Volume 9 Chapter 75 The Two In The Mirror
"Here is――."
When I opened my eyes, I noticed a soft light shining on my face.
The fresh, green scent of new leaves filled my nostrils, and my heart felt clear and calm.
Ah, it's a dream.
Julius Roderest quickly realized it.
This is the hill near the town where he spent time with Lyla and Glen.
Lyla would often come here to bask in the sun, a nostalgic spot.
He stretched out his hand towards the sunlight, and realized it was a weak girl's hand.
It seems he's lying down in Iris's body.
He can't get up. He doesn't even have the will to get up.
He understood that it's already over. Julius's body has already perished, and his soul is disappearing.
Is it fate's cruel joke that his final place is here?
Suddenly, he sensed someone sitting next to him.
"...Could it be that you're watching over me?"
"Am I not good enough?"
Yuusuke sat down, looking up at the sky, and replied.
"No, it's just too extravagant."
He could hear the sound of birds chirping somewhere. The wind blowing, the grass swaying, and the voices of people in the town could be heard.
How long had it been like this?
Yuusuke muttered.
"There's one thing I want to ask."
"What is it?"
"Why didn't you kill me when I returned from Asteris?"
Yuusuke's question was reasonable.
If the future changed, the Yuusuke who went to another world couldn't be killed. However, when Yuusuke returned from Asteris, there was no problem. If Julius had moved at that time, when Yuusuke's heart was fragile, he would have been killed without a struggle.
Julius couldn't help but think that way.
"That's――."
"Let me say it, but."
Yuusuke cut off Julius's words and said.
"You were always lost, weren't you? You said you'd do it for the world, but you knew exactly how many lives would be sacrificed, so you were lost."
"......"
"So you waited until I could fight, and then you started judging. You yourself were more lost than anyone else."
Yuusuke didn't look at Julius until the very end. He gazed up at the sky and spoke slowly.
"It's not like that. I'm just being capricious."
"You're really bad at lying. You should practice more."
A gentle breeze blew between the 2 of them.
There was no one else here. This dream-like time would surely vanish like a bubble.
That's why...
Julius opened his mouth. A thought he had never shared with anyone in these 6 thousand years spilled out.
"I thought, when I was reborn in this land..."
"......"
"When I was reincarnated in this land, I thought that maybe I was the one who killed the girl named Iris."
The words fell like drops.
"If it wasn't me, but Iris herself, the future might have been different. Lyla-sama and Glen-sama might not have been bound, and humans and demons might not have been born."
That was Julius's lingering doubt. A guilt that couldn't be atoned for.
"I knew the future, but I couldn't do anything. I watched as many people died. That's why I thought I had to make the future better, at least."
Julius covered his eyes with his arm and continued speaking.
Yuusuke didn't even nod, just silently listened.
"In the end, I couldn't save anyone..."
The moment he said that, Julius's forehead was struck with a shock.
When he opened his eyes, Yuusuke was stretching out his arm. It seemed he had flicked Julius's forehead with his finger. The face that looked back at him was unexpectedly ordinary, yet still courageous.
"You're an idiot."
"idi, ot...?"
"Ah, you're an idiot, a big idiot."
Yuusuke sat back down, gazing at the scenery spreading out beyond the hill.
"This world is full of things we can't do anything about. But we're still turning it around. Everyone's carrying their own helplessness, and yet they're still fighting to welcome tomorrow."
Was that a message to Julius, or a reminder to himself?
"You're shouldering too much on your own. Everyone's stronger than you think."
"......"
Julius tried to respond to those words, but closed his mouth.
He nodded slightly, closing his eyes.
A gentle breeze carried a nostalgic scent, taking his dreams somewhere far away. Yet, his lingering presence remained right beside him.
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