When was it, exactly?

The moment she started to admire those heroes who protect people from countless dangers and tirelessly work for others.

The moment she wished to become a hero like them.

Believing firmly that, just like the heroes in stories say, with effort and passion, one could become a great hero, that moment made her keep running forward until now.

Mei thought bitterly.

It was undoubtedly true that moment was during a truly pure childhood.

Even up until she entered the academy, known as the gateway to becoming a hero, Mei was half convinced.

She believed she would definitely become a great hero, not falling behind any of the other new students.

She didn’t consider herself lacking in talent compared to others, and above all, she was confident that her determination to become a wonderful hero surpassed anyone else’s.

After all, she had been striving solely to become a great hero since she was very young.

So, there should be no reason for her to lag behind anyone else.

That’s what she thought until she saw the other students at the academy.

In fact, Mei was a prodigy.

Someone who could be said to have a bit of talent.

Among the kids attending class with her were geniuses.

There was a girl with a robust physique that seemed never to fade.

A girl who could freely manipulate water and ice, along with the only contractor of the spirit of the stars in the world.

There was a boy known as a genius magician and another boy who had such talent that he was appointed as a hero at the youngest age in history.

Amidst such shining talents, Mei realized her own abilities were exceedingly pitiful.

While she took a step forward with effort, others made strides of ten or a hundred steps.

Moreover, they weren’t relying merely on talent; they were also diligent.

Mei had no choice but to acknowledge the insurmountable gap between herself and them.

She felt such an absurd difference in talent that it made her doubt her own efforts.

However, Mei was not the type to be so easily discouraged.

Mei lifted her head to look ahead.

A girl with red hair, wrapped in flames as red as her hair, was sparring with dazzling movements.

Scarlet Evande, her precious friend.

Mei had always been watching her.

Watching Scarlet willingly sacrifice one of her arms to protect those in the gym.

Watching her continue to achieve her goals during special classes while enduring countless near-death experiences without showing signs of distress.

Admiration.

That very feeling had been the driving force behind Mei’s unwavering efforts so far.

And the admiration she had directed towards the great heroes gradually shifted to that girl standing up ahead.

Because she saw in her the figure of the great heroes she had always admired.

Mei wanted to be like her.

She wanted to be someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder and fight alongside her.

However…

With trembling hands, Mei wiped the cold sweat from her face.

Ever since she received the killing intent emanating from Leon during class, she had been in this state.

In that moment of exposure to such murderous intent, Mei recalled the memory of facing the witch.

She had clearly witnessed her precious friend being dragged away by the witch, yet…

She had been unable to do anything.

Nothing at all.

Just because she was too scared to move.

And now, feeling her body freeze just like back then when exposed to Leon’s killing intent, Mei lost her confidence for the first time.

She could see the girl she admired sparring with Leon in front of her.

While she became paralyzed from even slight exposure, that girl was moving in a way that was beyond comparison to before.

Was it talent?

Mei remembered the day she trained with Scarlet under Leon.

Even back then, just like the day she faced the witch, and even now…

Scarlet seemed like someone who was devoid of fear.

Seeing her casually cross the line Mei could not cross made her think it must also be a form of talent.

If not feeling fear was a talent…

Then surely, no matter what she did, she would never be able to become like her.

The difference in talent.

The words she had brushed off someday now resonated painfully within Mei more than ever.

And as her gaze, which had always been directed forward without bowing in any situation, dropped to the ground.

Mei felt miserable looking at her trembling hands.

The reality that no matter what she did, she could never be like the girl she admired meant losing the support that had kept her going until then.

Feeling as if her heart might break, Mei contorted her expression.

But then, it happened.

“—Cough, cough… Ugh…”

“Are you okay?! No, why did this suddenly happen? You can’t just stop moving in the middle of a sparring session…!”

“Ugh, ah. I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

A slight commotion broke out when Scarlet was hit by Leon’s attack and went flying.

And in that gap, when Mei caught a glimpse of Scarlet’s face, she felt as if struck on the back of her head with a hammer.

Her face was drenched in cold sweat.

Her eyes were trembling, distorted with fear.

What she could see on her face, which sought permission with a quivering voice as she headed to the nurse’s office, was clearly not pain but fear.

In that moment, Mei realized.

Scarlet was not some being devoid of fear.

She had simply been enduring her fear thus far.

In that moment, Mei was hit by a terrible self-loathing.

If she thought about it, it was natural that Scarlet, just like herself, experienced fear.

Yet she had thought of her as some sort of fearsome monster, devoid of fear.

Perhaps, she unconsciously wanted a justification for her choice to give up.

If so, it was a truly cowardly and pitiful action.

With such thoughts, how could she even dream of becoming a great hero?

Mei self-deprecatingly bit her lip.

At that moment, Leon, watching Scarlet leave the gym, opened his mouth with a troubled expression.

“…There was a bit of an accident, but we should continue the lesson. Next, who wants to challenge?”

“…I will.”

Impulsively standing up, Mei positioned herself in front of Leon’s imaginary line drawn with his spear.

The moment she stood before that line, she felt the suffocating killing intent closing in.

It was the same sensation she had felt last time.

As she took a step forward, she felt the chill.

With the second step, her body trembled.

And as she attempted to take the third step, her body unconsciously froze.

Her instincts screamed at her, urging her to run away.

“Ugh…!”

Though her mind wanted to move her feet, her body refused.

Yet, feeling Leon’s gaze upon her, Mei steeled herself.

Hadn’t he said?

If a hero succumbs to fear, they are of no use.

Moreover,

Mei recalled her friend, who had pushed herself into danger to save them.

The fear she must have felt back then was nothing compared to this.

So, how could she say such weak things if she wanted to stand beside Scarlet?

With a clench of her teeth, she bit down hard enough to make a sound, strengthening her legs.

Finally, she crossed the line she had failed to cross last time.

With that, the killing intent that had been clenching her body vanished, and Leon, wearing a faint smile, spoke up.

“…I’m a bit surprised. I didn’t expect you to succeed right away. Good job. Overcoming fear like that is a way to survive. Once you get used to it, it’ll surely help—”

“…Hah, ha. I’m not good enough.”

“…Not good enough? What do you mean?”

At that moment, cutting off Leon’s words, Mei gasped for breath as she muttered.

As her expression crinkled from forcing her recently unresponsive body to move with sheer willpower, she spoke with a tremor in her voice directed at Leon.

“…I’m not good enough. Just surviving isn’t enough. So please tell me how to become strong.”

“…I thought you had gotten quite stronger than before, did something suddenly happen that you want to get strong?”

“…I lack talent. I can’t use magic, and my abilities are vague. I need help to grow as strong as I have aimed for.”

“…Hmm.”

Listening to Mei’s request, Leon observed her with a slightly displeased look before hardening his expression and muttering.

“…Is that really all there is to it?”

“Ugh… What?!”

Right after that, Mei found herself crushed to her knees under the pressure emitted from Leon once again.

Seeing Mei in pain, overwhelmed by the sudden influx of energy while she had just relaxed, Leon asked with a deadpan expression.

“If that’s all the reason you have, it’s a bit hard to accept. Even if you’re a friend of my daughter, it’s a bit rude. If you want a favor, you should have a more valid reason.”

And Mei murmured in response.

“…I don’t want to…”

Realizing then that she had come to understand.

Reflecting, she realized that she felt something far scarier than the fear of death.

“…I mean, I don’t want to…!”

So, not wanting to experience that moment again, a moment when she felt her most pathetic,

Recalling that moment, she braced herself against the crushing energy and slowly began to rise.

Finally standing on her own two feet, she glared at Leon with fiery eyes and shouted.

“I don’t want to…! My friend is in danger, and I refuse to do nothing…!!!”

After yelling that, gasping heavily, Mei mustered all the earnestness she could.

With a respectful bow, she pleaded to Leon.

“…So, please help me become strong…”

In response to those words, there was a moment’s silence.

“…Why didn’t you say it like that in the first place?”

Having calmed down, Leon scratched his head with an awkward expression as he said that.