"A way...?"
I was in doubt for a moment.
"Kwaaaaak!"
A scream echoed from afar. In the middle of a disaster site where everything was collapsing,
these were the screams of those who had not yet been evacuated.
There are such people everywhere.
Protecting all of them and defeating the villains is impossible, even for the strongest hero
alone.
"There are people I need to protect on that Ferris wheel over there. They are the hero's relatives,
so they won't be strangers to you either."
Damn. The situation is urgent, but I never thought the day would come when I would ask the hero for help.
But unfortunately, I didn't have the strength.
If I had time, I would kill hundreds of these scoundrels, but there was no way to know when
the villains would reach that Ferris wheel.
"So, if you defeat all the villains you meet along the way,
I will save people for you."
On the other hand, she is good at defeating enemies, but she is inexperienced, so she is not used to rescuing and rescuing, nor combat.
Even if the villains are determined to take hostages,
I am more suited to rescuing them, since I am used to dealing with them.
"So you are saying that you will be my helper for now?"
"I can take that as an answer."
"Heh heh, that is indeed..."
And fortunately, Spiritas currently considers me a hero.
I don't know what will happen next, but at least she won't feel any resistance to my cooperation right away.
"Okay, I have a lot of questions, but... at least you don't look like a villain,
so I will cooperate for now."
"...It is an honor."
You are not a villain...
The evaluation was a bit harsh, but I interpreted it as proof that I was good at disguising myself and turned my back on her.
I didn't care what the other person thought.
All that mattered to me was my boss's safety.
I would give up my life, my dignity, and my beliefs to protect it.
-Kwagang!
As I pondered this, the violent chaos of that so-called New Hope began again.
And…
***
-Kwagang!
A loud explosion could be heard in the distance.
Along with it, the Ferris wheel carriage where the two were swayed violently, and the trembling of the girl huddled in the corner was sickening.
It was none other than the top floor of the Ferris wheel.
This situation, with no guarantee that the safety devices would work properly, would certainly evoke a sense of fear incomparable to that of a high-speed roller coaster.
-Kugung, bang!
What happened out there?
What happened to make the machine stop?
-Gyaaaaaaah!
Is that horrible scream coming from over there?
"No need to force yourself to see."
A little curiosity blossomed amidst the fear.
Just as she was about to act, someone suddenly spoke to her.
Moa.
The girl she had asked to have a private conversation with was leaning against the wall of the Ferris wheel, looking out the window with cold eyes, unlike her, who was crouched down.
"Isn't it a beautiful view? If you don't want to see it, it's better to hide like a mouse until the situation is resolved."
As she spoke, her gaze was still focused outside the Ferris wheel.
How could she remain so calm, even though this place could collapse at any moment?
"Moa, aren't you scared?"
Just seeing that calm appearance made my body tremble a little,
but it only lasted for an instant.
Kukukung! She crouched down again in the space that was shaking from the loud noise,
but she still seemed calm and rested her chin on her hand.
"This situation must be scary for a child, for sure."
"Huh? What is this..."
"I don't know anything."
To the girl who was feeling doubtful.
The being in the form of a girl simply confessed her understanding.
"A weak being who can do nothing but receive protection from others... Even when in danger, she cannot resist, but can only hope that the screams she lets out in her moment of fear will win the sympathy of her enemies, and that those who will protect me will hear my voice and come to me."
"Mistress, sir?"
"Until this body grows, I can't even take control of my life...
I think I understand why he repeatedly emphasized that I should not leave the house."
Yes, those words were not directed at her.
They were just her own conclusions.
In the tragedy unfolding on a distant land, she rejoiced in a realization she had never imagined.
"Nella."
When she felt a sense of alienation at that sight, she finally began to close the distance between herself and herself.
"In my opinion, I find you a truly admirable child. Even with such a fragile body, you don't even cry in this situation."
The redhead approached him like this, bending her knees and looking him in the eyes.
Just looking into those eyes, she felt her lips tremble.
She was still afraid, but she felt something, something pulling her heart towards him.
That everything she did was right...
In his eyes, which seemed tolerant.
"Well, I'm already used to it..."
At that moment, when she was tricked into confessing her feelings without realizing it, the corners of the transcendent's mouth began to twitch with curiosity.
"Familiar… Are you talking about the current situation?"
Are you saying that you are used to situations where those so-called villains attack people and the threat comes to you?
Those are not things that a seven-year-old girl would experience, but that is probably why she had no choice but to mature faster than others.
"Then I would like to ask you something."
An ordinary person would simply think like that and let it go.
However, she lived in a completely different world from ordinary people and was able to see things that they could not.
"What do you mean by asking?"
"What are you afraid of now?"
Of course, you can't know everything.
For someone who was still learning about humans, it would certainly be arrogant to boast that she could understand everything in the world.
However, children are very honest about their emotions.
Others would only interpret the emotion of fear, but she tried to find the source of the fear from that honesty.
Is this young girl only afraid of cruel villains?
Of being among those who die at their hands?
No, that's not it.
What this child truly fears is something that cannot be shared with anyone in a society that worships heroes.
"Are you afraid of heroes?"
"..."
Silence.
Nella's gaze, staring at Moa, soon shifted.
"...Come to think of it, the conversation we had earlier was interrupted in the middle."
Yeah, I can't share this with anyone.
Of course, I couldn't say this to the hero-worshipping public, and even more so to my father, who was a hero.
In a society that worshipped heroes.
The current worry must have been too heavy a burden for a girl of only 7 years old to bear.
"Was it definitely a matter of 'father'?"
At that question, Nella bit her lips as if she was about to cry, and with difficulty opened her mouth, trying to calm herself.
"Moa-san... Do you like Uncle Bred?"
A question that anyone with a family could hear.
Even so, the Transcendental couldn't help but ponder the girl's question for a moment.
The trigger was a relationship that began in the stomach.
The feelings that blossomed in that relationship were familial love, camaraderie built on the still-ongoing superior-subordinate relationship, or possessiveness... ...Or maybe they were just feelings for the opposite sex.
I couldn't even tell the difference.
"I like you."
But anyway, if you look at it broadly, it would be a feeling called favor.
Although I'm not human, I can't say that I understand all of these feelings, but I can say this for sure.
"Don't you feel the same way?"
"Yes, I like you too, Dad."
The girl was also very honest in her feelings.
Although they spent little time together, the love he gave her was never limited by time.
He devoted his time together to her. That kind of father was good. If possible, I would do everything I could for that kind of father.
"But sometimes, when I see my father working, I get scared."
But my father's appearance is not just that of a father to a daughter, right?
"What do you mean, scared?"
"A person who cries."
After leaving her side.
When I went out to the street, I put on another mask called "Ronin Blade" and entered the scene where blood and flesh flew.
"Cutting off the head of a crying person and the people who saw it went crazy."
"...."
"…I found it scary."
My own pain.
Cutting off the head of a person who complained about injustice, displaying it on the street, and receiving praise.
The world says that it is justice, that it is truly the righteousness that this age seeks.
However, by pursuing such things, we are gradually moving towards a stable society.
-Kwaaang!!
Why is this place called a symbol of peace?
To be burned by those perverted people?
-Kurrung, kung.
The sound of explosions and screams can still be heard outside.
Emotion is faintly transmitted to this space.
"Moa-ssi."
But at this moment, I forgot about this reality.
The being in front of me brought it to the surface.
"In the book I read... It said that justice is always right. It said that saving people who are suffering is justice."
The worries I had been suffering, that conflict.
"Then, father, why did you have no choice but to hurt that person?"
Because you were covering up the fear that should have been felt at that moment.
"Why, Dad, can't you save that person? Is it just because they're dangerous?"
No, you don't just forget about your fear.
"Because it's easier to hurt that person than to save someone who's suffering?"
No matter how mature you are, you still lack integrity.
Because of this state, the thoughts that you awaken early on are very quick and go in an extreme direction.
"So the people who are running wild here now."
Therefore, the little girl must not leave.
"Perhaps, like the person my father hurt back then…"
Just as such an extreme conclusion was about to be reached.
"Nella."
The transcendent being held the hand of the girl who might be ruined like that and called her name as if comforting her.
"…Moa-ssi?"
Only then did Nella regain her sense of reality and calm down.
Moa continued speaking while staring at Nella like that.
"You're mistaken about one thing."
"…Huh?"
"Any moment."
What followed was a realization.
At least, a realization that had remained unchanged since descending to this planet until this moment.
"Those who have fallen into evil should never be forgiven."
It still couldn't be said to be true.
At least for now, it is a fact infinitely close to the truth.