GalaxyTL
“Well then, I’ll head back to the conference room. It seems like the meeting’s resumed. ”
“Ah, that’s right. Thank you for everything, Ludo-sensei!”
“It’s fine. But Meg, if you ever feel troubled, even if it’s just a little, come talk to us. Anyone’s fine.”
“…Okay, I got it.”
When Ludo-sensei asked what Gil-san’s going to do, he answered that he’ll be staying here a bit longer. Hearing that, Ludo-sensei smiled gently and then quietly left the room. I was honestly grateful. That Gil-san stayed behind.
“…Are you okay?”
He’s probably worried about me. His words made me feel incredibly reassured. It’s like a tranquilizer. Gil-san’s so reliable!
“Well, I’m worried about a lot of things… but there’s no point worrying about it.”
“That’s true, but…”
Gil-san trailed off there. He’s not good at talking, after all. He seems to be searching for the right words. He’s so kind. I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“…What is it?”
Gil-san, seeing that, asked this with a puzzled look, which made me giggle more. I don’t mean anything by it!
“S-Sorry! It’s just, I’m happy… that you and Ludo-sensei are so worried about me.”
“Hmm… of course we’d be worried.”
Gil-san looked down at me, a complicated look on his face. It’s rare to see him express his emotions like this. Even with a complicated expression, he’s still handsome. That’s unfair.
“Ehehe, thank you. Um, you might think I’m strange for saying this, but…”
Well, I might be a strange person. But that’s irrelevant! I’ll put that aside for now!
“It is about me, and I know it’s a serious issue, but… when you and everyone else are around, I feel like it’ll definitely work out! I am worried, and scared, but I think it’ll probably be fine.”
“Meg…”
I really am leaving everything to everyone else. N-No, I am thinking of trying to do something too! I’ll do my best, where I can!
“I’ll train hard, eat properly, and sleep properly! I’ll work hard and listen to what I’m told! Ah, wait, I’m getting sidetracked…?”
But that’s all I can do. I don’t really know what I can do. Maybe just prepare myself? Just as I was muttering about that, I heard Gil-san chuckle.
“Heh heh… sorry. You’re really are something, Meg.”
“Gil-san, you’re laughing too much.”
When I puffed up my cheeks, protesting, he laughed even harder, his shoulders trembling. W-Wait. Well, he is usually quiet, so it makes me happy to see him laugh this much… but no wait, it’s me who’s being laughed at.
“Hey, Gil-san.”
I calmly called out to him once he’d calmed down. “What is it?” Gil-san said, looking at me. Even though he was laughing just now, he’s corrected his posture, ready to listen.
“……Was the reason you sometimes looked at me with a pained, sad expression, because of this?”
“……You noticed?”
“Uh-huh. Of course I did. Because it’s you.”
It’s not just Gil-san, of course. Dad, Ludo-sensei, everyone has made those expressions before. Well, maybe it’s not that I noticed, it’s more like I’ve just realized it now. I guess I wasn’t aware of it back then. Or rather, I didn’t really pay attention to it. “Huh? I wonder if something was wrong with their expression just now? It must be my imagination,” things like that.
“After I was spacing out, everyone would look at me with worried expressions. Um, you’re always worried, but… you looked even more worried than usual.”
Maybe it’s just me being self-centered. But I’m not just naively going through life, you know. I pay attention to everyone. I’m bound to notice if there’s a change, even if it’s a small one.
“You’re very observant. ……Did we make you feel uncomfortable?”
“Not at all! I was fine because I believed you’d tell me when you felt like it!”
And you did, see? I smiled, and Gil-san ruffled my hair. He’s a bit rougher than usual. Ahh, my hair!
“To think you’d notice. We’re pathetic, as adults.”
“What are you talking about? Being a bit pathetic is fine! Everyone always works hard, doing amazing things!”
Gil-san sounded apologetic, so I declared that, my index finger raised. It’s tiring to always be perfect, and it’s worrying, to be honest. It’s reassuring to see them express their emotions like this, it makes them seem more human.
Gil-san, on the other hand, seemed stunned for a moment, and then started laughing again. Gil-san’s unexpectedly easy to make laugh….
“It’s fine to be pathetic, huh… heh, I see…!”
“D-Did I say something that funny?”
I don’t really get what he finds so funny. Was it because my words were incredibly silly? Sorry for being silly…! Sniff.
“I’ll get back to what I was saying, so, I thought I’d ask you to tell me if you ever notice anything. Like if I’m acting different from usual after spacing out, or that I’m acting strange right now. Because…”
That’s right, I want them to tell me. Now that I know, it should be okay to ask.
“If I lose control without realizing it, and… hurt someone… I don’t want that. I want to be responsible for my actions!”
“Meg…”
It won’t be enough to just say I didn’t know. It’ll be too late if I’ve already hurt someone. You can’t just brush it off and say it can’t be helped. I completely agree with Father-sama, the Demon King, who’s still atoning for his sins.
You have to prepare, do what you can, if you know there’s a possibility, because if you don’t, you’ll regret it later.
“Hey, Gil-san. Promise me. If I ever lose control, please stop me. So I won’t hurt anyone. …I know everyone in Ortus will be fine, even if I lose control… but still!”
So please promise me. Because it’s something I can’t handle on my own. When I said that, clenching my fists, Gil-san gently hugged me. Wow, it’s so warm. My anxiety, which had been swelling up, immediately dissipated.
“If that’ll make you feel at ease, then I promise. I’ll stop you.”
“Will you… protect everyone?”
“Yeah, and I’ll also protect you, Meg.”
Gil-san said that firmly, without any hesitation. I know he’ll definitely do it. I’m sure of it. It’s because of the trust we’ve built up over time, but more than anything, it’s because he’s capable.
“Thank goodness… Thanks, Gil-sa…”
“Meg?”
It seems like I was actually incredibly tense. I felt so relieved that all the strength drained from my body. I think this is probably sleepiness. Just as I was about to give in, I think I heard Gil-san say, “Good night.”
────I’m in a dream.
I’m able to realize that right away now. I’ve gotten used to it. I can tell, just by feeling it. I looked around the pure white space, thinking that maybe I’ll learn something important about the future.
“Father-sama…?”
In the distance, I saw Father-sama clutching his head, looking like he was in pain. Eh, in pain? For the Demon King to be in pain, isn’t that a huge deal!? Even though I know this is a dream, I couldn’t just stand there. I hurriedly ran over to him.
『 Guh, this is… it wasn’t a dream…? I, I really did…! 』
Father-sama groaned and muttered this. What’s wrong?
『 This power… it’s overflowing… Suppress it… suppress it! Never again… I won’t hurt my people again…! 』
Suddenly, I saw a huge black dragon attacking a city. I gasped, startled by the vision.
The black dragon, mercilessly destroying the city. Rampaging wildly, its tail smashing into buildings, spewing out a black flame from its mouth. People scattering, people collapsed from injuries… Violent monsters were entering the destroyed city, chasing after the people.
“Is that… Father-sama?”
I recognize that black dragon. It’s Father-sama’s beast form. I trembled. The vision vanished when I hugged myself, and before me was Father-sama, in human form, crouching down, hugging himself, just like me.
『 It’s terrifying… I’m terrified of myself…! I can’t stay here… I’ll hurt them again…！』
Father-sama’s trembling. He’s scared. It’s okay, Father-sama, it’s okay. Because that was resolved. It’s in the past now. Just as I reached out to touch his shoulder, he started transforming back into a dragon, and let out a deafening roar────
I sat up abruptly. My heart was pounding. Unlike my state of mind, bright sunlight was streaming in from the window, gradually calming me down.
“Morning, huh…”
I muttered this, my breathing still ragged. It doesn’t even feel like I slept… That precognitive dream was strangely tiring.
“But… that wasn’t a precognitive dream, was it?”
I started thinking as I gradually calmed down. I muttered my thoughts out loud, to organize them.
“That must have been something that really happened…”
Back during the Dark Ages, when there was a war. When he finally regained control after Dad shared his soul with him. That dream… was about Father-sama struggling with his magic power going out of control.
“…That feeling, it’s still there.”
I stared at my hand. That moment when I touched Father-sama’s shoulder. I remember that feeling, it was a strangely realistic dream. But if that’s the case, that dream I just had was────
“A past dream…?”
Maybe my special ability wasn’t precognitive dreams.