On the Brink (4)
Scary, she says…
It was a little shocking. No—a lot shocking. And coming from Erinn of all people made it hit even harder.
It wasn’t just Clara and me, the ones directly involved, who felt it. Ser-Aria and the rest of the party seemed just as stunned.
“Erinn…”
Freya even called her name, voice thick with pity.
I was starting to grasp just how deeply it had cut Erinn when Clara and I left the party. That day she had thrown away every scrap of pride and sobbed in front of me—begging me to come back—must have been pure, raw sincerity. I understood that all over again.
But still…
It wasn’t a good sign. Erinn was the Hero. That kind of mindset would bleed into every fight from here on out, just like it had this time.
Not wanting to lose her comrades was one thing. If the thought of it terrified her that badly… even a moment’s thought made the outcome obvious.
She would start pushing herself too hard. The already shaky coordination I’d pointed out before would shatter completely. Of course it would. Fighting in sync meant trusting your party and leaving things in their hands. If losing them had become her greatest fear, Erinn would try to take every dangerous job herself.
Erinn spoke up, trying to break the sudden silence.
“I’ll think about it for a bit. We’ve got two whole days, right~? No rush thinking it over slowly~.”
“…Yes.”
“That works.”
Letisia and Freya agreed, and it looked like the matter was settled for now. But was leaving it like this really fine? Even if we put it off, what would actually change? That was when Clara opened her mouth.
“…Erinn.”
“Hm~?”
“I can help too.”
I hadn’t seen that coming at all. Erinn wasn’t the only one startled—I turned to stare at Clara, just as thrown.
“Wait, Clara. What do you mean…?”
She’d just heard that facing the enemy could cost her her memories.
Seeing my panic, Clara gave me a soft little smile.
“It’s okay, Albrecht.”
“…Huh?”
“It makes more sense for me to go. I know how hexes work…”
She was right. Clara herself was a hex user, and the Forgetfulness Legion Commander’s curse was a type of hex. No one here would understand better than her what actions might trigger it.
Even so…
“Do you really have to go…?”
The words slipped out before I could stop them. I understood her desire to help Erinn’s group, but selfishness was a stubborn thing.
I didn’t want Clara—the girl I had just started dating—walking into danger. And even if she did go, I wouldn’t be able to help her. That stuck with me too.
If she got hurt somewhere I couldn’t reach…
Then Clara said,
“You don’t want the people here getting hurt either, right, Albrecht?”
“….”
“It’ll only take a little while.”
She said it lightly and gave my hand a gentle squeeze. Looking at her like that, I couldn’t bring myself to tell her not to go.
Having her along would be a huge tactical advantage. And knowing Erinn’s personality… she probably wouldn’t refuse the request in the end anyway.
Watching us, Erinn spoke.
“Nothing’s decided yet. And Clara, you’re not even a party member~?”
Erinn continued,
“I… don’t take help from outsiders~♡”
“That’s…”
Clara’s face fell a little at Erinn’s words. The line Erinn was drawing was deliberate. If Clara left me to follow her, I’d be left alone—and Erinn was looking out for that.
Honestly, I thought she was right. Clara and I weren’t part of Erinn’s party anymore…
I knew that. And yet another thought kept rising. If I just sent these girls off to face something as powerful as a Legion without lifting a finger, I would regret it just as much.
At the very least… didn’t I owe something to the ones who had tried to protect me?
I hesitated for a moment, then let out a breath and spoke.
“…Let’s head back for today. Erinn said she hasn’t decided yet.”
“Yeah. We haven’t even decided whether we’re following Karna yet, so no need to talk it all out now~.”
“Before that, there’s one thing I want to say.”
“Hm?”
Erinn tilted her head. I looked straight at her.
“If you go, Clara and I are going too.”
“……What are you talking about?”
Erinn’s brow furrowed, a flicker of anger in her voice.
“I just said you’re outsiders, didn’t I? I told you I won’t take help from people who aren’t even party members. Did your ears get so bad you can’t even hear that~?”
“Then we won’t go as your party members.”
I said,
“We’ll join as a separate party.”
“….”
“What do you mean by that…!”
Letisia reacted sharply.
“You can’t! That’s no place for Albrecht to…!”
“I might not be much help overall, but there’s one thing I can definitely do.”
I said,
“A curse is just an effect caused by mana, right?”
“…Ah.”
Letisia seemed to realize what I was getting at. Freya added weight to it.
“That’s true… With Albrecht’s power, he might be able to stop the curse before it even activates. He suppresses mana itself…”
I nodded and looked at Erinn.
“I can’t fix everything, but the part you’re afraid of… I’ll take care of it. So.”
The appearance of the Forgetfulness Legion Commander was a main story beat. Erinn had to go. If the Forgetfulness Legion wasn’t wiped out here, there was no telling how the story would twist from then on.
But that wasn’t the only reason. Erinn might be an annoying brat most of the time, but she was still a proper Hero.
When a Hero moved and fought, people found hope and kept living.
“You have to go fight. That’s what a Hero does.”
If I helped her, she could fight. If I didn’t, and fear kept her from moving—or if she moved and lost because of it—I didn’t think I could stand that.
Erinn stared at me, startled. She seemed to think for a moment, then said,
“I’ll give you my answer tomorrow. I need a little more time to think.”
Even so, her resolve hadn’t really shifted. Telling her Clara and I would come along hadn’t been enough to shake off that deep unease.
There was nothing I could do about it. She said she wanted to think it over; I couldn’t force the choice. I just nodded.
“…Alright. Do that.”
“…Still, thank you.”
“What?”
“Thanks for trying to cheer me up, dummy.”
Erinn gave me a small smile. It was nothing like her usual mischievous grin—warm, almost gentle—and for a second I just stared at her, a little dazed.
“See you tomorrow, both of you.”
With a brief goodbye, Erinn and the others left first.
I stood there blankly for a moment. Then Clara poked my arm.
“Albrecht.”
“…Yeah?”
“Thank you. For saying that.”
Clara smiled shyly.
“Honestly, I didn’t want to leave you behind and go alone… but if you’re coming with me, I don’t have to worry about that.”
She leaned her cheek lightly against my arm.
“Thanks… for being brave.”
Looking at her like that, a warm feeling spread through my chest. I hadn’t done it only for her, but that had been a big part of it. I understood Clara’s feelings completely—and I still didn’t want to send her into danger alone.
To Clara, who was thanking me, I said,
“I’m your comrade too. Of course I am.”
“…Yeah.”
Back home, Erinn closed her eyes and lay down on the bed. She needed time to think. There was no real need to ask the others for their opinions.
Letisia, Freya, Ser-Aria—every one of them wanted to accept Karna’s request for support. The Forgetfulness Legion moving meant crisis, yes, but it was also a chance to cut down the Demon King’s forces.
Erinn knew that. She knew there was no real reason to hesitate. Especially with her and Karna working together, hunting the Forgetfulness Legion shouldn’t be impossible.
But unlike before, she now understood the grief of watching a comrade leave. That was why she was still wrestling with it.
If she had come home without hearing those words just now, she might have given up—unable to overcome the fear. But every time she tried to think it through, one memory rose up.
The part you’re afraid of… I’ll take care of it.
Albrecht had said that for her sake.
Would he still have said something like that if he were still Allen?
“…Ha.”
The thought made her laugh quietly to herself. The corners of her mouth lifted on their own as she murmured,
“He can even say cool things now…”
Erinn pulled the blanket all the way over her head. There was nothing left to agonize over. Thanks to someone’s encouragement, her heart had already made its choice.
“…I’ll give it everything I’ve got.”
For the sake of the Albrecht who had gone that far for her, she couldn’t back down.
Alone, Erinn made that quiet vow and closed her eyes.
Meanwhile, Letisia couldn’t sleep.
The words Albrecht had spoken for Erinn earlier kept circling through her mind.
The way he had promised to handle the thing Erinn feared—even to Letisia’s eyes, he had looked incredibly cool.
She knew he had said it for Erinn and for the party, and she felt deeply grateful. She really did… and yet another thought rose alongside it.
She wished he had said something like that for her instead.
…
The way Erinn had acted today felt… much more forward than usual. It wasn’t just her imagination. The fact that Erinn had taken Albrecht out alone while Letisia was away with Clara said enough…
“This won’t do…”
Letisia felt a sharp sense of urgency.
“I need to…”
Move more aggressively herself.