Chapter 32: Things I Want to Protect (2)

Just when I was thinking I’m not good at being praised, I was suddenly insulted as flat-chested; should I be troubled or angry, or more importantly is it bad for Leas Lot to react as if she herself is the Sacred Saber in a conversation about Sacred Saber? Is that what she’s thinking? She was making a hundred faces by herself and I wanted to point and laugh.

Leas, who started to stand while clenching her fists, sat back down with a sullen face.

I think she’s trying to be a cool and dignified warrior, but at her root she’s a quite emotional type. Though if she didn’t have this kind of personality, she wouldn’t have stood a chance against Alter.

"I don’t know why, but she seems to think things like she shouldn’t be praised, or that others come before herself. Self-sacrifice isn’t in fashion, is she an idiot?"

"——What did you say?"

Apparently the way of speaking had gotten under her skin, because she glared at me with a low voice.

I could understand the feeling. Having something she was doing with conviction judged as "idiot" — anyone would get angry.

But even so, I had no intention of changing my stance.

I’m not so free as to go out of my way to tell an uninteresting idiot "You’re an idiot" and would just let them do their idiot things on their own, but if someone I want to be happy is doing idiot things, of course I’m going to say a word or two.

"There’s no ’what’ about it. Even though at her root she seems like a passionate person, she’s desperately pretending to be cool and putting on the appearance of the ideal champion of justice she thinks of — it’s painful to watch. Does that flat-chest think the side that was saved will be happy watching the side that saved them wear themselves out?"

——I think the way of speaking is arrogant.

But because no one said these kinds of things to her, in the original game Leas falls into ruin no matter which route.

Even when defeated she desperately keeps up appearances on the surface, and even when it hurts, is embarrassing, or frustrating, or she wants to cry, she pushes all those feelings into her chest and plays the dignified champion of justice. Something like that would have broken down before long even if the original protagonist Alter hadn’t appeared.

I had thought it in the game as well, but meeting her in reality made me certain. Leas Lot — Sacred Saber — is by no means the type with strong mental strength.

She desperately armors her fragile mental state with iron, endures and endures and endures — and one day, suddenly, the exterior armor snaps together with her.

That is her way of being.

"But leaving that aside — I don’t think aiming for an ideal is a bad thing."

The idea that overcoming one’s current self and aiming for a new stage is itself harmful can’t possibly hold water.

If I denied that, I would also be denying myself, who is doing something unsuited like being a Vigilante.

"Therefore — I don’t care about her words; I’ll help on my own."

Saying only that, I turned my back on the two.

"...Why?"

Leas questioned from behind.

Not like the earlier interrogation, but pure doubt leaking from her mouth — that kind of feeling.

"Just from being saved, why can you go that far? You have no obligation to do that much for Saber and the others, do you?"

"What are you saying. The Sacred themselves have no obligation to protect the humans of Earth, right? They should just hunt Diabolics and Monster Villains and protect only the residents of their own world. And yet they’re stirring themselves up to save unknown people, right?"

That is!

As if overlapping my voice, Leas raised her voice.

"Because I want to! Because I can’t just watch someone get hurt — I... think?"

She spoke as if without thinking, then hurriedly tried to cover it up, and I couldn’t help letting out a muffled kuku laugh.

You’re on Reiko’s side at the root too. A direct, emotional-action-prone — good-natured girl.

Surely, before she became like she is now, she was a more energetic girl. Previous-life knowledge doesn’t include Leas’s past, but talking like this makes that much clear. Frankly, her way of being and her personality don’t match.

But I don’t deny that way of being.

Because I think the figure of trying to become the ideal self and moving forward is itself never wrong.

——The problem is the difficulty of the trials that exist before her eyes.

Basically, games are made so that the player wins. A balance where enemies with thin chances of victory for the protagonist keep appearing even when it’s not a loss event would be a complete collapse as a game.

Therefore, for Alter — for the protagonist — multiple paths to victory exist.

Besides winning in a head-on fight, he can mentally corner them and break their hearts, restrict the Sacred’s movements by involving onlookers, or use fallen Sacred to overwhelm them — he can drive the Sacred into a corner with whatever method he likes.

In contrast, the Sacred have only the path of combat victory.

And even that combat victory is forced into a numerical disadvantage of few versus many. Being compatible against darkness, or having overwhelmingly higher specs than Alter’s side — those strengths are only one element that colors the violation.

"Then, it’s the same."

I turned only my face and put a smile on my mouth.

I looked straight at Leas — at the transformation heroine of justice who was trying to be correct and strong.

"It’s the same as what you said. Just as the Sacred became allies of someone’s justice because they couldn’t watch someone get hurt — I wanted to become an ally of the Sacred’s justice because I couldn’t watch the Sacred get hurt."

◇

——And so, he left.

Extending tentacles and racing through the sky like a spider hero.

Atel Octo.

The self-proclaimed Vigilante who declared he would protect the Sacred.

Leas kept staring steadily at his departing back.

(——I)

My cheeks are hot.

His words made me so happy, so happy, yet I desperately discipline myself that there’s no way I should be happy about words like that.

But only the beating of my heart and the flow of blood cannot be suppressed.

It was good that he didn’t stay here. Otherwise, even though we were talking about the Sacred, he would have asked why you are making that kind of face.

"He really is like some kind of hero, Atel-san."

"...But the source of Atel Octo’s power is a Seed of Desire."

He is someone who was planted with what the Diabolic scattered, transformed, and became a Monster Villain.

The source of that power is the same as those the Sacred must defeat, and must never be acknowledged.

Yes, never, never, never — that is what I think.

And yet why are his words so unbearably happy?

Why do I end up wanting to believe?

Why does he give such rough yet kind words, and if I keep listening to words like that won’t I become weak?

"What, Leas-senpai, you don’t know?"

While desperately suppressing the emotions overflowing from her chest by clenching her fists, Reiko began speaking proudly.

"The very first masked hero was a person who was modified by an evil organization. The protagonist who escaped before his brain was modified continues fighting the evil organization from then on — doesn’t that remind you of someone?"

...Come to think of it, Leas recalled.

Right after Reiko adapted to the magical power of light and awakened to the power of the Sacred — she was handed a pile of BDs with "These are my recommendations!"

They were stories of masked heroes and heroines who transform and fight enemies. Since they were recommended she felt she had to watch them and operated the unfamiliar video equipment, but the amount was enormous and she felt she couldn’t consume them at all.

Leaving that aside, among them there seemed to have been a hero who wore an insect-like mask and fluttered a red scarf.

"...That’s a story, isn’t it."

"Yes, of course. But there are other worlds, and on top of that there are transformation heroines and evil mages, right? Then there should also be heroes who fight for justice even after having their bodies modified by evil power."

Looking back at Reiko who spoke joyfully, Leas smiled.

"I see—"

I hope so, she thought.

Desperately swallowing the words she was about to say, Leas gazed in the direction Atel Octo had left.