I froze, struck by unexpected words.
In that opening, she shook the blade from her shoulder and retreated in an instant.
I stood rooted, unable to pursue.
The torrential rain chilled my heart.
Amid my scattered thoughts, I managed to force out a question.
"What are you saying?"
"I am not the exceptional hero you imagine."
She confessed.
Her expression seemed almost... relieved.
Though blood soaked her clothes from the wound on her shoulder, she showed no sign of pain.
She spoke without even flinching.
"Let me be clear. The world is hopelessly ugly... so much so that no one could complain if it perished."
"I..."
This time, I was truly rendered speechless.
I stumbled, nearly slipping in the mud.
I caught myself, but my composure was gone.
She watched me from where she stood.
"Surprised? You didn't think I harbored such thoughts, did you?"
"When did you start thinking this way?"
"Before I began this journey with you."
Her answer struck me with a shock that seemed to twist my memories at their core.
It was an unexpected truth.
A side of the Hero I never knew.
Despite being together all this time, I understood nothing.
Perhaps I was just obtuse, but she had surely hidden it with great skill.
"I was certainly more disappointed with the world than anyone. And yet, I aspired to become a symbol of hope."
"...Why?"
"Because without that resolve, I would have wanted to destroy everything."
She spoke in a voice of chilling clarity.
For an instant, a dark gleam shone in her eyes.
It was a gaze that sent shivers down my spine.
It vanished almost immediately.
As she spread her arms wide, she said:
"Even in a world like this, true justice is sought. Through the role of Hero, I wanted to bring forth the goodness in people."
That was undoubtedly her true feeling.
The Savior Hero had left behind numerous anecdotes during her journey.
She performed acts of assistance everywhere, raising her renown.
Despite despairing of the world, she was the first to extend a helping hand.
"When I was executed in the Valley of the Dead, I was also considering the world's future. If the Demon Lord and the Hero both disappeared, conflict among humans would surely erupt. And it has come to pass quite spectacularly."
"Were you wishing for humanity's self-destruction?"
When I asked her, she shook her head in denial.
The downpour was growing even heavier.
Despite her voice being nearly drowned out, she continued her confession.
"I placed my hope in the world's self-purifying nature. That those wounded by war, through their suffering, would come to respect and acknowledge one another. I believed a future independent of the Demon King or the Hero was the path to true peace."
"But what if self-purification fails and the world perishes?"
"If that happens, then so be it. I think it would be fine if it perished."
She delivered that radical answer with a smile.
I know she is not the type to joke.
In truth, the gaze she fixed on me insisted it was no lie.
She, who had defeated the Demon King, had accepted the world's destruction.
"Hero, you..."
I nearly collapsed to my knees, bracing myself by driving my sword into the ground.
The mental shock was too great.
A fierce wave of revulsion accompanied it.
If I had a human body, I would have vomited the contents of my stomach.
"You gave up on humanity's inherent goodness and dedicated yourself to preserving the world. I believed in humanity's inherent goodness and allowed for the world's destruction. Our desire for peace was the same, but there, we differed fundamentally."
As she finished speaking, she took a step forward.
There, my sword flashed in a swift arc.
A clean, unhesitating slash cut through the air, momentarily halting the surrounding rain.
However, the rain resumed almost immediately, as if washing over the scene once more.
Gazing up at the overcast sky, she turned her gaze back to me.
"If you would call my actions an 'evil of salvation', then perhaps I am a 'justice of destruction'. Quite an ironic tableau, wouldn't you say?"