Volume 3, 1 - What has to be seen through to the end Part 4

Volume 3, Chapter 1 – What has to be seen through to the end Part 4

“Is it really okay for me to go along as well?”

It was night, after the nerve-wracking visit to the Tatewaki family house.

Diana, Khalija, Yasuo, and Nodoka were in Room 101 of the Marigold Hills apartment building.

There were pastel colored cups placed on the casual kotatsu, and steam was rising from the cups filled with warm tea.

The four of them were casually sitting on the simple-yet cute-cushions that Nodoka had picked out when Diana had first moved to this apartment.

“By the way, just how are you communicating with Ante Lande, Diana-san? It’s not like you have a cell phone that connects to that world or anything, right?”

“There is a type of sorcery for relaying messages. It is something like sending a letter.”

“Doesn’t that cost money to use, like the Gate Tower?”

“It is not completely free of cost, but for example if you consider the Gate Tower to be an aeroplane that carries a single person, then the Messaging Sorcery is like a home delivery service carried on a bike. There is a limit to the amount of information that can be transmitted at once, but the expense is not high enough to make a member of the Knights Division hesitate.”

The example using an aeroplane was easy for Yasuo and Nodoka to understand, but there was still something that felt off.

“But still, I wonder why Shouko-san wants to go along with someone like Onii-chan… Sure, traveling with just my father and Diana-san might be awkward for her, but still… It’s sort of like chartering a new flight just for Onii-chan, right?”

“Since that was the condition put forward by Shouko, there was nothing else we could do. Also, to tell you the truth, both my mother and I wanted Yasuo to come, even if it stretched the budget a bit.”

“Eh? Why’s that!?”

From the way Nodoka said that, it could be seen that she was greatly dissatisfied.

“Before that, it might be a little late to ask this, but… Are you willing to go, Yasuo?”

Diana checked with Yasuo about how he felt before replying to Nodoka.

“Well… if I take a week off from school, the guys from school will probably annoy me about it once I get back… But despite that, I am still more worried about Tatewaki-san, and if I have the opportunity to go, I feel like I should take it.”

“Onii-chan, that’s not like you at all.”

“However, I know that it costs an insane amount of money, and should I have wanted to go, it would have only put more strain on Diana and the others, so I wasn’t able to bring it up myself.”

“That’s right, it’s not too late to back out.”

“Nodoka, I think that you should leave it at that.”

Nodoka, who was the exact opposite of Diana and couldn’t sit still without rejecting her brother in some way or another, was gently pacified by Khalija.

“In the first place, I received a message from my mother at almost the same time when Hideo said that he wanted to go to Ante Lande. She asked me to try and bring Hideo over, at least for a short while.”

This was something that both Yasuo and Nodoka had already heard, on the night when Hideo had declared that he would be going to Ante Lande.

However, the circumstances surrounding Diana’s mother, Erijina Krone and the people around her, were somewhat vague.

“The reason why Her Excellency Erijina is impatient about inviting Hideo this time is…… because of me.”

“Does that mean that the organization that tempted you, Carnelian of the Coal Mine or whatever, have become a threat?”

At that question from Nodoka, who had heard about the situation from Khalija herself, both the Magitech Knights nodded as one.

“In the thirty years since the military campaign against Demon King Kaul, the organization known as The Carnelian of the Coal Mine has not only helped the people from Torjesso, but also other war refugees as well. Their power is limited to not just Resteria, but is spread out among the surrounding smaller countries as well. It is obvious that an organization with such a large scope will have interactions with a great number of people, and that gives rise to certain interests that those people would like to protect. In that sort of situation…… I, who hold the rank of Colonel in Resteria’s core army and also have the blood of Torjesso flowing through my veins, yielded to a person who could control the Shii that were threatening the whole world. I’m sure Her Excellency Erijina considers this to be a very heavy problem.”

“The governing body of Resteria is convinced that the Shii are not merely frightening monsters that randomly appeared. I’m sure that the surrounding small countries will come to the same conclusion sooner or later. Once that happens, the world will… become a place where everyone doubts whether their neighbor is someone who can communicate with the Shii.”

“With a clearly defined enemy, such as the armies of Demon King Kaul, the people needed to only look for trouble in one direction. However, constantly questioning whether the person next to you might suddenly kill you, that will easily distract people from the threat and cause friction. It’s the same in this world as well, right?”

Back during the World War, the countries that fought knew who their enemies were.

However, in the modern age that Yasuo lived in, people were exposed to danger from 『terrorists』 whose identity was unclear, and the sources of that danger were extremely flexible and had no rigid form. Everybody was aware that they could easily blend into society and hide from sight.

And the social problem that arose from that was…

“A tendency to expulse all sources of threats…”

“That’s right. Once the persecution of the former citizens of Torjesso, other war refugees, and anyone connected to The Carnelian of the Coal Mine begins, it will be difficult to stop. However, if the people being persecuted don’t have any way of proving that they are not allied with the Shii, they will never be free of suspicion. The hatred and sorrow of both the people being persecuted and the people doing the persecuting will just continue to grow. No matter how many pretty speeches are made, neither side will accept it. Before something like that happens…”

“Shouko, who holds the key to understanding more about the true nature of the Shii. The Saviour, Hideo. And then… more than anything else, my mother wants to understand the extent of your current strength, Yasuo. That is what she said to me.”

“My strength? Do I have anything of that sort?”

“Does Onii-chan’s power really have that much meaning? I mean, all he can do is send Shii off with the song…”

“That is extremely important.”

Seeing that the siblings were confused, Diana and Khalija glanced at each other.

“Yasuo’s fighting ability is no match for our own, let alone Hideo’s. However, when it comes to Yasuo’s ability to send off the Shii with the requiem or his healing powers, even if you search far and wide in Ante Lande, you won’t find many who can equal him.”

“I-Is that so?”

“At the very least, there are likely none in Resteria.”

Diana’s proclamation only served to deepen Yasuo’s confusion.

“Being able to stop a Shii that is still active with just the song, and sending off three of them at once and still not running out of mana, such things are usually impossible by our standards. That power… there is a chance that it might become the impetus for saving Ante Lande, or at least that is what my mother thinks.”

“I don’t think that’s possible at all~”

“Even Japan has a method of solving disputes using means other than armed conflict, right? Of course, just that will not be enough to end all the fighting, but not using it all will also lead to a lengthening of the conflict. However, Ante Lande and this world are similar in the fact that the problems are not so simple that they can be solved by the power or ideas of one person. A balance is needed in everything.”

“Yasuo’s power has the potential to bring a new balance to the situation that Ante Lande has currently fallen into. That is why, as long as Yasuo is okay with it…… we would be glad to have him come to our world.”

“………”

He was told that he had talent and power, and that people would rely on him.

More importantly, he had already gathered experience to support that belief, even though it was only a little.

This was something that had never happened since the time he had begun to think and make choices for himself.

“……I wonder if it is okay for me to get cocky.”

Hearing Yasuo mutter that, Nodoka frowned and Khalija gave a small smile and nodded.

“Just letting you know, I won’t let you get carried away. For some reason, everyone around you has been too soft on you lately, Onii-chan. Geez.”

After saying that, Nodoka stood up.

“I’m going back home. I have homework, and I need to take a bath as well.”

“Oh, then I will accompany you.”

“It’s fine. My house is right over there.”

“Do not show the slightest gap or carelessness. That is what is required of a soldier.”

Even though Nodoka looked a little annoyed, Khalija just gave a wry smile and went along with her.

After the two of them left, Yasuo asked once more, to make sure.

“It’s really okay for me to go, right?”

“Yes. That is something that both Shouko and my mother wished for, and more than anything, I wanted you to come along as well.”

“You too?”

“Yes. I used to think that Japan, the 『Birthplace of the Hero』 was some sort of utopia or Shangri-La. After actually living here, I came to realize that it is just an ordinary world, with amazing things, strange things, and things that I cannot accept. I think you must have felt the same way about『Ante Lande』, as it only exists in your imagination so far. I think that letting you see it for yourself would be a very good thing…… Also, this is just my personal opinion, but…”

Diana smiled, looked straight at Yasuo, took a sip of her tea that had gone cold, and then once again showed a smile that was like a blooming flower.

“I want Yasuo to see the country where I was born.”

“………”

Those unexpected words made Yasuo stiffen his body.

“The country and world that I come from, that you said you wanted to protect… The Hero that Resteria and Ante Lande are looking for is still Hideo, but… to me, you are the Hero now, Yasuo.”

“Uh, no, that is…”

Yasuo looked flustered, but Diana just tilted her head and carried on.

“I’m serious, you know? I’m not just trying to flatter you.”

“That is… When you say something like that to my face, I…”

Even admitting that it was embarrassing would be embarrassing.

Diana was still smiling, as if she found the sight of Yasuo struggling for words to be amusing.

“When you sent off my father, when you said that you would become the Hero, and when you didn’t back down a single step even when fighting against the Colonel… to me, you looked just like the Hero that I had dreamed of in the past.”

“T-That is…”

When she said that he looked like the Hero she had dreamed of, did that mean that she was confusing him with his father who apparently had used to look identical to him?

Although Yasuo couldn’t tell if she had guessed what he was thinking about or not, the amount of teasing in Diana’s smile suddenly increased.

“Who knows? I wonder which one I am seeing.”

Wasn’t she just playing around with him?

It was only recently that Yasuo had learned that Diana was actually older than him, but ever since she had started to live with Khalija, Diana had started to state things confidently on many occasions.

It looked like she was holding a grudge against him for agreeing with Nodoka and saying that her personality was childish.

“W-Well, in any case, seeing as you said it’s fine for me to go, I’ll do just that. Right then, I should get going as well. Yeah.”

“Sure. I’ll accompany you.”

“No, it’s fine. My house is just…”

“I’m just going to say the same thing that the Colonel said, you know.”

“…………Okay, fine.”

“Right then, let’s go.”

After standing up and walking outside, Diana properly locked the front door before accompanying Yasuo to his house that was just on the other side of the road.

For the few seconds it took to reach his house, Yasuo peeked at Diana’s face as they walked in silence, and thought the following.

Guarding him for the few seconds it would take to reach his house.

At the very least, he wanted to grow strong enough so that she would not worry about him walking such a trivial distance on his own.

“Yasuo? Is something wrong?”

Diana turned towards Yasuo after catching him staring at her.

“No, it’s nothing.”

Yasuo just said that and shook his head.

※

It was night, two days later.

The Kenzaki Family, the Tatewaki family, and the two Magitech Knights were gathered at the Tokorozawa Aviation Memorial Park.

They were gathered to send off Hideo, Diana, Yasuo, and Shouko, who were about to travel to the other world.

In the sky was a spiralling tower within which the stars swirled, and the slightly dark entrance to the other world, the 『Gate Tower』, opened up, just like it had when Khalija had summoned it one week earlier.

Hideo carried Yasuo, and Diana carried Shouko. It didn’t really look like they were about to travel to another world.

However, Tatewaki Kousuke and Youko just stared up at mute amazement as the four of them rose up into the air.

“Dear, and Nodoka! Take care of things here!”

“Khalija-san, please take care of the rest!”

“Well then, see you later!”

“Mom, Dad, don’t expect any souvenirs, okay~!”

The four of them rose rapidly upwards as if they were being sucked into the Gate Tower, and as they watched, their forms became smaller and smaller.

“……It’s really unbelievable.”

Youko only nodded after hearing what Kousuke said.

“Even Onii-chan and I are still constantly being surprised by all of this.”

Nodoka said that as a representative of the normal people in the group, and moved closer to the Tatewaki couple.

“While your daughter is absent, I will put my life on the line to protect the Restaurant Saburou, so please be at ease.”

Khalija, who had healed her right arm in preparation for the time when Hideo would leave, gave a respectful bow while dressed in her Magitech Knight uniform.

“Everyone, please be careful.”

As if Madoka’s whisper was the signal, the four of them disappeared into the night sky.

At the same time, the spiral of stars whirled furiously, and broke apart after leaving behind a single flare of light. After that, the only thing left behind was a starless sky.

The Hero of Salvation once again traveled between the worlds.