Become What You Want to Be (14)

"Is that information reliable?!"

Rex then grabbed the guard by the shoulders in a panic and demanded an answer.

"Yeah... I saw it with my own eyes, no mistake! Today happened to be my turn on watch atop the western wall. I thought the Demon King's forces had sent monsters again, just like before, but I was wrong... The monsters they dropped from the sky were just a diversion. They came to crush us head-on!"

The guard pleaded with a desperate look, and Rex didn't think he was lying. Wearing an expression as if he'd bitten into something bitter, he released the guard's shoulders.

Sweat beading on his forehead, Rex pondered what to do. Kururu and Tina watched him anxiously, waiting for him to reach a decision.

"So? What are you going to do, Rex?"

Though the situation had clearly shaken her, Parna asked Rex with a resolute air, as if she already knew what they had to do and saw no need to deliberate.

"Courage and recklessness aren't the same thing... We should retreat for now. Salmaria will fall to the Demon King's army, but we can regroup, gather more people, and come back to take it back. There's no point in dying here."

"That's reasonable... Before that monster army gets here, we'll do everything we can to guide the people still in town out of the city."

Hearing his answer, Kururu and Tina seemed to agree that it was the best course of action. Their expressions turned serious, and they nodded. The guard thanked them, saying, "I'm sorry... This is a huge help."

"Kagami-san, please lend us your strength. We need to work together to save the people in this city."

At that moment, Kururu suddenly took Kagami's hand. He'd been watching everything unfold with a vacant expression, and she pleaded with him, looking apologetic.

Kagami answered with an "Mm," and squeezed her hand firmly before letting go. "Before that, there's something I want to do." He turned toward the direction the guard had come from.

"Where are you going?"

Rex called out to stop Kagami as he started to leave.

"I'm going to get Takako-chan first. She'll be a big help in a fight."

"Takako? You mean that muscular male martial artist?"

"Huh? Takako-chan's a woman."

It wasn't as shocking as the news that a horde of ten thousand monsters was approaching, but the Hero's party already knew what Takako looked like and couldn't hide their shock at this astonishing truth. Their expressions twisted.

Rex tried to picture Takako once more. There wasn't a single feminine thing about her, but he decided that every bit of it must have been burned away and turned into muscle, then forced himself to move on.

"Anyway, you guys go ahead and start helping the townspeople evacuate. Take care of Alice."

"Wha... Do you even understand what you're saying? We believe we should kill demons! Have you forgotten that we were just arguing about this?"

"But you guys have things you want to ask me, right? Then at least until that conversation is over, there's no benefit to killing Alice."

It was true that there was no benefit to killing Alice here. But the ones attacking the city were demons, and Alice was a demon, too. Given that demons were already regarded as a threat, it seemed only natural to kill one if they were here.

Despite that, Kagami was asking them to look after someone he had even declared his friend—someone they might kill. Rex couldn't understand Kagami's thinking, and once again looked troubled and displeased.

"What if I said I don't care about what we want to ask you, and I want to kill this girl right now?"

Parna responded to Kagami's inexplicable request with a malicious remark, a smile playing on her lips.

"...Please don't kill her. Protect her for me."

Parna was bewildered by his unexpected response. He hadn't acted high and mighty or ordered them around, nor had he tried to justify his words with some preachy lecture. He'd simply asked for help with a troubled smile.

As they stood stunned by his unexpected words, Kagami took off without waiting for an answer and disappeared. They froze for a moment at his utterly abrupt behavior, but quickly came to their senses. Parna sighed and muttered, "Oh, geez!"

"What an irresponsible man. He's abandoned you, you know."

Parna immediately turned a pitying gaze on Alice and said this, but Alice stared straight ahead, watching Kagami run off.

"I don't think so. I believe Kagami-san chose to do that because he thought it was the best thing to do."

"What are you talking about? You're a demon! What if I kill you?"

"That was a possibility... but I think Kagami-san trusted that you wouldn't do that. That's why he didn't put any strange conditions on it. He simply asked you to help me. So... I'll trust the people Kagami-san trusts."

Alice's hands trembled as they spoke. It was obvious they were only putting on a brave front. Parna sighed again, said, "I'll go on ahead," and started toward the center of town.

"A-aren't you scared?"

Perhaps worried that someone smaller than herself was putting on such a brave front, Tina asked Alice this.

"I am scared... but I'll trust you. I have to believe in you, for my... f-for my own wish, too."

Alice's posture remained unchanged as they spoke, staring seriously in the direction Kagami had gone. But their body was definitely trembling, and tears were welling in their eyes.

Alice didn't know why Kagami had acted this way, and although they intended to trust his judgment, they still couldn't shake their anxiety.

Alice's goal was reconciliation and coexistence with humans. Yet now, ten thousand monsters were bearing down on the city, threatening to undo all of that. This was only the beginning, and the incident would worsen the relationship between humans and demons. Even if Alice went to their father now and stopped his reckless actions, the people of Salmaria would still hate demons for taking their home from them.

Even if they fought as a third army, as Kagami had said, Alice couldn't see an end to it.

"It's going to be all right. Don't worry."

Kururu said this as she wrapped her arms around Alice, who was on the verge of tears, holding them gently.

"I won't break my promise. I think I'll trust Kagami-san, too. You're harmless, aren't you?"

Perhaps she meant to reassure Alice, but she said something completely unrelated to the anxiety Alice was feeling. Still, the simple fact that the person holding them was trying to understand somehow put Alice at ease, and their hands stopped trembling.

"Let's go."

Overcome by an unusual feeling as he watched them, Rex muttered this with a troubled expression and followed after Parna.

"Before we go... please tell me just one thing. What is Kagami-san to you?"

"Um... He treats everyone equally... No, um, that's not it... He's... a kind person."

"I see," Kururu replied with a satisfied expression, as if she'd already known. Then she said, "Let's go," took Alice by the hand, and followed after Rex and Parna with Tina.

Perhaps they had been waiting for the three of them to catch up. They soon rejoined Rex and Parna, then began running around to search for any residents still left in the city.

A few times along the way, monsters that other adventurers had failed to finish off attacked them. But they weren't as powerful as the Demon Beast Berserk Kagami had defeated, and the four of them worked together to take them down.

The city had become a living hell, but many people had given up and fled east. The group focused on the western side, moving from building to building and shouting to see if anyone remained inside.

"Did the other adventurers take care of the monsters? There are hardly any left now."

"B-but there's a horde of ten thousand monsters coming, so we have to warn the people still inside!"

Parna walked with her guard up while Tina shouted, "A horde of monsters is heading this way! Everyone, get out!" Rex, Kururu, and Alice followed behind them, carefully checking for anyone who hadn't escaped.

"By the way, if you're a demon, why aren't you giving off any magical energy?"

As they went, Rex noticed that no magic was coming from Alice's horns and asked about it. "Now that you mention it..." Kururu said, then poked at what appeared to be a horn wrapped in white cloth beneath Alice's stylish ribbon.

"It's because of this cloth. Kagami-san gave it to me... It's a rare item made from a Spawn Block, and it completely suppresses the magical energy demons give off."

"What?! Then if every demon wore one, wouldn't monsters stop appearing?!"

Tina had been discreetly eavesdropping. At this unexpected revelation, she rushed right up to Alice and shouted.

Rex and Kururu seemed just as surprised. They stared at the white cloth on Alice's horn as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"That might be difficult. Apparently, it can only be made from a newly generated Spawn Block, and Kagami-san said it's incredibly rare."

Alice felt a little disappointed that they couldn't give them better news after they'd shown such interest, but answered honestly. Parna murmured, "Of course..." though she was privately surprised.

"...Look out!"

At that moment, Alice, who was looking ahead, widened their eyes and shouted. Realizing from Alice's gaze that they were the target, Parna leaped to the left. Immediately afterward, a sphere of pale blue light flew toward the spot where Parna had been standing. It struck the ground and exploded, sending flames billowing up.

"Get away from Lady Alice!"

The moment they heard the voice, everyone in the Hero's party drew their weapons and took up defensive stances. When they looked to see what was going on, they saw a muscular man in a pink gi and another man dressed in a surcoat, with long silver hair and a hat.

"Takako-san! Menou!"

Alice reacted first when they saw them and ran over. Takako and Menou welcomed Alice with confused expressions, as if to say, "Huh?" Alice had been freed so casually.

"Lady Alice! Thank goodness you're safe...! They let you go so easily... but how did that happen?"

"Um... it'll take a while to explain..."

Takako seemed to have guessed what had happened. Without even waiting for Alice to explain, she glanced at the Hero's party, who had their weapons pointed at them, and sighed. "What an unusual party you've put together..."

Rex, Tina, and Kururu all swallowed hard as they faced the muscular figure in the pink gi, who was sighing with one hand against her cheek. 'So this is... a woman?'

"Aren't you worried about giving off magic? Your horns seem to be hidden, though."

Parna, who couldn't have cared less whether Takako was a woman or a man, asked this while looking at Menou with hostility.

"There's so much chaos that no one's going to waste time checking whether someone's giving off magic. And there shouldn't be any Spawn Blocks around here. More importantly, why are you traveling with Lady Alice?!"

Perhaps still wary because of what had happened the other day, Menou stepped forward to shield Alice, radiating murderous intent as he shouted at them.

"Kagami-san asked us to. He said he'd borrow Takako-san's strength to deal with this situation... Have you not seen him? Kagami-san said he was going to look for Takako-san."

Trying not to provoke Menou, Kururu lowered her weapon and answered his question.

At her answer, Takako and Menou exchanged a glance. They seemed unable to think of any reason, and shook their heads with troubled expressions.

"We came straight here from the inn... This city is so winding. Maybe we passed each other somewhere? At any rate, we haven't seen him."

"I see..." Kururu murmured, worried that she had ended up separated from Kagami after all. Takako and Menou didn't know what had happened, so they tilted their heads, puzzled by how worried Kururu seemed.

"Someone! Somebody, help!"

Just then, a frantic cry for help came from a road to the west. Everyone there turned to see a gate guard running toward them.

"Someone... anyone... come to the western gate! The gate on the west side!"

The guard ran up and stopped in front of Rex. His shoulders heaved as he spoke in a dry, hoarse voice.

The guard was saying the exact opposite of what the other guard had told them earlier—that monsters were approaching from the west and they should flee. Rex and Tina looked bewildered, wondering what had happened.

Kururu cast healing magic on him to restore his strength, then, looking concerned, urged him to explain calmly what had happened. And then...

"...There's an idiot facing down a horde of ten thousand monsters all by himself! I tried to stop him! I did, but he wouldn't listen! He doesn't look strong at all, dressed like some ordinary villager... But he's fighting the monsters all alone, even now! Someone... anyone! I can't just leave him! You don't even have to fight—just help him escape... Please, save him!"

The guard was shouting in confusion and agitation, as if he couldn't believe the reckless challenge himself, despite having seen it with his own eyes.

At once, Alice sprinted toward the western gate. They regretted having been on the verge of tears just a moment ago, worrying about what might happen next.