The full moon slowly rose from below the horizon, surrounded by countless stars.
This was the sight Naoki saw as his consciousness returned.
Beyond that, before him, under the full moon and stars, two figures resembling women stood, observing him.
His feet touched what could be called ground, with ripples spreading from his soles.
Naoki gazed at the full moon and stars, then turned to the two figures, stepping toward them and stopping not far away. After a brief silence, he let out a small sigh. "For some reason, I'm reminded of when I first came to this world. It was also a full moon night back then."
"Raising my head to gaze at the bright moon, lowering it to miss my hometown. Seeing the full moon this close truly brings back memories."
"If it can calm your mind, that's even better."
One of the figures spoke. The veil of light, like clouds covering her body, slowly dissipated, revealing Arcueid's form in Naoki's eyes.
"Pleased to meet you, guest from another world. I am Gaia, the will of the planet."
"Gaia… The Counter Force coming to meet me in person is quite an honor." Naoki said, looking at the other figure. "Then this must be Alaya, right?"
"Correct."
The veil of light vanished, and Naoki saw Gray, expressionless.
"I am Alaya, the will of humanity."
"Couldn't you two use different appearances? Arcueid and Gray… I'm not too fond of you mimicking their looks."
Gaia and Alaya exchanged glances, then answered in unison.
"Our current forms reflect what we represent, chosen as the images most likely to make you feel at ease."
"If anything makes you uncomfortable or offended, we ask for your utmost understanding. But fundamentally, our forms depend on your personal impressions."
So, the ones who made him feel most at ease were Gray and Arcueid?
Naoki gave a wry smile. "So… why have you come to see me? By the way, this place… it's my spiritual realm, isn't it?"
Gaia: "Correct. And our reason for seeking you isn't anything specific—"
Alaya: "Are you part of the primates? Or part of the planet? We've come this time to give you the answer to that question."
Alaya's statement made Naoki frown. "You mean… my human ID got lost in your system?"
"You could say that."
The definitive answer left Naoki momentarily speechless. He was no longer human, just like that?
Gaia continued the explanation. "In truth, your existence is quite unique. You yourself are indeed human, which is why you've always been considered part of the primates. However, through the gradual use of Magecraft, parts of your body have undergone irreversible changes toward becoming a fairy."
"When the Demi-Servant power was still present, those traits were suppressed, hidden. But now, after losing part of that power, fifty percent of your body has become fairy, and you can no longer be fully called human. The remaining part will also undergo fairy-fication within five years."
"Thus, you are no longer under Alaya's jurisdiction. That's what we wanted to clarify."
Fifty percent fairy—the result of nearly ten years of using Summoning Magecraft.
(No, just using Summoning Magecraft wouldn't lead to this, would it? This happened because I housed spirits and fairies in my body for so long… This is my own doing.)
"So, I've switched companies, so to speak? Specifically, are there any changes?"
"No changes at all. We won't interfere with you in any way, and you don't need to consider us. In terms you'd understand—you're an 'honorary member' of the [Gaia] community."
"…"
Truly unexpected, yet easy to understand.
What Naoki didn't know was that with three Roots watching over him from behind, the Counter Force didn't dare act even if they wanted to. Even if two of them had limited power and the third usually stayed out of things, if they touched him, those three Roots wouldn't let it slide easily.
Now, the Counter Force had received a distress signal from Majin Souji, and soon they'd have to explain to those two, or keep playing dead…
"I feel a hint of fear? Is that coming from you, Gaia?"
"Perhaps it's just your imagination." Gaia said calmly. "Additionally, there are two more things I'd like to clarify. First, after becoming half-fairy, you'll have permission to directly intervene in the world itself with your own will. [Imaginary Manifestation], that's how you'd understand it, right? You've already used it twice earlier."
Once to shatter the ground, and once to restore the Fuyuki Grand Hotel.
Back then, Naoki had only instinctively felt he could do it, so he tried. He thought it was Arcueid's power, but it was his own?
"The second is this."
As Gaia's words ended, a golden light appeared before Naoki. From the lake-like surface beneath his feet, a radiant golden Holy Sword slowly floated up in front of him.
"The Holy Sword of the Stars, meant to repel all external enemies and save the world."
"Unlike before, when you could only borrow its power temporarily, now you can choose whether to truly possess it and become the third wielder of the Holy Sword of the Stars."
Truly possess the Holy Sword?
Naoki stared at the Holy Sword before him in slight disbelief.
"This decision was made after fully considering your connection with the second wielder of the Holy Sword. If you don't want it, that's fine—we won't force it."
"Arthur…"
After a moment of silence, Naoki looked up and asked, "If I accept it, Arthur will no longer have the Holy Sword, right?"
"Exactly. He will officially leave the Throne of Heroes, enter Avalon, and sleep forever. If you accept it, he'll receive the ending delayed for thousands of years."
"…"
After closing his eyes and pondering briefly, Naoki made his decision. Taking a deep breath, he raised his hand, grasped the sword's hilt, and pulled it fully from the water's surface.
Alaya stepped forward. "The inheritance of the Holy Sword of the Stars is complete. Congratulations, Natsukawa Naoki, from now on, you are the third wielder of the Holy Sword."
"Does this mean I have to save the world from now on?"
"No need."
"Whether you want to save the world or let it fall to ruin, we have no right to interfere. That was stated earlier."
"Use the power of the Holy Sword as you wish, third wielder of the Holy Sword."