"Yugo-sama, there is something I absolutely must ask you regarding tomorrow's strategy."
"...What is it?"
The previous night, Claire had approached Yugo with a solemn expression, posing a single, vital question. She needed to know the answer before everything was set in motion.
Looking directly at Yugo, she had asked him this:
"Hypothetically speaking... if you could free only one person from Hypno’s control, Yugo-sama, who would you choose?"
"Free them from the hypnosis? Is such a thing even possible!?"
Startled by the question, Yugo had instinctively countered with one of his own. Claire gave a firm nod.
Taking a steadying breath, she began to explain the situation methodically.
"During my travels with Zenon-sama and the warriors from the various regions, I managed to gain a certain level of power. To put it in game terms, I’ve accumulated experience points and leveled up. One of the spells I mastered in the process is called Affection Revive."
"Affection Revive...?"
"...To put it simply, it is a self-sacrificing recovery spell. By selecting a target and chanting the incantation, I can fully restore that person’s stamina and magic power. However, the cost is that I take any status ailments they are suffering from—such as paralysis, poison, or even hypnosis—upon myself. I can bring them back to peak condition, but by absorbing Hypno’s spell, I will be the one who falls under its influence."
"You'd take it on yourself? But Claire, if you do that, then you’ll—!"
"Please, do not worry," Claire said, offering a gentle smile to dispel his rising anxiety. "I won't die. I will simply be incapacitated for a short while."
She could see the conflict in Yugo’s eyes. Even if it wasn't fatal, he knew such a spell required immense resolve. Claire continued, pressing her point.
"It would be ideal if the diversionary operation succeeds on its own, but there is a high probability it won't. If one of Dogma's Group finds us... I won't stand a chance. If that happens, there is more hope in restoring someone to the front lines who actually has a chance of defeating them."
"So, you want me to be the one to pick that person?"
"Yes. I was away from the academy with Zenon-sama for a long time. I don't know how much everyone has grown or who has reached what level of skill. That is why I need you to decide, Yugo-sama. Choose the person you would entrust with our future... and our hope."
Nearly everyone held captive in the gymnasium was someone close to Yugo.
Claire was preparing a Plan B—a fallback strategy in case of emergency—and she wanted to place the possibility of victory in the hands of the person he trusted most. Yugo exhaled slowly, his mind made up.
"In that case, my answer is already decided. If I can only pick one person... then he's the one I believe in."
"...Could you tell me their name?"
Without a hint of hesitation, Yugo spoke the name.
Claire gave a deep, resolute nod, and with that, their conversation came to an end.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
"What is this...? My body... I can move!?"
As the light of the self-sacrificing recovery spell, Affection Revive, faded, Claire watched as her target was released from Hypno's control. A smile of profound relief spread across her face.
Having fulfilled her final duty, she managed to squeeze out one last message for him.
"...Yugo-sama chose you without a moment’s hesitation. He said... that he knew he could entrust the hope of this battle to you."
"Yugo... chose me...!?"
"And so... I believe in you, too. I entrust everything to the man Yugo-sama believes in."
This was right. She wasn't wrong.
Entrusting everything to this man—someone trusted by Yugo, who was in turn trusted by Zenon—was the very most she could do. She had seen it through to the end.
Though she was battered and broken, the bird that had escaped its cage and spread its wings across the wide world had finally fulfilled its purpose.
Continuing to believe with all her heart that they would win until the very moment her consciousness slipped away, Claire spoke to him as she collapsed.
"Please, fight. Protect everyone... Lord Marcos...!"