The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet

Chapter 363: Because it's painful

(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)

"Chiffon!"

"Rain-kun!"

I drew out Kamui and clashed swords with Chiffon.

The sound of blades crossing. The clang of metal.

Our strength was nearly equal. The blades pressed against each other, neither giving way.

"You're just wallowing in a dream here, running away from reality... How can you do that!? You were just chosen as the new hero, Chiffon!"

"I know that! I know I'm the worst right now. I'm running away, turning my back, pretending I didn't see anything, and abandoning everything! I'm not worthy of being a hero

"Then! If you understand that!"

"But!!!"

With a face as if she was expelling her soul, Chiffon spoke. Her expression was filled with sorrow and pain.

"What I’ve lost is right in front of me!"

"!"

"I can hold the warmth I thought I’d never feel again in my hands once more! I can be... happy again!"

"But that’s just a dream..."

"I know that! It might be just a dream, but!"

Chiffon’s face twisted with anguish as if she were pouring out her soul, her inner turmoil laid bare.

She understands. She knows that the happy reality she sees now is just a dream. She knows her duty is to continue her journey without being swayed by it.

She knows everything. And yet... she can’t help but yearn for the dream.

Because it’s such a warm place.

"Chiffon, you can’t be trapped by this dream! Sure, it might be warm. Sure, it might be happiness. But that’s something we’ve already lost. We have to accept that and keep moving forward. That’s our duty, as those who are left behind!"

I took a step back, keeping her at bay with Narukami’s needle. But, as expected of the current hero. Instead of countering with her sword, she simply twisted her body slightly to avoid it all.

This isn’t something you can see with the naked eye... Even if you could see it, there’s no way your body could keep up.

"I understand... I understand everything you’re saying, Rain-kun..."

Chiffon... looked like a child about to burst into tears.

"But... my father and mother were there."

"…!"

"They were there, with the same faces as before, smiling gently, and welcoming me home..."

"That’s..."

I also had something similar happen with my mother. She greeted me with the same gentle face from my memories, saying good morning.

I could painfully understand Chiffon’s feelings.

"And... she was there too. My dear sister. My cute little sister... the sister who died protecting me..."

"Protected you?"

"My hometown was destroyed by monsters. My father and mother... My sister and I barely managed to escape."

Chiffon stopped fighting and began to speak of her past. She spoke as if pleading with me to understand, putting her feelings into words.

"But we were caught by the monsters along the way..."

"And then?"

"She... my sister said she’d be the decoy. She suddenly ran off in a different direction... I tried to stop her, but I couldn’t reach her in time."

"…"

"I’m her older sister... I should have protected her... but instead, she saved me..."

"That’s..."

How much pain must she have gone through? How much suffering? I can imagine, but only Chiffon truly knows.

There’s no way I could say that I understand.

"I regretted it. I regretted it over and over again, and I’ve never forgotten about my sister, not for a single day. That’s why I accepted the role of the new hero, so that such a tragedy would never happen again."

"Then..."

"There’s no time to stop here. I have to repair the Comet Sword quickly and continue my journey. I have to, but... still, I..."

I could see that Chiffon’s heart was torn between her mission and her desire for happiness.

"It’s hard...! I’ve been holding on, using my mission as support, but... it’s still so hard!"

"…Chiffon..."

"Losing my parents... losing my sister... it’s so painful... That wound has been etched on my heart forever. It never heals; I can only cover it up... But in unguarded moments, I remember, and I cry, and I scream, and I lash out..."

Chiffon was crying. Tears were streaming down her face.

I could hear the cry of her heart. She was telling me that she couldn’t take it anymore.

Chiffon is a very strong person, but... in some ways, she might be very weak. Losing her family, not being able to save her sister. Those things have become a heavy burden, binding her heart and causing her endless pain.

"But... here, I was able to see my father and mother again. I was able to see my sister’s smile again."

"But that’s..."

"Even if it’s just a dream... If I can see my father and mother again. If I can see my sister again. Even if it’s a dream... I want to stay in this dream forever. Because... it makes me happy."

Chiffon looked so very tired as she said this.

...Somehow, I could understand Chiffon’s current state. She must have been holding on all this time. Regretting the loss of her hometown, the fact that she couldn’t protect her sister... using that regret as a motivation to keep running forward.

But no one can keep running forever. If you don’t take a break somewhere, you’ll collapse along the way.

Chiffon must have been on the verge of collapsing. She knew she needed to stop, but her past experiences told her to keep running... and so she never allowed herself to stop. That’s why she became an A-rank adventurer at such a young age.

But it was an impossible task... She was on the brink of falling apart. And at that moment, she got caught up in Alpha-san’s dream... and she accepted it. Because it was so comforting, so kind.

"Hey, Rain-kun."

"…What?"

"I want to be happy... I want to stay here and have this gentle dream... Is it wrong for me to wish for that?"

"…"

I can’t say that I fully understand Chiffon’s feelings. But I can somewhat comprehend them.

I, too, lost my hometown... and here, I reunited with the family I thought I had lost. I experienced that joy and happiness once.

Even so. The words I need to say have already been decided. They won’t change now.

"The desire to be happy is something no one can deny. It’s not wrong."

"Then..."

"But staying in this dream is wrong."

TL Note-No matter how sweet the dream is, one has to wake up......

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