Chapter 18: Volume 3 - Epilogue

In the end, Ikki slept for an entire week. Given his fatigue from the inquiry, and poisoning symptoms from the drugs, and the backlash from Ittou Rasetsu added on… well, it might have been expected.

While the person in question slept, the riotous chain of events that started the scandal returned to normal. The King of Vermillion, Stella's father, heard about the outcome of Ikki's battle and the facts leading up to it including information about the Ethics Committee and its underlings, and he had made a declaration of disapproval. Because the king expressed disapproval, it became impossible to silence the information. The king declared "After the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival is over, come to Vermillion. Judgment will be deferred until then" as the decision regarding the current scandal. Since Akaza had lost his standing, there was not a single person questioning Ikki's ethics as a knight.

After everything was settled, one week later―

In the normally seldom-used gymnasium, all the students in the school were gathered. Six representatives had been singled out by the long selection battles. And so the official investiture was performed.

「Now, we will begin the investiture. Those whose names are called, come up to the stage.」

Kurono said so with a far-reaching voice, and read off the names of the representatives one by one.

「Year One A-rank, Stella Vermillion.」

「Year Three D-rank, Botan Hagure.」

「Year Three B-rank, Kanata Toutokubara.」

「Year Three C-rank, Kikyou Hagure.」

「Year One D-rank, Nagi Arisuin… is absent due to other business.」

And lastly―

「Year One F-rank, Ikki Kurogane.」

Ikki's name was called.

"Yes."

Leaving his seat while giving the short answer, he went up on stage via the staircase on the side. And like the four people who had been called earlier, he walked to the board chairman Kurono Shinguuji to accept a medal and certificate.

「Congratulations.」

"Thank you very much."

Bowing, he faced the gathered students like the other four people did, and thus he became one of the representatives as well.

Seeing that Ikki who had been called last had joined the line, Kurono spoke.

「The five people standing here, and Nagi Arisuin who is the sixth, are now officially recognized as our Hagun Academy's representatives at the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival!」

At those words, *clap clap clap*, huge applause was sent toward those five people. Everyone was staring straight at Ikki and the other representative contenders.

…Even though he had previously fought with people watching him like this, Ikki who was not used to being the center of attention outside of battle this way felt a little bit uncomfortable. From the beginning, Ikki was the type whose social status would not be noticed by other people, so he was not good with this kind of ceremonial event. If he could, he would leave the stage quickly.

But his hope would be betrayed.

「Now next, the captain of the representative team will be announced. Once the name is called, step forward.」

Kurono called out that name.

「The team captain will be Year One F-rank Ikki Kurogane.」

"…Eh?"

Ikki became speechless at his own name being given as team captain, and he looked over his shoulder at Kurono without a thought in his head.

"Me, the captain…? Why…?"

Compared to Kanata who on the student council and had real achievements, or Stella who was popular in the news, in what way was Ikki better for the position of team captain, he wondered?

But Kurono retorted to Ikki with an astonished face.

「What are you asking for? Hunter, Runner's High, and Raikiri. With you knocking aside the frontrunners for Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival representative here in Hagun one by one, no one is else worthy to be Hagun's team captain. Aren't you going to hurry up and go out there?」

"Ah, y-yes."

Though he couldn't really agree, since for someone like Ikki―who had honestly been living on the fringe of people's notice―to become team captain would surely result only in disorder, Ikki stepped forward reflexively at Kurono's forceful tone. Seeing that, Kurono continued the ceremony.

「Now then, the team captain will be brought the school flag.」

At the same time as those words, a single female student appeared from the side of the stage carrying Hagun's school flag. It was….

"…President Toudou."

…The girl Ikki himself had defeated in the last battle.

"We haven't seen each other since the match, right? I'm glad you're in good health."

Touka smiled a tiny bit, and lightly raised the school flag she was carrying.

"This is the flag that I, the team captain last year, was entrusted with. I thought I was going to keep it this year too, but I lost to you, Kurogane-kun. So I begged the teachers. I wanted to bestow the flag on you myself."

Hearing those words, Ikki's was at a loss for a reply. It was extremely clear that Touka had already sorted out her feelings, but for Ikki who had been asleep a little while back, it felt like the battle was only yesterday. So to the opponent he had defeated, he didn't know what words he should respond with.

But—even though he didn't know what words to use, Ikki thought that he wanted to give his thanks. The fight had been stained with other people's treachery, but he had stilled challenged this proud knight. Because she had been there, he was able to pull such strength from himself.

"Touka-san. ...I... because I had you as my opponent, I brought out my full strength. Because I wanted to win against you, I could use that much strength. …If you hadn't been the opponent… I would've surely…."

"Kurogane-kun."

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But Touka interrupted Ikki's words, and looked at him with an honest, graceful smile.

"Kurogane-kun. winning is the same as having a responsibility. It means you have to inherit the wish of the one who lost. …This flag is filled with the thoughts and hopes of not just the ones who couldn't be a representative, but many more people. I'm not telling you to fight for our sake. But, how should I put it… please take us along with this flag―to the summit of the Seven Stars."

She presented the flag she held to Ikki. Presented with those words and the flag, Ikki understood. He didn't need things like words. How to repay this girl, and all the knights whose dreams would not come true, there was only one way. The one who won must take responsibility for the hopes of those who lost.

In that case, what was it that he, the one who had won, should do? It wasn't like Ikki didn't know. So he grasped the black flag pole firmly.

"…I promise."

He accepted the flag. At that moment, thunderous applause came from the assembled students.

「Do your best, Captain―!」

「We're always here to cheer you on!」

「You beat the president! You're our representative now!」

「We believe you can take the championship, Ikki-kun!」

「Don't lose~! Crownless Sword King―!」

Cheering voices, yells of blessings, scolding encouragement. Many voices were mixed with the applause, and all of it struck Ikki's body. At that impact, Ikki felt a numbness run through his entire body …and his lips tightened, his face stiffened. Because if he didn't do so… tears would fall.

So Ikki locked his expression and raised the flag in response, then returned to his spot in the line. And he said something in a small voice to Stella who was standing next to him.

"…Stella."

"What?"

"I… speaking honestly, I'm not at all interested in how other people see me. Because I've never gotten a good evaluation, and thought I never would. I always thought it would be fine if no one understood me."

But―

"Being accepted, it feels surprisingly pleasant, doesn't it?"

Whether he was smiling or crying at that moment, Ikki didn't really know. But because Stella was looking at his face and smiling happily, he thought surely he was making a very joyful face.

And so, South Kanto's[1] Hagun Academy decided its representative contenders for the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival.

North Kanto's Donrou Academy. Tohoku's Kyomon Academy. Tokkaido's Rokuzon Academy. Kyushu, Okinawa's Bunkyoku Academy. China and Shikoku's Rentei Academy. And—continuing to advance for the last twenty years, Japan's strongest school that had monopolized the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival winner's podium for each of the last five years, as well as the world-leading school of champions, Central Kinki's Bukyoku Academy. Each of them had publicly and thrillingly revealed their representatives.

The actors had appeared.

Kyomon's Icy Laughter, Mikoto Tsuruya.

Rokuzon's Panzer Grizzly, Renji Kaga.

Donrou's Sword Eater, Kuraudo Kurashiki.

And―the previous Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival champion, Seven Stars Sword King Yuudai Moroboshi.

Every one of them, a famous warrior. Right now, Ikki Kurogane was turning towards them who the whole country was waiting for.

The summit of the Seven Stars. To stand at that summit. And for his strongest, most beloved rival. To fulfill his promise to the Crimson Princess, Stella Vermillion.

His story—was advancing to the national stage!

※　※　※

Somewhere else, at the time Hagun Academy's investiture was being carried out―

Under a deserted highway overpass―

「Ha ha ha, then Hagun's roster has also been set, I see. It's extremely unexpected that Raikiri, Runner's High, and that Lorelei will not be there, but...」

"It can't be helped. Because those two people had poor luck in the lottery."

「Well, luck is a kind of strength. If they were defeated in a lottery, they were only that level of knight. ―And, well if the same happened to Ouma-kun, I don't think I'd say the same. 」

"It doesn't matter, you know."

「So cold-hearted, I see. Well, that's fine. I believe everything has been prepared over there?」

"Yes, there are no problems. Lorelei being defeated was beyond expectations, but… it won't hinder the plan. ―She can be done in at any time."

「Ha ha ha. The current master of assassination. Your skill is unquestionable. As expected for our Black Assassin who cleared the Killing House's highest record score. ―No, right now, you're the Black Sonia, right? Our comrade, Arisuin.」

Arisuin's visage at that moment did not fit the friendly one he showed every day to Ikki and the others. It was a cold expression. It did not appear to be an expression a person with human emotions would wear, an appearance like glasswork. At a glance, one would probably mistake him for another person.

But as he was now, he had a dangerous beauty that can't be called violent.

「In any case, let's say that the preparations for the eve of the Festival have been done.」

While revealing a laugh that scoffed at everything in the world, the person on the other end of the phone call that Arisuin was making, which Arisuin was making with a student datapad different from that of Hagun, coughed with a voice in some kind of ecstasy.

「The actors are all present―everyone thinks so, yes? But that's not quite true. The leading actor hasn't entered the stage yet. No one even knows that the leading actor exists. So let's inform them. To enter the stage from below the curtain, and strike the faces of those pretentious enough to think themselves the leading actor, and reveal it all to the audience. --The leading actor of this Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival will be us, Akatsuki.」

The stage was changing to the whole country, and the story was starting to move. As if creeping near―it brought along an ominous, despicable sound.

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