"First! You changed our lives just like you said in the warehouse earlier!"
"How exactly did I change them? Does a person's life change that easily?"
"Of course it's difficult! That's exactly why you need to take responsibility! Because you kidnapped us!"
Luna spoke firmly, bringing up stories I had no memory of. How I had kidnapped her and forced her to train, how I had hit her on the head under the pretense of teaching her swordsmanship. There seemed to be all sorts of incidents that I had no recollection of.
"My past self must have killed a lot of brain cells."
"Oh, seeing you say the exact same things, even though you look a bit younger, you're definitely still you!"
Luna looked at me with fascinated eyes.
Then Hare also appeared, pushing Luna aside as if she had something to say.
"I, I also have something to say. Don't just listen to Luna... P-please listen to me too..."
"O-okay. Go ahead."
I was slightly intimidated, but I looked straight into Hare's eyes as I spoke. Her red eyes, which you couldn't see in Korea, were scary enough, but the way they wavered left and right made them even more frightening. Hare grabbed both my shoulders with her hands, as if asking me to listen properly.
"Y-you... changed my life just like Luna said... You treated me, who lived in the slums, like a human being... By kidnapping me, I was able to be reborn... You taught me how to read... For the first time, I could feel what it was like to be alive..."
"I-I see."
She's kind of scary.
Hare's eyes were filled with madness.
*Gulp—*
I swallowed dryly and grabbed her arms to remove them. However, Hare's arms wouldn't budge at all.
"Why are you so stro—"
"...Do you perhaps dislike being with me? Is, is that why you're trying to push me away? To me, you're someone I always want to be with... but is it not the same for you?"
"No, it's not that, you're just too clo—"
"While you were gone, every single day I wanted to die and kill everyone who made you suffer... but is it not the same for you...?"
She really looks like she might suddenly stab me with a knife. Is there anyone who can save me?
I sent Luna a look asking for help. Then, as if this happened regularly, Luna grabbed Hare's body and pulled her away.
"L-let go...!! Don't get between me and him...!"
"You're not lovers or anything! Sorry about that. After you disappeared, Hare has these episodes quite often. Usually she calms down by stabbing something with her dagger. But she can't do that in your world, right?"
"...That's true."
"L-let go, Luna!"
Hare struggled desperately but was dragged away by Luna and calmed down in the back.
As expected, the Hero has the most strength.
As I watched them for a moment, Cecilia approached elegantly. Her steps felt dignified.
"Let me introduce myself once more. I'm Cecilia."
"Yeah, I know."
Cecilia spoke in a flat tone.
"Actually, I used to have a family name."
"A family name?"
"Yes, I had the surname Cecilia. I was from a fairly prestigious noble family. But thanks to you, my surname is gone."
"...What?"
"To tell you briefly..."
Cecilia told me the story of how the Cecilia surname disappeared. How I had helped her escape under the guise of kidnapping, taught her magic in that kidnapped space, and taught her emotions she never had one by one.
As proof, she even showed me a smile by raising the corners of her mouth. Though her training still seemed insufficient.
*At least my past self wasn't trash.*
I had helped Cecilia who was being abused, and rescued Hare who lived in the slums. I lived pretty decently, didn't I?
"And also."
Cecilia continued speaking as if her story wasn't finished yet.
"I learned magic from you, learned emotions, learned how to get along with others. I was very satisfied with that life. I thought it could last forever. But..."
Cecilia closed her eyes briefly, as if immersed in past memories. After what seemed like much deliberation, she slowly opened her mouth and spoke.
"You suddenly chose death. By taking your own life."
"W-wait."
That's not something I can just let slide, is it? My past self took his own life?
Luna also reacted by shouting something at Cecilia's words, but Cecilia continued speaking.
"Be quiet. You need to know the truth too. Only then will you understand."
"But you don't need to tell him everything!"
"I don't plan to tell everything either. I'll only tell enough for him to understand and accept. I have no intention of repeating mistakes."
Cold and composed. That meant her personality was cautious. I felt like I understood the girl named Cecilia a little better.
"You must be curious. Why I took my own life."
"...Honestly, I am curious. What happened to my past self?"
"It wasn't a difficult thing for us, but it was difficult for you."
"Are you planning to tell me...?"
"I am. But not now."
Cecilia cut off my words firmly. But saying "not now" meant she planned to tell me later.
As if my thought was correct, Cecilia nodded and answered.
"Even though your body is smaller and your eyes are different, you're still you inside. As you're thinking, not now."
"Then when—"
"Later. When you've heard everything about what happened to us and the moment comes when you understand us. I'll tell you then."
"...Alright."
Cecilia.
I honestly don't know what this woman is aiming for. But I think I understand one thing.
*Is she trying to make me focus seriously on this situation?*
Though it's hard for me to understand and sounds absurd, she reveals the fact that my past self chose death. She stimulates my curiosity to make me focus more on their story. It's a very clever way to make me believe something that sounds impossible.
"I wonder who taught her..."
More than that, why do I know this?
My head felt slightly painful. Cecilia cleared her throat and continued her explanation.
"Ahem, then I'll continue explaining. About what happened after you were gone."
"Yeah, tell me. What happened after I was gone?"
"After you disappeared, two Demon Kings remained. We had to catch the remaining two ourselves. The Demon Kings of Gluttony and Wrath. The Goddess said that if we caught all the Demon Kings, we could revive you."
"So that's why I'm alive here now?"
"Yes, you could say that."
Reviving me here after I died in that world. Cecilia's words were hard to believe but understandable enough.
"So we left the house and set out on a journey to catch the remaining Demon Kings. While still not recovered from the shock of your death. In that state, we couldn't help but easily fall to the Demon Kings."
The Demon King of Wrath was hard to kill, she said. That Demon King used the emotions of ordinary citizens to drive the Hero Party to death. As a result, the Hero Party couldn't sleep properly and always had to keep their senses sharp even when walking the streets.
"We don't remember properly, but Luna apparently died hundreds of times."
"...But she's alive now—"
"Even when Luna died, she moved through time using the Holy Sword's power. Not anymore though."
"Ah."
Then.
Does that mean Luna over there, holding Hare, repeatedly experienced death multiple times?
*Yet she seems much more mentally clear compared to Hare or Estia.*
Is the vessel of a Hero different?
She seemed like a simple person, but after hearing the story, I felt Luna was amazing.
"The Demon King of Wrath made us angry at the citizens and tried to eliminate our desire to protect them. Thinking back, that bastard was incredibly strong. It kept exhausting us. Even after death."
Even after the Demon King of Wrath died, it used Apostles planted in human society to instill anger toward the Hero Party in all regions. As a result, the Hero Party traveling to find the Demon King couldn't rest comfortably for even a moment.
"Luna experienced it continuously, she said. Our deaths right before her eyes. Someone who looked like an ordinary citizen would suddenly jump out and attack, and we couldn't even fight back. Once, we apparently fought back and killed someone..."
That time, Luna took her own life to turn back time.
"..."
"This isn't blaming you. I'm just telling you what happened to us after you were gone. You can relax your expression."
Even though these were things I didn't remember, the Hero Party after I disappeared was quite miserable. As I automatically imagined them going through hardships, the guilt inside me inevitably grew.
*Once you take someone in, you should take responsibility until the end...*
Why couldn't I do that?
After hearing their story, I could understand what they meant by "responsibility."
I had given them stability by helping them escape their chaotic lives.
I should have given them stability until the end, but instead I threw them back into chaos.
*Whether I was exhausted or the burden was too heavy, I must have chosen to run away for those reasons.*
I stopped blaming myself for a moment and raised my head to face Cecilia.
Cecilia was looking at me expressionlessly. But her eyes were mixed with moisture and trembling faintly. She desperately wanted my answer after hearing their story.
Please, say the right answer.
I carefully opened my mouth, hoping my answer would be correct.
"This responsibility you're talking about. What should I do?"
Cecilia smiled not with a twisted smile, but with all the muscles in her face working in harmony.
"Please live with us like you did before you left."
"For how long?"
"Until we can stand on our own."
For some reason Cecilia's answer sounded like "forever," but I could only nod at her ambiguous words. The guilt I felt was as severe as if I had seen them with my own eyes.