“You don’t know yourself, Suimei-san?”
“Unfortunately not, I’m sorry to say.”
This wasn’t something that Suimei actually felt sorry for, but he decided that an apologetic tone was the right one to take for the time being. Legends about the Hero were obviously something commonly handed down by the people. Watching Dorothea’s reaction, Suimei felt that perhaps the stories of the Hero were as near to the hearts of the people as the legends and fairytales of his own.
“…How unexpected,” she replied, her sentiment not unexpected, before beginning to explain. “The strength of the one called Hero is something that can be found both in the history books as well as the legends passed down among our people. Throughout history, there have been a number of times when the world has faced a dire crisis, and the people of the world have responded by summoning a Hero. The Hero in battle is a glorious sight. The stories include tales of past Heroes cutting giants as tall as mountains in two with a single strike, using flying magic to chase after mad despots, or cutting down the black, beast-like Maou with a holy sword.”
“Haa—”
Her words piqued his interest, not just for their own sake, but because they also spoke something of Reiji and Mizuki’s situation. It was only natural that he would be interested, really. He would have to investigate more thoroughly later on.
“And what do you think, Suimei-san?”
“Hmm?”
The sudden question had caught him off guard. Essentially suggesting that it was his turn to speak, she continued.
“About the Hero and the Maou suppression force. Do you think they can do it, Suimei-san?”
“…That’s a good question. If the current Hero is really like those in the stories you mentioned, then it should be possible. The problem is whether or not that matches the current reality.”
“Do you think they can do it?” my ass. Reiji and the others definitely can’t do those kinds of things, so there’s no way things will go as smoothly as they do in those stories.
“Oh, you don’t agree?”
“No, it’s not that. More specifically, I think it’s naive to presume that victory will come simply because the Hero exists. Whether or not they will succeed is not something anyone can know for certain…”
Suimei, as one with a precise understanding of the current situation, was rather uneasy. If one truly believed that receiving an enormous power was enough to guarantee victory, that only served to demonstrate how little one truly knew about battle.
Suimei’s eyes narrowed in worry.
“Such thoughts are best left unsaid when you’re outside. If the believers of the Church of Salvation, who hold the heroes to be the emissaries of the Goddess Arshuna, were to hear you, you’d be in for quite the sermon.”
“Haha… I’ll be careful.”
This again. Lefille had said the same thing. It seemed that to the people of this world, sermons from the Church were something to be feared to the point that they presented as a tangible threat. For the sake of what his goals, he’d have to be very careful from now on.
Dorothea’s expression changed. Her look of reprimand was replaced with a look of agreement.