“You did seem strangely unmotivated all this time… We were even discussing this among the other members of the Faith Faction…,” Anna remarked. “…That the Dusk Demon of this era had no desire to advance the art of faith magic anymore. That perhaps you didn’t wish to steward us toward the truth, nor stand at the pinnacle of this world. But I guess it was all true. It’s no wonder your Sphere wasn’t open… Which makes it even more curious that your Sphere suddenly opened just recently. But I suppose that doesn’t matter.”
Anna shrugged.
“Faced with no other choice, we the Faith Faction have actually given up on elevating you to the position of our leader. Therefore, out of the material, astral, and aetherial aspects that make up your existence, we have decided to discard that which makes up your ego: the astral.”
“…Huh?”
“Hee-hee. But rest assured—your material body will be used for new Demon Relics! And your aetherial spirit will be used as a textbook to understand the truths of faith magic! We will be sure to use you to the fullest! No, we will not simply throw away our Dusk Demon! Only, we have no use for your astral heart. That weak-willed heart of yours is worth less than garbage.”
Shino could only back away, horrified.
“So I’ll just go ahead and kill you now, all right? We have no use for your life, after all, as long as you leave your body and spirit behind!”
Anna turned and began to slowly walk toward Shino.
“…Ah…uh…”
Shino backed away.
Randy, Serephina, and Annie didn’t move. Completely overwhelmed by Anna’s presence, they were unable to lift a finger.
Shino was no different.
She knew. She knew she couldn’t win against Anna as she was now.
Of course, compared to when Shino had been the Dusk Demon in her previous life—compared to Shenola—Anna’s power was nothing. Her existence was like a weak, pitiful insect.
There was no one who could win against the Dusk Demon, who had been in perfect control of the Great Beings, all Seventy-Two Pillars of the Qlippoth, whose power she’d simultaneously commanded as if it was her own—no one, save for that one exception.
In terms of ability and status, there was a fundamental difference between that power and that of Anna, who now acted so proud to be contracted with the Fair-Faced Angel, one of the lowest ranked of the Seventy-Two Pillars.
But not now.
Against this iteration of Anna, Shino was less than a worm.
Through her reincarnation, Shino had lost that mighty magical power and her enormous Sphere that had been immense enough to envelop the whole world.
At present, Shino was just an average fledgling mage.
She did have the knowledge of faith magic engraved upon her spirit, which still remained, but with this body’s weakened magical capabilities, it would be beyond her wildest dreams to grasp the power of even one Great Being such as the Fair-Faced Angel, much less all Seventy-Two pillars of the Qlippoth.
I always believed…it would be better if I just died, Shino thought as she drew back from Anna. I always believed my life wasn’t worth living. Even after being somehow reincarnated like this…I thought I didn’t deserve to exist in this world…
This body of mine is just too steeped in sin…
Then why hadn’t she taken her own life? Why did she keep on living so comfortably?
Did she cling to this world simply out of habit?
It was because…of him… He was there…
Shino started remembering that man she was so indebted to.
But for some reason, instead of his face, she saw Rix’s…and the faces of the people who accepted her as a friend—Randy, Serephina, and Annie.
“No… I don’t want this…!”
Then Shino suddenly came to a realization.
“Why…? Why is it…?! I…don’t want to die yet…! I know I have no right to live…! I know I’m riddled with sin…but still…!”
“Ah-ha-ha. That’s too bad,” said Anna. “Goodbye.”
Anna, accompanied by the angel…slowly reached her hand out to the crying, trembling Shino…
“…Wait…”
But just then, Rix stood in front of Shino to cover her.
Carrying his sword, which had been broken in two, and having forcibly set his broken bones back in place, he stood wavering before her.
“R-Rix…?”
“Oh…you’re still alive?” Anna said to Rix. “Quite the stubborn one, aren’t you?”
Rix ignored her and spoke haltingly to Shino.
“Don’t cry, Shino… Don’t cry… I’ll do something to stop this…”
“Do something…? How…?”
“Hey, Shino. I…really wanted to become human.”
Shino blinked in surprise at the abrupt, strange change of subject.
“You told me before, right? That I was a puppet trying its hardest to act human. Well, yeah. You were right,” Rix said. “I think, probably…I was designed that way, and produced that way, by those people. Some kind of killing machine that would keep killing as long as someone ordered me to… That was me. Because I was a puppet, I didn’t have my own free will over any of that…until Captain Black took me in.”
“…”
“And that man who took me in…said this to me: ‘Then it’s an order. Stop being a puppet. Have your own free will and act human. Even if you have to force it.’ It’s funny, isn’t it? That’s how I was reborn as Rix Frestat.”
“…”
“But I had no idea. Even acting human as Rix Frestat, I had no idea what it meant to be human. But it seemed that humans are always trying to be happy…so I came to this academy. And here…I spent every day together with you all…and I somehow started feeling like I had started to understand it a little…what it means to be human.”
“…Rix…”
“It’s still only been a short while, but enjoying every day together with you all…made me feel this kind of strange, warm feeling deep in my chest…and I thought that must be being human. I’m glad that I met you all, and I think I’m doing pretty well for a puppet. I feel like I can do anything, and I will do anything, if it’s for you all. And that’s not acting. It’s for real. So I think I may have actually become a little bit human. That’s why…I have no regrets. If it’s for the sake of protecting you…I’ll gladly quit being human. No regrets.”
“Rix… Wait, what…?! What exactly are you planning to do…?!” Shino began to panic, but Rix put that aside.
He narrowed his eyes and whispered:
“Set.
“Target: Professor Anna.
“Exclude others at all costs. If this condition is not met, immediately commence suicide.
“Loading orders.”
At the tip of his sword…a light began to shine.