Cecilus and Arakiya’s Ending
With the release of the new Sasageru IF, more details have been released about Cecilus and Arakiya’s relationship which supports something that I’ve been saying ever since I finished the Vollachi Saga months ago: the two were meant for one another.
Of course when I told people this, most people denied what I was saying and responded with something along the lines of “you only ship them because they look good”.
Despite the implicit hints that Tappei has deliberately shown us, people refuse to interact with the idea that there is any actual romance within the series that go beyond Subaru’s relationships within Rem, Emilia, and any other women that the fandom chooses to ship him with.
However, with the new information Tappei released, everything I was saying has been confirmed.
Before I even get into those details, I first want to discuss various hints already shown that allude to the fact that Tappei was intentionally pairing them together.
a. In the Sword Identity sidestories, it’s revealed that Arakiya owns a private plot of land somewhere near the Imperial Capital of Lupugana, and she allows Cecilus to live near by her on this plot of land as well. These 2 also form a duo in an attempt to repress Yorna’s rebellion.
b. During Arc 8 when Al, Groovy, Cecilus, Heinkel and Rowan were navigating through the Imperial Capital, Groovy who has such a keen sense of smell that he can pick up on almost anything, says something along the lines of “I could smell if Arakiya and Cecilus were together”.
c. In that same Arc, Cecilus and Arakiya’s named chapters were placed directly next to each other. It’s within these chapters, that the star actor refers to Anya as his “heroine”, while Arakiya who undergoes an identity crisis after consuming the Great Spirit Muspel, is only able to notice Cecilus while her mind is in disarray. Arakiya pleads with Cecilus to kill her, leading to an intense fight between them, one which in my opinion, was arguably the best fight in Arc 8. This battle ends up getting Aldebaran caught in the crossfire, as on the twelve-thousand two-hundred and eighty-eighth attempt, Al is able to finally assist Cecilus. It’s during these loops however, that as he’s unable to keep up with the power of the two divine generals, he thinks that it’s as if they're telling him it’s their own private struggle (this sorta reminded me of the trope where a character sees 2 other characters arguing and says that they look like an old couple).
d. In the Undead Busters side stories, Cecilus, Arakiya and Spica form a trio in order to eliminate the rest of the Undead that still reside within the Empire. While Arakiya is initially heartbroken over Priscilla’s passing, Cecilus consoles her with his words of wisdom.
These are all things that have been shown to us months or even years prior, yet Tappei has added even more information in the New IF Route.
Firstly, we learn that Arakiya still distinctly remembers Cecilus, as she not only stayed at his side till the moment he passed away, but she helped with the effort to recover Subaru because Cecilus requested her to do so.
Here’s some dialogue:
Beatrice - >!“It is no good when you come here. It throws off Subaru’s rehabilitation schedule, I suppose. Arakiya, you should stop being mean and just tell her. You should have stayed with Cecilus to the end, I suppose.”!<
Arakiya - >!“Not even close.”!<
Madelyn - >!“Wasn’t it, though? If you were there all the way until he died, then from a dragon’s point of view, there’s nothing strange about calling that staying together to the end. Besides—”!<
Arakiya - >!“—…What?”!<
Madelyn - >!“As Cecilus asked, she helped search for these two.”!<
>!Madelyn, wearing a wicked grin, said that, and Arakiya’s sour face hit its limit.!<
>!Perhaps deciding that anything she said would be useless, Arakiya gave up on rebutting it and merely pressed her lips together. But learning the background to why she had lent her strength for Subaru’s sake left him with complicated feelings.!<
>!Who would have thought that Cecilus of all people would entrust the stage after his own exit to someone else?!<
Secondly, when the Mad Prince first shows up to attack Subaru and Co., Arakiya notices that the Curse Sword Aion which he wields is one of the swords which Cecilus wanted and immediately attacks him. This is due to her, even after 400 years, not coming to terms with the death of Cecilus.
More dialogue:
>!Honestly, Subaru thought this was Arakiya’s own problem: even after four hundred years, she still had not properly come to terms with Cecilus’s death.!<
>!Arakiya - “That sword—Cecilus wanted it. I’ll take it, and break it in front of his grave.”!<
>!It was Arakiya’s observation that revealed that the twin swords the “Mad Prince” held in both hands, their blades made of light, were among the greatest magic swords in the world alongside the Dragon Sword and the Yang Sword—the Cursed Sword, Aion.!<
Thirdly, in a blogpost made by Tappei in which he added more details about the events that occur within the IF, it’s revealed that Cecilus was worried about what would happen to Arakiya after his death, specifically stating that he was worried about “her reason to live”. It’s always been told to us that Arakiya’s reason to live or “her pillar” which allows her to retain stability as a spirit eater, was Priscilla. Yet now it’s implied that Cecilus has taken on a role for Arakiya that’s tantamount to being her reason to live, and as important as Priscilla.
Finally, it’s also revealed to us that Arakiya and Cecilus have a child together, but for some reason their bloodline didn’t make it in the 4 century timeskip.
With all this being said, I think my argument for these 2 has been made pretty clear and convincing.
Additionally, if you recall, most of the interactions between Cecilus and Arakiya were Arakiya trying to kill him in order to steal his spot as the First Divine General. Yet they still ended up together. Thus, the idea that just because characters have a violent interaction together (Priscilla/Al, Rem/Subaru), that they can’t still care for one another or end up with each other, has officially been debunked.
Let me know what other thoughts you guys might have about the relationships shown in the Sasageru IF.
source 1: https://x.com/lizijianggaifan/status/2039357482729128000
source 2: https://x.com/6WH2Z/status/1960638647520121190?s=20