I didn’t like people. And I hated it even more that I was a person too. I thought that if I were ever to reincarnate, I wanted to become something other than human—I didn’t care what. If I turned into an inanimate object, maybe I wouldn’t have to get hurt anymore, I imagined. My world plunged into darkness as silly ideas like that crossed my mind.
I thought I heard someone’s voice. Now awake again, I found myself in an unknown place and an unknown world. I was given a new life as Soul Materia, the Armor of God. But I didn’t quite understand. Armor? Sure, I might’ve wished to become an inanimate object, but God’s decision really puzzled me. I thought maybe it’d be best if I didn’t think too deeply about it. After all, I was quite satisfied with myself.
How long had it been since I’d woken up? There were no battles here and no fear of getting hurt. My life was tranquil. I’d been surprised to learn that I could communicate with fairies and animals, but that’d allowed me to take my mind off any loneliness. In fact, I didn’t feel much of any emotion at all, and that must’ve saved my psychological state a great deal. I was in a world of nothingness, the colors fading and faint...but I was satisfied.
Then a human arrived. It was the most shocking thing that’d occurred to me since I’d woken up—no, nothing surprised me more than the time I’d learned that I’d reincarnated into another world, I supposed. Or had that not been as earth-shattering for me? Eh, I didn’t really care either way.
The person with long ears was getting a harsh scolding from the fairies while trying to do something or other. I wasn’t interested in what he was up to exactly and just fell asleep...but when I woke up, I found I’d moved somewhere completely different.
I didn’t really care, of course. I wasn’t all that interested in where I was. I never had any problems with anxiety either— I knew that no one could harm me, and if I really went all out, I knew that I was quite strong. After all, I possessed an unusual power: When I wanted to do something, a vision would appear before my eyes to guide me toward my goal.
As I’d been born into a dangerous world filled with swords and magic, it figured that my visions would show me the way even during battles, allowing me to show off a peerless sense for combat. Even in the most extreme situations, regardless of whether I knew about my enemies’ magic or not, I was simply shown the way, and I allowed myself to be guided to my goal, regardless of whether I asked for the vision or not.
Not everyone could wield this power. It was like a cheat from a video game. The amount of information the user was fed was so vast that no living creature could endure it, and what’s more, it apparently used a good deal of mana, implying that it wasn’t very efficient. However, as I wasn’t a living creature, I had no issue with the amount of information I was fed, and since I was the Armor of God, I possessed an ample amount of mana too. No one dared to interfere with me, and I wasn’t interested in anyone else either.
Or so I thought. It all changed when I met him. He was a little boy who was only called by his number. When I saw him, a vision appeared before me—one where I was traveling around with him. And so, I took some interest in this child. As days passed, I conversed with him everyday. The boy would happily speak about himself and what he did today, but I wasn’t at all interested in that. Every now and then, he’d pose a question about me, and I’d offer a curt response.
So, why? Why did I give him a name and teach him a language that only the two of us could parse? I simply couldn’t understand myself. Maybe I just wanted to leave something of myself behind for him. Perhaps I wanted to etch my very existence into his heart...
I thought our peaceful days together would continue in perpetuity, but they came to an abrupt halt. The long-eared man who kept interrogating me about how to create spells, who questioned me about what God’s domain was, and who sought to transcend to that place—along with other such torturous ramblings—had vanished. I recalled Agard mentioning something, but I didn’t remember the details because it hadn’t interested me. I merely thought my life would be quiet and mundane once more, but Agard then asked of me, “Let’s go on a journey together.”
My vision came true. When I thought that I’d travel with him, something emerged in my heart like a cloud of doubt. Something just didn’t feel right. However, I couldn’t quite put a finger on this emotion, and maybe I wanted to learn what I was feeling. And so, I agreed to go on a journey with him.
At first, we just strolled through the many cities and towns we visited. We kicked back and saw the world. Gradually, Agard began to reach out to others and help those who were in need. I simply couldn’t understand. Why must we care what happened to others? It had nothing to do with me. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, I couldn’t bear to watch Agard get hurt—as a suit of armor, this was convenient for me, in any case. I could protect him.
How many battles had I thrown myself into? Countless, I was sure. We didn’t lose—we were an invincible duo. We’d received many names: the Argent Knight, the Hero of Aldia. Yet Agard didn’t possess the makings of a hero. He was simply infinitely kind, not strong. Since he was merely using my power, with each passing day, he became covered with more and more wounds and began to break down. Even so, he always stood back up on his feet, maintained a smile on his face for others, and reached out to help those in need. If anyone was in danger, Agard was there to help.
But who, then, could help Agard when he was in need? The answer was obvious: me. I was the only one who could aid and protect him. The moment that answer had seared itself into my mind, the small cloud that loomed in my heart had finally dissipated, and I felt like I’d finally been freed from some sort of shackle.
Ever since, the emotions I felt faintly within me began to surface every now and then. Since Agard relied on me, I did my best to keep my feelings suppressed, but occasionally, I couldn’t help myself and jumped into the conversation, causing everyone around me to look upon him with shock. I especially couldn’t hold my emotions back when young girls of age gathered toward us.
All the while, we accomplished a great deal. We clobbered a man called the Dark Lord beyond the sea, and we pushed back the invasions of the Papacy or whatever nation that tried to destroy the land. Indeed, our record was impressive. With every success, Agard was lauded as a hero and celebrated for his victories, which made me ecstatic. If I could make him even more famous and carve his name into the annals of history, I couldn’t be happier.
My days were filled with excitement and joy, but they came to an end sooner than I’d expected. His body had been constructed by the people of this world. Since God’s hand hadn’t been involved in his creation, he had several defects, and his form grew haggard and weary. I’d noticed it before, but as he’d continued to ask me to lend him my power and said that he needed me, I pretended that I never saw those defects of his. I didn’t want him to hate me.
However, that was my crucial mistake. I regretted my decisions and cried to Agard, weeping and begging. A suit of armor like me couldn’t form tears, but I was certain that this emotion was sorrow and that I was crying. For the first time ever since I’d come to this world, I was in hysterics and inconsolable. I couldn’t stop myself. The emotions that I’d kept bottled up inside me until now just exploded out—everything I’d felt until now was bursting forth.
When did I even notice my own feelings? It was probably when we’d met that songstress during our journey. She sang of her own circumstances and feelings about it, causing me to empathize with her.
My chest would tighten and suffocate me when I thought of him—our clear differences only caused me more sorrow. If he vanished, I’d be crushed, and I thought if he was due to cause me so much pain, I would much rather forget about him and refuse to associate with him further. And yet, I couldn’t forget him. I didn’t want to forget him. I wanted to keep my mind filled with him, and I wanted to keep him close to me.
As the contradictions ate away at my mind, recalling the songstress’s verse allowed me to finally put words to my feelings. It was the only way to properly explain the emotions that had bubbled up within me.
I was in love with Agard.
Ever since this realization hit me, we retreated from the world and continued our journey for our sake—or, more specifically, for my sake. I had a wish: I wanted to be with Agard more and to share his feelings. I wanted to live, die, and eventually become one with him. I wanted to become human again.
Surely, my previous self, who loathed and despised humans, would laugh and mock me now. But even so, I wanted to be human. I’d happily return all the powers I’d received from God if I could be a person again and spend my life with Agard. I was keenly aware that Agard could continue to fight because I had these powers...and yet, I wished to abandon it all.
And so, we began our research. We left the kingdom and trekked through the Ancient Forest and various other nations, spending every single day in search of a method. It was then that the long-eared man, Nike, again appeared before us. He was conducting a certain sort of research and had somehow heard of our dilemma, and he suggested our participation could be very beneficial for us.
He suggested soul transfer. This was an absurd sort of technology—he actually suggested that I should transfer my soul from my current form to a new body. Why was he doing that sort of research anyway? Why did he even provide us with this offer? And why did he know that this was precisely what we were looking for?