“You are saying that he can’t do anything against his cute disciple?” (Haine)

“What’s with that? Isn’t that favoritism?” (Celestis)

The disruption that Celestis mixed in ended with no reaction.

“B-But Mirack-chan was also chosen as the fire hero, so you shouldn’t lose in talent…” (Karen)

“Did you forget already, Karen? I didn’t have talent from the very beginning. That’s why I had no choice but to cover for it with effort. Straining effort that even made me forget my friendship with you.” (Mirack)

She probably remembered a bitter past, Mirack made a self-deprecating smile.

“The reason I was able to become a hero was because Sis Kyouka lost to the Fire Cow Phalaris and retired. I was simply the only one who fit the bill for successor, that’s all there is to it. Moreover, there’s no doubt that Sis Kyouka has trained harshly in order to vindicate for her defeat against the Fire Cow. There’s no way she is weaker than in those days.” (Mirack)

She has talent and puts in effort as well huh.

But the most serious matter is that Mirack has a complex regarding her senior Kyouka. Kyouka and Mirack are disciples of the same master.

In a way, a senior might be an existence that has mixes of respect, fear, deep affection, and hatred that surpass that of their master.

“The previous water hero, Ra Sarasa, is a nasty woman.” (Celestis)

Celestis speaks next.

“She is a by-the-book water hero, and it is exactly because I am doing something unconventional that she sees me as an enemy.” (Celestis)

It would actually be as if Celestis herself was screaming: ‘let me be your enemy’.

“It has been an unwritten rule that the water hero should marry into a big merchant family, that has influence and assets, when she retires. It is a political marriage in order to tie the church with the financial world. Sarasa as well, she married a prominent foreign trader in Hydra Ville and is enjoying a celebrity life. That’s probably why she is looking down on me even more.” (Celestis) <Oh, so Celestis called her a gold-digger not a widow, got it. Fixed!>

“…”

Is it my imagination that I saw a faint stiffening in her expression when she was speaking?

At any rate, next it would be about the previous light hero, Sunnysol Ates…

“Let me explain about her.” (Yorishiro)

• 181: Ominous remains of light

“The motto of the Light Church is ‘forget about inconvenient things’. Well, that was half-joking, but if there’s a person that embodies this statement, there’s no doubt it would be Ates-san.” (Yorishiro)

Is what Yorishiro said as if it was a joke, but it didn’t sound like much of a joke.

On the other hand, the current light hero, Karen-san, was simply staying silent and listening.

“There’s probably people who have heard rumors already, but I obtained this position of Light Founder by…kicking down the previous Light Founder, my father. My father, in his time as a Founder, tainted his hands with dishonest actions, and in order to have him take responsibility, I had him retire.” (Yorishiro)

I feel like I have heard about that before.

“I will be omitting what dishonest actions he did, as it would be a scandal for the Light Church, but those dishonest acts had the hero at that time, Ates-san, involved. In the time I took the place of my father, I had her make a decision.” (Yorishiro)

“Decision?” (Haine)

“Step back by her own volition, or have someone else take her title. She chose retirement without a single moment of hesitation. She wouldn’t be a hero anymore, but with this, there will be no more sins added, and on top of that, she will still receive the many compensations that retired heroes receive. She had calculated this.” (Yorishiro)

“Meaning that, the hero Ates is that kind of woman?” (Haine)

“That’s right. She is a woman that doesn’t act unless she has calculated it minutely. In that sense, it can be said that she is the complete contrary of Karen-san who has moved purely with her natural virtue.” (Yorishiro)

“Ah, that’s…” (Mirack)

“I understand it completely…” (Celestis)

The description of Karen-san that Yorishiro gave out had Mirack and Celestis nod immediately.

“In the time she retired, she must have had a path to make a big turnabout by facing me, and yet, Ates-san didn’t take that risk. When the winning chance is low, she obediently accepts defeat, and lived a life of obscurity until now.” (Yorishiro)

“Then, the reason why she moved now was because…” (Haine)

She judged that this is the time to do a counterattack?

“I wonder. But we have to be careful about her. This very situation of several former heroes taking action might be the picture she was trying to draw.” (Yorishiro)

Have the old conventions preservation faction of the churches as her allies, put them together, and use them as her own fighting force. Is she trying to defeat the current political powers and make herself take that place by using that fighting force?

If that is the truth, Ates is utilizing the situation in a frighteningly skilfull way.

“Ates-san herself has, in a sense, a clear head for politics after all. The title of hero was simply a step in order to obtain political power. She is a woman that would do anything in order to obtain political power -as long as it doesn’t endanger herself.” (Yorishiro)

“I…don’t want to lose!”

The one who shouted as if wringing out her voice was Karen-san. Those eyes of hers were burning with the light of resistance.

“I don’t want to lose to someone like that. A person that only uses the title of hero for her own sake…I definitely don’t want to lose!” (Karen)

“B-But…there’s no need to get so worked up about it, don’t you think?” (Celestis)

Maybe because she was overawed by Karen-san who was burning in anger to unexpected levels, Celestis made a dry laugh.

“It has been decided that it will be a fight of the current heroes vs the previous heroes. The ones that came from the previous generation today were only the light, fire, and water heroes; but in this side, we have the earth, water, fire, wind, and light heroes -all five heroes are gathered. Just by going at it normally, we would be winning by numbers.” (Celestis)

Now that she puts it that way, she does have a point.

It is still unknown how this match will be done, but there’s no way higher numbers will become a disadvantage.

“Of course-dasu! If it be a war, it of course be Gonbee Sasae! I’ll be doing my best-dasu!” (Sasae)

“I will cover your backs.” (Hyue)

Sasae-chan and Hyue seem to have plenty enough motivation.

In a team battle, the highest bottleneck would be the quality of the teamwork, but in that point, there’s nothing to worry about with these girls. The bond that these girls have tempered through many battles will become their strongest weapon.

In that case, the strength in numbers will only be an advantage for us.

“Uhm…what about me?” (Haine)

I tried raising my hand.

“You are not an official hero, so you are an outsider this time around, right? Just step back!” (Celestis)

“That’s right. Relying on you all the time would affect us as heroes. I will show you that I can defeat my senior with my own hands!” (Mirack)

And I was bluntly rejected.

It looks like this fight will be purely of heroes against heroes.

But even so, the direness in the face of Yorishiro was not falling off.

“But, will it really go so smoothly? We are talking about Ates-san here. There’s the possibility that she has already made a move with the Earth and Wind Church…” (Yorishiro)

Is she implying that the previous earth and wind heroes will also be appearing?

“The previous earth hero, you say? Uhm, I don’t think I would be able to defeat that Oba-san though…” (Celestis)

Is what Celestis says as she trembles.

She must be talking about the Oba-san of Sasae-chan that is now the Earth Founder.

That Oba-san was called the ‘Taker by the roots’ in her young days and is considered a legendary class hero.

“Ba-chan be the hero seven generations back-dasu yo. The previous earth hero be my cousin, Yoneko-neechan-dasu!” (Sasae)

“Heh~, what kind of person is she? This is just in case but, is she good at fighting?” (Haine)

“She married last year and retired-dasu. I be selected as her replacement-dasu. But if I remember correctly, Yoneko-neechan be expecting her third child to be born soon, so I don’t think she can swing around a weapon-dasu!” (Sasae)

……..

………..Hm?

“Eh? Wait a moment. You said that she married last year, and yet, she is expecting a third baby? The math doesn’t match here though?” (Haine)

“That be the production capability of Ishtar Blaze, be what Ba-chan said-dasu!” (Sasae)

Does that also fall in the category of production?!

Well, there’s also the possibility that it is simply Sasae-chan’s misunderstanding. That chance is a lot higher than any others, so let’s just leave it aside for now.

“Hyue, what about your place? …….But well, we all already know who the previous wind hero was huh. The Wind Founder, Toreido Shiva-dono.” (Haine)

That’s right. The Wind Church not that long ago had Shiva be the Wind Founder as well as the wind hero.

But because of the fight with the Wind Demon Lord Raphael, Shiva received damage in his whole body that was impossible to recover from and had to retire; and so, his little sister Hyue became the new hero.

Shiva who is now concentrating fully on being a Founder is not in a state where he can fight anymore, and most of all, he wouldn’t take the side opposing the Hero Alliance.

Looking at it in this way, there should be no worries about the wind hero at all, but…

“…No, it might come…that person.” (Hyue)

“Eh?”

Hyue seemed to be muttering something with a scary mood.

“In that case, it will be a fight to determine the superior huh. Just what I wanted.” (Hyue)

Hyue began to caress her wind gun as she laughed ‘kukukuku’.

What’s with that? It is scary.

“A-At any rate, it might be a stupid fight, but that’s exactly why we can’t lose. Using this as a chance, we will wipe out the unrestful elements in the human side, and next, it will connect to the fight with the Mother Monsters!” (Yorishiro)

““““Yees!!””””

Everyone raised their fists at the speech of Yorishiro.

***

After half a month, the details of the match between the new and old heroes, that has been approved by all the five Churches, had been announced.

The participants in the previous hero team are: the previous light hero, Sunnysol Ates; the previous fire hero, Abi Kyouka; previous water hero, Ra Sarasa; the previous earth hero ‘leg hunter’ Iemon Yoneko; and the wind hero that was discharged while still active, Brastor Juo.

And so, in the case that the previous heroes win, what they want to achieve is…the dissolution of the Hero Alliance and to retract the reconciliation of the five Churches. Moreover, the resignation of all the current heroes and Founders.