The Hero Party's Regret (10)
They attempt to subdue him.
And they get beaten.
They stand up, feeling the pain.
They get beaten again.
Luna and Hare repeated this series of actions countless times.
Leaning their bodies against the collapsed wall, they moved their dry lips.
"Hare..."
"Mmm..."
"We can't save him, can we...?"
"..."
Hare answered with silence.
She couldn't bring herself to say "we can't save him."
Through her swollen eyes that could barely open, she stared at the man standing still.
"...He's too strong. And our bodies are weak."
"I know that too! That our skills are far inferior to his!"
"Right, our skills are inferior."
If we know that so well.
Why are we fighting like this?
Hare dropped the wooden dagger she was holding to the ground.
"In this state, we can't beat him... We're not helping him at all..."
Luna nodded at Hare's words.
It was partly in agreement, but Luna wanted to add more to what Hare said.
"Why should we help him? He only sees us as tools anyway."
"...What are you talking about?"
"He only sees us as tools to kill the Demon King. Every day it's just growth, growth. When he talks, to him we're just the Hero and the Thief..."
He doesn't see us as people named Luna and Hare.
We're just Luna and Hare who have to defeat the Demon King.
Hare closed her eyes for a moment and thought about Luna's words.
*Does he... really think of us that way...?*
Really.
Does he think of us as tools for revenge?
Hare's answer to Luna's opinion didn't take long.
Hare stood up from the ground with her injured body.
"...That can't be. He sees us properly."
"Th-then! What about today! He's making us hurt and suffer like this!! How do you explain this!!"
"He must be thinking of us even more. If we don't get stronger, it'll be harder later. And it's harder for him than for us. He's hitting us even though he doesn't want to..."
"Ah..."
Only then did Luna understand her own foolishness.
She had been acting spoiled because she was in pain.
But she hadn't considered the heart of the man who had to hit them against his will.
She hadn't realized it was an extremely painful thing for him.
Hare spoke to Luna, who sat there dazed and regretful.
"Honestly, even if he thinks of me as a tool... I'm okay with it..."
"Huh...?"
"Because I love him. So it's okay."
So.
I can't just stay still like this.
"He trusted us... and left the Demon King to us..."
Hare pulled out two daggers she had hidden in her clothes.
Light and sharp daggers.
Hare decided to pursue change without hesitation to save him.
"As long as I'm not abandoned, I'm okay with being used... I'm alive thanks to him... I always stutter in front of him... but someday he'll acknowledge me too..."
"H-Hare."
"Get up. I have to go home with him..."
Is that love...?
Luna could glimpse a fragment of madness in Hare.
She properly understood what his existence meant to Hare.
*Hare thinks of him that much... And he thinks of us...*
Hare says he doesn't think of us as tools.
I'll ask him directly later.
After we return him to normal.
*I'll convey my thoughts and feelings.*
Watching Hare stand firmly with her injured body, Luna threw her wooden sword to the ground.
She gathered courage and stood up from the ground to stop hesitating.
"Holy Sword, lend me your power...! I'm going to save him...!"
Real swords that could cause injury if they weren't careful.
But Luna and Hare decided not to hesitate.
Just as a broken bone returns stronger.
They burned their broken hearts and ran forward toward Greed.
Their bodies were already covered in wounds.
A dark room.
I sat still and looked at the screen.
"It's hard to tell the time in a cave."
How much time has passed?
Roughly a day, I think.
I'm not sure exactly.
Minerva, who had been lying down and resting, must have heard me and answered lightly.
"Two days."
"Two whole days?"
"Yeah, about that much has passed."
"...Quite a while."
I captured everything of the two fighting hard with my eyes.
Since sleep doesn't come in this space.
There was nothing to do but sit still all day and watch the two of them.
*Using my body to hit Luna and Hare felt unpleasant, but...*
It couldn't be helped.
This was also part of the growth process.
For Luna and Hare to easily pass through the dangers of the Hero Party later.
They had to go through this harsh and difficult process.
"Minerva."
"Yeah?"
"How do you see this fight?"
"Not bad, I think? Since both of them are fighting with all their heart, you can see their growth at a glance. It's thanks to their talent."
Similar to my thoughts.
As Minerva said, unlike sparring, the two showed higher growth rates in actual combat.
Every single attack was careful, and after being thrown into walls, they discussed what to do next.
However, if there was one thing wrong with Minerva's words.
"It's not just because of talent."
"...Really? To my eyes it looks like talent? The Hero Party all have tremendous talent!"
"For that talent to properly bloom, effort is needed. But the Hero Party is working much harder than ordinary people."
As a result, the two were achieving explosive growth, repeating failures and gradually getting stronger.
Taking turns napping to preserve their stamina.
Devising strategies on how to win.
There was no longer any hesitation in their eyes.
"I'd like them to take me home even if they have to cut off my arm..."
"Want to die? Don't talk nonsense. More importantly, it's almost over, so why don't you answer that guy? He's too noisy."
True.
He has been annoyingly loud.
Instead of the thoroughly annoyed Minerva, I decided to answer that guy's words.
"Greed, your fate will be decided soon. Do you have any last words?"
-Shut up, human-!! How can you control your body even though it's been taken-!!
"When you know the future, it's easy to respond. A library is much wider than a single Grimoire."
-What...? What does that-
"You'll see."
As soon as I finished speaking.
The screen in front of me changed rapidly.
On the screen, the Hero Party was slowly walking forward.
Unable to sleep properly, their eyes were haggard and their bodies had many wounds.
But the atmosphere they gave off contained unwavering conviction.
It was a scene I had seen in the book.
"As expected, the future doesn't change no matter what."
"That's my ability. It tells you the best move even in the worst situation, right? How about it, amazing?"
Minerva preened and demanded praise from me.
If I don't praise her here, she'll make a fuss.
I uttered praise in a soulless tone.
"Good ability."
"...That's it? Isn't that too insincere?"
"Wait, quiet. The Hero Party has started attacking."
I deflected the conversation for now.
I stared intently at the screen and watched their fight.
*They're running from afar... And scattering left and right.*
A good choice.
Since I'm missing one eye, if they split to both sides, I have to focus on one place.
In my field of vision, I saw Hare moving quickly.
She extended the daggers in both hands forward.
"Certainly there's no hesitation in attacking vital points. They're doing well."
"...That's doing well? It's your body though?"
"Right now it's not me. It doesn't matter."
"Right, you're always~ right. Geez..."
Minerva let out a sigh as if giving up.
Meanwhile, the Hero Party's fierce attack continued.
Hare stabbed with her daggers, and when my body tried to shift its gaze, Luna ran away.
The two fighting cleverly using the blind spots.
Since they were using real swords, Greed in my body was busy avoiding attacks.
-These vermin-!! Don't wound the body I'm going to use-!! Don't you care if your guardian gets hurt-!!?
"I don't care. It's what he wanted. He told us not to hesitate..."
-Cr-crazy... Completely crazy.
The Hero Party is crazy.
But right now, they're crazy in a good way.
*Clever and cunning. Never fighting a losing battle.*
The Hero must never be defeated.
The two continued fighting by exploiting weaknesses.
Wounds from blade cuts appeared on my body.
Luna and Hare's complexions weren't good, but I rather wanted to praise them.
"Much better than what I saw in the book. It would be good if they stabbed a bit more aggressively."
"...Crazy. Everyone's just crazy!"
"If they've drawn attention this much. Now it's time to move to the next stage."
The next stage.
Luna, who had been continuously moving in the blind spot invisible to the eye.
Feeling a strong energy from behind, Greed quickly turned around.
However, Luna's sword was already perfectly prepared.
"The Holy Sword filled with mana."
A sharp sword mixed with blue and golden light.
When Greed turned his gaze, Luna was holding her sword high in the sky.
Since my body had only fists as a means of defense, it couldn't block.
Of course, since she attacked from a blind spot, it couldn't dodge either.
Greed, perhaps sensing his end, shouted loudly.
-I-if you strike down with that sword, your guardian will be hurt...
"It's okay...! This is what he wanted from the beginning. Not hesitating...!! Quickly defeating you is what he wanted!! And..."
Luna shouted confidently as she brought down her sword.
"It's okay if he gets hurt! Even if he gets hurt and can't open his eyes! I'll nurse him for life, so it's okay!"
I don't want that though.
As if she didn't care about my intentions.
Luna brought down the Holy Sword wrapped in Sword Ki toward my chest.
-D-damn it...
Blood flowed from my chest, and Luna looked down at my body with an expression mixed with guilt.
And what seemed like regret.
I was very satisfied that she didn't hesitate to bring down the sword.
"In matters where your life is at stake, you must never be swayed by emotions."
Even if the best method produces an unfavorable result.
If that's the correct answer, you must follow it unconditionally.
So they won't lose someone they love by making the wrong choice while being swept up in emotions like I did.
"Luna, you... No, I hope the Hero Party doesn't regret making the wrong choice."
"..."
The moment the screen I was watching gradually turned black.
I saw the faces of Luna and Hare tying rope around my body.
They looked grimy from not washing for two days.
But if I could move, I felt like praising them right now.
*...But.*
For having caught a Demon King, they didn't look very happy.
Now all that remained for the Hero Party was to eliminate the Demon King.