“Cut the crap! What do you want?!”

“Oh, you’ve gotten braver too! What a sight!~ I’m glad you are doing well!~”

“After what you did to me!? You are now saying that you are glad!?”

“Sorry, sorry! But… if you have not survived that night, then that proves the good side of karma isn’t with you and you are worthless. It was a blind bet you know!”

“You!”

“And it was really rare for a fourteenth… no, the fifteenth hero to be summoned at this revision time. So I thought that everything’s going to be more exciting! But… I don’t like the way you do things.”

“You kept blabbering things I don’t understand!”

“Basically, it’s not good that you are acting like a side character Asagao! You don’t have enough impact!”

“What I am now, what I am doing is none of your concern…”

“Are you really saying that? Hahaha! Hilarious!”

“…”

“What I want you to be, is a fitting protagonist for this story!”

I don’t understand his point and I don’t want to.

Protagonist?

To hell with that! I am not that kind of a person with the strong power nor a person with befitting personality…

“I know what you are thinking Asagao-. To be honest, I don’t need anymore OP characters. Yes, they are strong. Yes, they are main protagonist material. But at this point in time, they are useless for me. They will never ever solve the problem this world is facing. But you…. hehehe… I’m giving out too many spoilers!”

“Problem? What the hell… aren’t you… the problem here?!”

“I see, you still haven’t got the bigger picture here. Hey, I heard you are trying to argue with Als earlier about the moon. You can see it, right? The giant red moon.”

“If so, what then?!”

“Nothing, nothing! All I can say is that normal people, even heroes, can’t see it! Even Als here.”

“Als… You have been casually calling Alstroe like that! What do you th--!”

“I know everything about her.”

“Eh!”

“At one point, we became lovers. The other time, we are friends. The other time, we are adventuring buddies. One time, I killed her with my own hands. I can say much more and I can tell you many things about her… Als has nothing to do with every shits happening in this world!!!”

“Stop lying!”

“Hahaha! Well, that’s the right reaction!”

What does he want to do!? A trick? A susceptible lie? What bigger picture?! What’s his aim?

“You look so confused and in despair! Ahhh!~ That was the best expression!”

“Best…expression?”

“I like it when you do that face that loses all hope! And your anger earlier was a good spice too! I was glad you didn’t mature much in the time we are together! Now I can get a good look at your face!”

“You’re… here just for that?!”

“No. This time, I need you to grow the fuck up. Or you can side with me. I heard your supposed big brother… left you in disgust!”

“H-how did you know?!”

“Does it matter how? The thing is Asagao~ I am willing to accept you, whatever you are, whatever form you take, whatever circumstances you are in. That’s how I deeply care for you.”

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

“…”

“So, what do you say?”

“Accept…me?”

“Yes, yes. I will. I don’t care if you don’t become the protagonist that I wanted you to be, as long as we can be together.”

“I am… wanted?”

Nil’s words… had such an impact on me…

Sooner or later… I’ll be alone again…

Sooner or later… no one will want me…

If… and if… what he say… is true… if… if he… is willing to accept me… as I am… with no boundaries of what I may be or what I look like…

“I will take care of you. I will protect you from all the pain you don’t like. As long as… you are with me… in this cycle of suffering… I will be fine too.”

I feel like… his words… are sincere and honest… his gentle eyes, warmly looks at me. He outstretched his hand to reach out for me. Nil’s hand approaches me slowly trying to try to gently pat me on the head…

I want to feel comforted…

I don’t want to be in pain anymore…

.

.

.

But not this way! I don’t want to be protected anymore too.

[Barrier!] [Force!]

"Whoa!”

I quickly cast barrier and force to throw him off but, Nil just jumps backward, far away from me. I grab the crying and sobbing Alstroe to my chest as if to protect her with my body. Nil sprouted a sad smile at me.

“I have treasured friends beside me. I don’t want them to be hurt or sad. I am going to see through everything until the end! Until my own demise! I don’t want to give up my remaining sanity to a madman like you! Everything is your fault! I won’t bid to your sweet words! I won’t! I won’t! I won’t! I won’t!!”

“Okay. I get it, I get it. You are refusing me with all your might. I am really sad though. But to think that you have such will. I underestimated you.”

I don’t want that! I am not going to be sway by his words! I am not that weak-willed girl he trampled two months ago! I won’t break down anymore!

Suddenly, one of those dark portal Nil used appears on his back. From there, two figures come out from it.

One is a well-built man in an imposing emerald armor with a sharp gaze from his green eyes with a slit in the middle like a cat. There are scales in his jaw. His hair is rough blond that styled with braid flowing from his left shoulder.

The other one is a woman with yellow eyes with a bobbed brown hair. A single horn sticks out in the middle of her forehead. She is lightly dressed emphasizing her well-endowed body with a combination of a high slit long skirt showing her flawless soft thigh. Her breast is moderate in size.

The two of them got on their knee in salutation.

“Lord Nil, we humbly apologize for following you in our own discretion.”

“Lord Nil!~ Please don’t leave me behind like that!~”

“Tsk. You two are ruining my fun here. Well anyway, you two introduce yourselves to the girl over there.”

“”As you will, Lord Nil!””

The two people that abruptly appeared, walks towards me. My senses tell me that they are not normal and their strength is in another league.

“Don’t come closer!”

“As you wish, little lady. Well then, I shall introduce myself first. I am Cr’thgor, from the lineage of long deceased Krothgir, the Black Dragon Warlord that the brother of Mrothgir that is known as the White Dragon Sage. In the order of Arcana Sins, I am the current Arcana of Pride. I am pleased to meet the girl who gives Lord Nil joy and happiness.”

“I am Sistina Everland, a demon kin from the clan of Oni. I don’t have any lineage like this fool here. In the order of Arcana Sins, I am the current Arcana of Lust and Lord Nil number one lover! Just so you know, I hate you for taking Lord Nil’s attention.”

The two introduced their selves which I really don’t care.

Quickly after their announcement, a yellow beam and a large disintegrating beam fires off at their direction which they readily dodge.

“Asagao!!!”

“Higan! Master!”

Master, in his large monstrous dragon form, came, and on top of him is Higan riding, holding her umbrella. They landed beside us.

“The rats finally came out. It was annoying that the two of you are watching from afar. Am I really that scary?”

“I don’t know who you are, but you are certainly giving off a dangerous aura that it makes my inside quiver. And you, a descendant of Krothgir, are you on this man’s side?”

Master spoke with the man in emerald. The man only looks at master

“Asagao, what happened to Alstroe?”

“I don’t know… but because of that man there, she became like this…”

“Unforgivable. To bully Alstroe and Asagao!”

“My idiot disciples, it’s only us here. We have to split the battle. I have to take on the dragon and the demon.  Try to hold yourselves against that man. Can you do it?”

“”Yes!””

“Okay. Just don’t be too reckless. We don’t have any information about how strong they are. Proceed with caution.”

Master, upon arrival, draw up an immediate plan to execute. I am confident about master’s strength. But if he says that he feel’s Nil is dangerous too, we have to be extra careful. With Higan here, we might pull it out.

[Divine Ascension!]

Higan turns into a nine tailed again. I am confident of Higan’s power. I have to set aside my mental turmoil and focus on this battle to come. Higan’s power right now is overflowing and brimming after the pillar of light resides. It seems the ascension adjusts to her power and increases it by her own limits.

It’s really convenient.

With a smile on his face, Nil smiles at me using Divine Ascension. The man in emerald and the oni girl kneel down in front of Nil. 

They then spoke.

“Lord Nil, we are going to intercept the White Dragon Sage.”

“Oh? That’s a problem you know. Even if you two try to fight him, you two will either lose badly because of difference in experience or get overpowered because you two are underprepared against him.”

“No, problem, please use that too on us.”

“Gahahahaha! Yes, yes! I know where you are getting at! You really like boasting, aren’t you!? You are really the Arcana of Pride!”

After their conversation, Nil breathes deeply. He put both of his hand on the two who is kneeling down. After a few seconds…

[Divine Ascension]

Suddenly, a dark light envelopes the two like an eggshell. The dark lights spill all over the place as it floats in the ground. The starry night sky is filled with purplish dark clouds that look like a disaster is about to come. 

After a few more seconds, the eggshell-like darkness begins to cracks. Then it breaks. 

What came out is the two people earlier, with now dark insignia like Higan, behind them…

Nil… just used Divine Ascension…

And he used it to two people at the same time.