Volume 3 Chapter 2 (2/2)

”I only need a moment I'll come back inside the barrier soon”

”This barrier was clumsily made, as Sir Ilfai pointed out The only reason it's still effective despite being inco it Because it's so incoht collapse from the recoil if you leave”

The Rittei looked down like he was in pain and pressed his fingers strongly against his brow He continued,

”as I aht now, I don't have the power to construct another barrier that can protect this many people”

I see……they'd only just been resurrected They probably weren't in the best shape

”Sir Ilfai is one of the Senior Grand Tutors of the sorcerers But…”

”A spell h to erect a barrier strong enough to hold everyone inside You'd need to supplement it with ritual tools”

Ilfai ruffled up his already unkempt hair even further with his hands as he added to the Rittei's explanation

”……Hey, Rittei, can you tell that I have a holy aura?”

”Yes”

Was that hoorked? People withlike a holy aura after ic the circle worked and the divine sword awakened andto the powers I'd received from Silvai and Olin?

”Then take my hand”

”Your hand?”

”Yeah I'll only take one step outside the barrier while still holding hands with you Would that work?”

Eruas I put even just a part of my body outside of the barrier

”It's likely possible”

The Rittei carefully and hesitantly acknowledged that it was possible And so, I proht that seeonal lines floating on the floor with the Rittei and took a step outside without letting go of his hand As I did, I also pushed open the door to the room with the sheathed divine sword

The color of darkness abruptly rushed in around me I heard the cries of the Reims from somewhere far away

”Cos done when I really put otten to speaking terms with the divine sword

Eru was clever, so I was sure that our hearts would connect

I hope my voice reaches him My aura and prayers too

”Eru, I'm over here!”

——The pillar of fire

”Huh?”

I heard the divine sword speak It was being pretty curt, but it was probably trying to tellimportant, I think

——The sacred beast probably saw the pillar of fire you burned us with, Master, and drew nearer

Apparently, the pillar of fire had acted like an enal to tell Eru where I was

It put a lot of euess it was still angry about that

Sorry, I'll apologize properly later I'll polish your sheath clean too

——Hmph…… Its presence is too far away Master, why don't you try shedding your blood?

There was so much sarcasm in its voice It felt like it had proposed this not out of kindness, but because it wanted to see onize in worry

But, the proposal itself wasn't a lie?

”I wonder if blood has a really strong aura”

I had to try anything I could I made up er in s

O! I screa on the tip of er out The Rittei, as standing at the very edge of the barrier, was taken aback by my actions

H, how's this?

——How simple you are

I heard someone sound really exasperated just now!

”Don't tellyour pardon? Harassing?”

”It, it's nothing”

I raised rew anxious

”Eru, I'm over here”

I really want to see you And just when I offered up this prayer…

”Hibiki”

I suddenly felt like someone had called my name

The divine sword's voice sounded like bubbles frothing up fro intostar, as strange as it ht sound

”Eru?”

I whispered as I blinked

Then, a giant luh the door——and, just as I'd processed this, ca into me I didn't even have the time to brace myself

”Whoa!”

The people inside the barrier looked atlu lean against me

”You're heavy……and besides, you just crashed into my chest……!”

A desperate coo responded back I found the gap between his lovely, kitten-like behavior and his fierce and scary appearance pretty funny

”Eru!”

The luainst my chest like its life depended on it I'm really happy, and you're really cute, and of course, I really wanted to see you, but I alo of the Rittei's hand just now, you know, Eru? I so over, but I felt like my spine would break from the impact of Eru's crash

”You were okay!”

It's really Eru! Thank goodness it doesn't look like he's hurt or anything……, yeah, I know that pushi+ng his head intooverth I' pushed backward here

Oh, I'm already mostly back inside the barrier!

”Wait, there's a barrier here!”

Eru stopped snuggling up tohis tail so energetically that I was afraid it ht rip off

”Rittei, this is the friend I was talking about His na that I'd do so, only to be taken aback instead

The Rittei had frozen up with the blood drained fro at Eru like they were beingup battle positions

No, wait, Eru's not a ht look scarier than your usual wild beast!

”He's a sacred beast Relax He's not dangerous”

nobody believed ht now because he was covered in a strangely colored liquid I only realized with a start when I tried to wipe the gross liquid off his fur

Are these Rei Rei that I hadn't questioned even once all this tiht that if Eru was on his way here, then Louie would naturally be co with hiency

”——Where is Louie?”

Eru quickly dropped his tail and looked dispirited

I felt the blood drain froht now——?

Anyway, I had Eru enter the barrier for starters I had the Rittei touch him

The people inside the barrier looked at Eru, dyed in the bodily fluids, with fear in their eyes and fell back to the ithout ever drawing closer Only Ilfai regained his composure and observed Eru with his curiosity piqued Well, Eru was one thing, but he also looked e tied on Eru's back

I had to probably explain to these people about Eru and myself, as well as all of our other circu problem I had to address first

So will be okay as long as I see Eru again” because I'd believed that Louie and Eru would be together I'd never thought even inlike this could happen

”You weren't with Louie, Eru?”

I asked in a whisper

A fear that was of a different variety from what I'd felt up until noled upleft behind so est concern should be how he'll survive the night alone——”

Eru looked to ht in his eyes as I spaced out It felt like he was trying to convey an apology through his eyes or so the ground Like he was panicking

I was perplexed Is he trying to tell ?

”Do you knohere Louie is?”

Eru nodded vigorously and et on I was pretty sure he understood what I was saying And that he was telling et on because he did

”You know!?”

Does that ether for a while?

Going off of that assumption——why did Eru come here alone? He knew that Louie was important to me, so I doubt that he had left Louie behind just to be mean

Then, did that erous that he had to co Louie behind?

Eru was extremely shy He wouldn't act on Louie's behalf unless the situation was really urgent……like that time at Urs

I looked back at Eru's round eyes for a short while I decided what I had to do and quickly clio,”

I said as I turned to the Rittei and the others from Eru's back

”What do you itation colored his voice

”There's soave to Eru, as dirty with the bodily fluids He quickly looked away to empty space

”……Hold on a sec What'll happen to the barrier?”

one of the men whom I resurrected on our way to the hidden room cut in with a tremble in his voice After he broke the ice, another man's face tensed up as he asked,

”wont the barrier break if you leave?”

I stopped breathing for ato hurry, and aze

They probably didn't really believe that I was their ally

They were si onto the Rittei's, who had deterht I was creepy if they had to be honest

”I'll ith the Rittei when I leave so that it doesn't”

”Even if it doesn't break, didn't he say that it wouldn't last for long without your aura?”

The man who's spoken first looked around at everyone as he shouted I could tell that his anxiety was beginning to spread to the others

”Even so, I still have to go,”

I replied quietly My aura, which I still couldn't fully co the siave out without warning if I wasn't here

If it did, there'd be nothing left to deceive the Reims' and monsters' eyes

”Hey, how are we supposed to protect ourselves?”

This er ……Should I stay here, or…? I hesitated for a slight second before sealing away the conflict in o and look for Louie I won't let him be alone

Thethat I wasn't about to change my mind He raised his voice and, in a tone of censure, said,

”That's……you'd leave us behind in this temple surrounded by hting all by himself”

It was hard to leave them behind They were people of this world whom I'd finally resurrected—there was no way I'd want to leave thes between us, and I seriously wanted to stay with them

”Just for one person?”

”Yes”

I could understand why they were so nervous I wouldn't be able to help but blame me either, if I'd been in their shoes I'd be so afraid, so helpless, that I wouldn't have the co of anyone else's circu selfish There were times when anyone could become so terrified that they couldn't stand it

Not to mention that they had only just awoken and were probably ht now It was highly likely that he was in er than the people here

”I sympathize for your friend, but we havethat you'll sacrifice all of us just for one person? That's wrong!”

His words pierced deeply into my heart I couldn't express it well——but there seemed to be a very realistic force that I couldn't oppose hidden within them

”But I…”

”You need tocarefully at the situation first! We finally found a place where we can rest I'd like it if you didn't do anything that'd put us all in danger”

Earning everyone else's wordless approval, the man continued more forcefully,

”it's not that ant to twiddle our thuht be youryourself in danger too if you left the barrier just to help this one person, right? You'd only be sacrificing e your mind”

I couldn't find the words to refute hiuments were correct

My actions had the potential to cause everyone to suffer again Argh, I' sou to find Louie ht now

Just like the Rittei's before, theonly for his own safety, but for everyone's

The situation was so severe that we had to abandon the few even if itour hearts

”……I understand that But…”

I grit ht Louie beautiful eyes, his gentle tone of voice, and his warm smile all reflected in the back of my eyelids He was someone whose body and heart had been hurt so many times it was i for repose Could I really cast hi so hurried To the point where it felt like they were only wastingto stop me

”I vowed that I wouldn't leave him alone”

”——Don't tell aze with an arched eyebrohen I cut the man off and forcedly called out his naht be useful ritual tools in e that had been fastened on Eru's back on the floor without any hint of hesitation and swiftly checked through the that could supplement the barrier, but there are a few ritual tools that can be used to hinder monsters Oh, this……isn't this an ice cannon?4 I've used one quite often in the past It's a tool used to keeptoo close Wow, and there's all-water too This is good stuff,”

Ilfai mutter quickly to himself as he laid out each and every ritual tool on the floor

These ritual tools were things that Louie and I had carried out from the merchant's house that we'd visited on our way to Lavann I didn't kno to use them, but Louie had picked them out so most of them were probably pretty valuable

”But the barrier will collapse quickly even if you give us these ritual tools Then there's no point”

I turned to theto stop me I put my decision to words even as I felt so tense and pained that I felt like I'd start quivering all over

”I' I'll return as soon as I find him”

”How selfish of you……, then what about those of us that you're leaving behind!”

”He's —Louie's— someone who's saved me multiple ti to this world”

Ilfai, who had been cheerfully exa the ritual tools, looked up and narrowed his eyes and he turned to me

”Louie's also the only person who survived in this kingdom called Gallè That doed to survive It had been devastated and had gone insane, but the kingdom was still able to draw tiny, tiny breaths of life

”Saving hi”

I was in such a hurry that I didn't even knohat I was saying anyo to hi wild

”Louie……, are you referring to the Moon General?”

”Moon General?”

The person who'd asked was the man who had swords for ar a stubble, but he looked fairly young

What was he talking about? I wasn't faht with ether”

The stubbledback pain when I answered

”So he was alive……”

A hot clump of joy and surprise rose up my throat This person knows Louie There's a connection within the few people I'd resurrected

Wasn't the chance of that happening basically miraculous?

”Does he still yet live?”

The stubbled man took one step toward me ——He's alive, that's what I believe

”I won't let hiet Louie's life back even if he throws it away himself”

His shtened out his expression again, then he kissed his own fingers and placed his hand at his chest It felt as though he'd entrustedprecious And so, I was filled with a feeling of sole Louie looked to him in surprise and disappointment

I took my eyes off of them and focused myself for a breath Then, I looked up and reached out to Ilfai and the Rittei

”Ilfai, Rittei”

The Rittei straightened out his posture and looked up at o of the ritual tools in his hands and stood up to turn to me

”I'll definitely return here without fail So, please maintain the barrier until I do”

They stared deep into me I added to my words and offered up a prayer

”Protect the people of your kingdo, but ultile word

”I know you can do this You can protect them”

My words were directly more at myself than at them

”I believe in you Hope isn't lost yet You and ht”

Ilfai smiled wryly and took one of my hands

The Rittei, too, seeers in my other hand

I squeezed their hands in mine

”It'll be okay We won't die”

I'm sure Louie's still okay too—I'll ain and again no matter how many ti,” again whenever I woke up I'd greet him with all my heart every day It was another reason why I had to pull hih this darkness without letting ers out of my hand and turned to the people

”Listen to reat calaed the world The people lost their hearts, and the kingdom was thrown into the darkness of chaos We were controlled by our wasted hearts of bewilder was eventually colored by despair I, too, am one of the powerless people allowed by the darkness, unable to save this kingdom But I won't repeat the same mistake twice”

He spoke as if to carve each and every word into everyone's hearts He continued,

”——the kingdom is in a state of distress and exhaustion even now But this is exactly e ether I a the countless trials that are to come There will probably be times when our hearts and bodies are crushed and destroyed But we must never turn away Our hands exist not to cover our eyes, but to light the path before those eep Let us shi+ne together So that no one —not those ith us, not those alk behind us, and nor those who trip and fall— will be left behind”

We will take hold of the torch of this oath and protect it together, the Rittei said He continued, and so, I ask that everyone protects those who are reflected in your eyes So that they, too, can protect you in turn

Dilcarette silently bent her knee

The other people, too, looked to the people sitting around them as if they'd finally returned to their senses And then, they all firmly took each other's hands

The Rittei turned back around and, albeit aardly, so, Holy One Please grant salvation to one froood as mine The kanji used for the boy's title are 率 (ritsu), e” and 帝 (tei), , the novels don't expound on what exactly his role in the tenificantthe voluure…and that's about it My guess is that he's soe He doesn't seem to have any connection with the royal fa If anyone has a better translation, I'ihouten) is not an actual word It's composed of the characters, 演 (en) ”perfori) ”ceremony, rule, affair, case, matter”, 泡 (hou) ”bubbles, foa ephemeral)”, and 典 (ten) ”code, cere to Hibiki, however, it is a griic' connotations the word choice implies, it is later stated in the book that sorcery in the world of Evelier involves su theuess is as good as”rate, ratio, proportion, percentage” and 使 (shi+) ”ic in this world seems to be both formulaic and divine in nature The 率 in both Rittei and Ritsushi+ and the 使 in Ritsushi+ (this is the sael”) are likely meant to reflect this

↑ Composed of the characters 氷 (hyou) ”ice” and 筒 (tou) ”pipe, tube, cylinder, gun barrel, cannon”

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