※This is a story about Erna and Cliff.
“Erna-san! Are you sure about this?”
“About what?”
“Because Kaine-san intends to fight alone!”
“…I know. But if that’s what she wants, there’s nothing we can do.”
“Don’t you realize?! Kaine-san pushed us away for our sake… to keep us from getting involved!”
“…I know that! But what can we do?! When Gald-san died, I was terrifyingly calm, even to myself. Kaine-san mourned his death and was furious, but I…”
Before she knew it, tears were streaming down Erna’s face.
“I was sad too… but more than that, I was thinking about where the culprit was, why Gald-san was killed… things like that. I’m the ‘Hero,’ you know. Since coming to this country, I’ve been taught so many things that I hate. How to defeat monsters, how to acquire Skills, how to stay calm even when comrades die…”
“Was that… was every day something you wanted to escape from, Erna-san?”
“…I’ve been getting stronger to save someone’s life. I’ve come this far thinking that. So I had no regrets. But today I realized… I can’t even shed tears for my comrades anymore! I’m just a selfish person who can’t save anyone in the end.”
“That’s not true. No one can save everyone, not even the Hero-sama from fairy tales. Now, shall we go to Kaine-san’s side?”
“But… if someone like me is by her side, I’ll only hurt her…”
“Everyone feels that way. Erna-san, you say you’re selfish, but you’re actually more considerate of others than anyone else… everyone knows that, you know? Me, Kaine-san… and Gald-san too.”
“…Do you think she’ll forgive me?”
“I don’t know. That’s not something I should answer. But I can say this for sure. Kaine-san must want to apologize to you right now, you know?”
“W-Why?”
“Kaine-san pushed us away to prevent us from getting hurt. Even though it was for our sake, I’m sure she thinks she did something terrible. Erna-san, you said terrible things to Kaine-san and pushed her away because you thought you shouldn’t be by her side, right?”
“!”
“…In the end, you two are alike. On the surface, the lively Kaine-san and the demure Erna-san seem like they wouldn’t get along, but you’ve never even had a fight. I think you understood each other on a fundamental level.”
Hearing those words, Erna was startled and wiped away her tears.
“You’re right… then let’s go! To Kaine-san’s side!”
The two head off. To the side of their lifelong companion…