Epilogue

Oh, I'm back to my old self. Oh well!

No, YOU guys did! That couldn't have been easy.

Oh, and let me say...thanks.

Hey, I was gonna say that to you.

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I think...I'm one step closer to my dream now. And it's all because of you guys.

Of course, I still have no idea how much further I have to go, but that's okay!

Just knowing it's okay for me to keep going in this direction is a huge win!

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Ehehe. Our connection really lets you understand my feelings, huh? This is kind of embarrassing.

But...I guess I don't mind you knowing.

Well, now that my job is done, it looks like this is goodbye.

But you know, I have a feeling we'll see each other again!

Oh yeah. We definitely established a bond with you over the course of this mission, so that seems very likely.

Yes, I hope you'll come see us at Chaldea next time.

We have a simulator that can let you go swimming in any ocean you like for as much as you want.

Whoa, really!? That sounds awesome!

And speaking of wins, I think I had a personal one here, too.

I now have a better idea of what to do for my Valentine's chocolate this year.

And I think that idea will only get clearer with time.

Ooh. I don't know what that's all about, but from that look in your eyes...

...it seems like you're more up for romance talk than I realized, Mash.

Oh, um, I don't know. I'm still in the, uh, learning phase when it comes to that...

Ehehe. Well the next time we meet, we'll have to talk romance then, too!

Don't worry! I'm still learning plenty about it myself!

...Okay! Sounds great!

Looks like this is it for me, too.

As far as ferryman duties go, I think I did what I had to.

I collected a fare... Brought my passengers where they needed to go...

And destroyed a port of call that no ship should ever end up at.

This ought to keep Hades off my back.

...Thanks. I appreciate this.

And to show it...I'm gonna give you back the change for your fare.

Huh?

Aside from the times when another river collided with us, it was pretty smooth sailing, right?

That's 'cause someone else besides my patron missy had someone they dearly missed...

...and were throwing in boulders that fit the river's trait.

Or to put it another way, the Servant who added the most boulders to the river sped us up...

...because they just happened to have someone they fiercely wanted to see again, too.

And which one of you besides missy had the most chances to throw in boulders?

Well, Senpai and I were busy gathering chocolate, so it would have to be...

Wh-what is it? I don't understand. What are you trying to say?

I'm saying your chief engineer there definitely has someone she misses, too.

Though I don't know if she really is unaware of it, or if she's just pretending to be.

So my advice, and the change I owe you, is to take this chance to be more honest with yourself.

...I have no idea who you could be talking about. This conversation is over.

I know I said you remind me of my mother, Empress, but I guess you're also very different.

You should have more confidence in yourself! And don't be afraid to be honest with your feelings, either!

You're so pretty that I'm sure it'll go well for you!

Is that your way of asking for another dose of poison?

'Course, in that sense...Columbus here might've been no different.

If he hadn't had someone he dearly wanted to see again himself...

...a half-assed being like me would never've been able to negotiate our deal.

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Maybe a wife, or children? Or one of his closest mates from his voyage?

Beats me. You'll have to try asking him yourself.

Anyway...looks like my time is up. Take care, people.

If you ever need a ferryman to the underworld, you'll always have a spot on my boat.

Just don't forget the silver pieces, or you'll have to wait another hundred years!

I think this is it for me, too! Bye, guys!

I cannot believe I was roped into such frivolous discussions of love right until the last moment.

I will admit that your overly headstrong job performance did help us finish this mission sooner...

...but you have yet to impress me elsewise.

So if you should come to Chaldea one day, know that I will do everything in my power to teach you the proper way to behave towards an empress.

Is that clear...Princess Andromeda?

...Hehe! Okay, but go easy on me!

Andromeda and Charon have both returned to the Throne.

And it looks like someone else is back in their place.

Phew. Glad that's over with.

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Hey now, I didn't do anything wrong this time. Or any other time, for that matter.

Part of me still thinks things might have been easier if you'd just told us everything from the start...

...but I suppose it's possible, if not likely, that you were unable to do anything with Charon taking over.

That's exactly right. I was more a middleman than anything else this time.

Don't get me wrong, it's nice making money without having to do any actual work yourself...

...but it's not as easygoing as you'd think, being so attentive and keeping things running smoothly.

Ah well, at least everything worked out nicely!

What, did you get a nice, big, silver coin payoff from Charon or something?

Between the fee for his clothes, the one to inhabit your Spirit Origin, and the one to use your ship, I bet you made a bundle off of him.

Hey now, don't get me wrong. This wasn't just about money.

One reason I helped Charon out is because I felt I had a responsibility to.

Oh? And why's that?

Remember what he said back at the start about this being a river of dead chocolate?

Well, I still have bitter memories of what could've been with the cacao I wasted back in the day.

I was so excited when I brought it back to Europe, since I was sure I'd make a killing...

...but I just couldn't figure out a way to process it for European palates.

Anyway, that counts as dead chocolate too, right? So I figured I must've made at least part of this river.

But then, haha! It turns out the chocolate wasn't dead after all!

Just goes to show you should never give up on your dreams. That chocolate doesn't have to stay wasted forever.

If I make a killing off of chocolate now, then I'm sure that cacao will lead a happy afterlife!

Hah hah haaa!

Hmm. I guess I'll just chalk up that beard to you getting back to business as usual.

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Hm? I never thought that much about it.

But now that you mention it, yeah, I do know who it is.

Who then?

The only person I'd want to see more than anything would of course be...

...the god that saw fit to give me big dreams and help them come true.

If I ever get a chance to meet that higher power, I'd love to tell it how grateful I am face-to-face.

Piety!? Dammit! You of all people aren't supposed to leave us liking you more than we did before!

Why not?

At any rate...it ain't easy making your dreams come true. Ain't exactly painless, either.

But that's also why, when one of them comes true...it's the greatest feeling in the world.

I know I'm not saying anything profound here, but it's still true.

So I say, have the courage to keep moving forward.

It'd be a waste to let chocolate you took the time to prepare die without ever giving it to who you made it for.

And as long as you don't give up...your dream'll surely come true some day.

But, I guess I don't gotta say that again, huh?

No matter how much it might seem like people might've learned their lesson and given up...

...there's way more people out there who don't wanna give up no matter what.