“The scary things…are they all the Goddess’s fault? The Goddess…does she hate us now? That man just said everyone might die… Yuri might die, Mom might die, Big Bro and Rinji too… Is everyone going to die? Are they going to die? Is this goodbye?” Yuri looked on the verge of tears. “I’m so scared…”
Yasu crouched down to her level and looked her in the eyes. “It’s okay.”
“Big Brooo…” Yuri’s hands were trembling.
Yasu placed his good hand over hers in a gentle embrace.
“I…I know. There are lots of strong people on this continent. From all the different countries… There’s the Lord of the Flies Brigade, and there are heroes too. You know about them, don’t you?”
“…Y-yeah. You’re a hero, Big Bro.”
“I am, but…there are others who are much stronger than I am who are all working together right now to stop the Goddess from doing her scary things.”
“You, and…the other heroes?” asked Yuri.
In the first place, I…
“We… We all came to this world to save the people who live here, Yuri.”
“Hero.”
The word’s meant to describe people who save the world. It gets used a lot to ridicule people lately, but heroes are actually strong people—and they’re really kind, too. People like Sogou-san, for instance. The people of the Country at the End of the World, too. Belzegea, Seras, Rinji and his men. By that definition, I’m sure all of them are heroes.
He looked into Yuri’s eyes, and tried his best to give her a warm smile.
…I feel like I’ve learned how to look people straight in the eye now.
“So as a hero, I think… I’m going to try to fight.”
I don’t know if my smile is heroic enough—but I tried, at least.
“I’ll try to take this world back… Make it so you don’t need to be scared anymore, Yuri.”
Right now, I…I have a reason to fight.
I’m fighting for someone.
“Big Bro.”
“No… I’ll take this world back, I promise. So…you don’t need to be scared, Yuri. It’s okay. Leave it to us heroes, won’t you?”
Yuri leaped at him. He felt her little arms hugging him just as tightly as they could.
“Okay,” she said quietly. She wasn’t trembling any longer.
Huh? That’s a…
There was something in the hand of the man who was up on stage—something completely at odds with the knightly armor he was wearing. He described it as an ancient magical device, but…
That’s a smartphone.
The man began to display proof of Vicius’s evil deeds—those in the front row who could were in view of the screen were shocked by the evidence that they saw.
“Th-that’s… It’s the Goddess, no two ways about it!”
“I’ve heard her voice once before! That’s her for sure!”
“The Goddess—she really is trying to destroy us after all!”
Yasu understood what was happening.
One of the heroes probably recorded her on their phone. But who? Takao Hijiri, maybe? When I think smart, I think of her. She might have been able to charge her phone, using her skill.
Rinji glanced at the man in knight’s armor, who was busy recruiting men for the defense of the Holy Eye.
“It’s up to you, but if you want to defend the Holy Eye it looks like that’s the place to sign up. They’re askin’ for proof of your identity when you sign up—saying if you die in battle, Mira’ll feed any family you leave behind. Far as they’re able to, at least…”
Rinji looked again at the registry table.
“We’re going to Azziz too.”
“Rinji…”
“I don’t really get what’s happening. But this fight to defend the Holy Eye seems like it’s gonna be a fight to save this world—and that’s a fight to save them.” Rinji was looking at his wife and son. “I’ve got a connection to the Sabre-toothed Tigers. Their captain, well… She’s sorta like family to me.”
Rinji pointed to his wife.
“With the way things are, I can’t just stay quiet and let the captain die out there. Tch. This is a weird twist, ain’t it? We come north to escape the Sabre-toothed Tigers, only to head out to save them now we’re here.”
Rinji grinned sarcastically, just as Oulu finished getting their bags ready and walked over to him.
“Y’never know, Guavan might even forgive us now, eh?” Oulu said lightly.
Guavan… Riri Adamantine’s father. They’ve never talked about what happened in detail, but I know Rinji and his men have a complicated relationship with the Sabre-toothed Tigers.
Rinji nodded to the carriage that Yuri and the others rode in.
“Us former Tigers are going to Azziz. You’re coming too, kid. The rest of our party will keep on west to my friend in Yonato. They might not be former Tigers, but they’ll still have fighters with them for the journey. Who knows what could happen on the road.”
Yasu breathed a sigh of relief. “Right. I see.”
The party went ahead and said their goodbyes. Yasu bade farewell to Yuri and her mother once more.
“…”
To be honest, I never thought anyone would feel reluctant to part from me. I’m sorry to be leaving, but I hope we can meet again once this is over.
The group that would be heading to Azziz walked to the horses they’d tied up for travel. It seemed Rinji was considerately keeping the fact that Yasu was a Hero from Another World a secret.
Yasu felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Rinji. His hand was heavy—or at least, it felt that way to Yasu.
“I’m counting on you, kid,” he said. His voice was deadly sincere, as if he were entrusting his life to Yasu.
“I’m counting on you too, Rinji. You and everyone else,” Yasu replied, eyes ahead.
Rinji looked a little surprised at that.
Alone, I… I would never have made it this far.
I would never have come to feel this way.
After a few seconds, Rinji was back to his cheerful old self. He snorted through his nose and smiled as if understood exactly what Yasu was trying to say. “Sure.”
My fire hasn’t been extinguished just yet.
I still have it.
It’s right here.