Ch.115Going Back (2)

*

Was it because I couldn’t prevent my comrade’s death?

Or was it because all that suffering ultimately led to being imprisoned in this forest?

It wasn’t difficult to see that Silvia didn’t entirely embrace her role as a hero.

To me, once just a pathetic mage scholar confined to my room, there were times when she—a hero with legendary achievements—seemed dazzlingly bright. Sometimes I couldn’t hide my excitement at the unbelievable fact that she was my lover.

But whenever Silvia saw my reaction, she would give a somewhat awkward smile.

Honestly, I sometimes found her modesty a bit vexing.

To a weakling like me, seeing someone with such formidable strength and ability not facing their joy felt a little—truly just a little—like deception.

But now I understand.

Powerful strength, radiant majesty.

Overwhelming power that far exceeds ordinary human common sense never demands a reasonable price in return.

During my time with Silvia, I heard about her past.

A monster created by an environment so harsh that countless people were cut down, and even survivors lost their minds.

That was Silvia’s past and her secret.

Then what about Alice, who fought against such a Silvia?

Alice had experienced an entirely normal childhood.

Beautiful memories that I shared with her.

She was one of the protagonists playing in those memories.

It was by no means normal that she appeared surrounded by such powerful holy energy that she could ultimately survive Silvia’s terrible violence.

Then naturally, the price Alice must have paid would also be beyond common sense.

Alice, sitting beside me now, seemed to be like Silvia—not readily accepting her current situation.

Despite bearing the tremendous title of Inquisitor directly under the Pope of the Goddess Church, she was pleading with me like a child with tears in her eyes.

I felt both a piercing sadness in my heart and fear about the harsh price she must have had to pay.

“Let’s go back… like before… us…”

“…”

“Ash…”

Like Maria, Alice had been a very reliable older sister to me.

Even now at twenty years old, the four-year age difference feels significant, especially when you’re younger.

Compared to me, she was always more mature, always smarter, always stronger.

That’s why seeing Alice’s tears for the first time shocked me more than I expected.

I couldn’t give any answer.

“It’s hard… too hard,”

“…”

“I want to go back… both me and Maria… we shouldn’t have gone to the Academy…”

What could be so difficult?

What happened to her?

I couldn’t understand.

I didn’t have the courage to ask hastily.

Of course, I also didn’t thoughtlessly nod in agreement to her plea to go back with careless words of comfort.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if we could go back just because we wanted to, or if going back would restore the peace we once had.

I know nothing.

What she experienced.

The price she paid.

The place, or time, she wants to return to.

Without the courage to ask, I had no answers.

The only thing I knew was that my vague and narrow-minded belief that people with strong abilities would be happy was completely wrong.

Both Silvia and Alice were suffering terribly.

From my weak perspective, these two people—mercilessly tossed about by their powers, the fates they had fought for, and the endings they had reached—looked like fragile girls staggering under their burdens.

That’s why all I could do was silently embrace her shoulders.

“…”

“…ugh, hic,”

“Noona.”

A voice flowed from my mouth, surprisingly gentle and soft even to my own ears.

The way I addressed her was the same as when I was a child, but my voice was now low and deep, without a trace of innocence.

Alice buried her head against my chest as if seeking comfort in that voice.

I silently held her shoulders lightly.

“…”

Damn it,

I had no idea what to say.

Not knowing the source of her pain, I didn’t know how to comfort her, and empty, vague sympathy couldn’t possibly soothe her suffering.

But I couldn’t ask what had happened to her either, so I could only remain silent.

“Ugh, hic,”

Listening to Alice’s sobs escaping through her teeth, I suddenly looked up at the sky.

The pitch-black night sky, still without a single visible star, looked like an endless expanse of unfathomable darkness.

An ominous, terrifying darkness.

Unlike the ordinary night that obscures our vision yet somehow warmly embraces us, this disgusting darkness seemed to flicker with chilling malice and murderous intent.

The repulsive fog created by the Demon Lord surrounded our little lakeside.

“Silvia… Alice…”

Hero.

Inquisitor directly under the Pope.

Two people dispatched to capture the Demon Lord, staggering as they were dragged by their fate.

And beside them, a fool named Ash Staff who couldn’t even offer proper comfort.

I’ve thought this before, but shouldn’t the heroes who save the world receive better rewards?

I pondered anew how terribly twisted their fates were.

“Fate…”

At that moment, a gentle breeze blew from the lake.

The wind brushing past my ears seemed to whisper.

An incredibly soft and benevolent voice passed through my mind.

‘You appeared in my forest on that rattling carriage. Like fate.’

I started in surprise and looked at the massive tree standing in the middle of the lake.

The Green Lady who had been that tree.

The voice in my head was definitely hers.

Once the Green Lady’s voice appeared, all her words began to surface uncontrollably.

“Are you still watching me…”

“…Ash? What are you…”

Despite having become a tree after exhausting all the power she had accumulated as the spirit managing this forest for ages, she seemed to still be watching me.

“Noona.”

“Ash?”

“We can go back.”

“…Huh?”

Noona wiped her tears as she listened to me.

I looked at her.

A few weeks ago, when we still didn’t know each other’s identities.

Alice had clearly stated she was dispatched to capture the Demon Lord.

Seeing her subdued by Silvia, her combat ability clearly didn’t match that of a hero.

However, she now appeared perfectly fine, unbelievably intact despite having been a piece of meat just hours ago.

Truly tremendous holy power.

What else would you call someone with such immense holy power if not a saint?

“Haha… hahaha, fate…”

“Ash?”

Thanks to the Green Lady’s breath, I remembered clearly.

The story that for unknown reasons fate had twisted and the saint hadn’t appeared, which is why I couldn’t become a member of the hero’s party, and because of that, all companions except Silvia had died…

But the hero’s party hadn’t been annihilated.

Hero Silvia was still alive,

Alice with her immense holy power worthy of being called a saint,

And me, a spirit mage who could communicate with spirits, beings that only exist in fairy tales.

“It was the three of us.”

“What are you talking about?”

The Green Lady had clearly said.

If I waited by this lake, the hero would appear on their own.

True to her words, Silvia came back to me, and I’ve been stalling until now under the pretext of making armor for her.

And because of that, I was also able to meet Alice.

The Green Lady said I needed to lead the hero.

Perhaps this great queen of spirits knew.

That the people I needed to lead, the heroes I had been waiting for, were two people.

Alice looked like she didn’t understand what I was saying.

I looked at her and said:

“Let’s go back, Noona.”

“… Will you come with me? Yes, let’s do that, let’s leave this forest…”

“No.”

I shifted my gaze into the distance.

Toward that detestable being that surely exists somewhere beyond this darkness that obscures our vision, though we cannot see it.

“Let’s defeat the Demon Lord, remove this cursed spell, and go back. Together with Silvia.”

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