IF Route: Chapter 9: Proof of Hero

--Reversed

He had stopped until now.

He has been on a break for a long time.

The number of mistakes piled up.

But Trust stood up.

I don't know why.

Before I knew it, Trust had decided to fight, and his resolve was firm.

...No, Lumina and I were killing each other, and one of us died.

I think he had to change.

Still, I guess he will become a Hero who gives courage to others...

I guess Trust is a Hero at heart.

If it were a normal person, it would be understandable that they would be even more depressed.

It's a bit strange for me to say this, since I'm one of the causes.

Anyway, Trust rose once again.

Before... yes, that was the first day I was imprisoned.

At that time, I thought for a moment that if he could stand up, Trust could become even stronger.

He embodied that desire.

Trust has taken the easy path I've presented many times.

A person who can accept the harsh reality, reject sweet temptations, and still assert that they will move forward...is strong.

Yes――enough to turn everything upside down.

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"Just in time."

After that, Trust suggested we go down the mountain and return to the city.

Of course, that's highly risky.

The demon general was nearby, even if they were alone.

It would be natural to think that their subordinates were closing in.

A punitive force... In this case, a defense force would have been organized, but looking at the situation before the escape, we can't expect much.

In fact, the demon army was approaching the city.

But it hasn't fallen.

"Hahaha! These guys are cowards!"

The demon was shouting with such a foul mouth, and he was looking down from the city walls.

Next to the demon was a captive woman who looked like a slave.

Naturally, they are restrained with handcuffs, leg irons, and collars.

They must have taken and plundered many villages and cities during their advance so far.

The number is not just one or two women.

From what I could see, there were about ten or twenty women... they were positioned like a shield to block arrows.

If you want invade a city with closed doors, arrows and magic are scary.

But even if it was to protect the city, pointing arrows at one's own people would affect morale.

This is really a despicable plan that demons would come up with.

"That's strange..."

"Really?"

I have never fought against demons.

If I were to classify the Vampire Princess and our escape on the first day of this world as demons, then it's not like I have zero combat experience, but in this case, that experience would be useless.

Anyway, in the game, I have seen the battle with the demons through Trust's eyes.

Of course, at that time it was just a game, so it wasn't as realistic, and there was no smell of blood or iron.

So in effect, I know next to nothing.

"Hey, look at the back."

As he said that, I looked at the demon army.

...I feel like there's a lack of discipline.

I feel a bit excited or something.

"It certainly is strange."

Of course, I'm not so stupid that I don't understand why the situation is like this.

"This is going to work."

"...Can you come up with a strategy that will ensure victory?"

I understood what "Trust can do it" meant without even having to put it into words.

And while this method is effective, it is also extremely dangerous.

"Filia, I'm the Hero who ran away. It will take more than just ordinary things to regain the trust I've lost."

"..."

That's probably true.

Trust is strong.

Even if he fight steadily, he can be sure to achieve results.

However, it's not a blow that will be effective enough to overturn what has happened up until now.

Above all, I don't think that someone who takes the safe route is the kind of Hero person that Trust talks about.

"Sorry. But I still decided to fight."

The look in his eyes was different from the Trust I had seen up until now.

Looking towards tomorrow...he is thinking about really living with me.

He is saying that he will fight on, accepting all the unpleasant and painful things.

At a time like this, what would a good woman say?

"Trust-sama, I am a pessimistic person. When I hear that you are going to fight, I feel more anxious than courageous, and I hesitate. I am a weak person."

"..."

"But I'll still fight for you."

I made a vow.

Even if it means denying everything in this world, I'll still love Trust.

Even if I'm called stupid and foolish, I don't want to deny what the person I love wants to do.

Because...he's a man saying that he can finally live with pride.

I don't live with him enough to believe those words.

"Even if your thoughts are foolish and wrong, I will continue to believe in them until the very end."

"Thank you. I will put up a fight that lives up to that trust. First, I will prove to Filia that I'm not all talk."

"Yes!"

Trust put his foot on the outer wall.

The rest is just timing.

Regain the trust he lost by continuing to run away.

To make such an impossible feat possible... would require heroic action.

"Is there no human being willing to help their woman? Hahaha, humans are a bunch of scum! Is there no one here who can take on me?"

The demons were shouting whatever they wanted.

Well, wait a bit.

The Hero and Saint who you are worried about will deal with you.

"Let's go!"

["Feather Charge!"]

Along with the words from Trust, I cast a support spell.

The effect is much stronger than when defeating a monster, so it can be given to two people at the same time.

"--!"

Immediately afterwards, Trust flies off the outer wall.

He readied his sword and cut down the demon, being careful not to injure the woman who was blocking the arrow way.

"Gaha――!?"

It's a rule that those who act arrogantly without any sense of crisis are the ones who die first.

The noisy demon was defeated by Trust.

Perhaps this was too unexpected for the demons to move.

["Break Power!"]

I chanted the spell again and flew along the outer wall.

With that momentum, I swung my short sword.

"Guh!"

Blue blood, different from human red blood, splatters.

Compared to the monsters I fought before, the demons are far stronger.

That is an undeniable fact.

But...it's not so strong that it's hopeless.

At least compared to some death-crazed vampire princess!

"Wh-what are you guys doing?!"

"...!"

Ignoring my enemies words, I repeatedly slash, running through them as if they were the wind.

There is only one goal.

--Rescue the imprisoned.

"Haaah!"

While fighting, I keep an eye on Trust.

The sword flashes with the speed of light, and the demons fall down one after another.

His attacks are powerful, but his body is as fast as an arrow.

He was very strong when he fought monsters before, but now he's so strong that it can't be compared.

I know this because I myself have become stronger thanks to the influence of the kodachi.

Above all, I love Trust, so there's no credibility whatsoever.

But even with my bias, Trust is much stronger than he was before.

"O-oi! Do you don't care what happens to these wome――!?"

As expected, the demon tried to take the woman hostage, so I threw something I was carrying at him.

It leaves a blood-red trail as it pierces the demon's head.

"What, how can it be...?!"

"That's...!"

Seeing the pierced object, unrest spread among the demons.

Yes, what I threw was... the weapon used by their general, a scythe.

It's quite a piece of equipment, so I brought it with me in case something like this were to happen.

The effect was greater than I expected, though.

This was probably the reason why they were so excited.

Their general never appears, no matter how long they wait.

It's only natural that the whole team would be worried.

So I stopped for a moment, made a face, and then said.

"Ufufu~ that fool attacked me alone so I killed her but~.... were she just low-ranking demons?"

...I don't have any interest in making fun of the dead, but I think it's more effective to say it like this.

Regardless of their level of cruelty, demons are still intelligent creatures.

If you push them to the brink mentally, their morale will plummet.

An army ruled by fear is no match for a single brave warrior.

I'm going to finally let go of the resentment I've felt for them for tormenting my beloved Trust's mentally up until now.

"Now that I think of it, I haven't told you my name, have I? I'm Filia. I'm the one who fights alongside the Hero Trust-sama... Would it be easier to call me what you demons call .... a Saint?"

It draws the attention of all beings in the area to the actions of Trust more effectively.

This gives the demons the impression that a powerful enemy has appeared, causing them to despair.

Luckily, my voice is high-pitched and resonates.

Trust is a hero, so he's probably not good at directing and things like that, so I'll take care of the subtle, shady parts.

"What!?"

While the enemy is surprised, I move again and slash.

And then I release the hostages.

To be honest, these things are important but also a nuisance.

If I can save them, I can give them the courage that Trust spoke of.

But if that fails, another strategy is needed.

That's why I want them to quickly escape to the city... but the shackles and handcuffs are getting in the way.

"Filia, I'm counting on you to take care of these people!"

Trust shouted, having rescued all the hostages in sight.

He then charges into the enemy army alone.

Damn... the word reckless comes to mind.

Trust is human too.

There's no way one person can fight against that many Demon King troops.

But... still... I believe him!

"Everyone, hurry here! I will protect your lives!"

"Hero-sama..."

"Saint..."

When I shouted that, the women looked relieved.

...Even when they look at me like that, I feel bad that I'm thinking about something else.

I'm more worried about Trust fighting for these people lives right now than I am about the lives of these people.

Maybe he's been hurt somewhere I don't know about, or maybe he's going to die.

Above all, these guys were the ones who had been complaining about the Hero.

I want to leave these guys here and go to Trust.

That's all I can think about.

...But I said I believe in Trust.

The task entrusted from the Hero Trust for me to do.

It is my mission to protect these people's lives even if it means dying.

In that case, I can't afford to hesitate here.

"I know you guys have a lot to say to us, who took so long to get here."

Modest, humble, and reserved...choose my words carefully to fulfill their hopes.

If a Hero is someone who gives courage to people, then what kind of person is a Saint?

A Saint. A holy woman would be appropriate.

Well, I'm not exactly a holy person, and besides, I've been violated so many times that I'm pretty lewd.

...Ahem, unfortunately, I couldn't think of an answer, but I think I'll try to act like a Saint.

It may sound strange to say it myself, but I have a bad personality.

"But please cooperate for now."

"Wh-what should I do..."

"Just run. Just run to the city. That will do."

As I said this, I swung my short sword.

With the emotions overflowing from the depths of my heart and the effects of magic, I cut off the shackles and fetters from everyone 

"I...I understand!"

Even though they were weak from the cruel treatment they received, they still accepted my words.

All that's left is to run away.

"Let's go then."

"Y-yes...!"

That's not the way I would look at Trust... I gave them a forced smile and the girls nodded.

Okay, that's it.

Soon after, the movement began.

"...! It's okay, I will definitely save everyone's lives. Please believe me."

However... it seems the demons are reluctant to let the hostages escape, as arrows fly from the Demon King's army.

I cut off the flying arrows.

It would have been difficult for me a while ago, but I can do this much now.

Above all, the amount of arrows flying decreases over time.

That's right...Trust is fighting for us.

He's fighting a horde of enemies all by himself.

Even without seeing it, I can understand how terrible and painful it is.

I want to rush over right now, but I have to do what I need to do first.

If I can't do that, I can't be with him.

"This way! Quickly!"

A man's voice echoed from the outer wall ahead.

Looking at it, the city gates open a little.

...I guess it was opened by someone in the city who was frustrated by this situation.

It seems humans aren't so bad that they wouldn't be afraid of the Demon King's army and be unable to take a step forward.

"Please take care of these people!"

"Yes!"

Women walk through the open door.

Each person expresses their gratitude.

If it were the old me... I might have felt good.

I do think that I have changed, but I think that's a good thing.

"Then I'll leave the rest to you!"

After making sure that the last person had gone through the door, I spoke to the soldier-like man holding the spear.

I can finally go to him.

Just that gave me so much energy.

But…….

"Please wait!"

"...What is it?"

As I was about to turn around and start running, the soldier told me to wait.

"You too, come over here!"

...There's no way that's possible.

Well, I know he's worried about me.

There is someone fighting alone against the Demon King's army, and I don't think that just adding one more person to the group will do anything.

That's what most people would think.

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm going."

"But..."

"Rather than that, I'd like you to tell this to everyone... and deliver a message to this city."

"Yes?"

"Hero Trust has arrived to protect this city. The battle is still ongoing."

Trust said he would turn everything upside down.

I don't know how he will do that.

But Trust said he would.

The only thing I can do is believe in him more than anyone else, support him, and help him.

"The Hero is certainly amazing, but... alone..."

"But I Still Believe!"

I live only for Trust.

It's not about logic or theory. It's about emotion.

Who cares about complicated things?

I do it because I want to, I'm a selfish guy.

"And Trust-sama won't be alone. Because I am here."

"You……"

"If you believe in Trust-sama, please look at his brave figure from the outer wall."

"..."

He was half-believing it, or should I say half-doubting.

The soldier has that look on his face.

But... I can't help but be surprised that he was even half-believed.

No, now it's Trust that I need to think about.

I want to go to him soon and fight together.

"Now, close the door."

"but……"

"Go! You can run away or believe. Just tell people the facts!"

"Y-Yes!"

I shouted at the panicked soldier, who nodded.

...The door is closing.

I had no intention of doing that from the start, but now there's no escape.

"I am coming, Trust-sama."

Muttering softly, I let my emotions take over and rushed towards the battlefield where Trust was fighting alone.

There was no wonder or fear.

There was no sense of mission like when I fought the Vampire Princess.

But... my heart is warm.

Even if I die here, I'll be satisfied as long as I can die with Trust.

Of course, I wouldn't accept such an outcome.

"..."

As I ran forward, I saw demon corpses scattered all over the place.

The earth was stained with blue blood, making it seem like hell on earth.

Up ahead, I saw a shadow moving freely in all directions, slaughtering enemies...Trust.

"Trust-sama!"

I slash the enemy in sync with Trust's movements.

And then our eyes met for just a moment.

Just by looking into each other's eyes, I can understand what he is saying.

I'm sure Trust is thinking something like, "What about them?"

So I just smiled a little.

It means that the item was delivered safely.

"...!"

A lot of demon attacks are coming.

Some attack with their own bodies, some use weapons, and some use magic.

Trust dodges the attack and strikes with his sword.

With just that, the enemies sink one by one.

Trust is strong.

He was so strong that even the Vampire Princess Lumina, whom I fought, bleeding and prepared to die, was inferior to him.

I probably wouldn't be able to surpass him even if I spent my entire life trying.

In my lifetime... No, since coming to this world I had barely fought at all, so it made me wonder what I was saying, but the difference in ability was just that.

In that case, I'll do whatever I can to make it easier for Trust to fight.

"...Haaah!"

Trust is human too.

If he swing his sword, it will create an opening, albeit very small.

If there are a lot of enemies, even that small opening can be fatal.

However, Trust has the ability to avoid taking hit from his target.

However, if enemy eliminate the evasion and defense that are being used to close the gap...

"Guah...!"

After Trust's slash, I swings my short sword, weaving through the line of his sword.

Then, Trust slashed at the enemy to eliminate my opening.

Once, twice, three times...

The more I repeat it, the more skilled I become.

"Gaha――!"

The rate of annihilation is increasing at an accelerating rate that even I can't believe.

We felt a sense of unity when we fought together before, but this is far greater than that.

I can see how Trust moves and what his next attack will be.

Direction to dodge, sword direction, magic preparation, necessary attacks, desired magic.

All of these things connect without needing for the words.

"Hahaha... Filia!"

"Ufufu... Yes, it's fun!"

I couldn't help but smile.

It seemed like Trust felt the same way, and I felt a strange sense of elation that I had never felt before.

It's not that I'm drunk on fighting.

It's not like I feel like I'm dying.

I was happy to be strongly connected to the person I loved.

"Do you think we can win?"

I am asking question I know the answer to.

"We're not going to win at this rate."

...I knew that from the beginning.

Trust is human too.

No matter how a Hero acts alone, he may be able to win small battles, but he will not be able to win big wars.

I knew that anyone could understand that.

"But we can win. Do you believe me, Filia?"

"Did I ever doubt you, Trust-sama?"

That was a bit of an aggressive statement.

It's hard to say that this kind of situation doesn't exist.

But it's all the truth.

From the moment I came to this world, I decided to live for Trust.

I'll fight to make sure he gets his happy ending.

That's why I will never betray him.

I will continue to believe until the very last moment.

"That's right... Thank you as always."

Yeah, how can I put it... I'm so happy.

He might think I'm a cheap woman, but I love him so there's nothing I can do about it.

Now he can fight even harder.

Trust says it's impossible, but at this rate it feels like we could defeat the entire demon army on our own.

"So, Trust-sama."

"Yeah?"

The two of us talked as we slaughtered our enemies in a dance made of swords and magic.

"Have you become a new Hero?"

"Yeah. Look behind you."

I exchange positions with Trust while we performing a sword dance.

Then, what I saw was... the door to the city opening.

I've never really noticed it before, but it seems this body has very good eyesight.

I could see that the people passing through the door had strong wills.

Everyone has a weapon in their hand.

Some of them were carrying weapons that looked improvised and didn't look like soldiers.

A Hero who gives courage, huh?

Indeed, this scene may be such a situation.

It's not something I could do because I only think about trust.

That's it. This must be the power of a Hero.

...I wonder.

I'm starting to feel excited.

This is... well, it's just that my heart and lungs are active because I am moving around.

"Uh, uwaaaaaahhhhh!?"

Disappointing words were heard from the Demon King's army.

When I looked, I saw that the demons were fleeing in front of Trust, me, and the people who had risen up.

Well... they've lost their commander, and their natural enemy, the Hero, has been trampling them on alone like this, and even reinforcements are approaching.

It is only natural that these demons with a severely low morale would feel intense fear.

In terms of simple military strength, the Demon King's army still has the advantage.

This is an undeniable fact.

But look at the people behind us.

There were soldiers who were not used to fighting, people who had no connection to fighting, and even women and children.

In this situation, if we were to fight normally, it would become a hellish scene that could not even be called a battle.

But this doesn't make our victory any less certain.

An army that can only run away is like a carnivorous beast with no claws or fangs.

"Now's the chance. Filia, let's pursue!"

"Yes!"

Following Trust's voice, we chased after the fleeing demon.

...To state the result, a path of blue blood was created a few hours later.