Without even wiping the tears away, she says with a dead-serious expression:
“Rista, follow me. Ishtar is waiting for you in the Chamber of Eternal Stasis.”
Aria, who’s usually so talkative, walks through the sanctuary without saying a word, and we follow her, mimicking her silence. There’s a heavy feeling in my chest, as if a lump of lead is buried in it. Only when we get to the end of the hall on the third floor does Aria stop.
“This is the Chamber of Eternal Stasis.”
I follow her into the room and immediately feel as if I stepped into zero gravity. Slightly up ahead is a desk with Ishtar sitting behind it.
“Rista, children of the dragonkin, thank you for coming. Under normal circumstances, humans would be prohibited from entering this room. However, I will make an exception for pure souls such as yours.”
Rows of shelves are lined up behind the Great Goddess. At first glance, it almost looks like a library. Nevertheless, on the shelves are not books but countless objects emitting a pale light. Without even daring to ask, I can intuitively tell that these are our divine souls. The moment I start to open my mouth to ask her where Seiya is…
“Rista, I know what you want to ask me.”
The Great Goddess Ishtar, who can see into the near future, solemnly continues.
“Allow me to get straight to the point. Seiya Ryuuguuin left for the Demon Lord’s castle almost immediately after you split up.”
“What…?!”
Mash, Elulu, and I are at a loss for words. A few moments go by before I slightly process what she said and immediately object.
“Th-that’s ridiculous! That overly cautious Hero would never challenge the Demon Lord to a fight without even training! Chain Destruction could destroy his soul, right?! Then why—?”
“Yes, Rista. And it could destroy your soul as well. Seiya Ryuuguuin knew it was possible the Demon Lord could kill you, and that’s why he went to face him alone.”
“…What?”
I can’t understand what she’s saying. I rack my brain, trying to process the information.
“S-so you’re saying Seiya went to fight the Demon Lord…to save me? Ha-ha…ha-ha-ha! That’s crazy talk! Seiya just thinks I’m a pain. He doesn’t even see me as a goddess. I mean, he makes fun of me, punches me, kicks me—”
“He has a sharp tongue and is ill-mannered as well. But even then, Seiya Ryuuguuin is a kindhearted man—much more so than you think. Ever since you summoned him, he has been putting his friends’ safety first.”
“No… That can’t be…!”
Even Elulu and Mash open their eyes wide when they hear this.
“Master Seiya…cares that much about us?”
“Mash, Elulu… Seiya Ryuuguuin refused to take you with him at first solely because he didn’t want to lose anyone. And that’s also the reason why he can be cold and why he refuses to involve you in battle. In some cases, he may even prioritize his friends over his duty to save Gaeabrande.”
The Great Goddess gazes up at the high ceiling, then adds:
“That is why he saved Mash when he was being tortured by Deathmagla, and that is why he couldn’t allow Elulu to become the holy sword at Dragon Village. Furthermore, that is why he protected Rista from the emperor, unconcerned that his own soul might very well have been destroyed.”
“I-it still doesn’t add up! If what you’re saying is true—if he really was worried about our lives, then he could just take us to the spirit world! After that, he could train more than ever!”
“Training any longer would be meaningless.”
“Why?! Because there aren’t any gods stronger than Valkyrie?! He could at least level up to increase his chances of defeating the Demon Lord!”
Ishtar places a hand on the large crystal ball sitting on the desk.
“Rista, Seiya Ryuuguuin has been hiding his status with Fake Out. Allow me to show you his true attributes.”
Seiya’s stats slowly appear within the crystal ball.
SEIYA RYUUGUUIN
LV: 99 (MAX)
HP: 321,960
MP: 88,155
ATK: 293,412
DEF: 287,644
SPD: 268,875
MAG: 58,751
GRW: 999 (MAX)…
…This might be the first time I’ve had a clear look at Seiya’s stats since the battle against Chaos Machina. His attributes have dramatically increased since then, but I guess that shouldn’t be a surprise.
“H-holy crap!”
“Wow! Seiya’s stats are amazing!”
They gasp in admiration. I mean, his stats are really high, but… But this is…!
“His stats may far exceed those of your average Hero, but even then, they aren’t as good as Warmaster Wohlks Roseguard’s were after turning into a demon. The only reason Seiya was able to defeat the emperor was because he learned one of Valkyrie’s techniques of destruction.”
Mash points at the crystal ball, his hand trembling as if he just noticed something.
“Hold up! ‘MAX’? He’s at…max level…? The hell…?!”
“Yes, he has already reached the maximum level. By the way, this was his status when he fought the Great Mother, Queen of the Dragons, after training with Adenela. His attributes haven’t changed since then.”
Elulu places a hand over her mouth, overcome with surprise.
“H-he was already this strong that long ago…?”
“That is why he focused on learning the techniques for destruction and the magic arrows of light from then on. He was trying to make up for his static attributes with the special moves of the gods. He was very troubled, although it may not have seemed like it.”
“But Seiya never even said a word about that…”
“Because that wouldn’t change the reality of it. Perhaps he felt that it would only meaninglessly worry you all in the end.”
A silence reigns over the room as I clench my fist.
“No…! He can’t…! These stats are nowhere near high enough to defeat the Demon Lord of the S-ranked world of Gaeabrande!”
“B-but Rista…! Master Seiya has Igzasion! I’m sure with that, the Valkyrja techniques, and his abilit—”
“No…! The holy sword…!”
Elulu is listening nearby, but I cannot control the surge of emotions any longer.
“That Igzasion is a fake!”
Mash and Elulu turn as white as snow.
“Y-you’re joking, right?! I thought he crafted one using Elulu’s blood and the Mother Queen’s sword?!”
“The sword he crafted wasn’t Igzasion! He was just pretending it was to prevent a riot at Dragon Village and to protect you!”
“Seriously?!”
“Seiya…!”
Elulu gasps. After we fall silent, Ishtar speaks up in our place.
“He has already stopped growing. He has no sword to defeat the Demon Lord, nor does he have any armor to protect himself from the Demon Lord’s attacks. That’s why he asked Valkyrie to teach him her final attack: a move that cannot be blocked or dodged but at the cost of the caster’s life—the Gate of Valhalla.”
A chill runs down my spine.
“Gate of Valhalla?! But…! But Valkyrie said she wouldn’t teach him that move!”
“Rista, you saw her bestow the aura of destruction to Seiya during the ritual yourself, right?”
The memory of Seiya and Valkyrie holding each other in bed suddenly flashes through the back of my head.
That was a ritual…to grant him the Gate of Valhalla?!
“Even Valkyrie was moved when she saw how Seiya Ryuuguuin would sacrifice his own life to save Gaeabrande. That is why she taught him her treasured ultimate attack…”
“But why…? Why would he…? There is a zero percent chance of survival if he uses Valhalla’s Gate… He wouldn’t be able to return to his world after that… And yet…”
“And yet, Seiya Ryuuguuin went to the Demon Lord’s castle…in order to protect what he couldn’t save before�
��an illusion of his past.”
“It just doesn’t make sense… Why would he…?”
I yell before the Great Goddess.
“It doesn’t make any sense! Why?! Why would he go that far to protect us?!”
“…There is something I must ask you before I answer that.”
She gives me a sharp stare, nothing like her usual mild-mannered expression.
“Goddess Ristarte, are you ready for the truth?”
CHAPTER 48
The Reason for Caution
The Great Goddess before me wears a dignified expression. But even then, I decisively say:
“I’m ready!!”
Ishtar nods before placing both hands over the large crystal ball on the table.
“Then please have a look. The truth you seek lies here.”
The crystal ball illuminates as if it is responding to her words. Then a moving image appears as if a movie is playing on a television.
…Three people sit around a table: a girl with dark-brown hair dressed as a priestess, a gentle-looking man in a mage’s robe, and…a familiar-looking beautiful woman wearing a pure-white dress. Her hair is longer than it is now, but there is no doubting it. I instinctively look away from the crystal ball and turn around.
“I-is this…Aria…?”
Aria, who has been quietly watching this entire time, slowly walks over to my side.
“This was me one hundred years ago…in the B-ranked world of Ixphoria…”
“‘Ixphoria’?”
I feel like I’ve heard that name before. Right as I try to rack my brain…
“Ready to go?”
I hear a familiar voice coming from the crystal ball, catching my attention. The three people within the crystal ball appear to be gazing in the direction of the voice as well. Only footsteps can be heard as the fourth person approaches them, but before long, he steps clearly into view. The fourth warrior is a tall man wearing steel armor that accents his shiny black hair and very refined features. Just like with Aria, there is no doubting who this is.
“Seiya…!”
It is none other than the Hero I summoned—Seiya Ryuuguuin.
Aria mutters:
“I summoned Seiya Ryuuguuin to help save Ixphoria.”
Wh-what?! But she has never once mentioned this to me!
The questions spiral in my head. Nevertheless, Seiya continues talking within the crystal ball.
“Let’s go. It’s time to defeat that Chimera.”
Seiya gallantly turns around and starts heading toward the door until the priestess stops him.
“Seiya, wait! We’re still not ready! According to the information I got, the Chimera’s level is still higher than ours! We should train more before we—”
“We don’t have time for that. It would be quicker to just fight it and see for ourselves. Besides, I have a plan.”
“Then tell us what that plan of yours is!”
“The plan is…to do our best. Now, come on.”
“…! Act like an adult! That’s not a plan, you moron! I’m not joking—we should really prepare for this battle before we go!”
The priestess shakes her head, swinging her shoulder-length dark-brown hair as she scolds Seiya. After the tense air in the Chamber of Eternal Stasis slightly relaxes, Aria points at the crystal ball.
“That’s Tiana, the princess of a large country known as Termine and the healer in our group. She joined our party along the way in order to help defeat the Demon Lord.”
The Hero eloquently runs his fingers through his hair. Then, without paying heed to Princess Tiana’s advice, he says:
“Everything’s gonna be okay.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?! …S-Seiya, wait!”
The Hero leaves the room, refusing to listen and leaving Princess Tiana behind with no idea what to do with her anger. However, the mage in the robe smiles.
“Ha-ha. He never changes.”
“Colt?! This isn’t a laughing matter!”
Aria lets out a bitter laugh along with the mage called Colt.
“Everything will be okay, though…just like things have always worked out until now.”
“Aria?! You, too?! You shouldn’t pamper that reckless Hero!”
…The scene changes, and the crystal ball reveals what happened after that. Seiya and his party are facing a giant lion. Hold up. That isn’t a lion. It has wings on its back and a massive snake for a tail. It’s a chimera!
Standing before the beast…
“Colt! Use your wind magic! Now!”
“I-I’ve been bitten! Tiana, heal me! Help!”
“Colt, relax! I’m going to heal you, so stop moving!”
“Tiana, wait! You need to heal Seiya first! He only has two HP left!”
“What?! …Seiya! You have a huge hole in your chest!”
“I’m fine. Strangely enough, it doesn’t hurt. In fact, it feels good…like I’m in a dream.”
“That’s because you’re dying!!”
…This is a mess. It’s the furthest you can get from an easy win. After a narrow victory winning by the skin of their teeth, the Hero fist pumps with his trembling arms.
“See? What did I tell you? We won.”
“Are you blind?! Look how beaten up we are!”
“We still won, though, so what’s the problem?”
“Everything! I mean, look at Colt! He’s missing a leg!”
“Ngh… Tiana… Heal me…!”
“All right. Now let’s go get that golem.”
“…?! Did you not hear what I just said?! Colt! Is missing! A leg!”
We watch the crystal ball in the Chamber of Eternal Stasis with bated breath.
“Is this really Master Seiya?!”
“H-he’s acting like…Rosalie!”
I can’t help but strongly agree with Mash and Elulu. Seiya’s behavior is no different than Rosalie’s. In fact, he’s being even more reckless than her. While we cringe away from the sight, Aria’s lips faintly curl upward as if she is fondly reliving the moment.
“This is how Seiya used to be. He hated leveling up, and he always wanted to keep moving forward. Even then, he was a gifted fighter. Despite being at a lower level than his opponent, he would somehow win without even preparing for the battle. We had a few crises like the Chimera battle, but we continued to pull through until, one day, we suddenly found ourselves not worrying anymore. And before long, we came to relish how carefree our lives had become.”
The crystal ball then begins to show us a brief montage of their battles. A golem, a dragon, a cyclops—they fight numerous powerful enemies, getting hurt along the way, yet every time, they continue moving forward. They are invariably hairbreadth victories, but for some reason, they always look like they are having fun. This Seiya is far different from the overpowered Hero I know. He relies on his allies, struggles, and barely wins, but they always share the joy of victory together. I’m sure everyone believed in Seiya, and he believed in them.
“We continued in this fashion up until the fight against the Demon Lord.”
As Aria utters those words, the scenery within the crystal ball changes.
It appears to be night. Only Seiya and Tiana sit around the bonfire as they talk.
“Seiya, we’re finally here. All that’s left is the Demon Lord.”
“We head out at dawn, so get some rest.”
“I’m a little anxious. I can’t sleep. Hey…are you sure you don’t want to go to Sage Village?”
“I’m positive. I already have a weapon to defeat the Demon Lord. There’s no reason for us to head all the way over to such a remote village.”
“But Aria said we could find information on the Demon Lord there…”
“Tiana, I want to defeat the Demon Lord as soon as possible.”
The stubborn Hero causes Princess Tiana to let out a deep sigh. She then smiles as if she has given up.
“Seiya, you haven’t changed since the day we met. You never train or prepare f
or anything.”
Her expression grows slightly serious.
“Can you at least tell me why you’re always in such a hurry? That’s all I want to know.”
“I’ve already told you. I don’t have a reason.”
“Ugh! Don’t give me that! Tomorrow’s the last day of our journey, you know. So please…! Pretty please?”
A brief moment of silence passes before Seiya mutters in a subdued voice:
“The longer it takes us to get there—the longer the Demon Lord lives, and the longer the people of this world suffer. That’s why I have to keep moving forward.”
Seiya scratches his head as if he’s somewhat embarrassed.
“Oh… So that’s why…”
Princess Tiana places her hand over Seiya’s. Then Seiya intertwines his fingers with hers, and they clasp hands tightly.
“Tiana, we were only able to come this far because of your healing magic. I’m sorry for always pushing you so hard.”
“I-it’s fine. We’ll get through it just like we always do. So…say it. Say what you always say. It helps me relax.”
Gazing up at the sea of stars, Seiya says:
“Everything’s gonna be okay.”
Princess Tiana smiles.
…The scene changes once more. Great Goddess Ishtar stares at the crystal ball. Then, in a serious tone, she mentions:
“This is their battle against the Demon Lord of Ixphoria.”
The new image within the crystal ball shows the Hero’s party riddled with wounds. Battered and exhausted, Seiya’s party surrounds a towering, hideous monster with green skin, a long, torn mouth with fangs peeking out, and a total of eight arms and legs. It’s as if the beast threw away its dignity as the Demon Lord to become a monster whose sole reason for existing was slaughtering the Hero in the most violent way imaginable. This must be its final form. Just like Seiya and his party, the Demon Lord is in bad shape. Purple liquid streams from various parts of its body. With his very last ounce of strength, Seiya holds his sword aloft. A brilliant light radiates from the holy blade as if it is responding to his emotions. Seiya swings the sword with all his might, immediately severing the Demon Lord’s colossal upper body from the waist down. A final roar of agony echoes throughout the Demon Lord’s castle, followed by the cheers of the party. Aria rushes over to Seiya.
The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious, Vol. 2 Page 17