Chapter 201

CHAPTER 34 Propaganda Through my tears, I can see Seiya in the distance writing something down on a piece of coarse paper. No matter the situation, he always seems like he doesn’t have a care in the world, so I’m sure he’s coming up with some sort of strategy. I cry while making a grave for Rosalie with Cerceus, if you could call it that. After he runs a claymore into the ground, we neatly bury the body. It’s a simple process. “Let’s make a grave for Chaos Machina next to her… Sniffle!” “Good idea. I’m sure Rosalie would like that.” Cerceus surprisingly doesn’t even complain. It’s times like this when I find him to be far kinder than Seiya. Although my tears eventually dry up, I was crying for so long that the hiccups won’t stop. When was the last time I cried this much? Was it when Kiriko died? No, it was when Seiya sacrificed himself and used Gate of Valhalla… All I do is cry, now that I think about it. I vaguely remember being a crybaby, too, when I was a kid. While I smooth out the top layer of soil with my hands, I think back to my life when I was first born into the unified spirit world. I was so much more timid when I was young, and the other deities my age bullied me because of it. “Wahhhhhhhhh!” When I went back to the sanctuary while bawling my eyes out, Aria came rushing out to my aid. “Rista, what’s wrong?!” “Sniffle! Everyone said my healing magic is worthless! Hic! They said I couldn’t even heal a scratch! And they said my nose was runnier than a waterfall! Sniffffff!” “L-let me help you with that…” She got on one knee and gently wiped my face with a handkerchief. “It’s going to be okay. Your divine healing will get better as you get older. Besides, if Ishtar lets you use Order—” “But everyone said I’m not even a goddess!” Right after Aria cleaned me up, I started to cry again. I bawled for a while after that, then rubbed my eyes and looked back up to find Aria smiling right at me. “Rista, do you know what’s the most important quality for a goddess to have?” “Strong divine powers that are better than everyone else’s…right?” “No, Rista. What’s most important is—” “Rista. Your five minutes are up.” Seiya’s voice drags my consciousness back to reality. “G-give me one more second, okay?!” “Hurry. We need to go before the enemy comes.” “But Mash still can’t move because of Igzasion’s recoil, right? We’ll be fine.” “He still has subordinates. At any rate, there is no telling what may happen, so hurry.” It’s hard work, but Cerceus and I manage to finish burying them. Right as I’m trying to catch my breath, Seiya unenthusiastically remarks: “You could have simply brought her to Iglu and had the townspeople bury her.” “Well, I didn’t! I wanted to bury her with Chaos Machina anyway!” Seiya sighs. He doesn’t say another word after that. “Ugh! I just need to open a gate to Iglu, right? Are you sure you don’t want to go back to the underworld first?” “There’s no need to go back to train this time. I already know how to defeat the Dragon Lord safely and with absolute certainty.” It isn’t like Seiya to throw himself into the next battle without training. He seems to be confident he can defeat Mash, but… I have a bad feeling about this, especially after what happened with Rosalie. After returning to the town square, Seiya stares hard at me with a serious expression. “Rista, I understand that we feel differently about warped worlds, but do not interfere with my decisions. This is the quickest and most efficient way to save this twisted world.” His voice is kinder than usual as he gazes into my eyes, swollen after weeping for so long. “…O-okay.” After I nod back, Seiya gives Cerceus orders, and he begins gathering the townspeople, including some high-ranking officials from the Human-Demon Alliance, in the town square. “What’s going on?” “I heard the Hero has an announcement to make.” “Hmm? Lady Rosalie doesn’t seem to be with him.” A few hundred people, including women and children, noisily chatter at the crowded plaza. Nevertheless, all it takes is Seiya clearing his throat for the entire audience to immediately go silent. He then speaks with a rare, emotionally driven voice. “Rosalie…died an honorable death during the battle against the Great Mother.” A moment of silence follows until… “Wh-what?!” “L-Lady Rosalie…!” “Lies!” The townspeople cry out in pain. Even Seiya is pinching the bridge of his nose. What the…?! Is Seiya actually regretting that he sacrificed Rosalie?! “She bravely fought the Great Mother and sacrificed herself for the world. It was a fitting end for the daughter of the emperor.” Seiya wears a pained expression as he clenches his teeth. “But Rosalie is no more. There is no escaping that.” There are townspeople who even collapse to the ground in tears. As the awkward silence grows, Seiya softly pleads: “The Dragon Lord, Mash Dragonight, is powerful. I will not be able to defeat him alone now that Rosalie is gone. Your help is essential.” What…?! Seiya’s begging the townspeople for help?! Cerceus and I exchange glances, unable to hide our surprise. After that, Seiya clearly states: “Are there any brave souls here who wish to pick up her torch and save the world with me?” Seiya’s speech stirs up the crowd’s youth. “I—I will save the world!” “Allow us to help!” All of a sudden, countless young townspeople crowd before Seiya. “Use me! I’m not afraid to die!” “I will avenge Lady Rosalie!” “I see. Hmm…” Seiya nods with clear satisfaction. He faces the crowd and speaks up with dignity in his voice. “Townspeople, I am not the only Hero. Everyone who bravely stands against the Dragon Lord is a hero.” “W-we’re…!” “Heroes…!” The men cheer. But I am trembling in the depths of my heart as I stand before the weeping mourners. I—I was wrong…! He isn’t regretting a single thing he did! He is just telling them what they want to hear to inspire them! Unable to stand back and watch any longer, I run over to Seiya and whisper: “Don’t tell me you’re trying to get the townspeople to fight Mash?!” “I want to avoid fighting him directly as much as I can, since he has Igzasion.” “What…? How are you going to defeat him if you avoid fighting him directly?” “First, I will lower the barrier around Iglu and lure Mash inside. After that, I will reactivate the barrier, separating him from his subordinates.” “Y-you’d be sacrificing everyone in Iglu if you did that!” He glares at me as if to say, “So what?” “I need someone to act as my shield in Rosalie’s place to defeat Mash. In other words, I need a few dozen people to act as my meat-shields.” “…?! That’s what a villain would do, not a Hero!” “They’re imaginary people from an imaginary world. There is no need to care about them. Besides, Rista, I thought I told you not to interfere with my decisions.” “B-but…!” Seiya ignores me and surveys the townspeople once more. The younger ones’ emotions are still running high as they excitedly chat. “We’re going to be heroes…!” “We can help save the world!” “I’m going to kill those dragonewts and avenge my father with my own two hands!” Seiya’s powerful words put many of them in a state of exaltation. There are, of course, some who are hesitant as well. “Me? A hero? There’s no way an ordinary person can beat a dragonewt…” Seiya faces the somewhat familiar, timid young man and kindly asks: “What’s your name?” “Jaimie. I used to run a fruit shop in Edona.” “Very well, Jaimie. You’re Hero Number One, then.” “…?! I—I’m the first hero in town?!” “Yes.” “Yeahhh!” cheers the crowd. Everyone turns to Jaimie with their passionate gazes, and the cheeks of the once seemingly timid man turn red as he breathes heavily. “I—I’ve never been happier in my life!” “Perfect. Hero Jaimie, I am counting on you to defeat the Dragon Lord.” “I will do everything I can, even if it costs me my life!” Seiya continues to speak to even more townspeople nearby. “What’s your name?” “Melvin.” “Okay. You’re Hero Number Two.” “Wh-what an honor!” “I—I’m Tonio!” “I’m Joe!” “Yes, you’re a hero, and you’re a hero…” “Yessssss!” Seiya continues making heroes out of the townspeople one after the other until he reaches a few dozen and quietly mutters: “This is getting annoying.” He thereupon points at the long line of people. “Everyone from this end of the line to that end is a hero.” …?! He’s turning the village into a hero bargain bin! How lazy can you get?! I’m more fed up than surprised. That’s when a certain someone cuts through the crowd of young men and suddenly appears before Seiya. The young girl with her hair in pigtails, Nina, looks up at him with tears welling in her eyes. “I-is there anything I can do for Rosalie, too?!” “I admire your courage. Of course, there are roles for women as well.” “I will do anything! Just give me the order!” “Nina, allow me to grant you the power of a hero.” Seiya tightly embraces Nina and places his lips over—whaaaat theeeeee helllllllll?! I’m shocked. And Nina is overcome with surprise. “H-H-Hero…?” “You have gained a new power making you as strong as the strongest men.” Nina places a hand on her lips, seeming entranced, and then she suddenly speaks up as if she just realized something. “Y-you’re right! I feel a mysterious power inside me!” The men, who are watching, exchange glances and converse. “I-it looked like he kissed her, but…I guess not.” “What are you, stupid?! The Hero would never do something so promiscuous! He was granting her his divine power!” It’s only a matter of seconds before a crowd of women rush to Seiya’s side. “Hero! Please grant me your power, too!” “Me too!” “Kiss meeeeeeeee!” From youthful women to the middle-aged, a long line forms before the Hero. It’s like watching a celebrity do an autograph signing. Both Cerceus and I can’t help but tremble. “C-Cerceus, do you think that kiss was…?!” “There’s no doubt about it! Infect Lover!” “S-Seiya, wait! Get over here!” We pull Seiya away from his fangirls and demand answers. “That was the kiss of death that you used on Rosalie, wasn’t it?!” “Yes, and…? Oh, don’t worry. I’m only preparing for the final battle. The spell won’t activate until I give the signal.” “That’s not what I’m worried about! I—” “Then you must be worried about the spell’s strict conditions. Relax. I made sure that all the infected individuals’ efforts combined would activate Infect Lover. In other words, the spell will activate if all of them combined can hit Mash a total of sixty-six times.” “Seiya! For the last time, that’s not what I’m worried about!” “Oh, are you thinking that no ordinary person could ever get close enough to hit Mash? I have that covered as well. While it would be possible for me to do it to all of them, I can make a few of them invisible. Over half of them will surely die before they reach Mash, but it isn’t entirely impossible to hit him sixty-six times and infect him.” Cerceus and I are at a loss for words. Th-this Hero is hopeless. I mean… He’s even planning on using young girls as his “meat-shield”! He’s awful! After that, I continue to watch Seiya kiss so many women that I start to feel sick for more than one reason. Each woman blushes with sparkling, dewy eyes after their kiss, never to know that they were just infected. “Wow! I really do feel some sort of power swelling inside of me!” “Me too! There’s something inside of me that I can’t explain!” Yeah! What you’re feeling is the pathogens from the curse! But it’s not like I can yell that out to them. Seiya faces the crowd once more after using Infect Lover on the rest of the women. “People, listen carefully. The Dragon Lord is unbelievably strong, and many of you are going to die.” A deep silence calms the townspeople, who were excited to become heroes. Then, out of nowhere, Seiya smacks me on the back. “Huh?!” Everyone’s eyes turn to me as I stagger. Wh-what the…?! What’s going on?! “But we have the Goddess of Salvation on our side. We have the Goddess’s protection.” The crowd cheers wildly as Seiya flatters me. He points at me and continues: “Behold. The false idol, the Seraph, cannot even compare to her divine form.” “Sh-she is beautiful, now that he mentions it!” “Her celestial beauty cannot be ignored!” Ngh…! In the midst of my confusion, Seiya furthermore points to Cerceus. “The God of Swords here is included as well.” “What am I, a cheap complimentary gift?!” shouts Cerceus, but the townspeople’s excitement doesn’t dwindle. Seiya continues: “There is nothing for us to fear, for we have the protection of two deities on our side. Even if we die in battle, we will surely be reunited in heaven. In fact, only after your deaths will your true lives begin.” “O-our lives will start after we die…? I don’t know what that means, but I’m starting to feel like he’s right!” “Me too! I’m not afraid of death anymore!” Growing more uncomfortable, I whisper into Cerceus’s ear. “I-is it just me, or is this starting to turn into a scary cult?” “I know what you mean! This must be his way of dealing with the Seraph’s teachings!” Seiya stands before the brainwashed townspeople and sternly declares: “Our holy battle against the Dragon Lord begins tomorrow.” Whaaaaaat?! T-tomorrow?! Even Cerceus appears to be surprised as he approaches Seiya and whispers: “H-hey, um… Seiya? Don’t you think tomorrow’s a little too soon? Are you not going to train the townspeople?” “Normally, that is what I would want to do, but this is a mob of amateurs with absolutely zero potential. All they need to do is act as a meat-shield for me when I fight Mash. After all, the main objective is to assassinate Mash amid the confusion due to the sheer number of people. Worst-case scenario, I use Meteor Strike and take out the entire town along with Mash.” Seiya coldly glares at the townspeople after easily saying something wicked as if it were nothing. “All I need are puppets that follow orders, so I need to make sure they understand how to form lines in battle.” Seiya trains the townspeople by teaching them how to walk and form lines. After that, he stands before the people once more, and he says to the crowd who learned how to form well-ordered lines: “Good. On my signal, men. Ready…and…!” The instant Seiya gives the signal as their leader, the entire crowd simultaneously shouts: ““““““I’m perfectly prepared!!”””””” “…?! He made them say his catchphrase!! Ahhhhhh!” But even my screaming is drowned out by the heated vortex of excitement created by the townspeople.