Once Seira had caught us up on her journey thus far, she finally paused to catch her breath.
The reason that she, a foreign princess, had joined the Guard Corps was so that she could personally take back her homeland, which had been thrown into chaos by the demon named Baron—one of the Four Generals of the Demon King’s army.
“So,” I began, “the reason that prisoner called you a witch who betrayed the country was because you were trying to deter the populace from their attempt to resurrect the Demon King—out of your desire to save the country.”
“Yes. Though he wasn’t wrong either... It’s true that I abandoned my country and ran. I can’t make any excuse for that.” Seira put a hand to her chest, her expression pained. “Because of my cowardice, war has broken out, and now both of our countries have suffered needless bloodshed. If you hadn’t been there on the battlefield, Sieg, Milleon Bridge would be in their hands, and so many people in the Royal Capital probably would’ve lost their lives.”
Much blood had indeed been spilled in the battle at Milleon Bridge, and apparently Seira was under the impression that it was her fault. The weight of the guilt she felt on her shoulders was obvious from the tormented look on her face.
“Sieg, you mentioned something a while back...something about a skill you had that transfers damage you’ve taken to someone else, right?”
“Yeah.”
She was talking about Pain Movement—using that skill would allow me to transfer damage I’d taken to others. Alternatively, it would also let me transfer damage taken by others to myself, instead.
“Then I have a favor to ask. Could you please let me take on all the damage you took at Milleon Bridge?”
“Excuse me?” I balked.
“If I had been able to stop everyone back then, none of those injuries would’ve happened.”
“So you want to take responsibility for that?”
Seira nodded. “Obviously I don’t believe this will absolve me of everything—but I want to shoulder at least a little bit of the burden of dealing with the feelings of those who didn’t make it.”
Ah, so she wants to take on the damage dealt to me by the fallen Sorcera soldiers as punishment for her own powerlessness, then. She’s being crushed under the weight of her guilt right now, so she’s probably trying to protect her mental state by punishing herself.
“What do you plan on doing after that?” I asked.
Seira paused for a moment before responding. “I’ll go back to Sorcera. There should be some time left before they try to invade again. I’ll take Baron’s head before that can happen. And also,” she added, “If I can kill the demon who managed to sneak in as a retainer, it might help dispel the mass brainwashing of our people.”
“I see,” I responded. “In that case, I’m afraid I can’t help with the favor you’ve asked of me.”
“What?”
“How do you expect to fight after taking on that much damage?” I asked. “Besides, I have no intention of letting you go back there anyway. If you returned to Sorcera in your current state and tried to take on one of the demons’ Four Generals, it’s highly unlikely you’d win.”
Confronted by these harsh words, Seira lowered her head, fists clenching, as if in acknowledgment of her own powerlessness.
“I know... I know that more than anyone. But I can’t just sit back and watch this happen. I need to fight to protect the people.” Murmuring these words, she turned and started to walk out—but I grabbed her by the arm and stopped her before she could.
“Going over there right now isn’t going to change anything, though. As sergeant of the Fifth Squadron, I’m not going to let my subordinates get themselves killed for no reason.”
“What should I do, then?! I already know I’m not powerful enough! I know I’ll probably die in vain! But I absolutely can’t just sit here watching, twiddling my thumbs and doing nothing at all!” Her voice was strained with desperation. “Tell me, Sieg...what am I supposed to do? How do I save my country...?”
“That’s simple,” I said. “Let us help you.”
“Huh...?”
Seira looked up in surprise. Judging by her expression, apparently she had never even considered that option.
“You might not be able to accomplish anything alone,” I explained. “But if we’re there with you, there’s a possibility we could turn things around.”
“B-But I don’t want to get everyone caught up in this any further...”
✦ ✦ ✦
“That may be how you feel, sure. But not once have I felt I didn’t want to be caught up in this,” I assured her. “Besides, if we don’t do something, Sorcera’s forces are going to attack Astaroth. This isn’t just your problem, Seira.”
I took a deep breath and added one more thing: “Either way, princess or not, I consider you a member of the Fifth Squadron before all else. As your sergeant, I’m rejecting your request for solitary action.”
Seira fell silent, at a loss for words.
Spinoza gave her a big grin. “You don’t gotta try and take on everything yourself—you can toss a little somethin’ my way. Pretty sure I’m dependable enough for at least that, y’know?”
Fam chuckled. “If Spinoza’s going to speak up, I suppose I’ll have to put my name on the list as well. I would shudder to be considered less dependable than her, of all people.”
“Hm. I’ll help too, then!” Alma chimed in. “Apparently I used to work before you before I lost my memory, after all...and I owe you a lot for helping me out since I arrived here too.”
Every single one of us seemed to be in agreement.
“Why are you all so kind to me...?”
“Because everyone loves you,” I explained. “We all love you, so we all want to help you in any way we can. You aren’t alone in this, Seira,” I told her in no uncertain terms. “We’re here with you. If there’s a burden on your shoulders, we’ll share it with you. So please, don’t ever hesitate to ask for our help.”
The others all nodded emphatically.
Upon hearing that, Seira nodded, her eyes moist with tears. “Thank you, everyone... Thank you so much...!”
Then, finally, she addressed us. “Please...lend me your strength. Come with me and help me save my homeland—help me save Sorcera!”
“Well, that’s that, then,” I said. “The Fifth Squadron’s next mission is as follows: force our way into the Kingdom of Sorcera and slay Baron—and in doing so, stop the war between our two countries.”
My comrades nodded. When it came to helping Seira out, we were all of the same mind.