CH 56

—I don’t understand.

“It could be said that even Leila-chan’s existence is kind of mental support for me.”

Why are you looking at me with such eyes? Why are you covering up for a demon? Even though you’re human, weak, fragile, and stand no chance against me, why are you still opposing me? Why aren’t you running away? Why, why are you glaring at me with such serious eyes?

I don’t understand.

“If you want to take her away—“

I don’t understand, at all.

“—then you’re my enemy.”

Between a human (you) and a demon (her), what kind of bond do both of you have that makes you act this way? What have both of you gone through which led you to bear such bond? How could you who bear the intention to kill each other, who of different races, live together?

I don’t understand. I can’t understand it, in the slightest.

◇　◇　◇

Initially, she— Stella, had no intention to kill Kitsune.

Ever since she step into the continent where human resided in, she moved with the sole intention to purify the hero, who was the cause of the world’s instability. Step by step, anything that dared to step into her path, either it magical beast, or even the nature itself, she’d blast off all of it with only a single swing of her overwhelming power.

Her ‘purification’ word, was applied to human and demon alike. Magical beasts were existence that tend to harm human, however they had no intelligence. They simply followed what their instinct told them in desperate to stay alive. Thus, they that didn’t bear any ill intention, as far as Stella concerned, they weren’t one of her purification target. Or rather, it could be said that they were better existence than human and demon.

Nevertheless, she still unhesistantly killed them. To them that acted simply in struggle to stay alive, she simply acted according to the law of the jungle that they hold alike.

—she was stronger, that was why she killed the one who was weaker than her.

That was all.

Then, contravesely speaking, would she indiscriminately kill any human and demon who were practically her ‘purificacation’ targets? The answer was no.

She’d probe the mind of any human she met, and she wouldn’t brandish her power to any upright human who hold virtuous mind. ‘Purification’ was, brandishing her power to separate and release the pure soul from the human who was tainted by ill will, and the body that had commited sin.

Therefore, she’d ‘purify’ any human who act harboring ill will.

Kidnaper, rapist, bandit, murderer, thief, vengeance, she’d ‘purify’ any human who commited any sin as such.

It was because, ‘evil’ was the worst emotion that was created by God. Slaying God, for her who hold such a goal, she couldn’t overlook that.

That was why, the moment she arrived at the guild, the moment she perceived the anger that the adventurers hold toward the hero, as well as Kitsune’s undescribable desire for revenge toward him, she moved.

She blown off the guild with her power to subside those emotions. Wrath was one of the righteous feelings for any living being, that was why she didn’t kill them, and intended to only make them fall unconscious.

However, there were two person who she couldn’t overlook. Naginata Kitsune (human) and Leila (demon), she wasn’t intending to simply stop after putting them into unconsciousness.

Leaving aside Kitsune who was human, she had no slightest intention to show any mercy to Leila who was demon. Demons were evil, they killed innocent people with no reason. And as an ‘Apostle’, she obviously had no intention to overlook her.

The first attack, it wasn’t done with intention to warn Leila, but Kitsune instead.

Facing an overwhelming power, any living being would naturaly follow their instint and run away.

After estimating how powerful Leila was, while making sure about their surroundings’ safety, she intended to lead her to the outside of the country to minimize the possibily of warping the innocent people into their fight.

That was why, she intended to make the closest human there, Kitsune, to run away, by showing just how distant apart their powers were.

And yet,

“What’s up, god-slayer? Here, I’m the man that, in his mind, has destroyed this world no less than 24 times already, you know?”

He didn’t run away. On the contrary— as if protecting Leila, he stood before her.

She couldn’t understand that. She couldn’t understand why a human would protect a demon. She couldn’t understand his reason that led him to act even as if with conviction to throw his life away.

“…I don’t understand what you’re doing… but, if you insist on protecting that demon then, along with that demon, I’ll purify you.”

“Ahaha, bring it on white-dress-chan… by the way if you want to run away, now is your only chance, you know?”

However, she didn’t need to understand it. If he kept on insisting to protect a demon, then that was an enough reason for her to purify him as well. Stella brandished the lighning lance in her hand, and cracking sounds were resounding from it.

◇

“…Leila-chan, sorry but, could you please make a knife or something with that miasma of yours?”

“Eh… ah, yes.”

Without any hesistation, before Stella who was brandishing her weapon, Kitsune decided to look for some weapon first. Luckily, Leila could create weapons with her miasma. Kitsune was a bit hesistant, but he hardened his heart and received the knife which was made of miasma, and then took a step forward toward Stella.

In contrast of Kitsune’s gallant figure, Leila was still absentminded ever since Stella’s first attack. The causes were the fear toward Stella, and her believe that she’d definitely die if she fight her.

Thus, she obediently created a weapon as per Kitsune’s order, but she hadn’t come to her sense yet until she handed over it to him.

“Kitsune-kun! Stop, or else you’ll die, you know?!”

She shouted so to stop Kitsune, who was intending to fight Stella in order to protect her. She thought that he’d better just to run away.

Actually, Leila herself realized that she was an irritating existence for Kitsune. She realized that she was selfish, wilful, always acted according on her own interest without any regard of Kitsune himself, and never did anything good for him. However, as far as she was concerned, she didn’t see anything wrong with that. It was because she didn’t feel any guilt in doing so, as well as she didn’t feel any need to be liked by him.

She only needed to do anything as she pleased, Kitsune was tasty, interesting, and together with him was fun after all, that was why she followed him. That was all.

Her falling in love in Kitsune, in the end that was only her misunderstanding.

She was simply attracted to him because she thought he was tasty and interesting, something like a child who was attracted to an old man who gave her candy. Or else, there was no way she’d let herself to be hated by Kitsune, after all.

That was why, the word she said to Kitsune wasn’t word of worry. She said it simply because she thought that he was being reckless there.

However,

“Don’t worry, Leila-chan.”

Kitsune turned his face while floating a faint smile, and said so to Leila.

To his word that was very clear, and his tone that was as if filled with confidence, Leila spontaneously catched her breath.

How could he say so? Why did he not run away? She didn’t understand any of that, but looking at Kitsune’s face when he said so, Leila was involuntarily fascinated by it.

“Just stay put there…. I’ll definitely protect you, after all.”

To Kitsune who floated a gentle smile, not his usual faint smile, when saying so, Leila could feel her heart was throbbing violently.

Her heart was throbbing violently, she could feel her body getting hotter because of the rushing blood in her body. Her heartbeat refused to calming down, she could feel that something was welling up within her.

Her face was hot, she uncounsciously let out hot breath.

She didn’t understand what happened to herself. It wasn’t night yet, but, had she turned on or something? However, there was something she perfectly understood, compared to anytime she turned on thus far, this time there was something different.

Whenever she looked at Kitsune, she could feel as if her heart was somewhat tightened. Biting her lower lip, her eyebrows were forming (/\) shape as if in pain.

Along with the uncontrollably swelling up emotion, somehow tears were gradually pouring down.

It was painful, suffocating, and yet not unpleasant, the jumbled emotions were swelling up within her heart, and she could feel that there was a certain unbearable feeling.

“Kitsune…kun….”

Calling his name, her heart reacted violentlt once again.

“Hau… what, is it… don’t know… I don’t know what it is…!”

Kitsune took one step toward Stella, and contravesely, he took one step away from Leila. Simply looking at his leaving back, Leila held her her chest while tears overflowing her face.

Sitting down on the ground, she reached her hand out toward Kitsune. Her hand was reached out in vain, it couldn’t reach Kitsune, and could only reach at the air.

“Kitsune-kun… don’t go…!”

Leila shouted so, while weeping as if a child.

◇　◇　◇

“…do you really think you can defeat me?”

“It isn’t about winnin or losing… it’s simply about facing you, or not facing you.”

Facing against Stella, Kitsune who wielded the misma knife said so to her while floating a faint smile. Stella was stay expressionless, there was no slightest change nor emotions in her eyes.

“Is that demon really that important to you?”

“Not in the slightest, honestly speaking, if I must say, I hope she’d die as soon as possible… however….”

Pausing his word there, Kitsune continued.

“…now isn’t the time yet.”

“…I don’t understand.”

“You don’t need to understand. She’s my stalker, and I don’t feel like I’ve sent any indicement about her yet.”

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about, but… if you insist on protecting her then I’ll purify you as well.”

The conversation was over, as if saying so, both Kitsune and Stella brandished their respective weapon. The disparity between them was very distinct, Kitsune’s chance of winning was even less than one percent.

However, if he didn’t stand up here then Leila’d definitely die. If that happened, would Kitsune be happy? For him who normally could only unceasingly find contempt about her, without a doubt he’d be happy. At first, he thought so.

That was why perhaps this time he was out of his mind. When he imagined the moment of Leila’s death, somehow he couldn’t feel any joy in it. Just what was the meaning of it? In the end, it seemed like the current Kitsune couldn’t let Leila die.

Then, Kitsune thought, he should just act and believe to what his feeling told him to. Because that was what he always did thus far, after all.

“Haa!!”

Activating ‘Eerie Constitution’ and ‘Overpower’, then increasing his status with ‘Persistence’, he charged toward Stella with his maximum speed. Stella got her body stiffened up after sensing the sudden intimidating air and the fear that was born in her heart, and involuntary let Kitsune closed up the distance between them.

However, to the bitter end Kitsune was only H rank. For a monter level like her, with the time he needed to reach her, it was more tha enough for her to cope up with him.

The miasma sword was sliced toward her abdomen, but she nimbly dodged it. Then, toward the full of openings Kitsune, she let out a kick at him instead. Her leg that perfectly landed on him put a great amount of pressure on his internal organs.

“Gofu…! No… not yet!”

However, while receiving the damage from her kick, Kitsune seized her leg. He was able to nullify any pain, that was why he could fearlessly undertake such life-staking tactic. Stella was still expressionless as usual, but in spite of her surprise in his act, she immediately took another action.

“Fu!”

“Gu—!”

In such short distance she couldn’t properly swing her lance, that was why she swung her other leg and threw an ax kick toward Kitsune’s head as it is. Along with the sound of crushed flesh, Kitsune collapsed to the ground head first from the impact.

However, he was still conscious. He also still held the knife in his hand. Even while getting his face trashed to the ground, Kitsune swung the knife at Stella’s legs.

“!”

“…!”

However, noticing that, as if waiting for his attack, Stella pulled her legs and dodged it.

With Kitsune’s speed, for Stella, the interval between his first notions to the moment it almost touched her, it was more than enough time for her to take an action for it. She had convinced that there was no way for his attack to land on her.

“It’s impossible for you to defeat me. Your movements are too slow.”

“Shut up…! I understand that more than anyone else…”

Stella said so while overlooking the collapsed Kitsune, but Kitsune mustered up all of strength to his whole body and somehow managed to stand up.

His face was knocked to the ground so his nose was bleeding, and his face was also bruised. Even his kicked abdomen, his muscle and innards had definitely received some severe injuries. And yet he still stood up. He didn’t feel any pain, that was why he was somehow able to stand up.

“Even so, I’ll keep on doing what I want to do.”

“…I see.”

At Kitsune’s word, Stella brandished her fists once again.