“What a painful sight. Of course I'll stop them right away. But... Before that, I want you to tell me something. Where is the empress and princess?”
The soldiers' violence wasn't something Elexis had planned. However, he used the situation to interrogate Koutarou.
“There's no way I'd tell you!”
“Then choose, Koutarou-kun. The earthlings you're so close with, or the troublemaking aliens. You don't even need to consider it, do you?”
“To hell with that!!”
Elexis was practically demanding that Koutarou hand over Elfaria and Theia for the safety of his friends. However, both options were practically the same to Koutarou. If he handed of Theia and the others, Sanae and the others might be saved, but then Theia would be in danger. That's why Koutarou couldn't choose. Alien or not, those things didn't matter anymore. They were all equally important to him.
“Theia is not a troublemaker! I won't sell her out to the likes of you!”
“Then I guess it can't be helped. Just stand there and watch your friends get beaten up”
Punches, kicks, trampling. There was even someone who had pulled out a knife. The soldiers' violence gradually escalated and was about to go past what could be considered revenge. That might just be acting to threaten Koutarou, but even so, it was an action that would make anyone want to avert their eyes.
“...Y-You...”
A fierce rage and frustration from not being able to do anything made Koutarou grind his teeth with all his strength, to the point where it looked like he might crush his own teeth.
“...What do you take people's lives for...?”
Something deep inside Koutarou's mind creaked. Every time the girls were hurt, he felt like something inside of him was being torn apart and broken.
“I have always asked myself that question. That's why I decided to end her majesty Elfaria's reign”
“And for that sake you'll use the lives of others as your pawns? And trample them with weapons?!”
“Without that much resolve, you can't change the world! This world isn't kind enough to change without some kind of sacrifice!”
Elexis excitedly spoke. This was something painful for him as well. He had to crush those he sought to save to change the world. But if he didn't change the world, everything would stay the same. This was a dilemma that Elexis had been wrestling with for several years. Though even then, he had made his resolve to change the world, but it wasn't like his heart didn't hurt.
Koutarou silently watched over Elexis's appearance. His excitement from before seemed like a lie. Ever since he touched Elexis's resolution, Koutarou had regained his calm.
“...I never thought I'd do it in the middle of a battle...”
Koutarou muttered with his eyes closed.
“What are you talking about?”
Noticing the change in atmosphere, Elexis suspiciously looked at Koutarou's face. The soldiers noticed the same thing and stopped harming the girls in order to pay attention to Koutarou.
“...We were friends. That's why I didn't want to get him involved with our troubles. I was planning on doing it once everything had ended and everything was peaceful...”
Koutarou clenched his right hand. But it wasn't out of anger. Koutarou was currently feeling very sorry. And at the same time, he felt mortified over his own powerlessness.
“...I wanted to go sightseeing, have some delicious food, have fun with everyone else, and make some great memories. That's what I wanted to do...”
“Just what are you talking about, Koutarou-kun?!”
Elexis was perplexed by Koutarou's words, but he felt a surprisingly overpowering atmosphere from Koutarou's composed tone. That made him uneasy, and kept him from calming down.