My Protagonist (5)
Let's rewind a little.
Whack! Crunch! Whack-whack!
Right in the middle of beating Haviel into the floor, a strange voice rang out from somewhere.
"...Lord Death!"
I turned toward the sound. A tiny clump of dust was floating in the air.
I knew what it was on instinct.
"An evil spirit?"
"Yes! That's correct!"
The energy rolling off it was close enough to Dark's that I clocked it immediately. The thing all but shouted with delight.
"It is an honor to meet the one and only Mad-Dog Trash in the entire world, officially certified by the Spirit King of Evil!! Lord Death of Death!!"
"You wanna die?"
"Ghk!"
I took a swing as if I were still working on Haviel and caught the spirit instead. It crumpled to about half its size.
"Uh, uhh…!!"
"What."
"An industry award!!!"
"Huh?"
For reasons I could not begin to guess, the thing looked thrilled. It turned a somersault in midair and settled back down.
"Anyway! That person you're currently beating the stuffing out of—he's not an evil spirit, right?"
"He's still human, yeah."
"Wow! If you keep hitting him, he might actually turn into one!"
"Enough. Why'd you even ask? What are you doing here in the first place?"
"Ah, right! Ahem, ahem! First, the message from Caes— I mean, from Lord Dark of Darkness!"
The spirit adjusted its monocle.
"He says to go find Ariel! That woman!"
"Why?"
"He said you'll know when you get there! And he added that you should be careful! If you don't stop her soon, that woman is going to interfere with Lord Death of Death!"
"Interfere how?"
I was about to press for more when the spirit shook its head.
"I don't know anything beyond that! Anyway, next!"
It stretched a hand toward Haviel.
"He's been brainwashed, hasn't he?"
"…How did you know?"
"Ahem! I may not look it, but I'm a high-ranking spirit with quite a few years on me, I'll have you know? I'm extremely well-versed in all things ancient!"
Things related to the ancient era?
Come to think of it, Number One was a guy who dealt with ancient things too.
I asked immediately.
"Can you undo it?"
"Of course! Ancient techniques are difficult both to use and to unravel, but a countermeasure exists for every last one of them!"
"So. What's the method?"
The spirit smiled as it answered.
"You smash the heart!"
"Ah, I see!"
I smiled right back and grabbed it.
"You're really asking to die."
"Eh?"
"If your head hurts, do you smash your own skull in?"
"…There's a method like that?"
And here it was, offering that as a solution.
"I'm busy. Get lost."
"W-wait! Wait a second!!"
I was about to ignore it and go back to the beating when the spirit clung to me, looking thoroughly aggrieved.
"I'm telling the truth!! That's not magical brainwashing—it's faith-based brainwashing!!"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's a method the old priests used to use! Modern brainwashing is placed on the head, but ancient brainwashing was placed on the heart, not the head!"
Stripped down, what the spirit was saying came to this: modern brainwashing, unless it used a medium, manifested once and then vanished. Ancient brainwashing, however, used the heart as its medium—and therefore lasted a lifetime, unless the victim died.
"Got it, more or less."
"Then shall we smash it!?"
"No. That'd kill him."
An obvious answer. The spirit's face twisted anyway.
"Kill him? Why?"
"People generally die when their hearts get smashed."
"Haaah? I know that, thank you. Do remember: just because you yourself are an idiot doesn't mean everyone in the world is an idiot?"
This little shit, I swear.
I was contemplating how one might fasten a padlock onto a monocle when unexpected words left its mouth.
"Obviously you only smash the second heart."
"The second heart?"
"Ah, these days you distinguish them as mana hearts and aura hearts, don't you? Oh, and!"
The spirit hastily added:
"If you smash it while he's still brainwashed, some of his memories might disappear, or get all jumbled up!"
"…How badly?"
"Well. I don't know exactly, but they'll probably scatter like he's waking up from a dream?"
That was genuinely good news.
If it works the way this thing says, even if the cultists come looking, I won't be exposed.
I could save Haviel, and no one would find out he'd become a double agent. That alone was enough.
"What's the method?"
"Pop! (the sound of a heart bursting)."
"Pop! That's the sound of an evil spirit's skull getting crushed."
I seized it as I said that, and the spirit, gone pale, fumbled out the method.
"…W-well, originally you'd have to strike the heart directly, but since Lord Death of Death has Ancient Aura, you can just pour that in!"
"That's it?"
"Yes! Compared to ancient forces, modern aura and mana are no better than a pane of glass!"
I wasn't sure it'd be that simple, but I didn't have another method right now.
"What… have you been… going on about… this whole time… Cough, cough! Talking to yourself, are you!!"
Haviel had come to in the brief pause I'd taken from the loving beatdown, so we could actually communicate.
Crunch!
I quietly put him back to sleep.
"Could you raise your Ancient Aura, gather it in your hand, and set it over that human's heart?"
I did as the spirit said.
Ancient Aura Heart (C)
Just as hands and feet move at the call of will, the Aura Heart stirred at the call of mine. A formless energy, heavier than wind and lighter than water, settled into my right hand.
Compared to other aura users, it was pitifully crude—no conversion, no application, just the simplest possible handling. But that alone was enough.
"Now! Pour it in, just like that!"
From the center of my palm, into Haviel's heart.
The Ancient Aura born from my heart seeped into Haviel's chest. Once inside, it spread through his entire body as though a meteor had come crashing down.
"Ahh…"
By the time even Haviel's faintly opened eyes were filled with that light—
A small, sharp crack.
has been dispelled.
A brilliant black light began to spill from Haviel's heart.
And in the next instant—
"…Hero?"
I came face to face with a woman I didn't know. It was like gazing at each other across a distorted lake; I couldn't make out her exact features. And yet we recognized each other all the same.
"I'll come find you."
"W-what was that just now!?"
"…I don't know either."
Only one thing was certain.
She's going to come looking for me soon.
In short order, mixed in among a crowd of countless people, she would come to find me.
Probably during the Rank Assessment Exam.
The cultists, and that woman as well, would come to meet me on that day.
"Was that holy power!? But it was way too dark for that?! What is it!? What is that!! I've never seen anything like it!!"
"Quiet down and handle the cleanup."
"Ah! Yes, sir!"
That was the end of it. After cleaning up the Ancient Aura and the unidentifiable power scattered everywhere, I went to find Vulkan.
"How in heaven's name did you come to know of that!?"
"I simply… happened to find out, sir. In any case, please consult me before you act, at least for the time being."
I gave a vague answer to his earlier question and stood at once.
"Then I'll be going."
"Y-you're leaving already?!"
I nodded.
I'll come find you.
Only three days left until the Rank Assessment Exam.
Borrowing Vivian's skill, facing the 3rd Apostle and the 6th Apostle—I'd realized it then.
As I am now, I'm weak.
The Fall of House Vulcanus had never been a main episode; it was closer to background lore. The Villainess Yuria episode had run close enough to the original that I'd been able to handle it easily. This time was different.
Two of the Six Apostles showing up. Haviel's brainwashing turning out to be ancient magic. Ariel having been the one controlling Vulkan. Things that had never appeared in the original came pouring in one after another.
I'd expected it, to a point.
From the moment I destroyed the scarecrow in the entrance exam and saved Villainess Yuria, I'd figured things wouldn't follow the original from then on.
But the degree of it is severe.
In the original, the fall of House Vulcanus had been the work of a single Apostle. This time, there were two. In numbers alone, that was twice the difficulty; factoring in the combined strength of the 3rd and the 6th, it was roughly a fourfold spike.
On top of that, the Rank Assessment Exam had become a main episode, and then there was the Cultist Raid I originally should have faced after Villainess Yuria.
I'd prepare for everything, of course. But the simplest solution was just one thing.
Get stronger.
No matter how many times over the difficulty spiked, I'd get strong enough to swat it aside without breaking a sweat.
I was steeling myself with that resolve, about to walk out, when Vulkan spoke again. His expression was grave.
"For what reason did you come to House Vulcanus's aid?"
He went on.
"You told the others as if it were a joke. That you were merely lucky. But you cannot deceive me. You clearly staked your life for our sake."
Charcoal holding a gentle ember of light. Vulkan looked at me with those eyes.
"So I ask that you answer me. One cannot repay a debt without knowing the reason, can one?"
The attitude of clearly acknowledging a debt of gratitude, and still insisting on his own will all the same.
So that's what a knight is.
The small realization brought a smile with it. Until now, I'd had no choice but to mix lies into my answers. This time was different.
I answered with an honest heart.
"She's the protagonist."
"…The protagonist?"
"Rania."
Sensory Amplification (C)
The room immediately adjacent to the family head's office.
Rania, who had rushed over without a thought for her own injuries, worried sick about Eugene.
Because Rania is the protagonist of my life.
"…Huh?"
She realized (?) that she was the protagonist.