Chapter 23: If You Say You Can’t Win, Then It’s Okay to Run

As I walked alone down the night road to cool off my body, still flushed from the bath, I ended up by the embankment.

Even at night, the border between the miasma and the barrier was clearly visible and easy to distinguish.

Then—

“Oh, Yuto.”

I ran into Raiga. Judging by his flushed skin, he must’ve just gotten out of the bath too.

This village hadn’t suffered much damage, so several bathhouses were still operational.

So it made sense that Raiga, sweaty like Rizel, would head for a bath around the same time as us.

“Hey, Raiga. Looked like you got beaten up pretty bad earlier,” I said with a grin.

By the way, Karen-san, Rizel, and I—the girls—were staying at the village chief’s house. Well, not the acting chief’s house, but the former village chief’s, the one who had already passed away.

Since the acting village chief was single, it wasn’t appropriate for him to host women, and besides, the idea of hosting a noble like Karen-san and a “saint” like me seemed too intimidating for the other villagers.

In the end, we were put up in the now-empty house of the former village chief. Fortunately, Rizel had already been using it as her lodging during her stay, so it worked out well.

“Shut up. We’re just not compatible, that’s all,” he said bluntly and sat down along the embankment.

Seeing that, I sat down too.

“But still, it’s true I’m not strong enough yet,” he added.

“…Yeah. I heard it got pretty close when you were fighting the Blood Ogre.”

“Yeah, when it took Galatine from me, honestly, I thought I was done for.”

He waved his hand vaguely in the air.

“Hey, Raiga.”

After a small preface, I finally opened my heavy mouth.

“You don’t have to fight, you know?”

“You don’t have to fight, you know?”

Yuto’s words hit me like a hammer to the head.

“…What’s that supposed to mean?”

Not understanding, I asked back.

“Do you remember what the goddess said when she sent us to this world?”

“Of course I do.”

“She said, ‘You’ll definitely win.’ But that was a lie. We were already in serious danger before we were even halfway through the journey. If Rizel hadn’t shown up, who knows what would’ve happened.”

Staring at me with firm eyes, she continued,

“You can still turn back. You and Karen-san are different. You don’t have any obligation to risk your life for this country—for another world.”

“But you were all in too, weren’t you, Yuto!?”

I couldn’t keep my voice from rising as she said something so unbelievable.

When we set out from the royal capital, she was so eager. And now, just because it got dangerous once…

“Back then, I thought it would be easier. Even though it’s crazy to say this after everything that’s happened—I believed what the goddess said. I thought you could make it to the ‘Demon Dragon’ alone. And if Karen-san was with you, then there wouldn’t be any problem.”

“So you’re saying it’s because I’m weak?”

I couldn’t suppress the irritation boiling inside me.

“No… What scares me is thinking about the possibility that you might not come back.”

Yuto’s eyes trembled.

“If anyone’s weak, it’s my heart.”

And then she smiled. A fragile smile, like it would break if touched.

—...

I felt my breath catch in my throat.

Looking at Yuto like that, all I could say was—

“If we run… then what?”

“There’s no guarantee the ‘Demon Dragon’ will stay in Elgrand forever. The fact that the damage has only been limited to the southern region after a whole year is practically a miracle. And what about the people in this village?”

I forced myself to stay calm and spoke, gently, as if trying to reason with her.

“We should wait for the real ‘heroes’—the ones who saved Legionia. The true ‘hero’ and the ‘saint.’ We’re just stand-ins, dragged here from another world. And now that even the goddess seems suspicious, I’m not sure we can actually beat the ‘Demon Dragon.’”

Yuto was telling me to run away.

What she was saying was completely unreasonable. If we do that, the people in this village will definitely die.

She was probably in a very unstable state right now.

Maybe she noticed the way I was looking at her, because—

“…Sorry. The one who really wants to run away… is probably me.”

That’s all she said, before lowering her eyes.

Her shoulders were trembling slightly.

“I’ve been wondering this whole time—why was I even brought here? Ever since I came to this world, I’ve done nothing but think about that. I’ve been hiding, protected by everyone. …When I think about what’s ahead, I get so scared I want to throw everything away and run.”

Psychological trauma from losing people close to her, and the fear that kept her from fighting. Maybe while we were battling monsters, Yuto had been fighting her own fears all along.

“It’s okay.”

I figured the first thing I needed to do was reassure her. That had to come before anything else.

If I’m being honest, I wanted to pull her into a hug—but if I did that, she’d definitely hate me for it.

“What do you mean, ‘it’s okay’?”

“I’m not going to die. At the very least, I won’t die and leave you behind.”

“Ahaha. That’s not something you can prove.”

Yuto rejected everything I said.

Her laugh was dry and hollow. Normally, she’d say things like that with more confidence, maybe even exasperation.

So I told her—

“Well, I did confess, didn’t I?”

“…Huh?”

Yuto froze for a second.

“You said I had to show you ‘sincerity’ until the journey ends, right? Then I won’t die until I show it and get your answer.”

Blushing even redder than after the bath, she stammered,

“T-T-There’s no way I can believe something like that!”

“You’re the one who said, ‘No matter what happens, promise you’ll always believe in me,’ remember?”

“I did say that.”

“Then you believe in me, too.”

This was the moment. I couldn’t afford to misstep—not if I wanted to ease her fears.

“Believe in me, someone who loves you.”

I looked straight into her eyes, willing her to believe me.

Maybe it was only a few seconds—but to me, it felt like an eternity.

“…Okay. You won’t die before me. That’s the fourth promise.”

And just like that, a new show of “sincerity” was added.