Chapter 66

After leaving the town of Uru, Aichi and his companions traveled for three days.

There were countless problems to deal with, such as restoring the desolate land and disposing of the countless monster corpses, which were enough to give anyone a headache. Despite this, the fact that the town and its people were unharmed was nothing short of a miracle compared to the situation that had occurred. This good news was immediately conveyed to the residents who had gone to seek refuge, the surrounding towns, and the capital. The returning residents embraced their reunited families, lovers, and friends, sharing the joy of their safe return. The entire town of Uru was enveloped in a festive atmosphere.

Around the town, the defensive wall left by Aichi still remained. Some people who had witnessed the battle from start to finish were gesturing with their hands and feet, describing the battle that had defied common sense, while looking out from the defensive wall at the desolate land on the other side, telling the story to others as if it were a myth. The children among the evacuees, in particular, listened with shining eyes. Clever merchants were already planning to make a fortune by turning Aichi's defensive wall into a new attraction for Uru, and they began to make preparations for it.

However, the people of the town still did not know what had happened between Aichi and Aiko, so they still believed that Aichi and his companions were messengers sent by the "Goddess of Harvest." They named Aichi's defensive wall the "Shield of the Goddess" and revered it. Additionally, the white-haired, eye-patched boy Aichi was also called the "Sword of the Goddess" or the "Knight of the Goddess," and was equally revered. When the real guard knights, including David, heard this, they recalled Aichi and Aiko's kiss and said with a fierce tone, "Sure enough, I can't stand that guy!!" But that was another story. Soon after, when Aichi heard about his nickname, his body trembled with pain and shame, but that was also another story.

Although the embarrassing nickname was a bit of a miscalculation, Aiko's reputation and popularity soared, just as Aichi had intended. When she walked through the town, everyone's gaze would focus on her. Among those who were fixated on her, some even began to pray, saying "Amitabha~" and started to worship her. In this town, Aiko, who had visibly saved the people, was truly a "Goddess." This rumor had already begun to spread to the surrounding areas. At least in the town of Uru, Aiko's words carried more weight than those of the bishop of the Holy Church, and this was undoubtedly true.

Speaking of Aiko... While she was supporting the town's recovery and dealing with the important figures, those close to her could tell that she had been noticeably distracted these past few days. The reason was obvious. The several shocking facts Aichi had conveyed before the battle were one aspect, but more than that, the scene of Aichi killing Shimizu had been etched in Aiko's mind, eroding her heart.

Today, as well, after finishing her work for the day and it was time for dinner, the students and the guard knights came to the "Water Sprite Inn" for their meal as usual. However, Aiko mechanically put the food in her mouth, tasting nothing, and her responses to the conversation were listless.

"Aiko-sensei... Indeed, Aiko-sensei's magic is very powerful! Such a desolate land was purified so smoothly... It should return to its original state in about a week!"

"...Is that so... That's good."

Yukari Enbu noticed Aiko's distracted state and deliberately spoke to her in a bright voice. Understanding the reason for Aiko's abnormal behavior, she wanted to encourage her. However, even after hearing Yukari's bright words, Aiko still spoke listlessly, repeating the same phrase without giving a proper response. "Still, it's no good~" Yukari was disheartened.

"Aiko... What did you talk about with the mayor or the bishop today? If there's something troubling you, please tell me. Even if it's the bishop, I won't allow him to do anything that troubles Aiko. I am Aiko's knight. I am always Aiko's companion, no matter what."

"...Is that so... That's good."

David's words were meant to encourage or persuade, but Aiko didn't quite understand. In any case, he offered her these words. As a temple knight, making such a statement against the bishop was dangerous, but for David, who had become a love warrior, it didn't matter anymore. Emphasizing the "I" part, was he trying to challenge someone... The other knights noticed and agreed with David's actions, but they sent sharp glances at their captain for his casual plan to run first.

However, Aiko ignored David's words, which were like a subtle protest in a long-running daytime TV drama, without even listening. The students, seeing David's disheartened state, made faces as if to say, "Look at that bear~" Some of the knights made similar faces.

Noticing the back-and-forth between the students and the knights, Aiko showed no particular reaction and continued to eat her meal calmly.

(…If I had talked to Shimizu-kun more appropriately… If I had noticed the child's thoughts earlier… Then this wouldn't have happened… And asking him, a fellow student, to do such a thing… If there had been hostages… If I had died… Would he have had to kill Shimizu-kun… Why did he kill… A classmate… An enemy?… Is it that simple?… Is killing that easy?… That's strange… He's not a monster, but… to kill so decisively… Is he… a simple killer?… If left unchecked, would he endanger other children?… If he hadn't been there, would Shimizu-kun not have died?… If he hadn't been there, would the other children have been safe?… If he hadn't been there… –! What am I thinking!… No, I can't think about it anymore!)

Aiko's mind was now in a state of endless regret and self-blame. And if she accidentally harbored fear and hatred towards Aichi, she would quickly dispel these thoughts and return to her initial thinking, repeating this cycle. She thought too much and didn't want to think about too much. Aiko's heart was now like a collapsed bookshelf in a library, with unorganized information scattered everywhere, leaving her in a state of confusion.

At such a time, Aiko suddenly heard a calm and warm voice echoing in her heart.

"Aiko-sama. Does today's meal suit your taste?"

"Huh?"

Foss Cero, the owner of the "Water Sprite Inn." His voice was not particularly loud, but rather soft. However, no one living in this inn could miss Foss's words. His deep, calm voice always reached the listener's heart. Now, it easily reached Aiko, who was trapped in her inner thoughts, bringing her back to reality.

Noticing that she had made a strange sound, Aiko's cheeks turned slightly red, and she smiled calmly as she met Foss's gaze.

"Ah, well, what is it? I'm sorry, I was spacing out a bit."

"It's fine, it's fine. Please don't worry. I noticed that you seemed troubled, so I asked if the meal didn't suit your taste. If that's the case, I can bring you something else…"

"No, no! The meal is very delicious. I was just a bit preoccupied…"

Even as Aiko said it was delicious, she couldn't recall the taste of the food she had just eaten. Looking around, she noticed that the students and knights were watching her with worried eyes, realizing that she had been lost in thought. Determined to pull herself together, she started eating again, a bit flustered, and ended up choking, causing a commotion.

Seeing Aiko coughing and tearing up, the students and knights panicked. Foss silently prepared a napkin and water, taking in the scene.

"I'm sorry. I caused you trouble…"

"There's no trouble at all."

Seeing Aiko's flustered state, Foss's calm smile didn't waver, and Aiko felt both reassured and embarrassed. Foss looked at her with narrowed eyes, as if considering something, and continued in his calm, composed voice.

"Hmm. Aiko-sama. Allow me to be presumptuous, but may I offer a word of advice?"

"Huh? Yes, yes, of course. What is it?"

"Aiko-sama, why not try to believe in what you believe in?"

"Huh?"

Aiko tilted her head, a question mark appearing above it, in response to Foss's seemingly disconnected words. On the other side, Foss chuckled and added, "I'm sorry for not being clear," before continuing.

"From what I can see, Aiko-sama's heart is in a state of severe confusion. There are too many things to consider and not to consider, and you don't know what to do. You don't know what's best or what you want to do. There are too many things you don't understand, and the more you try to understand, the more anxious you become, which only accelerates the vicious cycle of confusion. Is that right?"

"Why… Why…"

Foss's description of Aiko's current state was spot on, and Aiko felt a lump in her throat. Foss simply smiled calmly and said, "I've seen all kinds of guests."

"At such times, one method is to 'try to believe in what you want to believe in.' It's often said that people only believe what they want to believe, to the point of missing the truth. That's true, but I believe that action starts with belief. So, when you 'can't move,' it might be a good idea to 'believe in what you want to believe in.' That's what I think."

"…Believe in what I want to believe in…"

Aiko mulled over Foss's words. Her heart, now a whirlpool of regret, guilt, and suspicion towards Aichi, was churning. Aichi was indeed an important student, and he had killed Shimizu, another important student. Depending on the situation, he might take the lives of other students. The moment she realized this possibility, she saw Aichi as a threat who could take away her important students. Despite this, since Aichi was also a student, Aiko couldn't completely cut him off. Just as she couldn't abandon Shimizu, who had planned a mass murder. This is why she was in a state of confusion, not knowing what to do. Aiko herself admitted that she had a troublesome personality, but she couldn't help it. Because Hatake Aiko was such a "teacher."

Foss didn't know what had happened to Aiko. He didn't know that she was in this state because she had believed too much in what she wanted to believe from another perspective. Even so, changing her perspective might be effective, given that her belief in everything had collapsed, leading to her current state of inaction and embarrassment. Thinking this, Aiko stopped eating and began to think deeply.

(Believe in what I want to believe in. What do I want to believe in…? First, that all the students will return to Japan together. But that's impossible now. I don't want to lose anyone else, and I want to believe that we can all go back together… I don't want to believe that he was killed by a classmate… I don't want to believe that he is a person who kills without hesitation, a threat to the students… But he did kill that child… He killed Shimizu-kun without hesitation. So, he has… No, I must believe in what I want to believe in.)

Again, Aiko closed her eyes to suppress the dark emotions that were about to surface. The people around her watched her, who was motionless and deep in thought, with great concern.

(He said it. "Because he was an enemy" and "There was no time." He killed him out of concern that Shimizu would attack him or the people he cared about if he survived. Anyone would think that way. In fact, if he were just a cold person, Miss Tsuki or Miss Shia wouldn't have trusted him so much. He cut off the worries for those children… That's why he didn't let Shimizu live. In other words, he didn't think I could do anything to Shimizu… If I wanted Shimizu to live, I would have to show him something that would make him repent… But in the end, it was because of my weakness… Shimizu… Even so, that attitude… Shimizu was weak… –