The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
"Mr. Verg, are you all right!?"
In the safe house that had been prepared in Horizon in case of emergencies, Mina and Verg were together.
Mina supported Verg, who couldn't walk on his own, and helped him to the bed.
She laid him face down and examined the wound on his back.
"Is there any poison...? Good, it doesn't seem to be a problem."
"Don't make such a fuss. A demon isn't going to die from something like this... ngh."
"You may not die from it, but surely it still hurts, doesn't it? I'll treat you right away... Ex-Heal."
Mina clasped her hands together as if in prayer and began chanting her spell.
Light appeared within her hands, illuminating the room with a warm, gentle glow.
When she slowly opened her clasped hands, particles of light drifted softly through the air and moved toward Verg.
They gently illuminated Verg's back, stopping the bleeding and slowly healing the wound.
It took about ten minutes, but eventually the wound closed.
"That should do it."
"Yeah. Thanks."
Verg thanked her and tried to sit up, but Mina hurriedly stopped him.
"You shouldn't move. I've closed the wound, but your lost stamina and mental strength haven't been restored."
"I'll be fine."
"But..."
"More importantly, we need to discuss what we're going to do from here. This place can't be considered completely safe either, so we'd better talk while we still have the time, right?"
"...You're right."
Convinced that he was correct, Mina gave up on trying to make Verg lie down.
Verg brought over a chair and sat across from Mina.
"Well... you wanted to speak with the Hero, and you got your chance. But looking at the result, the negotiations have completely broken down. I suppose part of the blame lies with me for acting too hastily..."
"No... You only did that because you were thinking about me. I have nothing to blame you for. If anything, I should be grateful."
"Thanks."
Verg smiled...
And laughed inwardly as well.
She trusted people this easily.
She was this easily swept along by circumstances.
What an easy woman to manipulate.
She must never have thought for herself before.
That was probably why things had ended up like this.
...That was what Verg thought with a smile.
"Perhaps I'm simply not strong enough... If only I could borrow Arios's strength..."
Perhaps she had become so accustomed to relying on him that Mina naturally said such a thing aloud.
"That's not going to happen, is it? The former Hero has something else he needs to take care of, apparently."
"Yes. Monica told me that. She said there was something absolutely essential he had to take care of for the sake of the future..."
The truth was, there was no such thing he absolutely needed to take care of...
It was merely an excuse to separate Mina from Arios.
The reason for separating them was so that Mina could eventually be discarded.
Completely unaware of Monica and Reese's intentions, Mina seriously contemplated what she should do from here, her face filled with worry.
"Now that things have come to this, negotiations with Miss Chiffon... seem rather difficult."
"Yeah. After what happened, there's no way they'll listen to what we have to say. If we do nothing, we'll either be captured or killed. Either way, there's no future for us."
"Then..."
What should she do?
How could she bring about peace between humans and demons?
And in doing so, achieve an unprecedented accomplishment...
She wanted to erase her past failures, to make them as if they had never happened.
She had to do that.
If she failed and simply disappeared as a criminal...
Then what had she even existed for?
What meaning had there been in everything she had done with her life?
She wouldn't have any answers.
"I..."
She was no longer a member of the Hero's party.
She could no longer hear the voice of the god she had relied upon.
Having lost her guiding light, Mina now had to find her own path forward.
Perhaps it was because she was so desperate...
...that she could so easily stray from the right path.
"Why don't you kill the Hero?"
"What?"
"Right now, the person standing in our way is that Hero named Chiffon. Because she's there, we can't have a proper conversation. No matter what, it ends in a fight."
"That... But..."
"If the Hero is gone, the humans will lose some of their fighting strength and have no choice but to listen to us. It's a rather forceful method, but at least we'll be able to talk."
"..."
"Come on, it's just a small sacrifice for the sake of something greater. By killing the Hero, we can negotiate from a position of advantage. Your dream of peace between demons and humans might even come true. If a sacrifice is necessary to achieve that... then we have no choice but to make it, right?"
"...Yes, you're right."
It was an extremely reckless proposal...
But Mina no longer had the clarity of mind to recognize that.
Anxious, frustrated, and afraid...
Driven into a corner, Mina had no choice but to cling to Verg's words.
She knew that she had to find her own path.
And yet, even now, Mina still tried to rely on someone else.
Without someone to cling to, she couldn't walk forward on her own.
In a way, it was a tragic thing.
"I understand. Eliminating the Hero... will be our primary objective."
"That's more like it."
Verg grinned, but Mina never noticed the malice hidden behind his smile.
"Even so, there are only two of us—Mr. Verg and me. The difference in our fighting strength is overwhelming. What should we do...?"
"Don't worry. I still have subordinates. Besides, we can call for reinforcements."
"I see."
"However..."
Verg put on a suspicious expression.
"Some of my subordinates haven't returned... Do you know if something happened?"
Comments
Post a Comment