50 49. Three people going on different paths.txt (1/2)

At the same time as Hein-san disappears, Rustyala, who has regained consciousness, speaks up.

''Kudos .......'' --Christ!　Christ, safe!

Rustyala holds one arm and staggers over to me.

'You're safe. Calm down.

It was painful just to see Rustyala's arms bent in the wrong direction.

I restrained myself from forcing myself to walk with my hands.

''Ouch. ......!　Totally folded, this ......!　So, where's Hine?

I managed to turn him away.

Rustyala is relieved when he learns that he has fought off Hein-san. He then casts a recovery spell and begins to repair the broken bones in his arm.

'I see, thank goodness ....... Oh my god, why on earth would you ......

Rustyala is relieved to see that the crisis is over for now. But soon, he began to resent the devastation.

I don't even understand ....... Mr. Hein said all sorts of incomprehensible things and just ran away .......

'Nonsense?　What did they say to you?

I'm at a bit of a loss for an answer.

However, based on our past association, I decide it's no problem to answer and tell them what I was told.

First of all, I was told to leave the Allies if Mr. Hein won.

The reward for the duel is to get out of the country ......?

Rastiara raised an eyebrow at the content of the reward.

'After that, Rastiara said it was 'made up': ......

”...... I'm 'making it up'?　That's not surprising. It's too late now to understand why!

After healing his arm with his recovery magic, Rustyala scratched his head with his healed arm.

He unusually revealed his irritation.

''You admit that you're a 'fiction'?''

Rastiala doesn't seem to be uncomfortable with being described as 'made up'. I was curious about that, so I checked.

'I told you before. I told you before, this body was created as Saint Tiara herself. So it's only natural that it's 'made up'. I'm not denying that.

Rastiala says he is 'make-believe'.

However, I feel that there is a different nuance to the 'fiction' that Mr. Hain-san refers to.

I don't think that's what Mr. Hein meant by 'fiction'. It's more of a mental thing, not a physical thing. He said that thoughts and feelings are 'made up'.

”The spirit--?　Are thoughts and feelings 'made up'?　That's right, the people around me have a certain amount of influence on me, but no one does. I am who I am.

Yes, though: ......

Looking at Rustyala, who expressed himself in a firm tone, I couldn't believe that his spirit was 'made up'.

However, I can't ignore Hein-san's words, which appealed to me so desperately to that point. An unspeakable anxiety pooled at the bottom of my thoughts.

Then I tell them the sentence that stirred my anxiety the most in Hein-san's words.

''Also, he also said that if we don't do this, Rastiara will die: ......

I'm dying ......?

Rastiara hears the single word 'death' and gives him a look like he doesn't know what the word means.

''I'm pretty sure he said that,''

Dying ......?

After repeating the word ”death” twice, Rustyala turns his eyes to the ground. Then he murmurs as if to continue and get confirmation.

'Yes ....... Hein said that ......?'

Rustyala slowly turns his head towards me.

I can only give a short nod of my head.

Seeing that nod, a dark depth in Rustyala's eyes grows. The madness that has been ringing in the background lately is leaking out.

Rustyala mutters.

'Why, now ....... Just a little more (・・・・・・) and you'll be at ....... As typical as it is for Hain, it's .......'

He mumbles and puts his hand to his forehead and thinks about it.

Something's wrong with her.

It's strange to be able to stay calm after being told that you're going to die by someone else, but even so, Rastiara's behavior is strange. I've been told that I'm going to die without any evidence, and I've been thinking about it so much - it's as if I have some idea of what the evidence is.

In an attempt to ask the meaning of this, I approach Rustiala.

But before I can get close enough, Rustiala starts talking in a hurry.

''Oh, oh. I'm sorry, Christ....... I was just a little startled. It's nothing. No, it's just that Hein's guy is suddenly acting so weird.

Rustyala's face was back to normal as he began to speak.

The agitation was gone, and he was trying to pretend that his earlier long-windedness hadn't happened.

It's hard to judge.

Should I step into the situation between Hein-san and Rustyala here? Or should we take Lastiara's intentions into account and pretend we didn't see her now?

-- knowing that it will be an important decision, I'm not sure which one I should choose.

While I'm struggling for an answer, Rustyala continues to speak with a cheerful look on her face.

'Anyway, the problem is that Hine's idiot didn't choose his means. We need to go back to the Hoosiers for a moment and talk about Hine's outburst: ......

While saying that, Rastiara approaches the door of the magic 《Connection》. By the looks of it, she seems to have given up on today's exploration.

''Shall I follow you to Hoozeyards too?

No, it's fine. It's a family matter. More importantly, I'm sorry. Dueling ......, it was supposed to be a sideshow (...) ......

Rastiala refrained from accompanying me because of his relatives.

However, I am still uneasy about our separate activities here.

I don't know what would happen if we were to be attacked by Hain-san again during this separate trip. It is doubtful whether Rastiara will be able to handle another attack by Hein-san.

I'm not going to have a problem with it. It's hard to receive a surprise attack due to the nature of magic. Earlier, if Rastiara wasn't there, I could have escaped by myself. The reason why I went to the trouble of dealing with them is because I was uncomfortable with leaving the unconscious Rustyala behind.

I can't forget Hein-san's look of compassion when he said, ”Even if I have to cut off your legs--”.

I can't help but worry about Rastiara.

''Rastiara. It would be dangerous if Mr. Hine came again, so you'd better act fast...

'No, I was just distracted by the fact that I thought it was my people earlier. Essentially, I'm overwhelmed. It's obvious from the status, right?

Rastiara says it's no problem and makes me check my status.

Indeed, if you look at the status alone, it's an overwhelming victory.

Most of the numbers are surpassed and there is a huge difference in skills. The only thing that's lagging behind is skill. If you fight normally, Rastiara must have won.