“You have dreams, don’t you…?”
“Huh…?”
Dessel looked at Alphonse with confusion, caught off guard by this unexpected response.
“You must have… a future you want to live for, dreams you want to fulfill… That’s why I’m helping you…”
“That’s…! It’s none of your–“
“–My dream is”
“!”
Alphonse interrupted Dessel’s words of protest.
“My dream is… to become strong… to be able to fight to help others, to protect everyone’s future…”
“So,” Alphonse continued.
“–I will absolutely save you.”
“…”
Momentarily rendered speechless by these words, spoken with such strength despite Alphonse’s exhausted state, Dessel faltered.
“You… Why go so far…”
“Even though I’m a pathetic descendant, even though I’m looked down upon by everyone… Still, being the descendant of a hero who saved the world, a hero who protected everyone’s future… The name of [Fried]…”
With a faint, somewhat proud smile, Alphonse continued.
“…is my one and only pride.”
“…Alphonse…”
Dessel tried to say something to Alphonse, but before he could, Alphonse cut in with a “Right.”
“Anyway, I think I can move now… Come on, stand u-“
“Alphonse!!”
“!!”
Just as Alphonse was about to reach out to Dessel, Dessel’s eyes widened as he looked behind Alphonse and shouted.
Reacting to this, Alphonse quickly turned around to see the dragon, which had been engulfed in flames earlier, now visible and launching a fireball towards the two of them.
“Enchant!”
Alphonse instantly imbued his replica sword with magical power and split the approaching fireball in two.
The two halves of the flame mass landed behind them, exploding with a loud bang.
“‘I thought I’d ruin your desperate healing efforts, but how unfortunate,'”
“Stand up!!” Alphonse urged.
“Y-Yeah…!”
Keeping his sword pointed at the dragon, Alphonse turned to Dessel, his face contorted with urgency as he prompted action.
Although the fatal injuries had been healed, Dessel stood up while enduring the dull pain still lingering throughout his body. He started running towards the hole in the cafeteria wall that the dragon had created.
“…!”
However, finding it strange that he couldn’t hear footsteps behind him, Dessel turned back to see Alphonse still facing off against the dragon.
“…Hey! Alphonse, what are you doing?! Hurry up and come with me!!”
“…I can’t go with you.”
“…Huh?! What are you talking about…!!”
Alphonse turned slightly and looked back.
“There’s a student collapsed near the exit. …Probably injured their leg.”
Dessel looked towards the exit where Alphonse was pointing and confirmed the presence of the lone student left behind in the cafeteria.
“The Black Annihilation Dragon won’t just let the three of us go quietly… I’ll hold it off, so please take him and escape during that time.”
“W-What about you?! What will you do?!”
“Once you guys have escaped, I’ll look for an opening to retreat too.”
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?! Come on, hurry…”
“–If we stay like this!!”
Alphonse raised his voice at Dessel, who was trying to persuade him.
“If we stay like this, all three of us will just die!”
“…!”
Dessel couldn’t argue against Alphonse’s words.
The dragon was just watching them with a somewhat fearless smile for now, but they didn’t know when it would attack again.
It would be nearly impossible for all three of them to escape from the dragon while carrying an injured person.
Even if Dessel tried to assist Alphonse, he would only be a hindrance.
In this situation, no matter how much Dessel tried to persuade him, Alphonse would definitely stay behind alone.
If there was an option that gave the highest chance for everyone to survive, it would be for Dessel and the injured student to leave this place as quickly as possible, while Alphonse looked for an opening to escape on his own.
Understanding all of this, Dessel came to a conclusion within himself.
Clenching his fist so tightly that blood seeped out, he lowered his head slightly, then looked up and said, “…I understand” to Alphonse.
“Sorry, Alphonse. I’m going to leave you here and escape.”
“…Thank you. Please, take care of him.”
Alphonse’s tense expression softened slightly as he thanked Dessel for his decision, then turned back to face the dragon again.
“…”
Watching Alphonse’s figure through his blurred vision, Dessel also turned towards the exit and started running towards the fallen student near it.
“‘I won’t let you go,'”
“‘I won’t let you stop them!'”
Alphonse sliced through the fireball that the dragon had launched towards Dessel’s back.
“‘Interesting. That man’s fake… Struggle all you want,'” the dragon said with a distorted smile.
The dragon continued to launch fireballs one after another towards the fleeing Dessel.
Alphonse kept slicing through these high-speed projectiles, making sure they didn’t hit Dessel.
As his consciousness began to blur due to injuries and fatigue all over his body, Alphonse focused solely on cutting through the fireballs.
The power of the enchantment cast on his replica sword began to weaken, and the precision with which he cut through the fireballs gradually decreased. Some fireballs that he couldn’t fully block started to hit Alphonse’s body, but still, he continued to swing his sword relentlessly.
…And then.
“…Alphonse!!”
Dessel’s voice echoed from far behind.
“(Alphonse, you…)”
Dessel gritted his teeth, lowered his head, then looked up again.
“I have a mountain of things I want to say to you!! So…!!” Dessel continued.
“…Don’t you dare die!!”
“…!”
To those words, Alphonse…
“(…Yeah!!)”
Though he didn’t voice it out, he answered in his heart and gripped his sword tighter with both hands.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
In the now unrecognizably destroyed Crawford Magic Academy cafeteria, with debris scattered everywhere, another explosive sound echoes, signaling further destruction.
“Ugh… …!”
A violent impact spreads from his back, assaulting his entire body.
It’s the impact of being slammed against the wall by the Black Annihilation Dragon Schwarzwaldius, for what seems like the umpteenth time.
In an almost unconscious state, he had continued to stand up and swing his sword countless times to hold off the Black Dragon, but it seems his body has finally reached its limit, unable to exert any strength anywhere.
“‘What’s wrong? Can’t stand up anymore?'”
the Black Dragon asks, somewhat exasperatedly.
—My body hurts. It’s painful. I don’t want to do this anymore, I don’t want to stand up. I don’t want to fight anymore.
From somewhere, he hears someone’s pitiful voice.
—Fighting is scary. I hate getting hurt, and I hate hurting others. I want to run away right now.
I know. It’s me. It’s the voice of me, Alphonse Fried.
That’s right, I hate fighting. I’m afraid of getting hurt in battle, and I hate hurting others too.
Honestly, I wanted to run away even when the Black Annihilation Dragon Schwarzwaldius appeared. I was terrified of facing it.
“‘After all, you’re just that man’s fake. You can’t become like that man. You’re incomparably weaker than that man. No matter how desperately you struggle, you can’t become a hero,'”
The person the Black Dragon is referring to is probably my ancestor, the great hero Sieg Fried, who defeated the Black Annihilation Dragon Schwarzwaldius four hundred years ago.
“‘That’s right… I’m not a hero…'”
I try to stand up, putting strength into my hands pressing against the ground and my legs.
“(I know. I’ve been told that all along by everyone around me.)”
My arms don’t work well and tremble slightly, but I still stand up with all my might.
“‘I can’t become a hero…'”
I firmly grip the replica sword, which has lost most of its blade from the earlier attack.
“‘Even so, I…'”
I infuse magical power into the barely remaining 10-centimeter blade and point it towards the Black Dragon.
“‘I will stay true to myself…!'”
I never liked fighting.
Still, I’ve continued to swing my sword with all my might.
I’ve studied magic diligently.
Even though I’ve disappointed my parents, been ridiculed by others, and experienced many unpleasant things, I’ve still strived to become stronger.
Not because I wanted to meet my parents’ or others’ expectations, or to gain honor, nothing like that.
Even if I couldn’t become a hero, I wanted to become someone who could fight for others.
I wanted to be able to fight in place of those who couldn’t, to protect those who were unreasonably hurt.
I’m not a hero. I can’t become a hero. I can’t save the world.
Even so, I want to desperately become stronger and protect what I can protect.
Until the very end, I’ll keep standing up.
“‘That’s why I won’t let you go to where everyone else is…!'”
I roared at the Black Dragon.
The Black Dragon’s expression twisted slightly at the sight.
“‘Eyes that resemble that man’s… how detestable…'”
The Black Dragon, who had seemed somewhat relaxed until now, now had eyes filled with hatred.
“‘…I’ve grown tired of toying with a half-dead insect.'”
The Black Dragon raised its tail high and said, “‘It’s time for you to die,'” as it swung it down with great force.
This was no longer an attack aimed at inflicting pain.
It was a clear strike meant to ‘kill’.
The strongest explosion of the day occurred, accompanied by a powerful shockwave that sent nearby debris flying.
But–
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