Chapter 18: I Know You Could Hear It Too...

(Altair’s POV)

“Huft huft… This should be enough, right?”

My back hit the dirt and I lay there, chest heaving before it slowly calmed. I looked over the plain I had cleared. I had leveled the ground and set a few stones in place to serve as seats, their surfaces scrubbed clean enough not to offend anyone. I hung draperies to block the harsh sunlight now that the forest canopy could no longer shield us at noon.

I did all of that with both wrists swollen red from Serah’s punch.

Usually I would sulk and think about how unfair the world was. I was the one who got hurt, yet I was still the one forced to work. Even if I could adapt to the pain, I could never quite stop the bitterness from settling in.

But right now, I did not really mind it.

Sei would heal me anyway. I did not want to trouble her, but it was not as if she would stop even if I told her to. And if for some reason she could not, Elaister would probably force me to drink one of her potions…

It bothered me.

All these months with this party, I felt as though I had been walking deeper into a cave. The further I went, the darker and more unfamiliar it became. A voice that was not mine kept telling me to leave. But if I left, Sei would have to stay because of her duty. I could not leave her alone.

Meanwhile, a familiar murmur had been humming nonstop in the back of my mind since the beginning of this journey.

Then a purple spark broke into that cave, Elaister, she’s the one that…

‘After everything I have d-done… all the work… the pain… all of it… ah… I can’t let it be… I can’t…’

“Huh?”

Why was it that the first image that surfaced when I thought about her? It was her shaking figure, desperately burying her already masked face in her hands?

She was the one who called me donkey. She used me as a chair and a footrest. She left me to fend off demonized goblins knowing well my swordsman skill was horrible.

To her, I was nothing more than a convenience that’d help her collect materials. The memory was not even from when she first appeared by blowing the inn’s door apart.

When I saw her in that state she immediately knocked me out and did something to my head so I would forget. Maybe the reason I felt so unbothered by the abuse, and why I became stronger so conveniently, was because she had done something else to my body that night I found out.

…So why did I feel like I wanted to help her?

A wind, neither too strong nor too gentle, brushed past me. Dirt lifted into the air. For a brief moment, sunlight poured down as the leaves above were forced apart. There, 4 black birds flew over in the blue sky.

The wind carried my thoughts out of my mouth, “I…want to help?”

Did the king really send me that invitation just to become a porter?

Between me and Sei, who was the one that wanted to leave our village in the first place?

Was the only reason I wanted to be stronger simply because I did not want to be useless?

Or had I wanted strength even before that?

For what purpose?

Was it really as simple as….

Suddenly, a familiar charismatic voice cut through my thoughts, “Better than usual, Altair.”

The wind died down and the trees strained to reclaim their shade. Even so, the shadow was pierced, small holes of golden light lingering on the ground.

I turned and saw Hiroto approaching, Anna leaning against him. Her eyes were slightly glazed, her clothes only a little more disheveled than his.

‘He did it to her too.’

“Thank you, Hero sama.” I pushed myself to my feet, already stepping back as he came closer to inspect the camp. We rarely spoke directly, even when the party first formed. He had never punished me himself, but if I addressed him poorly or spoke out of turn, Serah, Elira, or Kestrel would correct me painfully.

“But do you expect me to be satisfied with this? My girls are supposed to rest here?”

Hiroto had a way of speaking that always sounded noble. It always made me uneasy, as though any flaw must be my fault. Still, that strange golden calm clarity lingered in the back of my mind.

I had done my best, even better than I had in previous months. Especially when our bags carried nothing beyond rations, cloth, and whatever weapons, relics, and treasures we had taken from the dungeons we raided.

“I am sorry, Hero sama. It is my fault.”

I said that slightly relaxed as I bowed low until the ground was the only thing I could see. I did not add ‘but’ to justify myself like I usually would. I felt… uncharacteristically calm, and I’m sure I’m not the only one put off by it as in response to my words, Hiroto suddenly went silent.

I could not tell if that was a good or bad thing. Though, that barely lasted a moment as replied with a satisfied, “Good.”

A hand hovered on my hair before grabbing my head painfully, forcing it to lower even more.

“It seems Elsaister really knows how to sharpen her tools… Silly me, of course she does. Don't you think so too, Altair?”

“Y-Yes, Hero-sama.”

Hiroto’s gesture, it’s similar to how Elaister, even the others, treated me, rough and dehumanizing, though there’s a difference I couldn’t help but pick up.

Tilt

Serah, Elira, Kestrel, they did it because of their emotions for Hiroto, though they lacked something.

Tilt

Elaister did it because of her own twisted reason of realizing my true potential as a tool, though she also lacked something.

Tilt.

Compared to them, Hiroto was the only one that had Truth.

“Hiroto-sama!”

Another voice rang out. Serah emerged from the direction of the dungeon and immediately closed the distance between us. Without hesitation, she pulled Hiroto’s hand off my head and replaced it with her own presence, leaning against his arm as if claiming her rightful place.

“I’m back.”

I stepped away at once. A few careful steps. Enough that I would not be seen as intruding on their closeness, but not so far that I would be considered useless if called.

“You cheating noble!” Elira’s voice echoed from behind. 

Elira was trying to catch up. She was not as physically fit as Serah, and the gap between them was obvious.

“When will it be my turn? Last night it was Kestrel. This morning you were with Sei. Then you spent time with the newcomer. Even though I was your first!” Serah complained, clinging tighter to Hiroto’s arm.

I turned my body slightly, angling myself out of their line of sight. Their conversation continued, voices overlapping with a strange mixture of affection and rivalry.

Just as I began walking toward an unremarkable tree to stand behind, two figures stumbled out from the other side, Elaister and Sei.

Both of them stopped the moment they saw me. Their attention fixed on me at the same time.

Sei gave me a small nod, calm and composed as always. Then she walked past me and addressed the party leader.

“We’re back, Hero sama.”

Elaister, however, did not move so smoothly. She stopped directly in front of me and stared up. Her mouthpiece had been closed, hiding her expression behind its mechanical surface.

Without warning, she grabbed my collar and dragged me along.

“H-Hey…”

She ignored my protest. As she walked toward the dungeon, she outputted objects from Pandora onto the ground . A picnic mat unfurled neatly across the ground. Plates and dishes arranged themselves in tidy order. Containers of food settled into place as if an invisible hand had carefully positioned them. It was likely the meal she and Sei had prepared earlier.

“Elf, where do you think you are going…”

Serah started, her voice sharpening, but Hiroto interrupted before she could finish, “Elaister. Your mouthpiece.”

Elaister tilted her head back slightly, as if confused if gesturing ‘Huh?!’ Though she hadn’t uttered a single word.

“Do you want to be kicked?” Hiroto’s tone remained light, almost gentle. “I gave you very few rules to follow, yet you broke one only a few hours after I set them. Do you intend to break my heart too?”

He wore a kind smirk that did not reach his eyes.

Elaister rolled her head in an exaggerated circle. She released my collar and turned to face him fully. Then she looked up at the sky, exposing her neck. Her throat moved as if she swallowed something down forcefully.

Only Sei reacted to that gesture. For a fleeting moment, I saw something on her face. Amusement.

“What a pushy Hero. How are you even so popular with girls? No, don’t answer it.” After swallowing, Elaister sighed. Her mouthpiece slid open in compact segments, revealing her mouth beneath.

“Hehe. I wonder about that sometimes too,” Hiroto replied as he sat down on the mat. His eyes scanned the dishes laid out before him. “Oh right. Now you can do your thing, Serah.”

“Thank you, Hiroto sama,” Serah nodded

“Ghk. Blondie is going to scream at me again, Donkey. Just watch,” Elaister muttered loudly enough for several people to hear. She elbowed my side.

At that comment, Serah’s brow twitched.

“Elaister san, please do not drag me into this. She already punched me earlier. My hands are still swollen,” I whispered quietly.

“Do not worry. If she turns red, I will use you as a meat shield, Donkey. We still need to work on your resistance anyway.” Elaister flashed a wide grin and gave me a thumbs up.

‘How cruel!’

I screamed internally, but strangely, something inside me told me her words lacked Truth. She would not actually do it… I hope.

Serah pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled sharply.

“I will be blunt. What exactly do you think you are going to accomplish by heading into the dungeon? The seal key is with Kestrel. Do not even consider destroying the seal. We still need it intact. So sit down here and explain your hypothesis like a sane person.”

Elaister suddenly leaned back against my side with exaggerated force, as if I were a stone pillar placed there for her convenience. She rested Pandora beneath her chin, adopting the posture of a smug philosopher.

“Humu humu. What an interesting proposal you have, dear Blondie. However, let’s talk about the stars…”

“I know you are going to say no, you damn Elf. Spare me the theatrics.”

“Ckckckck. What a pretentious knight. You are wrong. I am not going to say no.” Elaister raised her index finger. “I am about to say nah.”

I watched the light drain from Serah’s face.

“YOU DAMN ELF!”

Serah lunged forward. Her step was so forceful that a cloud of dust burst behind her. From the corner of my eye, I saw Elira quickly raise a mana barrier around the picnic mat. I faintly heard Hiroto praising her for reacting in time before Serah’s charge could overturn and dust the prepared lunch.

‘Ah, I need to dodge’

Before I’m able to do anything else, Elaister suddenly kicked me in the back.

I stumbled forward and crashed into a nearby bush, leaves and branches scratching my arms.

“GAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU REALLY DO HAVE A SHORT FUSE, BLONDIE!”

BOOM.

A violent shockwave tore across the clearing. The ground buckled beneath Serah’s strike as it collided with whatever contraption Elaister had chosen. The impact split the air apart. Dust rose in a thick wave, leaves ripped from branches, and the draperies I had hung fluttered wildly as if trying to escape.

Even from inside the bush, I felt the heat slam into my back. The pressure forced the breath from my lungs.

Before I could even brace myself properly, something grabbed my hand.

“Al-kun, let’s go. You will get hurt if you stay there.”

A whisper brushed against my ear.

‘Sei?’

I was pulled backward, branches scraping against my sleeves as she guided me out through the other side of the shrubbery. The noise of clashing metal and cracking earth grew muffled behind us. When I stumbled free, she gently pushed me down to sit.

In front of me was Sei.

“S-Sei? What are you-”

I was about to ask what she was doing when her right hand quickly covered my mouth. At the same time, she raised her other index finger to her lips.

“Shhhh.”

Her smile was soft and warm, making my heart stutter.

She slowly removed her hand from my mouth.

“Uh…”

She clapped her hands together lightly, as if pleased with herself, “Sorry, sorry. It must be surprising for Al-kun.”

Then she clenched both fists in front of her chest, eyes shining.

“But this is actually according to my plan.”

“P-Plan?”

She nodded proudly, “It is called Al kun’s non rations lunch plan. And it is a supper success.”

She emphasized the word with a small laugh, Then she reached beside her and handed me two flying plates that I had failed to notice,

“For you.”

“For… me?”

“You see, Al-kun,” she began softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “whenever we are outside on expeditions, I never get the chance to give you a proper meal. It is always rations..”

Her fingers brushed the edge of the plate as if confirming it was real.

“But this time, I managed to convince Elaister to help with this plan. Well, to her it is just about keeping you in tip-top condition. What a meanie, right?”

She puffed her cheeks slightly.

“But that is fine. As long as it results in Al-kun eating well.”

Something hot welled up behind my eyes.

“S-Sei… I thought you…”

I had thought she was angry. this morning, after what happened.

Before I could finish, her hands gently cupped my face.

“Al-kun.”

“!?”

She leaned forward until our foreheads touched.

Her skin was warm.

“I know,” she whispered. “I was distant after what happened this morning. I did what I did for reasons I cannot explain yet.”

Her voice softened further.

“But believe me when I say this. If the entire world becomes your enemy, I will be the only one who stands beside you. I swear it on my life.”

My chest tightened.

Unfortunately it was brought back to reality as somewhere behind us, a furious shout exploded through the air.

“STAND DOWN, ELF!”

BOOM.

The ground shook again, though less violently this time. Then sudden silence.

“I DO NOT WANNA. LET ME GO, YOU TIN CAN! GUUUUH!”

“STOP STRUGGLING!”

A metallic screech followed, accompanied by what sounded like mechanical gears grinding under strain.

“Impresive, she lasted that long after swallowing a stinger…” Sei smiled, almost a grin, but it’s not gentle one she had always shown me.

“Sei?”

“GYAAAAAAAH!” Elaister’s scream pierced the air. This time, there was no explosion after it. Only chaotic rustling and frustrated rustling.

Sei pulled away from me smoothly, as if nothing unusual was happening at all.

“I suppose that is my cue.”

She rose to her feet with graceful composure, brushing dust from her skirt. The argument unfolding only a short distance away did not seem to concern her in the slightest.

“Enjoy your lunch, Al-kun, Elasiter will meet you shortly.” She gave me one last tender smile before walking back toward the noise, her steps calm and unhurried.

Left alone on the grass, I stared down at the two plates in my hands.

I shifted slightly. There was no spoon.

I glanced around, half hoping some utensil might have materialized without my noticing.

A small sigh escaped me.

It was fine. I would manage.

Carefully balancing both plates on my lap, I brought one closer. The warmth seeped into my palms.

“I-Itadakimasu…”

It’s heavenly

By the time I finished the last bite, the plates were nearly spotless. I had done my best without utensils, using bread and careful fingers to avoid spilling anything. The warmth from the meal still lingered in my chest.

The distant shouting had faded into irritated murmurs. Leaves rustled overhead as the wind shifted.

Then the bushes behind me trembled.

I immediately stood up and took a couple steps back.

There was no sword at my waist. No bag within reach. The rustling grew louder.

Something burst out from the greenery.

“BO!”

I flinched.

Elaister slid out of the bushes face down, her body dragging across the grass. Chains bound her arms and legs tightly, metal links wrapped around her like a captured beast. She twisted slightly, trying to lift her head.

“Help me out, will you? Don’t just stand there. This is humiliating!”

I blinked and hurried closer, kneeling beside her.

“How do I…”

“Flip me over.”

“H-Huh?” 

‘She wanted me to touch her?’

“Is it that hard for you to just rotate me?!”

I carefully grabbed her shoulders and turned her onto her back. The chains clinked loudly against each other. Now facing upward, she glared at the sky and me.

“All right. This is easier. Just a second…”

Pandora flashed purple and from it, a slender cane slid out and landed on the dirt beside her with a mechanical click.

“There’s a latch on the handle. Press it and the cane will turn into a whip. Then another latch will become accessible. Press that one too. The whip will turn into a sawwhip. Got it?”

“Uh.”

“Oi.”

I examined the cane nervously.

“…Are you sure this is the safest method?”

“Of course there is a safer method. But do you not want to be useful?” She barked. “Working under stress is part of the criteria now. Go. Now. Release my hand.”

I let out a quiet sigh and followed her instructions.

The first latch clicked. The cane unfolded into a flexible whip with a metallic shimmer.

The second latch was smaller, nearly hidden. I pressed it.

With a sharp mechanical snap, the whip split open along its length, revealing fine serrated edges. The surface vibrated faintly, producing a low hum.

Carefully, I positioned it against the chains around her wrists and began sawing.

Metal grated against metal. Tiny sparks flickered where the blade met the links.

“Are you okay?” I asked as steadily as I could.

“Physically? Of course,” she replied. “It is not like we were seriouslytrying to kill each other. Though my pride may have taken another hit.”

She shifted slightly, testing the tension in the chains.

“I managed to slither away like a snake when those girls were busy being all lovey dovey toward Hero boy. But still…”

The chain around her arms snapped apart with a final metallic crack.

“All right. I will handle the rest.”

Now with her Pandora arm free, the remaining chains were light work for her. With a simple touch, the restraints got swallowed by purple light into the metal cube.

She rolled onto her side and then pushed herself up to a seated position.

“All right Donkey. Now bring me those plates. They are mine.”

“Ah. Right.”

I picked up the empty plates and handed them to her. They disappeared into Pandora as well, stored away without ceremony.

She looked at me.

“What’s up with those stare.”

I hesitated.

Even if her only intention had been to keep her tool in proper condition. Even if she had worked with Sei for practical reasons. Even if she would likely mock me for it.

I still felt something settle inside my chest.

“…Thank you.”

“Uh…Your welcome?”

Her tone carried equal parts pride and confusion.

“… ”

“… ”

“Way to make things awkward, Donkey. Good job.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Whatever.” Elaister waved it off. “That Saint should have told you I was coming, right?”

“Yes. Is there something you need?”

“I was about to hand you these before I got into that skirmish, but whatever.”

She opened Pandora.

The first thing she pulled out was a sword, still inside its sheath. It was simple in shape but refined, the grip wrapped neatly, the guard minimal but sturdy. She tossed it toward me without ceremony.

The second was a thin rectangular slab, smooth and dark, about the length of my hand. Its surface reflected light faintly, like polished obsidian, yet faint lines pulsed within it as if mana flowed through hidden circuits. It did not resemble any artifact I had seen before.

The last item she did not summon.

Instead, she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a glass tube.

Inside it, writhed a many legged parasite. Its segmented body twitched and coiled against the glass, tiny appendages scraping uselessly at its confinement.

She placed all three items into my arms.

“Since I can’t store that inside Pandora, I’m worried I might break the glass tube if I brought it with me into the dungeon,” she said casually. “It’s been years since I actually stored things in my pocket. You shall guard it with all your might.”

She gave me a thumbs up.

“W-Wait. This is too dangerous to give to me.”

“Right. That’s why I gave you a sword and that artifact.”

“But still-”

“If things go really south, I want you to eat that parasite.”

She said with such casualness, my mind couldn't help but went blank.

“…What?”

“I’m going into the dungeon no matter what anyone says,” she continued, as if discussing the weather. “If they chase after me, you likely will not be sent down. My hypothesis is Blondie, Anna, Sei, and you will be left on the surface. If something happens during that time frame, I do not want the parasite to escape uncontrollably.”

Am I really just a tool?

“I still need it for study,” she went on. “If it breaks inside the dungeon and possesses a strong monster, Elira or Heroboy might evaporate the whole area. That would waste a perfectly good sample.”

Does this insect have more value than me?

“If it breaks on the surface and possesses Serah, everyone would die. If it possesses Sei, we would need to wait for another Saint to be born. If it’s Anna, she would get killed and the parasite would just jump to another host.”

She looked at me directly through her visor.

“You are the most ideal candidate.”

“Elaister-san-”

“Well, it is not like the glass must break,” she added lightly. “And even if you have to eat it, I will try to return you back.”

A metallic plate flew out from Pandora and attached itself to her back. It hummed softly before lifting her a few inches off the ground.

“Bye. If anyone asks, you know where I am heading.”

She rose higher, drifting toward the forest in the direction of the dungeon.

“But do not mention that parasite is on you if you want to live… I do not waste tools, You hear me?”

Then she shot forward low through the trees and disappeared.

“Wai-”

The word died in my throat.

That was right.

To her, I was just a tool.

I stood there for a moment, holding a sword, an unknown artifact, and a glass tube containing something that might one day crawl into my throat.

I exhaled slowly.

I fastened the sword to my hip. I slid the rectangular artifact into one pocket and carefully secured the glass tube in the other, making sure it would not crack.

Then I walked back through the bushes toward the camp.

I had been separated long enough. If I delayed further, I might be punished simply for existing out of sight.

When I found them, they were already preparing to leave.

Anna and Sei gathered the plates and picnic mat, though there was nowhere to store them since they had come from Elaister’s Pandora.

Serah looked visibly furious, demanding to know where Elaister had escaped to. Elira stood beside her, trying to calm her down.

All the while, Hiroto sat on one of the leveled stones I had prepared earlier, watching his girls with a composed expression.

Then I heard it.

A crow’s caw.

Something shot high into the sky from the forest on the opposite side from the dungeon. A dark shape rose rapidly before beginning to fall.

It all happened in less than a blink.

Hiroto vanished from his seat and reappeared beneath the falling shadow, catching the tangled mass of flesh before it could smash into the ground.

“SEI!” Serah barked immediately, taking a defensive stance, expecting an assault. At the same time Hiroto laid the body gently on the ground.

“[HEAL]!”

Sei rushed forward.

“Kyaaaa!” Anna screamed with horror overtaking her voice.

From where I stood partially hidden behind the bushes, I saw enough.

It was Kestrel.

Her body was twisted unnaturally, blood soaking through torn fabric. One arm hung at an angle that should not have been possible.

I covered my mouth instinctively as nausea surged up my throat. I leaned against a nearby tree to steady myself.

“Condition?” Elira knelt beside Sei and placed a hand against Kestrel’s forehead.

“Critical,” Sei answere. “But she is still there. It’s no problem, I can pull her back in.”

“She is not present,” Elira said after a moment. “I cannot establish telepathy yet.”

She clicked her tongue.

“What in the world could have caught up with Kestrel?”

Only one voice remained calm. Almost amused.

“Lut, huh? It should be a she, right?”

Hiroto’s voice carried lightly.

At those words, something inside me shifted.

The nausea faded. My back straightened without conscious effort. For the first time in almost half a year, I felt another thing I had neither felt nor believed I had the right to feel.

What I felt was…

つづく

"Aren't you going to mess with my head?"

"I'm not doing this because I care."

"Isn't this a good oppurtunity to get rid of him"

"We need plan."

"He's thingking about getting rid of him."

=Next time: The 19th, ...The Calamitous Blare...=

Nothing has value. Everything is useful.