Chapter 163
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The young man should have arrived at the designated time.
At the rectangular table, he sits across from the Hero, who has two women seated on either side of him.
Even though the young man has just appeared and taken his seat, the two women don’t even spare him a glance, as if even that moment would be too precious to waste.
He thinks of the table in front of him as if it were a boundary line separating them.
During the meal, the three of them are extremely cheerful, laughing and talking frequently.
Meanwhile, the young man might as well be invisible.
The Hero rambles on endlessly about trivial matters, while the women sometimes lean against him affectionately, sometimes fuss over him attentively, and blush with moistened eyes when he compliments them.
The young man looks away, thinking this is truly an unbearable sight. However, he can’t help but speak up.
「Ryūgūin, are you keeping up with your training? Mika, what about the food distribution? You used to do that before. Angie, are you maintaining your daily routines?」
The three of them stare blankly at his questions for a moment. Then the Hero suddenly claps his hands and bursts out laughing. Taking his cue, the two women also break into laughter.
「Did you both hear that?」
「Yes, Hero.」
「Yes, I certainly did.」
The young man is bewildered. What could possibly be funny?
「Ah, you don’t understand what’s funny? Well, well, I’m not your mother. Don’t expect explanations for everything you ask. But fine, I’ll do you a service and explain. First of all, what we’ve been doing has been working just fine. So what’s the problem?
Can you take responsibility if things fail because we changed our methods?」
He almost shouts out 「What nonsense!」 but is interrupted.
The two women attending to him cry out 「As expected of our Hero!」 one after another.
「You know why we’re going around spending the money you got from the dungeon and distributed? We’re not doing this for fun. Right now, we’re facing the threat of the ‘Newly Constructed Most Challenging Dungeon,’ and for the sake of the people suffering from poverty, we’re doing our best to keep the economy moving in our own way.
Right? Am I saying anything wrong? Yet you still want to make us out to be the bad guys?」
Every single one of his statements is sophistry.
「Like a broken record, you keep lecturing me and these ladies about food distribution, daily routines, and training, but will training feed the people? Will worshipping gods produce gold nuggets? Will completing these daily routines make it rain on failing crops?
We’re trying.
We’re trying so hard.
We’re trying so, so very hard, and yet you keep pouring out your high-and-mighty preaching over and over and over again. You must think you’re quite the noble saint yourself.」
The young man knows that faith in the Saint’s god saves people.
He also knows that magic is an essential element that makes up who the red-haired girl is.
「What do you two think about this?」
The young man stakes everything on this question.
「Thinking of the people and spending our days with the Hero should be our top priority.」
「I think so too. The Hero is absolutely right. He hasn’t made any mistakes.」
Above all else—above everything else.
The young man whispers to himself, making sure no one can hear.
Faith and daily routines are meaningless unless they’re driven by something self-motivated, almost instinctual, from within one’s own heart.
Saying only 「I’m leaving,」 the young man departs.
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Several dozen bubbles shoot out from the Tri-Head Dragon’s body.
The bubbles expand and contract repeatedly before taking form. They become Dragonauts with bodies equal in size to the Tri-Head Dragon.
They begin walking toward us with heavy footsteps.
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From that day forward, the young man rarely sees them.
He only catches glimpses of their faces when he happens to run into them in town, or when he needs to confirm whether they’re going to the Newly Constructed Most Challenging Dungeon and leads them from behind.
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The young man’s gaze falls on the Hero and his two companions.
His feelings toward them are a mix of slight envy, loneliness, anger, sadness—and helplessness.
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Another day, he happens to see the three of them again.
His feelings, almost unchanged from before, are now tinged with resignation.
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His resignation gradually grows stronger.
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That feeling definitely grows within him.
And one day, when he unintentionally sees the three of them again, his feelings have transformed into complete resignation.
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The young man has given up on them.
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And now, I—
I don’t want to see that look in his eyes anymore.
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It was none other than I who put that expression on his face.
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There’s no taking it back.
I have no idea what I should do.
Fifteen Dragonauts charge toward us.
Ten of them head for Orphelia, while the remaining five come at us three.
「Can you maintain the mana circuit even if we’re slightly separated?」
Ichiro asks me. I don’t say it’s difficult. Instead, I answer briefly, 「I can. Leave it to me.」
Pathetically, even now, I want to look cool in front of him.
「Puru, maintain the Magic Sword Nidhogg, and Angelica, don’t let Thunder Claw run out. I’ll handle them.」
He tells us this and draws his sword. However, when he charges at the Dragonauts, his mana is already below ten percent.
I already know that at this rate, it will be impossible to wear down the Tri-Head Dragon with Thunder Claw.
I must be an utterly selfish person.
Even after remembering everything, I still want to make amends to him.
I understand that this too is a self-centered feeling.
But even so, I want to repay him.
For that purpose, I don’t value my life at all.
So, for that reason—
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I sense a sudden surge of mana from Angelica.
The way her mana moves reminds me of Puru’s final moments in my dream.
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