Qualification (3)
Furrowed brows, a flushed face, lips pressed tight.
A raised voice and a pace that had picked up just a little.
The girl in front of me was furious with me.
Irritation flaring, I swatted Latera's hand away with a sharp flick.
When someone suddenly blows up at you, your own reaction turns prickly of its own accord. And besides—where the hell had she picked up the habit of grabbing people by the collar the moment she got a little angry?
"You."
I dusted off my hands and stood. The difference in height put Latera in the natural position of looking up at me.
"You really do say the most interesting things."
"...Interesting things?"
Latera fixed me with a glare like an axe blade. As far as I could tell, my expression was anything but soft and easy—yet the little brat neither backed down nor flinched.
"If a scary look was enough to make me retreat, I'd be a disgrace as a guardian angel."
It wasn't just the glare. I didn't care for a single thing this creature was saying. Showing me Kyle's corpse right in front of my face was one thing; talking as if every choice I'd made had been a mistake was another.
"O-of course it was a mistake!"
Latera's eyes flew wide, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Do you even know what a contract with a demon means? Those things carve the record of the deal straight into your soul! That mark will never come off. Even if you're lucky enough to reincarnate..."
"Is that all?"
I cut her off mid-sentence.
"Whatever you say, I just can't feel how the fact that I made a deal with a demon getting etched into my soul is supposed to hurt me."
I threw a sneer at the girl in front of me.
Giving the little brat a taste of her own medicine improved my mood somewhat.
"I-improved your mood..."
Confusion washed over Latera's face.
But it wasn't long before she wiped every trace of that fluster from her features. I judged that this wasn't the first or second time she'd practiced the maneuver. She looked remarkably polished at it.
"Make a deal with a demon and demerit points get added to your soul. You nearly might not have been able to come here at all, you know."
"Which matters more—demerit points getting piled on, or being about to die right this second? I'd say at least the latter."
"There's still the possibility of reincarnation."
"...The fact that you only call it a 'possibility' tells me even that isn't certain."
"..."
"When you're about to die right now, what good is reincarnation? And even with demerit points stacked up like that, I still qualified. So things must still be fine for now."
Annoyed, I rubbed the back of my neck out of habit.
And somewhere in the middle of that, a thought occurred to me.
"Just now—didn't you say my demerit score was five hundred points?"
A question took shape. Just how many demerits would it take before speaking the name of a forgotten mage wouldn't bring someone here at all?
"Ah—no! What are you thinking right now!"
Latera's composed face flooded with panic all over again.
Seeing exactly what I'd hoped for, I smiled.
I couldn't have cared less about Latera flailing in a panic. If anything, I decided to say exactly what I wanted to say.
Once I knew my thoughts were already being read, there was nothing left to hold back.
"Why not?"
"If you can't come here... you'll definitely regret it."
"Regret? What exactly am I supposed to be able to do in this place?"
I narrowed my eyes and smiled.
"Since the chance has come up, I'll make this perfectly clear. I don't care whether I come here or not."
A place that hadn't even existed in my knowledge held no value for me whatsoever.
Which meant the insolent little brat standing in front of me held no value for me either.
Anything I didn't know was more than enough to become a potential threat.
"..."
"If anything, I'd say you're the one in a tight spot."
If Latera hadn't lied to me, I was the first person in five hundred years to arrive with the qualifications to enter this place.
That being the case, the longer a hero failed to appear, the higher the value of an existence like "me" climbed. And with the Evil God still not dead, a hero's presence would only become more necessary.
"So then."
I bent my knees and met the little brat's eyes.
"I'm the one in charge, aren't I?"
"...Excuse me?"
"I'm the superior party, and you're the subordinate. That vaguely insolent attitude of yours has been getting on my nerves since earlier. You... don't get to grab me by the collar or cut me off mid-sentence, do you?"
I patted Latera's head with little thumps. Even I had to admit there wasn't a scrap of gentleness in the touch.
"..."
Latera, true to being a little brat, had sulked herself into a full pout.
She sat herself down on the floor, hugged her knees, and wouldn't so much as glance in my direction.
"..."
She was definitely reading my thoughts. The fact that she wouldn't even rise to being teased for sulking left me feeling oddly awkward instead.
I left the silent girl alone and turned my attention to the transparent coffin. I was curious what it was made of, but I had no intention of smashing it or anything of the sort.
Tunk, tunk—
I settled for rapping the glass with the back of my hand.
Then I shifted my gaze to the dejected little brat.
"Let me ask you something."
"...Go ahead."
Latera nodded, looking thoroughly wilted. At least she still seemed willing to answer.
"You said... this is a place that exists as a soul."
"...Yes."
"Then what is this?"
I pointed at Kyle's body.
Unmoving, bloodless and pale, the corpse simply lay there with its eyes closed.
"This is supposed to be a place that exists as a soul—so why is there a corpse sitting here plain as day, something that isn't a soul at all?"
"...Because you're still alive."
Latera answered reluctantly, still unable to shake the gloom from her face.
"The name Hero's House is as good as a final destination."
"Then wouldn't it be better to call it the Hero's Hall?"
"No."
Latera rejected that flatly.
"House is better. A hall isn't a place you come back to at all. This is where the hero Kyle rests—not a place that exists so other people can revere her."
"You really do like Kyle a lot. Even worrying about a dead person's circumstances."
"...It's a little different from that."
Latera let out a short breath and managed a bitter smile.
"What I admire is the bond you form with a hero."
"You admire the bond?"
"My goal is to become a wonderful angel like my senior, you see."
"Who's this senior of yours?"
"The guardian angel who was a companion of the hero Kyle."
Having said that, Latera hesitated for a moment. Then her eyes darted here and there, as if gauging my reaction.
I stepped closer to her.
As far as I knew, the hero Kyle's companions had been an elf mage and an alchemist, end of list. I had never heard of a guardian angel among them.
"Go on. I'm curious."
"...Is it really all right to tell you?"
"If you can read my thoughts, you already understand perfectly well."
"...Just as you say."
Latera stared straight at me, then opened her mouth.
"When I was here, my senior used to tell me stories of their adventures. Meeting Kyle for the first time, recruiting companions one by one—things like that."
As she told me the stories, Latera looked a little happier.
"And their story was written into the scriptures exactly as it was. They became beings whose names were carved into history. Later generations will remember them that way without a doubt."
"Funny how only that part is a guess."
"I've never left this place even once, you see."
Latera giggled softly, fidgeting with her fingers.
"I honestly don't know anything at all. The only things I know are the hearts of the people who come in here... and the stories my senior told me."
Then Latera looked up at my face.
"If you stay here long enough, you end up longing for an adventure of your own at least once. When you keep hearing stories that fun. I've been here for five hundred years. I waited so patiently all that time. I was so good..."
As she spoke, Latera's eyes grew redder and redder. That was not a good sign.
Reading that thought of mine, Latera struck her own chest with a sharp thwap.
"I am! A guardian angel who exists to help the Hero defeat the Evil God. Heaven's destined partner to the Hero. I am not going to cry over something like this."
"Impressive."
I dragged a hand down my face.
If I went by what this creature was saying, she had spent the last five hundred years playing tomb-keeper while waiting for the next generation's hero...
"That's right. Do you have any idea how lonely it's been? So please, try to imagine how I felt when I heard that the Hero I'd waited for until my neck stretched out of shape had already made a contract with a demon."
And still Latera beamed as she took my hand.
"I've been waiting for you here the whole time. You are my fated Hero."
Eyes wide, face full of expectation—Latera's purple irises burned with fierce longing.
"So. Please take me out of here."
"No."
"...What?"
Latera leaned in close, practically challenging me.
Of the gloom from a moment ago, not a trace remained.
"No—accepting right here is the cliché, isn't it? Right when the mood is perfect! Hit them with one moving line!"
"Calm down."
"Calm down? Calm down about what!"
"...Hah."
I let out a hollow laugh, speechless.
The fake sulking was one thing... but the shamelessness had crossed a line. I had never met anyone quite like this. Still, separate from all of that, I needed to explain why I had to refuse her here.
"Even if I take you out of here right now, I wouldn't be able to do a thing."
"Not be able to do a thing? What on earth is that supposed to mean?"
"I'm still eleven."
At my words, Latera blinked.
"...Excuse me?"
"I'm not ready, and I'm too weak. I still can't do anything."