Stupid Heroes ~We Draft Candidates~ (WN): Chapter 68

 

Chapter 68: Resolution Required

 Shizuru's stay at the Luine Kingdom's dormitory lasted a total of six days.

 During that time, she was attended to by many maids who took care of her, adorned her with expensive dresses and ornaments, and served her delicious meals. At first, Shizuru was perplexed, but soon came to enjoy the luxury.

 And when she began to take such a life for granted, Shizuru was allowed to return home. This was not an offer from Shizuru. It was a request from the Luine Kingdom.

 It was the same as with Yuya. It was a furlough to let them know how wonderful the treatment they received here was.

"Thank you very much for your help"

 Shizuru smiled brightly and thanked Ryan who came to tell her about it.

"No, if you like it, you can visit us again anytime. I'll tell them to keep Shizuru's room."

 Ryan's tone was somewhat familiar to Shizuru as he spoke.

"That's……"

"I want to talk more with Shizuru. I want to have more time to get to know each other."

"Ryan..."

 Shizuru was used to it, but it was the attitude of a man who liked her for the first time in a while.

"Shizuru. You should be more aware of your worth."

"My worth?"

"You are a very attractive person both as a hero candidate and as a woman."

"No. That's too much praise."

"No, it's a solid assessment. So you deserve the treatment you deserve, and our country is ready to provide it."

 This is the same as what was said on the first day. And Yuya was told this over and over again.

"But won't the Luine Kingdom choose Yuya?"

"Yeah. However, in our country, we have the power to provide appropriate treatment to multiple heroes."

"Are you thinking of me as well, not just Yuya?"

"That's right"

"That means I will not be bid by any other country?"

 In principle, one bid per country. If you bid on one person, you will not be able to participate in the bids of other Hero Candidates. The fact that Shizuru will go to the Luine Kingdom, which has decided to bid for Yuya, means that the Luine Kingdom thinks that Shizuru will not be dropped in the bidding process.

"No, it is not so. No, I wish it were so, but it will not happen."

"Then what do you mean?"

"There is a way. If you want to come to our country, there is a way to make it happen."

 The Luine Kingdom is trying to use a trick.

"I understand. Are you telling me to decline the hero candidate?"

 Shizuru also knows the trick. She heard about this method from Ren.

"You understood well."

"Yeah, I heard that story before."

"Right. Even if you don't receive it as a hero, your treatment won't change. More luxury than you experienced here will be waiting for you."

"I see. That's nice."

 Luxury is not something Shizuru dislikes. On the contrary, it is her favorite. The past six days have been the best of times for Shizuru.

"Isn't that so? By all means, I want you to think positively. I would be happy if you could come to our country."

"I'm happy to hear that, too."

"Shizuru……"

 Ryan's hand slowly reaches Shizuru's cheek. However, it didn't reach her cheek, and was caught in Shizuru's hands.

"Thank you, Ryan. I'll take my time and think about it."

"Y-yeah"

 Shizuru showed a smile while holding Ryan's hand in front of her face.

 The gestures that people don't hate and the gestures that people like are skills that Shizuru has acquired since she was a little girl. Ryan did not have the ability to discern the true feelings behind these gestures.

 After leaving the Luine Kingdom's dormitory, Shizuru headed straight for the house where Ren and the others lived. What awaited her there was the cold stare of Rin, the complete opposite of the people of the Luine Kingdom.

"It seems that you had a very good time. The luster of your skin is clearly different."

"Really? I'm sure it's the effect of having my skin polished every day in the bath. I think my skin has become smoother."

 Shizuru answered Rin's sarcasm with a straight face. Even though she half knows she's sarcastic, she's defiant.

"I see."

 In fact, Rin seems to have been disappointed.

"I wonder if Ren will be pleased?"

"Huh?"

"Because the more comfortable it is to the touch, the better..."

"You're asking me that?"

"……I'm sorry"

 Usual interaction between the two. The pace could be said to be that of Shizuru, but that was not the case.

"But let me answer. The answer to the question is no."

"Eh?"

"Ren-sama will not be pleased."

"But Ren, after all..."

 Shizuru took Rin's answer as harassment from her frustration. But it's not.

"Shizuru. It's not that."

"...What is it?"

 Seeing Rin calling out her name with a new expression, Shizuru sensed that it wasn't a trivial matter.

"You can't stay here anymore. Ren-sama won't allow that."

"……Why?"

 Shizuru's eyes opened wide. She knew that he would be angry. However, Shizuru never imagined that he would become so angry.

"Ren-sama decided so."

"Is he angry? Because I went to the Luine Kingdom."

"I don't know. I can't read Ren-sama's mind."

"Then I'll talk to Ren. If he's angry, I'll apologize and ask for forgiveness."

 Shizuru was already in tears. She had never thought of leaving this house at all while she was being entertained by the Luine Kingdom. It wasn't supposed to turn out like this just by letting loose a little.

"Ren-sama won't be back for a while."

"Then I'll wait until he comes back."

"I don't know when"

"Then I'll wait forever!"

"Shizuru……"

"The Luine Kingdom has given me so much luxury. But I still wanted to stay here. I feel better here. So please, let me stay. Please."

 Shizuru pleaded with tears in her eyes, and Rin's face showed a bitter expression. The feeling of wanting to answer Shizuru's feelings is also born in Rin's heart. But it's not Rin who decides that.

"I can't allow that. It is Ren-sama's decision that you can no longer stay here."

 Rin has no choice but to tell her this.

"Why? I want to be here. Why won't you let me do that?"

"I don't know how Ren-sama feels."

"So let me talk to Ren."

"...But even I know some things."

 She thought it was not good to guess and talk about Ren's feelings, so she thought she would keep silent. Rin decided to tell Shizuru about it.

"What is it?"

"You are mistaken."

"I'm not that egotistical."

 Shizuru knows at least that Ren's feelings are not for her. But this is not the case.

"I'm not talking about Ren-sama's feelings, I'm talking about your feelings."

"What do you say I am mistaken about?"

"You think that the days spent with Ren-sama, surrounded by children, are a lot of hardships, but they are fun days."

"Yes. That's right."

"And you want that kind of life to continue forever."

"That's right"

"That's impossible. Think about it. Do you think Ren-sama will be able to spend such peaceful days forever?"

 It can't be. The seemingly peaceful life they live now is not really so. It is a period of preparation for the battle that awaits them ahead.

"...I don't know. But Rin-san, you say otherwise?"

 Shizuru does not have the same special awareness of Ren as Rin does. She has always been on the side of those who hide their power, so it's no wonder.

"That's right. The road that Ren-sama is walking is far from peaceful. It will be a bloody road."

"I see……"

 As Rin said, Shizuru wanted their life to continue. She came back here because she thought she could live a life without having to hide herself. If she denies it, her confusion will be born in her heart.

 Still, what Rin was saying still didn't make sense to Shizuru.

"You are not prepared to walk such a path. You should have never thought about it."

"...What about you Rin-san?"

"I vowed to always stand by Ren-sama's side. Even if I sink in a sea of ​​blood or burn myself in a blazing fire, I will always stand by Ren-sama's side."

 Rin's unwavering words of determination. What it stimulated was Shizuru's jealousy.

"......I've always wanted to ask you."

"What?"

"Why do you think about Ren so much, Rin-san? Rin-san is much more attached to Ren than I am. But it's me that Ren is holding."

"...Originally, it was supposed to be my role."

"But now it's my role."

"That's right. He caught me for my body, but for some reason, Ren-sama swore he would never touch me unless I was ready for it."

"Caught?"

 Ignoring Shizuru's questioning voice, Rin continued to talk.

"I couldn't believe such a thing. I stayed by Ren-sama's side, terrified that I would be humiliated at any moment."

"…………"

"But Ren-sama never broke his promise to me. On the contrary, even though he knew that I looked at him like that, he unilaterally gave me trust. As soon as I was by his side, I knew that he didn't trust me. Nevertheless, for some reason, Ren-sama trusted me and gave me a place to belong."

"And I, about Ren..."

"Do you think that's enough? You, who always had a place to stay, would think so?"

"Are you saying that Rin-san is different? People should be kind to Rin-san who has that kind of appearance."

 People change their attitude just by how good or bad they look. Shizuru knows this very well. And she thinks that Rin must also feel good about her appearance. Shizuru still doesn't realize it.

"Maybe so, if you're human."

"Eh?"

"I am a vampire. I am a demon called by humans."

"…………"

 Shizuru freezes at the unexpected confession. A demon is in front of her. She doesn't know how to deal with it. Before that, she was too agitated to think.

"Didn’t you notice it?"

"...W-why is there a demon in the church capital?"

 The reason she was able to ask such a question was because of her past relationship with Rin. If an unfamiliar demon suddenly appeared in front of her, Shizuru would have just been trembling with fear.

"I'm here because Ren-sama brought me here."

"Where did you meet Ren?"

"I can't tell you the details. I tried to kill Ren-sama for some reason. But I couldn't do it. He caught me."

"You tried to kill Ren? Is Ren strong enough to beat a demon?"

 Don't fight demons. Shizuru remembers what she was taught when she first entered the academy.

"I was careless. But even if it wasn't, how was it actually?"

"...Ren is strong after all."

"You don't seem to know much about demons."

"What do you mean?"

"Demons are stronger than humans. But not all demons are stronger than all humans."

"...Does it mean that some demons are weaker than others?"

"I can’t say that they are weak, but there are many demons who can defeat humans who have learned martial arts one-on-one."

"...I wasn't taught that."

 Rin's words are not strange. It is an explanation that makes sense to Shizuru. Even if the basis for that conviction is that the game doesn't end unless the heroes win in the end.

"It's inconvenient if the demons are weak."

"……I don't understand"

"Because the demons are strong, persecution is not considered persecution. They can be enslaved and played with, but it won't be considered abuse."

 The vainglory of a lowly race of people, even though there is no one to whom such vainglory can be directed anymore.

"Enslave the demons? Why would you do such a thing?"

"How do I look to a man?"

 A beautiful face that makes Shizuru, a woman, feel a bewitching beauty. She can't imagine how a man would feel about that.

"I see..."

"What you say about the appearance is just a nuisance to us. With the exception of a few powerful people, the demons live quietly in a corner of the continent. Or you don't know."

"And Ren."

"It's not just that. It is lonely not to be wanted. But it seems to me that it is because Ren-sama sees me not as a vampire, but as just me."

 Ren will not be swept away by the vampire's charm. It makes the opposite sex lustful, regardless of whether they like it or not, and Ren shows it by enduring it in order to keep her promise to Rin.

"……I see."

 Shizuru didn't know about the abilities of the vampire race. However, she knows that Ren sees the existence of Rin. She is happy about that and wants to be by Ren's side.

"There is no one else like that. Even with the same race, there is no one who sees me as just me. That's why I can't leave Ren-sama's side. Even if I lose everything else."

"…………"

 It was the first time for Shizuru to hear Rin's resolve. Shizuru was pushed by her strong thoughts. She hesitated to ask if her resolve was that strong.

"I'm not asking you to do the same. However, you don't even understand what it means to be by Ren-sama's side. I can't keep such a person here any longer."

"I see... maybe the children are ready too?"

"Not everyone. Young children can't understand what I just said."

"But there are children who understand, right?"

"Why do you think they are training so hard? Those who wish to live a peaceful life do not need such training."

"...That's right"

"You should already know. Leave here. You can't stay by Ren-sama's side now."

"I……"

"Go. You have another path. I know it will be better for you if you choose it."

"…………"

 Shizuru got up from her seat without responding to Rin's words. She was not convinced by Rin's words. But she was sure that there was nothing she could say that would convince Rin. She had no idea what to think, and now she knew she had no words to say.

 She opened the front door and stepped outside.

 Shizuru was about to burst into tears when he saw the scene. The children stood in line outside the front door.

"You're still going?"

"I'm sorry"

"Not at all. I knew it from the beginning."

"I'm sorry"

"Even if you're sorry."

"I don't want to leave everyone, but I can't help it."

"Adults are always like that. You have no choice but to say that."

"This one is not an adult."

"……I'm sorry"

"It doesn't matter. You go away."

"…………"

 While holding back the tears that were about to overflow, Shizuru was unable to speak when she was slapped with hatred. If she speaks up, she knows she will cry.

"Mii, don't be mean. Ren told us to send her off properly, right?"

 The older Kai told the children to obey Ren's orders.

"But..."

"Or haven't you tormented her enough?"

"Nothing like that"

"Well, that's enough. Don't make her suffer anymore."

"No! I didn't suffer! I enjoyed being with everyone!"

 She doesn't want this to be misunderstood. Thinking that, Shizuru loudly denied Kai's words. However, Shizuru misunderstood.

"...It's not about that. From now on."

"From now?"

"Fighting means killing each other. Can you kill someone you know?"

 Kai said something that Rin didn't say. Ren and the others are trying to destroy this world. The main targets in that battle are the Hero Candidates.

"...Who are you talking about?"

"It doesn't matter who they are. You never know who's going to be your enemy, right?"

"That's?"

"Kai! You talk too much!"

 Mai stopped Kai's words.

"Yeah, that's right. Don't talk about unnecessary things."

"That's right. This is the end of the conversation. Well then, Shizuru, take care of yourself."

 Mai ended the conversation and tried to get Shizuru to leave.

"Wait, Mai-chan! What did Ren say!?"

"I can't tell you that now. You may not be our enemy, but you're not our friend either."

"…………"

"I'll let you know if we become friends."

 Mai is also sweet on Shizuru for some reason. She is trying to give Shizuru some hints to think about.

"...Could you be?"

"I don't know. That depends on you, doesn't it?"

"But Ren."

"Ren won't say it. He won't even admit it."

"…………"

"Come on, everyone. Hurry up and say your goodbyes. It's time for a nap."

"""Yeeess"""

 Although unfriendly, the children send farewell words to Shizuru. After Shizuru replied to each child, she left the place.

 All the while thinking about the meaning of the words that Rin and the children said.

◇◇◇

 Even though it is the home of the church, there are backstreets where many people live, and there are places where security is not very good.

 An old inn that stands quietly in a backstreet quite far from the main street. There was Ren in that room.

"So? Have you finished selecting people?"

"Yes. I managed to persuade them."

 One of the remnants of the Anti-Hero Alliance is answering Ren's question.

"To have a hard time choosing who will survive. What kind of brainwashing do you have to do?"

"…Now that they've calmed down and thought about it, I think it was just a resolution at first."

"Are they prepared?"

"Heroes, the great powers that try to take advantage of it. If we try to resist such a mighty opponent, we must be prepared to give up our life. That's how we are prepared."

 An opponent they can't beat. If they want to fight against it, they have to risk their lives to deal with it.

"That is not an uncommon idea."

"Yes. But when the time came for me to see what was happening, I didn't know what to do. I just had to kill them. Then how do you kill an opponent you can't beat?"

"As you prepared to do so, you would throw away your life. Did you put it into practice?"

"And it turned out to be unexpectedly successful. I could have killed a high-ranking hero candidate. If not for you."

 Success stories sometimes make people give up thinking. They assume that because it worked, it's the right way to do it, and they are not open to change.

"That means failure."

"Yes, but we didn't think so. We thought we were right."

"...You mean you were running away?"

"Running away?"

 The man didn't have the kind of awareness that Ren said.

"You were running into madness. I don't know if this expression is correct."

"Madness... does that mean that we erased our fear by going insane?"

"That's one thing."

"I see. Maybe so."

 Couldn't act without going crazy. Because they were crazy, they could do any ruthless thing. The man thought that it might have been true when Ren told him.

"But that's no good. It's good to risk your life. But if you kill one ally to kill one, things won't get any further."

"This case is the same."

"No. It's about killing one ally and saving ten allies this time."

"Rather than killing the enemy, you want to save our allies?"

"Is it wrong?"

"No. That's right."

"Actually, it's not worth it unless you save a thousand allies."

"No, it's enough. We gave a place to die to those who did not want to live. It is enough that death has meaning."

"Then this is the last time."

"Last?"

"If you are going to die, you should die in a way that makes the most of it. If you cannot do that, you must live until the opportunity comes, no matter what the humiliation. I think that is the kind of resolve that will be needed in the future."

 It is wrong to act with death in mind. Ren is telling the man that this is the last time he should think like that.

"...I understand. I'll let everyone know."

"I didn't say that."

"No, I will tell them."

"What do you mean?"

 Ren doesn't understand the intentions of the man who insists on telling other people. He felt something suspicious and raised his eyebrows.

"It was a good thing for us down the road, so I thought everyone should hear it."

"……I see"

"Well, the preparations are complete. When should we do it?"

"Why are you asking me?"

 Ren is not a member of the Anti-Hero Alliance. He himself has no intention of doing so. As an outsider, he thought he didn't have the authority to judge the timing of the execution.

"Almost all of this plan was thought up by you."

"Because you asked me to think about it."

"Yes. So I thought I would ask for your final instructions."

"...If you leave a gap. There is a possibility that things will be exposed."

 Succumbing to the man's insistence, told him his idea in a roundabout way.

"Then we'll do it immediately, is that correct?"

"……Yeah"

 Even though he said it in a roundabout way, the man asked him.

"Understood. I will put the plan into action."

 The man declared that he would put his plan into action. As he said this, the remnants of the Anti-Hero Alliance began to move. So many people at once that they cannot be called a remnant.

 The plan that was set in motion was to cause a tremor in the Church. But it took a long time for the people to realize its true meaning.