Chapter 90 Mission
――Tears I shed in remembrance of my mentor eventually became the catalyst for my strong determination.
I slowly raised my face, which had been buried in my hands. Iris and Basilio-san immediately peered into my face. Their hands were gently placed on my shoulders and back.
"Laura, are you okay?"
I nodded at Iris's concerned voice. The tears had stopped, but my eyes were probably red and swollen. After all, I had cried so much that my face was probably a mess of tears, snot, and everything else.
I wiped my face with the handkerchief I always carry in my pocket as a makeshift first aid measure. And then I looked up at the two juniors who had kindly accepted their pathetic senior, and opened my mouth.
"Yes, I'm okay. ...Well, about what happened..."
Iris, at least, had no idea about the self-destruction disease. Even if she did, I hesitated to reveal such personal matters so openly.
As I hesitated, Basilio-san quickly offered me a helping hand.
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. If you say you're okay, Laura-san, then we're fine... right, Iris-san?"
Iris also nodded in agreement to Basilio-san's gentle words.
From their perspective, it must have been a confusing situation to return from herb gathering to find their senior suddenly sobbing. Yet, they stayed by my side without asking any questions. I am truly blessed with kind juniors.
"Laura... can we go home?"
Iris asked hesitantly. As I remembered the words she had said to me while I was crying, she seemed to be worried that I had been told something unpleasant by Reinhardt-san.
"I'm fine, let's go home together."
I smiled. Iris's tense expression softened and she took my hand.
As Iris led me back into the house, I was met by Reinhardt-san waiting near the entrance. Iris looked up at me with worry, but I smiled back at her. I looked at Basilio-san and Iris alternately, and then said,
"Please go ahead to the back of the house."
I asked.
Basilio-san seemed to understand and nodded immediately, but Iris had a disgruntled expression. Basilio-san chuckled like he was scolding his younger colleague, and half-forced her hand and they walked together to the back.
Left alone with Reinhardt-san in the hallway, there was a moment of silence. I should apologize for jumping out suddenly, so I took a few steps closer.
"I'm sorry for jumping out suddenly earlier."
"No. I should be the one apologizing."
Reinhardt-san didn't look away and stared at me intently. He looked like he was prepared.
He was probably thinking about the possibility of me refusing to cooperate.
"To be honest, I have conflicting feelings about my mentor. But my desire to treat Self-destruction disease and save Elvira hasn't changed. So please, I beg of you."
I spoke slowly and deliberately, with a calm tone. In that instant, I could feel the tension in Reinhardt-san's shoulders ease.
I would never let Elvira die. For that reason, I knew that I needed the help of Reinhardt-san and the people of Rustu.
Reinhardt-san bowed deeply. And then he said in a strong voice, "Then I too, beg of you."
* * *
That night, I couldn't sleep no matter how hard I tried.
I gave up and got out of bed. I decided to go downstairs to get some water.
I wasn't aware that I was still thinking about what happened during the day. In fact, I could clearly see what I needed to do next.
I borrowed a cup from the kitchen and drank some water. But I didn't feel like going back to my room right away, so I turned on the lights in the living room and sat on the sofa for a while.
I let out a big sigh and leaned back on the sofa. At that moment,
"――Laura-sama"
I turned around when I heard my name, and there she was ―― Diona, the silver-haired girl.
"Eh, ah, Diona-san! What are you doing here?"
I instinctively got up from the sofa. And when I asked her, Diona shrugged her shoulders slightly as if she was apologetic.
"No, I just came down and saw the light on here..."
"Oh... I'm sorry for keeping you up so late. I'm just a little thirsty."
I smiled wryly, but Diona's expression clearly darkened.
I didn't understand why she reacted that way, and I was worried that I had said something wrong. Then,
"I'm so sorry about what happened today."
Diona suddenly bowed her head, and I understood the meaning of her expression.
Diona thought that I couldn't sleep because I was still upset about what happened today.
"No, no, it's not your fault! I'm the one who's sorry for jumping out."
"I heard from Reinhardt about your Mentor. I know that an apology won't change anything, but I can only apologize..."
She seemed to be in a lot of pain.
Diona raised her face timidly. Her pale expression made me want to reassure her.
I wasn't completely satisfied with what happened to my Mentor. This nagging feeling that I couldn't do anything about it would probably never go away. But the people of Rustu must have also lived with all sorts of complicated emotions.
There are many things I don't understand. But one thing is for sure. It's wrong to blame the people of Rustu, Diona and the others, and blaming them won't change anything.
"I know that the only one to blame is the demon king, and that everyone else had their own circumstances."
"But... I know it's not much of an apology, but please ask me anything if you need answers."
I thought it might be better to ask her questions instead of letting her keep apologizing, so that she could feel a little less guilty.
What kind of question would be good? A question that I would hesitate a little to ask, but would not cross the line that should not be crossed...
After thinking for a while, a question came to mind.
"Okay. Then, could you tell me a little about the Rustu people? I'm a little curious... Of course, it's okay if you can't."
I tried to say that jokingly with a smile so that I could be refused, but Diona didn't even smile. She nodded and sat down across from the chair I was sitting in.
Her amber eyes pierced me. Her serious expression made me a little nervous.
"It is said that the ancestors of the Rustu people were the followers of the Hero of the Beginning. The Hero of the Beginning... the first Hero who saved this land that was ruled by great darkness and gave birth to life on this land ―― the Creator God. He gave power to the followers who followed him, and the followers who were given that power were the beginning of the Rustu people."
The word "Creator God" on a large scale came out, and I couldn't help but widen my eyes.
In the setting of "Last Brave", I remember that the ancient species called themselves 'God's messenger'. However, the word Creator God never came out, and there was only a vague explanation that they were a tribe that had lent power to the Hero for a long time.
However, according to Diona's explanation this time, "God's messenger" was not a metaphor or anything, but its literal meaning. The Rustu people, whose ancestors were followers of the Hero of the Beginning ―― the Creator God, are literally "God's messengers."
"I see, so that's why the Rustu people all have light powers similar to the Hero's power."
"Yes. However, our ancestors were not able to fully obtain the power of the Hero that was given to them by the Creator God. Our ancestor was an excellent follower, but they were not a Hero. So the power of the Hero and the light power we possess are different."
There is also little explanation about the Hero in "Last Brave". There is only a legend that the Hero is born when the demon king awakens.
Therefore, the details of how the Hero's power is passed down to the next Hero are unknown. Is it like me, who is a reincarnation with a past life, or does the Hero's power reside in a human who is considered worthy of being a Hero?
I think it's probably the latter, but there is no clear answer since there is no description of Lukas having a past life memory in 'Last Brave'.
"Our ancestors, the people of Rustu, were ordered by the Creator God to protect this world from the shadows. It is said that the Creator God said that the Hero's power, the power of light, is not necessary for a peaceful world, and that the existence of the people of Rustu should be hidden as much as possible so that no unnecessary disputes arise over this power."
――Honestly, I thought it was a common setting. I remember hearing a lot about people with power hiding themselves so that their power is not exploited.
However, one thing that caught my attention was the phrase "to hide as much as possible." Is it okay for me to hear this story?
"Excuse me, but is it okay for you to tell me this?"
"Reinhardt told me that we should not hide anything from Laura-sama anymore."
I chuckled at Diona's words and lowered my gaze slightly. It seems that Reinhardt-san and the others took the daytime incident quite seriously.
"Besides, I think it would be better for Laura-sama, who is Hero-sama's childhood friend, to know. Lukas-sama seems to rely on Laura-sama a lot."
I felt embarrassed and looked down as she spoke with a gentle smile.
Speaking of which, Diona said that she saw me from afar when we first met. So, she knows my actions and words to some extent. Thinking that she might have seen my embarrassing side, my cheeks flushed even more.
To hide my embarrassment, I opened my mouth.
"Hmm, so the Rustu people are descendants of a special tribe that received power from the first Hero, the creator god, right? And they've been living in hiding all this time, right?"
"Yes. In a city protected by a barrier, hidden from everyone's eyes... That's also why I mentioned that Iris doesn't go out much."
Iris, who showed me around my room, definitely said something like that.
I can still remember her lonely expression back then.
"The Rustu people rarely venture outside the barrier. Many of them spend their entire lives within the city... All to ensure that their bloodline doesn't die out."
Diona continued in a low voice.
"The Rustu people have created multiple cities and divided their tribe among them. This is to ensure that there are survivors in case of an unforeseen event at another base."
I held my breath, listening intently to Diona's words.
I have no idea how many Rustu people exist today. How many people live within the barrier and never leave?
"Iris was discovered by Reinhardt for her talent and became an investigator, but for many children, staying safe within the barrier is their most important job... For women, giving birth and carrying on the bloodline is the most important task."
――I couldn't help but think that it was similar.
It was similar to the small, closed-off village and my hometown, Emme Village.
In this world, people are more or less trapped in the job they were born into. I escaped the job that was given to me, but for the Rustu people, that wouldn't be possible. If they did something like that, the world would be destroyed in the worst case.
How much weight is on the shoulders of this frail girl in front of me?
"...You guys are amazing."
"No, not at all. It's our duty."
Diona, who smiled as she declared it was their duty, looked dazzling to me.
She never thought about running away from her duty, the role she was given. It was a source of strength for "me" and the future Hero.
――As long as Diona carries the mission of the Rustu people and exists as the heroine of this world, this world will be saved.
"As a childhood friend of the Hero, I'm really relieved. Knowing that there are people who are thinking about the world this much and are on our side..."
"Please leave it to us. No matter what happens, we, the people of Rustu, are on the side of the Hero-sama."
――Yes, Diona, the heroine, was always on the side of the protagonist, no matter what. Even on the night when the protagonist complained about the heavy expectations from the people, even on the night when the demon king revived, always. That's why the player becomes fond of Diona just like the protagonist.
Diona, intelligent, powerful, and kind-hearted. She will definitely support the protagonist ―― Lukas. And Lukas, too, should be able to give Diona, who has lived for her mission, happiness as a girl.
The world is saved, and the protagonist and heroine who have worked for the world are united in a happy ending. That's the most beautiful thing.
"Please take care of Lukas."
With a little sadness and a wish for a happy future for the girl who bears a heavy mission, she whispered softly.
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