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Azel Sera Alphide fundamentally believes that human beings are light.
Light. In other words, something good. Something that, when touched, returns warmth. This conviction is internalized to the marrow of his bones, and he has never doubted it.
If asked why, he would probably scratch his head. It is not a conclusion he arrived at through logic. He simply cannot think otherwise. He is that kind of character.
Up to this point, he would merely be a foolishly kind simpleton, but there is one fact.
Those who become deeply involved with Azel ultimately form some kind of positive relationship with him. That applies not only to allies, but even to enemies. Even after fighting to the death.
It is not merely reconciliation after twists and turns, nor friendship born from cooperation. It is something deeper. One could say that inside those who come into contact with Azel, something knotted loosens. Whether it is hatred, fear, or suspicion, the hardened core somehow softens.
In the previous world, Azel destroyed Hein Sera Aster, who had become the Demon King, with the Holy Sword. The end of a boy whose soul had become hollow because he knew no love, allowing the will of the Demon King to take residence within.
At the center of the burning imperial capital, the moment the Holy Sword pierced his chest, the shell of the Demon King shattered, and for an instant, the original Hein returned. Spitting blood, Hein said that the Demon King’s soul was wounded now. He was holding it. So, Azel should burn his soul away along with it.
And then he muttered at the end.
──I was never needed by anyone.
This man, who had been rejected every time he tried to speak to others at the academy, finally faced Azel as a human being at the very end, when he had become the monster that burned the world. That was their first conversation. Only a few seconds at the end of a deadly battle.
At that moment, Azel realized the loneliness Hein had carried. Even in that instant, they were able to understand each other. (Chapter 114 – Interlude: The Regressor ④)
Azel’s carefree brightness is built upon the accumulation of such experiences.
To strike even closer to the core, it is not because Azel is Azel that things turn out this way.
It is because Azel is the hero that they turn out this way.
As for why he suffered that fate in the previous world, it was because at that time he was no longer the hero.
A hero is, in essence, a system that purges evil, demons, and wickedness,
Seen from another perspective, Azel is also a victim.
Well, Azel’s nature is fundamentally absentminded, so he has never once thought of himself as a victim. He is basically dull. Even so, that dullness has also saved him.
But if Azel had been a little sharper──
He might have wondered w.h.y. h.e. w.a.s. n.o.w. a.b.l.e. t.o. w.i.e.l.d. t.h.e. p.o.w.e.r. o.f. a. h.e.r.o.
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「What’s wrong?」
Lisette was holding both of my hands. I could overlook our bodies almost pressing together because of the carriage’s shaking, but having her grab my hands was unexpected, well, things like that happen. Maybe she was cold.
「Ah, s-sorry, I just…」
Lisette pulled her hands away as if startled. Even her ears were red.
「It’s totally fine! Your hands were cold, right?」
「No, um… they weren’t cold, but…」
「Don’t hold back. Here, I’ve got a spare pair of gloves」
I pulled a pair of leather gloves from my bag. Lisette opened and closed her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she accepted them with a 「Thank you」. Her eyes sparkled strangely as she stared at the gloves.
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After that, Lisette became oddly attentive.
「Azel-san, if you’re going into the western forest, you should carry extra antidote herbs. The eastern slope of the Orkenstein range is covered with purple-spotted vines, and if you inhale the spores, you won’t be able to move for three days」
「Seriously? I didn’t know that」
「You should also be careful around water sources. In winter, underground streams freeze, so microorganisms easily grow in surface puddles, 」
Lisette took out two small bottles from her pack. A pale blue liquid sloshed inside.
「Purification drops. Three drops in water and it’s safe to drink」
「Oh, thanks! Stuff like this really helps」
I was genuinely grateful. In the previous world, I drank rotten water and collapsed for three days. Twice. I thought I had learned a purification spell, but if medicine could handle it, it would save magic power.
「Also, this is for stopping bleeding from cuts, this one is a fever reducer, and this is insect-repelling incense」
Lisette began laying out items from her pack one after another. Hemostatic medicine, fever reducers, stomach medicine, painkillers. There was even insect repellent incense. Even for a traveling apothecary, the amount was unusual.
「Are you sure I can take all this? Won’t you run short, Lisette?」
「I can restock at my master’s workshop」
When Lisette smiled, my heart skipped slightly. That’s not good, I’m about to fight a powerful enemy.
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