Cleanup of the Heart (出来心の後始末, Dekigokoro no atoshimatsu) is the fifth novel in the Densetsu no Yusha no Densetsu series. It consists of 2 prologues and 3 chapters(19-21).
Characters[]
Major[]
Minor[]
Prolouge I: Surrounded by Thoughts of the Past-[]
The scene opens with Kiefer confessing her love to a sleeping Ryner inside an empty classroom in the Roland Empire’s Special Academy. As she debates waking him up, she thinks back to the beginning of her time as a spy. Kiefer originally became a spy for Estabul to take revenge on Roland for killing her parents. Of the twenty spies originally sent to Roland, only Kiefer, her older sister Naia, and her younger sister Lemile remained. The three had managed to remain under the radar until they were cornered by a Roland magical knight one night at a festival. While Kiefer and Remire attempt to escape, Naia tries to fight off the knight but is ultimately killed as more knights appear. In the end, Kiefer offers to feed Estabul false information in exchange for her remaining sister’s life. Back in the classroom, Kiefer silently begs for Ryner to save her only to plaster on a smile once he wakes.
Chapter 1: Dreaming[]
Ryner and Ferris, currently in the carriage, are being chased by Runan soldiers. They bicker through the carriage window while the soldiers yell in the background about the “demon child,” Arua. Ryner uses Estabulian magic to defeat the soldiers while Ferris protects Arua in the carriage. While Ferris and Ryner continue their journey to the Ridget Village, Sion sits on his throne in the Roland Castle with a group of nobles kneeling before him. They seem to be terrified that Sion will take revenge for all the scheming they have done against him, but Sion instead lets go of his anger and encourages the nobles to pay forward this kindness by properly serving the citizens of their kingdom.
As they move to leave, Miran Froaude enters the throne room; the nobles begin criticizing Froaude as they rise but are quickly quelled when Froaude fails to discourage the rampant rumors about killing his father. Sion sighs as the frightened nobles exit the throne room despite knowing that Frouade’s ruthless methods were the most effective path forward to restructuring Roland with the least casualties. Regardless of Sion’s feelings on the matter and the eerie similarity to the previous king’s rule, the citizens of Roland were ecstatic at the purge of uncaring nobles. Froaude continues the push to dispose of even the hidden anti-monarchy nobles, but Sion firmly states that he will not stand for Froaude prioritizing his own judgement over Sion’s plan for the kingdom. In spite of this warning, Froaude simply underscores his loyalty to Sion over all else and is even thrilled at Sion’s dedication to his cause over even the life of his subordinate. As he kneels to convey these sentiments, Claugh appears in the doorway, slightly disgusted at Froaude’s willing submission. The three banter while Claugh complains about being promoted to marshal even though he shared the same responsibilities as Luke Stokkart during the war. Claugh also deduces that Sion has sent Luke to Gastark without consulting Claugh despite the current political climate.
Sion confirms that he sent Luke to Gastark but is on a secret mission. The group also is discussing how to begin incorporating the remaining kingdom of Estabul into the Roland Empire when Sion suggests Claugh using Princess Noa and her reputation to pacify the Estabul citizens. Claugh is enraged at the thought but as Sion explains that it may be the only path forward with the least amount of casualties, Noa appears in the doorway. She asks if Sion wishes to save both Roland and Estabul lives in his plan forward, to which Sion agrees. To soothe Noa’s distrust, Sion shares the story of how his good friend Kiefer Knolles turned out to be an Estabul spy, yet he holds no grudge against her. Noa is moved by Sion’s emotional display, and agrees to assist Sion even if it will get her labeled as a traitor to Estabul. For his first step, Sion asks Noa for a recommendation from Estabul to appoint as a marshal in the Roland Empire. While Froaude is wary about this plan, Sion knows that it will show their enemies that Roland will treat them justly if they are conquered. After Claugh and Noa leave, Froaude informs Sion that he will be traveling to Runa to strengthen their current alliance with Roland while investigating those who colluded with Duke Staelied to try and overthrow Sion. As Sion instructs him to not to die while there, a member of the Siwelt family, Til Siwelt, comes to meet Sion.
The Siwelt’s are a powerful family, similar to the Eris family, but had been banished to the countryside under the former king. After exchanging greetings, Sion asks her to show off her skill with her lance; but as she launches her staff, Lucille appears from the shadows to grab it. Two of Til's younger brothers, Wen and Sil, show up behind Lucille as soon as his presence can be detected, but they are no match for him. Lucille’s deathly aura envelops the room and Til orders her brothers to draw back. Lucile leaves with a vague warning to keep Til close. Sion also notices how Til’s goal to reach Lucille’s level is not appreciated by her brother Sil. After Froaude takes his leave as well, Sion sends the Siwelt siblings to Gastark, citing their skill and inability to use magic as the perfect way to protect Roland should they be captured.
Chapter 2: Dreamless[]
The chapter begins with Kiefer recalling Ryner when she last saw him; he is telling her that even though she was a traitor, she was just human while he was a monster. As the scene fades into the darkness, Kiefer comes to her senses on a battlefield between Gastark and Stohl. Kiefer herself is wearing Imperial Stohl armor when her commander orders her and the others to retreat. She had originally enlisted in the Stohl army since, as the largest northern country, they were the most likely to have information on the Alpha Stigma; however, not only does she greatly disagrees with her command’s disregard for civilians on the battlefield, she finds that Gastark would have been a much more powerful country to ally with. As Kiefer runs amongst the villagers, she sees a pair of sisters in the path of an oncoming arrow. The older sister moves to shield the younger with her body when Kiefer uses the last of her strength to use an Estabul spell to reach the pair. Neither of the girls get injured, but the arrow ends up lodged in Kiefer’s leg. Thousands of arrows are then fired into the sky, leaving Kiefer and the remaining civilians directly in the line of fire. In a last ditch effort to protect the civilians, Kiefer calls on the strongest Estabulian offensive spell only for the arrows to be fortified against magic.
Suddenly, a man with peach-colored hair appears and uses his massive sword to easily cut through the arrows. He asks her why she was ready to die for civilians in a village abandoned by Stohl when she doesn’t even belong to their country. Kiefer is disgusted at the man’s seemingly unfeeling nature and declares her hatred for war; though he calls her an idiot, he too shares his hatred for tragedy. The pair’s conversation is abruptly interrupted by Gastark magic knights who reveal the man to be the king of Gastark, Riphal Edea. The king shares his plan to minimize suffering on the continent by uniting the countries under the Gastark flag to prevent future wars. Though Kiefer sneers at the man’s contradiction, he attempts to prove his conviction by demonstrating the power of his sword, a holy relic that lends its users great power in exchange for a piece of his body. The sword unleashes countless destructive lights to wipe out the Stohl army members after taking the king’s left eye. The magic knights are in awe of their king’s sacrifice, but Kiefer can only associate the sword’s demands with the power and demands of Ryner’s Alpha Stigma. Edea invites Kiefer to come to Gastark with him, but she says there are still things for her to do in Stohl. As she tries to connect the dots between Ryner’s power and the power of the sword, she knows she will have to use Gastark’s knowledge eventually.
Meanwhile, the Ridget Village is being patrolled by Runan soldiers as Ryner and Ferris try to plan how to rescue Kuku from the guarded house. The two rush in and take down all of the regular soldiers along with one of the magical knights. Ferris threatens the remaining magic knight and smiles softly when Ryner plays along with her “plan to torture” the knight. However, the knight’s head is swiftly ripped off by an unseen force, but the neck freezes over. As Ferris and Ryner step back with Arua sleeping on Ryner’s back, Sui and Kuu appear in the ruins of the destroyed house. While Sui attempts to make inquiries into the strange type of Alpha Stigma that Ryner is, Ferris and Ryner notice that Sui’s left hand, which was destroyed, has been replaced with an elaborate, iron prosthetic covered in strange jewels. Sui plans to crystallize Arua’s eyes after learning from Runa about his Alpha Stigma. Ryner and Ferris split up in order to confuse the siblings and agree to meet at the place where they hid the carriage. As Kuu heads off to chase Ferris, Ryner notices that Sui isn’t following him only to hear Sui say that Kuku is being held in the mansion of the domain’s local noble. Ryner grimaces as Sui adds that he will be waiting there for Ryner.
Chapter 3: A Hated Dream[]
The chapter opens with Ryner laying in the grass next to a sleeping Arua, mulling over Sui’s concerning words about crystallizing his and Arua’s Alpha Stigma. Arua is initially disoriented but starts sobbing over the fate of his parents. As Arua debates killing himself, Ryner activates his own Alpha Stigma and reveals that he thought the same way when he was younger. Ryner shares that he now has people who he wants to live for and Arua also has Kuku. When Arua decides to use his Alpha Stigma to save Kuku, Ryner agrees to train him and recounts some of the phrases that his own master used when training Ryner. As Ryner begins to explain the basics of magic to Arua, he notes that Arua’s Alpha Stigma allows him to rapidly progress. Ryner explains that one casts spells by conveying their intentions to particles of magic through an incantation and visualizing the magic’s effects. Regular magicians use specific incantations to activate these spells, usually consistent within a specific country. Technically, anyone would be able to activate spells so long as their intention behind the incantation is strong, as shown by Ryner idly making up a spell, but these usually cannot hold up to the official spells that have decades of research behind them. As the two are discussing magic theory, Ferris appears again and picks up Arua. She teases Ryner, leading Arua to believe the two are dating, but the two vehemently deny it. Arua adopts Ferris as his martial arts teacher, and she begins to harshly train him as Ryner drifts off to sleep.
The scene shifts to Froaude meeting Princess Ena Asto in the audience chamber of the Runa Palace. Froaude is visiting under the guise of an ambassador looking to deepen the bond between Roland and Runa, but he already knows that the nobles in Runa corroborated with Roland’s to overthrow Sion. As Froaude references such rumors to the princess, she is genuinely surprised though the nobles in the crowd pale. He also wishes to greet the king and queen of Runa, but Ena informs him that they are out of the country on official business; because women are uninvolved in politics in Runa, she also doesn’t know where exactly they have gone. Princess Ena then blushes and invites Froaude to join her for dinner, which Froaude regretfully accepts. Later that night, Froaude captures a young duke, Ohnprome Bifira, with his shadows. As Bifira shouts about divine retribution, Froaude interrogates him to find out which country Runa allied with to overthrow Sion. Once Froaude extracts the information he needed, he whisks away both his shadows and Bifira.
Eleven days later, Ferris, Ryner, and Arua hide outside the manor of local lord Chezo Kalti where Kuku is being held. Ryner asks Arua once more if he’s sure he wants to fight, but Arua wants to help save Kuku. As they encounter the siblings, Kuu and her brother state that they will kill Kuku if the group doesn’t surrender and Ryner comes with them to serve their king, Riphal Edea of Gastak. Ryner scoffs at Sui’s picture of a kind king trying to unite the continent under a kingdom with no violence while simultaneously fighting dirty by monopolizing Hero Relics (known as Rule Fragments in Gastark) and killing Alpha Stigma users for their power. Ryner understands why Gastark thinks he shouldn’t live, as a monster who has killed many of his friends, but cannot fathom that Arua should be killed even though he hasn’t done anything. Ryner would much rather serve under Roland’s King Sion Astal who doesn’t exceed the power one human should hold in an effort to reach his dream like Edea. Surprisingly, Ferris agrees with how Ryner thinks even though she thought him to be worthless when she first read his essay. The two acknowledge that they might die fighting Kuu and Sui, but they want Arra to have the chance for a better life. Ryner then sharpens himself, opening his eyes to tap back into his past as the greatest magician in Roland.
Kuu reaches for Ferris with her scythe while Sui stabs himself with the dagger-like Hero Relic right above his prosthetic, causing a fire breathing dragon to emerge from his arm. The siblings fight Ryner and Ferris, who are assisted from the shadows by Arua. Once Arua is revealed, Sui remarks that though Alpha Stigma users could be so much help to Gastark, but he is extremely scared of their power. He sends Kuu to get Kuku, intending to either kill her to awaken Arua’s Alpha Stigma or use the gem to awaken both Arua and Ryner’s Alpha stigma, when his dragon arm is bitten off at the shoulder by a shadow beast. Froaude appears as Kuu stands dazed next to her brother’s bleeding body, and moves to take out the siblings with his ring; Ryner saves them from Froaude’s shadow beasts and tells them to escape as Ferris explains that Ryner too wants a world where no one has to lose anything. Froaude is irritated that the duo helped Kuu and Sui escape but is more confounded by the fact that he overheard that Ryner and Ferris were from Roland. Froaude tells them he is from Imperial Stohl, but privately decides not to fight the pair since they must have been sent here by Sion. Ryner thanks Froaude for saving Kuku, but he bristles and disappears without a response. Kuku slowly wakes and everything seems alright for now.
Prolouge II: -Yet We Cannot Return to the Past[]