Oswald?　What do we do? .....

Sabrina was asking Oswald for help, probably because she couldn't do anything on her own.
And Oswald was already chanting some kind of magic at the time.

A magic circle appeared in front of him, and a strange statue of some sort appeared from it.
Oswald took it in his hand and immediately ran to them as they lay there.

'Sir!　It's ... legendary! .....


Basic (Normal) level
Rarely available
National Treasure (History) Grade
Legendary (Legendary) class
Mythology level
Fantasy level


These are the value standards for equipment, magic tools, etc.
And the statue Oswald took out seems to be of the legendary class.
I've never seen a legend-level statue before.
What kind of thing is it?

That said, though, the "Serpent Sword Kyrgyzstan," which was Xiaon's beloved sword, has been endorsed by an appraiser as being of the Legendary (Legendary) level or even higher.

In the meantime, the Phantoms continue to stab the arms of the king and his guards single-mindedly.
But there is no blood.
The cuts, while visible to me, are superficially uneventful.

Stop!

Then, for some reason, the leader, Phantom, signaled the end.
I didn't give him any specific instructions, but...

Master?　I was hurting him a lot.　Maybe if we keep it up, they'll die, right?　What do you want to do?

Apparently, the Phantom was measuring the lethal dose of psychological damage.
That's what we call "The Gifted Child."

How's the leg?

I ask him just to be sure.

Do you think the place is no good, or maybe you just can't take the pain anymore?　You're going to die of shock.

I see.
I think these guys have run out of steam.

All right. That's enough for now.

The moment I said that, the lead phantom smiled and disappeared without warning.
The other phantoms followed suit and disappeared in turn.
Suddenly, it became lonely in front of my eyes.

I never thought that The Pain of the Grudge (Phantom Pain) was this kind of magic.
"You said that you can now see, but was it ever like that?
Have those guys ever been in front of me, just because I couldn't see them?
When you killed Aries, for example, like you're doing now...

Just then, Oswald began to put some magical power into the statue.
Then the statue began to glow and emit a green light.
It's as if the statue is a catalyst.
No, it must be such a tool in the first place.

The light poured down on them as they lay there.
Probably a magic with a healing effect.
Is it because they aren't healers?　
These guys need to go out of their way to use these tools to heal themselves...............................it's a masterpiece.

These guys usually mock healers as being the weakest of all, but when push comes to shove, they can't even treat themselves.
They can't do anything without the use of a large layer of magic tools.
And when they do use them, this is the extent of it. It's not very effective either.

Utterly, I don't know who is more incompetent.......

Just then, a medical team arrived with a thangka.
When and who had contacted them?
Did the people around you call it in?
Well, it doesn't matter either way.
It doesn't matter to me anymore.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!　Master?　What are you going to do about these guys?　Should I just kill him?

The old woman stops her hand and asks me to make a decision.

Honestly, I could kill them here, but I want to clear my suspicions anyway.
These two men are probably still suspicious of me.
And I'm sure there are people around who have been watching.
But I didn't do anything to them, especially not directly.
Of course, that means it's superficial, meaning the guys around me wouldn't see me as having done anything.
Above all, I never touched these guys.
So the testimony would have been enough to cover it.

And even if someone did testify before that....well, that's not the point.
We'll have to wait and see.
It's just too much trouble to kill again.

Forget it for now. Just come back to me.

All right. Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I'll call you back.　Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Then, with a word of farewell, the two old women disappeared immediately.

In the meantime, the healing was still going on, albeit in a thangka.
But by the looks of it, it would take quite a while.
Apparently, it's not much better than my healing.

"Take him to the infirmary at once!

Sabrina and Oswald, who changed their hue of blood, left with the medical team.

As they were leaving, I thought Oswald was glaring at me for a moment, but.......whatever.
If glaring at me helps, then glare at me. That's what I'm talking about.

Both Sabrina and Oswald will no doubt be suspicious of me.
Perhaps I'll be invited to join them at a later date it's just too much trouble.
The principal's office again.

"Nem, you're all right.

When I called out to him, Nem looked up, though he was still worried.

'I'll take care of the rest. Everything will be fine.

It's not going to happen right away.
Nem is strong, but he's still small.

"Nem, I need you to stay close to me for a while, okay?

Yes it is.

At least you're talking.

And the two of you?　When I'm in the middle of a fight, stay where I can see it.

Just in case. I'm not getting careless.

We're the only three people left on my side.
And I'm going to do everything in my power to protect them.
I have the magic. More powerful magic.
The rest depends on how you use it.

"Nit..... well, they're...

I want them dead. I'm not going to change my opinion.

So....

Toa still didn't seem convinced.

But it's my decision.
I don't understand what Toa has to say, but I can't admit it.

Next to her, Sufilia was looking at me as if she wanted to say something, but.......

Mr. Nito!

Just then, Francesca and Dolly, who had been nearby from earlier, came running over to us.

'What on earth happened?　Isn't that, as I recall, King Utopiya and King Pasquantin?!

He's a totally knowledgeable person.
He always knows everything about everything.

'It's like, isn't it?'

'It seems,' said... 'It seems to me that there was something between Nito-san and them? .....

Francesca asked, with a question mark in her eyes and her own speculation on the details of the situation.
Excellent insight. No, of course not.
Given the circumstances, I'm the first person to get suspicious.

'A misunderstanding, sir. By the way, what's going on with you two?　What brings you here?

I ask the two of them, diverting the conversation to make them feel as uncomfortable as possible.
Francesca then replied as she remembered.

'I saw your match, Nem, and I'd love to see you!　I was wondering if we could publish Nem's article in the next week's Demonic Newsletter...

Well, you're moving fast as ever.

'That was a brilliant match!　Regardless of Nito-san, I didn't expect you to be so strong, even Nem-san, your attendant!

Dolly was very impressed.

'I don't mind, but can't you give me a moment now?　Maybe it's because it's after the game, and Nem seems to be a little tired. So we'll have to wait a little longer for a final answer.

I'll have to ask Nem first.
More importantly, I want to reassure Nem first.
Is it because of the horrible words he said about his own people?
Nem's expression is dark.
Maybe we are all one with the beastmen, despite our differences in appearance, more than I realize.
Can I say that I have a strong sense of kindred spirit?

''Oh, I see.......I understand.

Francesca looked disappointed, but she understood.

Excuse me.

No, it's not a problem. It was rude of me to tell you to come right after the game. I was in too much of a hurry. So I'll give you a call tomorrow.

I give him another "Excuse me" and an affectionate smile.

Francesca would understand.
I'm sure she understands that I'm the main culprit in this situation.
But she doesn't ask me about it.
That's because I denied it right away.
I don't know how she understood it, but I'm sure she understood that this was not the right time to ask.
He is very tight-lipped.
I have a few questions, and I'll be honest with you later.

Then the two of them bailed lightly and walked away.

'You're under suspicion.

What are you going to do?

Toa asks anxiously.

'Not really?　There's nothing to it. Suspicion is suspicion. There is no proof. And even if the two kings could regain consciousness, there's nothing I could do about it since they don't know exactly what I've done with the magic. I haven't even sent out a magic circle, have I?　If the guys around you testify to something, it's just speculation. It won't prove anything. You deny it and that's it.

So....

Even when I say that, Toa's expression remains dark.
Apparently, he has other things on his mind.

'Do you care about that stupid king?'

Toa then asks to answer the question.

'Are you really ... going to kill them?　You don't have to kill me!

Yeah. I'll kill you.

....

But that's not the case now. And that's just the way it is now. I mean, unless things get better, I'm going to kill him. I don't like this situation with a couple of principals suspecting me of something. I don't like being under the thumb of a couple of principals. Most of all, I simply don't like being watched. When they recover, they're going to want to know for sure. The point is, it depends on the outcome.

I would suggest that I should kill him now, if that were possible?

Do you not like my comforting argument?
Sufilia had an unexpected expression on her face.

''Sufilia........''

'Toa?　Please don't bother Nito-sama any more. Nito-sama ... is concerned about your words and says this, right?　You know that, don't you?

....

Personally, I don't see the need to hesitate to kill troublesome people, but I am also aware of the Toa's views and of morality and ethics in general. But as I have said before, people are selfish creatures. The two kings are a perfect example of this. My father was one of them, so I understand. He treated other people's lives, especially the lives of beastmen, as if they were trash from the way he spoke. I could tell by looking at them. It's hard to imagine how many beastmen have been humiliated and then cruelly killed because of those two people's lives.

Sufilia has a good point.
That's why we need to kill them.
But I doubt that Sufiria cares about beastmen.
As she said, she "gets it," as she puts it.
That's not what I'm feeling.

"Those two deaths could save some lives.

I know ... but ...

That much is obvious to Toa.
The Toa simply does not want me to kill him.

But that's not going to happen.

"You used to be with Sierra, didn't you?　Sierra paid attention to me. So Toa didn't have to interrupt me in particular. But now he's gone. So you felt you had to tell him, didn't you?

I'm aware of the Toa's feelings.
You want me to be ... a good person.

"But you know what?　Heroes are ... just, you know, imaginary.

Yes but it's what it is.

"I'm not a hero. It's in my nature. It's just what people said at the time, that's all. There had just been an attack, and I think everyone was worried. You wanted to make someone a hero, to make them feel like it was all going to be okay and that it was going to be okay. That's really ... selfish, isn't it?　You took it upon yourself to turn me into a hero without asking for help. I was just protecting Toa and Sierra, and now...

Nito? .....

I'm disgusted.

Maybe I'm incompetent after all.
But I knew that from the beginning.
There's a choice between right and wrong.
That's ........not something that anyone can do.
It's not possible for everyone to become a hero.
I knew that from the beginning.
And I realized that once again.
I was talking to Toa like this, and somehow... now I realize.

'Toa? .....

Hmm? .....

But ... it's just the way I am.

What about me?　"I'm a coward.

What?

What about people?　We're all cowardly creatures in one way or another. I don't know if it's because we are physically weaker in some ways than others, but we are all cowards. But I don't want to admit it. And we all want to stand on top. They are afraid of being oppressed. That's why they oppress others before they do. I'm ... the same way.

'No!　Nito is not that kind of man! ... "Same thing...

I am ... a human being.
I'm a human being with a rotten heart.

That's why I'm not a hero....

....

What would the Toa think?

Will I be disillusioned?

But this is who I am.
This is who I am. And I'm not going to deny it.

"Heroes are the ones who are the strongest.　Not me, I can't do it. From the beginning.... Some of it felt good, but it got to be a little depressing. And even heroes have a twisted way of looking at things. In my mind, I despised it as the product of man's ugly desire to be saved and to feel safe. That's just the kind of guy I am.

I think that's fine. I think that's a good thing for me. It's the most unreasonable thing in the world for the person who has been handed the title. Some of you may think so. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

Sufilia would agree, I know that.
But the problem is the Toa.
What will the Toa think when they hear that?
I'm sure Toa would want me to be a hero.

'Well I'm asking too much of you, aren't I?　Everything.....

It's not that.

'That's not the point. I'm with you because it seemed to me that Toa and Nem and Sufilia could ask for it, and that's why I'm with you. I don't think there's anything wrong with asking for it. But there's only so much I can do. That's all I can do...

Then the area started to get noisy again.
Did people come to see the crowd?
It's after it's all over.

I still want to tell you, but....

Shall we go now?　I've got a dinner party to prepare for.

Better to get out of here before something else comes.
Another visit from a king like that will only lead to more bodies.
There are too many opponents and the place is too bad for us to get rid of them right now.

"Toa?　I don't need the Toa to be the same. I just want the Toa to be the same as they are. But that won't work out, will it?　But that's okay too. I don't mind either way. I don't think it's possible for me to stay the same forever, no matter what happens, and that's why I want the Toa to be who they are. That's why I'm going to be the Toa that I am. That's all there is to it. Isn't that what it's all about, don't you think?

Toa's expression was back a little more than it had been at first.
But it was never a sunny one.
Still, you don't want me to kill as much as possible.
I can see it in his eyes.
When I stare into his eyes, I can feel the thought in them.

Tor.....


And then I'm going to kill you.


I won't let you sully my world.


He who dishonors it, I shall kill.


There won't be any regrets.



Because that is what....



--It's my path, and I believed in it.