“—It’s because this is something I already decided on a long time ago.”
Sofia’s eyes lit up as she stepped into the premises of the popular sweets store named ‘Prossol.’
As soon as Amseth spoke with the owner of the place, we left Sofia enjoying her dessert at a table in the back of the restaurant.
And I told him properly that I couldn’t accept his offer.
“I’m not saying that steadily trying to accumulate experience and building up one’s resume is wrong. Because in fact, it couldn’t be more correct, and I’m the one here with a distorted way of thinking. However, I think that becoming strong in a reasonable manner will only get you ‘strength’ within the realm of normality.”
“The title ‘strongest’ that I’m looking for is the ‘strongest’ because it’s outside the standards of what people call natural or normal. The ‘strongest’ because it’s a peak that can’t be reached very easily.”
There was no room for any unspoken firmness, so I decided to say it all.
“…I see your point. But if that’s indeed the case, then it makes it even more difficult to comprehend.”
Amseth was understanding enough to accept that I had my own reasons for saying what I was saying.
However, the reluctance he showed was the same.
“If you want to be strong, you have to become more greedy. Take everything you can get and own the experience. You are free to take risks, but I don’t think it’s a wise choice to recklessly move forward without knowing what you could gain.”
He was right.
Completely right on.
If someone’s goal was to be strong, the right thing to follow was to do what Amseth just said.
“I suppose so.”
So, I confirmed.
Even if it resulted in undermining my own ideas, the fact was that I, of all people, understood that Amseth’s point of view was more correct.
I acknowledged that Amseth’s point of view was in fact more correct, even if it may result in the discrediting of my own values.
However, as the ‘Star-Slayer’ had already proven, being the ‘strongest’ isn’t so easy to be reached, even by those who do the right thing in the right way.
Hence, I—
“You’re well aware of that fact, so why—”
“It’s simply because I don’t want to get comfortable with my own confidence. I just want the fact that I broke my arm, almost died, and was still lucky enough to win as I broke my own limitations, to matter the most.”
You win by surpassing your own strength and exceeding your limits.
That’s what it means to overcome your own wall, and going through it means knowing that you will undoubtedly not come out of it unscathed.
If you’re dying, you can never have confidence in your own strength, nor pride in yourself.
You’re set to die, after all.
“By doing so, I’d have less and less room for self-confidence. It also gives me the feeling of real and genuine “fear” of actually dying the next time that I fight. What I’m looking for is a mere cycle of that.”
Amseth had an expression that said he did not understand what I said at all.
It was unlike Sofia and Lilea laughing in dismay as they ate their own sweets, saying how persistent I was when it came to the things that I wanted.
“…Only death awaits the reckless.”
“But I’ve learned firsthand that there’s a summit that only awaits the reckless.”
And that is— being a ‘Star-Slayer.’
Therefore, no matter how much I knew that my thoughts were nothing but stupidity, I couldn’t change them.
Once you have become addicted to the poison of longing, you will never be able to get out of it.
“In my opinion, it’s much easier to die if you’re not very confident about your own capabilities.”
Thus, I spit out that I wasn’t interested in defeating monsters and getting results and rewards without substance in the midst of a bunch of magicians who had no sense of urgency in what they did.
“I still don’t intend on changing my ways… so I humbly reject your invitation.”
I concluded.
But not long after…
***
Reaper Scans
***
“—Heh— Haha… HAHAHAHAHAHA!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!!!”
A burst of intermittent laughter sounded through the air.
I gave my answer in the most serious manner I could, but somehow, all I got was a big laugh from Amseth himself.
“…Oh, sorry about that. I wasn’t trying to make fun of you or anything, I just found that idea so incredibly intriguing. I knew my instinct to talk to you like this was right all along.”
“…?”
Amidst all the stares from the customers around me, I tilted my head with a question mark on my face.
I knew it was a thought that was hard to understand, but I wondered if it was something worth overreacting to.
“I guess you could call it my magician’s intuition. When I look at a magician, I can always tell if they look particularly intriguing, or something like that.”
I think it may have something to do with the fact that I myself am a magician of the prophetic lineage, he added casually.
—Prophetic lineage.
I wondered if there was such a thing, and I guess my interest showed on my face.
“Hmm…? Are you perhaps… interested in my magic? Well, prophetic magic is particularly rare. So how about now? Do you feel like working together with us now and trying to find out what my magic is in the process?”
“…No, thank you.”
“How cold of you.”
Amseth then flashed a light-hearted smile at me, unwavering.
“What do the three of you plan to do from now on, then?”
The world was currently rife with a phenomenon known as “Magician Hunting.”
Regardless of how much you’re surrounded by other people, it must’ve been hard for magicians to operate.
Perhaps with this in mind, Amseth was asking questions not only to me, but also to Lilea and Sofia.
“—Well, I’m interested in the ‘Magician Hunter’ and all that…”
I wondered if he thought that since he was the eldest among the four of us, he had the right to decide for us.
Without a hint of concern, I immediately responded, to which he stared at me with surprised eyes.
“I always thought that I’d like to fight whoever’s responsible for the death of the magicians at least once, so I thought that it’s a good opportunity. Besides, we can’t just leave such a dangerous person alone, can we?”
When I apologetically said these words filled with a sense of justice that was unlike me, I heard a laugh from somewhere, as if to say that I was lying.
That laugh could’ve come from Lilea, Amseth, hell, even Sofia.
…The fact was left unknown, but what I was certain about was that the laughter didn’t come from one, sole person.
“Well, that’s true too. We’re gathering magicians together to help each other out against the ‘Magician Hunter’ in the first place.”
If the magicians were concentrated in one place, the ‘Magician Hunter’ couldn’t do his deed very easily.
It was just as he said.
“But, yes. If you’re set on fighting with that certain hunter, I’ll give you one piece of advice. From start to finish, expect that your eyes will be useless.”
“…Do you know who that is?”
“I’ve only heard about rumors, though. Apparently, the enemy we’re talking about uses magic to make himself invisible.”
A very assassin-like magic, he says.
“No matter how experienced warriors they have been, they can’t do anything if they can’t see their opponent. And given that they were caught off guard, they were nothing more than mere scarecrows. No wonder they got killed.”
He added that it was also a man of skill who could reap the life of his target with a single blow, on top of his formidable armor.
“…”
The gap in my open mouth closed upon hearing this.
“Did I frighten you?”
“—You sure love your jokes.”
I smiled ferociously at Amseth, who looked at me in complete silence and voiced what seemed to be a perfectly natural comment.
The reason I kept my mouth shut was because I was holding back.
It was never because I was frightened.
Invisibility magic.
And on top of such magic, he’s also no less skilled than a great fighter of the past.
—What an enemy we had here right now.
I shuddered at the unexpected good fortune that had come my way.
“…You just don’t understand, don’t you? That kind of information can only work against you.”
Truly, it was just as Lilea had said, who had barged in the conversation, but to me, it was no less than the opposite.
For those who pursued strength, the battle against the strong and the hard-earned sustenance was something they never ceased to seek.
Therefore, the stronger he was, the more convenient it was for someone like me.
“Why are you so set on Julius-kun joining your group anyway? If you really wanted him to do so, you shouldn’t have given away that information.”
There were satisfactory reasons for me to fight.
That was why there was no need to be afraid.
“—That’s what I’ve been meaning to say. Above all, if I turn my back on such a strong opponent, being the ‘strongest’ would just be nothing but a pipe dream. Don’t you agree with me, Amseth-san?”
——
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