Episode 12 – Reunion

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Once the Curse of Reversed Likability Was Lifted, My Party Members Became Unbearably Heavy

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Deep within the royal castle, beyond the silent corridors, a single room remained lit.

Before the thick door, Ren took a small breath.

It had been about a month since he last saw the three of them, yet it felt like much longer.

Holding that thought, he slowly pushed the door open.

Only the flickering candle light dimly illuminated the gloomy interior.

There—three shadows sat.

Celia, Rina, Noel.

The three who had journeyed together, laughed together, and—defeated the Demon King together.

Their appearances were utterly different from the women he remembered.

　
Celia’s long golden hair hung disheveled and dull over her shoulders.

Rina’s once proud eyes now lacked focus.

Noel’s usually neat hair was unkempt and messy, her lips dry and cracked.

Their faces looked as if they had cried for an eternity, as if all color had drained from their world.

――A gasp escaped all three of them simultaneously.

“…Ren…-sama?”

Celia was the first to rise.

She extended trembling fingers and opened her mouth, as if unable to believe what she saw.

“…This isn’t… a dream… really…?”

Rina advanced, her knees shaking, while Noel moved forward, murmuring something softly.

And then—in the next instant.

All three rushed toward him at once.

“Ren-sama, we’re so sorry…!”

“Ren, I’m sorry. I… I—”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…!”

They collapsed before him, kneeling, grabbing his hands, his hem, clinging to him as if for life.

Tears spilled once more, sobs echoing through the room.

Those tears held a color mingled with sorrow, regret, and relief that Ren was alive.

The three repeated their wordless apologies over and over.

Ren—could say nothing. He just stared at them silently.

Celia’s shoulders shook, Rina clenched her fists, and Noel murmured “I’m sorry” over and over.

Their state was heartbreaking, yet at the same time—it was proof that “their reversal had finally been lifted.”

Silence fell.

Ren simply stood there, watching.

Neither blaming nor forgiving, he intended to hear their words through to the end.

“…I’m sorry… Ren sama… Back then, your arm…”

She couldn’t lift her face.　

The scene from that battlefield was burned behind Seria’s eyelids, refusing to fade. The blood-soaked cloak, Ren’s eyes pleading for help.

And the irreversible decision she had made.

“…I didn’t reach out to your wound. I could have saved you. I could have healed you. But back then, I truly believed… you deserved to be punished.”

Celia’s voice trembled as if it might break. Pressing her fingertips into the floor, her shoulders shook in small, rapid movements.

She pressed both hands to her chest, still bowed, forcing out the words.

“So I pretended not to see your pain then, not to hear your voice. Not to see any of it.”

“…I no longer have the right to serve the gods.　My very existence is proof that I betrayed you.”

She slowly stood up and removed the sacred seal from her chest. The chain fell silently to the floor, its metallic clink echoing.

“But… if you could forgive my existence… I would give you my arms, my legs, my eyes—everything. Please… please give me one more chance.”

With that, Celia bowed her head deeply.

Ren caught his breath at the sight of her eyes, which reflected no light.

Rina spoke next.

“I… I swore I would become like Ren.”

Her bitten lips turned white. She clenched her fists so tightly they drew blood.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

Those words broke the dam, and emotions flooded out of her.

“I… called Ren a ‘traitor.’ Even though I should have respected Ren more than anyone, even though I knew Ren possessed unshakable strength in both sword and spirit.”

Her voice grew louder, trembling and mingled with sobs.

“I always remembered the day Ren saved me. Seeing Ren’s back that day, I thought, ‘Ah, I want to entrust my life to this person.’　But… I betrayed Ren!”

Rina pounded the floor with her fist. With each strike, her voice trembled, and tears fell onto the floor.

“To protect the kingdom, to uphold order, to defend the people—I have no right to do any of that now. Even now, I wish I could kill that version of myself from back then.”

She collapsed where she stood, pressing her forehead against the floor.

“If I could, just once more… I want to swing my sword beside Ren. Even if I’m not forgiven, even if Ren’s sword cuts me down, it doesn’t matter. Even so—even if it’s just as a shield, I want to be useful to Ren and die…”

Her voice was swallowed by sobs, barely audible by the end.

Her fingertips held none of the strength they once wielded in battle. They merely drifted through the air, clinging desperately.

Her black hair, always glossy, was now disheveled and messy, slipping off her shoulders.

Deep shadows were etched beneath her eyes, and the corners of her lips were bitten until they bled.

Still, she tried to remain calm as usual—but the moment she spoke, she knew it was impossible.

“…You know, Ren. I think… I’m the one who deserves the least forgiveness.”

Her voice was terribly quiet.

The quieter it was, the more it tore at the heart.

“The rumors of betrayal—I was the one who spread them first. I was the one who wrote the letter saying ‘The Hero was in league with the Demon King.’”

Noel continued. Calmly, yet her voice trembled, clinging to the thread of reason that threatened to snap at any moment.

“I thought I could understand people through logic. I always believed ‘reason trumps emotion.’ But meeting you… I learned something beyond logic for the first time. Seeing how you trusted everyone, I thought it was foolish. Yet I envied that foolish kindness.”

Her shoulders shook. Tears glistened faintly on the floor.

“I wanted to be like that too…”

Noel covered her face with both hands.

Her lips trembled as she murmured in a voice she seemed to be stifling.

“I want to make it up to you. Truly. But I don’t know how. What should I give you back? What should I offer… that would be good for you…”

She slowly lowered her hands and looked up at Ren with tear-filled eyes.

Her gaze held no trace of reason or pride left; only the man named Ren Amagi filled her vision.

“So—please, Ren. I’ll give you everything I have. Knowledge, my life, anything. If you wish, you can erase my very existence from this world. I might not even have the right to do such a thing now…”

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

Their voices intertwined, as if emotions trapped within a long night were suddenly overflowing.

“…It’s okay now. Everyone’s okay.”

Ren’s voice, speaking to the three of them, was quiet and warm. It held no reproach, no anger—only the sound of forgiveness.

“I’m alive. That’s enough.”

He slowly reached out his hands to them.

Gently stroking each one, as if to touch them personally.

“It’s the Demon King’s curse that’s to blame. I know you’re all kind and care about your comrades!”

Saying this, Ren smiled.

With those words, the tension in the three hearts collapsed at once.

Celia clung to his chest, sobbing. Rina covered her face and trembled. Noel just let out a small sob.

The candle flame flickered. The time the four had spent, which felt like an endless darkness, finally began to move quietly.

(Wait… didn’t all three of them just say something really messed up?)

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