Vol 1 Chapter 47 – It’s Love

It was Melia who walked the streets of a city now mostly devoid of people.

Her long, fluffy silver hair trailed behind her as she walked with majestic calm.

Seeing her lovely form, most people would break into a smile.

After all, of all the Heroes, Melia was the most hero-like.

Kind to everyone, she was naturally popular, and whenever she walked outside she was often surrounded by people.

Normally, Melia would accept this with a joyful smile, but now, there was no one around her.

The reason for this was the loud noise that had echoed through the city moments ago.

It could only be described as an explosion, and for this place, a city near the front lines that had nonetheless maintained peace for many years, it was clearly out of the ordinary.

It was inevitable that many people, worried by the sound, or perhaps driven by a curiosity born from that same peace, would go to investigate.

And so, Melia walked in a place far from where that great noise had originated.

After a short while, her steps came to a halt.

Because a man was standing in her way, blocking her path.

“…Why are you here, Alan?”

“Heh. I bet my reason for being here overlaps with yours, doesn’t it? No need to spell it out. You get it well enough.”

The one who answered Melia’s question was Alan.

He, too, was one of the Heroes.

Unlike Melia, who constantly acted to help people, Alan was a man who acted only for himself.

And there he stood before her, a lewd, knowing smirk on his face.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about…”

“That so? Then why are you here?”

“Why?”

“That explosion earlier. You took off at the same time as Antares when you heard it. So why are you back here now?”

A massive explosion had rocked the city while the Hero’s Council was in session.

The moment they heard it, the Heroes had sprung into action.

The first to move were Melia and Antares.

Ruru and Lois followed after, while Alan was the only one who didn’t move.

This, more than anything, revealed the personalities of the Heroes.

Melia was a philanthropist; Antares, a devotee of punishing justice.

It was only natural, given their personalities, that the two of them would move faster than anyone.

On the other hand, Alan’s inaction was also understandable.

He rarely used his position or power as a Hero for the sake of others.

He used them only for himself, to fulfill his own desires.

And yet, it was Melia—who should have been the first to rush to the scene—that Alan was questioning, noting that she hadn’t even reached the location of the blast.

“It’s because you refuse to move. It’s obvious that some kind of emergency has occurred. As a Hero, it’s wrong not to try and resolve it! Come with me!”

Melia puffed out her cheeks, rebuking Alan with a display of cute anger.

In response, Alan’s face twisted in exasperation.

“Hey, hey, my fault? Give me a break…”

“I know this isn’t in your nature. But as a Hero, as one chosen by a Holy Sword, you cannot be allowed to stand by and do nothing!”

Melia fumed.

Given her personality, it wasn’t strange for her to say such things.

Melia believed that a Hero was someone who acted for the sake of others.

Since she herself acted that way, she was convinced that if the other Heroes—not just her—did the same, they could save far more people.

If Alan, who rarely lifted a finger, could be made to act, their efficiency would change completely.

So what she was saying wasn’t strange in the least, but he just chuckled mockingly.

“Why don’t you drop the lame act?”

“…Act?”

Melia tilted her head, a blank look on her face.

As if she had no idea what he was talking about.

But Alan just scoffed at the display.

“You already know, don’t you? That trick only works on people who already have their doubts. It’s useless on someone who’s already certain of the evil you’re up to. Someone like me.”

“…Evil?”

Hearing that word, Melia’s shoulders jumped.

Her face was replaced by a broad smile.

“There is nothing evil in what I do. It is good, it is justice. Everything I do is connected to that.”

“Give me a break. Another one like Antares? I’ve had my fill.”

Alan’s face contorted in genuine disgust.

Having two people you couldn’t reason with was more than he could bear.

But Melia, completely ignoring his plea, continued on, speaking even faster.

“It’s true that she and I may be similar. Her justice is self-righteous. It’s selfish, and she forces it on others. However, that feeling is not for her own sake; from the bottom of her heart, she cares for others. I used to be the same way.”

Her eyes sparkled, her cheeks flushed red.

She looked as if she were envisioning something—or someone—she was hopelessly in love with.

“However, I’ve started to think about myself, too. Until now, I’ve lived my entire life for other people. So, I thought it might be okay to act for myself, just a little.”

“I can agree with that. But this… this ain’t right.”

What was wrong with using your power for your own sake?

To Alan, who thought that way, the fact that Melia was saying something so human was highly commendable.

But even a man as selfish as him understood that there were limits.

From his pocket, he produced a crystal.

It was packed with a large amount of magical power—an object of high danger.

“A bomb, is it? Yeah, no, you gotta stop this. If I hadn’t found this by chance, how much damage would it have caused?”

“…So you had already found it. This is unexpected.”

“You know, I actually watch other people more than you’d think. You seemed way different from the last time we met. So I did some digging, and here we are. The others don’t seem to have noticed a thing, so I’ll give you that.”

She was completely different from the Melia of before.

So much so that he wondered if an imposter had taken her place.

But the Holy Sword she carried was real.

No matter how much an imposter tried to act like the real thing, they could never deceive a Holy Sword.

Because only those who have been acknowledged are able to touch and wield them.

Which meant that the Melia who had planted a bomb and tried to bring harm to the residents of this city was, in fact, the real one.

Alan, concealing the shiver of dread that ran through him, opened his mouth.

“So, are you going to back down? I’d rather not do anything pointless, you know.”

“Of course not. Though if you would be so kind as to back down, it would save me some unnecessary trouble.”

“Not gonna happen. …Still, I am curious about what made you change so much.”

Without hesitation, Melia drew her Holy Sword.

Responding in kind, Alan raised his own Holy Sword as he posed the question.

“The reason is very simple, and very wonderful.”

“Oh yeah? What is it?”

At that, Melia’s expression melted into one of pure bliss.

“It’s love.”

“…………Huh?”

The words were so far from what he’d expected that Alan could only stand there, mouth agape.