hachiman and Kirito, were thrilled to equip themselves properly. Sakuya left to handle Sigurd's aftermath. Alicia hinted at a secret weapon, saying, "Look forward to it!" before departing. Eugene declined funding, noting the Salamanders' arsenal was nearly complete. "Just need to explain to my brother," he said, leaving with a laugh.
Meguri and Soleil received funds from Klein's group to organize the Undines' army and gear. Though it was sudden for the Undines, Hachiman trusted the two would manage, delegating everything to them. Left behind were Hachiman, Kirito, Leafa, Yukino, Yui, Komachi, Iroha, Klein, Egyl, and Silica—ten in total. Together, they flew toward their final destination: Arun.
--+--
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