156 – Qualifications (2)

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I felt the fresh, cool air slowly and gently seeping into my lungs.

The tears that were about to burst also calmed down, and even the heart that had been swollen with self-reproach and resentment slowly found its own slow and regular rhythm.

For the first time in a long time, or perhaps since I entered this forest, my mind felt clear.

I kept my mouth shut and slowly raised my head.

The blue sky stretching above the tall, dark green trees quietly told us that there was still a long way to go before the day ended.

“…Thanks, Pia.”

“You can be more grateful.”

“Yeah, thank you very much.”

“Hehehe”

Pia put her clasped hands behind her head and smiled awkwardly.

Guardian spirit.

True to her name, Pia protected me from danger.

It saved me from not only external threats, but also from my own self-destructiveness and impulses to destroy myself.

Of course, my pain didn’t completely go away with just a few warm words of comfort from Pia.

I could clearly feel the guilt and self-torture that had not yet been fully digested, still sitting heavily near my lower abdomen, waiting for an opportunity to eat me away.

But on the other hand, I didn’t want this heavy, hellish sadness to go away.

Because this was my karma and my conscience,

I knew that trying to forget this pain was nothing more than turning a blind eye to what I had done.

I didn’t want to forget Laila, my family, and my victims, who were left behind in this pitch-black self-torture that revealed its weight and presence, easily crushing my fragile heart.

I won’t forget.

I will atone for this for the rest of my life.

However, I will not collapse under its weight.

I knelt down and made that pledge.

I forced strength into my wobbly ankles.

“Alice… Sister…”

When I came to my senses, the first thing that came to mind was Sister Alice’s face.

For a moment, he showed me his weak side, and I blamed myself for that fact alone.

A strong and strict person who tries to shoulder everything and blames himself for the results.

I see the same kind of pain in her appearance as I do.

She too is consumed by despair, to the point where she even breaks down the strong being that could survive a confrontation with Sylvia.

After all, how many people are courageous in the face of death?

Of course, heroes who humbly sacrificed their lives in times of crisis are common throughout history.

Even among ordinary citizens, not heroes, there were rare instances of people who would sacrifice themselves to protect their loved ones.

However, being confident in the face of death that you can choose and being confident in the face of the anxiety that an inevitable death that you cannot avoid by any means could visit you at any moment are two completely different matters.

If it were me, it probably wouldn’t be easy to even stay sane.

“…”

I looked at Pia.

Pia smiled slowly and wagged her tail.

I wanted to comfort my sister Alice just as this little girl did for me.

No, that’s what I’m supposed to do.

“And Sister Alice is still alive.”

I felt the presence of the bracelet wrapped around my wrist and spoke in a firm voice.

Malice’s bracelet that saves people.

Even if it was just a legend, it would be fine.

From the very beginning, the existence of spirits was like that.

Although I didn’t feel any special power from this bracelet, it didn’t matter.

It wasn’t long before I saw Pia again,

Maybe my role was to save Sister Alice, or maybe this was all just a terrible illusion and coincidence, but I didn’t care one bit.

It was worth a try, and I didn’t want to give up.

The guilt that still occupies a place in my heart is already saturated.

I can’t lose anymore.

I won’t lose it.

No, at least I won’t just sit there and wait until I lose.

I slowly pulled my body up off the ground, using my bent knees.

I slowly raised my head, keeping my feet firmly on the ground, and muttered as I looked at the blue sky that looked like a clear blue lake with not a single cloud in sight.

“Okay, now…”

I glanced back and looked at the cabin.

“… I’m embarrassed. How can I look at Sister Alice’s face?”

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No further words were needed.

As I entered the cabin, trying to put on a bright expression, Sylvia and Alice seemed to be able to guess that I had sorted out my complicated feelings by just looking at my expression.

Sylvia jumped up from her seat, came over to me, and hugged me with a bright face.

“Thank you for taking the test. Alice and I were already discussing what kind of marching speed Ash could handle.”

“Ah, yeah… I’ve only been training for a little over a month, so of course it’s not enough, but I think I did the best I could.”

Sylvia answered, patting my head.

“It’s not that it’s not enough.”

“It’s a bit lacking.”

“I guess I’m not as good as Nana Alice.”

“But I worked hard…”

“You know, I can definitely guarantee that Ash did his best, and considering he passed my test, I think he’s pretty quick-witted and good at improvising.”

There was something awkward about Sylvia’s speech.

It seemed like he was forcing the topic because he was concerned about my feelings.

Of course, Sylvia wouldn’t know what was being said between me and my sister Alice.

Then, naturally, she wouldn’t know why I was feeling so depressed, but Sylvia seemed to have an uncanny knack for noticing that I was feeling depressed.

Is this what they mean by fate?

No, it’s just proof that Sylvia cares about me that much.

I couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Sylvia pouring her heart out to me.

I decided to throw in some light-hearted jokes to make Sylvia feel more comfortable talking.

“You say it was an improvisation? It was a thoroughly planned operation.”

“Huh… really?”

“I thought about it so hard before I left the hut.”

Sylvia giggled for a moment at my words, then tilted her head and fell into deep thought.

“Hmm… If that’s really the plan, then it’s amazing.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, the idea of ​​baking clay and hardening it like porcelain and then attacking isn’t something that can be easily done. Everyone knows that clay becomes a hard piece when baked, but few people actually apply it that way. In the first place, it’s more about sense than education, so there are more people who can’t easily come up with it.

“Uh… is that so?”

Even though I thought it was too much of a stretch, Sylvia’s expression was quite serious.

“Hmm… Is it because I studied magic in theory for so long, or is it because I’m Maria’s younger sister?”

“Sylvia?”

Hmm… maybe Ash will be more active than I expected.”

“Uh… Uh, that can’t be true.”

Sylvia turned her head slightly and looked at her older sister Alice.

She too seemed to be listening to me carefully, as she had a serious expression on her face, thinking deeply about something.

It seems that while I was outside trying to calm my nerves, the two of them were calculating various situations for the upcoming trip and thinking about a strategy.

“Ash, come here.”

After finishing her thoughts, Sister Alice quietly called me.

As soon as she finished speaking, Sylvia let me go without saying anything, so I thought she was going to tell me something important.

As I slowly sat down in front of Sister Alice, she continued speaking in a soft voice.

“It doesn’t really matter whether you planned it or just used your wits. Whatever the truth is, it means you can do more than we expect.”

After saying that, Sister Alice started to place several items in front of me one by one.

Armor, rope, a small portable lantern to wear on my belt, and other items necessary for my adventure were placed in front of me one by one.

Even at first glance, it was obvious that there were quite a lot of items, but even this was only my share.

You must have already prepared the items that you or Sylvia will use.

The quantity and variety of items were so varied that it was easy to guess where she had been and what she had been doing during her absence for over a month.

Alice continued slowly, listing the things she would hand me.

“No matter how strong Nana Sylvia is, she is not invincible. It may be a bit of a crude metaphor, but we are only good at cutting, stabbing, and killing. What this means is that when the magical realm is needed, your role is important.”

“… If you’re good at cutting, stabbing, and killing, isn’t that the same as being good at everything?”

“Still, a caster who can use magic is absolutely necessary. Even outside of combat situations, there are things like finding hidden passages or preparing for traps that Sylvia and I can’t do.”

Certainly, the magic that Sister Alice spoke of was something I already knew.

But as with most magic I know, I only know it in theory and have never actually used it.

Besides, it seemed like Sylvia and Alice would be able to pass through flimsy walls or traps with their bare bodies without any special magic.

Of course, I didn’t make the mistake of lightly expressing that opinion.

“Sylvia, you come here too.”

“Okay, let’s clean up.”

Sylvia came over and sat down next to me, putting her hand under my armpit and linking her arms with mine.

I looked at Sylvia in surprise.

Arms crossed,

It was a slightly unfamiliar skinship that I had never done before.

Well, since I usually just hugged her and started kissing her without even linking arms, it wasn’t surprising that this kind of gentle physical contact was unfamiliar.

Sister Alice glared at Sylvia, but Sylvia paid no attention and even leaned her cheek against my shoulder.

The cold atmosphere between the two of them was not doing me any good, so I desperately tried to change the subject.

“Organize? What do you mean organize?”

Sylvia smiled faintly as if my efforts seemed worthless, and answered my question.

“Everyone is here, and all the equipment and tools are here. I also found out how much Ash moves and what abilities he has.”

“… so?”

“We’ve done everything we could to prepare… so we have the answer. Right?”

Sister Alice sighed and said.

“If we each finish our maintenance today, we’ll leave tomorrow.”

“… ah,”

“Towards the Demon King’s grasp. Directly.”

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