Mr. Leona has taken the water out of the Fountain of Cleja.

Once drunk, the poison that gives tremendous power to the user and instead erodes the flesh.

”If you greed with greed and business, your heart will be torn apart and your body will decay after pain”

Words I heard from Master Norn.

greed and industry, I know she didn't try to use the Fountain of Kreha with such malice.

Mr. Leona should have asked Master Farga to be ready.

... Honestly, I don't know what to say to Mr. Leona.

Do you want to stop her, knowing she's ready?

Hit her with anger trying to make contact with Mr. Karon from the front, and force her to stop.

All this, I can't say anything without talking to her more.

"Then we shall begin our battle with Karon tomorrow at noon"

After talking to Master Farga, an operational meeting was held in the evening for the battle with Mr. Caron.

It was me, Amako, Ark, Nair, Norn and Leona who got together.

A rough operation for the battle to be conducted tomorrow at noon, but it took the form of suppressing Mr. Caron, mainly me and Nair, and Mr. Leona and Mr. Alk providing my backup.

The first thing you have to do in dealing with Mr. Caron is pull the axe made from Master Farga away from him.

It's a measure to seal the magic of non-standard ice, one of his threatening elements.

I pulled the axe apart. After that, I'm going to hunt him down until he's out of combat. It would be very difficult to hunt that Mr. Caron down uncombatantly, but that's not an impossible story either if we join forces.

And it's Lady Norn and Amako and Burlin who support our fight.

Norn asked Amako to predict the crisis and Mr. Karon's movements against us from outside the circle and to communicate to us the role of connecting us and Mr. Karon's battles undisturbed by wild demons.

I'll leave Amako's escort to Burlin.

If it's just me and Burlin, I'm still thinking that if I were to work with Alc and Leona, Burlin would get in the way.

"What's going on? Usato?"

Mr. Leona tilted his neck as he noticed my gaze as each returned to his room after the operation meeting.

With a look on her face that cares for me the same way I always do, I rush to hold my mouth down and then turn to her with a grin I made.

"Ha, it's nothing"

"... right"

I don't know how to cut it out.

Instead, I can't talk to Mr. Leona in this place where Master Norn is still here.

Having managed to mislead Mr. Leona, I had no choice but to leave the room to flee.

●

I was walking out of my room to the training ground, not my room.

The darkened training ground was lit by the moonlight and the light of the magic props leaking from the castle, and I sat at the edge of the training ground as the chilly night breeze blew.

"Huh."

Master Farga asked me to save Mr. Leona.

But I don't know what to do to stop Mr. Leona.

Simply, you can't just confiscate the water that Mr. Leona brought out of the Kreha Fountain you have. If she did that, she'd be abandoned.

Or, if you continue to fight Mr. Caron, Mr. Leona will not hesitate to use the water to fight Mr. Caron.

"That's hard."

If you're serious, why don't you rely on me? I'd like to say, but it's also bad that I didn't notice until this situation happened.

"... ugh!"

To his own impudence, he grips his fist hard.

I couldn't forgive myself for training with all that and knowing Mr. Leona's troubles and still not understanding the anguish she had.

"Usato, are you okay?"

……!

Looking back at the voice from behind, there was Mr. Leona.

Unlike during training, she took off her armor and changed her black long skirt to an impressive outfit, and looked down to peek into my face looking back.

"Mr. Leona, how could you..."

"Something's not right. I've been worried about you."

Mr. Leona laughs lightly.

That doesn't look like he's ready to die tomorrow.

"What's really going on? I don't know what I'm worried about tomorrow."

"Master Farga told me. That you brought out the water of the Fountain of Crech."

"... eh"

So I cut out, and I got up and I approached Mr. Leona behind me.

Near enough to reach her with her gaze down at first glance, I go on and spin the words.

"Mr. Leona. Are you going to meet Mr. Caron?"

"... I thought Master Norn was coming to stop me... Well, Master Farga chose you."

Mr. Leona smiles with a self-derisive smile.

... I haven't put it into words, but from her attitude, Master Farga's words seemed true.

Only he knew it wasn't a lie, but I wanted all this to be a lie.

"That one, I really know. I can't believe I'm the one who didn't want to be the least known..."

"I didn't want them to know the least...?"

"You were too dazzling for me to be upright than anyone I know and to try to do the right thing without hesitation. Being with you makes me jealous of you somewhere and want to be as straight as you are. Every time I see you, I get the urge to dump this water..."

What she took out of her skirt pocket was the clear liquid in the vial.

Water drawn from the Fountain of Creha. Although the quantity was quite small, the vial emitted a different presence.

"I am a fool. For whatever reason, I reached out to a forbidden fountain. At that point, I was fascinated by my power."

That's not true.

That's what I wanted to say, but the words didn't make me a voice.

She's right, it's not just Mr. Leona herself who has reached out to the fountain for any reason. She chose it of her own free will, and she made a decision.

You can't twist that with words of comfort.

"Mr. Leona, would you reconsider? There's no need for you to throw your life away. You've been training for tomorrow."

……

"Yet I can't believe that you're going to throw your own life to defeat Mr. Caron... does that mean that the training you've been carrying out with me and Mr. Alc to this day is futile?"

It makes me say blame, but I don't have a choice at this point.

Even if you're a little strong, you have to know what Leona's intentions are to make you ready to meet.

Mr. Leona leaned silently over my words, but he smiled as if he'd given up.

"Really... I envy the strength of your heart"

"Huh?"

"My days of training with you were not in vain. In fact, you grew up amazingly fast and strong enough to fight Caron. I'm sure if you and I fought for real now, you'd win for sure."

"Then..."

"But that's still not enough. No matter how much you can fight Karon, if he gets stronger in the middle of the fight, even you get stronger, you can't take him down."

Impossible, I can't say for sure.

In fact, when I first fought Mr. Caron, he awoke, even though he still had a reprieve, showing one of the dragon scales, overwhelming me and Mr. Leona.

There is no guarantee that the same thing will not happen tomorrow.

"And even if you're ready to fight Karon, you're still unlikely to be able to defeat him. If the decision-maker doesn't work for him in tomorrow's operation, we're out of hitters..."

"So you yourself try to compete with the power of the Fountain of Kreha...?"

"Yes."

Mr. Leona's assumptions are not wrong.

Sure, I don't have the strength to fight each other with Mr. Caron, but I don't have a decision to overthrow him.

"The truth is, it's not like there wasn't any hope. Maybe I could defeat Karon with you guys, sometimes I thought so. But when I thought about the worst possibilities...... my feet went toward nature and the fountain"

"... Mr. Leona, are you..."

"Usato, you are the one who should not die here. Big battles are inevitable beyond the threat of a demon king. In that battle, you, the one who can save so many people, can't die here."

I'm the only kid you can see before, just not over there.

But Mr. Leona doesn't think so.

Before her firm will, my words will not arrive.

"But..."

"Usato. Understand. I... am a brave man...!"

The moment I tried to put a stop to Mr. Leona, she grabbed my collar and drew me to herself.

Leona's gaze fits with me, who shut her mouth much to her surprise.

Until just now, tears seeped into her eyes hidden in her forehead.

"Don't hold me back any longer... every time I hear your words I shake my mind in the corner...!"

"How could you do that..."

"I must defend myself as the brave man of this country! Miarak, where everyone is going! You have to kill Karon for that!"

"Oh, you're not fighting alone!?"

I disagree with her words unexpectedly.

"Yes, but... just because you're not alone, there's no guarantee anywhere you can win! No matter how sturdy your body is, you're human! If you get your neck slashed, you're dead!"

"I hope they don't slash me in the neck!"

"That wouldn't be the problem!"

"Then what's the problem! Being a brave man can't be a good reason to throw your life away!"

I can see it's getting hot myself.

I am angry with this man.

Prioritize all about others, to this guy who has no idea about himself.

I'm the same thing, but this guy is unwilling to try to live. That's what I can't stand. [M]

"I'm a brave man! We have to protect where everyone is going! Norn, Farga... Usato, I don't want you to die!"

"I feel the same way! But you're not the only one in what you call a" home for everyone "! That would be too sad!?"

"...... Huh!"

I'm a brave man.

Master Farga and Master Norn didn't choose you to be a brave man to make such a strong case.

Mr. Leona gets silent on my appeal. He looks like a wolf, but his tearful eyes are full of stubborn determination.

This guy is not going to bend his mind no matter what.

"If you can stop Mr. Karon in exchange for his life...?"

"Still, I don't mind"

"Even if Mr. Caron has someone waiting for him to come home?"

You talked to me before, about Mr. Caron's wife.

I still remember Mr. Leona talking about it as she would miss it. I'm sure that's an important memory for Mr. Leona, too.

But Mr. Leona distorts his mouth and leans down small.

"... oh"

The moment I heard that response, my expression disappeared from my face.

What overflowed my mind, which had been empty for only a moment, was a different emotion of anger than ever before.

Come on, man.

"... eh"

"I'm sure you don't mind!"

Forget the salutation, I yell at her.

I know you shouldn't push my thoughts. I know, but you can't keep your mouth shut if you say that with that look...!

I know that look. [M] A cursed girl in Samarial gave me the same look.

Ms. Leona has the exact same look on her face as Eva, who was trying to hold onto her emotions and force her to accept her disappearing destiny.

"You must be really scared! You must want to escape! Yet someone named you……! is trying to make it easier by killing Mr. Caron and dying!"

"Chi, no, that's...!"

"If I kill Mr. Caron and die, that's it! The responsibility for killing him disappears on my own! Then there will be peace back in Miarak, isn't that what you mean!?"

He's grabbing my chest, pulling Mr. Leona's hand off with his left arm.

I'm surprised at that. I gaze at Mr. Leona, and I harden my readiness to spew out words.

"No matter how many deaths you accept, I will not admit it. I will never let you throw your life in front of me!"

"... eh"

"Look me in the eye!"

Mr. Leona's eyes shake in my words. [M]

I will not allow you to turn a blind eye here.

Once I held back my feelings, I took a deep breath and calmed my mind, and I spin my words so I could tell her.

"Mr. Leona...... I couldn't reach Miarak on my own."

"Uh...?"

"This is true when I ran my first battlefield, when I fought evil dragons, and when I ran to break the curse in Samarial. Someone helped me, supported me and moved on."

In the forest of Ringle, Rose helped me where the snake nearly killed me.

A knight who helped me when a demon king army soldier was about to stab me in the stop.

My friends helped me to fight evil dragons and to decurse Samarial.

If it weren't for them, I'd probably be dead somewhere right now.

"There are only a few things I can do alone. So you can ask someone around you for help without carrying everything by yourself."

Still grabbing my chest, I unwrapped one hand and reached out to Mr. Leona, who sat back.

"Lady Norn here, the maid... everyone in the castle, of course we are. If you ask for help, everyone will reach out. So reach out, too."

"… hands,?"

She glanced up at me and glanced at my hand.

It's like shaking a hand I lifted up to about shoulder height to wonder if I could grab that hand.

"I don't care if I ask for help... okay?"

"Yeah, rely on your thoughts"

Grab Mr. Leona's hand that is trembling.

I was just a little surprised by the cold hand feeling, but when I looked at her, I was crying as I looked at my hand jiggly.

... would I have been given a change of heart?

Instead, the guilt that has made older women cry is now on my chest.

"Mr. Leona, can you stand?"

Wiped her eyes, nodded silently. I stood her up, glancing at the vial she was holding.

... The truth is, I suppose we should confiscate it here and now or smash the vial, but it doesn't make sense if she draws water from the fountain again.

"I don't mind having that water. But never use it as long as I live. Whether they break my limbs or my body, I will stop Mr. Caron and help."

"How could you... get so far..."

You are a very kind and clumsy man.

There are many different sides, but I know people whose parts are similar. Like that guy who was violent, irrational and demonic and horrible, but had definite kindness.

"That's all I'm trying to say. I have nothing more to say to you. And then… think for yourself and give the answer"

Having said that without answering the question, I turn my back on Mr. Leona, who is looking at me confused, and leave the scene.

I don't know how tonight's exchange will affect tomorrow.

If my words hadn't arrived, Mr. Leona would be drinking water from the fountain tomorrow. When that happens, she turns into a monster who just swings by her powers.

But if you changed your mind, you would fight Mr. Caron without drinking the water from the fountain. If Mr. Leona could count on us to fight then, he would be on a very comforting side.

In the end, all I could do was let her choose, not save her.

"... I wish I could have said something better..."

Away from the training ground, around the entrance to the castle, hold your forehead and zero your stupidity.

In the end, I left it to my emotions to spit out my words, and as a result, I just made Mr. Leona cry.

Instead of persuading her because she hurt herself with my words, she may have cornered her the other way around.

Thinking about it makes me disgusted with my emotional self.

"It would be better if you didn't say something strangely good."

"... hmm?"

Being in self-loathing, a shadow emerged from the shadow near the entrance.

Punishing his eyes, the figure was Amako with the owl Nair on his head.

"Yeah, but Nair's right. Usato"

"Hey, what are you doing? Don't you like what I'm saying? Well, then, I'm a bit of a dick."

"Shut up, hairball"

"Keh, hairy balls!? I need to tell you. Treat me like this adorable owl hairy balls!?"

I don't know why you're putting Nair on your head, but I kind of guessed why you two were here.

... Also, I made you worry.

I smiled in my heart, opening my mouth to the two people who started the bickering.

"What about Mr. Alc?"

"I was here earlier, but after seeing Mr. Leona and Usato interact, I went back to my room in peace."

"Maybe you read the air? Usato, he looked so troubled."

"Mr. Alk is so silly to be concerned..."

I am truly a fellow traveler. [M]

... you're not alone, are you?

That's a word I said myself, but you're certainly right.