A hero who wants to help others wants to live a normal life - Chapter 23

Chapter 23   The Saint’s Defense Complete

We managed to regroup, but that’s all. It’s not like the number of enemies has decreased, nor have we gained more allies. But… we’ll be fine.

“So, what do we do now? Things look kinda bad, don’t they?”

Even though we reunited, Toko seemed uneasy as she looked around at the enemies surrounding us.

But I didn’t feel any anxiety at all.

If it comes down to it, I can just go all out and use my blessing, and even if not, I feel like as long as I’m with Toko, we’ll manage somehow.

“Don’t worry about it. We handled the last situation just fine, didn’t we?”

“Yeah, but the numbers are different this time.”

“But you’re gonna help take care of the enemies for me, right? So it’s no problem.”

I smiled as I said that, and Toko widened her eyes before turning her face away with a huff.

“Ugh! …It feels like you’re just using me, or trying to sweet-talk me or something.”

“I’m not! Besides, I’ll help take care of the enemies too, so we’ll call it even.”

Don’t say stuff that makes me sound bad. I’m relying on you, but you can rely on me too. If we do that, we can break through any situation like this.

“Hmm, fine, I guess… but if your ‘present’ is something weird, I’m seriously going to get mad.”

“Don’t expect fancy wrapping or anything.”

With a playful remark, Toko started moving.

Seeing her suddenly take action after we had been locked in a standoff, the attackers flinched and prepared to retaliate.

But their stance was meaningless.

“This time it’s our turn to—BANG!”

With a shout, Toko kicked off the ground and launched a flying kick toward the enemy.

Even though she rushed in at high speed, it was a straightforward and simple attack. For attackers who were bold enough to target a saint, it would have been an easy move to dodge.

But that was only if they weren’t being interfered with.

One of the attackers, reacting to Toko’s flying kick, tightened his grip on his weapon, ready to counterattack. However, his arm refused to move as he intended—because I was holding it.

“Wha—gah!”

He tried to shake off the ‘hand’ gripping his arm, but the strength behind my hold wasn’t something that could be shrugged off with a reflexive motion. While he was caught up in that struggle, Toko closed the distance and landed her kick.

After that, Toko paid no mind to the fallen enemy, continuing to move about, while I reached out and hindered the enemies’ movements each time. Slowed down, they became easy targets for Toko to knock down with a punch or kick, and the results kept piling up.

About ten minutes passed since Toko and I started working together, and most of the enemies were now lying on the ground.

Our teamwork had come together perfectly. Toko would throw the enemies off balance, I would impede their movements, and then she would finish them off. That was how we fought.

All that remained were a few enemies fighting alongside the other students around the saint. Once we dealt with them, this battle would be over.

“This should do it,” I said.

“Yeah… but, Seic—!?”

As I exhaled in relief, Toko suddenly screamed my name.

I realized why in an instant. One of the enemies we had taken down had been pretending to be unconscious. Lying on the ground, he had been waiting for the right moment, and as soon as we let our guard down, he lunged at me.

As expected from someone who would start this kind of chaos. Perfect timing. Normally, I wouldn’t be able to block or dodge in time.

—If I were normal, that is.

“Huh!?”

The assailant’s blade rushed toward me, tearing through my clothes and nearing my flesh.

But that was as far as it got.

The blade stopped just before touching my body, unable to move any further. Whether pushed or pulled, the knife didn’t budge an inch. When he looked, he saw that the knife had been caught by a translucent arm.

My ability allows me to extend translucent arms, and in the previous fight, I had been using them as an extension of my own limbs.

But that doesn’t mean I can only summon them from my arms.

When someone tries to stab me, I can easily produce an arm from that spot and use it as a simple shield.

“Sorry, but…”

As I caught the enemy’s knife, my translucent arm kept extending, pushing the blade back. Eventually, another translucent hand emerged from the spot where the knife had struck, wrapping itself around the enemy, tightening around his neck like a noose.

“I can’t afford to get hurt. I promised my little sister.”

With a strong pull of the ‘hand,’ the enemy’s neck was squeezed, and he passed out without much resistance.

“Was that the last one?”

After dealing with the enemy who had pretended to be unconscious, Toko and I continued taking down the remaining attackers, just as we had been. Soon enough, the only ones left standing were us, the students.

“Looks like it, right? Hey, are you okay? No injuries or anything!?”

Toko looked worried as she reached out and lifted my shirt to check where I had supposedly been stabbed earlier. I had blocked the attack using my blessing, so I wasn’t hurt, but from her perspective, all she saw was the hole in my shirt. Of course, she’d be concerned.

“I’m fine. If anything, you’re the one who’s injured, Toko. You’re covered in cuts.”

Compared to me, who just had a hole in my shirt, Toko was the one who should be more worried about injuries. She wasn’t fighting from a distance like I was, and despite her enhanced abilities, she’d been engaged in hand-to-hand combat without any weapons. She was bound to get hurt and probably more exhausted than I was.

“Oh, this? Yeah, no way I could come out of that without a scratch. I’m supposed to be the one moving better, but here I am, covered in wounds. Kinda embarrassing, right? Gotta train more, I guess.”

“It’s just a matter of different fighting styles. You’re charging in up close, while I can fight from a distance. Of course, it’s gonna be different.”

While it’s true that Toko might have superior physical abilities, our fighting styles are so different that the number of wounds we take doesn’t reflect our skill.

“Still, it would’ve been nice to win without a scratch and show off a little, you know? If my parents were in the same situation, they could’ve pulled it off, no problem.”

So her parents are probably from a family of warriors or something similar, given the way she’s talking. I’ve always been curious about her background, especially since she doesn’t seem to have a great relationship with them, but I’ve never asked.

Now that she’s brought them up, maybe it’s okay to ask?

…No, I think I’ll let it go. She might’ve just let it slip because she’s feeling relaxed after the battle. Even if she’s okay with mentioning it herself, that doesn’t mean she wants someone else to dig into it.

If I bring it up, I’ll just offer some encouragement instead.

“Ah, Toko’s parents… or rather, your family, are from a warrior lineage, right? If that’s the case, maybe they could pull it off. But since you’re from that family too, you’ll probably be able to do it one day.”

I didn’t know what kind of fighting style her family specialized in, but based on how well she fought earlier, I figured it was a family that emphasized physical enhancement in battle. With the right knowledge and training, she’d only get stronger.

“…You think so?”

“If you keep working at it, you’ll get there eventually.”

“Working at it… huh. I’ve already worked hard, though.”

“Huh?”

Despite my words of encouragement, Toko didn’t seem happy. Instead, she murmured with an empty smile, one that lacked her usual cheerful expression.

I wanted to say something, but I wasn’t sure what. While I hesitated, someone else approached us, and I lost the opportunity to speak.

It was my own fault for hesitating, but I still couldn’t help but feel a bit irritated at being interrupted. I turned toward the voice to see who it was, and there stood someone unfamiliar to me but clearly important in this situation: the saint.

She must have overused her abilities because just a short while ago, she was exhausted, sitting on the ground. But now, it seemed she had recovered enough to walk around. Though earlier, she had several students acting as guards, she was now alone.

“Toko Hoshiguma. Thank you for your assistance. If you and your companion hadn’t come to our aid, I doubt I’d be able to speak with you like this now.”

“Oh, uh, no problem… I mean—ah, I apologize, but may I ask if everyone else is safe?”

Even though Toko’s family held more status than the average household, it was nothing compared to foreign royalty. Initially, she spoke in her usual manner, but halfway through, she seemed to realize who she was talking to and quickly corrected her speech.

Still, something about it felt strange. Based on her usual way of talking and acting, that level of formality didn’t seem to fit her. And yet, in an odd way, it suited her. I guess it’s because she really is from a high-class family.

“Yes. Some lost consciousness from bleeding or head injuries, but I’ve healed their wounds, so there’s no danger to their lives.”

“I see. That’s good to hear.”

“And please, you don’t need to speak so formally with me. While we may hold different positions, as long as we’re students, we’re classmates. We’re also part of the same club.”

“That… thank you. I’ll try to speak more casually.”

“…Yes, please do.”

Though the saint said that, she understood that such things don’t change easily. Family expectations and social obligations were undoubtedly at play. Even though Toko responded in a way that probably wasn’t entirely her own desire, the saint didn’t sigh or show any frustration. Instead, she just smiled with a faint hint of melancholy.

I thought that might be the end of their conversation, but the saint turned toward me, shifting her attention from Toko to myself.