Chapter 22
“So that's how it was..”
Since Lumia was waiting, I couldn't explain it at much length.
I briefly explained that I had traveled back from the future, that the Demon King had been unimaginably powerful and, as a result, Lumia had sacrificed herself to seal him, and that I had returned to the past to save her.
Everything I'd said so far was so absurd that Cecilia looked as though she found it hard to believe.
That was only natural.
If someone who was supposed to become my companion suddenly summoned me, revealed that she had come from the future, and started telling me all sorts of things, I wouldn't be able to understand it properly either. The one fortunate thing was that I had been able to earn her trust by showing her the fully completed holy sword aura.
Cecilia probably only began trying to believe me after seeing the sword aura I'd emitted.
“I understand what you're saying, for now.”
After hearing the full explanation, Cecilia nodded with an understanding expression.
However, she also wore an expression suggesting that she didn't understand.
“But if that's what this is about, can't you tell that girl too?”
She had a point.
In fact, telling Lumia, the smartest of us all, would probably be one of the surest and best ways to resolve the situation. If I told her, she might be more willing to take action since our party had gathered to defeat the Demon King.
But..
“She sacrificed herself.. If I tell her how it ends, it'll be like forcing her to sacrifice herself.”
I didn't want to shackle her to me through that kind of pressure.
“That's admirable.. I might even be a little smitten?”
At Cecilia's words, I told her not to joke around and laughed awkwardly.
‘Hero..’
Why did the Cecilia from the past keep overlapping with the Cecilia standing before me?
I needed to tell her about what had happened back then, too..
“...”
I couldn't bring myself to say it.
How could I calmly tell her that her past self had liked me, and that I hadn't returned those feelings?
“Hmm.. At this rate, Lumia might grow horns on her head.”
“Huh..?”
“Let's talk about one last thing and then finish. You haven't told me how to defeat the Demon King yet, have you?”
Cecilia asked as she approached me with a mischievous smile.
How to defeat the Demon King.
Right, that was still left.
I had to tell her.. Yeah..
But would she believe me?
“The thing is.. you see..?”
More than anything, I found it hard to open my mouth.
I'd said that I had returned after discovering how to defeat the Demon King, but I hadn't given any thought to how I would actually explain it.
I was screwed.
“Hero?”
“It's just.. I mean..?”
I had no choice.
If I didn't tell her now, she might become suspicious of me instead.
I just had to bite the bullet and say it.
I lowered my head.
“Lu, Lumia..”
“Lumia?”
No, seriously..
Did I really have to say this..?
No, but with something like this, I really did have to make it clear.. Yet now that I was actually trying to say it, the pressure was making it hard to get the words out. If I softened it, she might misunderstand, so I had to say it clearly enough to prevent that from happening.
I clenched my teeth.
I had to say it.
I was going to say it.
I drew in a breath, then opened my mouth.
“I-I have to..! Make a child with Lumia..”
I had meant to say it boldly, but the moment the words left my mouth, my voice shrank to a whisper.
However, Cecilia, who was nearby, seemed to have heard exactly what I'd said.
“Huh.. wh-what?”
Cecilia's face turned red.
Not merely red—it was bright crimson.
“What kind of absurd nonsense is that.. That's supposed to be how you defeat the Demon King..?”
Unable to say that it was, I lowered my head and gave a small nod.
“W-wait a second.. If I haven't misunderstood, then.. you have to get Lumia pregnant? That girl? And you?”
“Yeah..”
“No, what does that even.. Uh.. no..”
Cecilia muttered as though she had short-circuited.
“The light coming from the Holy Sword proves you're the real Hero, but..”
My words must have been shocking enough that she still hadn't recovered.
But it was the truth.
If Lumia couldn't give birth to my child, the world would be destroyed by the Demon King.
“Believe me.. It's true.. That's the main reason I couldn't tell Lumia..”
That wasn't the only reason, of course.
Telling the present-day Lumia that we had to fall in love and date, then marry and have a child to seal the Demon King we would face in the future would, in a way, be no different from threatening her to marry me immediately if she wanted to live.
But how could I tell her that?
If I could, I wanted to make Lumia fall in love with me as much as possible, so that she wouldn't be hurt or feel the sadness of being forced to date me.
Cecilia, who had been making a complicated expression at my words, sighed and spoke as though she understood.
“I mean.. saying we have to, uh, sleep together is basically the same thing, isn't it..”
Huh..? Sleep together..?
In terms of meaning, she wasn't wrong, but there was something else we had to do to get Lumia pregnant.
Simply sleeping together wouldn't accomplish anything.
Come to think of it, Cecilia hadn't received proper education in that area either.
“Ah..”
I suddenly wondered whether I'd chosen the wrong person to tell.
“Well, since you're the Hero and you said so, I suppose I have to believe you.. If it's about the baby, don't worry! I'll help you!”
Cecilia said that with a smile.
Help me..?
I felt as though I'd just heard something shocking, but Cecilia said it with an expression that suggested there was nothing strange about it.
“Well, shall we head back for now?”
“Y-yeah..”
Would this really be okay?
I didn't know anymore either.
What on earth were those two talking about for so long?
From what I'd seen earlier, they seemed to have gone off to discuss something important, but had the Hero ever had an important conversation with Cecilia in the game? Since there had been no such important conversation in the game, I didn't think there had ever been a situation where he talked separately with the Saint.
Nothing strange was going to happen, right?
Just then, I was glaring suspiciously in the direction they'd disappeared, wearing a wary expression.
They were coming out from the corner, apparently finished with their conversation, but I had no idea what they could have talked about to leave both their faces so flushed.
“We're done talking.”
I nodded at the Hero's words and turned toward Cecilia.
Cecilia's face was flushed as well, and I had no idea what they had talked about to make her look like that.
Had the two of them been saying embarrassing things to each other while I was gone?
Had it happened because Cecilia's affection level had immediately jumped by 30 points after he fulfilled her request? I worried that, without my knowing, they might have progressed much further than I had. If he ended up with Cecilia like this, it would be the end of the world.
Did I need to seduce him even more?
This wouldn't do.
I approached the Hero and tugged on his sleeve.
I couldn't bring myself to grab his hand and pull him along, so I settled for his sleeve, but the Hero seemed to understand, came over to me, and asked what was wrong.
It wasn't as though I had any particular reason for calling him over.. But since I had the chance, I had to keep him from sticking close to Cecilia, at least while we were out exploring the city. I wedged myself into the space between them as they stood side by side, claiming the spot so they couldn't walk together.
“Oh..”
Had he never imagined that I would do something like this?
The Hero looked down at me with a fairly surprised expression.
I lamented my own situation, having to keep the two of them from getting close, but I had to do this if I wanted to survive..
“You seem fine, though?”
“It's still too early to be sure.. I want to look into it a little more.”
“You really don't understand people's feelings at all.. I don't like insensitive men, you know?”
“I-I see..?”
What on earth were they talking about?
Cecilia had been saying that she didn't like insensitive men, and the Hero had seemed flustered in response?
Since Cecilia's voice was supposed to be inaudible, I couldn't react too strongly, but what I'd heard was enough to tell me that the two of them had grown far closer than before while talking.
It made no sense for someone who wasn't close to him to casually imply that he was hopelessly oblivious to her feelings and that she didn't like insensitive men.
In other words, that was proof that they had grown close.
No, it was possible that Cecilia already had romantic feelings for the Hero.
Had he really won her over with nothing but his silver tongue?
Damn it, I never should have sent those two off alone.
You.. manga-born monster of a eunuch harem protagonist..
“Then shall we go?”
...
I had to make up for everything during today's outing.
Let's give it a try.
With that resolve in mind, I nodded at the Hero's question.