That night, following the conclusion of a battle that stood as the greatest in history since the birth of Trinia, a petite, red-haired girl stood atop a rocky peak in the southern reaches of the Demon Realm. It was the humanized form of Needsveld.
Gazing at the moon suspended in the night sky, she sat alone, tilting her cup back for a quiet evening drink.
"How rare to see you drinking, Needsveld."
"Will you join me, Eingana? Tonight is my treat."
"I see."
The massive sea dragon, a fellow member of the Four Great Magic Dragons, voiced a moment of consideration before her form flashed with a brilliant light.
The titanic shadow vanished in an instant, and in its place, a beautiful woman with long indigo hair fluttering in the breeze descended to the peak. She took a seat beside Needsveld.
"I believe I shall take you up on that."
"Mm."
Needsveld produced a second cup, handed it to Eingana, and poured the liquid from her bottle.
"My... this is quite the exceptional sake, isn't it?"
"It is my personal treasure. The quantity is so limited that if I drank it in my dragon form, it would be gone in a single gulp. But this is a victory toast for my comrade. Anything less would be an insult."
"Your comrade?"
"I mean the man who took center stage in this war."
"I see. Are the two of you acquaintances?"
Needsveld shook her head slightly as Eingana sipped her drink with elegant poise. Reaching into the holder at her waist, Needsveld pulled out a kiseru pipe, placed it between her lips, and spoke.
"No, we have never spoken directly. However, for a brief time, we faced the same direction and fought the same battle."
"And that makes him a comrade? This is the first time I have ever heard you refer to another in such a way."
"You are right. I have never used that word for anyone else before."
"You certainly seem to have taken a liking to him."
The tip of the pipe caught fire, and Needsveld exhaled a wisp of purple smoke. Her tone was serene as she answered.
"I have wanted to meet him for some time now."
"Oh?"
"When Magnawell-sama first mentioned being in his debt, I did not understand the full scope of it. But then came the matter of the Demon King. Even that reached my ears. I found it impressive... that he would challenge the World's Taboo, something even we find difficult to touch, and actually overcome it."
By her very nature, Flarebel Needsveld held a profound respect for those who challenged the status quo. Her interest in Kaito had been piqued ever since he plunged into the incident surrounding the Demon King.
"Then I saw him in person during the Six Kings Festival. I watched his duel against the War King-sama from the stands."
"I watched that match as well. Now that you mention it, he does seem exactly like the type of person you would admire."
"Yes. That final struggle at the finish line was magnificent. There is no world in which I could dislike a man with such a burning soul."
"And is that why you are drinking to his victory?"
Eingana looked only partially convinced. She understood why Needsveld would respect a challenger, but it felt as though there was something more—something that made her call a man she had never met a 'comrade' and put her in such a celebratory mood.
Needsveld caught Eingana's gaze and offered a faint smile. She was about to explain further when a shadow fell over them both and a new voice cut through the air.
"A rare sight indeed."
"Ve-ry raaa-re."
"Will you two join us as well? Though I suppose Grandireas will need a different serving."
Fafnir and Grandireas, the remaining two of the Four Great Magic Dragons, had arrived. The pair shared a glance before Fafnir assumed his human form and Grandireas lowered his massive bulk to the ground.
Needsveld produced a sake barrel the size of a small mountain for the colossal Grandireas, then drained her own cup.
"It is an old memory," Needsveld began, her voice taking on a distant, peaceful quality as she looked up at the moon. "I no longer remember exactly when it happened. But the image is etched into my mind. On the day my existence finally took a definitive shape, I glared at the heavens and roared. I reached my hand toward a height I knew I could not yet reach. I still do not know what those 'heavens' represented. Was it simply the sky, or was it something I couldn't even name? Regardless, that moment was my origin."
The other three dragons listened in silence, not daring to interrupt her soliloquy.
"Do you all remember? As we turned our backs to leave the God Realm, our comrade ran alone in the opposite direction."
"Yes, of course. What of it?"
"I do not know what happened after that. But at that moment, looking at his back, I saw it. I saw a challenger reaching out his hand, refusing to accept the hand he had been dealt... and I saw that hand truly grasp the heavens."
Needsveld did not know the specifics. She was merely an executive under the Dragon King, a fraction of Magnawell’s martial might, and certainly not a friend of Kaito’s. She knew nothing of what had transpired between him and the Creator God.
And yet, she was certain. She knew in her soul that Kaito had achieved a true victory over Shallow Vernal.
"For me, someone who has yet to find my own heavens, I felt a spark of envy. But more than that, I felt a sense of pride. I was as happy as if the victory were my own. He showed me something truly wonderful."
Needsveld took another deep drag from her pipe and exhaled slowly, her eyes bright with a sense of anticipation.
"I am looking forward to the future. My comrade changed the world today."
"Changed the world? In what way?"
"Who can say? I do not know the details. I am simply certain that when he grasped the heavens, the world itself shifted. The very landscape of our reality is going to change. I find myself looking forward to it more than I can say."
The other dragons were visibly taken aback. Fafnir was the one to voice their collective confusion.
"I thought you hated speaking of the future."
"It isn't that I hate it. It's simply that I am usually so preoccupied with struggling through the present that I have no room for what comes next."
"I see."
"But surely... on a night like this, with good drink in hand, it is acceptable to speak of the future—to speak of dreams."
Needsveld laughed, and Fafnir couldn't help but offer a wry smile in return as he sipped the sake poured for him.
"You're right. And this sake is truly exceptional."
"Of course it is. It is the second-best thing I own."
"Second-best?" Eingana asked reflexively.
Needsveld grinned playfully as she refilled her cup.
"Yes. Because I'm saving my very best bottle for the day I finally get to share a drink with my comrade."
The dragon who had spent her life in pursuit of challenges raised her cup to the future, celebrating the victory of the one great challenger who had finally earned her heart's highest regard.
Side Notes:
- Needsveld recognizes Magnawell as her king and is deeply loyal. However, because challenging others is part of her core instinct, she still challenges him once every thousand years. For the Dragon King’s subordinates, these battles have become a sort of festival.
- In his heart, Magnawell dotes on Needsveld like a granddaughter. He finds her continuous growth and her relentless challenges deeply heartwarming.
- Needsveld is extremely close friends with Agni, the head of the War King’s Five Generals. Their personalities are highly compatible.
- Megiddo also takes a great liking to Needsveld because of her high aspirations. He likely would have recruited her himself if Magnawell hadn't gotten there first.
- While she is a source of trauma for the other three Great Magic Dragons, Needsveld is fundamentally straightforward. As long as one doesn't insult Magnawell, harm her companions, or mention her height, she is perfectly reasonable.
- She has high praise for anyone who challenges her, regardless of how much weaker they are. Unless she has urgent business, she will always accept a challenge on the spot. Challenging her is the fastest way to earn her respect.
- She is very caring and beloved by her subordinates. When her subordinates are sent to the Royal Capital of Sinfonia for work with the Wyvern Service, she often travels all the way there just to see them off.