Chapter 110
Chapter 110
Chapter 110
Eleanor’s expression twisted at Lustitia’s question.
It was something that could happen. Yes, it was something she could have anticipated.
But did she really have to say it right now? Couldn't she have waited a little longer?
A day. No, not even a day.
Not even a full day had passed since Lustitia had opened her eyes.
Yet to ask her to make such a decision already, wasn't that too cruel?
Right after she woke up, she had been swayed by her emotions and had only said harsh things.
She hadn't even asked how she was properly. There were too many regrets left.
“…”
But Eleanor didn't voice those thoughts.
Saying it now would only be seen as childishness. And so, she…
"Can I think about it for a bit?"
…postponed the moment of choice. In a way, it was an act of running away.
"Alright…"
But seeing the determined look in Eleanor's eyes, Lustitia had no choice but to nod.
That wasn't running away; it was an act of deep contemplation.
"Then, I'll see you later, sister!"
Eleanor bowed her head once and then left the room.
Left alone, Lustitia propped her chin on her hand and muttered quietly.
"She could have at least eaten… How am I supposed to handle a three-person meal by myself?"
Just as she saw the three-person meal approaching her.
"Then I'll join you."
Oz, who had arrived around the same time the meal was served, naturally took a seat. Lustitia stared at Oz blankly for a moment, then smiled brightly and said,
"Eavesdropping isn't really a commendable act, Mr. Oz."
"Then you should have stopped me beforehand. You knew, didn't you?"
"Because I thought you needed to hear it, too."
"…"
Oz didn't answer. He just sat there, twirling the pasta on his plate with his fork.
At that sight, Lustitia chuckled and then, with a much softer expression, said,
"Is it okay if you don't go to Noah? She must be deliberating right now."
"Noah will do just fine on her own."
Oz focused on his meal as if he wasn't concerned.
And seeing Oz's firm demeanor, Lustitia's playful side must have been provoked, as she smiled and teased him.
"Oh! You seem confident. What will you do if Noah says she'll follow me?"
"Would that be a problem? I trust Eleanor. If she's someone that Eleanor trusts… yes, she must be a trustworthy person."
"…That remark hits a little deep. I'm touched."
Lustitia, who had been wearing a playful expression, blushed as if she had been caught off guard and scratched her head.
Even if Eleanor were to follow her, he trusted her, so it didn't matter—a declaration of trust.
Oz's composure came from that matter-of-fact trust.
"Ahem, ahem. So that's why you're eating so comfortably."
"Well, that's part of it… but I also wanted to speak with you alone at least once, Ms. Lustitia."
"Hmm, that sounds like you're interested in me. It wouldn't be a problem if I took it that way, right?"
"…"
Oz nodded with a reluctant expression.
The nuance was a bit off, but it wasn't wrong, was it?
"Mr. Oz… Hmm, this is uncomfortable. Can I call you by your first name?"
"Please do."
"Then let me ask you directly. Oz, you need information about me, right?"
"Yes."
Lustitia tapped her plate with her fork, expressing her displeasure.
It would have been nice if he had at least denied it as a pleasantry.
Lustitia pouted.
"Of course, I have my own personal curiosity as well."
"Personal curiosity? About what? If there's anything you want to know about this big sister, well, I'll specially teach you."
"…"
Oz, seeing Lustitia's strangely arrogant attitude, thought of Eleanor and broke into a cold sweat.
He could tell from past experience.
This conversation was going to be difficult.
"You said you're related to Noah. Does that mean you're from Chrysos?"
"That's a roundabout way of asking about Noah. I'll be disappointed if that's all."
"It's only the first question."
Lustitia narrowed her eyes as if she were bored, but Oz paid her no mind and continued his questions.
"Well, yes."
"Then have you heard of something called the 'Key'?"
"…Another question related to Eleanor. I might get sulky soon. Do you know what happens when I get sulky?"
"I wonder?"
"I break things."
"…"
Through those words just now, Oz keenly felt that the two were definitely related.
There was no room for doubt.
"Well, yes. To answer that question, it would be 'yes.' Will your next question be about me?"
"Then where did that Key originate from? Is it related to the 'Heros' family?"
"…"
Lustitia immediately stood up and grabbed Oz by the collar.
The distance between them closed in an instant.
Yet, seeing Oz's unchanging expression, Lustitia spoke.
"If I were to act on this right here, would you only be able to think of me?"
"Since sitting in this seat, I have only been thinking of you."
"Ah… Th-that line hits harder than I thought. Ahem, ahem."
At Oz's firm words, Lustitia let go of his collar and hesitantly stepped back to her seat.
She seemed to be in a better mood, as she smiled and toyed with her hair.
Her mood improving with just a simple word was just like Eleanor.
"To conclude… I'm curious as to why you also have a power similar to the Key."
"Hmm… This is a bit different from what I was thinking."
Lustitia pouted and twirled her hair with her finger. It was certainly a topic about her. But it was somehow different from what she had expected.
Lustitia sighed deeply and answered Oz's question.
"That's because our ancestor was born from the Key. In other words, a descendant of an incarnation. So it wouldn't be strange if we inherited a part of that power, would it?"
"…"
At Lustitia's lighthearted words, Oz tilted his head, and after a moment, realizing the meaning of her words, he said with a serious expression,
"Born from the Key…?"
The power of [Severance] from the [Key of Understanding] and the power of [Severance] that Lustitia possessed. Even if it wasn't as strong as the Key, they were quite similar.
He had thought that perhaps, like the [Death King]'s Key, it was a power that had manifested from a piece of the Key breaking off.
But if they were descendants born from the Key itself, it wouldn't be strange for that power to be passed down.
Even if there was only one Key, there were many beings derived from that Key.
"Huhu, that expression is kind of cute. The feeling of perfection being shattered… This is really hard to resist."
Despite Lustitia's teasing, Oz couldn't bring himself to laugh.
An incarnation born from the Key.
The meaning contained in those words was immeasurable. So much so that, conversely, it was impossible to understand.
But there was one thing he could be sure of.
"The Key has a will?"
That the Key was not simply an object.
"Then…!"
"Let's just stop with that topic. It's not fun, and I don't want to talk about it anymore."
"…"
Lustitia was smiling gently, but Oz knew it was a polite refusal. Any further was impossible.
Even if he tried to dig deeper, she wouldn't answer, and it would only worsen their relationship.
"I… see. Then let's move on to another topic."
"Yes, yes, for example, I'd like it if you asked about my favorite food or clothes."
"Do you like the color blue?"
"Yes!"
"Then, next question."
"…Huh?"
Isn't that too short?
Compared to the previous topic, Lustitia couldn't help but be flustered by Oz's blatantly indifferent attitude.
"Is it not difficult for you?"
"…"
But Lustitia's bewilderment vanished in an instant as the next question came. No, it would be more accurate to say her mind went completely blank.
"Difficult, you say?"
"You've been suffering from the curse, and you've been sleeping for the past few days, so your stamina must have dropped, right?"
"Umm… It's fine. I'm a Hero, so I don't have a problem with things like that."
"Then what about your mind? Don't you feel anxious or tired?"
Lustitia blinked, trying to figure out the intention behind the question.
Although she wanted a lighter topic, was it a necessary question to ask?
Oz's expression was relatively serious for him to be making small talk.
"Hey, what's the intention of your question?"
"There's no particular intention. Even if we part ways, we'll be going together part of the way, won't we?"
"That's… true. This is the end of the border, so our travel directions will have to overlap, I suppose?"
"Then if we're going to be traveling together, there's nothing strange about asking about your physical condition, is there?"
"That's also… true."
Lustitia, while agreeing with Oz's calm words, thought something was strange.
There was no hidden meaning in the question. That probably wasn't a lie.
It was just small talk following a heavy topic. But why did it feel so awkward?
"If I were to collapse in the middle of the journey, when danger strikes…"
"Even if it's not particularly dangerous, you shouldn't collapse, should you?"
"…"
At Oz's simple words, Lustitia finally realized. It was truly just meaningless small talk.
It was just that she was the subject. Yes, it was just a simple consideration.
But that consideration.
For her, who was on the side of the weak.
For Lustitia Heros, the Hero.
It was something so incredibly awkward.
"Haha… You're being considerate of me."
It wasn't that it had never happened.
Consideration doesn't discriminate between people. But that also depends on the situation.
The consideration received from someone who saw her as an ordinary girl.
And the consideration from someone who recognized her as a near-perfect superhuman.
There was a big difference.
No one tells a master swordsman who can cut a rock with a sword to be careful with it because it's dangerous.
It was the same as that.
Right now, in Oz's eyes, she was seen as a weak person who needed to be protected.
'Hmm, it's unfamiliar… but it doesn't feel bad.'
She almost fell for him.
This time, relatively seriously.
Just as Lustitia was flustered and clicking her tongue.
Oz changed the subject again.
"This is a different story, but everyone has their own role."
"…Huh?"
Lustitia couldn't understand Oz's sudden words.
"So there was no need to push yourself, was there?"
"…"
Lustitia realized.
She was being scolded by a boy younger than her.
It was about the unreasonable journey she had taken towards Chrysos.
"Even if you're the Hero, that doesn't mean you have to be considerate of and yield to everyone."
"…"
The heavy topic was over.
The conversation that followed was light, trivial topics and simple greetings.
And a lecture that followed such topics couldn't possibly carry any weight.
That was just a complaint.
'Ah, but this is really…'
But to Lustitia, it was different.
Even if the tone was light, the words seemed to pierce her to the core.
Consideration and yielding.
For her, who had lived as a Hero, they were inseparable words.
But her companion was saying there was no need for that. And in that way, he was being considerate of and yielding to her.
At first glance, it was a contradictory action.
But that action felt a little different to her.
She, who had lived her life being considerate of and yielding to countless others, was a Hero.
What should one call a person who is considerate of and yields to her?
"Ah, I really can't stand this one."
The Hero's Hero.
The prince from the fairy tale she had seen in her dreams had appeared in reality in a much more wonderful form.
Lustitia immediately stood up and went to Oz's side.
She grabbed him by the collar.
This time, even though she was sober, she moved as if she were in a dream.
But at that moment…
"I've made my decision!!"
CRASH!
Eleanor appeared, spectacularly smashing the dining hall door.
"Oh my, my, my…"
Lustitia immediately let go of Oz's collar and created distance between them.
That was a dangerous moment.
This time, she would have become a crazy woman with no room for excuses.
Lustitia managed her expression as best she could and turned around. Eleanor's confident face was visible.
"Sister! Thank you for your words, but I think I should return to Scientia after all."
"Ahem, ahem… Could you tell me the reason?"
"If I go with you, my goal will surely be achieved quickly. But. There's one thing missing."
"Something missing?"
Lustitia tapped her lips with her index finger and thought.
What could it be? Of course, both choices would have their own pros and cons.
But if Eleanor was speaking with such confidence, there might be a rather large drawback.
"You're amazing, sister. You're a Hero and you're even pretty."
"Well, that's a given."
The two were quite similar.
That vast self-awareness proved it.
"But, sister. That's why it won't work."
"Why?"
"If I follow you, I'll only ever be a sidekick."
And that vast self-awareness diminishes the meaning of one side.
Eleanor wanted to be a sun that shines on its own, not a moon that reflects light.
"I want to be the protagonist. No, I have to be. If I can't even become the protagonist, how can I become a king who receives the love of all people?"
"…You're right, I was short-sighted."
Lustitia patted Eleanor's head as if she were proud of her.
"It's a bit much if that's the reason for your carefully considered decision, but…"
At least if it wasn't a decision made in the heat of the moment, that was enough.
No matter what, wasn't what she was saying right?
A king is someone who must lead, not be led.
With her help, the goal could be achieved, but Eleanor's own growth would be absent.
"Noah. You can definitely become a wonderful king."
"That's a given."
Eleanor, who had been gloomy due to various recent events, had regained her vitality. No, she could shine even brighter than before.
"Hmm, well, I suppose so."
Oz nodded lightly.
Lustitia clicked her tongue as she looked at Oz.
She had been had.
He knew all along that Noah would make this choice.
His understanding of her was high.
Of course…
"But why did you break the door?"
"Because…"
"It looked cooler that way?"
"That's it."
…not as high as hers.
Lustitia smiled, feeling a sense of satisfaction at that point.
For her, who had yielded so much while living as a Hero, today was a rare day.
A day where what she gained was far more than what she had given up by yielding.
"No, well, yeah. Cool. That's good. But who's going to pay for this?"
"Master! I love you."
"What a frivolous love confession."
"Are you saying you don't know my sincere heart? That's so mean! As compensation, you can pay for this, master! You're a noble, right?"
"No, I've been wanting to say this for a while, but you're a royal, aren't you?"
Lustitia listened to their conversation with a gentle smile.
Eleanor was speaking her true feelings. It was just that she was hiding her sincerity by wrapping it in a playful tone.
It was a relatively proactive action, but a sense of shyness still remained.
'Well, it might have been different in the past, but there's no need to point that out now.'
Lustitia smiled as she watched Eleanor's fresh form of love. It was certainly the same gentle smile as before, but…
'Then, if she's still like that the next time we meet…'
…it also resembled the expression of a predator looking at its prey.
'Should I try to steal him, just once?'
For the first time, something she didn't want to give away had appeared.
She was a Hero. A person born as a good child and who had lived as a good person.
But just this once.
Wouldn't it be okay to become a slightly mischievous, bad child?