LV999 Villager - Volume 3 - Chapter 13.01

Chapter 13, Part 1

I won’t Give up on Anything

「You’re idiots…… How can  you even believe that you have any chance of winning?」

Mary muttered in a daze as she looked at the battlefield at the bottom of the cliff, which had become much more chaotic. It been barely a little more than ten minutes since the group went out to fight against the mini Messiahs, that moved through the ruins of the city from one side to another trying to catch the  Beast’s Fangs•Kemono Kiba-zoku• while avoiding Kagami and the others.

The situation clearly looked disadvantageous for the group, even from the distance that the two of them were. Yuki could see how the mini Messiahs, which were able to easily find the  Beast’s Fangs•Kemono Kiba-zoku• hiding in buildings using the Digders capable of detecting thermal signals with which they were equipped, were obstructed by Kagami and the others, who were trying to buy time from the  Beast’s Fangs•Kemono Kiba-zoku• for them to escape.

Currently, everyone had been forced to be on the defensive against the great magic weapons that the Mini Messiahs they had equipped in their right arms, with which they could launch powerful and devastating attacks at long range. Fortunately, the  Beast’s Fangs•Kemono Kiba-zoku• had recognized the Mini Messiahs as the most dangerous enemy, which had made them decide to temporarily cooperate with the group. However, instead of working alongside Kagami and the rest to launch an attack together, they simply weren’t attacking them.

「Damn…… What do I do now? What am I supposed to do in this situation?」

Mary couldn’t help feeling uneasy at the scene unfolding in front of her.

『Why have you… been fighting by yourself? If you wanted, you could have asked us for help, you know? Instead, you just decided to behave hostilely…… No, I suppose you couldn’t have just appeared and started to calmly talk about this, but…… why?』

The motive behind Kagami’s actions was unknown. However, Mary believed that it was useless to think about it considering that it was very likely that they would reject him due to the stereotypes in which she and others believed.

However, Kagami’s response was much simpler than that.

『I don’t know who my enemy could be』

In the same way that they didn’t trust Kagami, he didn’t trust them either. In that moment, Mary remembered something her parents had told her long ago. 「If you want to trust someone, you must first trust yourself, and then trust others. If you don’t trust yourself, the rest won’t trust you either…… It’s that simple」. It was a problem that affected all humans.

『Are you hinting that Resistance has something to do with all this? That’s …… Don’t joke with me! Can’t you see how desperate we are trying to get back this world?』

Mary couldn’t admit an idea like that. She trusted the members of Resistance. She didn’t want to think about the possibility that there might be some traitor among the people she had been fighting alongside for so long.

『Of course, I think it’s normal to act like this, even if it was something very unlikely. And I’m not just suspicious of the guys from Resistance. I’m suspicious of everyone, that’s why I hid until the others arrived. It would be my end if I decided to open up to someone and this person turned out to be the mastermind, wouldn’t it? I might as well have been stabbed in the back the instant I decided to trust any of you 』

Mary was convinced by that explanation. She probably would have thought the same had she been in his position.

『Then why…… are you showing us this?』

However, that also raised other doubts.

『Because I’m an idiot. I’m actually a bigger idiot than Yuki. Honestly, I feel like I’m still just a brat, acting on a whim without stopping to think about the consequences』

『An-An idiot you say?』

[I’m an idiot. But you are no different. Only an idiot could try to take back the world back by putting her life in the way when she’s not even an adult. The only thing I feel when I see Resistance trying to take the world back with such a stupid plan is wanting to hit them over the head. Isn’t it normal to want to trust someone like that?』

Mary, who was flooded by a torrent of indescribable emotions, could only moan in shame after hearing those words. However, these words also made her feel a bit happy. She was sure that Kagami hadn’t trusted her at first. Yet it was clear that he had been doing his best to change that in order to believe in her. He was watching her as he faced his enemies. He was determining if she was someone trustworthy. Mary couldn’t help but feel happy when she understood that he had recognized her worth.

No matter how good a shooter she was, everyone had always seen her as nothing more than a mere child.

『I just want to save the world. My purpose is simple and I move with only one goal in mind. Save this world to return to Earth Clear as quickly as possible and live there peacefully. That’s it』

Then, Kagami jumped to the bottom of the cliff with Pitta and Oboromaru.

…… Now that I think about it, I have the impression that the reason he wasn’t really alarmed when we entered the tend was because he planned to take us with him from the beginning. Honestly, that makes me feel a bit happy. But that doesn’t mean that I will forget everything he did so far.

「Mary-chan, what are you planning to do now?」

「Wait here and see what happens. None of this would make sense if they end up dying down there. So I’ll see if they really have enough power to survive this world. Also, if I were with them, it would only be a burden」

「I see, then I guess I’ll stay here too. It’s not like I can leave you alone. Also, someone must stay close to protect you, Mary-chan 」

Yuki said while smiling.

However, Mary was still not sure if that was the correct option. Even if she left things as they were and Kagami just ended up dying now, she would definitely be unable to continue fighting like she had been doing until now.

But, it was clear that she could do absolutely nothing even if she went alongside them. At that moment, Kagami and the others, who were in the middle of the battlefield, finally began their counterattack, which was clearly noticeable when Mini Messiahs‘ magic weapon-equipped arm fell to the ground.

「Hey, Mary…… Don’t you think that you’re Skill may let you use that?」