The two of them brought me to a small house. It’s a ways away from the center of the city, close to the wall.
“Well, this is far as the two of us go.”
“Good luck, Yuria. Hopefully we’ll meet again!”
“Huh? Wait-“
The two of them suddenly left, leaving me standing there alone. Uh, what am I supposed to do now? The two of them brought me here with no explanation and then left. What am I supposed to do… I thought. Then, I heard a rattling noise from inside the house, and the door opened.
“Oh… My apologies, I seem to have kept you waiting. Well, Yuria, please enter.”
“Oh, uh…excuse me, then.”
I entered the house. The inside was so modest that it was hard to believe someone actually lived there. The house had only a chair and a desk for furniture, along with a single bed in the corner. Those were the only things in the house. There’s not even the slightest hint indicating that someone lived here.
“Here, have some tea.”
“Thank you.”
I had no idea who the man was. He wore glasses and was about 170 cm tall – roughly my height. His long, black hair was braided down his back. He had a very gentle face, and I could easily tell what kind of person he was from his smile, his voice, and his behaviour. This is just my analysis of him, but he seems to be a very kind person, I thought.
“I’m sorry for having you visit on such short notice.”
“Oh, no, that’s fine… I heard that I was going to meet Mr. Cyrus, after all.”
“I’m Cyrus. It’s nice to meet you, Yuria.”
“Huh? You’re Mr. Cyrus?”
“Mhm. Are you surprised?”
“Um… this may be rude of me, but I was expecting someone who looked tougher.”
“Haha, I get that a lot. The other Special Rank Exorcists often tell me to look sharper.”
“So, um… are you really that Cyrus, the highest-ranked Exorcist?”
“That title has always seemed a bit pompous to me, but yes. Again, it’s nice to meet you, Yuria.”
“Likewise…”
He offered me a handshake, and I took it. His hands were very thin. He doesn’t look like he could really be a Special Rank Exorcist, I thought. Though, he has no reason to lie to me. After all, you can’t judge a person’s strength from their appearance alone. I understand that very well. But still… I just can’t picture this man being the strongest human alive, I thought. He just seems like a regular – but kind – person.
“My hands are thin, no?”
“Y-yes, they are.”
“Your handshake was quite firm, and you have a certain profound air about you. It’s obvious you truly spent two years in the Twilight.”
“You believe me?”
Normally, people would only perceive my story as a fairy tale. Or, if they were less charitable, they would perceive it as a delusion. But this man looked me straight in the eyes and said he believed me.
“Sorry, but I did some digging on you. Two years ago, you were a student in the Third Barriered City. You had the lowest rank there. No notable skills or talents. You weren’t so bad at theoretical classes, but your combat skills were pathetic. Hopeless might be the right word, actually. For the most part, you played the role of healer in the parties you joined. And in just two years’ time, you grew until you were at the level of a Special Rank Exorcist. That would normally be impossible, but if you lived in the Twilight during those two years, it would be possible. After all, I’m the same as you…” he said, showing me his right arm.
“Stage 5 Twilight Syndrome…”
“Yes. Most Special Rank Exorcists have Twilight Syndrome. The effects of the disease vary from person to person, but I’m the same as you.”
“I… see. So, was there some reason you called me out here?”
“I want you to become the 13th Special Rank Exorcist.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you. You’re strong enough for that position. Do you understand it yourself? Just how powerful you are?”
“…Well…”
I know. I know I’m strong. But only my combat skills are strong. My heart… I’m still a weak person at heart. At heart I’m just… a regular person. Just a child who somehow managed to survive in the Twilight.
“Are you opposed to the idea?”
“I don’t think I’m qualified for the position…”
“Hmm. I see… No, you’re right, this must all seem quite sudden. But do understand that I can’t just let someone as strong as you play around. So, here’s an idea: please participate as a guard on the next expedition to the First Barriered City. However, in order for you to participate as a student, you’ll have to make it through the selection process. I can’t simply place you in that position. Our prestige is on the line, after all.”
“The…expedition?”
“As a matter of fact, the royal family is currently visiting each of the cities in turn. This city is their last stop, but they want a few more guards for their trip back to the First Barriered City. They’re assessing and gathering talented people from all of the cities. They also feel that it’s important for their successor to have experience travelling through the Twilight and to different cities. And, if you end up living as a high-ranking Exorcist, you will move between the cities fairly often. What do you think?”
My goal this whole time has been to become a proper Exorcist, after all. But I always thought it was a far-off dream. Having that dream was comforting. Having dreams is a good thing, after all. Having a dream motivates people to work hard. To move forward. To get back up, no matter how tough things get.
But my dream was different. I… just used my dreams to escape from my reality. All I did was run away. I knew… I knew I was powerful enough to be a Special Rank Exorcist, the last hope of mankind. I knew that, but I couldn’t be happy about it. I couldn’t be happy about letting go of my comfortable dreams.
What is it that I’m lacking, really?
Still, even if I don’t know exactly what to do… I want to keep moving.
Humanity hasn’t moved forward at all since the Human-Demon War. We haven’t gone backwards, but we haven’t gone forwards either. We’ve simply stayed put, unchanging. If… if I can do something about that situation… I want to try. I can’t afford to wait until I feel ready. Moving forward, getting lost, being confused, suffering, that’s how I…
“…It’s about time humanity finally moved forward. The royal successor has grown up well. Now, it’s time for us to fight back. It’s time for us to take back this world. It’s time to take back the light of the sun. I want you to help with that.”
“…Understood. As for the expedition, I’ll participate.”
“I believe the selection process for students starts the day after tomorrow. You don’t have to register to participate. By the way, I’ll be the examiner there. I won’t give you any special treatment, but I believe you can win your place fairly.”
“I’ll do my best to live up to your expectations.”
“I’m looking forward to the next time we meet.”
Our conversation ended there, and I returned to the dorm.
“…A Special Rank Exorcist, huh…”
It didn’t feel real. I lived recklessly out there, came back, and was suddenly told to become a Special Rank Exorcist. Rather than happiness, what I’m feeling now is confusion.
I’m not happy about this at all, really. I have a serious lack of confidence, after all. Am I really qualified to protect humanity? Am I a person worthy of being called “humanity’s last hope?” I thought. The more I kept thinking, the smaller and smaller I felt. I’m just a kid who was abandoned in the Twilight by his party members. That’s all I was capable of seeing myself as.
“Y-u-r-i-a!”
“Huh?! Oh, Ms. Sophia… What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean ‘what am I doing here?’ This is the women’s dorm, you know.”
“Oh yeah… Sorry, I’ll head straight to my room. You’d probably hate it if a man was loitering around here.”
“My dad…”
”
”
“Huh?”
“My dad, he was strong, right?”
“You mean-“
“Mhm. I may have told my dad about you.”
“Then that means… Mr. Gil was your father…”
“He’s not home much, though. He moves between cities a lot and spends a lot of time in the Twilight. He just happened to be home, so I told him a bit about you. Hehe!”
“Don’t give me that ‘Hehe!’…seriously…”
“So, are you gonna become a Special Rank Exorcist?”
“…I was asked to. But I’m not sure.”
“You’re not sure? What is there to be unsure about? You’re strong.”
“…Sophia?”
“I mean, you’re strong, you know? You have no reasons not to wield that strength for humanity’s sake, right? You have enough power to slaughter all the demons, right?”
“…Slaughtering them all might be a bit too much… Besides, there are some good demons.”
“That’s not true!”
“What’s wrong?”
She’s been acting weird for a little while now. Why has she been acting as if I’m already a Special Rank Exorcist? I’m sure there’s some reason behind it…
“Sorry… I’m gonna go now…”
“Ok…”
And all that was left there was the stillness of night.