Chapter 10

The sky was a piercing blue, as if sprinkled with glitter, and a single streak of cloud had been brushed across it.

A bird crossed the sun, its chirping rolling and echoing through the air.

It must be an incredibly large bird, distorting the sense of distance.

The road back to the capital was as peaceful as when we came, gently swaying the cart.

“―――Ouch! It hurts! Ayame, wait!”

“Just a little more! Just a little more! Rei, hold on tight!”

“O-Okay! S-Sorry, Wakaba!”

Using Rei, who wouldn’t let go of me, Ayame took the opportunity to pin me down and was using water magic to remove the small stones and mud embedded in my face.

The water alone wouldn’t wash them away, and even the pressure of a spray wouldn’t do it. Now, I felt like I was being showered on my bruised face. Why?

“With magic! Why! Why are you using physical methods! I don’t get it!”

“Because! If we heal without removing these tiny grains of sand, they might get trapped under your skin! Do you want a bumpy face!? ——Okay, that’s good.”

The force restraining Rei loosened, and I slumped against him, leaning on his crossed legs.

The air around my face warmed up, and I relaxed my clenched jaw, feeling a bath-like comfort.

This must be recovery magic. My face is probably wrapped in a soft orange glow right now. ...But I don’t like that either.

The warmth on my face disappeared with Ayame’s voice, and a cool breeze passed by.

“...Thank you.”

“Hmm. It’s all back to normal.”

I checked with the hand mirror she handed me and muttered, “This is me...”

“Stop saying things like that.”

It was cold. I thought it was a given.

“Wakaba, you’re all clean now. That’s good. You’re cute.”

“Ah, thanks.”

I was looked at with an innocent smile from above. Kids equate liking with being cute...

“During the whole thing, it didn’t hurt at all, so I thought it was a hero’s bonus, but it seems it was just my imagination.”

“It was probably adrenaline. We are tough, but feeling no pain at all is dangerous... Pain is the body’s warning signal.”

“I see. Everyone, be careful. It hurts normally.”

“O-Okay.”

When Zaza asked about adrenaline, Kousuke answered softly, “It’s something that just comes up in your head.”

Kousuke and Zaza, who had been on horseback on the way there, and Shouta, were now all riding in the cart. Zaza was probably here for our aftercare.

We had seen someone die earlier than planned.

“Hey...”

Shouta, who had been deep in thought, finally spoke up.

“...I’m sorry. I know saying sorry won’t make it right, but when Zaza said to cut off the tail first, I...”

“Shouta, that was my mistake. I underestimated the situation and didn’t prioritize teaching you the specific characteristics of the monsters.”

“But, Kousuke also heard it, and he followed the instructions. I heard it too, but I probably didn’t fully understand it. If I had made one wrong move, Wakaba or someone else... I didn’t understand.”

His fists, clenched on his knees, had turned white.

This kid is smart.

He was already reflecting and analyzing the shocking event that had happened just a few hours ago.

That monster had the property of releasing a flash of purple lightning at death if its tail wasn’t cut off first. It was a pretty vicious last move. The purple lightning required a cooldown, so it couldn’t be fired repeatedly, but it was agile and its claws and fangs were a significant threat. Moreover, at that time, the purple lightning only struck once. We didn’t know which of the three monsters had released it. No one knew when or who would strike. Without knowing, there would be no time to prioritize the tail.

I think Kousuke’s immediate response in that situation was impressive.

I couldn’t even judge which side to support or how to avoid being a burden.

“...I didn’t understand either. I only did what I was told to do for recovery.”

“Ayame...”

“What?”

“You do follow up, don’t you?”

“Hey, you’re talking to the person who just cleaned you up!”

“Shouta, isn’t it uncomfortable to sit like that? Why don’t you relax? Look, I’m so relaxed.”

I leaned against Rei, showing my sprawled legs. My gym uniform was in tatters, with holes in the elbows, knees, and hem. Ayame, don’t make the holes bigger. We silently engaged in a battle over the holes in my gym uniform.

“Indeed, it was a rare outburst... I thought you were possessed by something.”

“Like a demon, right?”

Zaza and Kousuke agreed.

“Ah, but maybe more like a Kishibojin. I thought you guys were close, but from Wakaba’s perspective, Rei is like a child, right?”

“Yeah, if you think about it, Kousuke and his son are only two or three years apart.”

“Yeah, I can’t see it...”

“...Neither can I.”

We had already explained Rei and my actual ages. Everyone seemed to understand, though with subtle expressions, similar to when Zaza found out. Kousuke immediately rejected the honorific, saying, “Wakaba... No, let’s just stick with it.”

“Well, there are many things to consider for the future, so let’s discuss the details after we return to the castle and settle down.”

“...Yes. I’m really sorry.”

Shouta bowed politely and then, after a moment, lifted his face.

“So! I can’t accept this! Why is it Rei-san, Rei-kun! Why do you call me Shouta-kun!?”

“Huh?”

“Because you’re the youngest, right? Wakaba looked small at first, but you call Kousuke Kousuke and Ayame Ayame, so why am I the only one called Shouta-kun!?”

Ah, that’s the issue.

“Well... because Shouta-kun feels like Shouta-kun...”

“Why?”

Indeed, his actions were calm, but Shouta’s slightly plump cheeks and his tendency to focus on odd things made him feel like a “kun.”

“No, Shouta, if you think about it, Wakaba has been calling you Shouta-kun from the beginning. Is that okay?”

“Well, it’s a girl, so it’s fine!”

“O-Okay, Saya.”

Why? I don’t understand the logic of teenage boys.

“Still, Shouta-kun feels like Shouta-kun...”

The older group silently nodded in agreement with Rei’s refusal.

◇

“Remember despair,” Mordamode, the right-hand man of the Demon King, said. He also said it wasn’t enough.

“Despair, huh.”

“He was a joke, wasn’t he? He laughed in a theatrical way. He seemed like a second-year high school student. Maybe it doesn’t mean much.”

The next morning, we attended a meeting with King Kazuna, Elness, and the ministers.

When I told them about Mordamode’s words, Kousuke frowned, and Ayame dismissed them.

We were also reporting on yesterday’s events. I secretly asked Zaza if we shouldn’t be using a grand hall for such occasions, and he explained that the king values efficiency over formality. What a great boss...

What did he mean by “not enough”? In that context, it could mean our power as heroes was “not enough.” If remembering despair would make it sufficient, then it implies that remembering would make it sufficient.

But we are the enemies of the demons. Why would they deliberately tell us how to become stronger?

“Are all demons like that? Or was he an exception?”

If he was an exception, we wouldn’t know his true intentions. But if all demons are like that, we might be able to infer their meaning.

“I don’t know.”

The king answered bitterly, and Zaza added:

“We mainly fight against monsters and the demons who control them. However, we cannot communicate with those demons.”

“Is it a language barrier?”

“No, we don’t even know that. We don’t know if it’s a language barrier or if they simply don’t want to communicate. They don’t even seem to communicate with each other on the battlefield. According to records, communication is possible with high-ranking demons, like Mordamode, who is the Demon King’s right-hand man. However, there have been no records of contact with such high-ranking demons in over a hundred years. This was my first time speaking with a demon. We know almost nothing about their language, lifestyle, or culture.”

“But, haven’t you been fighting for a long time? Haven’t there been negotiations or even captives?”

“—No. They are too strong to capture alive.”

In response to Kousuke’s question, Zaza looked down regretfully and then turned to me.

“Kazuharu, this was your first battle, right?”

“Yes... I’m sorry. It was reckless.”

It was the same thing Shouta had reflected on. Acting on my own increased the risk of losing a teammate. I prided myself on being calm, but I had lost my cool.

At that moment, when I was being pinned down, Rei had attacked Mordamode and was deflected without even touching him.

“No, you may not realize it, but your attack, Kazuharu, would have been difficult for me to dodge. As for what happened to Rei, I still don’t understand how he was blown away like that.”

“Really? But in training, you and Kousuke were evenly matched. Sure, you two were working together, but...”

“In training, the heroes hold back. We teach Ayame and the others combat and techniques. Yukihiro, in particular, doesn’t need much, but he hasn’t fully mastered his own power. The training is to help the heroes fully utilize their abilities. We are just assisting. Past heroes have taken a considerable amount of time to fully control their abilities.”

When I looked at Kousuke and the others, they nodded awkwardly.

“Even with the abilities they had when they were summoned, we can’t match the heroes in one-on-one combat. But what about Mordamode? ——That’s the overwhelming difference between us and the demons.”

I recalled Mordamode’s movements from yesterday. Even while choking, he dodged gracefully. I couldn’t predict his next move. If he had wanted to, I would have been killed without even realizing it.

Why, with such a significant power gap, can they suddenly appear near the capital, beyond the front lines, yet the border remains intact? Why aren’t we losing? Why don’t the demons choose to ravage us?

Why do these people, who have powers we can’t even imagine, not force us to fight?

◇

Today’s training was scheduled for the afternoon, so we were casually having tea in the cafeteria. Zaza wasn’t there, and it felt unusual to have tea with just the heroes. Even so, the cafeteria was sparsely populated, as it was too early for lunch and too late for breakfast.

“Just now...”

While dropping three sugar cubes into her tea, Ayame casually mentioned:

“I asked Zaza what happens to the funeral of the person who died yesterday. He said there isn’t one. Of course, the family might, but there’s no official individual funeral.”

“Huh? Really? Is that because of the war?”

“Yes. It’s common, he said. There’s an annual memorial and consolation ceremony, and if you’d like, you can attend that.”

“...Is that how it works? I wonder how it was in Japan. But, we weren’t at war, so it would be different, right?”

Shouta and Ayame still seemed unsure how to process the reality that had become part of their daily life.

“Well, it’s because of the war. From what I’ve heard, there hasn’t been a time without war.”

“Right. It’s just a normal thing.”

Kousuke scratched his cheek and pointed to the counter.

“Shouta, look over there. There’s a silver cup, right?”

“Ah, yeah. It’s always there. Is it a ghost’s?”

“No, it’s for the sake offered to those who died in the line of duty. ——Everyone, when they eat or drink at night, tap their glasses against that cup like this.”

He tapped his tea cup against Shouta’s.

That sake is prepared by the head chef every morning and evening. He insists on doing it himself on non-holiday days.

“Huh. I didn’t know.”

“You guys don’t drink at night, so you might not notice. It might be normal or part of daily life, but I think the nuance is different from what we consider normal.”

Well, I can’t explain it very well, Kousuke said, finishing his tea and immediately refilling it.

“Thanks.”

“I would have given you candy if I had it.”

“There you go. The must-have candy of the aunt. Make some next time.”

I’ll think about it, I replied, and we tapped our cups together.