Ace and Liebe were next to Ina.
Ace looked back and forth between them. She was worried about Ina, and wary of Liebe’s intentions.
“…If I’m that scary, why don’t you attack me?”
He said while snorting a little, but Ace did nothing.
She watched over Ina, and looked at Liebe. She kept repeating this like a broken doll.
“Attacking you has been put on hold, to judge what kind of target you are. As per prior information, you are the leader of Azure Skies, so if you are deemed a threat that will have an effect on us, I will eliminate you.”
“That’s more like a magic doll. It feels right for a magic doll to come to kill me.”
That was what magic dolls were to Liebe, mechanical beings that came to kill him.
Not magic dolls with emotions like the Legion that he met with Anonymous, dolls that killed automatically to fulfill their role as weapons.
And yet, a magic doll took action to change its values just before its extinction.
It felt strange. It was proof that the world kept turning even without him.
“Killing you is not my role. Killing beast people of Azure Skies was what my former master instructed.”
“Ddos… That pig?”
“But now I have been liberated from those orders. I fulfill a temporary role as a knight of the guard knight chivalric order Hello World to redefine my own role.”
Ace continued, speaking plainly.
“Being wary of you is my choice. Wanting Qualia to regain his ‘tasty’ is my view. It is my desire that people say ‘tasty’ next time I make onigiri.”
Liebe looked at Ace, and sighed.
“It sounds like magic dolls have more of a heart than I heard. The ones I met yesterday were like that too.”
“You met other magic dolls?”
“Probably ones Ddos kept, like you. They were with this person called Anonymous… But it felt more like they were willingly helping him.”
Ace’s behavior changed a little once she heard this. She had been watching over Ina, protecting her with Qualia and thinking about his changes, and cautious about Liebe. But it felt as though she loosened up a little.
Hearing about her fellow magic dolls made her feel a little bit reassured. But the magic stone that loosened, quickly took back its outline.
“…There is little information about Anonymous, and his objective is unknown. But Anonymous saved Ina. It is estimated that he does not carry a low degree of trust.”
“…!”
Anonymous saved Ina. That made Liebe’s cat ears perk up a little.
“…I see. That guy too.”
He whispered, as he looked at the still sleeping Ina’s face. His face went from one that seemed haunted by a nightmare, to a small smile.
“Ina… You really were helped by a lot of people.”
Liebe thought back.
When he attacked Lobelia’s mansion, he saw from inside Quiet Ghost people forming a wall between himself and Ina. But that was not like the cage from when he was beheaded. Not to keep them apart. It was to save her from the death that he brought.
“…But I’m still scared. What if you don’t wake up? What if you die? And even if you wake up, there are more people filled with evil in this world than people that will protect you.”
“Then I will protect Ina from this vague concept you call evil.”
Liebe was full of indecision, but Ace spoke without hesitation.
“Ina taught me how to clean my body the day before yesterday. I spoke to Ina about my history as a magic doll. From production, to being bought by Ddos, to acting as per my role to kill beast people. Ina said ‘you’ve had a tough time’ while hugging me from behind.”
There was nothing to stop her from continuing, other than the wind from the clear curtains.
“I don’t know that reaction she called tough. Ina is presumed to be wrong about magic dolls’ neural networks. But that warmth, the meal she made after, and the day spent with her gave me very beneficial senses.”
Ace looked at Qualia’s empty seat, and continued.
“Qualia is the same. Qualia freed me from my role of simply following Ddos’ orders. He taught me ‘tasty’, and the thing called a heart.”
The magic doll was supposedly talking about happy things, but sounded sad.
Liebe thought that as he heard about Ace graduating from being a magic doll, as someone who was going to graduate from the living.
“Ina and Qualia are in danger. If Ina’s consciousness does not recover, her vital activities might follow suit. Qualia is in an incomprehensible situation, and might fall out of his vital activities. I am scared of that.”
“…”
“And so, I judge what my role is. I give myself instructions about what I can do to help them.”
“Role?”
“What is your role?”
Liebe did nothing about this sudden question. He stayed silent.
He looked at his hands, as he was at that very moment on the path of graduating from existence.
“What is your role until disappearing?”
“…Let me ask you, magic doll. What was my role again?”
He could not even call himself the leader of Azure Skies anymore.
The one who led beast people’s malice and tried to destroy the Kingdom of Acacia, to avenge his sister.
It was Azure Skies that pushed Ina to the line between life and death.
“That Spirito said it too. To do what I can. That’s been stuck in my mind ever since.”
He was starting to not understand his identity, right before death.
But Ace had no answer.
“That is not for me to say. You should search for your role. I learned that from Qualia.”
“…I see.”
“At the very least, you are the leader of Azure Skies at this point. That is why I am wary of you.”
Ace continued.
“But were you not, what would your role be?”
“…”
There was no answer, and then the door opened.
It was Qualia.
“Ace, Spirito is requesting that you meet her. She says she wants to talk to you.”
“Understood.”
She said while looking at Liebe, and still looking wary.
“Go.”
He said.
“I’m not gonna do anything. There’s nothing I can do except pray.”
The small girl left, meaning the only people that were awake in that room were Qualia and Liebe.
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