Charon was a man worthy of respect for me.

Strong, kind, and adored by everyone, he is the embodiment of the ideal of a knight.

 

"Leona, you have such a troublesome personality."

 

I've been told some pretty rude things by such a man.

When he was told to us that he was going to be appointed a hero shortly before he was swallowed by the dragon factor and went out of control, the words he uttered as part of the conversation were enough to upset me.

I know he's not the kind of guy to say hatred. It was infuriating because he was saying it sincerely, but I suppressed the urge to argue and asked him why he said that.

 

"No, if you are chosen as a hero, you will be endlessly worried about whether you are not worthy of being a hero ~ or that I am more suitable than you ~ ."

 

First, I will not be chosen as a hero.

Although his name is mentioned as a candidate, it is decided that Charon will actually get the title of hero.

Charon gave me a disgusted look.

 

"The title of hero is certainly an honor, but there is a clause in which you are too bound by the name. What matters is what you do with the power to be recognized as a hero.'

 

I couldn't agree with Charon's words.

I can't think flexibly like that, and I can't take the name of a hero so lightly.

A symbol of my childhood longing and hope to save people.

In the end, the conversation ended without being able to return the words.

I don't know what Charon wanted to say now that he's gone out of control.

 

●

 

"Ugh...... Guh."

 

I woke up to the chill of the ice, writhing in a stabbing pain in my side.

Looking at his own body, he saw that the armor of his torso, which was in pain, was heavily dented.

Amazed that such a sturdy piece of armor could be deformed to such an extent, I sat up, removed the armor on my upper body, and threw my helmet to the ground for the last time, holding my head.

 

"Why me...... ...... in a place like this."

 

I don't know if I hit my head, but my memory is fuzzy.

Perhaps he hit his side hard, and his stomach is complaining of tremendous pain.

Why am I hurt? Besides, this must have been outside of Miarark, where Charon was—no, it wasn't.

As his hazy thoughts become clearer, he remembers that he is fighting alongside Usato.

 

"That's right, I'm Charon!"

 

Just before he fainted, he saw Usato's figure slammed to the ground by Charon's tail.

I tried to save him and he knocked me unconscious when I was hit by Charon's tail.

 

"What about Usato!?"

 

I looked around and found Amako a short distance away from me with a fainting Lord Arc on his back.

Healing her aching side with healing magic, she stands up and tries to call out to Amako when she notices that she is looking up with a worried expression.

 

"Up......?"

 

Looking in the same direction she was looking, she saw a blue blob flying in the sky.

You can't see it from a distance, but it looks like a big bird, and it looks like it's flying around in the barrier.

 

"Charon, is it?"

 

The blue blob fell headlong to the ground, but just before it hit the icy ground, it changed direction and changed the direction of its flight as if gliding on the edge of the ground.

When I was finally able to see it, I was so startled that I lost my voice.

 

"Come on, stop!"

"Gaggaa

"Ahhh Heaven and earth are reversed! I'm going to you first!"

「...... Eh, yes......"

 

Usato clings to Charon, who is gliding over the icy ground, and Nea, who screams on his shoulder. I was distracted by their surreal appearance.

...... Oh, you look more energetic than I .......

However, Usato was grabbed by Charon by his clothes and was thrown by force. Usato, who lands in a position, uses healing magic in his right hand to swing his fist at Charon, who is pursuing him, but he pulls his fist just before it hits Charon.

 

"Oh, this is also not good!"

"Usato ......?"

 

What the hell is he trying to do?

Did he put magic in his right hand because he was trying to strengthen his lineage? However, his lineage enhancement was not yet complete.

...... No, why are you trying to make it a charon in the first place?

Is he still trying to save Charon without giving up?

 

"Stupid ......"

 

I listened to Falga's words.

His body is out of control and on the verge of ruin.

Proof of this is that when Usat punched him in the face, his body shattered despite the healing spell he had put into it.

Usato, who had seen his body disintegrate up close, should know that he couldn't help Charon. He should have known, but he doesn't give up and stands up to the fierce attack of Charon, who has turned into a dragon, even though he is covered in wounds.

Even if there is a powerful restorative magic called healing magic, there is a limit.

Still, Usato doesn't give up and tries to complete his incomplete lineage enhancement in the middle of the battle.

What makes you so far?

Is your struggle made you do so by the idea of the rescue team?

How can you work so hard ......?

 

"Please don't do ...... anymore."

 

I murmur to him as he gets hurt.

I want to help Charon.

But he's broken to the point where he can't help it.

 

"You don't have to do that......

 

My voice doesn't reach him.

He tries to run away, but his aching side gets in the way.

If it weren't for this injury, I would still be able to fight, but now I can only watch with my fingers crossed.

I feel sorry for myself for not being able to do anything, and tears welling up in my eyes.

Just as I was overwhelmed with despair, the vial fell to the ground, perhaps because there was a hole in the bag attached to my waist from the previous attack.

 

"This is ......."

 

The contents of the small bottle are water drawn from the Kureha spring.

A power that he decided to fight alongside Usato, and decided not to use.

 

「...... If you use this water. I ...... Charon."

 

He picks up the vial with trembling hands and stares at it.

With the power of this water, you can fight Charon without worrying about wounds. Instead, I die, and Charon dies.

But I can help Usat and the others, and I can make Miarak peaceful.

Usato's hands don't have to get dirty.

It seemed more than enough for my life to make it come true.

 

「......」

 

I'm ready.

I can save everyone at the expense of one person.

I can help him save my heart.

As long as Usat is alive, he will not drink this water. I betray his words, but I still don't want him to die.

Open the lid of the small bottle and bring it to your mouth.

Once I swallow this water, I can no longer be a person.

 

"There's only so much you can do on your own, so you don't have to shoulder everything on your shoulders and ask for help from someone around you."

 

Just as the vial was about to touch his lips, Usato's words from last night crossed my mind, and I stopped tilting the vial.

 

"I'm ......."

 

He tried to stop me from dying.

They tried to fight with me.

I'm pathetic, I'm miserable, I'm not good-looking...... They relied on me.

Betraying him and choosing death...

 

"Whew."

 

He tosses the vial he was about to bring to his mouth.

The vial slammed into the ice and shattered into pieces, and all the water inside dripped out.

I couldn't do it.

Until yesterday, I would have drunk water without hesitation for the sake of my mission. But right now, Usat is still fighting.

In front of him, who was in a desperate situation that threatened to break his heart, and who kept looking straight ahead, there was no way I could betray his words.

Having thrown away the vial and the best means of defending this city, I have abandoned my duty as a hero.

 

"From now on, I will stop fighting as the hero of Mialak."

 

I'm sorry to hear you, Norn and Farga.

If he were to fulfill his duty as a hero, he should have defeated Charon at the risk of his life and made peace with Miarak, but he could not do so.

Now, the person who cared about me and tried to save me is in danger.

 

"As a knight, I will fight for my dear friend who is fighting right now."

 

I'm late in giving you an answer, but I'm sure it's too late.

Usato is still fighting, and he hasn't given up.

So, even though I decided to fight alongside him, I couldn't give up.

 

"I still think I can do something......!"

 

I can stand on these legs and I can use magic.

Without paying attention to the shattered vial, he slowly begins to walk in the direction where Usato and Charon are.

At that moment, something flashed very close to where I was standing.

 

"What......?"

 

At first glance, it looked like just an iron rod stuck in the icy ground, but it was a "staff" that Charon wielded as an axe.

The "wand" flickered repeatedly and glowed faintly, as if inviting me.

The supreme weapon that can only draw its true power from those who are recognized.

 

"Are you calling me?"

 

The closer you get, the more intense the light becomes.

...... I didn't expect that I, who had given up fighting as a hero, would be qualified to handle Farga-sama's armor. I thought it was ironic, but it made me understand how much I was bound by the word "hero."

 

"Is this what you meant...... Charon"

 

I was bound by the name of the hero, and I was trying to act in a way that would take me away from the hero I was trying to become.

What do we do with our strength?

Rather than chasing the shadow of the hero you admired and becoming a martyr to that mission, you should move according to your own will.

Forgetting the pain in my side, I clasped my cane with both hands and took a slow, deep breath.

 

"A fragment of the Divine Dragon, give shape to my thoughts."

 

The wand shines as beautifully as when it was Usato's gauntlet.

It is not a powerful weapon that can kill or injure Charon.

What he seeks is a weapon to save and protect like him.

 

"This is my feeling."

 

It was a spear.

The part of the staff before it changed its shape is the same, but it is a simple spear with a transparent blade attached to the tip like ice.

Hold it in your hand and squeeze it tightly.

 

―――...... Leona.

"Farga-sama, I have finally found the answer, and I will fight with him—with Usato—of my own volition, not on my mission as a hero."

 

To Falga, who resonates in her mind, she puts her current feelings into words.

Mistress Falga, who was breathlessly silent, spoke to me in a gentle voice.

 

―――...... If you can find the answer, follow it. The spear is an ice god spear that binds everything together. Unleash that spear with your former hesitation and lead this battle to an end.

"Yes!!"

 

Rotate and flip the spear into a throwing stance.

The target is Charon, who is flying in the sky and trying to attack Usato. In the face of him, Usat still tries to use the system reinforcement, but fails miserably.

 

"Now I can understand why your lineage enhancement is incomplete."

 

Just like me, who was too obsessed with the name of hero, he is too bound by the word lineage strengthening.

 

"I want to help you, too, so—"

 

With my goal firmly in mind, I put all the magic I have into my spear. Then, eight ice spears formed by magic are created around me.

The spear I hold turns into a glowing spear, just like an ice spear.

 

"Okay!"

 

He raised his voice and threw the spear at Charon with all his might.

Nine shining spears.

They emitted a beautiful and powerful light, and they were emitted towards Charon.

 

●

 

The battle between me and Charon had turned into a war of attrition.

I'm trying to find a way out by draining my healing magic and strength, and Charon is trying to kill me while disintegrating his own body.

The fight between us was enough to shake my resolve to save Charon.

I was attacked and hurt by him, and after healing my right shoulder with healing magic, I looked up at Charon flying in the sky and sighed.

 

"It's painful, it'...... really awkward to be able to fly like that. Nea, can't you grab me and fly?"

"Don't be ridiculous, you're heavier than you look, and I can't lift you with my strength."

"That's true."

 

He tries to have a flirtatious exchange with Nea, but this is also just escapism.

The advantage of being able to fly is tougher than I thought. While he's flying, we just have to wait for him to attack.

Once, I tried to cling to Charon and drag him into a ground battle, but to be honest, I don't want to do it again.

 

"Woo, Usato, look at that!"

"Oh, Mr. Charon is here!?"

 

Nea hurriedly scrambled on her shoulders and pointed her wings to the sky.

Holding his fist in the air, he looked up at the sky and saw nine shining things piercing through the sky.

It rushes towards Charon, who flies in the sky in all directions.

 

"Whew! Ahh

 

Charon immediately sensed the presence of the light and flapped his wings to avoid it. However, the nine lights turned to the place where Charon was located, as if he had a will.

A light pierced Charon's wings, which were still trying to escape. The light turned into a transparent spear with a tip that knocked him to the ground and sewed him into the icy ground.

The eight lights that fell in succession pierced the icy ground as if to block Charon's movements, holding his body down, turning into a spear made of ice that was different from the first one.

 

"Gee, gaa!"

"Wow, I can't believe that Charon's power can't ...... shattered."

 

What surprised me was the strength of the spear, which completely contained even Charon's power, which far exceeded me.

I recognized the handle of the spear stuck in Charon's wing.

The handle of the spear, which was completely different from the ice spear, had a simple shape and a pattern similar to the one Charon used as an axe.

 

"I didn't expect this spear to be used by Charon...... Besides, this ice is unbelievable!!"

 

There is only one person who can produce ice of this intensity.

I turned my head in the direction from which the light had flown and called his name with conviction.

 

"Leona!"

"Usato! Charon's movements were sealed by me! You're going to save him!!"

 

Leona was breathing on her shoulder and on her knees.

At her words, I looked at my hands and had a bitter expression on my face.

 

"The reinforcement of the reliance system was not successful......! I don't ...... to help Charon anymore!"

"No, it's not! Your lineage has already been strengthened!!"

 

It's done!

In other words, is it in a state where my current lineage enhancement has been completed?

 

"If that's the case, I can't help Charon...... even more."

"You're too focused on making the system stronger! What you need to see is not your own magic!"

 

She paused, took a deep breath, and raised her voice to make sure she could reach me.

 

"What you should be looking at is the one who suffers now!?"

"Huh!?"

 

It's not magic that you should be looking at.

From his trembling hands, he turned his gaze to Charon, who was restrained and struggling.

I got it.

I was so intent on succeeding in strengthening the system that I didn't see the "people" to be cured at all.

 

"I'm an idiot! I was really brain-numbing from too much training!"

"What, it's too late!?"

"Oh, it's really too late, Nea! I forgot the most important thing about myself when I said I was going to help!!"

 

I can't complain that I didn't notice this, even if Rose beats me up. No, I even want you to beat yourself up for being stupid for not noticing such an obvious thing.

I didn't face him who was suffering right now, and I was only thinking about succeeding in strengthening my own lineage.

 

"It's natural that you can't, because I was trying to help you, but I was just trying to heal you. So I didn't even think about how to heal it."

 

The healing magic system enhancement is the highest level of healing magic that heals even diseases.

When Olga used her healing magic at the clinic in the Ringle Kingdom, he was administering healing magic face to face with his patients.

The same goes for doctors and healing wizards.

If you don't face it, you won't know how to cure it.

I had forgotten the most important thing as a lifesaver and as a person who heals people.

 

"Then you know what you're going to do, don't you?"

"Oh, Leona reminded me, I'll never forget it."

 

I looked at Charon straight in the face again.

His body writhes in pain and crumbles. There is a "human being" in front of me that I need to heal.

As he walks up to the restrained man, he creates a lineage enhancement in his left hand.

Instead of concentrating on strengthening the lineage, he concentrates on Charon and concentrates on the magic power in his left hand. What I lacked was to be aware of what I was trying to cure.

Look at the other person and imagine how you want to heal them.

 

"—Okay."

 

At that moment, something that had been lacking in the previous system reinforcement fell into place.

Although it was a lineage enhancement with a small amount of magical power, it had a definite dark green glow.

This is the true form of my lineage strengthening.

Just like Olga, it is a beautiful deep blue color.

Clutching the light of system enhancement that overflowed from my left hand, I made a fist and held it at my waist.

 

"I'm here to help you, for all those who wish you ...... safe!!"

 

He takes a big step forward with his left foot and releases his left fist, which has gained momentum as his hips rotate, into Charon's torso.

A fist that was unleashed in a green trajectory of lineage enhancement slammed into his chest with a wind noise.

 

"--Kagaa, ah."

 

As the fist slammed into him, a large crack ran through his entire body, but the enhanced healing magic healed the cracks in his whole body in an instant at a speed that was incomparable to any healing magic he had ever used before.

 

「...... Mr. Charon?"

 

The question is, whether he was able to stun or not.

The system was successfully strengthened, but it remains to be seen whether it was possible to completely stun Charon.

I call out to him who has been unable to move after receiving my fist.

At that moment, Charon's horns, wings, and tail, which were characteristic of him as a dragon, shattered into pieces and returned to his human form.

 

"Oh, Leona! Unrestrain me!!"

"Got it!"

 

Leona, who had come closer, pulled out the spear that had been stuck in Charon's side, and all the ice spears that held him back shattered.

I hurriedly supported him as he was about to fall to the ground, and asked Nea to check if there was anything wrong with his body.

 

"It's okay, there is no disturbance in the magic, and the dragon factor in him seems to have completely silenced."

「...... Oh, yes, that's good."

"Okay, even if you use it, it really looks like something else."

 

Is it like a new technique that combines the healing magic system enhancement and the fist?

It would be difficult to incorporate lineage enhancement into a healing magic bullet, but as a healing wizard, this is the best technique for me.

 

"This is a miracle technique that combines the lineage enhancement and my fist, is it a must-do mystery, a one-point concentrated healing magic shoken, or simply a must-do seiken, a healing punch?"

"Every time I think about it, you miraculously don't have a sense of naming, but isn't it okay to have a childish part of you that is charming?"

「......」

 

What does it mean to be childish......

This reaction seems to me to be a stylistic beauty.

I don't have time to be depressed ....... After the battle, fatigue sets in, but my job isn't over yet.

When I saw Amako running towards me with Bullyn with Alc on it, I waved my hand and turned my body towards Leona, who was standing beside me with a spear as a support.

 

"Leona, it looks like you're injured, so I'll heal it now."

"Oh, yes, please."

 

Leona touches the hand she holds out to him and performs a healing spell.

Her expression, which had been frowning in pain, gradually softened.

 

"That spear is the staff that Charon used, isn't it?"

"Ah, it seems that I was chosen as well as Charon."

 

Leona smiled wryly, and when she saw the spear she was holding in one hand, she had a deeply emotional expression on her face.

 

"I have ceased to chase the shadow of the hero I have always admired."

"What?"

"A hero who abandons himself to fight for his mission, that is what I admire as a hero...... But after fighting with you, I changed my mind."

 

A hero who abandons himself to fight?

Hearing those words reminded me of Leona's appearance last night.

What she was trying to do was not wrong. The means may have been the best solution in terms of protecting Miarak.

But as a lifesaver, I couldn't approve of her actions.

 

"From now on, I will continue on my path as Leona the Brave with my own will, which does not belong to anyone."

 

Does this mean that Leona has found her own path?

I don't know what kind of change she could have made by fighting with me, but it's certainly not a bad thing.

 

"Sometimes, Usato, what is a hero to you?"

"What? Are you a hero to me?"

 

I don't know what the intent of the question is, but for me, a hero is ...... It's Inugami-senpai and Kazuki.

They are friends who promised to meet again...... So, isn't it hard to convey? I'm a little embarrassed, but let's be honest at this time.

 

"You're an important friend, aren't you?"

「...... Fufufu, I see. It wasn't what I expected, but it's good."

 

Leona was taken aback by my words, but she immediately smiled happily.

 

"I want to be your hero."

"What? What do you mean—"

"Oh, ah! The barrier will be lifted! Usato!!"

 

When she tries to ask Leona a question that smiles, Nea suddenly screams.

Surprised by the voice, he looked at the barrier around him, and the barrier was lifted, perhaps because he was informed that he was able to rescue Charon safely.

This saved Mearlark and saved Charon.

We were also battered, but it was nice to be able to get through it without missing a single person.

 

_____________________________________

This is the end of the Charon battle.

Usato's lineage has been completely strengthened, and Charon's armor has also become Leona's.

 

The next episode is the epilogue of Chapter 5.