Chapter 35: If You Say You Love Him, Then I’ll Step Aside
Waiting for me when I returned to the tent was Karen-san.
It was a time when she’d normally be asleep, but it seemed she was still awake.
“Oh, Karen-san, you’re still up?”
“Yes. I couldn’t sleep.”
For a moment, Karen-san averted her gaze.
Then she looked back at me. Her expression had completely changed from earlier—serious.
“—No, that’s a lie. I was waiting for you, Yuto-san.”
With that, she looked me straight in the eyes.
“Yuto-san, I… I love Lord Raiga.”
“Yeah…”
It was a sudden confession, but I already knew.
That she had once been a ‘Saint.’ That she’d left the castle to chase after us. And that she often followed Raiga with her eyes when she thought no one was watching. When you piece it all together, it’s obvious.
Raiga probably hasn’t noticed, since she’s never said it out loud.
“What about you, Yuto-san?”
“What do you mean?”
Her question was vague.
So I pretended not to get it.
“Don’t you love Lord Raiga, Yuto-san?”
“Me? Love Raiga? Not a chance.”
“…Why would you lie like that?”
It’s not a lie.
I just don’t have the right.
“If I’m being honest… I don’t think someone who just gets protected all the time like you is fit to be the ‘Saint.’”
“Yeah… I agree.”
She’s right.
Besides, I used Raiga’s feelings. Toyed with them.
So her feelings are genuine. I have no right to object.
“‘Yeah, I agree’—is that really all you have to say?! I… I still can’t accept that I lost the Stigmata!”
Karen-san hurled all her emotions at me.
I think, in a way, I should be grateful.
Back when I was on Earth, I was so apathetic. No one had ever directed such raw emotion at me.
All the bitterness she’d held in during our journey was finally spilling out at the very end.
And I had the responsibility to take it.
She had lived over a hundred years, devoting herself to a single ‘Hero.’ And in an instant—whether it was the goddess’s whim or not—we had taken it all from her.
That’s why—
“I’m sorry.”
“‘I’m sorry’ isn’t enough…!”
She cried.
Once the dam broke, her tears just kept falling, overflowing without end.
“That’s why I’ll step aside. You can have Raiga.”
“—Are you making fun of me?!”
Her anger exploded.
So full of fire and emotion.
I almost laughed.
But I thought—that’s fine.
I truly believed, from the bottom of my heart, that it was fine.
“Probably… it’s just a guess, but… I don’t think all of us will make it back tomorrow. So… I’m counting on you, okay?”
Once I said that, I finally noticed the tears running down my own cheeks.
Holding it in, I somehow forced out the words.
“—I don’t care anymore!”
With that, Karen-san stood up and stormed out of the tent, disappearing somewhere into the night.
“What… am I supposed to do…?”
No one was there to answer my quiet whisper.
I was running.
I was just so frustrated, so angry—so sad, I didn’t know what to do.
I kept running, as if to release all those feelings.
And then—
“…Karen, you can’t sleep either?”
By the river, Lord Raiga was standing there.
When he noticed I was crying, he sat down and gently told me to calm down.
When I followed his lead, he sat down as well.
Our eyes met at the same level.
“Thinking about tomorrow… I just couldn’t fall asleep.”
That was all he said.
“I see…”
I couldn’t bring myself to talk about what had just happened. My words faltered.
But then—
“Why… why is Yuto-san the ‘Saint’…?”
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
“Why? Because the Stigmata transferred to her—”
“That’s not what I meant…!”
“Then what—?”
“—I love you!”
Without thinking, I blurted out my confession.
I could tell Lord Raiga sucked in a breath.
I scorned myself for being so cowardly, so disgraceful.
What am I doing, saying this the night before the final battle?
“I’m sorry… no—I apologize.”
He corrected himself and offered his apology.
“I can’t return your feelings. Because… I have Yuto.”
I knew that.
Out of everyone here, I’ve watched the two of them the longest.
“Right after we arrived in this world… remember how you told me? ‘A Saint is someone who guides and heals the Hero in battle.’ For me… that’s Yuto.”
Raiga spoke with a distant look in his eyes.
“To be honest, I’ve been scared from the very beginning. I never told anyone, but before we came to this world, I met the god. He was ridiculously unreasonable. To sum it up, he basically said, ‘If you don’t fight, you die.’”
Then he laughed, lightly.
“It was so unfair I just wanted to run. But right in front of me was Yuto, trembling. She’s my best friend—I couldn’t let her face that alone.”
His eyes were so gentle.
“Same thing after we got here. Sorry to say this in front of you, Karen, but I didn’t care about the elves—I just wanted to run away. But you know what Yuto said? ‘You must protect me until the battle with the Demon Dragon is over.’ I mean, come on. What else could I do but fight—and protect her?”
Finally, he gave me a warm smile.
“I absolutely couldn’t have fought without Yuto. So… I’m sorry again. I can’t be with you.”
“I understand…”
I smiled back at him.
I knew I never had a chance.
I just wanted to say it—so I could let go.
From now on, Yuto-san and Lord Raiga will walk their path together.
Thinking that, somehow… my tears had stopped.
“Well, I’m heading to bed.”
“Yes. Good night.”
For some reason, I felt at peace.
And then morning came—
The final battle against the “Demon Dragon” began.
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