“Earth… Phianse…”
“Aha! Your talk… did you do it right?”
As the two of us returned from the conversation, Rebal and Fu looked surprised.
That’s right. Phianse had been in a state of confusion for a while now, and most of all, the awkward atmosphere that should have existed between us was gone.
“Rebal, Fu… I’m fine now. We’re done talking.”
“Princess!”
“Hmm.”
“Ah! Earth!”
Phianse replied, and Fu instantly jumped at me with a big smile on his face.
“Earth! Good… I’m glad to hear that.”
“Wait, my neck, urgh so annoying!”
“I’m really sorry too… I’m sorry… Earth, I had no idea you were struggling.”
“Ah, okay okay, I get it, You’re going to cry and hug me, even though you’re a man.”
“But I’m glad… you made up with the princess, right? I’m glad… really…”
“Geez…”
I thought he had become a little stronger during his study abroad, but this baby-faced bastard was still the same as ever.
For some reason, after this happened, I didn’t care anymore, and I naturally sigh.
Meanwhile, Rebal calmly asked Phianse what was going on.
“So… the talk is over… so what happens now?”
“Um, I decided to start over. That’s what I decided.”
“?”
“As we are… we don’t have the power to bring Earth back… also…… we’re not strong enough to stand side by side as equals.”
“Huh?”
“You know that as well as I do, don’t you? Rebal.”
Rebal was at a loss for words when Phianse answered with a refreshing expression without hesitation.
“Not yet… I mean…”
“That’s right, Rebal, I’ve been groping around without knowing what I was looking for, but… now I know, I’m aware of it, that’s what I took from all this.”
“So you… agree?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“…………”
Rebal seemed a little conflicted by Phianse’s words.
He turned to face me and asked with a mysterious expression.
“Earth… are you sure we’re done talking? What Paripi said… we cornered you and―――― “
“Rebal, didn’t I say it? We’re done talking about it. Phianse and I got it done. So it’s enough.”
I’ve had enough of that.
That’s how it is to me Rebal…
“Is that so… but…… I have imposed my own expectations on you… did I apologize?”
“Huh?”
“Even if it was a path you didn’t want to take, an expectation you didn’t want… even if it was our own selfish expectation… you and I were both born into such a family… more than anything else, that’s what you were… to us.”
“…… geez, you’re a hard guy to please.”
It’s like they’re saying “you’re overly-optimistic”, aren’t they?
Here, it seems that Phianse was different from Rebal.
But……
“But… that’s all…”
“That’s all? Is it?”
While saying that he didn’t apologize for what Paripi pointed out, Rebal closed his eyes and bowed his head slightly…
“I couldn’t help you… that day… I couldn’t back you up, I couldn’t stop you… today…… I couldn’t do anything to help… talk about being your friend… I’m sorry…”
“Ha… haha…”
It’s not like they pushed me into a corner. They’re sorry that they couldn’t help.
Rebal’s clumsy feelings came through as he bit his lips in frustration.
It’s so like Rebal…
“That’s why, Earth.”
“Oh.”
“…… I’ll catch up with you someday, I promise.”
Rebal’s words, as if he were aiming at me, are a complete change from the time before the Graduation Match.
I remember he was giving off an air of “I’m already too much stronger than you” back then.
And now he has me as his goal?
But……
“Unfortunately, I’m not going to let you catch up with me. Because I’m going even further.”
“How far are you planning to go? Not as a warrior… not as a hero…where are you going?”
“Oh? That’s just the way it is, going as far as it will take me!”
When I said that, Rebal was stunned, but his mouth loosened.
“Hmph… are you trying to be cool? That’s not an answer, is it?”
“Aanh? I didn’t think a showoff like you would say that.”
“Hehehehe… but…… it’s not bad.”
“Rebal?”
“Even if you don’t know where you’re going… you’re still going farther and farther ahead of us… we’ll chase after you like we’re being pulled along… that’s fine… the path is different, but… you’re okay with that… Earth.”
Saying that, Rebal lightly tapped my shoulder.
At the time of the Imperial Match, he was angry at me for trying to choose a completely different path from the Hero, the Imperial Knight, and my father, but now that he sees me, it seemed I have convinced him that this is the right thing for me to do.
And…..
“I don’t know what you’re aiming for or who you’re going to fight against, but… next time you are in a pinch again… I’ll definitely help you this time.”
And it felt like a declaration to himself.
Rebal himself must have felt a lot in this battle, being kicked away by the former legendary Six Supremacy and the strength of the rivals of the father he was aiming for.
Somehow, his eyes looked like he had made up his mind.
It’s the same with Phianse.
“Oh, I see. Well, I’m going to be strong enough to handle things on my own, but if there’s ever a time like that, I’ll rely on you.”
“Sure.”
I lightly patted his shoulder too.
Come to think of it, it was the first time I’ve had this sort of manly exchange with this guy.
Really, it’s like I’m seeing new sides to my childhood friends today.
“Come on! I want to be a part of this!”
“Nuoh!”
“Hmm.”
At that moment, Fu, who was still clinging to my neck, reached out and put his hand on Rebal’s shoulder.
“Yeah, get off me!”
“No! Come on, you guys, stick together like we used to~!”
“We’ve never done that before!”
“Then let’s do it now!”
“Fine~, annoying irritating unpleasant.”
“How mean!”
“Yeah, you should say you’ll do your best, like Phianse and Rebal. You were beaten down by Paripi too, so you might want to―――― “
The moment I tried to shake off Fu, who unlike the other two couldn’t read the air…
“Obviously.”
“…… Oh…?”
But still, as the child of the Seven Heroes, he has lived with pride in that.
He’s just a smiling optimistic guy who’s glad everyone was able to reconcile.
“I definitely don’t want to be left out… today…… we got a glimpse of the world where Earth is now in… and the world our parents once fought… I’ll never lose sight of that again.”
“…… is that so?”
Well, this guy… these guys were saying this, and I guess they’ll do their best now that they’ve found a new goal.
I need to train with my master again so I don’t let them catch up to me.
I need to be able to win with my own strength, not just by luck or Tre’ainar’s strategy like I did today.
“For the time being… thou mood was awkward till recent, how fare thee now?”
“”””Huh?””””
The prince, who had been watching us in silence the whole time, came out with his arms crossed and a smile on his face.
“That’s nice, thou all. pleasant.”
“Wh, what the heck, Prince…”
“I have subordinates who fight alongside me… and cute little birds who adore me… but unlike thee… I had no friends or comrades…with whom to bicker with, to inspire each other, to laugh with, and accept each other for who we are…… so I too… wanted them….”
The prince smiles dazzlingly, somewhat envious of us.
What is it? It doesn’t seem like such a big deal, but…
“Well, the one I want to acknowledge me most is … my own kin, but…”
Oh I see… that’s right, he always lived with a lot of troublesome circumstances…
“Anyway, I’m much the same… I too shall start over. This Heavenly World itself… once again. I’m truly sorry for the people of that country where Jamdi’el was.”
“Oh, well, you can talk to Mr. Machio and the others over there. I’m sure you’ll be able to find a way to apologize and what you’ll do from now on…”
“Indeed, I’ll do just that.”
It’s not just Phianse, Rebal and Fu.
Like Kron earlier, the Prince seemed to have come to realize what he needed to do from now on and thinks that he had to work harder, and somehow everyone seemed to be refreshingly cohesive.
“Come along, I’ve taken care of thy comrades, I’ve sealed Jamdi’el’s eyes, for now… does all fare thee well?”
“Yeah.”
And while me and Phianse were talking, the rest of the post-processing procedures seemed to be done.
Then there’s nothing more to do in this country.
To be honest, even though I arrived at a world that was said to be legend and stepped foot on it, I couldn’t even take my time looking around, but this country is not in that situation now, and before it becomes troublesome …
“All right, then, let’s go…”
Let’s go back. To the Surface. And next for me and Tre’ainar is――――
Author’s Note
Something I’ve been thinking about lately.
I received various opinions, the Kron faction, the Shinobu faction, the Sadiz faction, the Flora faction… oh, I’m sorry. Flora is no good. Flora is everyone’s waifu. By the way, I’m a person who really cherishes childhood friends, so don’t get me wrong. I like childhood friends. Sometimes when you have to make a choice, you have to make a difficult decision. That aside, it’s rare to see a princess with so many names. How much will it increase? By the way, the name I received from a reader that caught my eye was Princess Fraser, who immediately gave me a counter. For a moment, I imagined that Kim Ping was wearing a dress. Rumor has it that he’s the inspiration for H〇ro 〇de〇’s Tod〇ki.
Well, for the time being, I was relieved to hear everyone’s thoughts on these four.
The Tre’ainar faction is gone… I see. No, it’s fine, but I stupidly thought that the master, who hasn’t been involved in the last few episodes, seems to be feeling a little lonely lately.