Chapter 38: What You Want to Protect
The injured in the second attack were Class C candidates. The cause of this was the Church Knights, who neglected to protect the Class C candidates, but this fact was never made public. There was no way that the knightly order would dare to make public a fact in which they would admit their own fault.
Even so, as long as it is the knight order that is in charge of protecting the candidates, the fact that they allowed the attack to take place should not be surprising, but this was not the case among the candidate students.
For some reason, the criticism was directed at the victim, the Class C candidates.
"It would be terrible if we were to be subjected to all sorts of restrictions again."
"We'll have to put up with that. Not everyone is as strong as Yuya."
As usual, Yuya and Shizuru are talking like this.
"That's right, but the attackers are said to be a commoner."
"Commoner?"
"A normal person who is neither a knight nor a soldier"
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, that's what my master said, so there's no doubt about it."
Yuya never thinks about why his master, the knight commander, passed it on to him.
"Why such a person?"
"I'm told that he must have been deceived, but I don't really understand that part. There is a bigger problem than that."
"What is it?"
"It seems that the reputation of the hero candidate who can be easily beaten by such a criminal is going down."
Yuya shouldn't know where this kind of evaluation is being made. Even the knight commander who told him this doesn't know.
"That's……"
Yuya is also one of those who was easily defeated. Shizuru couldn't find the words to reply.
"They were killed by a not very strong magical beast, and now they are attacked and injured by a mere commoner. I hope they'll give me a break."
"...People from class C?"
"Yes. Since they're supposed to be a hero candidate, I hope they'll protect themself."
“Yes. But they are... that."
Shizuru agrees with Yuya's words, knowing that Yuya is completely putting himself on the shelf. It is not that she has an agenda. It was just Shizuru's usual attitude of going along with the mood of the moment.
"It's not just about being a dropout. It affects our overall reputation."
"But"
“There seems to be some discontent within the knights.”
"Why?"
"Because they have to protect the people they're supposed to be protecting. And the knights are protecting them with their own lives."
"That's true."
“The problem is that there are so many people to protect. That inevitably leaves them short on security."
The contents of what Yuya was talking about were just the words of the church knights to avoid responsibility. Yuya is in charge of public relations for the knightly order to give out information that is convenient for the knightly order to other hero candidates. Naturally, he has no such awareness.
"We can't help it."
"That's not true."
"Then, what do you think Yuya should do?"
"I think I should be the one to protect them. I mean, we should protect our weak comrades."
"Eh?"
"That's our mission as heroes."
Yuya's usual sense of justice. It's a sense of justice based on his own values.
"Hey, Yuya. Who are we?"
"Everyone in Class A"
Yuya's words caused a slight commotion in the class. Don't get involved. A lot of that buzz comes from that kind of feeling.
"I wonder if they are making any concrete progress on that?"
"My master didn't approve of that."
"Right. Well, that's impossible."
Shizuru is clearly relieved. The other candidates also feel the same way.
"I won't give up. It is my role to protect others. A hero who is protected by others is not a hero."
"Yuya. If you put it that way, all the people being targeted are hero candidates."
"That's true. But we have to protect the weak."
"……Why?"
While complaining about the Class C hero candidates, he says that he must protect them this time. Shizuru couldn't understand Yuya's thoughts.
"Because I'm a hero."
"Everyone is a hero candidate."
"That's not true. Everyone else's hero is different from mine."
"What do you mean?"
"The apprenticeship is over."
"... Could it be that you're talking about your title?"
Shizuru finally understood what Yuya wanted to say. She knows this, but how it leads from there to protecting other hero candidates remains a mystery.
“I am now officially a hero. As such, I must act in a manner befitting a hero."
"Is the appropriate action to protect others?"
"That's right."
"But Yuya was the only one who became a hero..."
"Shizuru? I don't think so, but you don't like to protect others?"
"No way. That can't be true."
It's not that she doesn't like to protect them. She doesn't have the confidence to protect them.
"Then"
"But……"
"But?"
"...I'm sure there are people who don't like to be protected."
This is the excuse she came up with on the spur of the moment.
"Why?"
"Because they are also a hero candidate. They have their pride.
"But if you lose your life because of it."
“Yes. So here's what I think. Wouldn't it be better if they gave up being a hero candidate?"
Shizuru's quick thinking expanded the content of her thoughts even further.
"……What do you mean?"
"Ren stopped being a candidate, saying that he didn't have the power to be a hero."
"Will that stop it?"
"He stopped it. Just like that, other people should stop being hero candidates."
"That's pathetic"
For Yuya, who takes pride in being a hero, it would be pitiful to make him give up his path to become a hero.
"But if they're not hero candidates, they won't have to be targeted."
"……I see."
“Certainly, it may be pitiful to let the heroes give up. But I think it's unfortunate that they don't have the power to do so and yet they insist on it. It would be better for them to stop being hero candidates and think about their future."
Shizuru persuades Yuya. It's pretty compelling. It's probably impossible against Ren, but against Yuya, it's more than effective.
"Certainly it may be so."
"That's right"
“But how do you get them to give up? I don't think they will give up easily if someone tells them to, right?"
"That's... if we persuade them properly, they'll understand."
As expected, she couldn't immediately think of a way to get them to give up.
"Is that so?"
“Yes. Get the church to agree that they should stop being a candidate.
"......Do you think you can get them to approve it so easily?"
"It's Yuya's role to work hard for it. It is for their sake. You have to do your best."
"Yes. It's difficult, but I'll try my best."
Shizuru says it's for the sake of the hero candidates who have fallen behind, but in reality, she just doesn't want to face danger in order to protect them. There are people who are vaguely aware of it, but no one is able to put it into words. Many students were relieved that Yuya's feelings had diverted.
◇◇◇
Yuya was successfully distracted by Shizuru, but there was a person who had the same thoughts as Yuya, even though his feelings were completely different. This person had already made his move.
"Let's go home together every day"
"Eh?"
Kazuki is surprised at Jin's sudden invitation.
"...Ah, no. It's not just Kazuki, it means everyone."
"That's right... I'm ashamed of myself for misunderstanding."
"No, I said it wrong."
"What Jin is saying is to protect us from attacks."
"That's right."
"I'm not so sure about that."
Kazuki questioned Jin's idea.
"What do you mean?"
"We also thought about it. We came to the conclusion that if we acted in a group, it would be more likely that we would become a target."
The attacker's means of attack is a bomb, even if it is a magic tool. The more people are clustered together, the more effective the attack will be. Given this, a group is more likely to be the target of an attack.
"Then, every day, we'll try to change our route way home."
"But you know"
"What's wrong? What's the problem?"
"The problem is, I don't see the point of doing it."
“That may be true that I may not be reliable, but I am still stronger than any of you. And even if you're worried, the number of escorts will increase."
"It won't increase. In our case, there's no way they would pick us up and drop us off."
"I see……"
The Class A candidates are all housed with influential people in the church. However, this is not the case with Kazuki and the others. They live with craftsmen, and there is no way they can afford to hire guards.
"And if the attacker feels like it, we'll be targeted when we're going to school, not on the way home from school."
"If it's a house"
"In our place of residence, even preparation for robbery is questionable."
"……I see."
Jin's place of residence is at the home of the knight in the knight order. The mansion is appropriately equipped. It is incomparable to the ordinary house of Kazuki and the others. Jin felt ashamed of himself for not noticing such an obvious thing.
"It doesn't matter how much caution we take on the way home."
“The ban on going home was for Kazuki and the others.”
“I think so. But I don't think everyone in Class B has an escort home either."
"I see"
The only students who are safe in their houses are the Class A students. The students in other classes are in danger because of the selfishness of the Class A students. Jin is only now becoming aware of this fact as well.
"I think it's best not to go out, but I can't do that."
"Selfishness."
“It’s our selfishness to not want to go outside. What about you? Do you have any information?"
"Information?"
"I'm worried. How long will we have to be afraid of attacks? What should we do? We don't know anything."
"I'm not being told anything. The Knights have not told me anything about it."
"I see."
"Isn't Ren supposed to know about these things?"
Ren knows more information than the Knights of the Order. It's only natural for Jin to think this way.
"...He hates me"
"It's a little late for that, don't you think? I think Ren hates all of us."
"I was told that he hates me to my face."
"That's... as expected. Did something happen?"
Ren blatantly shows disgust, but Jin has never seen him speak out about his likes and dislikes. He wondered why Ren did that unusual act.
"I said something that made him angry."
"Like what?"
"I can't say it. I don't think it's okay for me to talk about it."
"I see... where is Ren?"
"I think he's in the library. More people are studying in the library than in the classroom these days."
"...Let's go."
"In the library?"
"That's right."
“It will make Ren even more angry. That kind of brazenness is what Ren hates more than anything else."
Kazuki knows Ren's feelings well. Even if it wasn't Kazuki, anyone who observed Ren's attitude would know about this.
"Maybe so, but we have to do something about the current situation. To do that, we need information."
"But……"
"You should pretend that you were brought there by force. Because that's what happened."
"……I understand."
As for Kazuki, she would like to somehow find a way to reconcile. She felt sorry for Jin, but she decided to use him to take advantage of the opportunity.
Jin and Kazuki headed to the library together.
"What do you think?"
"I'm a little scared"
"Me too. I don't think it's a good idea."
"That's right. I don't want to see Ren angry."
Leaving behind three timid companions.
◇◇◇
Ren, on the other hand, was already a bit frustrated because he couldn't do the studying he wanted to do. Before Jin and Kazuki, there was someone who came to disturb him. It was Lang of the Izrim Magic Kingdom.
"I don't have anything to say."
"Don't say that. It's been a long time since we met."
"That's your business, right? Have you been working for your country?"
"That's not why... no, I was."
Lang was about to lie on the spot, but she reconsidered that such deception was not good for Ren and decided to honestly admit it.
"...Could it be about the Anti-Hero Alliance?"
"Yes. I was told to collect as much information as possible."
"Did you find out anything?"
"Not much. First..."
"Oi!?"
Mike called out to Lang who was trying to answer Ren's question with a surprised look.
"What's wrong?"
"Is it okay to talk about it? You were told by your country to look into this information, right?"
"It's not confidential. Even if it was, I'd tell you."
"Why?"
If it becomes clear that you have divulged classified information, you will be punished, of course. Mike could not understand why Lang was willing to take that risk and tell Ren about the information.
“From that information, it may reveal the truth what Ren-dono is really looking for.”
"……Just because"
"It's none of your business"
"That's true, but..."
"It's really not much information, but I checked the captured attackers. All of them were from the Church."
Ignoring Mike, who still seemed to have something to say, Lang began to talk to Ren about the information she had obtained.
"Everyone?"
"Yes"
“Did any of them come from the same country?”
"No. Within a group, they are the same, but if you change groups, they are all different."
"Are they separated? Can't you find anything in common?"
"Not in the moment."
So far, there is nothing in the information that gives them a clue. Mike, who is listening on the side.
“In this world, can we move freely between countries?”
Ren noted that not all of them were from the church country.
“To some extent, as long as you have a permit from your country. The Church country is quite free, however. They encourage believers to go to the main shrine of the church."
"You mean pilgrimages...... believers?"
"Yes. I have not been able to check all of them, but some of them were posing as members of the Church of Heroes."
“They used the pilgrimage as an excuse to enter the capital and commit terrorist acts...... How do you know they were believers?"
"Followers of the Church of Heroes wear a cross. We checked that."
"That's not a cross, it's called a cross sign. It's a half-baked ripoff."
A wry smile appeared on Ren's face as he remembered the cross that the priests, including Bishop Mikhail, had hung on their chests.
"Rip-off?"
"Don't worry about it... where can they get a cross sign?"
"Of course from the church."
"Is it something you can get right away if you ask for it?"
Ren asks how to obtain the cross sign worn by the attacker.
"...I'll look into it."
Lang didn't seem to have the answer and replied that she would look it up later. She's actually going to look it up. Lang thinks the information must be important, since Ren took the trouble to ask.
"Is there a list of believers? I think there probably is."
"That's?"
"It would be good to know when the killer became a believer."
"That's... it's impossible for an individual, so I'll ask the church to work on it."
Lang has more to do. This is what she wants. Lang visited Ren for a hint to get to the truth.
“Is it possible that the church is divided into several groups? It’s more like a faction, or a different way of thinking about doctrines.”
"No way?"
As a result, instead of getting a hint, she is about to see the truth.
"Right now, it's nothing more than a possibility. However, common points or points of contact should lead to the mastermind. Even if the possibility is slight, I think it's better not to ignore it."
"I understand"
"You guys."
Mike interrupted with a stunned look.
"What?"
"Why is Ren giving this person such advice?"
"I'm not trying to give her advice. I'm just trying to help her understand what she doesn't understand."
This is a fact. The escort mission is halfway through. The escort itself is not important, but Ren regrets the fact that the investigation into who and what the Anti-Hero Alliance is has not been completed.
“…What about Lang-san? Why do you obey Ren so much? You sound like his vassal."
“Because I find it interesting too. I get to make use of what I've researched and see where it goes further. This makes me very happy indeed."
Lang's job now is to gather information. Ren gives shape to the information she gathers. He even makes her aware of things she wasn't aware of. This made her unbearably happy.
"I don't understand. For the time being, what I do know is that there are other people who want to hear from Ren."
"……Annoying"
Seeing Jin and Kazuki emerge from the entrance of the library, Ren frowns. Lang seems a little annoyed, too. There is a feeling that she was interrupted while talking to Ren.
"Well then, I better get going. If I find out anything, I'll come and report back to you."
"Please"
"So you're a retainer?"
Lang, who received Mike's prodding, bowed to Ren like a retainer and left the place. Mike knew it was meant as a joke, but he had mixed feelings about it, as it seemed strangely fitting.
"Ren, I'm sorry to disturb you."
"Yeah, you're interrupting."
"...Don't say that. There's something I want to ask you."
"I don't want to talk"
"Don't be so cold. It's about the suicide bombing."
"I have nothing to say about that."
"How do you think we should defend ourselves?"
Even though Ren keeps refusing, Jin tries to proceed on his own.
"...Not holding back"
"I can't ask anything if I refrain from doing it, right?"
"You're not even listening."
"What do you think we should do to protect ourselves from suicide bombers?"
Jin asked the same question again. This persistence is like Shizuru. He may not realize it.
"......Forcefully."
"I don't know what to do. Please tell me."
"Don't get close to anyone, let no one get close"
"...I know that, but how?"
"I think they should have done that. Who said they didn't like that?"
To separate the hero candidates from their surroundings. This is the condition that Ren put out when he accepted the escort mission. By eliminating it, it's what became now.
"...Us?"
"He's the only hero candidate who mentioned it."
"It's true that we were dissatisfied. Not just him, but other students as well."
"I don't really care. It's nothing to do with me."
Yuya isn't the only person Ren says he won't get involved with anymore.
"But Kazuki and the others."
“It has nothing to do with me. That’s what I said. And by the way, to Takamiya-san as well."
“…………”
Ren does not give any clinging. Jin's naive idea that it would be him was finally blown away by this.
"Do you understand? I don't put my feelings into words. And once I put them into words, I will abide by them."
"Ren……"
"Will you disappear from my sight? If you don't like it, I will disappear."
"...Okay. I'll leave. Sorry, again."
"Not again."
"...Understood. Kazuki, let's go."
“…………”
“Kazuki?”
"...Yeah, let's go"
In the end, Kazuki headed for the library's exit without even having a chance to say a word to Ren. Jin follows after her.
"You made her cry"
Mike muttered.
"She didn't cry, though?"
"People can cry without shedding tears"
"That's not something I would know"
"You don't have to be so cold about it, you know?"
From Mike's point of view, Ren's attitude was too cold.
"I didn't, and they misunderstood me. I'm just returning to my original attitude."
He thinks that because Ren showed a lenient attitude, it gave birth to familiarity. In his former world, he rarely spoke to his classmates. He's just trying to get back to that state.
"Isn't it hard not being able to trust anyone?"
"I'm used to it."
Ren believes that people cannot be trusted as long as he can remember. He has little experience in trusting them, so he doesn't care.
"...It's not something you get used to."
"What's wrong? You're being awfully insistent."
“I would like to know what kind of nerves are needed to shun someone who is in danger.”
If someone is in trouble, reach out to them. Even if you don't actually do so, the thought that you should do so comes to mind. But he doesn't feel that from Ren.
"...Great sarcasm."
"Not really. I'm just thinking that, for better or worse, a strong mind is probably needed."
"Do you believe so?"
"Is it wrong?"
"I think it's just that being weak can only protect so much, isn't it?"
Even Ren has someone he wants to protect. Luna, Rin, Ron, and Babaa, who had barely fit in.
"But you still don't want to reach out to them?
"I don't think so. I'm more afraid of not being able to protect what I want to protect."
"...That's right"
Finally, there was a part that even Mike could agree with.
"Is there something you want to protect, Mike?"
"That's just rude, isn't it? I think everyone has at least one thing they want to protect."
"But Mike, that degree is big that I don't know if I can protect it with my own power."
"That's not true."
"That's the way you asked, though, right?"
That's what Mike wanted from Ren. Ren thought that it was what he wanted him to be.
"I was just asking about Ren. That doesn't apply to me."
"I see."
"As a side note……"
"What?"
"Even if you have something you want to protect, what will Ren do if you don't have the power to do so?"
After hearing this, the earlier denial means nothing. After all, Mike has something he wants to protect, and it is beyond his control.
"Obtain the power to protect"
"Yes, but what if there is no way or time to do so?"
"There's always a way. You have no choice but to endure. Endure until you get the power."
"Endure?"
"Depends on what you're protecting. For example?"
"...If the world were your enemy"
Too big to think of as an example.
"If the world oppresses me, I'll turn the world into an enemy."
“…………”
Mike's eyes widen at Ren's words.
"Do you know what this is about?"
"What are you talking about?"
Mike is clearly smitten with the idea. His reaction when he hears Ren's words is not that of a stranger.
"It's nothing. It's not a big deal."
Ren didn't go into it, but let the conversation drift away.
"I see."
"They may be fighting against the world."
"...The attacker?"
"At least the four major powers are their enemies."
"Right. Under the circumstances, even if they are feared now, they will eventually......"
Mike thinks they can't win even if they fight against the four major powers. It's common sense.
"Do you believe so?"
But Ren doesn't accept that common sense.
"You think they can win?"
"There is a chance of winning in any battle, even if it's a one percent chance."
"...Ren is strong after all."
"How could that be?"
There is not much difference between making enemies of the four major powers and making enemies of the world. The four powers have such overwhelming power. Just the thought of being able to fight these four powers is enough to make Mike admire Ren.
He knows that he cannot have that feeling.
thanks for the chapter
ReplyDeletethanks for the chapter
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