Ex Strongest, Revealing Secret

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It seemed like things had gone well. Soma, exhaling with relief, glanced around and noticed that Felicia wasn’t the only one wearing a puzzled expression. Aina and Sheila wore similar looks. However, their confusion stemmed more from not understanding why they were there rather than not remembering.

“Where is this…? I was in the Holy Capital… No, Soma and Felicia… Then the Devil…? Ah, I see… I understand now.” (Aina)

“Yeah, I remember now.” (Sheila)

Seeing Aina and Sheila, it appeared they had also regained their memories. Yet, recalling their time here added to their confusion. Felicia, similarly bewildered, seemed focused on the fact she was alive despite having supposedly died. She gazed at Soma, looking like she wanted to say something.

“Is something wrong, Felicia?” (Soma)

“…No. It seems that what I did was meaningless, and I ended up just causing you trouble.” (Felicia)

“Well… I won’t deny that. If you understand that, I hope you’ll consult with me properly next time.” (Soma)

“That’s right… the result is the same, so it would be less hassle that way.” (Felicia)

In truth, she knew it wasn’t exactly like that. She simply wanted Soma to consider her and what had resulted from her actions. But it was still hard to accept risking her life for her sake. If there was any chance of preventing such actions, appealing to the other’s conscience might be worth it.

“I understand. I’ll be more careful next time.” (Felicia)

“Yes, please do.” (Soma)

Ideally, this wouldn’t happen again. But that was a discussion for another time. Finally, this matter had come to an end. Exhaling in relief once more, Soma suddenly felt their gaze. Turning to them, Aina and Sheila were looking at him, as if they wanted to say something. Both of them naturally had things they wanted to say, but it was unclear what specifically they meant. Soma tilted his head, puzzled.

“You both look like you want to say something. What’s on your minds?” (Soma)

“Well, there are a few things we’d like to discuss, but since it seems resolved for now, let’s leave it at that.” (Aina)

“…Yeah, if everyone’s okay now, then there’s no issue.” (Sheila)

“Is that so?” (Soma)

Soma didn’t particularly want complaints, and honestly, even if they were voiced, there wasn’t much he could do about it, so he shrugged in response. However, despite saying that, Aina seemed curious about something and began to look around with a puzzled expression.

“Anyway, what was this world all about? I mean, I could somewhat adapt to it temporarily, but it’s filled with so much inexplicable stuff…” (Aina)

“…Yeah, it’s all unknown to me.” (Sheila)

“Definitely… Honestly, I was quite bewildered too. If I were thrown into this world without any knowledge, I’d be in serious trouble.” (Felicia)

Soma nodded in understanding at their words. Indeed, it was natural to have such impressions. After all, even at this small park, everything here was something that didn’t exist in their world. In that regard, Felicia might have a talent for acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary and living life as usual.

“Well, from your perspective, this place must seem very strange.” (Soma)

“The way you say it makes it sound like you’re different, though?” (Aina)

“For me, it’s actually a familiar world.” (Soma)

“…Familiar? Why is that?” (Sheila)

“This place is constructed based on my previous life’s world.” (Soma)

“Previous life…?” (Felicia)

At the mention of “previous life,” the three of them looked surprised. Well, that was to be expected too. By the way, Soma decided to talk about his previous life here because it seemed easier to explain the current situation that way. He hadn’t really hidden it. He had just thought they wouldn’t believe him if he told them, so he remained silent. There wasn’t any particular reason to hesitate now.

Seeing the girls blink in response without showing any other reaction, Soma shrugged.

“Yeah, actually, I retained memories from my previous life. And, incidentally, Iori is also from the same world and was my classmate in that previous life. It felt almost like I was spending time here just like before.” (Soma)

“Oh… I see.” (Aina)

“…I see, so that’s what it was.” (Sheila)

“Yeah, that makes sense.” (Felicia)

After revealing all that and receiving their responses, now it was Soma’s turn to blink in surprise. Certainly, he hadn’t intended to hide it nor had he hesitated, but he was aware it was somewhat surprising news.  However, despite everything, their reactions were not just subdued. They didn’t even seem surprised.

“Hmm… Isn’t the reaction rather weak?” (Soma)

“Isn’t it a bit late to ask that?” (Sheila)

“Well, yes. It’s not that I’m not surprised, but I feel more like I understand. I see, if that’s the case, then I can accept it… Well, no, sorry, maybe I can’t quite accept it after all.” (Aina)

“It’s so out of the ordinary that it doesn’t matter what your previous life was.” (Felicia)

“Hmm… I’m not really convinced by that reaction though.” (Soma)

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“No, I think it’s a reasonable reaction. Even I don’t find it worth being surprised about.” (??)

“—What!?” (Sheila)

The moment they heard that voice, Aina and the others reacted in unison. Their faces showed shock, and they instinctively took defensive stances. Their faces were all turned in the same direction, and when Soma followed their gaze, there stood the Devil boy.

“Why are you…!?” (Aina)

“Oh, there’s no need to be wary. I no longer have any power. I’m barely maintaining this body. Actually, I should be asking why you didn’t kill me.” (Devil)

Soma shrugged at the gaze and words directed towards him. Indeed, this Devil, like Felicia, hadn’t been resurrected due to his death being undone. His powers had simply been mostly nullified from the beginning but the Devil hadn’t been killed.

“I don’t have a reason to ask why… There was no need for that. I couldn’t afford to leave the Witch’s powers intact and let them mix, so I had to eliminate them together. But beyond that, there was no need.” (Soma)

“Considering I were hostile and attempted to kill you, isn’t that reason enough?” (Devil)

“Is that so? Would it be narrow-minded of me to bring up something I already knew was impossible? Besides, everything was for Felicia’s sake, wasn’t it?” (Soma)

From start to finish, this Devil had acted only for that purpose. His hostility had been shown to absorb and nullify most of Felicia’s Witch powers. Without that, it would have been much harder to separate Felicia from the Witch’s power, with the possibility of serious consequences. Considering that, there was no reason to kill him.

“Well… you’re quite a troublesome person. I am a Devil, you know?” (Devil)

“Thanks to you, I’ve learned that Devils come in all kinds.” (Soma)

To be honest, Soma had some thoughts about it. However, it was not directed towards this Devil, but towards Devils themselves. He thought he could repay what he couldn’t do in his previous life, but… it seemed he couldn’t generalize just because they were Devils. While thinking about such obvious things, he shrugged. And as if waiting for the right moment, a crack appeared in the world, and it was shattered into pieces.

 

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