Second chapter for this week~

"…….today too, you have quite the th.o.r.n.y atmosphere."

"Is that so?"

Just as I thought I felt a human presence, it was Rui. Here was the top of the tower where I met Rui.

I had thought that I might be able to meet him again, but to think that we"d meet this quickly.

"That may be because I"ve become honest with myself."

"Heh……"

As he said that, he sat down next to me.

"Say, do you have something that you want to accomplish?"

"……what"s with this, so suddenly?"

"It"s because last time I was the only one talking about myself. I wanted to hear about you. You were also insulted for having been born in a blessed environment, right? Even so, you didn"t break……..I thought that it was because you had something that you wanted to accomplish."

"…….do you feel that it is natural for a tomorrow that is no different from today to come?"

"What"s with that question? Well……the answer would be no."

At my answer, Rui momentarily made a surprised expression.

"My mother was killed. I had my family, and a today that was like yesterday. Before her death, I didn"t doubt that a tomorrow that was like today would come. An everyday life is something that you never know when or how it will change."

"……I see. My bad."

"No. It"s not like I was hiding it. So, where were you trying to go with that?"

"……I"ve been taken with my father to visit the graves of the victims of Towair"s military campaign. It was a tomb with many names lined up on it. The names of the citizens, as well as the names of the soldiers who fought to protect the citizens were on it."

"……I see."

Before the hero that was my father appeared, we were in a disadvantaged position in the war.

Meaning that a large number of sacrifices appeared within the citizens and soldiers.

"I also met with the wounded soldiers who had been dispatched on the campaign……..even though the injured had been injured for the sake of the country, I went to see that they were in a situation where they had not properly received treatment. Right now, thanks to my father"s orders, the situation is being alleviated bit by bit though……..this country paid using many people as a sacrifice in order to preserve this everyday life. Even now, somewhere someone is continuing to pay. Was that in order to protect this country? No, probably n.o.body was looking on such a grand scale. They probably fought in order to protect the things that they wanted to protect."

Quietly, Rui pointed outside of the window.

"The guy over there has important people to him, and those people also have important people to them. The ones over there, as well as those over there are the same…….and when a bunch of people gather, a country is formed. It is difficult to listen to the stories of each and every one of them, but I want to protect a country in which all of them can live peacefully. Without forgetting to respect those who were sacrificed, I want to succeed their will. That is what I thought."

"……in order to protect, huh…….then why didn"t you take up the sword?"

"I am not just talking about maintaining public order, but also the arranged environment needed for people to live peacefully. All of that in its entirety. Depending on how you do it, it is possible to protect even the soldiers. That is why I want to follow in my father"s footsteps…….though it is true that I truly do not possess any talent for the sword."

"……hmmm. You want to protect, is it. I don"t really get it……."

"……what about you? Why did you take up the sword?"

"Because my mother was killed. It was so that I could, with my own hands, send the guys who killed my mother straight to h.e.l.l."

"……revenge, is it?"

"Yes, that"s right."

"…….and after that?"

"After that?"

Not understanding the true meaning behind his question, I parroted it back.

"After you finished fulfilling your revenge."

"I don"t understand your meaning. My goal is to take revenge. It is for that sake alone that I polished my sword, and it is for that sake that I am currently living."

The moment I said that, he let out a deep breath."

"That"s such a waste."

"……what do you mean?"

With a glare, I scowled at him. Unable to suppress it, my heart"s irritation was easily expressed on my face.

"You are. If revenge is your only goal, then what do you plan on doing after that? The moment you fulfill it, you might get a feeling of achievement. However, if you offer up everything for that alone, then there isn"t anything left for the future, isn"t there? Like that, nothing will remain."

"Even if there"s only things to lose, even if there"s nothing to gain, I don"t care about stuff like that. This path was the only thing I could choose. Though you might not understand that, having never lost anything before."

When it started…….I am not sure. However, before I realized it, my vision was dyed red.

I watched the scene where everything was monochrome, and when I swung my sword, everything would be dyed red.

Even if in reality, not a single drop of blood had been spilled.

The single colour that painted my vision even made me feel that it was beautiful.

My heart may be broken.

However, even so.

The act of revenge was the only thing supporting my heart.

"……is that so. Unlike you, I have never had something important to me stolen away. On the contrary, I can"t even do a single bit of martial arts. However, even so…….I do understand that it is a waste of your talent. It is regretful for your talent to advance on a path in which you cannot see any vision of the future."

"What I want to use my sword arm for is up to me, isn"t it!?"

"……that is…true."

Once again, Rui let out a sigh and stood up.

"My bad. I"ve pushed my thoughts onto you."

Saying that, he quickly left the area.

"……ah……"

What have I done?

The words that he spoke before leaving caused the blood that had risen to my head to drain and return to normal. However, I had no words and could only see off his back.