“Hmm, is that woman our target, the Hero Selian? This is the first time I’ve gotten a good look at her.”
The opening ceremony signaling the start of the Celestial Festival.
Not just students, but also city residents and tourists had gathered to catch a glimpse of Selian, the Hero, and Mariel, the Saint, turning the streets into a chaotic scene.
And I stood back a step from the crowded throng, leaning against the wall of a nearby building.
Though my gaze was directed towards Selian like everyone else’s, not a word of the opening ceremony penetrated my mind.
“Though Master gave you until the last day of the Celestial Festival, it doesn’t sit well with me, as you can imagine.”
Since last time, whenever that ‘No.2’ suddenly appears out of nowhere and starts ranting, their voice always sounds utterly detestable, no matter how many times I hear it.
“If it bothers you so much, why didn’t you take the mission yourself? Ah, with your skills, even that would probably be impossible, wouldn’t it? You’ll be lucky if you manage to avoid getting arrested and humiliated rather than succeed in the assassination.”
“Still, I suppose you deserve some credit for managing to get close according to our original plan. It’s certainly made the assassination easier. By the way, it seems that Hero over there really trusts you. Pitiful, isn’t it? She’s prepared to sacrifice herself to save humanity, only to be killed not by the Demon King or some Demon, but by a fellow human.”
No.2, who had been looking at Selian alongside me, paused briefly then turned his head towards me and continued.
“And by her best friend, no less.”
Even without turning to look, I could feel No.2’s piercing gaze boring into me.
I remained motionless, deliberately ignoring his stare. He lightly tapped my shoulder and spoke.
“Don’t forget. You’re nothing more than one of the many sharp swords that cut cleanly. That woman will die before the closing ceremony, inevitably.”
“Can’t you just shut up already? The terrible stench of your breath is going to kill me before I even get to assassinate her.”
While the only thing I could throw back at him were these foul words, he simply brushed them aside, smirked faintly, and replied,
“Well then, give it your best shot during the remaining time. Hopefully next time I see you, that stubborn pride of yours will be properly shattered.”
Just like the first time he spoke to me, No.2 quietly and naturally disappeared into the crowd.
Thud thud
Alone once again, I slammed my fist against the building wall several times.
The corners of my mouth were bleeding from biting down too hard, blood trickling down. My fist, which had struck the wall without using Aura to reinforce it, had some slight reddish abrasions, but I couldn’t even feel the dull pain.
“Just a moment… I’ll pass through!”
In the opposite direction that everyone was looking, someone was pushing their way out from through the crowd.
“Phew! Finally found you. I nearly jumped out of my skin when you suddenly disappeared. By the way, who was the person you were just with? Someone you know? Maybe we should have been introduced?”
The person who emerged from the crowd was Yuli, one of my friends.
She seemed to be asking about No.2’s identity, having probably seen us standing and talking together.
“No, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
“If so, then… What’s this blood on the corner of your mouth? And what about the injury on your lip?”
Caught off-guard with my already complicated thoughts, Yuli noticed the state of my lips.
Even as I tried to subtly wipe away the blood at the corner of my mouth to evade Yuli’s questioning, my actions only seemed to dig my own grave deeper.
“What on earth? What’s wrong with your hand? It’s completely torn up! What exactly happened?”
“Really, it’s nothing at all. You don’t need to worry. I just stumbled and fell while being caught in the crowd. That’s why I came outside.”
The excuse I came up with on the spot was quite convincing. If it had been Anne, she probably wouldn’t have thought of something like this.
However, despite my excuse, Yuli wouldn’t stop being angry.
“How can I not worry when El is hurt? Shouldn’t we go to the infirmary at least? Come on.”
With the hand that wasn’t injured, Yuli pulled at me as she started walking.
But I was truly fine. From the start, this kind of minor scratch doesn’t even qualify as an injury for me.
Without even needing to recall my days in the assassin’s guild, I would occasionally encounter far worse wounds during sword training at the academy.
And besides…
“The opening ceremony isn’t over yet. Shouldn’t we stay and watch since Selia worked so hard to prepare?”
I wanted to see Selian’s figure, even just a little longer.
“But still…!”
“Ah, there’s El! Yuli found you first!”
Apparently, Anne had also been searching for me separately from Yuli. Seeing us from afar, she waved and ran over.
“Hehe, we’re finally all here. I almost ended up wandering around until the opening ceremony was over.”
“Ah, Anne! This way. Even though we’re pretty far back, you can actually see quite well from here.”
Seizing the opportunity, I tried to change the subject by striking up a conversation with Anne, who had suddenly appeared.
“Ugh… I don’t want to go back into that crowd of people… I can’t see Selia at all…”
Given her particularly short stature compared to others, Anne probably struggled to catch a glimpse of Selian, unable to bounce around in the crowd.
“So about that injury…!”
“Come, come. Stop that and come over here, Yuli. We need to save these moments to tease Selia with later, in case she makes a mistake.”
I grabbed Yuli’s hand that had been holding onto me and gently pulled her over to my side.
Thankfully, Yuli hesitated for a moment, then let out a heavy sigh and followed me and Anne to lean against the wall.
“Right after the opening ceremony ends, we need to go get that treated. Got it?”
“Got it, got it. Honestly, Yuli’s nagging is relentless. It’s like having a separate mother.”
Of course, the image of a mother doesn’t come to my mind at all.
Does Yuli herself realize that her nagging is quite severe? For a moment, she just glared at me, then turned her head forward without another word.
“I never really noticed on a normal day, but seeing her dressed up like that, Selia really is a hero, isn’t she?”
Standing beside Mariel the Saint, Selian had swapped out her usual school uniform for a costume that unmistakably marked her as a hero to anyone who saw her.
“Hehehe. That breastplate I picked out!”
“It’s not like we all went together and tried it on. There’s no way you wouldn’t know.”
Selian had insisted there was already a hero’s outfit prepared by her house, claiming there was no need to spend extra money, and initially refused to accept the gift. But we weren’t ones to easily listen to her.
Ultimately, unable to bend our will, Selian surrendered.
As a result, Selian’s current outfit was carefully selected piece by piece by us, tailored to match her image.
Although it was somewhat unexpected expenditure for someone like me who usually had to pull in the guild’s budget, this money would be no different from becoming useless once this Celestial Festival was over. That’s why there was absolutely no reason to feel regretful about using it for Selian.
In fact, if this was some way for me to atone even a little, or leave a small trace of myself with her, then a few coins would be completely insignificant.
“Starting from tomorrow, both Anne and I will be busy with the competition, so after the opening ceremony is over and Selian comes back, let’s all go sightseeing together.”
“Of course! Was El thinking of not coming with us?”
At my words, Anne opened her sleepy eyes and looked at me.
“That’s impossible. It was just a kind of determination, that’s all. Rather, it’s more like my wish that we could all be together and enjoy it.”
“Even though I already knew El was a little eccentric, this is surprising. Didn’t we all make a promise? To go slay the Demon King with Selia. There’s no need for a vow when we’ll always be together, right? You haven’t forgotten, have you?”
“Impossible for me to forget something like that, even if no one else did. And though it might be inappropriate to say during a field trip-like event, I’m the one looking forward to it the most among us, aren’t I?”
That’s right. On the day Selian was chosen as the Hero, the promise we all made that day is something I will never forget.
Even though the trust I’ve gained by lying and hiding my true identity from them is false.
What kind of expression would my friends make if they found out the truth about my deception?
Would they take on the face of wrathful Yaksha, angry beyond forgiveness?
Or would they simply laugh out of the absurdity of my real identity?
Or, worse, would they act as if I never existed in the first place, calmly brushing it off?
No matter which one I imagine, I feel my chest tighten and my breathing quicken.
But if I have one small wish, it’s that they would never suffer because of me.
Feel free to pour curses on me.
You don’t even have to remember someone like me.
So if Goddess Serena happens to hear even the words of this lowly human undertaker, allow me to humbly implore you.
This is my confession and prayer to you. Please, may they find happiness.
This sinner can only hope and wish for that.
