11
The blonde girl ran, a desperate look on her face, ignoring all calls to stop.
“Eh, Petra-chan!?”
I could practically feel her shock at seeing Al-chi’s sudden change.
Petra-chan must hate the idea of Al-chi changing for the worse.
I get it. It’s completely natural. If you saw your precious friend fighting in such a self-destructive way, of course you’d try to stop them. …But I know the truth. This side of Al-chi… it’s something he’s always had. He’s not changing; he was always possessed by this madness.
I didn’t think it would come out this early, but… his rough, emotional side is pretty much what I expected.
Though, the Al-chi right now seems far stronger and possessed by a much deeper darkness than I anticipated.
“This is bad. If we handle this wrong, it could cause a secondary disaster.”
As I worried about that possibility, I surveyed the situation. I couldn’t just run out there like Petra-chan.
“What to do, what to do…”
Even if we stop his rampage, it’ll just happen again. It’s impossible for us to completely calm the raging ‘Demon King.’ Still, I can’t just stand by and watch this disaster.
“…Well. Guess I’ll go, too.”
I stroked my dragon’s neck and pulled the reins tight.
“Okay, let’s go, Pochi! We’re off to save the hero in a pinch!”
“Grrrl!”
“Though… I’m not exactly the heroine, am I?”
My beloved dragon flexed its scales, harder than steel, and snorted, digging its sharp claws into the ground.
“GYEEEEEEEEEH!!”
“Ahaha! That screech of yours really rings in my ears!”
Covering one ear, I urged Pochi to chase after the girl running ahead.
“Now then. Petra-chan’s just going to charge straight in, but where should I make my move? Al-chi’s dangerous to even get near when he’s like this, and I don’t know how to snap him out of it… Should I charge in with Petra-chan? No, no, we’d probably get turned into mincemeat along with the bandits. Trying to circle around seems tough, too; we’d just get surrounded. In this situation, the best bet is probably to hang back and provide support to wipe them out. But Al-chi’s moving like a monster, so clumsy interference could just make things worse.”
If I jump in carelessly, I’ll end up dying a pathetic death, just like that time.
“…Besides, when I get worked up, I just turn into a cheap copy of Al-chi myself.”
“Krrrl?”
“Hm? Are you worried about me, Pochi? Aww, my baby is just the cutest!”
I gave Pochi a massive hug for his worried cry, then took a deep breath.
“It’s okay. I won’t die a stupid death this time. I’ll protect you, Pochi, and I’m going to watch over Al-chi and the others, too.”
“Gugyu?”
“…So yeah. In times like this, it’s best not to overthink it. Let’s just do what we always do!”
My role has always been to be the loud, energetic one. Anything more than that is outside my jurisdiction, and I don’t feel like I could do it anyway.
Because, in this world, there’s only one person who can truly save him.
“First, I’ll calmly regroup with General Ritziareite. And after that… we’ll just kick some ass!”
Even knowing full well who the real savior is… I put on my usual mask of the ignorant, air-headed Mia and prepared for a reckless charge.
We’ll definitely stop your rampage, Al-chi.
Because this time, at least, this is something only we can do.
12
I raised my sword again to crush the remaining bandits, ready to continue the one-sided slaughter—but that’s when I sensed a faint magic presence from behind.
“Aldia, move! I’ll incinerate all of those grunts swarming you!”
“—!”
I was on the verge of letting my consciousness fall into a dark abyss. But the voice of my reliable comrade, ringing in my ears like a slap to wake me from my stupor, shattered my self-absorbed thoughts.
“P-Petra…”
It’s not that I’d forgotten.
I knew I had comrades I could rely on.
I knew I wasn’t alone.
I thought I understood that this world wasn’t the broken, twisted hell it used to be.
“…Sorry.”
But the weak part of me was afraid. I was so terrified of getting the people I care about involved, of losing them, that I’d become frantic, trying to solve everything myself.
…As if I could ever do it all alone.
The flames from her magic spread wide, creating a wall that cut me off from the bandits.
After a brief exchange with Ritziareite, Petra ran straight toward me. And then…
“Idiot! You’re way too reckless! You never think!”
…her fist lightly thumped my back.
“My bad. When I get caught up, I lose sight of everything else.”
“I know that.”
As if she understood, Petra’s eyes were glistening slightly.
“Don’t make me worry about you.”
“I… lack self-control. Sorry.”
At that, Petra just snorted “Hmph” and, as if nothing had happened, turned her glare back to the bandits on the other side of the fire.
“Petra-chan! How are you faster than my dragon? That makes no sense!”
A little later, Mia arrived on her dragon.
“Isn’t your dragon just slow?”
“P-Pochi is fast!”
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”
“Hmph!”
Petra cracked a small smile at Mia, who was pouting.
Before I knew it, the raging, chaotic emotions inside me had vanished.
The blood that clung to my hands was still there, but even as I stared at the crimson, I could maintain my reason. The two of them had brought me back to my senses.
From here on, I won’t fight alone. If they’re looking at me like I should rely on them, then I will.
“Petra, Mia. We’re wiping out the rest of these bandits. Can I count on your support?”
At my words, the two of them looked at each other, and then smiled.
“Hah. What are you even asking?”
“Jeez, Al-chi, you really don’t get it.”
A relationship where we understood each other without words. That’s what I read in their calm expressions. I gripped the axe I’d picked up.
“All right. Then, with this momentum…”
‘Let’s annihilate the enemy.’ I’d barely gotten the thought out.
But before I could even give the order, the two of them had vanished.
“…Huh? What?”
Where did they go?
I looked around, and they were already closing in on the bandits, shouting in high spirits.
“Obviously, I’m going to get the most kills!”
“Obviously, I’m going to get the most kills!”
They’d completely ignored my command and just… charged.
They both entered their combat stances and re-engaged the bandits.
“Hmph! All the glory is mine!”
Petra began unleashing her signature magic even at close range, taking down bandits one after another.
“Hehe! I’m not gonna let you hog all the credit, Al-chi! Hyaaa!”
Mia skillfully fired her bow from atop her dragon, smashing into the enemy line.
I just held my head in my hands as I watched the two of them relentlessly cut down the bandits and push the front line forward.
…Hey. Can I have my touching moment of camaraderie back?
I may have been selfish before, but these two are just as bad.
As I watched them tear up the battlefield with a deadpan expression, I heard the motivated war cries of our soldiers from behind me.
“All units, CHARGE!”
Led by Ritziareite, the soldiers of the Provisional Elite Corps began to pour in, swarming the bandits.
“UAAAAAAAAAH!”
“Push them back all at once!”
“Follow those two!”
“Don’t falter! Advance!”
Ritziareite and a flood of soldiers streamed past me as I stood there.
“Sir Aldia. We’ll take it from here.”
She whispered, then immediately moved to support Petra and Mia.
…Looks like my part here is done.
The tables had turned completely. The bandit gang was in full collapse, and I could see several of them already trying to flee. A one-sided rout began, with our soldiers chasing down the fleeing bandits.
In the end, the Provisional Elite Corps had completely annihilated the bandit gang.
13
The bandit gang. Survivors: zero.
The Dyrst plains were littered with corpses.
The Provisional Elite Corps had also taken numerous casualties, but given that they were so outnumbered, the fact that they’d held on with minimal losses could be called a blessing.
“…Phew. That was surprisingly easy.”
“Well, Al-chi took out a whole bunch of ’em for us.”
Petra and Mia, who had turned the tide, were calmly drinking water as if it was nothing. The crisis was over, the anxiety gone.
But just because it all worked out, doesn’t mean my rampage was forgiven.
“…Still, an idiot who goes berserk like that needs to be taught a lesson.”
“Ah, for real. I was so nervous watching from the sky.”
The two heroines slowly turned their gaze to me.
“…I’m sorry.”
Their response to the ‘berserk idiot’ was decidedly cold.
We’d just won a desperate battle, but I didn’t feel very alive.
“Hah. Seriously… you big idiot.”
“I’m reporting this to Lady Valtrune, just so you know. You’d better be ready♪”
I had nothing to say. Petra and Mia were only this angry because they were, from the bottom of their hearts, worried about me.
I felt an intense pressure, as if I wasn’t even allowed to blink. With a deep sense of remorse, I bowed my head low.
“I have no excuse.”
And, of course, there were plenty of other people who had a problem with my unilateral actions. Ritziareite also came to stand in front of me as I bowed, and she gently, with a trembling hand, patted my back.
“It’s true, you know? When I saw you fighting all those bandits by yourself… my heart just… stopped.”
Her eyes were slightly teary as she spoke, her words tumbling out.
“Please… don’t ever do that again.”
Her quiet, desperate plea made me feel an overwhelming sense of guilt.
“Promise me. That you won’t be so reckless again.”
“…Yes.”
My throat was dry. I couldn’t say anything more.
“…And one more thing.”
Ritziareite put her hands on my shoulders and whispered gently in my ear.
“…Thank you for coming to save us.”
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