I returned to the village of Kamherio with a broken heart, and returned to my normal life.

No matter what I do, the world will not change.

No matter how much I move, someone else will turn the world around.

 

——— situation surrounding the Lingle Kingdom has not yet improved.

 

Rather, the summoned heroes will have to fight from now on.

But they're not like me.

They are not cowards like me who only go out of self-preservation first, but they are people who have the courage of human beings. I had a vague feeling that the Demon King would do something without me having to do anything.

 

「…… Look, have you seen it?"

 

A few months after heading to the Lingle Kingdom.

He mutters to himself when he sees an article stating that the third battle between the Ringle Kingdom and the Demon King's army ended in victory for the Ringle Kingdom.

 

"Shea! I'm here!!"

 

…… Again came the noisy.

- She gives a disturbing glance to Mio, who enters the house without hesitation even though people are depressed.

 

"I told you I wasn't coming."

"Say that again."

 

Even though she is not shy or anything, Mio picks up the books on the shelves as usual, showing the same brightness.

 

「…… Huh, why do you want to learn so much from me?"

"What?"

 

For the first time, he voiced genuine doubts about Mio.

Mio is surprised by the question, and then smiles happily.

 

"Because I thought it was cool to see Shea helping the people in the village."

"...... cool?"

 

"That's right!" Mio replied cheerfully.

What I do is a selfish thing I do to get the people of the village to accept me.

It's not something I'm doing for someone else.

 

"That's why I want to be an herbalist like Shea, who can help everyone in the village and those in need."

「…… Oh yes."

 

I knew that would be the reason.

Mio's words made her unable to look him straight in the eye.

 

「…… I don't deserve to be adored by anyone......

 

Looking back, there was nothing I could have done to accomplish anything.

He is not prepared to correct Hisago's mistakes, nor is he prepared to throw himself away.

 

「……」

 

Even if I don't do something, people living in that era are not soft.

Like the heroes of the Ringle Kingdom and the people of the country, they will move forward on their own.

If you have only lived for a long time, you will remain trapped in the past forever and will not be able to do anything.

 

"Hey, Sia."

 

My head is full of depressed emotions, and I can hear Mio's cheerful voice.

 

"What is this?"

「…… What. Do it somewhere ——— random."

 

I looked at Mio and was speechless.

What she was holding in her hand was the lid of a coffin-shaped box containing a "doll" that she had hidden under the floor.

Mio opened the lid of the box, which had been exposed by the rolled-up floorboards of the building due to years of deterioration, and looked up at me, pointing to what looked like an elaborate doll.

 

"What's this? What, a doll?"

"Don't touch it!!"

"Huh!?"

 

I impulsively raised my voice.

I don't know what will happen to Mio if I touch it in a detour and activate it by any chance.

Immediately, Mio forcibly pulls off the sole that she tried to touch and checks for any abnormalities in her body.

 

"I don't know!? Is there anything wrong with your body!?"

"Eh, it's okay, but ......."

「…… Huh?"

 

——— I was thinking about what I was thinking about.

I had a long time to think about such a dangerous thing, and at the end of the day, I put this unrelated child in danger.

I can't be a Hisago.

You can't be someone's parent, and you can't show anyone the way.

What if we continue this relationship and one day this child becomes suspicious of the people of the village like me?

If it becomes irreversible, how will you make amends?

 

"I'm sorry, it's important--"

"Get out."

"What...... But."

"Get out!! Don't come here again!!"

 

Mio forcibly pulls off the sole that Mio tried to touch and kicks him out.

I can hear her apologizing, but I don't have time to reply.

 

"I should have done this sooner."

 

I shouldn't have gotten too involved in it.

What did I expect from being half-heartedly involved with that girl? Did you think you would be in a position to lead a child like Hisago?

Don't forget, I'm a half-breed with devil's blood.

It's more right not to get involved with me.

 

●

 

"Sia, I'm really sorry that I hurt you by doing something selfish."

 

It's been a few days since then.

Even though it was noon, the sky was cloudy, and Mio came to the front of the rag hut where I lived and apologized.

I didn't answer him, he remained silent, but he wouldn't stop coming here.

 

"Again...... I'm coming.'

 

I didn't answer, but after saying this in a depressed voice, Mio left.

Listening to her voice in the hut, I muttered to myself, trying to stifle my emotions.

 

"That's it."

 

It was inevitable that this would happen at some point.

As long as Mio is here, there is a risk of touching that doll. Besides, even though I myself am now accepted by the villagers, it is not surprising that I would try to exclude those who will never grow old.

If that happens, Mio, who was involved with me, will also be treated as a heretic.

 

"With this...... It's good."

 

Now that I couldn't do anything for Hisago, at least I won't let anyone be unhappy because of me.

Heavy rain beats against the hut, swirling winds slam against the walls, and the building itself shakes.

 

"——— storm?"

 

It was raining heavily yesterday as well...... It should be.

Is Mio, who was here just a moment ago, okay?

The sudden torrential rain gives me chills.

 

「…… I'm just going to see it off."

 

Muttering to myself, as if to make excuses, I put my hand on the door and stepped out into the pouring rain.

The sky is blackened with thick rain clouds, and strong winds and pounding rain pour.

Blowing through it with the wind blowing through it, he looks for Mio, who must have walked ahead of him.

 

「…… Huh?"

 

What I saw was a road covered with mud that had collapsed.

Perhaps the ground had loosened due to yesterday's rain, but when I saw a large amount of mud spreading, I finally came back to myself.

 

「…… Wow, the cliff has collapsed!?"

 

I ...... this is supposed to be the road that Mio always takes.

The ground wet by the continuous rain turns into mud like a liquid, and I am terrified of the chills that swell in the back of my chest as I watch it flow.

 

"Mio!! Porpoise!! If so, reply to me!!"

 

If not, that's fine!

If you return to the village safely, you can do it in vain!

 

"———"

 

A voice faintly heard in the rain.

As soon as the demon's hearing, which is somewhat superior to humans, hears the voice, he rushes towards the source of ——— voice and finds him.

 

「…… Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

It's a lie, it's a lie, it's a lie!

That child is buried in the collapsed mud.

Most of my body was swallowed up by the mud, and when I saw the head and arms that I could barely see, I immediately ran to Mio.

 

"Mio...... Mio!! Hold tight!!"

"I'm ———."

"Don't force yourself to talk! Help now!!"

 

A voice that seems to disappear at any moment.

This sound of breathing, lungs ...... Tsu!! Half of the body is also .......

I put my hands on the dirt with all my heart and desperately tried to get rid of it.

 

"Huh...... Whew!!"

 

Even if his hands are hurt, he frantically digs up the soil.

How much time has passed since I was swallowed!?

Is your heart still beating?!

Frustrated by the worst possible scenario that comes to mind in circles, he drags Mio's body, which has completely lost its strength, out of the dirt.

 

"Mio...... Sorry......! Sorry!! Please, open your eyes ......!!"

「…… Congratulations...... I don't know."

"Don't apologize!! What's bad...... What's really bad...... It's me, but ......!"

 

——— cold.

I hurried to the hut, almost crying at the coldness of the already lifeless Mio.

I can't even hear my name anymore, and I try to treat Mio while desperately calling out to Mio, who is limp and motionless.

 

"Don't die......!"

「……」

 

I knew at a glance that it was no good.

Still, I didn't want to give up.

However, no matter how hard she tried, no matter how much knowledge she had gathered over hundreds of years——— Mio could not come back to life.

 

"Oh, yes...... Whew."

 

Because of the nature of my magic, I know.

The soul has already left this child's body.

Because of me, I'm so obsessed with the past that I'm being mean...... That innocent child is dead.

 

●

 

Heartbroken, I carried Mio's corpse to her family.

When I uttered the words of mockery directed at myself that it was my fault, the mother who lost her daughter cried, the father directed his taunts and hatred at me, and finally wept with his mother.

 

——— it's my fault.

 

Mio died because of me.

It's not because of the landslides.

I didn't reject him properly, but I showed him some strange hope, so he came to me and died as a result.

 

"She deserved more to live than I ......."

 

I sat in a mud-covered hut and muttered to myself as I stared blankly up into the air.

 

"Will you bring him back to life by bringing his soul back to life?"

 

Mio's body was returned to her parents.

From now on, I might still be able to summon her soul back with magic.

 

「…… No good. Even if you succeed, your heart will surely break."

 

Even though she has just died, Mio's heart is that of a child in her mid-teens.

There is no way that my mind can bear the fact that I am dead! It will definitely cause a mental disorder and cause him to suffer unnecessarily.

That would hurt Mio and her parents unnecessarily.

 

"If the body is dead in the first place, it doesn't make sense...... Oh, no, wait."

 

If it's a container, there is.

The body of Hisago, a doll with its bones embedded.

If you put the soul of Mio recalled by magic into it, you can revive it with a fairly high probability.

 

"Still, I ...... it in Hisago's memory anyway."

 

Immediately deny the thoughts that come to mind.

The doll is embedded with light magic and Hisago's memories.

Even if the soul of Mio, who has only lived for a dozen years, is trapped in it, it will be swallowed up by Hisago's memory.

If you end up being a different person, there's no point in reviving it!

In order not to be swallowed up by memory, it is necessary to put the load somewhere else———、

 

"I...... I'll just have to shoulder the load."

 

Along with Mio's soul, my soul and body also merge into the doll.

It was mentioned in the literature that demons can assimilate into the human soul.

I can do it because I understand how to do it and how to do it.

 

"Then Mio can come back to life."

 

If I took care of Hisago's memories and all the side effects of his magic, he wouldn't go crazy.

She will have to play with Mio's memories and perceptions somewhat, but she will be able to live in her new body.

 

"I might go crazy too......

 

The light magic and memories engraved on the container may make my own perception go wrong.

There is also the possibility that memories will be clouded and the personality itself will change.

You may be driven by a mission that you were once trapped in.

 

"I don't care about that, I'm going to live my life from now on."

 

I couldn't correct Hisago's deeds, and my heart was broken and rotten for hundreds of years, so what would happen to me if I lived like this?

If that's the case, Mio's future life, which I took away, is much more important.

 

"I couldn't do anything, but ...... was the only thing I could do for him."

 

I have made up my mind that I could not make a decision before.

I don't know what will happen to me in the future, but as long as she lives——— I don't care about me.

 

 

_________________________

Shea was able to make up her mind at the last minute for someone else.

 

Chapter 18 begins next time.

The next update is scheduled for tomorrow at 6 p.m.

 

In addition, we will update the character introductions in an hour.