CH 32

32 I have no choice but to do it

“Huh…… I am……”

“‘Sup, so you’re up now”

“!?”

Within the morning air, Shironeko, who was jolting on my back, woke up. Surveying her surroundings with half opened eyes, she stiffened after my response which opened her lovely eyes wide open to her limit when she understood she is being carried on my back.

“Why…… are you? What happened to the fight……”

“The outcome is your loss. Then after you fainted, I got to hear your circumstances to an extent. I’m told you have a younger sister, right?”

“ …… Are you really planning to lay your hands on my sister desu!? Only that isーーーーーー”

“Even I won’t do that so would you just calm down?”

Levia who is walking beside me was holding down Shironeko who’s acting violently. I squeeze my arms that are holding her legs and fixed it more firmly.

Shironeko, who is held down with a strong force, seems to understand she’s really no match and gradually lost strength in her body.

“What are you going to do…… to us desu……?”

“I ain’t gonna do nothing okay? Or is it like that? Do you wish for it somehow?”

“That’s not it desu! But I aimed for your life no desu ……”

“Aah, so it’s about that.”

When I boldly called aiming for my life as “that”, Shironeko got startled and opened her eyes wide. Her facial expression then became noticeably sad afterwards.

“So you mean my attacks…… were not worth being feared of desu ……?”

“Hm? Aah. Well, something like that I guess.”

“Ugh……”

Hey…… it isn’t something to be sad about, is it…… though I think it’s also my bad for saying that plainly.

The person who made her like that couldn’t offer words of encouragement to Shironeko who released a gloomy aura more and more, but Levia followed me up instead with an amazed expression .

“ …… This man is out of standard in various ways, so don’t mind it okay?”

“That…… I’m aware of desu ……”

I’m aware of――――――Hearing those words I mutter “So I really am” while sighing.

“Shironeko, we’re not going to fight anymore as long as you don’t do anything. If you do, then I’ll go along with you until you’re satisfied but…… it’s troublesome so it’ll help me if you don’t.

“Okay……”

“And so…… Well, our lives were aimed for more or less. I’m pretty much whatever, but Levia could’ve been injured. When thinking about that kind of risk, I can’t release you as is.

I think that if I say something a little threatening then she’ll become a little afraid, but I can see a strong will in her eyes. As if saying her strength is unrivaled and she won’t lose with her feelings.

“I won’t do anything to you, but that only has physical meaning. I won’t use violence, but…… I want you to answer my questions obediently. I won’t do more than that, you understand?”

Shironeko nodded, urging me to continue.

“All right…… then I’ll be frank. I want to ask about the boss who’s threatening you two. What is…… that guy’s name?”

“ …… That person…… is called Tohma by his companions desu. I didn’t have a close relationship with those people, so I don’t know it precisely desu though……”

I unintentionally dropped my shoulders in disappointment towards the name that flew out of the girl’s mouth. Towards me who blatantly lost all my excitement, both of them turned their line of sight that’s saying “what’s wrong”.

“What is the matter with you suddenly?”

“Nothing…… it’s just that I felt down from being hit by the worst possible expectation, is all”

Tia, Eruka…… What you said was true you know. Grein, that guy’s alive you see, moreover he made a strange organization and is aiming for me. What should I do? You guys, think I can go along with you from hereon?

The face of the three companions of mine who are currently lively in the country Destinea emerged in my mind. It’s fine if it’s only now, but I feel like wanting to be by their side.

“I’m already nearly despairing, but …… I’ll ask just in case. That guy’s appearance is?”

“He’s also wearing the same black robe like us so…… I haven’t even seen his face desu. But he has a small build and is extremely thin, as if he is like a girl desu. Ah, his voice is also high-ish……”

Yeah, that’s settled. I was hoping I’m probably mistaking him for the wrong person, but that hope broke down too easily. No…… I mean, to think he really is alive…… I even dealt him the finishing blow with these hands. Even now I don’t know if I actually felt it.

Basically, <Sacred Sword> wielders acquires immortality as they raise their abilities. Even if you got yourself a fatal wound, you resurrect at the moment before the torch of light vanishes and the concept of lifespan and existence of illness become irrelevant.

When the Hero in games die they revive don’t they? It’s kind of like that.

But, there is a way to kill those monstrous Heroes.

That is a fellow sacred sword wielder, in other word fighting them with a fellow Hero――――――

A <Sacred Sword> can destroy another <Sacred sword> and in doing so, the owner loses their immortality. If I have to change my way of saying it, it’s like depriving them from their Hero qualifications. In other words it means that they cannot retry like a Hero in a game can after a Game Over. I don’t quite understand the theory behind it, but either way it seems that the <Sacred Sword> holds quite some power in this world. Especially…… the point that it makes the person’s death irrelevant is――――――

But this talk…… including even the talk about Touma has one clear contradiction.

Touma and I prepared our respective <Sacred Sword> and fought. And then when I killed that guy, I was sure Touma’s <Sacred Sword> was broken by my <Sacred Sword>.

I remember it, the feeling of <Gluttony> stabbing that guy’s heart is…… the feeling of snatching away a life is――――――

“――――――Setsu, are you alright?”

I came back to reality from the vortex of thoughts with Levia’s uneasy voice. While I lightly contemplate on worrying her, I’ll think about the present time and push away all my useless thoughts into the corner of my mind. I’ll put off thinking about how that guy revived and finish what’s in front of me for now.

“Yeah…… I’m fine.”

“I see…… Ah, isn’t Shironeko’s house that one I wonder?”

Levia returned to her usual mood and in the direction she pointed at is a single isolated house built. The house that is in a place a little outside of the city is surrounded with many trees and I can’t deny the minute lonely impression it has.

“It’s that desu, over there my sister is also……”

“*exhales* …… So we finally arrived.”

When the morning glow passed and the sky started to become blue, us three arrived at Shironeko’s house.

◇　◇　◇

Facing the door to Shironeko’s house, I knock on the wooden door. There was no response.

“I think my sister is sleeping desu. It is almost time for her to wake up desu.”

“That so. Well, it’ll be fine if we just enter right?”

“Yes desu.”

As she got off my back, Shironeko unlocked the door and when the door opened, the three of us entered the house. It’s a house that didn’t really give off a novel impression, but the interior is beautifully ordered and although it’s small, it’s not enough to think it is cramped.

When we looked around in the house restlessly, something was moving at a high speed by the bed inside.

――――――

“Mine――――――”

“Get away from big sis, you human!”

Something was moving at high speed, interrupting Shironeko when she wanted to say something…… No, she’s a feline girl with fluttering black hair, but she leaped towards me with her sharpened nails overhead.

“Woah there……”

I instantly stopped my thinking from the abruptness, but my body, which reacted instantly, grabbed the arm that was swung down, I moved my feet and successfully held her down on the floor. Having a light body weight, I could easily steal her body’s freedom.

“Kuh……”

“Mineko, calm down desu, these people aren’t bad people desu”

She talked as if to persuade this girl I held down and her resistance weakened.

“ …… If you says so, sis……”

“This girl is your younger sister?”

“Yes desu, my younger sister Mineko desu”

No, no matter how you look at it, Shironeko would be more of a younger sister, but…… is it bad if I retort to that? When I unintentionally looked at Levia, she silently shook her head. I see, so it seems it’s bad for women.

“Yeah, my bad. Holding you down like that…… Here you go”

I confirm there was completely no resistance and then move away from Mineko. Having lost her restraint, she stood up while sweeping away the dust on her clothes.

“I’m Setsu and this one here is Levia.”

“I’m Mineko. Sis Shironeko’s younger sister――――――*cough*! *cough*!”

“!?”

In the middle of our self introduction, Mineko suddenly held her chest like she’s in pain and she completely crumbled down from her knee.

That’s right, they did say she had an illness that weakens her body――――――

“Mineko! It’s all because you acted violently desu! Rest in the bed quickly desu!”

“I’m, I’m sorry *cough* …… Sis…… *cough cough* ……”

Shironeko gave Mineko her shoulder and let her lie down on the bed inside. When the painful and violently coughing girl was made to drink water, the painful expression gradually faded.

“ …… Is this progressing faster than we expected……?”

“I guess…… to become like this from that amount of exercise……”

Seeing Mineko lying down, we say that.

Shironeko is frantically nursing the girl who still has a little painful expression. Even you see something like this, even I, someone who finds things troublesome, would as expected――――――

“I have no choice but to do it, huh……”