The Time of Choice ⑦

I was in a light hibernation yesterday (about 17 hours)

Shun's perspective

……What should I do?

No solution emerged, no matter how I thought.

Ariel, the Demon King.

Pope Dustin.

I heard their respective arguments.

The representatives of two factions leading a war that stakes the world.

Despite the gravity of the moment, both spoke only brief words—almost as if coordinated.

Yet, how much resolve lay within those brief words.

Even I, a reincarnated outsider, could sense it.

The unbearable, overwhelming resolve of both.

For reasons unknown, I hold the key that allows significant intervention in this conflict.

A key that would not matter much if aligned with the Demon King’s faction, but would provide substantial aid if aligned with the Pope’s faction.

...In spirit, I wish to side with the Pope’s faction.

I cannot bring myself to desire the death of anyone who has lived in this world.

Yet, after hearing the resolve of both the Demon King and the Pope, I begin to question whether I, of all people, have the right to interfere in their conflict.

Partly because I am a reincarnated soul.

The Demon King and the Pope, who have waged war endlessly in this world.

And those who have continued reincarnating here, even without memory.

Regardless of how the conflict ends, we outsiders—those who have just arrived—should not be involved.

That is what I begin to think.

If I am to dwell on such uncertainties, perhaps the correct course is to do nothing at all.

“Seemingly troubled.”

Katie arrived.

“Yes. Extremely troubled.”

"Speak of your troubles. Sometimes merely speaking clarifies thoughts."

"...Yes. That's right."

Having been told so, I spoke haltingly, recounting my thoughts.

The order was disjointed. I spoke whatever came to mind. It must have been difficult to follow.

Still, Katie listened without interruption until the end.

"Hmm. So, emotionally, you wish to side with the Pope, but lack the resolve to commit."

"Blunt, but accurate."

I smiled at Katie's unvarnished assessment.

In the end, my resolve is insufficient.

As a hero, I was to succeed Julius兄, to inherit Julius兄’s will. That was my goal. Yet I vaguely believed that merely fighting the demon clan would achieve that end. I was complacent. Julius兄’s strength lay in always choosing his own path, persisting in his own sense of justice—without hesitation.

Julius兄 had always been my ideal hero.

Not merely because Julius兄 was strong.

Not simply because he was impressive.

Most of all, because his resolve was dazzling.

That unwavering will—something I lacked—was what I admired.

If this were the time, Julius兄 would surely have wrestled with doubt, then found his own answer. I cannot emulate that.

What answer would Julius兄 have made?

I do not know.

Would have found an answer, then fought.

Perhaps Julius兄 would have pursued the third choice I gave up on—striving to save everyone.

Whether it would have succeeded is irrelevant. Julius兄 would not have surrendered until the very end.

Completely different from me.

"I'm shallow. Compared to Julius兄, compared to the Demon King, compared to the Pope..."

Saying that, I lowered my head, letting out a deep sigh.

"Isn't it alright to be shallow?"

"Eh?"

Even as I sank into self-loathing, Katia spoke with casual indifference.

"You treat resolve, willpower—those things—as heavy burdens. And you're right, they are."

"Yeah."

"But! You don't need something so grand to take action."

"Huh?"

"That desire. That wish. Such feelings are usually petty and shallow. Isn't it fine that they are shallow? After all, isn't it expected that the resolve and will of those who are living witnesses to history—true heroes—are exceptional? Compared to them, everyone else inevitably seems shallow."

"That might be true..."

"Yet if action is dictated by the weight of will—whether one may or may not act based on that weight—then most people in this world would never be allowed to act."

"Isn't that an extreme argument?"

"Perhaps it is."

Without hesitation, Katia countered her own assertion, accepting it readily.

"Regardless of that debate about the weight of will, there is no rule forbidding reincarnated souls from participating. The Kyōya group is openly participating in the Demon Lord's faction, are they not?"

……Indeed.

Upon reflection, that is accurate.

The Demon Lord’s faction includes Kyōya, Nezumi, and Wakaba.

Of the three, I observed them holding central roles within the Demon Lord’s faction.

Given that, there is no rule preventing reincarnated souls from participating.

But.

Those three appeared to have made significant resolve.

Especially Kyōya.

Recalling Kyōya brings a bitter sensation to the chest.

The impact of being called a “hollow sword” by Kyōya was more profound than I had anticipated.

“We are reincarnated souls, but now we are residents of this world. Therefore, we possess the right to participate.”

“That is true.”

We, too, now live within this world.

"In the end, pondering the weight of will is pointless. It’s something invisible, after all. Only the individual can measure its weight. So, in the end, it comes down to what you yourself wish to do."

"What you yourself wish to do."

"Indeed. And at moments like this, I recall a phrase I often heard in my past life."

Looking up, she met Katia’s gaze.

"Better to regret having tried than never to have tried at all."

Her face bore a smile, faintly mischievous, like a child who had just succeeded in a prank.

"That is why I chose the path of regret after trying."

"...What do you mean?"

"You’ll understand if you examine me."

She spoke. I tilted my head slightly and began to examine Katia.

Then—

"Wait, what!?!"

A profound sense of dissonance struck me upon seeing the status displayed before my eyes.

The number of skills was unusually low.

"What!?"

And upon seeing one of those few skills, I gasped again.

[Chastity]

It was one of the seven virtues skills, a dominion skill.

"Do you know my unique skill?"

With those words, everything became clear.

Kathia's unique skill was Transmutation.

A skill she had lamented as useless, of questionable utility.

Its effect allowed the conversion of skills back into skill points.

In essence, a skill enabling the recollection of skills.

However, the conversion rate was not 100 percent. Each use incurred a loss.

Thus, Kathia had sealed this skill and never used it.

Yet, in this situation, what she had done was immediately apparent.

"Did you use Transmutation?"

"Indeed. I lost most of my skills, thanks to it."

Kathia's skill set had nearly vanished.

Only Chastity remained, and the skill granted by obtaining that title. Nothing else.

Status-enhancement skills have all but disappeared as well, resulting in a slight decline in overall stats.

Even so, she still exceeds the average thousand with ease, so she will not fall behind ordinary soldiers.

Yet in the battles ahead, such stats will be negligible—effectively nonexistent.

Even with full preparation, I would likely become a liability.

Still, Kathia...

"Going, then?"

"Yes. I don’t wish to see my family, servants, or friends die."

While I hesitated, Kathia had already made her decision.

...Yes. That’s right.

Slap her cheek hard.

Reinforce her resolve.

"I’ll act too—however shallowly I may."

No matter which choice I make, pain remains.

No matter the outcome, I will surely regret it later.

And if I choose neither, I will undoubtedly dwell on the decision I did not make.

Better to regret acting than to regret not acting at all.

"Besides, I don't even know if my presence will be of any use."

I might be reduced to ash before reaching the deepest innermost chamber of the Elrow Great Labyrinth...

In fact, that outcome seems more likely.

My meager strength will likely amount to nothing in battle.

But.

"I'll do it."

If I've decided to act, then I will act.

Perhaps my insignificant power is precisely suited for a shallow resolve—just enough to try.

"I rely on you. I am a frail noblewoman who has lost most of her combat ability."

Kathia said this, leaning heavily against him.

"O-oh..."

Flustered, he barely had time to react when—*BANG!*—the door burst open with force.

"Kathia, you're cutting ahead again."

"Winning is everything in situations like this."

"Kill."

"Please—stop!"

I acted to stop Sū, who had appeared, radiating genuine killing intent.