Volume 5 - CH 18.1

There is a tower in a part of the castle.

I quietly descend the stairs leading to the basement of the tower, illuminated by the light of the Hitogata.

It bothered me that there was not even a guard when I released the shikigami, but that was okay. It’s convenient.

Eventually, at the bottom of the stairs, I found the dungeon.

It was quite spacious. It was probably not a prison for ordinary prisoners.

I called out to the girl cowering on her knees inside the cage as I sent an invisible hitogata flying through the bars of the cage.

“Amiyu”

Amiyu, in her uniform with a blanket over her head, looked up.

“What, ……?　Se, Seika?”

“Are you okay?　I’m here to help you.”

With a smile, I touch the iron grate from the top of the hitogata that I pasted.

The brittle metal that had been eroded by Gallium’s sludge created by the energy of qi crumbled away.

Amiyu widens her eyes and says.

“Hey, why are you here.?”

“I told you, I’m here to help. Come on, let’s get out of here.”

I said this with a light smile, but Amiyu still looked puzzled.

“Huh, how did you get in here?”

“Oh, …… with a little bit of force. I’m strong. You know that, right?”

“What?　What …… are you thinking?　What do you think you’re doing?”

“…….”

“We can’t just run away!　Besides, this kind of thing could cause trouble not only for …… you, but also for your family!　Worst case scenario, they could take away your territory or something. ……”

“Amiyu…… this is about your life!”

“Damn …… I know that!….  I’m fine!”

Amiyu said so.

I knew right away that it was all bravado.

With a faintly trembling voice, Amiyu continued as if to reassure herself.

“I didn’t do anything!　I don’t know any demons, and they will understand!　We’ll be out of here soon!”

“……”

“So …… you should run for it!　I don’t know what you did, but it’s still night and I bet they’ll never know who did it. So, run while you still can.”

“……”

“Wait for me at the school. I’ll be back soon, I promise. I’m sure the nobleman is not so busy that he can’t be bothered with a mere commoner!”

Seeing Amiyu’s forced smile, I closed my eyes slightly.

Then, quietly, I said,

“It won’t happen, Amiyu.”

“eh……?”

“Because you’re the Hero.”

“……Hero?”

“yes”

I continue.

“A fairy tale hero. A human hero who reincarnates with the Demon King once every few hundred years — the hero this time is you, Amiyu.”

“Huh, no, that’s …… not true.”

“You’re not just a commoner. You have a reason to be killed. Those with power are feared, shunned, and excluded by those without. It’s always the same, no matter what time of year, no matter what world you live in.”

“…..”

“Let’s run away, Amiyu. If you stay here, you will be murdered.”

I smile and extend my hand to Amiyu, who is wide-eyed and speechless.

“Come on, let’s get going. Before the night is over:…..”

At that moment.

I turned my invisible Hitogata toward the darkness spreading out beyond the passageway.

《Fire-Earth Phase—— Onibi Jutsu 》

A blue fireball of burning phosphorus flew out, illuminating the dark underground.

It reached nowhere, but was intercepted in mid-air by the magic of wind.

The shattered phosphorus nucleus burns in small pieces here and there in the corridor.

I called out to the figure that made the fragile flame disappear.

“Hey there, nii-san.”

Grey, with a grim expression on his face, held up his staff sword and did not reply.

I smiled and said

“It’s a very early reunion, isn’t it? I didn’t want to meet you here. …… But I guess it can’t be helped. Would you like to have a duel. We haven’t made good on our promise yet, have we?”

Grey did not answer my question.

He just said in a tense voice

“Seika, what the hell are you doing ……?”

“There’s no need for that.”

A voice echoed from the darkness at the end of the corridor.

I looked at the person who slowly appeared and muttered quietly.

“Fiona”

I smile sarcastically at the Holy Princess as she steps in front of Grey.

“What an unlikely person to find in a place like this, But you show up at a pretty good time. …… No, I see. You’ve been seeing things, haven’t you?, Including this moment.”

I erase my smile, lower my voice, and continue.

“What brings you here, Fiona? Are you going to explain this to me? Or do you want me to deal with the …… people you have waiting for me?”

Before I knew it, —- there were several signs around this building.

They were not mere guards.

Probably all of them are as good as Galeos and the earlier demon party.

They must be the holy knights.

But …… it means nothing at this point.

“No”

Fiona said in a crisp tone.

There is no euphoric mood now.

She just continued in a serious tone of voice.

“Neither of those things is necessary here and now. The Holy Knights are just keeping an eye out to make sure you are not interfered with from the outside. I understand the recklessness of letting them take you on, Seika-sama.”

“Hmmm …… future vision is a useful power.”

I exhale and ask.

“So what are you here for?”

“Before that, I would like to answer your question.”

“……”

“You must be wondering about various things. I intend to show sincerity enough to explain. That way, it will be easier for you to accept the proposal I will make later.”

“Proposal, huh?”

I ask the biggest question.

“Why is Amiyu about to be killed?”

“……”

“The empire must have enemies. There is a clear enemy called the demons. No matter how cowardly you are and how important the interests of your faction are, it would be too unwise to kill a Hero and throw away your country’s supremacy. It’s too irrational. Were you guys that stupid?”

“It’s …… No, it isn’t.”

Fiona stammers slightly, then begins to speak.

“Once, this empire was much smaller than …… it is now. It had a small population, limited farmland, and no garrison. There was no national army, and the lords of the various regions were only able to recruit their own people to fight for them, so they were naturally poorly equipped and unable to use satisfactory tactics.”

“……”

“How dependable must have been the Hero who appeared in such a situation. His power was a thousand to one, perhaps even more. With a holy sword in his hand, he invaded the land of the dreaded demon tribe with his trusty companions and defeated the Demon King. He would have been a symbol of hope, worthy of being told in legends. ……”

“……”

“But …… now, it’s different. Did you know, Seika-sama? Now the empire can mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops at a moment’s notice. Not conscripted peasants, but trained regulars. With high-quality equipment and advanced siege weapons. And it is the same on the …… demon tribes side.”

“……”

“Do you understand, Seika-sama? The Hero and the Demon King are already outdated. Even if one person can equal thousands of soldiers, it is a mere margin of error in the grand scheme of things. It is not enough to influence the course of the war. Even if he defeated the Demon King,……, it does not mean that he can conquer the capital. The Hero, who is only a single horseman, cannot even occupy the city. All wise men are aware of this fact.”

“…… so what.”

I say.

“If they are not useful, why kill them? If they are useless, just throw them away.”

“The mere presence of the Hero …… is enough to spark a war.”

Fiona continues.

“Think about it. Now that there is no Demon King on the demon tribe side, there are only heroes on the human side. Heroes with the strength spoken of in legends.”

“…..”

“Who can say for sure that humans won’t attack at this opportunity? What if humans are so stupid that they can’t understand that they can’t use it as a fighting force? Once the war breaks out, it is inevitable that it will become a great war. In that case, at least take the initiative… even if there are leaders of the demons who think so. It’s not strange, is it?”

“…….”

“No one wants …… any more wars now. Times are different from when we were fighting over land and security. The demon tribe is so different from us in culture that we cannot even annex them as a vassal state. There is little gain in winning. And the demons probably don’t want war either. That is why they send assassins to defeat the heroes. They do not want to gain the upper hand in the conflict, but to extinguish the sparks of war.”

“……”

“The best relationship between us and the demons would be to the extent that we exchange resources and artifacts through informal trade, such as through merchants. In other words, now. No one wants a war. It is not good for anyone to make waves.”

I opened my mouth to say something and closed it.

Fiona, who was watching me, continued.

“In addition… I’m sure Amiyu-san will never gain the strength of the former Hero.”

“…… why?”

“Because of you, Seika – sama.”

Fiona continues quietly.

“The strength of a brave man is something that comes from overcoming difficulties. It is something that is finally obtained after fighting over and over again against a powerful enemy while almost losing one’s own life or something important. Would you allow such a situation to happen to Amiyu ?　You who are strong and …… Kind enough to invade the imperial castle for her sake.”

Fiona continues to speak to me.

“I do not know why you are so obsessed with the Hero. The power of future vision cannot reveal what people hide deep in their hearts. If the reason is strength… then you can say that it won’t go as you wish, Seika-sama.”

“… that’s why I’m going to tell you what it is.”

I ask back.

“You want me to leave her to die because she won’t be strong enough to do what I want her to ……?　Are you telling me that I should just sit back and watch her die for peace?”

“No, I don’t want that either.”

Fiona denies it in a clear tone of voice.

“What I just said is only one side of things. Rather, the extremists who think that the heroes should be eliminated are only a small part of the population. There are many who see the usefulness of the heroes, those who point out the possibility of the demon tribe gaining momentum, and those who are concerned about the existence of the Demon King. …… Even among the influential people, there are many who are against it. This act of barbarism is almost a one-man outburst by the Marquis de Greville, and is by no means the consensus of the empire. The academy factions are working to protect Amiyu-san, and so am I.”

“……”

“Seika-sama, I have only one request.”

Then Fiona says

“Please stand down now.”

“…..”

“I will not let anyone do anything to Amiyu-san. I will use all the power I have to return her safely to the school. I will make sure that no harm will come to your relatives. You will not be blamed for tonight. If you leave now, you will be able to return to your life at the school. There will be no need for you to make …… enemies of the empire. So ……”

“Haha, I see.”

I say with a dry laugh.

“I finally understood. You wanted to see Amiyu …… no, you wanted to see Amiyu and i, in order to make this request at this very moment.”

“I wanted you to know who I am, i wanted to make a friendship, even if it was a short one.”

“Ha ha ha ……”

“Do you remember, Seika-sama? Do you remember the promise you made at the battle? You promised that the loser would do whatever the winner said. Now I want you to fulfill it.”

“……”

“Trust me”

“…….”

“If you trust me, …… I will surely fulfill my promise.”

“Fufu…”

“Se, Seika”

At that moment, Amiyu grabs my sleeve from the side.

“Umm, Fiona and your brother…”

“Amiyu”

I tell the girl briefly.

“You should be quiet for a while.”

“…”

Looking away from the silent Amiyu, I say to Fiona.

“You’re asking a lot of me for a joke of a promise, Fiona.”