Chapter 89

I stood there, unable to move, gazing into the amber eyes that stared back at me.

Diona, the heroine of "Last Brave." The girl who fought alongside the protagonist, Luchas, shared his heart, and became the light that illuminated the world.

I had always thought we would meet eventually. But I never imagined it would be this soon—before Luchas, no less.

"Is something wrong?"

Diona tilted her head, perhaps finding my frozen state suspicious. Her long silver hair swayed gently as she did so.

She's beautiful. I thought so honestly. Her silver hair, her amber eyes, her face, her posture—everything about her was perfect. She was the heroine of this world, crafted with care by the gods.

"Ah, no, it's just... I thought you looked like someone. Sorry."

Reinhart nodded in response to my impromptu excuse. He then looked back and forth between Sieg and Leon, who were standing on either side of him.

"Well, she is Sieg and Leon's sister. Now that I look closely, there might be a resemblance."

"Oh, I see. That makes sense."

Her silver hair and amber eyes, the same as Diona's, made it clear that Sieg and Diona were siblings. I had no idea I would meet the heroine's relatives first.

I glanced up at Diona. She was still holding out her right hand to me, and I couldn't ignore it any longer. I hesitantly shook her hand.

"I'm Laura Ampere. Nice to meet you."

"I've seen you from a distance, as the childhood friend of the hero."

"Oh, I see. Hehe, I see."

It felt strange. I was actually talking to the heroine of "Last Brave."

Her modest smile reminded me of her in-game appearance.

"Diona is exceptionally powerful among her clan. We plan to use her power, and also, just in case, the power of the hero, Luchas. This is the first time we'll be interfering with the pre-revived Demon King, so we want to be fully prepared. That's why we want Luchas to be called by you, Laura-sensei."

Sieg said this in a polite tone, carefully observing my reaction.

It seemed they wanted Luchas to be present when Diona used her light power in Elvira. It was a precaution.

Still, it made sense that they chose me, who had connections with both Luchas and Arnold.

For a moment, I wondered if it would be okay for Luchas and Diona to meet before the events of "Last Brave," but I quickly dismissed the thought, as Elvira's life was at stake.

"Understood. I'll talk to Luchas."

With Arnold's permission, I would call Luchas. Even if I acted immediately, it would take some time.

Those invited to the trial would be the people of Rustu, the hero Luchas, and Elvira. Arnold would likely want to be present as well. If Mercedes heard about it, she might offer to accompany us. And there might be others who would want to be there—like my master, whose image suddenly came to mind.

His granddaughter, Annette, had also suffered from the self-destruction disease. But he never managed to find the cause of the disease. That meant...

(The people of Rustu didn't tell my master the cause of the self-destruction disease... Not just my master, but no documents mention the true cause. This means the people of Rustu have been hiding the cause from humans all along.)

Why didn't the people of Rustu tell my master that the Demon King was the cause of the self-destruction disease? If my master had known the true cause, he might have created the spirit water or a similar effective medicine much earlier. If that had happened, he and the people of Rustu might have been able to save his granddaughter, Annette. —He might not have lost everything.

I was overwhelmed by the sudden influx of information and distracted by Elvira's situation, but I finally realized the possibility I had overlooked. My mind was flooded with questions, which, if left unchecked, could turn into distrust of the people of Rustu.

So, I cautiously asked:

"Um, may I ask you something?"

My voice came out lower than expected.

The atmosphere around us changed slightly. Reinhart nodded seriously in response to my question.

"Do you know someone named Annette?"

Reinhart and the others seemed to know about Elvira, a patient with the self-destruction disease. They were likely monitoring her, along with the hero.

I didn't think they could not know, but I asked anyway. And then,

"Annette was your master's granddaughter, wasn't she?"

I received a concise and accurate answer.

"You know about her?"

"We've been monitoring patients with the self-destruction disease and their families for a long time. I only know Annette from records, though."

I didn't know Reinhart's age, but from his words, I gathered that Annette's time with the self-destruction disease was before he was born or when he was very young. In other words, he was saying he knew about her but wasn't very familiar with her.

Despite this, I couldn't stop the words "Why?" from slipping out. Once they started, they spilled out like water from an overflowing container.

"Why didn't you tell my master the cause of the self-destruction disease? My master was an excellent alchemist. If he had known the cause, he might have found the spirit water or a similar effective medicine much earlier. If that had happened, someone with the power of light might have been able to—"

"But there was no hero in that era."

Reinhart's firm voice cut off my increasingly forceful words.

I was taken aback, my eyes widening. Before I could speak again, Reinhart continued.

"If the Demon King were to awaken, even in an incomplete form... only the hero can reseal him. The light power of the people of Rustu is not enough. The hero's power is necessary."

Reinhart spoke matter-of-factly.

There was still much uncertainty about the Demon King, the hero's power, and the light power of the people of Rustu, but what was certain was that the hero's power was absolutely necessary to seal the Demon King, which the light power of the people of Rustu alone could not achieve.

"Sensei Laura, to put it bluntly... the existence of patients with the self-destruction disease means the world is still at peace. The Demon King is still gathering his strength before his revival."

His amber eyes pierced through me, filled with strong resolve.

"As long as no one interferes, the Demon King will remain dormant."

I finally understood what Reinhart was trying to say, and a chill ran through my heart. My body felt cold, as if all the warmth had drained from it.

"Interference." The word referred to—treatment for the self-destruction disease.

My voice trembled as I asked again.

"Are you saying that you deliberately didn't tell humans the true cause of the self-destruction disease to prevent them from awakening the Demon King before a hero was born? To prevent them from creating a medicine that might affect the Demon King?"

"Yeah, that's right. We hid the truth to prevent any accidents and monitored the patients with the self-destruction disease to ensure they didn't try treatments that might stimulate the Demon King."

Reinhart's answer made me realize that I had found the spirit water because the hero, Luchas, was born in the same era. If there had been no hero, the people of Rustu monitoring Elvira would have interfered with my search.

My master might have been close to finding the answer, but in her time, there was no hero. Therefore, no matter how hard she tried, it was predetermined that she would never find the answer.

I clenched my trembling fingers and furrowed my brow, waiting for Reinhart's next words.

"We've been waiting for a hero to be born and to master his power. We've been searching for a way to weaken the Demon King while he was dormant. ...Unfortunately, we couldn't find a way, but you, Laura-sensei, did."

Reinhart's lips twisted in a self-deprecating smile, and deep wrinkles creased his forehead.

"The fact that we could inform you of the cause of the self-destruction disease and attempt to interfere with the pre-revived Demon King is unprecedented. It's only possible because the hero has finally appeared, and thanks to you, Laura-sensei, the Demon King is weakened."

"So, if I hadn't found the spirit water... Elvira might have been a sacrifice?"

There was no answer. Reinhart's expression remained stern, and he clenched his jaw and fists as if enduring something.

His reaction was as good as a confirmation. I stared at him, perhaps more intensely than I realized.

Silence fell. Suddenly, Sieg stepped forward, as if to protect Reinhart.

"If we make a mistake, this world will be destroyed. That's why, until a hero was born, we couldn't afford to take any risks—"

"Hey, Sieg. Don't say more. That's just an excuse."

Reinhart stopped Sieg. Sieg glanced at me, then looked down with a pained expression.

Reinhart took another step forward and bowed deeply.

"I'm sorry. I apologize. ...No, please let me apologize. We didn't fully disclose our situation and asked for your cooperation, which was essentially deceptive."

Reinhart's strained voice left me speechless.

I didn't feel deceived, but it was clear that they had intentionally withheld some facts to ensure my cooperation.

Still, to save Elvira, working with them was the best option for now. Their information and light power would be invaluable in treating the self-destruction disease. I didn't reconsider my decision to cooperate with the people of Rustu, but my heart was indeed shaken by the hidden truths.

I understood their reasoning, and their actions were not wrong, as evidenced by the world not falling to the Demon King. However, my mind and heart were a mess, filled with emotions I couldn't pinpoint.

(The Demon King is the only one to blame. Everyone had their reasons. That's absolute. But—)

I suddenly felt a gaze and looked up. Diona's eyes met mine, and her image blurred in my vision as I realized I was on the verge of tears. I quickly averted my gaze and whispered.

"Sorry, can I go outside for a bit? I just need to calm down."

My voice trembled. I bit my lower lip to keep from crying in front of them and hurried out the back door.

Outside, I looked up at the sky to keep the tears from spilling over. It was calm and peaceful.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. The image of my master appeared behind my eyelids. The family portrait I found in his study. Mercedes's side profile as she spoke about my master. The painful cries in his diary.

"—How could this be?"

I realized a tear had slipped down my cheek.

I understood. I knew that Reinhart and the people of Rustu were doing everything to save the world from the Demon King. If they made a mistake, the world could fall to the Demon King. They had to be absolutely certain before taking action. This trial with Elvira to try to separate her from the Demon King was a decision they had carefully considered.

Now that the hero, Luchas, had awakened and mastered his power, and the spirit water had been found, weakening the Demon King, they had finally taken action.

I understood, I really did. But it was too much.

(The people who died from the self-destruction disease, their families, my master... they didn't get the justice they deserved.)

The mysterious disease was actually caused by the Demon King.

In a typical fantasy world, this might not be an impossible scenario. But for those who didn't know the truth, it was inconceivable that the Demon King was the cause. Even I, who knew the truth, hadn't reached this conclusion.

What about my master's daily struggles? The painful days recorded in his diary. His life, after losing his granddaughter and daughter, deciding to live alone in obscurity. What about it all?

If the Demon King had awakened before a hero was born, many lives would have been lost. In the worst case, humanity would have been destroyed. This couldn't happen. Annette had been a sacrifice to prevent it.

(Not just Annette. Everyone who died from the self-destruction disease had sacrificed themselves for the world...)

One life versus thousands, millions of lives. When weighed against each other, the answer was clear. But—

(If a hero had been born earlier, during Annette's time...)

The people of Rustu might have told my master, a renowned alchemist, the cause of the self-destruction disease. My master might have found a way to deal with the Demon King in his granddaughter without interference from the people of Rustu. They might have decided to try separating the Demon King from Annette using their light power.

It was all hypothetical. Even if all these conditions had been met, there was no guarantee they could have separated the Demon King from Annette, and she might still have died. But I couldn't help thinking about it. If a hero had been born in that era...

(It's too unfair. Unjust. Terrible. Why? If a hero had been born, the future might have been different.)

Tears wouldn't stop. I finally sobbed and covered my face, squatting on the ground.

This world is centered around the hero. Everything is orchestrated for the hero to save the world. In this era, Elvira, a patient with the self-destruction disease, might be saved. No, she must be saved. If that happens, the story will have a happy ending where the cause of the self-destruction disease is found and treated. But many sacrifices have been made for this story to unfold.

I knew crying wouldn't change anything. But thinking about my master, who had given me a new path, being used as a stepping stone for the main story, knowing that it was predetermined that he would never find a solution, made me feel helpless and the tears wouldn't stop.

(No one is to blame. The Demon King is the only one at fault, and it was just a matter of timing. But that's why... it's so frustrating.)

Why did only his granddaughter have to suffer like this? I couldn't calmly accept my master's painful days, recorded in his diary, as necessary sacrifices for the future.

"—Laura!?"

Iris's surprised voice echoed in my ears. Basilio's voice calling my name followed.

They must have returned from gathering herbs. I could hear their footsteps approaching, but I couldn't lift my head.

"Laura, what's wrong!? Did Reinhart and the others say something terrible!?"

Two hands, one larger than the other, rested on my shoulders. Imagining Iris and Basilio's confusion at seeing me crying, I tried to stop my tears, but the more I tried, the more they fell.

I managed to shake my head in response to Iris's question, and her slender arms wrapped around me in a comforting embrace.

"Laura, don't force yourself to stop crying. Don't hold your breath. It's okay."

Basilio's hand patted my back. His gentle touch and kind words helped me regain some composure. Gradually, my thoughts became clearer.

At the same time, I remembered the words my master had said to Arnold and me when he revealed his past.

"I couldn't find a cure for the self-destruction disease, but perhaps you can..."

He had indeed said that. He had entrusted his legacy to us.

Finding a cure for the self-destruction disease wouldn't bring back his beloved granddaughter, Annette, or anything he had lost. But I didn't want him to see more lives lost to this unjust disease.

Not just my master. Arnold had dedicated his life to his sister. Mercedes had done the same. I didn't want the lives of those involved with the self-destruction disease to be used as a foundation for the main story.

The current situation, with the hero Luchas awakening his power and the Demon King being weakened in Elvira, was the best opportunity we've ever had. I would do whatever it takes to reseal the Demon King, the root of all this.

For this world, for Elvira—most of all, for my master and everyone else involved with the self-destruction disease.

"Elvira will not die."