Hello! New chapter is here! Please enjoy~
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Sylvie's POV
What's wrong with him? To be so frightened, why?
Hiiragi seemed to be very scared of something. This was very much unlike his usual demeanor. I could feel his cold hand on mine as he held it. His eyes which I had uncovered from his hair were shaking as they stared into mine.
I found this to be strange since he was not one who would be frightened by anything.
"Hiiragi?"
I called out to him, trying to figure out what was he thinking. His scared face never changed.
".....–go."
"Hmm?"
He muttered something in a quiet voice. I couldn't hear his words at all. Therefore, I tried to urge him to talk once again.
"Hiiragi, what's wrong?"
"Don't....go."
He was practically begging me with that voice. He spoke with such a weak voice that I thought he was not like his usual self. Although I was confused, I still tried to talk to him.
"I won't go anywhere. I just want to ask Roana for some medicines."
His hand still did not let go of mine.
"Please....don't go....don't leave me alone..."
"Hiiragi...?"
As the words left his mouth, his eyes began to pool up tears. Then, without any warning, the tears rolled down his cheeks as his eyes were looking at me as if begging me to stay.
"Hey, are you okay?"
I was surprised to say the least. It was the first time he cried ever since we met. I had never thought he would cry since he struck me as someone who would not cry at all.
I crouched down to his level and stared deep into his eyes which were letting out tears. For someone who was sensitive to negative feelings like me, I could see the deep loneliness, helplessness and insecurities in his eyes. All of that made him seemed to weak despite his overwhelming strength. It made his dominating power seemed like a lie.
"I can't struggle anymore....why, why do I have to do this all alone?"
"Hiiragi..."
I muttered out his name in reluctance. I didn't know what to say at this moment.
"I don't have the strength to protect her alone....just why...why is it so hard..? Why do you have to leave us...? Mom, dad.....I can't do this...."
Hearing his words, now I realized. The truth behind the powerful magician.
Kuro Hiiragi. He was a boy. A normal boy who possessed an abnormal power. He was desperate to protect his younger sister, his only family left. Forced to mature in his early age, he single-mindedly moved forward, leaving his growth to make sure his only family able to grow without being concerned of everything.
His mind was strong yet so frail. Slowly crumbling away, he forced himself to be strong for her sake but failed to keep up with his own body. He actually was wishing for the warmth of his parents, the protection and happiness of being with them but never be able to. The death of his parents made him grew twisted, teen in the body yet child in the mind and adult in the thought.
In the end, he was just a boy who was forced to realized the reality of death in his young age. Pushed by responsibilities, possibilities and dangers. Slowly nearing the edge and on verge of falling yet stood strong on the crumbling ground.
"Hiiragi...."
I was stupid. How could I not realize this? He and I were similar, but not the same. For me, I had lost my mother but still had my father to turn to but he, not only he had neither of them, he was the one who was turned to by his younger sister. He was the one who would shoulder the burden of his sister.
Yet, I could only depend on him all along without realizing all his feelings. Sure, he could carry all the heavy responsibilities but for how long? A week? A month? A year? Or maybe just one day?
Some might think that they could do it just fine but how many could actually realize it?
Thinking back, all I had ever done was leaving all the important works to him while I only did a few minor works.
Why, why did I not notice his exhaustion...?
".....yet, why? Why couldn't I do better? Why couldn't I just endure a bit more? .....just..... why couldn't I be strong for once? Why doesn't the world be easy on me? Was I too bad? Am I too ungrateful? Why—"
I did not let him continue. I embraced him tightly in my arms. His head was on my chest but I didn't feel embarrassed or uncomfortable since I decided to give him some warmth. At least, even if I couldn't ease his burden a little, I could let him know that he was not alone. There was still someone who would be with him. It did not have to be me. Maybe it could be Myu. It could be Sylvia. Or it could be someone I didn't know at all.
Hiiragi was not able to say a thing. His breathing had now calmed down a little. However, his tears had not stopped at all. There was still a little bit sobbing.
"Hiiragi...you've done well. It doesn't matter if you couldn't struggle anymore. It doesn't matter if you fail. It doesn't matter if you fall. It's okay to be weak. It's fine not to have the strength to protect. Because you don't actually have to do everything. You don't have to protect everything. Because, maybe they do not really need your protection. Because they can protect themselves just fine. Therefore, you don't have to force yourself to be strong. You don't have to force yourself to struggle. The world may be against you, but I'll always be with you, supporting you from the back. In the end, all that matters is how you stand against the world."
I eased up my embrace to let him have some spaces for himself but I did not let him go. I was afraid if I let him go, he would simply break again.
"You're plenty strong enough. You're not ungrateful at all. You appreciate and grateful for all your blessings. You've done a very good job all this time. You're not doing this all alone. If you can't do it all alone, then don't do it alone. You have me, Myu and your friends. Depend on them a bit more. It is hard to continue living, but it doesn't mean it is impossible to live. I'm here. I'll never leave you alone. No matter what you become, no matter what happens, I will never let you be alone. Be it the demon lord, the Spirit King or the gods, I'll always be there for you. That's why, don't cry anymore."
I had decided. No matter what happens, I would always stay with him. That was my promise to him. I would not let him break again. I would never let him be alone. It might be impossible to protect this promise forever, but as long as I could, I would protect it.
Without me noticing, Hiiragi had brought his arms behind me and hugged me back. His warmth could be felt faintly from the clothes he wore. Slowly, we fell on the bed together, in each others' arms, feeling the warmth of another. There was no indecent feelings. Simply just exchanging the warmth of one another.
I brushed his hair as I waited for him to fall asleep. He was like a child, yearning for his parents love and care. Patting his head gently for a while, I noticed that he was slowly falling asleep. His eyes were closing and then, he was sleeping soundly like a newborn baby.
I continued to brush his hair with my fingers a few times before feeling sleepy myself after a day's of hard work. Not long after that, I fell asleep without further ado.
Then, we just fell asleep in each other's arms, with the moon shining brightly in the dark of night.
I promise you, Hiiragi. Even if you come to hate yourself, I'll make sure you'll never be alone.
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The Heroes Journey
In the middle of their journey, Eiji and the group of heroes were currently resting near the forest where a group of monsters were lurking. They were stopping there because of the danger of continuing their journey.
"If we moved through the forest, the possibility of being ambushed by the monsters is very high and it is possible for us to lose a part of our forces but it is possible for us to shorten the time we need to reach the nearby country. On the other hand, if we used the main road, the time we will spend would increased further but it is certainly safer than the previous choice even if there is no telling if the bandits will attack us or not. Considering our current rations and forces, I will vote for using the main road."
The man with spectacles spoke of his opinion with confidence. He was one of the strategist in the kingdom of Griatim. Hearing his opinion, the first princess of Griatim, Catherina asked.
"Why do you think so?"
"To make it simple, if we go through the main road, we simply have to be cautious of the bandits. While humans may be more cunning than monsters, they could be easier to handle on the main road's geography rather than the monsters ambush in the forest which restrict our movement. Though, I could not possibly rule out the possibility of the danger of the bandits too."
The bespectacled man explained his reason while pushing up his glasses.
"Well, that's reasonable. Then, we'll be going through the main road. Is there any objection?"
No hands were up which signified the agreement of the whole group. Catherina saw this and spoke.
"Good. Then, rest for tonight. Tomorrow we'll move at noon!"
Ending the meeting, the group dispersed and they moved out of the tent, leaving only a few individuals standing.
They were Catherina, Grayson, Jea and Eiji who were the leaders of the entire group.
"So, how was it kiddo? Experiencing the atmosphere of a meeting. Although it might not be the same during a war, it was a good reference nonetheless, right?"
Grayson asked Eiji with a grin on his face. As a leader, Eiji was required to have some experiences of every single thing related to war to make sure he was prepared for it. Therefore, Grayson pulled him in during the meeting.
"Well, it did make a good reference for one thing."
Eiji curtly answered. He thought of the meeting just now. By using that as reference, he could guess how tense the meeting during a war would be. Deep inside his mind, he sighed listlessly.
"One more thing, my name is Eiji. Not kiddo."
Eiji sighed tiredly as he corrected Grayson for how many times had it been. Grayson only laughed out loud listening to his complain.
"Like I care, you're still a kid. That's why, I'll call you kiddo. If you want me to call your name, then achieve something worthy of it."
"Like what?"
"Hmm, maybe slay a devil or survive a battle against a dragon or something similar to that."
"What the heck!? You want me to die or what!?"
"What!? That's normal for hero like you, isn't it!?"
"It's a devil or a dragon, damnit! What do you think I am!? A god or something!?"
"You're a hero!"
"I know that!"
Returning to their usual banter, Grayson and Eiji had a smile on their faces as they fight. Catherina and Jea watched them with warm eyes since they looked like an uncle bantering with a child.
"They sure are close aren't they, Jea-san?"
"Yes, it was quite warming to see them be that close to each other."
"Looking at them, I'm curious of how your relationship with Haruto-kun goes."
"Hmm, I wonder..."
Jea had a wistful gaze as he stared into the space. He seemed to be hesitant in telling his feelings to Catherina.
"Is your relationship not good?"
"I would not say that, but the more I trained him, the more I see my late grandson inside him. I have begun to see him as my late grandson these days and I felt guilty for treating them as the same person. In addition, the guilt become worse as we're sending him to war like this..."
Jea spoke sorrowfully. He was an old man nearing his death. He had a grandson older than Haruto. His grandson was talented in swordsmanship and famous once upon a time. Yet, he fell in a war with demons when he was protecting the kingdom's territory during an attack.
Thinking of his late grandson's death, Jea was more than reluctant to let Haruto participate in a war. He did not want to lose someone who was similar to him.
"Is that so...."
Catherina did not know what to say when she noticed Jea's expression. She could not order Haruto to retreat since he was one of the heroes who were supposed to protect humanity. It was not like she could not understand Jea's feelings but as a royalty, she had the obligation to protect her country and must use everything she had to do so.
"Well, it's not like they will head straight to the demon lord and it's not certain that they will die. I can be at peace for that, at least."
Jea tried to release the solemn mood as he said lightly. In his mind, he thought.
If bad comes to worst, I will just sacrifice my old bones to protect them.
Jea was determined to protect the heroes at all cost. Catherina noticed the resolve in his eyes but said nothing since she did not know how she should calm him down.
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"Man, that was good! Thanks, Myu-chan! You're a good cook."
"No, it was nothing. I'm glad to be helpful."
Yukari thanked Miyuu for her cooking tonight. Ever since a few days before, Miyuu had been cooking meals for a part of the group which consisted of soldiers and heroes. She volunteered to cook even though the servant who was supposed to do the job refused but since she insisted on doing it, Catherina allowed her gladly and let her be. By doing so, the servant now had other job and the group's works had now became much better due to Miyuu's simple decision.
Due to that too, the soldiers had warmed up to Miyuu and majority of them who were males particularly, were attracted to Miyuu's cuteness and culinary skills. However, since she was protected by the royalty and the other heroes, they did not dare to be too close to her. As a result, Miyuu became a subject of worshipping like an idol or more like an angel to the soldiers. In addition to her superb culinary skills, her gentle and kind attitude made her more likeable.
Thanks to that, Miyuu now had a secret protector group among the soldiers.
"By the way, Myu-chan. Have you adapt yourself to the environment yet?"
Yukari asked Miyuu. As an older sister figure for Miyuu, she was concerned about Miyuu's wellbeing. Furthermore, since Hiiragi was not there, it was only more worrying for her about Miyuu.
Contrary to her worry, Miyuu answered energetically with a bright smile.
"Although I can't say I'm absolutely fine, I've come to be more than calm and happy to be here. While the soldiers might be a little scary, it seemed to me that they are not bad and they kind of treating me like a VIP."
"Myu-chan, you're a VIP you know?"
"Really?"
Miyuu was surprised when she heard that she was an important person. It was like she had never thought someone like her would be important.
Yukari scratched her head awkwardly as she thought of how dense his little sister figure could be.
"Well, nevermind that. I'm glad you could at least not rampage like before."
"That time was an accident! I didn't even remember much about it...."
Regarding the last time Miyuu rampaged, she did not remember most of it and could only remember Hiiragi calling out her name. Her mind had automatically sealed off any memory which could make her feel hurt.
"Okay, okay. That's enough. Let's get some sleep and rise up early tomorrow. We have a long way to go to arrive at our destination. Let's sleep together, Myu-chan!"
"Yu-onee-chan, I'm not a little girl anymore..."
"In my eyes, you will always be a little girl."
".....you said the same line as Hiira-nii."
In the end, Yukari and Miyuu went into the tent and got on the same bed together. Before Miyuu could sleep, Yukari asked something to Miyuu.
"Hey, Myu-chan. Just want to ask, what do you think of the decision of using the main road?"
"...is this about tomorrow's plan?"
"Yeah. Since you're Hiira-kun's younger sister, maybe you got some extraordinary intuition too."
"You thought too highly of me. Hiira-nii is just too out of the norm. Don't put me in the same place as him."
"Alright, alright....so, what do you think, no. How do you feel about this?"
Yukari changed her question. Rather than what Miyuu thought, she asked about her feelings. Miyuu was confused but she answered her honestly.
"Mm, somehow I feel that it is a wrong decision. It's not like the reason to choose the main road is wrong but I feel like something will happen if we choose to proceed through it....or so I feel...."
"Hmm, I see. Then, you think that going through the forest would be better, is it?"
"......"
"....you're asleep already. Well, that's fine. Good night, my little angel."
Yukari patted Miyuu's head like a little child lovingly as she slowly fell asleep beside her.
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?????? POV
Hahahaha, tomorrow will be their deaths.
How stupid are they, to think that a mere few heroes who weren't even adult yet could fight for them?
Whatever they were thinking,it did not change the fact that they will fall tomorrow.
"Hahahahahahahaha!!!"
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And, done! Thanks for reading. Please vote and comment!
Cyclone out! Peace~✓✌😄