"Huh?"
"Did you not hear me? I want you to use this spear. Once it is finished, you will be its owner."
For a heartbeat, Marcos couldn't fathom what he’d just been told.
Only after Carlos repeated himself did the words truly sink in. Once he had processed the magnitude of the offer, he stammered out a panicked reply.
"W-w-wait just a moment! You want me to take that spear? Why would you—!?"
"This spear is missing only two things," Carlos interrupted. "The monster materials for the final finish, and a wielder. A weapon only has meaning if someone wields it. If it just sits here gathering dust, it's nothing more than a piece of art."
"Even so, why entrust such a role to me!?"
"Didn't you say you'd help me with anything? Well, help me then. Become the man who wields this spear."
"That’s not what I meant! I'm asking why you chose me! To me, this feels like nothing more than a whim!" Marcos shouted, his voice cracking with agitation as he shook his head.
He knew the spear before him was a masterpiece. Precisely because he recognized its magnificence, he was bewildered. He couldn't understand why Carlos would entrust such a legendary weapon to someone he had met only days ago.
"It's all right, Marcos," Elena said, her smile gentle as she tried to soothe him. "Papa didn't choose you on a whim. He gave it a lot of thought."
Marcos gasped, and Carlos took over, providing the explanation that had been missing.
"Yesterday, I watched you. I saw how you carried yourself—your center of gravity, the way your muscles are developed. I noticed you keep a shield on your left arm while leaving your right hand free, and I could tell you’ve undergone years of rigorous training. You had the competitive spirit to rise to my provocation when I told you to lift the heaviest weight, and the talent to back it up. I hadn't decided to give you the spear then, but I knew you were someone I could trust with the secret. You didn't strike me as the type to go around blabbing about its existence."
"Even so, it doesn't have to be me... There must be countless other candidates. People of Wind Island, master spearmen—anyone!"
Why him? Why the man who had been here for only two days?
Carlos met his gaze firmly. "Marcos, you saw it yesterday, didn't you? What happens when people gain immense power, only to let their desires run wild until they destroy themselves."
Marcos flinched.
"It wasn't just the Magic Armor Beasts. The Blue Ever group was the same. They were the kind of people who should never have been allowed to hold power. This disaster is the result of what happens when individuals—and groups—obtain strength they aren't prepared for."
Geras and Reina had used the Clear Plates to go on a rampage, wounding many. Blue Ever, intoxicated by their own sense of 'justice' and the power of their numbers, had scarred the island's nature.
With great power comes great responsibility. It was a sentiment Carlos felt deeply.
The spear he was forging was a manifestation of that same power. If the person who held it used it for evil, Carlos would regret it for the rest of his life. That was why he had searched so long for someone worthy.
"Elena told me how you fought," Carlos continued. "Horon told me how you struggled to help the island residents escape, and how you even saved a hateful enemy while letting go of old grudges. You know the right way to use power. You understand both the hardship and the sanctity of protecting others. I believe that if it's you, you won't drown in that power. That's why I decided to entrust it to you."
"Have confidence, Marcos!" Elena added. "You're a truly strong person—someone who uses their strength to protect others and stand up against evil!"
"Kani-kani!" Poruru chimed in.
Marcos was speechless, overwhelmed by the honor and the praise.
Carlos clapped him on the shoulder, looking him straight in the eye. "I can entrust this spear to you—the crystal of my soul. Use this power to do what is right. Become the greatest Magic Knight you can be."
"Yes, sir!" Marcos replied, meeting Carlos's gaze with newfound resolve.
Carlos nodded, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.
"Until the spear is ready, I will double my training," Marcos vowed. "I will strive to be a man worthy of Lord Carlos's trust, both before and after I receive it."
"Don't be so stiff. But I like the spirit. Now neither I nor Poruru can afford to fail."
"Kani!!"
To this young man who was pushing himself to meet their expectations, they couldn't possibly hand over anything less than perfection. Both Carlos and Poruru felt a surge of motivation to give everything they had—and more—to the gathering of materials and the final forging.
A short while later, Marcos prepared to depart for the main island along with the Security Force and the arrested members of Blue Ever.
As Elena watched her benefactors and friends leave, she turned to her father.
"Papa’s weapon is heading out beyond Wind Island. I know Marcos will use it well."
"I think so too. But Elena... my weapon is taking flight into the vast world. Is it really okay for you to stay here on this island? You saw it too, didn't you? The world is huge, and every step outside brings new encounters. Do you really think spending your whole life here is what your mother would have wanted?"
Elena fell silent for a moment. "You're right. Marcos, Poruru, and even your weapon are going to see the world. It would be pretty uncool if I was the only one left behind."
Marcos had come from the outside world. Poruru was about to set sail for the wide sea to complete his Rite of Adulthood. Even the spear was about to spread its wings beyond the island’s shores.
Elena had been afraid to leave the island filled with memories of her mother. She had hesitated to take that first leap. But the people she had met had changed her.
"Luminous Academy, huh... That sounds like it could be a lot of fun!"
She looked up at the blue sky, the brilliant sunlight reflecting in her smile.
As the gears of fate began to turn one by one, a young girl had reached a turning point in her life and found a new path to follow. It would be quite some time, however, before the people responsible for this change realized what they had set in motion.