Chapter 64 – I Will Fight in This World, to Protect Everyone I Hold Dear.

On the narrow bed, Letaria gently unfolded the single piece of paper.

The only warmth from her old world that had remained in the pocket of her dress when she washed up in this sea of stars. A letter from the one lady's maid who had stayed beside her until the very end - Chiara, who was no longer here.

A small seed fell out.

A flower seed - the same kind she had given to Milea and the others - had been tucked inside the letter.

Chiara's careful, familiar handwriting surfaced in the glow of the room's steady artificial light.

"To Lady Letaria.

Even after the hurtful words of others drove you to withdraw to your room, I have always known. I have always known that you remain, in your truest self, a girl of kinder and nobler heart than anyone around you.

And yet I, helpless as I am, was unable to be the support you deserved - unable to stop this unjust exile from coming to pass. I am so deeply, truly sorry.

I am enclosing a small flower seed with this letter. Please let it bloom wherever you arrive, and please live there with all the strength that is yours.

In all of history, no one has ever returned from the Rite of Exile. And yet - should you, against all odds, find your way back to this place someday - I will spend my life ensuring there is somewhere here for you to return to.

No matter how far away, no matter what sky you stand beneath - I will be wishing for your happiness, always, always --"

"Chiara..."

When she finished reading, a single tear rolled quietly from Letaria's eye and soaked into the sheet.

In her old world she had been called useless - good only for sensing, for feeling. Abandoned even by her family. And yet - there, at her back, in the depths of everything she had thought was gone - this had been waiting. A warmth this deep. A love prepared to spend a life on her behalf.

Letaria didn't wipe the tear away. She cupped the flower seed gently in both hands and held it against her chest.

In that moment, the magic sleeping in her depths stirred, moving in soft waves. Through her senses came something clear and small and certain - the quiet pulse of a living thing asleep inside the seed.

She remembered something Chiara had said to her once.

(My lady... I am always on your side. The only one I pledge my loyalty to is Lady Letaria Adeniam. Only you, always.)

Letaria closed her eyes.

◆◆◆

The next day. The moment Seldia's artificial sun rose, Letaria appeared at the door of Milea's private lab with an expression that was a little more settled than usual.

The door slid open. Milea was already there, surrounded by several holographic displays, her eyes sharp and clear as ever despite the look of someone who had worked through the night, fingers moving steadily on a keyboard.

Letaria walked to the desk with an unhurried, deliberate step, and met Milea's eyes directly.

"Milea. I have made my decision."

She drew one breath of the clean air of the lab, and declared it in a clear, steady voice.

"I have Arden. ...With Arden at my side, I will fight in this world - to protect everyone I hold dear!"

It was her own proud oath: that she would not be bound by her past as a displaced daughter of another world, but would live here, in this sea of stars, as a Makina pilot - on her own terms.

The moment she heard it, Milea stopped typing and slowly looked up. A smile rose on her lips - something that held pride and warmth in equal measure.

"...I thought that's what you would say."

Milea leaned back in her chair and tilted her head toward the glass, where the automated bots were still showering sparks across Arden's frame.

"The 'Grave Arc' you used in the battle. It was sourced from another branch as a pre-release prototype - but we had reserve standard-specification components on hand, which was lucky. Once the machine is fully restored, I'll have it installed properly as a standard armament. Look forward to it."

A small, playful wink. And then Milea looked straight at Letaria and put every ounce of her conviction into what she said next.

"I will support you in becoming the strongest knight in this sea of stars. So that even if something like that 'Restful' appears again - you and Arden can send it flying with room to spare."

At those words, something in Letaria's chest rose, and the bold, dauntless smile that was so entirely hers found its way onto her face.

"I will look forward to it with great anticipation, Milea! - In that case, could you first and foremost please repair my beloved Arden as swiftly as possible?!"

Letaria pressed both hands to the glass, leaning forward eagerly. But Milea immediately made a pained, apologetic face and tapped the data pad in her hand.

"...On that front, I'm afraid you'll have to wait a little longer. The Restful core analysis queue is still enormous."

Bright laughter filled the lab - both of them, at once.

◆

"I will live with everything I have, in this world. I will help everyone here, ride through this sea of stars alongside Arden... and someday, without fail, I will come back to you. When that day comes, I will bring you the most magnificent and extravagant armful of gifts you have ever seen, and I will make you fall over in surprise!"

A vow cast into the void - addressed to a dear friend in a faraway sky of another world, with no way of arriving.

Letaria's heart was no longer that of a wretched girl, cast out and adrift.

She had awakened - standing on her own two feet in this sea of stars, a proud and noble knight, ready to carve out her own future.