What We Fight For

‘What kind of commotion is this now.’

At first, I had no intention of intervening whatsoever.

They aren’t evil people. Their beliefs are simply misguided. I thought there was no reason to concern myself with that.

But the next moment, they made a mistake. With their misguided beliefs, they intimidated Anne. They dared to look upon my flames and call them sinister.

That alone was already sufficiently unpleasant. From there, they finally crossed the line. They went beyond intimidating Anne and tried to harm her.

There are things one must endure and things one must not. I was certain that now was the latter.

Anne. Listen carefully to what I say from now on. There is only one way to resolve this situation. Show those people who I am and make it known to them.

I immediately conveyed my will to Anne. Don’t hide anymore. Tell them about me. I even told her to say she would let them meet me.

But instead, Anne hesitated. She asked if we really had to do that.

Even though she herself might be in immediate danger, the girl was thinking of me before herself.

I was grateful. That’s why I couldn’t pretend not to know anymore. Since I saved her with my feather, she is under my protection.

As long as that child doesn’t harm anyone first, Anne will be under my wing for eternity.

Don’t worry, and bring them before me. To the lakeside where you and I first met.

I conveyed my will to Anne and waited. Compared to the time I had spent so far, it was but an instant. But that instant felt impossibly long.

The next day, at dawn, Anne appeared at the lake. Behind her, she brought twelve priests.

These were the very ones who had intimidated Anne yesterday. I wondered if they might be disguised villains, but that wasn’t the case.

Quite absurdly, they truly do follow a god. However, their actions are hardly sacred.

If we delayed any longer, those people would abuse Anne again. I didn’t want to see that sight, so I had her guide them here. From now on, this is entirely my time.

‘Despite coming right up close, they haven’t noticed me at all.’

I thought they were special humans with impressive presence, but now I see they’re even less perceptive than Anne. My interest wanes. That emotion was mixed in as I spoke.

I heard you were looking for me.

I was curious what kind of questions they would ask. Since they serve a god, wouldn’t they be somewhat better? When other people see me, they’re usually paralyzed with fear…

“Brothers and sisters!”

At one priest’s words, the rest step forward in unison. Anyone could see their intention to attack was clear. What filled their eyes was, as expected, fear. I shouldn’t have had expectations. It only makes me feel more betrayed.

“Sinister thing!”

A priest on the left shouts. The moment I saw him, several scenes appeared before my eyes.

A person suffering. A person crying out their innocence. A person who confesses despite having committed no crime.

These were someone’s memories. Someone’s nightmares. And that man was the beginning and source of it all.

‘You won’t do.’ He’s not evil, yet more evil than anyone else. I don’t know about the others, but I must punish him. There are too many tears and blood spilled by those hands.

“I’ll immediately deal with you… Kgh, kgaaah!”

Since he’s not completely evil, I can’t purify him. I can only give an appropriate warning with heat like this.

Heat shot from my feathers brands a mark. Punishing one who is a sinner yet not a sinner.

If he causes pain to innocent people in the future, I guarantee he will suffer twice the pain in return.

‘Hmm?’

I turned my head toward a gaze looking at me. A strange person was staring at me.

His eyes had no black pupils. Only whites. He didn’t avert his gaze, as if trying to confirm something.

‘He’s not looking at the exterior.’

I understand. That person can peer into the inner self. I don’t know how it’s possible, but I can sense it.

But unfortunately, he chose the wrong opponent. There are things one may see and things one must not. He chose the latter and paid the price.

“Heuugh!” “How dare you harm our brothers…!”

Another priest reveals hostility. A pure white light rests in his hand. Soon it becomes a long spear aimed at me.

“Today will be the same! God is with us!”

Tsk. I clicked my tongue and lightly flapped my wings. The spear immediately turned to ash and scattered in the wind.

Light advances to illuminate darkness. I’m not on that side. It has no effect on me at all.

Thinking I was roughly done, I descended toward the priests. I intended to talk things through nicely and wrap up.

“Sister Helica! Please! This is a being we cannot handle! Your power… we need God’s help!”

God’s help?

“Oh! God! Descend before us!” 

“Descend!” 

“Come down to this land and defeat your servants’ enemy!”

“Defeat them!”

The priests chant their prayers in resounding voices. Wondering what they were doing, I quietly observed for a moment.

In an instant, the world turned completely white. At the same time, everything came to a complete stop.

The priests too. Anne too. Birds and insects. Sunlight. Clouds. The wind over the lake.

[Who dares touch my believers?!]

[Let me see the face of whatever sinister thing this is.]

In that stopped world, only one thing moved.

The woman, the priest called Helica. No. Now it was a being that was not human.

I feel an aura similar to Blue Sky. But Blue Sky herself hasn’t come.

‘Another god like her, perhaps.’

The first thing that came to mind was an unpleasant encounter. Blue Sky, who destroyed the sanctuary I had used for over a century.

As that memory surfaced, displeasure washed over me. I unconsciously distorted my expression.

[What? Could this be a corrupted Phoenix?]

The god borrowing a human body looks at me. At first, there was quite a confident air about her.

[…Eh?]

But soon, when our eyes met, she let out a sigh. I’m sorry to say this to that god, but she seems a bit foolish.

Are you the god of those humans?

When a child does wrong, an adult apologizes. When believers do wrong, their god must make amends.

That’s what I believe without a doubt. I spread my wings wide and approached the god.

[W-wait a moment. You… no, I mean… you. Could it be?]

This wasn’t the solemn voice I heard just before. It was a bouncy voice full of girlish sensibility.

What do you intend to do about the things those humans did, claiming it was your will?

[Was what Blue Sky said actually true?!]

Whether I speak or not, she has no interest. She’s just busy talking to herself.

I was already in a rather foul mood. On top of that, being ignored made my mood even lower.

Hey. Can’t you hear me?

[Th-this is bad. I still have so much to learn…]

I have no idea what she’s muttering about by herself. She looks just like a baby bird that’s just emerged into the world.

[I-I’ll come back later!]

What? Hey. What are you…

――Thud!

The body the god had descended into collapsed powerlessly. The divine aura disappeared as if it had never been there. Simultaneously, the stopped world began moving again. Sunlight. Clouds. Wind. Birds and insects. The priests Anne had brought. Everything.

So. The god ran away without looking back.

“…Huh?”

“Wh-what?”

The priests’ faces became dazed.

The god disappeared and the female priest collapsed. That seemed to have been their last resort.

“Th-this doesn’t make sense. Why…”

“The divine aura has disappeared. Disappeared!”

“O Radiance! Do you forsake these servants!”

They wail toward the sky, then bury their heads in the ground. They repeat this several times. Blood flows from their foreheads.

I remember there being more anger at first. But watching that spectacle, I can only sigh.

If they were complete villains, I would have purified them long ago. Since they’re not, it feels wrong to bring down flames.

‘Since it’s come to this, I’ll just educate them myself.’

The one who should take responsibility has run away. Then I can do as I please.

I fold my wings and land on the ground. The priests recoil in terror.

All the fighting spirit that burned before has vanished. Now they are all just human beings.

There is only one reason your god doesn’t answer. Because you have walked an unrighteous path.

“Wh-what do you mean by that?”

The one who tried to throw a spear at me speaks up. If nothing else, her mental fortitude is remarkable.

I have examined your memories. There was no understanding or mercy in them.

“We… we have always acted according to God’s will…”

Is that truly God’s will?

If I let them go like this, nothing will change. There’s even the possibility they’ll become more twisted.

“We have! We have slain evil beings! We have been more faithful than anyone!”

“We prevented suffering caused by them!”

It’s not a lie. Indeed, they certainly made efforts. Just like how humans defeated the Demon Dragon. The priests also contributed to peace by killing evil things. But what good is it if there are innocent people among them?

Behold. See how many flames you have extinguished. Repent. Count how many lives you have trampled.

I spread my wings, scatter my feathers, and show them.

Their own past that they couldn’t fully see. The perspectives of innocent people they failed to consider.

“…Ah. Ahhh!”

“I… I did such things…”

Clutching their faces and tearing at their hair, it didn’t take very long.

Eradicating and destroying evil to protect and promote good. Eida had confidence in that much, at least.

There were some things that bothered her, it was true. There were times they were extreme. Times when good and evil were ambiguous. Still, she continued forward believing this was ultimately right.

But that was a delusion. It was arrogance. She regarded what she saw from his own perspective as everything.

It was narrow-minded behavior beyond measure. How dare she, a mere human, judge so carelessly.

“Ahh…”

What was more cursed was that she had known. At some point, the Order had become corrupted.

In the past, they truly acted purely for the sake of good. Now it has become hypocrisy mixed with all sorts of gains and calculations. In that process, good was distorted and evil was created. Yet why didn’t she resist?

Because she believed evil would flourish if the Order collapsed? Because she thought this was how to maintain the path of good?

‘I was wrong. From the very beginning, this shouldn’t have happened.’

When she saw them going down the wrong path, she should have stopped them. Not by watching. Not by staying silent. At that very moment, she should have become a true servant of God and cried out.

‘What on earth was I fighting for?’

This is not right. This is not good. This absolutely cannot be called an Order. Why did we only look at the Order? The Order is merely a tool; it should never become the purpose.

‘What were we truly fighting for?’

We were wrong. We must repent. We must go down a better path, a more righteous path.

The prosperity of the Order is not what matters. The peace of the world. That alone is everything.

Even if we destroy a hundred evils, if there is one innocence among them, how could that be the path of light?

At the gentle voice, she barely manages to raise her body. The most dignified being in the world stands before her eyes.

I ask you. Will you have me as a torch to guide you? Or will you have me as a fearsome fire that burns you?

Eida slowly bowed her head. Since God asks, a servant must rightfully answer.