Because Leon Is the Protagonist

"Calm down, X."

He couldn't.

"Get a hold of yourself first."

He couldn't do that either.

"Just think calmly for a second!"

X had collapsed to the floor. His trembling legs went still — but not because he was trying to think calmly.

"Circe. I can't stay calm right now. I can't be collected. Lola might be in danger because of my carelessness — how am I supposed to just sit here?"

His words and tone were even, but his mind was in chaos. He was ransacking every scrap of knowledge he possessed, searching for a way to get Lola back. But what he had was riddled with holes — discarded settings ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that had never made it into the story — and it kept tripping him up.

I was complacent...!

The realization hit him too late.

You stupid bastard. You were so fucking complacent...!

X clawed at his hair, tearing into himself. This entire disaster was, without question, the product of his own complacency.

Got a scrap of knowledge and thought you were invincible...!

His legs started shaking again. The anxiety that had seized his mind spilled through his entire body.

There's no way out...! If Lola didn't use the magic tool...! If she was caught before she even could...!!

The bleached skeleton that had been sprawled in the corner of the room. Lola's corpse superimposed itself over that image.

If Lola is dead, then I...!!!

In that moment when no solution would come—

"Snap out of it!!"

CRACKLE-ZZZT—!!

"Ghhhkk—!!!"

Electrical agony seared every nerve in his body. It was the torture-grade electric magic Circe used so often. She barked at him as he writhed.

"Think more clearly! The room that kid was in vanished and I showed up instead — that means they swapped!"

"Swapped... they swapped?"

"Yes! Just like I joined up with you, that kid probably joined Leon's party! The worst-case scenario you're imagining isn't going to happen!"

That was far too convenient a thought. For all he knew, Circe had simply ended up here by rotten luck. As if she'd read his mind, she shot back.

"Look at the number of the room I came from!"

X rolled his eyes toward the number on Circe's room.

"...Fifty-three. A prime... so it's a trap..."

"Prime? I don't know why that matters, but that number is the same as the room I ducked into for a look. The entire room moved."

"...So Lola moved along with her room?"

"Right. Even if she didn't join Leon's party, she's not in immediate danger. You prepared her to escape this place, didn't you?"

"...You put your faith in the strangest places."

"Shouldn't I?"

"...You're right. I gave her a spatial teleportation magic tool."

"See? Then there's no problem."

Once that thought settled in, the chaos in his head began to cool.

"Haaaaah..."

His ragged breathing slowly evened out. His trembling legs finally stilled. The rigid tension in his muscles began to ease. Only after several deep breaths did he finish sorting through his thoughts. The anxiety was still there — but he could be calm now.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like that. And... thank you."

If Circe hadn't been there to pull him out, he would have drowned in those horrific thoughts and never surfaced. Watching him regain his composure, Circe felt a measure of relief herself.

"I didn't think you'd ever show a side that weak."

Her puzzlement came from X's current condition.

The seal on my talent and title still hasn't lifted...

The Probability Penalty from his confrontation with Darius was still in effect. The title seal in particular made it nearly impossible to keep his emotions in check.

This is how I actually am, but looking at it now... it's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pathetic.

About twelve hours left on the seal. Once this Ancient Ruins expedition was over, it would lift — which meant lying to Circe would be difficult until then.

I'll have to be careful for a while.

X finished organizing his thoughts, sighed, and answered.

"I'm human too. Not some emotionless monster."

"You're joking, so you really must be fine."

"That wasn't a joke..."

Once X had calmed down, an awkward silence settled between them. It was only natural — they'd drawn a line, agreeing not to acknowledge each other. On top of that, X now needed to clear the ruins as fast as possible. Circe's cooperation was more critical than anything.

"Circe."

So he bowed his head to her.

"W-what? All of a sudden..."

"I know I have no right to ask this. Please. Help me."

Circe was thrown off by the sight of X bowing. The X she knew would have used that insufferable silver tongue of his to manipulate her. But he just bowed, asking for help with no lies, no tricks — as if he had no room left to spare.

I don't get it.

What she wanted to know most was what he was bowing for.

"Is this because of that kid?"

"..."

"I already told you. There's a good chance she joined Leon's party. You don't need to rush around like you're being hunted. We couldn't clear these ruins with just the two of us anyway."

"I know how to clear it. I'll tell you everything. So please — just this once — help me."

"Ugh..."

Faced with that desperate look, Circe finally sighed.

"...Fine. Get up. So what's the method?"

X explained the prime-number method for navigating the ruins. Circe let out an incredulous groan.

"That's all it takes to beat this place?"

"Knowing it and actually doing it are two different things."

"What's so hard about it? You can just look and tell."

Circe glanced at the numbers on the other doors besides the one she'd come through. The right door read 765749. The left, 972723. The moment she saw them, she answered offhandedly.

"Right one's a trap. Left one's safe."

"...Isn't the left one a prime?"

"The left one divides by three."

Circe opened the left door and walked through as if it were nothing. X nearly jumped out of his skin trying to stop her — but nothing happened.

"What are you doing? You said we had to hurry."

"...You can calculate that instantly?"

"If I couldn't, I'd have to quit being a mage."

"..."

"That wasn't directed at you, by the way."

And so began X and Circe's awkward partnership.

Circe's progress was relentless.

Even with Lola's sensitive mana detection, clearing fifty rooms in an hour had felt fast. Circe blew past that, clearing over eighty. She identified primes the instant she saw the numbers, so the time spent choosing which room to enter was actually longer than the time spent identifying them.

Even so, three hours passed without them reaching the final room.

"Is this actually the right method?"

"It is. The numbers are getting smaller bit by bit."

When they'd started traveling together, the numbers had been seven digits. Now they were seeing six- and five-digit numbers. The steadily shrinking room numbers were proof they were on the right path.

"We're fine, but what about Leon's party?"

"Lola knows the method too. Their numbers should be smaller than ours, so it'll be relatively easier for them."

"Hmph."

Circe and X fell silent again. Natural conversation between them was difficult. X was too unsettled to feel like talking, and Circe couldn't easily bring herself to start a topic. In that awkwardness, it was always Circe who broke the silence.

"Hey."

"Yes."

The conversation went nowhere. The reason was obvious. They were both being careful. The moment either of them acquired information they weren't supposed to have, there was no telling what kind of future it would create. In a situation like this, the surest method was to keep your mouth shut.

"Hey."

Of course, even knowing that, human emotion doesn't follow reason so easily.

"Hey—!!!"

X spun around, startled. Circe, furious, tore into him.

"Just because I know the prophecy, does anything actually change—?!!"

"Where is this coming from..."

"Why do I have to walk on eggshells around you—?!!"

Circe hated this. She could know, but she wasn't allowed to know. That restriction had been tormenting her as a Sage.

"Circe, please just calm—"

"Calm down?! You've got it all wrong. You know as well as I do that we made saving the world from crisis our mission! That hasn't changed just because we've been reincarnated!"

She jabbed her finger into X's chest.

"And then some guy who knows everything sits there saying 'I can't tell you because it's dangerous if you know'! Do you have any idea what it feels like to just stand there doing nothing?!"

"But that was something we both agreed—"

"You keep showing up right in front of me! You go around causing incidents and accidents, screaming your existence at the top of your lungs — how am I supposed to just ignore that?!"

Circe pointed at herself and shouted.

"I'm a hero too! The one later generations arbitrarily named Sage Aerial! The people who took down that damned Demon King a hundred years ago were us! Not you! Just... just...!! Hah..."

Her surging anger deflated like steam escaping a kettle. Only after she'd vented that boiling rage did the truth come out.

A barren silence settled over them.

She knew she shouldn't do this. That was why she'd ignored X whenever they crossed paths at the academy. If he wasn't standing next to her, at least she wouldn't have to think about it. But in this place, they were forcibly bound together — and because of that, the thought had been gnawing at her without rest.

"...I can't."

X was in the same position.

"It's already dangerous. Things have already twisted beyond control...! One wrong step and we won't be able to put it back!"

If he could, X would have laid everything out. Circe was one of the people he could tell everything to. She was also someone he couldn't tell anything to.

"Do you understand? It's not that I don't trust you! The situation has become one where I can't trust you! It's not anything else — it's because you're the reincarnated Sage Aerial!"

"What is that supposed to mean? Because of that?"

Of all times, he couldn't control his emotions right now. If the title seal hadn't been in place, he would have deflected this skillfully.

"Because you're a companion of the Hero Leon! That's why you can't know anything! So please, I'm begging you — don't ask me anything...!"

"Why does that make it so?!"

And so he ended up saying the one thing he should never have said.

The moment the words left his mouth, X snapped back to his senses.

"C-Circe, just now, I misspoke—"

"Leon is the protagonist?"

The words X had just spoken. The things he'd said before. The hardships and trials they'd endured, as if someone had scripted them. Every piece of information pointed Circe toward a single conclusion.

The Sage had found the answer.

"Tell me."

Circe raised the Book of Eibon.

"Was my life nothing more than someone's story?"

"Circe, if you'd just let me explain—"

"Answer with yes or no!!"

X clenched his teeth and shut his eyes. The talent that could have reversed this situation was sealed. He couldn't bring himself to look Circe in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the eye.

"...No."

If a miracle happened, maybe she'd buy it. He said no for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that slim chance alone.

"Liar..."

But no miracle came.

Crack. Pop.

A spent log crumbled into the campfire. A long time later, the two of them finally rested. They had walked too long, and learned too much. Body, heart, and mind all needed rest. They unrolled their sleeping bags on either side of the fire.

"So what happens from here."

Circe lay in her sleeping bag, staring at the flames as she murmured.

"If we don't stop it, everything is destroyed."

X answered as he fed another log into the fire.

"Demons... the demonkin... even humans and the beastkin..."

"You're not lying, are you?"

"If you keep using the Book of Eibon, that leads to destruction too."

"...I know. It's a dangerous artifact."

Circe overusing the Book of Eibon was dangerous as well. She'd only put it away after X swore he wouldn't lie.

"I don't have a choice. I don't know where my weapon, the Eye of Akasha, even is."

"I don't know that either. Only that it's sealed somewhere in the Demon Realm Desert Ruins..."

Circe rolled over and let out a bitter laugh.

"It's almost funny. This world was born just to be destroyed."

"..."

"Leon's the only one destined to survive."

"..."

"The Demon King comes back and drops 'that' no matter what."

"..."

She didn't say that the person who'd made this world that way was X. But somehow, every single word felt aimed at him.

"You were going to stop all of this by yourself?"

"I didn't have a choice."

"I know. There's a restriction. I get now that my memories were sealed because of it too."

He'd ended up telling her that part as well. To explain why he hadn't shared a future like that with anyone else, he'd had no choice but to tell her.

"The reason I didn't tell you even after the restriction lifted..."

"Because the future can't change. Yeah. I get it."

Circe let out a long sigh.

"But there's still something I don't understand."

"...What is it?"

"What's with that kid?"

At that question, X looked at Circe's back. She was glancing at him through half-lidded eyes. If anything, X was the one who didn't understand.

"You mean Lola?"

"Is she connected to the destruction too?"

"No, not particularly."

"Then why do you treat her like that?"

"I'm not sure what you mean..."

"Why do you treat her like she's someone special?"

X's hands suddenly stopped. Circe kept grumbling.

"I heard the reason you dueled me was because I attacked her and you tried to stop me. I don't remember it, but..."

"That's..."

"Last time, and today too. No matter how I look at it, it's overprotective. Was she family you lost in a past life or something?"

X couldn't answer. Circe had only asked out of suspicion. But the question cut remarkably close to the heart of it.

"...Maybe she was."

After that, X couldn't say another word. He had no energy left to speak, and none left to think.

Circe knew everything now, so she would move in ways he couldn't predict. No matter what X did, Leon would now deviate from the original story. The world would spin out of control and fall into some random destruction.

That's what he thought.

"Once isn't enough."

"...What?"

Circe, now fully turned toward him, murmured.

"Helping you. It doesn't have to be just the once."

She pulled the sleeping bag over her head and muttered quietly.

X had not expected that decision from Circe.

The next day, in the coldest hour of dawn, just before sunrise, two figures appeared at the main gate of the Ancient Ruins. More precisely — one person and one demon.

"Gremory, hurry up. We're late because of you."

"Hahh, hahh... I-I'm not a martial artist, you know~."

Gremory was sweating so hard her entire body looked drained. Crossing a mountain in that frail vessel had been grueling.

"I-if you'd just piggybacked me~ i-it would've been easier and faster~"

"You think I'd do something that would let you steal my body?"

"Hahh... that's a shame~."

Gremory finally caught her breath and looked ahead. A main gate as massive as a castle stood before them.

"That's enormous~ There's no way we can open this~"

"...Is there no message from the Goddess?"

For some reason, Elia still hadn't received any message. Elysia had only given a message to Gremory.

"The Goddess says there's an entrance in the corner of the main gate~ Well, we could get through even without that~."

Gremory dragged her hand downward as if scratching through the air in front of her. Space split along the path of her fingers, opening a rift. Through the gap, another location was visible.

"Connecting spaces like this — it's such a useful ability~ We even used it to sneak out of the academy and nobody noticed~"

"...Just hurry up."

They squeezed through the rift and found themselves inside the Ancient Ruins. A stone door immediately blocked their path. Seeing it, Gremory called out in a syrupy voice.

"From here on, leave the clearing to me~!"

Gremory opened the stone door and entered with Elia. She knew the first room had no traps, so she strode in without hesitation.

"From here on, She said to avoid 'primes'~ But~"

Gremory confidently surveyed the three numbers. Front: 6577. Right: 2113. Left: 4009. After a long moment of deep thought, she turned to Elia.

"I don't actually know how to tell which numbers are prime~ Do you~?"

Gremory had no interest in human knowledge. Even with what she'd absorbed from Hilde, identifying primes was difficult. And of course, Elia — whose intelligence was not her strong suit — didn't know either.

"Can't you check with your ability?"

"Space Linking takes a long time to use again after I cast it once~"

Left with no choice, Elia decided to use another method.

"Step back."

Elia stood in the center of the room, closed her eyes, and focused.

She didn't need to find safe zones. She only needed the final destination. Once she knew that location, the rest was simple.

"...Found it."

The final destination her Heavenly Intuition located was straight ahead — the very center of the Ancient Ruins, a place that never moved. Elia stood before the wall in that direction, sword in hand.

"If it's in the way..."

She settled into her stance, aimed her blade, and gathered her inner power to its absolute limit. Irresistible destructive force concentrated in Elia's hands.

"I'll just...!"

BOOM—!!

Elia drove her leading foot down in a stomping step. The ruins' solid stone floor cracked and sank.

"Smash through it all...!!"

Her sword shot forward faster than a flash of light. In a burst of exploding radiance, the moment the blade's tip touched the wall — a shattering blow descended upon this earth.

KRAAAAAAAAAANG—!!!!!

"KYAAAAAAH—!!!"

The massive shockwave and roar slammed into Gremory's body. Her insides had been shaken so violently that fresh blood spilled from her mouth. If she hadn't been a demon, that impact would have killed her. But more than that, the sight before her eyes left her stunned.

"Ha, haha... you just blew that thick wall away...?"

The wall that had taken the blow was miserably shattered, collapsing in ruins. The enormous debris and impact had even broken the traps.

"..."

Elia, who had produced that spectacle, simply stood there. She had displayed martial prowess that transcended humanity, and it hadn't even fazed her. At Elia's current realm, this was truly nothing.

"...It's been less than a week since then, Elia."

Gremory looked at the aura blazing along Elia's sword. In the shape of that aura, the Will of Rage was unmistakably present. In other words, Elia had imbued her aura with will.

That meant only one thing.

To kill the X she hated.

To save the Lola who was being deceived.

"That's far too fast to have reached 6-star."

Elia had become a 6-star martial artist.