He who Protects the Transforming Heroines from The Shadows - Chapter 9 - Inquiries

“My deepest apology.”

Feliet bowed low in a full prostration as he offered his apology to his master. Sitting atop a stone throne and glaring down at him was Reizeroll.

“It’s fine… Though I must admit, I’m honestly surprised that you failed to eliminate those two.”

Somewhere in this world, in a place shrouded in darkness, Reizeroll’s voice echoed. Usually, her frozen gaze held no emotion, but now, unmistakable astonishment flickered faintly in his eyes.

“…Let me hear your reason, Feliet. I refuse to believe someone of your caliber, one of the most powerful among the Darkian, would fail your mission without cause or interference.”
“Reizeroll-sama…”

Lifting his head to meet Reizeroll’s eyes, Feliet felt a swirl of emotions—shame, frustration, but also a tinge of gratitude. Still, his personal feelings mattered little now. Suppressing his sentimentality, Feliet began to explain the reason behind his failure.

“…Then, with your permission, I shall speak. While there was an irregularity in the form of a high-level Guardian protecting the target Lightguard Princess, it was not a significant issue. In fact, I nearly succeeded in taking their lives.”

He paused there, taking a breath. As he pressed a hand against his abdomen, the memory of that infuriating boy surfaced in his mind.

“…But I was interrupted. He didn’t give his name himself, but I believe the interloper is known as ‘Spriggan.’”
“…!”

The moment that name left Feliet’s mouth, Reizeroll’s expression—normally devoid of emotion—twitched slightly. Though Feliet noticed, he continued his report.

“This ‘Spriggan’ thwarted me, allowing the Lightguard Princesses and the Guardian to escape. From what I could see, he appeared to be a mere boy… but I was forced into retreat after suffering considerable damage.”
“…Wait. You lost?”
“Yes. Shamefully.”

This time, Reizeroll noticeably leaned forward on her stone throne.

“He was a truly enigmatic figure. Despite wielding the same dark power as I, he chose to protect the Lightguard Princesses. That power, and his physical abilities, left me with no choice but to withdraw.”

Finishing his report, Feliet bowed deeply once again. Frankly, he wanted to curse his own incompetence, but now he could only await his master’s judgment.

“…I see. I understand now. You may go. And—are your wounds alright?”

Reizeroll leaned back against the cold stone of her throne, returning her expression to neutrality, and spoke calmly.

“…Yes. I am grateful that you would ask such a thing of someone so incompetent as I. I have used my power to recover from the wound. However, having lost bl00d and spent energy on healing, I am significantly weakened.”

While Spriggan was distracted by his illusion, Feliet managed to close the wound in his abdomen with his own power and escape to this place. However, the Skill of Butler: Recovery consumes an enormous amount of Darkness power. On top of that, Feliet had lost a great deal of bl00d. As a result, his current strength was drastically reduced—at best, comparable to a mid-tier Darkian.

“…This ‘Spriggan’—I have encountered him as well. It’s true that his power is the same as ours: Darkness. Yet he is neither Guardian nor Darkian. Just as you said—he is a truly mysterious man.”

Reizeroll recalled her own encounter with Spriggan. That unusual power was undoubtedly of the dark element, just as Feliet had reported. But the power of Darkness can only be wielded by Darkians. And Reizeroll had no recollection of ever creating such a Darkian. In that sense, too, Spriggan was a complete enigma.

“! Reizeroll-sama, you’ve met him as well…?”

Feliet was surprised by Reizeroll’s admission. He had not imagined his master had also encountered that man.

“…Yes. Though I withdrew quickly. Even so, now that he has twice interfered with our plans and protected the Lightguard Princesses, Spriggan is clearly our enemy. We cannot yet say for certain whether he’s aligned with Soleil and Ralva, but we’ll have to start making countermeasures.”

The reason Reizeroll couldn’t confirm Spriggan’s affiliation with Soleil and Ralva—despite him saving the Lightguard Princesses twice—was due to Spriggan’s power itself. It was Darkness. Soleil and Ralva govern over Light, while his power was unmistakably the opposite. From an elemental standpoint, Spriggan was on their side. That’s why Reizeroll couldn’t be sure he belonged to the enemy.

“Well, for now—rest. You’ve done well to return, Feliet.”
“…Your words are far too generous. Then, if you’ll excuse me.”

Receiving his master’s kind words, Feliet bowed deeply and disappeared into the darkness, his expression twisted in frustration.

“Spriggan… just what are you?”

Alone atop the cold stone throne, Reizeroll’s voice echoed into the void. Of course, no answer returned.

(So close to fruition… and now this troublesome figure appears…)

Reizeroll had a purpose. For that goal, she had spent centuries—perhaps even millennia—converting humans into Dark Thralls. Just when it seemed that the plan was about to bear fruit, a mysterious man named Spriggan appeared.

What an annoyance.

In the depths of the dark, Reizeroll let out a single, heavy sigh.

♦

“—And so, he got away.”
“…I see.”

The day after Eito fought Feliet in his Spriggan form, he received a telepathic message from Soleil saying she wanted to speak with him directly. As expected, every muscle in his body was sore, and going all the way to the divine realm where Soleil resided was extremely—no, absurdly—annoying. But when a god calls, a powerless human has no choice but to obey. And so, Eito found himself in Soleil’s private domain, bathed in warm divine light.

“First of all, thank you, Eito. Without you, both Youka and Miya would undoubtedly have been killed. I’m concerned about the Guardian who was injured, but considering the four of you faced a Darkian—especially that butler-like one named Feliet—and came out with just that, I’d say we were quite lucky.”

With a contemplative look on her beautiful face, Soleil offered her thanks to the ever-brusque Eito.

“…It’s nothing. Sounds like you had your hands full too. Anyway, Feliet, was it? You knew who he was?”

Eito had only described the enemy as a “butler-like Darkian” to Soleil, yet she already knew his name.

“Yes. Feliet is one of the oldest Darkian and possesses top-tier power even among them. There’s no way Youka, Miya, or that Guardian boy could’ve won against him.”
“I figured… Kounomiya said the same. But that brings up one question—how the hell did I beat someone that strong?”
“That… I don’t know. Maybe your power and instincts are far beyond what I imagined…?”
“…I see. So I’m a genius, then.”

He said it aloud, but Eito didn’t believe it for a second. Just a while ago, he’d been an ordinary student. There was no way someone like him could defeat a seasoned Darkian. Even Kounomiya Kouji couldn’t put up a fight. There had to be some trick to his Spriggan powers.

“Hehe, maybe you are.”

Soleil found it oddly amusing to see Eito speak so deadpan, half his face still obscured by his ridiculously long bangs.

“Still, now that you’ve repelled someone like Feliet, Reizeroll will surely start paying close attention to you. Actually, I doubt she’ll stop at just being cautious of you…”
“You mean she’ll mark me as an enemy and I will become her target? Yeah, I figured as much. Not like I care.”

Soleil voiced her concerns again, but Eito replied with an irritated shrug. Honestly, after beating up Feliet, he was sure the Darkian would come after both him and Spriggan next.

“You really do talk about your own problems like they’re someone else’s.”

Soleil sighed, watching the boy yawn again. She couldn’t help but feel like she spent all her time around him exasperated.

“Anyway, I’ve got a question too. Reizeroll showing up yesterday—she was just a decoy, right? But the guy’s basically the final boss. Were there any casualties? I mean, sorry if it sounds tactless, but did anyone die?”

Before Eito explained what had happened yesterday, he’d only been told that Reizeroll’s appearance in the city center was a diversion. He didn’t know the full story of what went down.

“Fortunately, there were no fatalities. Some of the Lightbearers and Guardians were injured, but only lightly. Since Reizeroll was focused on buying time and acting as a decoy, the damage was relatively minimal.”

“Got it… Still, I always wonder—how the hell do normal civilians never get caught up in this? I mean, Reizeroll appeared smack dab in the middle of the city, didn’t she?”

Eito casually raised another question. Unlike the suburbs where he lived, the city center was always packed with people. Yet somehow, no civilians had been hurt again.

“That was thanks to the swift response of the Japanese government. As soon as I alerted them to Reizeroll’s presence, they immediately sealed off the area. Combined with a Lightbearer’s barrier that repels people, we were able to prevent civilian casualties.”
“Hmm, makes sense, I guess…”

Eito accepted the explanation—mostly. He still had one lingering question, but he felt Soleil wouldn’t answer it even if he asked, so he left it alone.

“…Well, I’m done reporting. Time to go home—send me back to the surface.”
“Ah, wait a moment, Eito.”

Just as he stood up from the faintly glowing floor, Soleil bustled off beyond a glowing paper screen at the back of the circular hall. She’d once told him this was her private space, but perhaps the real private area was behind that screen.

While Eito was mulling over this, Soleil returned, her cherry-pink hair swaying—and in her hands was a box of Tokyo Banana.

“What the hell is that?”
“What do you mean, what? It’s Tokyo Banana. Don’t tell me you live in Tokyo and don’t know it?”
“Of course I know what it is. I’m asking why you brought it out.”

He vaguely remembered her saying she got it from the god Ralva. So this must be that same souvenir. Though honestly, divine beings giving each other Tokyo Banana was kind of ridiculous. (Delicious, yes—but still.)

“Well, I thought we could have tea. I got this from Ralva, but I can’t finish it all myself…”

Soleil looked at the box with a troubled expression. When Ralva had given it to her and she’d invited him to share, he’d awkwardly refused with, “N-No, it’s for you, Soleil. I got it just for you!” and touched none of it.

“No way. Having tea with you? That just sounds gross.”

Eito answered bluntly. Honestly, he just wanted to go home and laze around. And besides, he wasn’t particularly fond of Soleil.

“Wha… H-How could you!? I’m a goddess! That’s blasphemy! Utter blasphemy!”

If there were ever a moment that embodied shock, it was this. She’d suspected he might turn her down—he was a twisted brat, after all—but to actually hear him say it out loud, and so rudely, was another matter.

“Oh, shut up. I don’t revere you in the first place. There’s no such thing as blasphemy if I don’t respect you. Now hurry up and send me back.”
“…No.”
“Hah!?”
“I said no! You have to have tea with me and eat this Tokyo Banana! And that’s a divine decree! I’ll let you go afterward!”

Pouting and turning her face away, Soleil looked exactly like a sulking child. The sight irritated Eito for some reason.

“You damn goddess brat! Are you a kid or what!?”
“I am not! But I still won’t let you go unless you have tea with me!”

Watching her behavior, Eito realized: She’s not going to budge. Which meant there was only one way to get home quickly.

“…Fine. I’ll join you. But make it quick.”

Reluctantly, Eito gave in. The moment he did, Soleil’s face lit up like a blooming flower.

“Really!? You really want to have tea with me that badly!? Well, I suppose it can’t be helped! Not just anyone gets to have tea with a goddess!”

Apparently, this dumb goddess had rotted ears—or maybe a rotted brain. Looking at her beaming face, Eito felt the sudden urge to punch it.

“Well then, I’ll get everything ready! Hehe, this is the divine realm, so I can do things like this!”

Pleased, Soleil waved her right hand. Instantly, an ornate table, chairs, teapot, and teacups appeared in the center of the room. She looked proudly at the still-annoyed Eito.

“Well? Impressed? I am a goddess, after all! Now, let’s begin our tea party!”

With that, Soleil took Eito’s hand and led him to the table. As she smiled with genuine joy, Eito glanced at her and let out a sigh.

“…You’re impossible.”

♦

“Don’t… trust… Spriggan… too much…!”

The words that the injured Kouji had left behind for Youka and Miya yesterday lingered in Youka’s heart like a knot that wouldn’t unravel.
Today, Kouji didn’t come to school. Most likely because of the injuries he sustained. While Youka and Miya were discussing whether they should visit him at home, they realized that neither of them actually knew where Kouji lived, so the idea was dropped entirely.

Miya had to attend the calligraphy club today, so Youka walked home alone. But once she arrived and sat by herself in the quiet of her house, Kouji’s parting words came back to her chest, weighing on her heart.

(Why would Kounomiya-kun say something like that…?)

Bathed in the orange light of the setting sun streaming through the window, Youka pondered the thought. Because Kouji had been injured yesterday, she hadn’t gotten the chance to ask him for the reason.

—Incidentally, Kouji had insisted on walking home by himself. Even when Youka and Miya offered to help him back, he firmly refused.

Spriggan was the one who had saved her—and yesterday, had even saved Miya. He was their benefactor. And yet Kouji had told them not to trust him. Why?

(Spriggan… You’re okay, right?)

Spriggan had helped them escape from that terrifying enemy, the Darkian. No—maybe he had his own reasons to fight and they’d simply gotten in the way. But at the very least, he had made sure they got away safely.

That Darkian—he had called himself Feliet—was unimaginably strong. So much so that Youka had felt certain that she, Miya, and Kouji would never have stood a chance.

Youka believed that Spriggan wouldn’t go down so easily, but there was no way for her to confirm whether he was safe or not.

“Where are you right now…? What are you doing, Spriggan…?”

With a faint ache in her heart, Youka looked up at the sky outside her window, now painted in shades of orange.

♦

Meanwhile, that very same Spriggan was eating Tokyo Banana at a tea party with Soleil.