The warmth between brothers had never diminished, even after years apart. Like a gentle, endless river that defied the distances of time and space, it flowed silently yet slowly through this snowy night.
"Rebuilding the manor should be possible once Yurika wakes up," Leon said, looking down at the gloomy castle below, which had gone uncleared for so long that great patches of moss had grown over it. "Leave it any longer, and it'll look like a haunted house."
"Just as well. It hasn't been renovated in ages, so when the time comes, we can have Mana redesign it..." Leon suddenly stopped, his gaze dimming. "I nearly forgot. Head Maid Mana has already... Never mind. There will always be a way."
Leon smiled at Angel, seemingly trying to conceal the other emotions he had inadvertently revealed.
When Leon had said earlier that "Lionheart's Flame has never gone out," Angel had thought Leon was already able to face things optimistically. Yet the wounds still lay hidden in his heart; he simply did not want to show them before Angel.
"Head Maid Mana, and all those affected by the Crimson Sovereignty—there will always be a way to save them," Angel said.
Leon did not quite believe it, because he knew they were already dead. Having gone half a month without food or water, there was no way they could be brought back to life. At present, nothing more than a strand of energy was hanging onto their lives. Once that energy was expelled, their true death would come.
But since Angel had said so, Leon did not argue. He took it as Angel trying to comfort him.
With White Bear present, Angel had no intention of explaining. Instead, he changed the subject. "By the way, what brought you two here?"
"I had