Her expression flickered between doubt and acceptance; something in that honest tone seemed to resonate. She took a breath, forcing herself to nod, then snapped her fingers decisively.
“Alright. I’ll take the north. Lilith takes the south. Ryuto takes the west. But what about the east?”
Without hesitation, Ryuto crossed the room and stood beside Koharu Saegusa, who had been hovering awkwardly at the edge of the table since the start. Ryuto placed a gentle hand atop her head.
“This is Koharu Saegusa,” he announced confidently. “She’ll guard the east.”
Cordelia’s gaze sharpened, her instincts kicking in. She studied Koharu with clinically precise interest, her eyes lingering from head to toe as if assessing battlefield readiness.
He held her firm with a confident smile. “Koharu’s got my full guarantee. Not a word of doubt from me.”
Cordelia paused, raising her brow, lips forming a line of mock seriousness. “No, that’s not it… What I want to know is…” She tilted her head to the side, tone more casual. “Why does she have breasts this big?”
Seriously? Ryuto thought, fighting dizziness at the sudden shift in focus.
He forced a grin. “Let’s set the chest aside… In the east, she comes from one of the premier families. And trust me, she’s capable.”
“Huh…” Cordelia’s eyes narrowed as she studied Koharu again, not dropping her scrutinizing gaze.
Ryuto met her stare and replied firmly, “That’s the important part.”
“And you’re sure she’s actually useful in a fight?” Cordelia arched an eyebrow, arms crossed as she shot a skeptical glance toward Ryuto. “You didn’t just get distracted by her chest or something, right?”
The teasing lilt in her voice hadn’t even finished echoing through the room before Lilith slammed her hand against the table with a sharp thud.
“Ryuto said Koharu can handle it,” she snapped, her voice cold as steel. “That means she can.”
Cordelia blinked, surprised by the force behind Lilith’s words. “Whoa, calm down. What’s gotten into you?”
Lilith turned to her, glare icy and unrelenting. “Ryuto never misjudges someone’s combat ability. If he ever did, it would mean this entire world had gone mad—every last one of us, dead. But as long as we’re still breathing, in this reality, that scenario doesn’t exist. It’s not even worth entertaining.”
Cordelia’s mouth fell open slightly as she stared at her, stunned. “Jeez, what’s with you? I was joking. You don’t have to bite my head off.”
Lilith looked away with a muttered, almost bitter tone. “Now isn’t the time for jokes. We’re talking life and death.”
“You’re seriously the hardest person to talk to sometimes.”
The air hung heavy for a beat, until Koharu, who had been fidgeting awkwardly the entire time, finally spoke up, her voice barely more than a whisper.
“Um… Cordelia? Lilith?”
Their responses overlapped, wary and sharp.
“What?”
“What is it?”
Koharu looked between them, her eyes wide and uncertain. “You both just… believe him? Just because Ryuto said I could do it?”
Cordelia gave a small shrug, while Lilith nodded without hesitation.
“Well,” Cordelia said, folding her arms again, “I saw it myself about a year ago. Ryuto’s real strength. The kind of absurd power that shouldn’t exist in nature.”
“That’s crazy… This is all crazy…” Koharu’s voice trembled. “We’re talking about facing an Ogre Emperor… Or worse, a Demon God. There’s no way I can do that. I can’t.”
Her protests were met with silence. Neither Cordelia nor Lilith offered comfort, not even a word of encouragement. Koharu turned toward Ryuto, eyes brimming with fear.
“I mean… forget the Demon God or the Ogre Emperor, okay? Just the Ogre King alone… Do you really believe I can stand against something like that?”
Her voice quivered, caught between panic and disbelief.
Ryuto looked at her, sighed deeply, and finally opened his mouth to respond, his tone steady, almost too calm. “Hey, Koharu.”
She looked up, startled. “What is it?”
“You can do this,” he said plainly, meeting her gaze. “That’s why I’m entrusting the eastern gate to you. Isn’t that enough?”
She flinched, recoiling as though struck. Her voice rose in a sharp, defensive burst. “Why would you say something like that?! I’m… I’m not someone who can handle that!”
Ryuto didn’t waver. “Who told you that you couldn’t?”
Her fists clenched in her lap, trembling. “You wouldn’t understand… You’re Ryuto. You’re strong. You can do anything. But people like me, people who can’t do anything, you don’t know how that feels!”
He exhaled slowly, dragging a hand down his face, tired but patient. “Do you know what my designated job class is?”
“Job class?” she echoed, thrown off by the sudden shift. “I heard it was Villager or something… But that can’t be right, right? You’re probably hiding it. Some rare job, a legendary title, or something along those lines.”
Ryuto gave a bitter chuckle. “Nope. Just a plain Villager. Exactly what it sounds like.”
Koharu stared at him, stunned and speechless.
“You’ve got something real, Koharu. That skill of yours, Divine Descent, is extraordinary. And you’re sitting on it, wasting it, all because you had one failure? That’s it?” His voice grew sharper, cutting through the room like a blade. “You’ve got all this potential, and you’re too busy sulking to use it?”
She looked away, ashamed and silent.
“You’ve got talent, and all you do is wallow. What are you even doing?” His voice hit harder now, more pointed. “Enough. I’m done watching you give up on yourself.”
He stepped closer, staring her down, and pointed directly at her.
“You’re taking the east gate.”
Koharu blinked, wide-eyed. “What?”
“Lilith will guard the south. Cordelia’s got the north. I’ll cover the west. You—” his voice dropped, firm and final, “—you’re in charge of the east.”
“But… I… I can’t…” Her words came in a frightened rush. “I really can’t… I’m not strong enough, I—”
“Yes, you are. That’s why I’m assigning it to you. You have the strength. You just don’t see it yet. But I do. I know you can do this.”
Her shoulders shook as she lowered her gaze, voice small and full of pain. “That day… back then… when it mattered most, I couldn’t do anything. I was supposed to be a Divine Vessel, a living weapon. But when the time came, I froze. I couldn’t use my power. I couldn’t protect anyone.”
Ryuto narrowed his eyes, voice low and probing. “Who were you trying to protect that day?”
Koharu swallowed, her voice trembling as the memories rose unbidden. “Everyone back home… The villagers… The children who used to call me ‘Miko-neesama’ with those bright little smiles… I couldn’t protect any of them.”
Cordelia’s expression softened with sorrow. A shadow passed through her eyes—recognition, perhaps, of her own failures mirrored in Koharu’s. Her mouth opened, as if to offer comfort, but Ryuto raised a hand to stop her. He wasn’t finished.
“Listen, Koharu,” he said, stepping closer, his gaze unwavering. “Whether it’s an eastern country or a western one, the people without power, the ones who can’t fight for themselves, aren’t they all worth protecting?”
She blinked, lips parted. “I…”
“There are people here, too, right? Just like the ones you couldn’t save. Families. Children. Maybe kids just like the ones you lost.” His voice grew firmer, resolute. “You couldn’t protect them back then. So protect these ones now.”
“I… I want to… but…”
He clapped his hands together with a decisive smack, cutting through her doubt like a whip crack. “All right. If you really won’t do it, I won’t force you. I’ll take the west gate. Cordelia and Lilith will handle their zones, and once we’ve secured them, we’ll regroup and try to save whoever’s left in the east.” He paused, letting the implication settle. “But there will be casualties.”
That part was half true. With his mastery of combat spirit arts, Ryuto could conjure fifty clones if he needed to, enough to keep the eastern gate from falling entirely. But it would blow his cover, expose him far more than he was willing to allow. And if the worst happened, even that might not be enough.
Clearing his throat, he changed tack, his eyes narrowing. “Just one thing, though. There’s something that’s been bothering me.”
Koharu looked up, wary. “What is it?”
“Why did you come all the way out here? To this no-name corner of the world, to study at some second-rate academy? You didn’t come here for a vacation. You wanted power, right?” His voice dropped, sharper now. “To prove something. To get back at the bastards who disgraced your name, those pompous frauds from the Yamato Magic Academy who dragged your clan through the mud.”
Her lips trembled, but she said nothing.
“You’re a warrior, aren’t you?”
She finally nodded, quietly, the words barely more than breath. “Yes, I am. I come from a bloodline of fighters, people born and raised for battle.”
Ryuto’s gaze sharpened, voice breaking with urgency. “That’s not what I asked… Don’t tell me about your family or bloodline. I’m asking you. Are you a warrior?”
Koharu’s shoulders tensed. “That’s how I was raised…”
“That’s not the point!” Ryuto leaned in, fist curling at his side. Then, with a controlled motion, he tapped her chest, not hard enough to hurt, but firm enough to knock the breath from her lungs.
The air in the room shifted as a soft thud echoed. Koharu’s body jerked forward, her chest compressed, and she coughed as the wind was knocked from her.