Sogou huh .
......I wonder what I should do?
When she has already left earlier...
âYeah... See you later . â
I did say that but...
Should I meet her?
[.................. . . ]
After Sogou slashed that Confidant from behind...
âIâd like to thank you again later . â
âis what she said .
I was only responding to that request .
Thereâs nothing unnatural about it .
On the contraryââ Wouldnât it be more unnatural for me if I were to refuse to meet them?
The Heroes from 2-C may become obstacles from now on .
Considering that, Iâd like to acquire information on the other Heroes here as well .
At the moment, it can be said that the raw information from the Heroes themselves was really valuable .
Moreover, they werenât hostile right now .
Or rather, theyâre considering me as their benefactor who saved them from this crisis .
That meansââ this will be a great opportunity .
Itâs just that......
I asked the soldier who told me that Sogou was coming .
[Should I expect that all of those rumored high ranking Heroes have come to see me?]
[Ahâ- No, it seems like itâs only Ayaka Sogou-dono who is an S-Rank in here . Or rather, I think the rest of them were B-Rank? Iâve heard that there are only the lower-ranking Heroes other than them......]
I see .
Sogou is the only S-Rank here huh .
From what I heard from Zweikzeed back when heâs backed to the corner......
âThe highest S-Rank is no longer able to participate in the battlefield! By our emperorâs estimation, if this Zweikzeed can just hold off this S-Rank, we should have been able to easily bring down this place!â
âIf he can hold off Sogou Ayaka, the only S-Rank Hero in this place, they can win . â
Thatâs what Zweikzeed was roaring out .
That must mean that information was accurate .
In that case...... The Takao Sisters arenât here .
If itâs just Sogou in here, I think I could deceive them by my acting .
As for Kashimaââ Well, it would be fine whether sheâs here or not .
However......
The rest of them are below B-Rank?
Takao Itsuki is acting as a set together with her sister, so it wouldnât be a wonder if sheâs not here .
However, even Oyamada and Yasu arenât here?
After a few seconds of thinking, I spoke .
[I understand . Well then, Iâll be seeing them now . Please guide us to them . Current Holy Knight Leader, would that be alright with you?]
[Itâs alright for me . Of course, I would also be following you . ]
[Yes, of course, you can . ]
I make the motion of beckoning Eve with my finger .
[Mhmm, Iâm also going too? Understood . ]
The Takao Sisters who Eve encountered in the Demon Zone werenât here .
I donât have to worry about them finding out that sheâs Eve Speed .
Approaching Eve, I brought the mouth of my mask closer to her ear .
[Basically, donât speak a word there . ]
Eve flinched for a moment at my whisper, but she immediately nodded her head .
[Acknowledged . ]
I think she sensed that I had my own intentions .
The Takao sisters may not be there, but Kashima could be there .
Kashima has also made contact with Eve in the Demon Zone .
Her voice may have changed......
But I donât want the slightest nuance in her speech to be found out by any chance .
Moreover, Eveâs also hiding her true identity for the time being......
If thereâs anything else Iâm concerned about though, it would be Ikusaba Asagi butââ
[..................... . . ]
When I finally saw Sogou and the others, my concern was put to rest for the moment .
I canât see Ikusaba Asagi nearby .
Kashima isnât here either .
As for the faces that I could see here......
I could see the ones Kirihara used to hang out with and some other people that theyâve also been hanging out .
Though, I could see a faint fear through the faces of some of my classmates .
This Fly Kingâs mask and attire probably look eerie for them .
These people are more likely unfamiliar with this appearance than the people from this world who knows about the legend of the Fly King .
Taking that into consideration, I guess I could understand their reactions .
[Ahââ-]
When Sogou noticed me, it seems like she tried to say something .
However, I felt like the words were stuck behind her throat .
I think she was trying to call my name .
I respectfully bowed to them .
[My name is Belzegia . Iâm the current leader of the Fly King Squadron, which was formerly known as Ashinto . Itâs truly my honor to meet the Heroes from Another World, this worldâs saviors . ]
[N- No, that isnât the case at all! Rather than that, Iâm the one who got saved today......]
Sogou thanked me .
Sogou was using something that looks like crutches .
I canât seem to see any wounds in her body but......
I wonder if she got sprains from her fight?
[Errr... Let me introduce myself again . Iâm Sogou Ayaââ no, Iâm Ayaka Sogou . For saving us in that perilous situation, thank you very much . ]
Rather than being polite towards me...
Iâd say itâs just like Sogou acts as before .
[Being thankful...... Youâve fought quite a lot this time, didnât you? Errr... Youâve been fighting around with that silver weapon that changes in size, right? ââIs that weapon a magical tool? That weapon contains are really interesting ability, donât you think?]
[Ah, no...... Thatâs an Inherent Skill of a Heroâ-]
Itâs probably because Iâm acting like Iâm curious about it .
Sogou kindly explained the information about what she had comprehended about her inherent skill .
Nodding my head in interest several times, I let out a sigh of admiration .
[I see...... Thatâs quite a tremendous ability, that inherent skill is . ]
Alright .
I have somehow understood Sogouâs inherent skill for now .
[Iâm sure that even the other Heroes, especially those high ranking Heroes have tremendous inherent skills . Fumu... Quite interesting it is......]
Pretending to be a scholar with an intellectual inquisitiveness about all things, I groaned .
[Ayaka-dono, do you know the inherent skills of the other Heroes as well?]
Looking at âher lifeâs saviorâ, the Class President...
[Umm, if itâs just from what I know, I could tell youââ]
The plan got through .
Sogou spoke about the inherent skills of the high ranking Heroes, other than herself .
Two S-Ranksââ Kirihara Takuot and Takao Hijiri .
Three A-Ranksââ Oyamada Shougo, Yasu Tomohiro and Takao Itsuki .
However, the information she had about the Takao Sistersâ inherent skills were quite lacking .
[............ . . ]
Cloudiness appeared on Sogouâs face just as she was speaking about Oyamada and Yasuâs skills .
Thereupon, Sogou started to talk about how the two of them werenât here .
[ââAnd so, I got separated from Oyamada-kun and Yasu-kun...... I still havenât found out where they are . All the military search parties were looking for them but......]
In other words, both of them are missing and their survival is still unknown as of the moment .
Being careful not to sound inappropriate...
[I will also pray that theyâre alive . ]
Murmuring so, I nodded .
[Howeverâ- I see . I guess the abilities of the Heroes are acting in a different rule compared to this worldâs techniques and spells . Itâs also different from the sorcery Iâm using...... Thatâs quite an intriguing conversation we had . Thank you very much, Ayaka-dono . ]
[N- No! Once again, Iâd like to thank you for saving our lives in that perilous situation...... Umm, thanks to Berzegia-sanâ-]
Sogou turns her head behind her .
[I think everyone here has been able to survive . ]
The 2-C bunch lined up behind Sogou .
From the looks of it, there are hardly any girls among them .
......Kirihara and the Takao Sisters should be on the Eastern battlefront .
In that caseâ- Ikusaba Asagi, Kashima and most of the other girls are on the west?
Thatâs only if most of the Heroes that were annexed int the Southern Army is here .
Even so......
[Thank you very much! Thanks to you, weâve managed to avoid dying!]
[Sorcery is amazing, isnât it?]
[If you hadnât arrived, we would have died . ]
[U- Umm, can I ask who that beauty is? Is that, by any chance, Seras Ashrain?]
No matter who it isââ all of their faces have changed into a beautiful one .
Iâm not just talking about the relatively faint-hearted group that has been trying their best to hide at the time when I was being disposed of .
Suou Kayako, Minamino Moe, and some others have certainly changed as well .
However, it wasnât the normally quiet group that bothered me .
Itâs the ones who looked down on me with an evil grin when I was being disposed of .
Back when Iâm being disposed of......
Whereâs that triumphant look on their faces they had when they were being stirred up by the Goddess?
[............... . ]
The point is .
These guys were just grass boats floating on the river .
Generally speakingâ- theyâre the type that easily gets carried away by the currents .
Without creating a current of their own .
Without even going against the current themselves .
Following their emotions and intuition, they would easily get caught up in the currents of the moment .
Moreover, they were probablyâ- doing it unconsciously .
Iâm not thinking itâs disgusting or wrong to get swept away though .
Stirred up by that f*cking goddess, they go along with the currents .
And when they got through after theyâre thrown into a war zone where theyâre life would be at stakeââ
They would have faces like this .
They were just simply going along with the currents .
In that case...
[..................]
Theyâre not going to be a problem .
They could be easily swept away .
That meansââ
If a current stronger than the Goddess were to be created, they would be swept along with that current instead .
If I were to create my own current, I could make them move at my will......
The problem would beââ those who arenât flowing along the currents .
Those who donât go with the flow, but makes their own flows instead .
The first one would be that f*cking goddess .
The others would be Kirihara Takuto and Ikusaba Asagi .
Takao Hijiri also seemed like someone who could create her own currents, depending on whose current sheâs drifting in .
And lastly......
Through my mask, I stared at Sogou Ayaka .
The good-natured Class President .
I donât think sheâs the type who would make use of trickeries to create her current .
Sheâs the type of person whose actions are the result of her honest beliefs .
These types have a strong tendency to be followed by people who arenât easily influenced by others .
Thinking about it......
He might seem to be the complete opposite of Sogou, but Kirihara might be the same type as her too .
In his case though, itâs hard to tell if what kind of current heâs trying to create......
Anywayâ- that f*cking goddessâ current should be obvious .
Kirihara Takuo .
Ikusaba Asagi .
Takao Hijiri .
If we can crush or neutralize their currents, then I can do whatever I want after thatââ
[Belzegia-sanââ Iâve made up my mind . ]
Using her cane, Sogou got closer .
There wasnât a speck of cloudiness in her eyes .
[Iâm going to try to get stronger . Stronger than anyone else . ]
[...............]
[If Iâm stronger than anyone else, I can protect everyone . In this battle, I understood that very well .
Sogou continued .
[I wonât let anyone die anymore...... I know not everyone in my class looks favorably towards me . Iâm well aware of that . Some people would even shower me with harsh words . But stillââ]
As if sheâs saying this to herself, Sogou said .
[I will do everything in my power to protect all of my classmates . ]
[......Thatâs quite admirable of you . ]
Sogouâs gaze dropped down to her feet .
[Therefore, I will get stronger . ]
[............... . . ]
[Stronger, to the utmost of my abilities . ]
There was a strong determination in her voice .
[There are some things I canât protect with just words alone...... There are many things I canât protect without power . I feel like Iâve learned this the hard way through this battle . ]
Sogou bites her lip .
[Moreover, even at that timeââ when Mimori-kun was disposed of, it would have been different if I had the power . For instance...... If I were stronger than the Goddess......]
Rather than being directed towards me, those words sound like theyâre more of a soliloquy .
[If only I had the power . ]
[......You mentioned earlier that there are some Heroes from Another World who donât look favorably at you?]
When I asked so, Sogou looks like sheâs surprised as if she just came back to her senses .
I keep on asking my questions .
[For instance...... If they were to refuse your protection, will you still protect them?
[Yes . ]
Sogou replied without hesitation .
She glanced out of the camp .
Sheâs glancing out somewhere far, far away .
[Thereâs a man named Banewolf...... But that man is now missing and was still being searched by the soldiers . He...... threw himself into harmâs way to protect us . ]
Sogou looks at the cane thatâs supporting her body .
[If only my body does what I want to, I would have liked to join the search but......]
Sogou was silent for a few moments before she turned her gaze back to the castle .
[That personâ- Bane-san risked his life to protect us . Even though he had only just met us, he tried to protect us even someone who refused his help . Heâs always been looking out for us . Thatâs right...... Even though weâre neither his family nor friend, even those soldiers on the southern ramparts which weâve only met for the first time today, they all risked their lives just to let us escape . Bane-san isnât the only one . Even Agito-san and all the other people...... Thereforeâ- I guess thatâs what the people with power would do when theyâre protecting someone else . ]
A slight smile appeared on Sogouâs face .
[Whether itâs Kirihara-kun, Oyamada-kun, or Yasu-kun...... They might not like being protected by me . ]
I see...
[However, even soâ-]
Sogou Ayaka has spokenâ
[If someone tries to hurt the people I wanted to protect...... I will be the one standing up against âwhoeverâ that isââ and I will obstruct them will all of my might . ]
âas this classâ President .
[Iâm not letting anyone else die . ]
Sogou turned towards our classmates behind her .
[Iââ will be stronger . Stronger than anyone else . ]
[.................. . . ]
Then, a soldier came running up to my classmates .
Telling something to them, one of the girls stepped forward .
[Ayaka-chan!]
It was Minamino Moe who called out to her .
[He said that Bane-san has been found!]
[......Eh?]
Tears appeared on Minaminoâs eyes .
[Heâs still alive!]
[Really......?]
The Heroes began cheering .
Baneââ Banewolf .
They must be talking about that guy Sogou mentioned earlier huh .
[Excuse me, Berzegia-san...... Iâ-]
Iâve already acquired most of the information I needed .
[It appears to be good news . Yes, please donât mind me . You should go right away . ]
[Yes, thank you very much for saving us today . Iâll see you later . ]
[â-Yeah . If I ever get the chance to see you again . ]
......................................................... . .
Sogou Ayaka .
If sheâs just following her honesty, I wouldnât know where sheâd end up falling .
Perhaps, she may be the person closest to the image of a âHeroâ that everyone has in mind .
At the same timeââ sheâs also a bundle of uncertainties .
In a way, she may be the most unreadable among the Heroes .
According to her explanation about her current condition where she even requires a cane just to walk, itâs due to the burden from the usage of a Kisou-ryu Technique called Limiter Thread .
In that case, she should eventually recover .
I watched Sogouâs back as she walked away with the help of our classmates .
Perhaps...
Hereafter, the one that could become the most troublesome obstacle among the Heroes from Another Worldââ
[..................... . ]
I turn around .
[Letâs go, Astarva . ]
Eve followed me back .
As we walk, I began expanding my thoughts to my plans in the future .
[âââââ-]
From here on out, how long the Great Demon Emperor will last may be the key .
The time that the Heroes will spend subjugating the Great Demon Emperor .
In other words, this will be the period when the number of pawns protecting the Goddess is reduced .
As per the previous information, if the Great Demon Emperor is the Goddessâ natural enemy......
Weâre talking about that f*cking goddess here .
Thereâs a good chance that she wonât risk her own life and just remain in Alion .
It seems that the Great Demon Emperor appeared in the east .
Iâve also acquired that information too .
Thereâs also the words Zweikzeed said before he died .
That Eingrantz is a Strategian .
If that Confidant was unexpectedly an important pawn for the Great Demon Emperor......
Is it possible that the Great Demon Emperor will retreat when he learns of the war situation here in the south?
It would be best if the Great Demon Emperor learns of Eingrantzâ death and retreats to the northernmost land .
Conversely, it would be really troublesome if Kirihara and the others who went towards the east defeated the Great Demon Emperor right there .
It would have been good news if Kirihara and the others were to become disabled in that battle though......
[..................... . ]
If that Great Demon Emperor holes up in the northern lands, the S-Rank Heroes wouldnât have any choice but to go to the northernmost land .
Along those times, the 2-C Heroes who would stand in my way of crushing the Goddess are temporarily gone .
At the very least, the S-Ranks should be heading north .
I can then use the Forbidden Curses before those troublesome hindrances get in my way andââ
If that were to happen, Iâd like to crush the Goddess while the S-Ranks are battling the Great Demon Emperor in the north .
For me, it would be really lucky if the Great Demon Emperor can hold off those hindrances before I can finish what I will do .
As for whether the Great Demon Emperor gets himself killed first .
Or whether I acquire the Forbidden Curses and crush the Goddess first .
From hereafter, this might just turn into a race like that .
Thatâs right .
If I can complete my revenge without the presence of the S-Rank Heroes, my concerns regarding Sogou Ayaka will disappear .
And to do so, I must know the movements of the S-Ranks in the future .
Iâve thought of a few things I could use to regularly keep up with their movements but......
Itâs just that... From now on, if Sogou Ayaka were to stand in my wayââ
I wonder what she would do if I were to reveal my true identity?
No matter what happens, she will protect her classmates with all of her strength .
Sogou declared so .
However, if the enemy that shows up before your classmatesââ
âis one of your classmates?
The contradiction that Sogou Ayaka must face .
If the one who stands before you was the classmate you have sworn to protect...
If it was Mimori Touka, who she thought was dead...
At that time, what would Sogou Ayaka do?
[.................. . . ]
If I reveal myself to herââ I could probably find an opening .
It might be a bit difficult right now, but there are ways for me to incapacitate her without having to hurt her .
At least......
If Iâm going to harm anyone who objected my disposal in that situation for the sake of achieving my goalsâ-
I would feel like Iâm of the same level as âthose peopleâ that I hated so much .
And then...
[Whatâs the matter?]
Machia asked .
[......She may look like a young child, but I could truly see a fine warrior in her . Iâm just a little impressed . ]
[Fuuunnn...... So you were moved after seeing the Heroes from Another World huh . ]
[Yes . ]
One of the soldiers came to call out Machia .
As for Machia...
[You should go back to the camp at a suitable time . I still have some errands I need to do . ]
[Are you sure it would be fine not to keep an eye on me?]
[You seem harmless enough, so I guess it should be okay?]
Shrugging her shoulders, Machia disappeared .
I canât feel the presence of anyone nearby .
I spoke towards Eve .
[You can speak now . ]
[Umu . ]
[Iâm sorry I had to make you shut up and just stand there . ]
[I donât really care, but it doesnât seem like it would make any difference whether I came with you or not though . ]
[No, your presence there has been helpful enough . ]
[?]
Some of them...... Especially the guys were just looking at Eve at the latter half of our conversation .
When it comes to attracting the attention of the opposite gender for a short time, a beautiful woman certainly is the best choice .
They would look away from their first impression towards me, which could also make their impressions towards me somewhat fade away .
âU- Umu . â Eve snorted after I lightly explained so .
[It feels strange getting that kind of look from humans . ]
[Fuuunnn...... That just means thereâs a use for that attractive appearance of yours . ]
Now then .
There may be some things that I need to look out for in the future butââ
Our detour ends here .
From hereafter, weâre going back to our original route .
Uncertainties are appearing all over the place, but the things I need to do have already been decided .
After this...
[..................... . . ]
Iâll just be focusing on what I have to do .
All thatâs leftâ- is just to plunge forward to complete this journey .