The Life Blocks that Yoneko-san had scattered around amounted to around 10. All of those had finished shaping themselves up.
But Yoneko-san cut them all up and made them disappear.
There were times when she would use the Golems to attack and tried to cut them down together with Sasae-chan, but there were times when she would simply cut them down for no reason at all.
It was clear that she was putting more importance in cutting down the Golems.
“Stop it-dasu, Yoneko-neechan! Golems still be important-dasu yo!” (Sasae)
“I don’t care about that~!” (Yoneko)
It is as one-sided as always, but Sasae-chan was desperately objecting.
“I don’t understand at all-dasu! Yoneko-neechan can win against me plenty enough without using such a hand like this-dasu! There be nothing as incomprehensible as petty tricks from the strong ones-dasu!!” (Sasae)
“Sasae-chan, I be regretting it, ya know? That I shouldn’t have retired from being a hero.” (Yoneko)
“Eh?”
“If I had waited for one year before retiring as a hero -just one year more-, I would have been blessed with the chance of fighting Great Pillar-sama myself~. It be truly a shame. That’s why I have no choice but ta cut down the leftover Golems ta relieve myself~!” (Yoneko)
The violent blade of hers had cut down another Golem.
This was already Golem bullying in the guise of a match. That’s how much hate I felt from Yoneko-san towards the Golems.
Why does she hold such hate?
“…Yoneko be the child of my fifth son and Sasae was the child of my eight daughter.” (Oba-san)
“Huh?” (Haine)
The Oba-san wearing the Earth Founder’s religious clothing speaks.
“Both of them died.” (Oba-san)
“Wa?!” (Haine)
And she goes and says something even more shocking.
Died? As in, the parents of both Sasae-chan and Yoneko-san?
“It be in the same accident. That day was the one year birthday of Sasae, ya see. Yoneko’s parents had gone to ask about the celebration. Of course, Yoneko went together with ‘em. At that time, that girl be ten years old. Me and other people from the church were planning to ask them later as well, but the accident occured before that.” (Oba-san)
At that day, a big earthquake attacked a part of Ishtar Blaze, and a number of buildings collapsed.
She said that Sasae-chan’s house was one of them. The family of Sasae-chan as well as the family of Yoneko-san, that had coincidentally visited them, were crushed by the falling house.
“The only ones that survived were the young Sasae and Yoneko. We later learned that the earthquake be caused by the root of Great Pillar-sama that was trying ta obtain nutrition deeper underground.” (Oba-san)
“That’s…” (Haine)
“The location that shook be way too specific after all. And then, Yoneko began to hate Great Pillar-sama and the Golems that be related ta it. Since the time the incident occured, the two were raised by mah other children, but because of the hate Yoneko had towards the Golems, her relationship with others didn’t go well, ya see.” (Oba-san)
The constantly smiling Yoneko-san had such a past.
“Because of it, Yoneko got attached to the old me. And so, she naturally absorbed mah techniques, and became a scythe user that had no equal in Ishtar Blaze. With that ability, the one who pushed her ta be a hero was me. By becoming a hero and seeing the Golems helping out people from up-close, I thought that her spiteful attitude towards them would heal even if a little bit, ya see.” (Oba-san)
“But…from what I can see…” (Haine)
“Yeah. Even in the several years she worked as a hero, the hatred that took root inside her heart had not been pulled out. In the end, the heart of a human probably can’t be changed till death.” (Oba-san)
While we were conversing, the fight was reaching its climax.
The Golems had been reduced to the last one remaining and all the others had already had their Life Blocks cut down.
Sasae-chan was standing in between Yoneko-san and the Golem as if trying to protect it from her.
“Yoneko-neechan! Please stop it already-dasu! Stop the weird stuff and fight me seriously-dasu!” (Sasae)
“Speaking big when ya can’t even make me go serious~. But everyone aside from me and Sobo-chan be all the same. Relying on something like Golems, they have forgotten to polish themselves.” (Yoneko)
The scythe of Yoneko-san is pushed out towards Sasae-chan.
“The reason why Sobo-chan called me here today be also to teach that to ya~. Sasae-chan, learn this. Golems won’t be born anymore. There be no point in a fighting style that relies on them~. From today on, ya should throw away your feelings for the Golems from the bottom of yer heart, and be reborn to a true earth hero like me and Sobo-chan~.” (Yoneko)
“I already understand that-dasu!!” (Sasae)
The whole body of Sasae-chan trembled.
“But what Yoneko-neechan’s saying be mistaken-dasu!! The people of Ishtar Blaze have gotten this far together with the Golems-dasu. To forget that and throw away the Golems, that’s just ungratefulness-dasu yo!!” (Sasae)
Sasae-chan’s stance in this won’t change no matter what.
She believes in the Golems at all times and walks together with them.
Even if she is betrayed by them or hated by others, that pure faithfulness towards the Golems, at times, overwhelms even me.
“What a mysterious thing. Sasae and Yoneko have experienced the same accident, and yet, one hates Golems while the other loves them. They have walked completely contrary paths.” (Oba-san)
The Earth Founder Oba-san speaks once again from beside me.
“Ya may already know, but the houses in Ishtar Blaze were mostly made of transformed Golems. That be the same for the house that fell on the family of Sasae.” (Oba-san)
“What are you trying to get at?” (Haine)
“They be under a crumbling house, and yet, only Yoneko and Sasae were saved. Do ya know why? Because the Golems protected those two.” (Oba-san)
Wa?
Golems protected those two? What’s the meaning of that?
“At that day, the Golem core that had given shape to the house of Sasae was unable to cope with the sudden earthquake. But, even if late, it was able to assimilate the falling rubble and managed to protect what be inside of it. The ones saved by this be those two.” (Oba-san)
The Yoneko-san that was ten years old at that time was told to look after Sasae-chan who was still one year old.
Their parents were at the kitchen to do the preparations for the celebration, and that was what sealed their fate.
When the house fell,Yoneko-san apparently used her own body to protect Sasae-chan. But the rubble didn’t attack those two.
Before that happened, the life block had assimilated the rubble and had reformed into a shelter that covered the two from above.
That’s why, in that earthquake that had many deaths, those two didn’t have a single injury.
What was mysterious is that the Golem, that can only perform the orders that have been written beforehand on the Life Block, had for some reason moved on its own in order to protect those two.
“Even now, that reason be still unknown. But ya see, the only other way ta make a Golem obey orders aside from writing on the Life Block is to pour divine power on the level of a hero when ordering the Golem. Was it someone who ordered the Golem to do that by pouring divine power? That be also unknown…” (Oba-san)
But the one thing that can be said is that…
“Sasae, who was saved by the Golems when young, be truly the child loved by Golems. That talent, that disposition, it be something that won’t lose to anyone. That’s why that girl managed to become a hero at that young age. She wasn’t selected at that age just fer show!!” (Oba-san)
Sasae-chan stands upright even when completely injured.
“Yorishiro-sama!” (Sasae)
And then, for some reason, she suddenly called the name of the Light Founder.
“I be sorry but, the new technique that Yorishiro-sama taught me, I be displaying it here-dasu! This turned into a fight that I definitely must not lose-dasu! This time, I be truly clashing against ya with mah all-dasu!!” (Sasae)