“It’s obvious Seft hasn’t given up on his goal. He probably infiltrated Kaas’s body to contact the humans of the Hero Church, maybe even tried to contact Redonis imprisoned in the underground dungeon. Or he tried to contact other heroes to swap bodies. So the church thought, if that’s the case, why not bait him out?”
Bait. It was immediately clear what it meant.
“Powerful heroes and Redonis, it’s a perfect opportunity for his purpose. To steal a new body, he needs to manifest consciousness. He’ll definitely show himself… once he moves to a new vessel, I’ll restrain him.”
“But what if he just moves again after being restrained?”
“If he changes bodies, he won’t be able to use the power of [Thief]. In that state, I can extract his thoughts. Ah, I don’t want to think about it, but even if the heroes can’t stop him and perish before then–it’s a necessary sacrifice.”
“…I don’t think Lucas will easily lose.”
“Lucas is involved in his plan. After the summoning order, information was received that he had contact with Kaas after showing his face.”
“Lies. There’s no way…”
When he handed over the ceremonial sword, he asked when Henry would awaken.
He gave an unkind response, “Thank you.”
Was that all… a lie?
“He will definitely execute his plan. At that time, we’ll need pawns to interfere–pawns that can die.”
“So you’re sacrificing Letty?”
“Yes. But, there’s no need to mourn–“
Before I realized it, my right hand was tightening Norman’s collar.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“What are you angry about? Letinoa can fulfill her role as a tool.”
“She’s human.”
“Human? She’s created as the vessel of the hero. Even if she has self-awareness, she’s not human. A pen is for writing, and a shield is for protecting oneself. They can never be human.”
Norman spoke dispassionately.
No, that’s wrong. There are memories, there was time spent. No matter what anyone says, she’s not just a tool.
I shoved him roughly. Norman, sitting on the ground, stood up calmly. I should have strangled him enough to lift his body into the air. Yet he didn’t even gasp for breath, and his eerie appearance made me shudder.
“And there’s no need to mourn. She only has a few days left to live. Isn’t it for her sake to contribute to justice?”
“…What?”
What is he saying?
“She can probably live for a few more years… I guess.”
“Oh, didn’t you hear from her? I thought you had settled your last farewell–“
The worst imaginations floated in my mind.
“Late at night the other day, I performed her examination. It seems that the stress on her power was greater than expected, and her physical limits were nearing. As a result, her calculated remaining life span is–“
That can’t be. There’s no way–
“Only ‘a few days left.’ If she continues to use the hero’s power, she’ll have only a few more hours.”
–[I want you to pat my head!]
Before the transfer, Letty made a childish request.
But I thought she was just being selfish, just saying it on a whim.
Because she’d been inviting me to the party countless times, I never questioned it. I couldn’t.
Finally understanding her true intention, my vision darkened, and my chest tightened.
That’s right, that’s what it was. Letty asked me to–
“To pat her head,” she said. She never said anything like that before.
Suddenly, there was a rumble.
Intermittent low-frequency vibrations. I nearly fell over from the intense shaking, but I managed to steady myself.
…What’s going on? What happened?
I use magic to search for the source of the tremors. The response is coming from the depths of the lowest floor.
“It seems to have begun.”
At the same time as Norman’s voice, I step forward and start running with momentum.
My heart was pounding loudly in my ears. A sense of foreboding swirled in my chest. With each step forward, my anxiety grew, uncontainable.
Why–
I use all the strength I have to run towards the lowest floor. Even with my reinforced body, I couldn’t withstand the excessive burden, and my entire body screamed in agony. It didn’t matter, even if my legs were torn off, it didn’t matter.
There was only one question in my head.
Why–why didn’t you tell me something so important?
Right now, I just wanted to ask that one question.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
In her dream, Letinoa was recalling memories from the past.
“And so, the heroes who defeated the Demon King lived happily ever after in a peaceful world. The end.”
The woman closed the picture book she had been reading aloud and asked, “Did you like it?”
Sitting quietly on her knee, her eyes sparkling, the girl nodded vigorously.
“Really? I’m glad. …Oh, it came off. Just stay still for a moment.”
Perhaps because the girl had shaken her head vigorously, the hairpin she had been wearing came loose and fell off. The woman picked up the fallen hairpin and gently reattached it to the girl’s head.
The girl—Letinoa—felt happy and hugged her sister’s belly tightly. Her sister’s silky hair tickled her cheek a little.
They both had the same peach-colored hair. It made Letinoa feel happy, and she tightened her hug.
Her sister accepted her with kindness and gently stroked Letinoa’s head.
Letinoa loved her sister—Elenoa—very much.
She was very kind, very smart, and the oldest and strongest sister she could be proud of.
In contrast, she was no good. She couldn’t study, she was slow at running. In the game of tag with her siblings, she always got caught quickly and ended up being the only one playing the demon.
Today, she was last again in combat training with her siblings. Letinoa tried her best, but she knew she was weak. Her body was small and weak, her sword skills were clumsy, and she couldn’t use magic. She was always getting beaten up and crying.
So, she wasn’t good at fighting. She didn’t like pain, and most of all, she was scared. It was much more fun to read picture books and play with her sister.
But—by doing that, she couldn’t become a great hero. All the other siblings in this place—the facility—were all striving to become heroes. Letinoa knew she had to change, but the situation didn’t change easily.
She snuggled up to her sister’s body again, as if seeking comfort. Her beloved sister hugged her back gently.
“I’m home!”
Bang! The nearby door suddenly opened, and the noisy voice echoed in the room.
It was a boy about twelve years old. With peach-colored hair. Her older brother—Leornoa.
He was carrying a sword as tall as him, and his upper body was just a shirt. His pants were dirty with dirt, as if he had been moving around outside until just now.
“Be quiet, I’m studying.”
The girl who protested against the noisy boy was sitting at a desk in the corner of the room, studying. She was about the same age as the boy—Annienoa.
With a sigh, she pushed her peach-colored hair up. In her right hand was a pen, and on the desk were several magic books spread out. The notes were filled with magic formulas that Letinoa couldn’t understand at all.
“Shut up. Even if you learn magic, you won’t get stronger. The era is about swords!”
“Can’t a sword idiot who can’t use any magic stop talking to me?”
“What!? even though You’re bad at swords! Idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot! Idiot!”
“Are you asking to be killed?”
“You idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot!”
“kill. I’ll definitely kill you today.”
Leornoa circled around Annienoa with a strange face, teasing her. Annienoa, trembling with anger, started chanting with her wand in her hand.
Elenoa stepped in between them.
“Welcome back, Leor. Annie, stop it too. Both of you, stop fighting.”
“But, Ele sis! This idiot mocked my sword!”
“And didn’t you mock my magic? Don’t you have ears?”
“I don’t have any ears to hear the words of a lower-level scrub during combat!”
“My overall score is higher than yours, though? And I beat you a couple of weeks ago!”
“Just one win, right? Besides, it was almost a tie, and I was clearly winning in terms of content!”
Despite the mediation, the two only heated up further.
The argument didn’t end, each holding their prey, and the atmosphere became tense–
“No fighting, remember?”
Grabbing the heads of the two, Elenoa muttered.
Instantly, the two seemed to realize it and began to tremble.
“E-Ele sis…”
“Why can’t you two get along? It’s okay to argue, but I’ve told you many times not to use weapons—it’s time for punishment.”
“S-Sorry!”
Unable to withstand the release of pressure, the two fell to their knees and bowed deeply. “Then get along, okay?” Elenoa smiled gently. Cold sweat flowed down the foreheads of the two.
Elenoa coughed lightly.
“Swords and magic, you can’t decide which is superior. Leor and Annie both have their strengths and weaknesses, don’t they? Just because someone can’t do something better than you doesn’t mean you should mock them.”
“But I see that you are both trying your best…” Elenoa gently stroked the heads of the two.
The two looked embarrassed, but couldn’t hide their happiness. Despite always fighting with each other, they both loved Elenoa.
Letinoa pouted as she watched,
feeling jealous of having her sister taken away, but mostly because of herself.
She doesn’t have Leornoa’s sword skills or Annienoa’s magic.
Still, she’s five years younger than them, so Elenoa had told her, but it’s still frustrating.
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