The news of Celestia’s kidnapping sent my mind into a flash-boil before it plunged into a sub-zero chill.
Keep it together. Stay calm.
Just... calm down.
It took an iron will to suppress the urge to flip the table and bolt out of the room. If I lost my composure now, I’d fail as a stepping stone. No matter how much blood I spat during my training, I could never show a pathetic side like that to Reiji.
Still, I couldn't afford to be leisurely.
Where was she? Who were the culprits? A thousand questions burned in my mind, but... damn it, I couldn't let Reiji see me worrying about her. What was the point of pushing her away this far if I was just going to break character now?
"Who kidnapped Tia!?" Reiji shouted, asking exactly what I needed to know.
Nice job, Reiji! You really are the best!
『Do you actually like the boy?』
It wasn’t so much "liking" him as it was being a fan. Not of the current Reiji, mind you—I was a fan of the Reiji from the rightful future, the man who would eventually become a true hero.
"The culprits were reportedly obscured by indigo cloaks; their identities are unknown. They are currently fleeing through the southern forest," the servant reported.
He stole a glance at me. No doubt he expected me to spring to my feet and rush to her aid if I had even a shred of conscience left.
But I couldn't. I was the villain Reiji was destined to defeat.
Therefore, I had only one choice.
"Hmph. My appetite is gone. I’m going back to my room."
"W-Wait, Claude! Tia’s been taken!"
"You’re quite noisy for a commoner," I said, not even bothering to look at him. "Taken, you say? Honestly, it’s a relief. That woman was nothing but a nuisance to me."
Leaving it at that, I walked out of the dining hall. Reiji screamed something at my back, but I pretended not to hear. Every second was precious now.
All right. Time to go save Celestia.
『Wouldn't it be wise to hide your identity?』
Good point.
I remembered an old cloak in the storage room. It was covered in dust, so I doubted anyone would miss it. Desperate times called for desperate measures, so I’d help myself.
As a stepping stone, I couldn't be seen playing the hero for Celestia. I was the villain. I was the enemy. If I was going to save her, I had to do it from the shadows.
The storage room was near the punishment room in the basement. As I headed down the stairs, I spotted a maid walking down the hallway with unsteady steps.
"...Chesa?"
"Ah... M-Master Claude..."
She looked absolutely terrified. I’d run into her at the worst possible time.
"What are you doing here? Are you looking for a trip to the punishment room?"
"N-No...! My apologies...!"
Chesa fled up the stairs in a panic. Well, at least I managed to drive her off.
I ducked into the storage room and found several suitable cloaks. I picked a jet-black long coat that would blend into the night and a white mask to hide my face—likely a relic from some old masquerade ball.
Once I had my gear, I slipped out of a first-floor window and finished my disguise behind the cover of the garden's flowerbeds.
The enemy was in the forest. Finding them might take some time.
『It can't be helped. You'd best get moving.』
"No kidding."
I activated Dark Arma and cast myself into the darkness of the night.
I sprinted through the dense, gloomy woods south of the capital. Spotting the flickering light of torches, I headed straight for the source.
"Who goes there!?"
The men holding the torches were a group of five, all clad in indigo cloaks and heavily armed. They matched the description the servant had given perfectly.
These were the enemies.
"Zest!"
『On it!』
I channeled mana into my right arm, manifesting Zest. I swung the jet-black blade with everything I had.
"Gwah!"
"Y-You—!"
I tried to wipe out all five with a single dark slash, but two managed to withstand the blow. They weren't amateurs.
—Dark Arma.
I pushed my mobility to the limit and closed the gap.
"Eek! So fast!?"
"You're just slow."
I delivered a brutal kick to one man's back. A dull crack echoed through the trees as he was sent flying into a trunk. I immediately spun on my heel and cut down the final man. He collapsed without even a whimper.
Looking down at the five bodies on the ground, I let out a small sigh of relief.
Surprisingly, I could actually do this. Claude’s talent was the real deal.
『As if it's just talent,』 Zest’s voice rang in my head. 『This is the result of your own grit—swinging your sword tens of thousands of times in that cramped, dark basement.』
Is that so? Well, maybe it is. I knew I’d pushed myself to an insane degree, but my motivation was far from healthy.
『It's the guilt, isn't it?』
Yeah. To be a stepping stone, I had to keep hurting people. I felt like I had to hurt myself just as much to balance the scales. Like a twisted form of atonement.
『You really are a piece of work.』
"Reiji’s the only one who needs to be 'healthy' in this story."
More importantly, I looked at the men I’d defeated. Indigo cloaks and a strange crest on their chests. I’d seen them before—in the vision of the rightful future Fate had shown me. They were the enemies Reiji was supposed to fight.
『It's the Order.』
The Order? Did Zest know them? I’d been dying to find out. Who were these enemies Reiji was destined to defeat? What was this "Evil God" that was supposed to destroy the world?
『To put it simply, it is a new myth.』
"A myth? Like Fate?"
『Correct. But fundamentally different. The Order seeks to artificially create a mythos—an Artificial Mythos. They intend to use it to overwrite and erase the existing myths of this world.』
I see. So, a plan to create a God-slaying God.
Wait... I don't get it at all! Why would anyone want to do that? And what does it have to do with kidnapping Celestia?
『I haven't a clue. Lord Fate only gave me the bare essentials.』
"You're useless."
『I'm still more useful than you!』
I ignored Zest's grumbling and tried to organize the situation. I could interrogate these guys, but that would take too long. Information was a luxury I couldn't afford right now. Saving Celestia was the only thing that mattered.
Just as the thought crossed my mind—my eye throbbed.
"Guh...!"
My vision distorted. The colors of the world inverted, and a static-filled image flooded my brain. It was the Master Eye. Was I approaching a crossroad of destiny?
The vision played out regardless of my confusion. It was a stone building—likely the ruins of a fortress used in an old war. I wasn't in the vision. Instead, I saw a blood-and-mud-stained Reiji cradling Celestia's cold, lifeless body.
Tia...? No...
The Reiji in the vision let out a gut-wrenching scream, his sorrow curdling into an intense, white-hot rage.
—I won't forgive them!
—I'll kill them! I’ll avenge her if it’s the last thing I do!
A brilliant golden light erupted from Reiji’s body. It was his awakening. Triggered by the death of the person he loved most, the boy had evolved into a hero. His hatred for the Order and his regret for his own weakness would become the whetstones that sharpened his soul.
The vision snapped shut, and the world regained its color. So that was the choice ahead.
In the original timeline, Celestia was destined to die here. Her death was the spark required to forge Reiji into a hero. Reiji was kind, but that kindness was just the flip side of a lack of resolve. Losing his benefactor would finally give him the desperate determination he needed.
That was the script for the world as it should be. A necessary sacrifice to stop the Evil God.
"...Don't give me that crap."
I grit my teeth. I would never accept a fate like that.
I knew where she was now: the fortress ruins. I activated Dark Arma and prepared to bolt.
『Stop, Claude,』 Zest warned. 『Why do you think Lord Fate is showing you this? It's because this is the easiest path. Celestia dying here drastically increases the odds of the world being saved.』
"Shut up. Say that again and I’ll rip my own arm off just to throw you away."
『I'm not saying this for fun! Listen! If you defy fate, there will be a price! If you save Celestia now, Reiji loses his chance to awaken!』
"Maybe. But Celestia is part of the world I want to protect!"
What did Zest think I was doing all this for? Why was I playing the villain? It was to save Chesa, Reiji, my parents... and Celestia.
『Are you going to let the world burn because of your feelings?』
"No! But I refuse to live in a world that requires a girl to die just to be saved! If all we need is for Reiji to awaken, then I’ll just have to provide the spark myself!"
『What?』
"I'll be the catalyst. I'll make Reiji hate me so much that it replaces the grief of losing her. I’ll make him despise me as much as he’d despise the people who killed her. That should work, right?"
『The logic holds, but...』
"Zest, listen close, because I'm only saying this once. I'm done failing to reach out. I've spent long enough regretting the times I was too afraid to act. I’m never doing that again."
『Is that... a memory from your past life?』
"Yeah. So you're coming with me. I want to save the world, but I’m not going to be a puppet for the 'Rightful Timeline.' I’ll save this world on my own terms. That’s what it means to be a Proud Stepping Stone."
『...Hmph. Fine then. Let’s see you struggle.』
The moment Zest finished speaking, a massive shadow slammed down in front of me. The ground groaned and trees were vaporized by the sheer force of the impact. As the dust settled, a hideous creature stood before me—a grotesque patchwork of a lion and a snake.
『I wondered what that strange mana was. A Chimera. It seems the Order brought along a formidable pet.』
"You noticed this thing and didn't tell me?"
『Of course I noticed. I am a useful Holy Sword, after all.』
"Don't get petty with me now!"
『Just so you know, that Chimera is stronger than you. Are you really going through with this?』
"Yeah. If it’s to save her. If her survival is a sin... then I’ll shoulder all that distortion and karma myself!"