Chapter 163
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Chapter 148: Not a Hero
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Lailah did not think that the conversation was going to end soon so she invited Tsuna and Kazuya to their home despite Natsu's protest. She believed that even though they weren't clear of Kazuya's identity just yet, the fact that he was the hero Raphael's godson was enough for him to be treated as a well respected guest.
Thus, Kazuya and Tsuna were taken to a wooden cabin that was built around one of the oldest trees in the mountain forest. The solar panels on the roof provided electricity for the cabin and various appliances could be seen around the house.
It was said that Natsuhisa Akira had been a hermit-like researcher whose place was in an undisclosed location. From what Kazuya was seeing, it looked like the rumors were true. Natsu's research facility in Kazuya's previous life must have started out from this as well.
"I have one question I've been meaning to ask ever since I saw your face, Kouzuki Kazuya-san." Lailah broke the ice after seeing that both her husband and his predecessor had still been in deep thought due to Kazuya's last sentence.
"What is it miss high elf?" Kazuya wondered what she would be asking. "And please, just call me Kazuya."
"Are you related to the princess of the Oboro-clan from the magic window?" She asked him with expectant eyes.
"Pfuuu!!" her husband who heard this from the side couldn't help but spit out the tea he was drinking. "L-lailah… I already told you that all the things shown in the television are not real. They are just stories much like the plays we've seen in Edea."
"I don't believe you! You have already tricked me multiple times ever since we've arrived in your world!" Lailah pouted. "You just don't want me to interfere in your world's matter because I can't fully use my capabilities here!"
"You are not mistaken. I was once known as the princess of the Oboro clan." Kazuya used Kaguya's voice and the speech pattern of the part he played. "I have already escaped from that terrible fate and have been reincarnated. I currently live a peaceful life." Kazuya decided to play along to vent some of his frustrations on Natsu who looked to have been totally whipped by his elven wife.
"You…" Natsu himself almost choked after hearing what Kazuya had said. He didn't expect Kazuya to play along with his wife's fantasy.
He had tricked her several times ever since they arrived because she had been too overly excited about everything that she saw. It would have been dangerous if she suddenly walked in front of trains or vehicles so he had no choice but to trick her until he was able to explain everything she needed to know. The result was that she didn't believe everything he told her about Earth until he was able to prove it and it included her attraction to watching different kinds of programs on the television which she refers to as a magic window.
"Your sword…" Lailah glanced at the bladeless handle that was attached to the sheathe on his waist. She had been a fan of the drama and the character's sword was considered connected to his life.
"Worry not. This sword was merely a weapon I obtained from a foe that did not deserve such a weapon. Though it was a good blade, it was not made with the consideration of the usage of mana. It was an inevitable outcome in a battle against someone as well renowned as the greatest hero mage." Though he still played along, he immediately steered the conversation back on track.
"Akira" Lailah turned towards her frowning husband. "I don't think Kazuya is lying. I believe he has been to Edea."
"What makes you say that?" Natsu was still unconvinced. The fact that Tsuna had been silently pondering about it himself proved that Kazuya had not informed him about it.
"It is very faint but, I can sense the Demon King Mallum's aura within him. You should know what that means, right?" Lailah's words had struck her husband like a thunderbolt which caused him to take a more careful look at Kazuya.
"(Mallum-san's aura?)" Kazuya was confused. He didn't know what she meant by that. He let Natsu put a hand on his shoulder and examine him.
"It's true… not just his aura but his blood…" Natsu crossed his arm and started to think of any reason why his friend would do such a thing.
"You could have just said if you needed proof. Mallum-san had entrusted me with a message to give to you." Kazuya stretched out his hand towards the table and made the book that he carried with him to this life appear.
""!!"" the couple was shocked because they recognized the worn book that just appeared.
"Though I've added some contents myself, the accumulated research done by your companions are still intact." Kazuya let the two examine the book to their heart's content.
"Those guys…" Natsu only needed one look at the handwritings to come to a conclusion that Kazuya had indeed been telling the truth. The sheer amount of information that had been written on the book should have taken ages to complete. Even if he didn't factor how worn the book now appeared to be, when he had left his unfinished research for his friends to complete, he left it so that they would not feel too bored and lonely after his departure.
"What is going on?" Tsuna who had been sitting quietly on the side couldn't take it anymore and decided to ask. He didn't understand what the rest of them did and as someone who was supposed to be a generation ahead of them, it didn't sit well with Tsuna.
"I need to apologize to you Tsuna-san." Kazuya bowed. "I originally thought that you were the hero Uriel when I heard that you too had been summoned from Edea. I had my suspicions at first because of the vast difference was between your reputations. I never would have expected the predecessor before the hero Natsu was still alive. More than two hundred years have passed since the hero Natsu left did I arrive in Edea after all."
""Two hundred years!?"" Lailah and Tsuna couldn't help but gasp. Only Natsu had remained silent as he could already tell that it was the truth while browsing through the old book in his hand.
"How can that be? I've been with you for the last few years. These two said they had just returned from Edea so how could you have been summoned as a hero two hundred years after their departure?" Tsuna remained unconvinced. Though Kazuya definitely showed abilities and temperament of someone who had experienced the same things he did, Tsuna couldn't help but question this.
"I am not a hero…" Kazuya gave a bitter look. "This story is going to take a while so please save your questions until the story is over."
Natsu closed the book as Kazuya started his tale. This was a tale that Kazuya believed that he would never forget even after he died again. Though a lot of years have already passed since his return, the scars still felt fresh and he couldn't help but feel emotional at different parts of the story.
He started the story by telling them about how he had woken in pain due to the accident he had suffered in his previous life. A boy that had no memories who only had one person who he could have called family. That family member was then suddenly taken away from him by a person who had dared to call himself an elder brother who had done nothing but make his life even more miserable whenever they saw each other.
What followed was the time the boy had helped a young man. That young man returned the favor by offering him a place to stay. Kazuya discovered that the struggle to survive in the midst trying to reach the goal of being able to take back the person he cared for the most was hardest thing he ever had to do. Especially when it seemed like the people around you were working against you.
Until one day, he had been swallowed by a bright light and heard a voice that pleaded for his help. This voice was the voice the other two people in the room should have heard when they experienced the same thing. The supposed goddess of light according to the people who summoned them explained which Natsu had proven was a recording of one of the sages who had made the summoning formation.
From then on, the story had gone in a lighter tone. Each person in the room was familiar with it because they had experienced a similar start to their own adventure. Getting used to the new world, meeting new people, gathering allies, forging bonds, discovering new places were what they had all experienced in their own trip to the magical world that they never would have thought had existed.
Of course, not all tales of heroes were filled with only good things. At least, not real stories. Companions were lost, wars were waged, the hero's determination to end the war quicker intensified so that none of his companions would fall victim to the hands of the enemy.
It was when the story had reached the main castle of the Demon Lord did the atmosphere in the room fall silent. This was the castle that Natsu and Lailah had stayed in the most after their own adventure. This was the home of their friend so hearing it being sieged had pained them. Only when the story had reached to the point of when Kazuya faced with the Demon Lord alone were they able to breathe.
The meeting between the hero and the demon lord, a fated encounter that was supposed to have been filled with fighting and explosions had turned into a peaceful discussion. Natsu couldn't help but praise and curse his friend at the same time for his reckless idea. Hellion Mallum was indeed worthy of his reputation as a person that even Natsu could never completely see through.
After the conspiracy against the hero himself was revealed, the room had been filled with tremendous bloodlust as he continued to tell the story of what had happened when he confronted his allies. The pitiful end to the hero that was once called Gabriel who had been slain by the people who he had been putting his life on the line for.
"I am not a hero. I was just a pawn used in a conspiracy made by the Church of Light and the Zweifel Kingdom. They used the hero summoning ritual and made me go against the demon race after fabricating a fake war." Kazuya said with depression as the bloodlust in the room began to fade.
Tsuna turned and was about to speak but he was stopped by the hand that Kazuya had raised. He was not done, the story had taken an unexpected turn in which Kazuya told them about what he had experienced after he had declared cancellation agreement between Natsu and the demon king.
From there, the parts of his experiences in his time in Edea were revisited. This time, his observations about the people's behaviors and suspicious actions were included. It was not hard for people like Lailah, Natsu and Tsuna who were familiar with how dirty humanity could be to understand what Kazuya was saying.
They could never understand how it must have felt for Kazuya to try and do right, only to be stabbed in the back by the people he fought for in the end. To makes things worse, he had to watch it over and over again without being given a choice. They did not know if anyone could have deserved to suffer such a thing but Kazuya was not one who should have experienced what he did.
Lailah who had shed tears during multiple parts of the story couldn't hold it after hearing what had happened. She bawled on her husband's chest because of what happened to Kazuya after they thought they had solved the problem between the races.
Natsu himself wasn't happy either. The royal family of the Zweifel kingdom had dared to use the hero summoning as a tool for war. The alliance between them and the church of light had used the oath he had with his best friend and made it into a shackle. His successor had been used and thrown away like a tool after they played around with his emotions.
Tsuna was silent. He had always felt that Kazuya held within him a certain amount of darkness. It was only now that he understood just how much. Kazuya's overprotectiveness was also something he felt that he had underestimated. After hearing what had happened, he could only wonder how the boy could have stayed as sane as he appeared to be.
"From when I was in that endless void, there was nothing else I could have wished for than to go back and shred those people who used and betrayed me to pieces. I wanted to save the people who didn't deserve to die but did because their only sin was that they were true to me." He closed his eyes trying to cover his emotions.
"When I finally rid myself from that endless replay, I found myself in a the body that I was both familiar and unfamiliar with. A person suddenly appeared and said that she was the mother I never met before." Kazuya turned to the window which showed the bright moon above the dark forest. "It may be unbelievable to you but, absurd as it may sound, I woke up in the six-year-old body of myself that existed even before I knew my memory started." For the first time since Lailah and Natsu met him, Kazuya showed a faint smile.
"To me, Earth had been nothing but a place that gave me a life full of struggles. When I realized that I was sent back further than my original memories, I intended to bide my time and prepare for when it was time for me to be summoned to Edea." Kazuya turned to Natsu.
"But… after meeting my mother, grandfather and the people around them, I couldn't help but change the tragedy that I had experienced. Meeting big sis Mei again, they have given me an experience of having a family which I never experienced in my previous life. If I couldn't change the tragedy that happened here on earth, I didn't have any right to go back to Edea to fix anything." He took the cup of tea that had gone cold in front of him and finished it, signaling that he was done with his story.
"This…" Tsuna couldn't find the words to speak. He never would have expected that Kazuya had experienced a different version of his life. The talented monster of both the Kouzuki and the Kurogane family had once been a victim of the latter's devious schemes. He had experienced enough hardship on Earth to make him consider Edea as his new home only to be killed because they did not want him to stay after he had fulfilled his purpose.
"You said you planned to return to Edea." An oppressive aura suddenly pressed onto Kazuya. "Why are you planning on going back when you already know that they plan to use you as a weapon that shouldn't have been needed in the first place?" Natsu stood up and looked at Kazuya with a serious expression.
Natsu couldn't help but ask this question. If it were any other person, the answer would have been to take revenge upon the people who tried to use him. Though it would have been hard to face both the kingdom and the church, with the status of the hero, it wouldn't be entirely impossible. This was especially after he heard that Kazuya had voided his agreement with the demon lord while he was taking his last breaths.
He was afraid, afraid of what Kazuya might do if he returned to Edea. Though he understood Kazuya's reason for wanting to do so, Natsu didn't like the idea of Kazuya restarting the war between races that he and his companions had worked hard to prevent.
"Let me tell you a few things, Natsuhiko Akira-san." Kazuya stood up like he hadn't felt the oppressive force directed at him at all. "I idolized you back when I was a normal person, you came from humble beginnings and made a name for yourself so I had hoped that I could do the same. This was the reason I had approached you and wanted to recruit you to join Kazuno Technologies. I truly did not expect that you turned out to be my predecessor and the person who the demon king wanted me to deliver the message to."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Natsu was confused.
"Let me finish." Kazuya looked at his predecessor straight in the eye. "I just told you the truth because of your identity and the fact I accepted Mallum-san's request. I don't appreciate being threatened after I chose to be honest." Kazuya concentrated mana on his ring.
*dun* *bun* dun *bun*
Multiple objects fell on the floor. When Natsu glanced at them, his eyes immediately moved back and glared at Kazuya. Multiple explosives were scattered on the floor.
"I don't respond well to threats. It looks like you still haven't learned your lesson from the last mistake you've made against me. You prefer to use force rather than asking me properly?" Kazuya grinned. "Unlike me, You and Tsuna-san have retained the mana in your bodies that was gained after the blessing had been used to summon you back but, I have not been sitting around waiting for the time of my summoning." He returned the glare with a casual look. Kazuya wasn't afraid of Natsu because he had already accounted for this reaction.
"Akira!" Natsu was suddenly slapped on the back of his head. "Has blood rushed up to your head again? He's right! You haven't even asked him properly and you're already threatening him!" Lailah's interruption had dispelled the tension in the room.
Natsu couldn't help but sigh and be thankful towards his wife. Seeing the amount of explosives that were scattered on the floor, though he was confident that he could have shielded himself and Lailah from the explosions, their house, and the formation that was under it would be destroyed in the process. He was not a novice when it came to battles so he was sure that this was not all that Kazuya had hidden under his sleeves.
Truth be told, Lailah was startled as well. She tried to maintain her composure as she also thought that the Kazuya in front of them did not match the Kazuya that they heard about when he was narrating his story earlier. He had been an earnest and naïve boy who cared more about people than himself. The boy in front of them was like someone who even she, an elf that had lived for centuries couldn't grasp. Just the confidence he never lost when facing them made them feel like they would lose if another fight broke out.
"I apologize. I had been too emotional. I was afraid that since you mentioned returning, you may cause another war between the races. Though you might be entitled to do so because of what you experienced, I still can't let you do it while I sit here and do nothing." Natsu scratched his head feeling a bit embarrassed.
"I know." Kazuya used his magic to gather the explosives on the floor towards his hand and stored it back on his ring. "I don't blame you for thinking that way since those thoughts have indeed crossed my mind." Kazuya smiled before moving over to the pot to pour himself another cup of tea.
"Was this the reason why you asked me that question earlier?" Tsuna suddenly raised a question. He remembered the serious question that Kazuya asked him before. Now that he heard everything today, he understood why Kazuya had been peculiarly serious about the question he never thought could have been done.
"Question?" Lailah was the first to react.
"He asked me if I would take the chance to go back in time to save the companions I lost. I thought that it had been a question because of the guilt he felt after his own experiences. Never would I have thought that It was because he had the opportunity to do so." No one could blame him. The situation was indeed something that they usually wouldn't have believed.
"So you remembered…" Kazuya glanced towards Tsuna and smiled before turning back to Natsu. "Delivering Malum-san's message wasn't the only reason I tried to find you. I wanted to seek your cooperation before I returned to that world. I believe that with your help, what I intend to do will not be as hard as I have imagined."
"My help?" Natsu was startled. He didn't expect to be asked this as he had just threatened Kazuya. He intended to make him swear an oath not to throw Edea into chaos.
"You had a reputation of being the greatest mage and were often compared to the great sages in Edea's history. From reading the book I was entrusted with alone, I decided to seek your help in getting stronger." He said without hesitation. "I was never given much time to learn and appreciate magic. It was only because of the knowledge I gained from the watching the experiences I had and reading that book was I able to gain the insights I currently have on magic." His admittance to his own weakness loosened the suspicions Natsu had against him.
"Do you really want to go back just to save your companions? They wouldn't even know who you are, much less know that you are saving them from something that hasn't happened yet." Natsu wanted to remind him of this. Though he understood the sentiment, he wasn't sure that Kazuya was resolved to experience the changes he will cause.
"Why should it matter if they appreciate it or not? As long as they are well and safe from the danger that will surround me, that is good enough for me. If I could, I would chase them as far away from me as possible so that they would never have to be in danger." He replied as if it was a matter of fact. "I owe them too much to involve them in my affairs again. It would be better from them to have never have met me." A lonely smile formed on his face.
"That's…" Lailah wanted to say something but held her tongue after he saw Kazuya's expression. This was the expression of someone who had already made up his mind so Lailah didn't think that her opinion would have mattered. She moved closer to Kazuya and couldn't help but give him a hug. "Your resolve is admirable… but, do you think that they would agree to it?"
"Well…" Kazuya remembered the conversation he had in a dream not to long ago. His fallen companions never said anything about not wanting to have anything to do with him but rather they only wanted to be called by their names after they saw each other again. He would have been beaten up if he dared tell them this plan of his.
"I believe that the safest place for them would be when they are with you. Do you not agree? You've decided to keep your own family on earth safe so why must you push the family you have on Edea?" Kazuya couldn't help but tremble after hearing Lailah's words. "You've already lived a life of selflessness. You're allowed to be a little selfish." Lailah encouraged him.
"Lailah!" Natsu shouted. Though it was true that Kazuya indeed wanted to save his companions, what about the people that betrayed him? These were the heads of the church of light and the royal family. The kingdom would be embroiled in chaos if Kazuya decided to be selfish and take revenge upon them.
"Shut up! I know what you're thinking!" Lailah shouted back. "If he was focused on revenge, then wouldn't his enemies in this world have all been eradicated!? With his current capabilities, would he even need your help after he receives the hero's blessing? Isn't the fact that we're still standing here despite what you did to endanger the family he wants to protect proof enough that he is competent enough to not let his emotions get the better of him!?" Lailah was annoyed. She felt that Kazuya's life had been too pitiful yet, he wanted to fight back to the world that made use of him just so he could save the people he cared about. It didn't matter to him if they appreciated him or even knew him or not.
"I agree." Tsuna stood from his seat and stood on their side. "If I were in his shoes, I would have gone back without even meeting you. Yet he stands here with full knowledge that you might stop him."
"Even Tsuna-san…" Natsu sighed.
"I've known Kazuya for quite a while. I can vouch that he won't do what you are thinking about." He placed a hand on Kazuya's shoulder. "No one who didn't deserve death has died in his hands. You should know that the Kurogane family still exists after all this time right?"
"Natsu-san" Kazuya stepped forward. "I've been straight and honest with you this whole time. Though my return to Edea will not be without bloodshed, It was never my intention to destroy both the church and the kingdom." Kazuya's direct gaze showed him that he was serious. "I sought your help so that I may not resort to desperation and seek your wisdom in making a concrete plan."
"You want me to help you plan your return?" Natsu was taken aback. Looking at the boy who was supposed to be younger than him, he could tell that Kazuya had already thought about this.
"Yes. The knowledge you possess may prove invaluable in making this trip safer and more peaceful. My second objective is to prevent the war. You are Mallum-san's friend and I believe that you don't want him to suffer because of the conspiracy against us." Lailah smiled after finally hearing it from Kazuya. She walked back to stand with Natsu and nudged him with her elbow.
"Fine… I'll cooperate." Natsu finally gave in after being reminded of his best friend's plight. "This place is quite far off from your home. Are you planning on moving here for training?"
"About that… I will need some time to prepare a place for you and Lailah-san to move. In the meantime, I will make arrangements for Lailah-san's identity on earth." Kazuya explained what he had in mind.
With Lailah's appearance, she would never pass as a native so Kazuya suggested that they have an official wedding ceremony after Lailah's fake identity was made. This had been Stockton International's doing in the past so he intended to ask for their help. The high elf was elated after hearing that she was going to be experiencing a wedding ceremony on earth and was thankful towards Kazuya for such a beautiful plan.
Natsu ofcourse had other worries. He had just accepted a contract from a company that Kazuya was apparently in charge of. He had no money for such things so he would need to depend on this new benefactor to make the necessary arrangements. He couldn't help but wonder what their life and the history of Edea would have been like if he and Lailah had stayed.
After a lengthy discussion, Natsu saw Kazuya and Tsuna to the shortcut they magically hid towards the village. It had already been late and Mame and the others were still waiting for them so they couldn't stay the night.
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"I have one more thing I need to know." Natsu spoke as they were about to enter the village. "What do you intend to do with the people that betrayed you?" Lailah had stayed behind the cabin so he took the chance to ask this question.
Kazuya looked back with a smile.
"Isn't the answer to that obvious?" he looked at Natsu as if he asked a stupid question.
"I haven't specifically decided If I should chain them up in a dark room and slowly let them starve, skin them alive and slowly boil them bit by bit, or feed them parasites that will painfully eat them from the inside. Nevertheless, they would wish they had never been born and i will laugh at them while they beg for their deaths. "
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Chapter 148: Not a Hero
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Lailah did not think that the conversation was going to end soon so she invited Tsuna and Kazuya to their home despite Natsu's protest. She believed that even though they weren't clear of Kazuya's identity just yet, the fact that he was the hero Raphael's godson was enough for him to be treated as a well respected guest.
Thus, Kazuya and Tsuna were taken to a wooden cabin that was built around one of the oldest trees in the mountain forest. The solar panels on the roof provided electricity for the cabin and various appliances could be seen around the house.
It was said that Natsuhisa Akira had been a hermit-like researcher whose place was in an undisclosed location. From what Kazuya was seeing, it looked like the rumors were true. Natsu's research facility in Kazuya's previous life must have started out from this as well.
"I have one question I've been meaning to ask ever since I saw your face, Kouzuki Kazuya-san." Lailah broke the ice after seeing that both her husband and his predecessor had still been in deep thought due to Kazuya's last sentence.
"What is it miss high elf?" Kazuya wondered what she would be asking. "And please, just call me Kazuya."
"Are you related to the princess of the Oboro-clan from the magic window?" She asked him with expectant eyes.
"Pfuuu!!" her husband who heard this from the side couldn't help but spit out the tea he was drinking. "L-lailah… I already told you that all the things shown in the television are not real. They are just stories much like the plays we've seen in Edea."
"I don't believe you! You have already tricked me multiple times ever since we've arrived in your world!" Lailah pouted. "You just don't want me to interfere in your world's matter because I can't fully use my capabilities here!"
"You are not mistaken. I was once known as the princess of the Oboro clan." Kazuya used Kaguya's voice and the speech pattern of the part he played. "I have already escaped from that terrible fate and have been reincarnated. I currently live a peaceful life." Kazuya decided to play along to vent some of his frustrations on Natsu who looked to have been totally whipped by his elven wife.
"You…" Natsu himself almost choked after hearing what Kazuya had said. He didn't expect Kazuya to play along with his wife's fantasy.
He had tricked her several times ever since they arrived because she had been too overly excited about everything that she saw. It would have been dangerous if she suddenly walked in front of trains or vehicles so he had no choice but to trick her until he was able to explain everything she needed to know. The result was that she didn't believe everything he told her about Earth until he was able to prove it and it included her attraction to watching different kinds of programs on the television which she refers to as a magic window.
"Your sword…" Lailah glanced at the bladeless handle that was attached to the sheathe on his waist. She had been a fan of the drama and the character's sword was considered connected to his life.
"Worry not. This sword was merely a weapon I obtained from a foe that did not deserve such a weapon. Though it was a good blade, it was not made with the consideration of the usage of mana. It was an inevitable outcome in a battle against someone as well renowned as the greatest hero mage." Though he still played along, he immediately steered the conversation back on track.
"Akira" Lailah turned towards her frowning husband. "I don't think Kazuya is lying. I believe he has been to Edea."
"What makes you say that?" Natsu was still unconvinced. The fact that Tsuna had been silently pondering about it himself proved that Kazuya had not informed him about it.
"It is very faint but, I can sense the Demon King Mallum's aura within him. You should know what that means, right?" Lailah's words had struck her husband like a thunderbolt which caused him to take a more careful look at Kazuya.
"(Mallum-san's aura?)" Kazuya was confused. He didn't know what she meant by that. He let Natsu put a hand on his shoulder and examine him.
"It's true… not just his aura but his blood…" Natsu crossed his arm and started to think of any reason why his friend would do such a thing.
"You could have just said if you needed proof. Mallum-san had entrusted me with a message to give to you." Kazuya stretched out his hand towards the table and made the book that he carried with him to this life appear.
""!!"" the couple was shocked because they recognized the worn book that just appeared.
"Though I've added some contents myself, the accumulated research done by your companions are still intact." Kazuya let the two examine the book to their heart's content.
"Those guys…" Natsu only needed one look at the handwritings to come to a conclusion that Kazuya had indeed been telling the truth. The sheer amount of information that had been written on the book should have taken ages to complete. Even if he didn't factor how worn the book now appeared to be, when he had left his unfinished research for his friends to complete, he left it so that they would not feel too bored and lonely after his departure.
"What is going on?" Tsuna who had been sitting quietly on the side couldn't take it anymore and decided to ask. He didn't understand what the rest of them did and as someone who was supposed to be a generation ahead of them, it didn't sit well with Tsuna.
"I need to apologize to you Tsuna-san." Kazuya bowed. "I originally thought that you were the hero Uriel when I heard that you too had been summoned from Edea. I had my suspicions at first because of the vast difference was between your reputations. I never would have expected the predecessor before the hero Natsu was still alive. More than two hundred years have passed since the hero Natsu left did I arrive in Edea after all."
""Two hundred years!?"" Lailah and Tsuna couldn't help but gasp. Only Natsu had remained silent as he could already tell that it was the truth while browsing through the old book in his hand.
"How can that be? I've been with you for the last few years. These two said they had just returned from Edea so how could you have been summoned as a hero two hundred years after their departure?" Tsuna remained unconvinced. Though Kazuya definitely showed abilities and temperament of someone who had experienced the same things he did, Tsuna couldn't help but question this.
"I am not a hero…" Kazuya gave a bitter look. "This story is going to take a while so please save your questions until the story is over."
Natsu closed the book as Kazuya started his tale. This was a tale that Kazuya believed that he would never forget even after he died again. Though a lot of years have already passed since his return, the scars still felt fresh and he couldn't help but feel emotional at different parts of the story.
He started the story by telling them about how he had woken in pain due to the accident he had suffered in his previous life. A boy that had no memories who only had one person who he could have called family. That family member was then suddenly taken away from him by a person who had dared to call himself an elder brother who had done nothing but make his life even more miserable whenever they saw each other.
What followed was the time the boy had helped a young man. That young man returned the favor by offering him a place to stay. Kazuya discovered that the struggle to survive in the midst trying to reach the goal of being able to take back the person he cared for the most was hardest thing he ever had to do. Especially when it seemed like the people around you were working against you.
Until one day, he had been swallowed by a bright light and heard a voice that pleaded for his help. This voice was the voice the other two people in the room should have heard when they experienced the same thing. The supposed goddess of light according to the people who summoned them explained which Natsu had proven was a recording of one of the sages who had made the summoning formation.
From then on, the story had gone in a lighter tone. Each person in the room was familiar with it because they had experienced a similar start to their own adventure. Getting used to the new world, meeting new people, gathering allies, forging bonds, discovering new places were what they had all experienced in their own trip to the magical world that they never would have thought had existed.
Of course, not all tales of heroes were filled with only good things. At least, not real stories. Companions were lost, wars were waged, the hero's determination to end the war quicker intensified so that none of his companions would fall victim to the hands of the enemy.
It was when the story had reached the main castle of the Demon Lord did the atmosphere in the room fall silent. This was the castle that Natsu and Lailah had stayed in the most after their own adventure. This was the home of their friend so hearing it being sieged had pained them. Only when the story had reached to the point of when Kazuya faced with the Demon Lord alone were they able to breathe.
The meeting between the hero and the demon lord, a fated encounter that was supposed to have been filled with fighting and explosions had turned into a peaceful discussion. Natsu couldn't help but praise and curse his friend at the same time for his reckless idea. Hellion Mallum was indeed worthy of his reputation as a person that even Natsu could never completely see through.
After the conspiracy against the hero himself was revealed, the room had been filled with tremendous bloodlust as he continued to tell the story of what had happened when he confronted his allies. The pitiful end to the hero that was once called Gabriel who had been slain by the people who he had been putting his life on the line for.
"I am not a hero. I was just a pawn used in a conspiracy made by the Church of Light and the Zweifel Kingdom. They used the hero summoning ritual and made me go against the demon race after fabricating a fake war." Kazuya said with depression as the bloodlust in the room began to fade.
Tsuna turned and was about to speak but he was stopped by the hand that Kazuya had raised. He was not done, the story had taken an unexpected turn in which Kazuya told them about what he had experienced after he had declared cancellation agreement between Natsu and the demon king.
From there, the parts of his experiences in his time in Edea were revisited. This time, his observations about the people's behaviors and suspicious actions were included. It was not hard for people like Lailah, Natsu and Tsuna who were familiar with how dirty humanity could be to understand what Kazuya was saying.
They could never understand how it must have felt for Kazuya to try and do right, only to be stabbed in the back by the people he fought for in the end. To makes things worse, he had to watch it over and over again without being given a choice. They did not know if anyone could have deserved to suffer such a thing but Kazuya was not one who should have experienced what he did.
Lailah who had shed tears during multiple parts of the story couldn't hold it after hearing what had happened. She bawled on her husband's chest because of what happened to Kazuya after they thought they had solved the problem between the races.
Natsu himself wasn't happy either. The royal family of the Zweifel kingdom had dared to use the hero summoning as a tool for war. The alliance between them and the church of light had used the oath he had with his best friend and made it into a shackle. His successor had been used and thrown away like a tool after they played around with his emotions.
Tsuna was silent. He had always felt that Kazuya held within him a certain amount of darkness. It was only now that he understood just how much. Kazuya's overprotectiveness was also something he felt that he had underestimated. After hearing what had happened, he could only wonder how the boy could have stayed as sane as he appeared to be.
"From when I was in that endless void, there was nothing else I could have wished for than to go back and shred those people who used and betrayed me to pieces. I wanted to save the people who didn't deserve to die but did because their only sin was that they were true to me." He closed his eyes trying to cover his emotions.
"When I finally rid myself from that endless replay, I found myself in a the body that I was both familiar and unfamiliar with. A person suddenly appeared and said that she was the mother I never met before." Kazuya turned to the window which showed the bright moon above the dark forest. "It may be unbelievable to you but, absurd as it may sound, I woke up in the six-year-old body of myself that existed even before I knew my memory started." For the first time since Lailah and Natsu met him, Kazuya showed a faint smile.
"To me, Earth had been nothing but a place that gave me a life full of struggles. When I realized that I was sent back further than my original memories, I intended to bide my time and prepare for when it was time for me to be summoned to Edea." Kazuya turned to Natsu.
"But… after meeting my mother, grandfather and the people around them, I couldn't help but change the tragedy that I had experienced. Meeting big sis Mei again, they have given me an experience of having a family which I never experienced in my previous life. If I couldn't change the tragedy that happened here on earth, I didn't have any right to go back to Edea to fix anything." He took the cup of tea that had gone cold in front of him and finished it, signaling that he was done with his story.
"This…" Tsuna couldn't find the words to speak. He never would have expected that Kazuya had experienced a different version of his life. The talented monster of both the Kouzuki and the Kurogane family had once been a victim of the latter's devious schemes. He had experienced enough hardship on Earth to make him consider Edea as his new home only to be killed because they did not want him to stay after he had fulfilled his purpose.
"You said you planned to return to Edea." An oppressive aura suddenly pressed onto Kazuya. "Why are you planning on going back when you already know that they plan to use you as a weapon that shouldn't have been needed in the first place?" Natsu stood up and looked at Kazuya with a serious expression.
Natsu couldn't help but ask this question. If it were any other person, the answer would have been to take revenge upon the people who tried to use him. Though it would have been hard to face both the kingdom and the church, with the status of the hero, it wouldn't be entirely impossible. This was especially after he heard that Kazuya had voided his agreement with the demon lord while he was taking his last breaths.
He was afraid, afraid of what Kazuya might do if he returned to Edea. Though he understood Kazuya's reason for wanting to do so, Natsu didn't like the idea of Kazuya restarting the war between races that he and his companions had worked hard to prevent.
"Let me tell you a few things, Natsuhiko Akira-san." Kazuya stood up like he hadn't felt the oppressive force directed at him at all. "I idolized you back when I was a normal person, you came from humble beginnings and made a name for yourself so I had hoped that I could do the same. This was the reason I had approached you and wanted to recruit you to join Kazuno Technologies. I truly did not expect that you turned out to be my predecessor and the person who the demon king wanted me to deliver the message to."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Natsu was confused.
"Let me finish." Kazuya looked at his predecessor straight in the eye. "I just told you the truth because of your identity and the fact I accepted Mallum-san's request. I don't appreciate being threatened after I chose to be honest." Kazuya concentrated mana on his ring.
*dun* *bun* dun *bun*
Multiple objects fell on the floor. When Natsu glanced at them, his eyes immediately moved back and glared at Kazuya. Multiple explosives were scattered on the floor.
"I don't respond well to threats. It looks like you still haven't learned your lesson from the last mistake you've made against me. You prefer to use force rather than asking me properly?" Kazuya grinned. "Unlike me, You and Tsuna-san have retained the mana in your bodies that was gained after the blessing had been used to summon you back but, I have not been sitting around waiting for the time of my summoning." He returned the glare with a casual look. Kazuya wasn't afraid of Natsu because he had already accounted for this reaction.
"Akira!" Natsu was suddenly slapped on the back of his head. "Has blood rushed up to your head again? He's right! You haven't even asked him properly and you're already threatening him!" Lailah's interruption had dispelled the tension in the room.
Natsu couldn't help but sigh and be thankful towards his wife. Seeing the amount of explosives that were scattered on the floor, though he was confident that he could have shielded himself and Lailah from the explosions, their house, and the formation that was under it would be destroyed in the process. He was not a novice when it came to battles so he was sure that this was not all that Kazuya had hidden under his sleeves.
Truth be told, Lailah was startled as well. She tried to maintain her composure as she also thought that the Kazuya in front of them did not match the Kazuya that they heard about when he was narrating his story earlier. He had been an earnest and naïve boy who cared more about people than himself. The boy in front of them was like someone who even she, an elf that had lived for centuries couldn't grasp. Just the confidence he never lost when facing them made them feel like they would lose if another fight broke out.
"I apologize. I had been too emotional. I was afraid that since you mentioned returning, you may cause another war between the races. Though you might be entitled to do so because of what you experienced, I still can't let you do it while I sit here and do nothing." Natsu scratched his head feeling a bit embarrassed.
"I know." Kazuya used his magic to gather the explosives on the floor towards his hand and stored it back on his ring. "I don't blame you for thinking that way since those thoughts have indeed crossed my mind." Kazuya smiled before moving over to the pot to pour himself another cup of tea.
"Was this the reason why you asked me that question earlier?" Tsuna suddenly raised a question. He remembered the serious question that Kazuya asked him before. Now that he heard everything today, he understood why Kazuya had been peculiarly serious about the question he never thought could have been done.
"Question?" Lailah was the first to react.
"He asked me if I would take the chance to go back in time to save the companions I lost. I thought that it had been a question because of the guilt he felt after his own experiences. Never would I have thought that It was because he had the opportunity to do so." No one could blame him. The situation was indeed something that they usually wouldn't have believed.
"So you remembered…" Kazuya glanced towards Tsuna and smiled before turning back to Natsu. "Delivering Malum-san's message wasn't the only reason I tried to find you. I wanted to seek your cooperation before I returned to that world. I believe that with your help, what I intend to do will not be as hard as I have imagined."
"My help?" Natsu was startled. He didn't expect to be asked this as he had just threatened Kazuya. He intended to make him swear an oath not to throw Edea into chaos.
"You had a reputation of being the greatest mage and were often compared to the great sages in Edea's history. From reading the book I was entrusted with alone, I decided to seek your help in getting stronger." He said without hesitation. "I was never given much time to learn and appreciate magic. It was only because of the knowledge I gained from the watching the experiences I had and reading that book was I able to gain the insights I currently have on magic." His admittance to his own weakness loosened the suspicions Natsu had against him.
"Do you really want to go back just to save your companions? They wouldn't even know who you are, much less know that you are saving them from something that hasn't happened yet." Natsu wanted to remind him of this. Though he understood the sentiment, he wasn't sure that Kazuya was resolved to experience the changes he will cause.
"Why should it matter if they appreciate it or not? As long as they are well and safe from the danger that will surround me, that is good enough for me. If I could, I would chase them as far away from me as possible so that they would never have to be in danger." He replied as if it was a matter of fact. "I owe them too much to involve them in my affairs again. It would be better from them to have never have met me." A lonely smile formed on his face.
"That's…" Lailah wanted to say something but held her tongue after he saw Kazuya's expression. This was the expression of someone who had already made up his mind so Lailah didn't think that her opinion would have mattered. She moved closer to Kazuya and couldn't help but give him a hug. "Your resolve is admirable… but, do you think that they would agree to it?"
"Well…" Kazuya remembered the conversation he had in a dream not to long ago. His fallen companions never said anything about not wanting to have anything to do with him but rather they only wanted to be called by their names after they saw each other again. He would have been beaten up if he dared tell them this plan of his.
"I believe that the safest place for them would be when they are with you. Do you not agree? You've decided to keep your own family on earth safe so why must you push the family you have on Edea?" Kazuya couldn't help but tremble after hearing Lailah's words. "You've already lived a life of selflessness. You're allowed to be a little selfish." Lailah encouraged him.
"Lailah!" Natsu shouted. Though it was true that Kazuya indeed wanted to save his companions, what about the people that betrayed him? These were the heads of the church of light and the royal family. The kingdom would be embroiled in chaos if Kazuya decided to be selfish and take revenge upon them.
"Shut up! I know what you're thinking!" Lailah shouted back. "If he was focused on revenge, then wouldn't his enemies in this world have all been eradicated!? With his current capabilities, would he even need your help after he receives the hero's blessing? Isn't the fact that we're still standing here despite what you did to endanger the family he wants to protect proof enough that he is competent enough to not let his emotions get the better of him!?" Lailah was annoyed. She felt that Kazuya's life had been too pitiful yet, he wanted to fight back to the world that made use of him just so he could save the people he cared about. It didn't matter to him if they appreciated him or even knew him or not.
"I agree." Tsuna stood from his seat and stood on their side. "If I were in his shoes, I would have gone back without even meeting you. Yet he stands here with full knowledge that you might stop him."
"Even Tsuna-san…" Natsu sighed.
"I've known Kazuya for quite a while. I can vouch that he won't do what you are thinking about." He placed a hand on Kazuya's shoulder. "No one who didn't deserve death has died in his hands. You should know that the Kurogane family still exists after all this time right?"
"Natsu-san" Kazuya stepped forward. "I've been straight and honest with you this whole time. Though my return to Edea will not be without bloodshed, It was never my intention to destroy both the church and the kingdom." Kazuya's direct gaze showed him that he was serious. "I sought your help so that I may not resort to desperation and seek your wisdom in making a concrete plan."
"You want me to help you plan your return?" Natsu was taken aback. Looking at the boy who was supposed to be younger than him, he could tell that Kazuya had already thought about this.
"Yes. The knowledge you possess may prove invaluable in making this trip safer and more peaceful. My second objective is to prevent the war. You are Mallum-san's friend and I believe that you don't want him to suffer because of the conspiracy against us." Lailah smiled after finally hearing it from Kazuya. She walked back to stand with Natsu and nudged him with her elbow.
"Fine… I'll cooperate." Natsu finally gave in after being reminded of his best friend's plight. "This place is quite far off from your home. Are you planning on moving here for training?"
"About that… I will need some time to prepare a place for you and Lailah-san to move. In the meantime, I will make arrangements for Lailah-san's identity on earth." Kazuya explained what he had in mind.
With Lailah's appearance, she would never pass as a native so Kazuya suggested that they have an official wedding ceremony after Lailah's fake identity was made. This had been Stockton International's doing in the past so he intended to ask for their help. The high elf was elated after hearing that she was going to be experiencing a wedding ceremony on earth and was thankful towards Kazuya for such a beautiful plan.
Natsu ofcourse had other worries. He had just accepted a contract from a company that Kazuya was apparently in charge of. He had no money for such things so he would need to depend on this new benefactor to make the necessary arrangements. He couldn't help but wonder what their life and the history of Edea would have been like if he and Lailah had stayed.
After a lengthy discussion, Natsu saw Kazuya and Tsuna to the shortcut they magically hid towards the village. It had already been late and Mame and the others were still waiting for them so they couldn't stay the night.
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"I have one more thing I need to know." Natsu spoke as they were about to enter the village. "What do you intend to do with the people that betrayed you?" Lailah had stayed behind the cabin so he took the chance to ask this question.
Kazuya looked back with a smile.
"Isn't the answer to that obvious?" he looked at Natsu as if he asked a stupid question.
"I haven't specifically decided If I should chain them up in a dark room and slowly let them starve, skin them alive and slowly boil them bit by bit, or feed them parasites that will painfully eat them from the inside. Nevertheless, they would wish they had never been born and i will laugh at them while they beg for their deaths. "
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Chapter 148: Not a Hero.Lailah did not think that the conversation was going to end soon so she invited Tsuna and Kazuya to their home despite Natsu's protest. She believed that even though they weren't clear of Kazuya's identity just yet, the fact that he was the hero Raphael's godson was enough for him to be treated as a well respected guest.Thus, Kazuya and Tsuna were taken to a wooden cabin that was built around one of the oldest trees in the mountain forest. The solar panels on the roof provided electricity for the cabin and various appliances could be seen around the house.It was said that Natsuhisa Akira had been a hermit-like researcher whose place was in an undisclosed location. From what Kazuya was seeing, it looked like the rumors were true. Natsu's research facility in Kazuya's previous life must have started out from this as well."I have one question I've been meaning to ask ever since I saw your face, Kouzuki Kazuya-san." Lailah broke the ice after seeing that both her husband and his predecessor had still been in deep thought due to Kazuya's last sentence."What is it miss high elf?" Kazuya wondered what she would be asking. "And please, just call me Kazuya.""Are you related to the princess of the Oboro-clan from the magic window?" She asked him with expectant eyes."Pfuuu!!" her husband who heard this from the side couldn't help but spit out the tea he was drinking. "L-lailah I already told you that all the things shown in the television are not real. They are just stories much like the plays we've seen in Edea.""I don't believe you! You have already tricked me multiple times ever since we've arrived in your world!" Lailah pouted. "You just don't want me to interfere in your world's matter because I can't fully use my capabilities here!""You are not mistaken. I was once known as the princess of the Oboro clan." Kazuya used Kaguya's voice and the speech pattern of the part he played. "I have already escaped from that terrible fate and have been reincarnated. I currently live a peaceful life." Kazuya decided to play along to vent some of his frustrations on Natsu who looked to have been totally whipped by his elven wife."You" Natsu himself almost choked after hearing what Kazuya had said. He didn't expect Kazuya to play along with his wife's fantasy.He had tricked her several times ever since they arrived because she had been too overly excited about everything that she saw. It would have been dangerous if she suddenly walked in front of trains or vehicles so he had no choice but to trick her until he was able to explain everything she needed to know. The result was that she didn't believe everything he told her about Earth until he was able to prove it and it included her attraction to watching different kinds of programs on the television which she refers to as a magic window."Your sword" Lailah glanced at the bladeless handle that was attached to the sheathe on his waist. She had been a fan of the drama and the character's sword was considered connected to his life."Worry not. This sword was merely a weapon I obtained from a foe that did not deserve such a weapon. Though it was a good blade, it was not made with the consideration of the usage of mana. It was an inevitable outcome in a battle against someone as well renowned as the greatest hero mage." Though he still played along, he immediately steered the conversation back on track."Akira" Lailah turned towards her frowning husband. "I don't think Kazuya is lying. I believe he has been to Edea.""What makes you say that?" Natsu was still unconvinced. The fact that Tsuna had been silently pondering about it himself proved that Kazuya had not informed him about it."It is very faint but, I can sense the Demon King Mallum's aura within him. You should know what that means, right?" Lailah's words had struck her husband like a thunderbolt which caused him to take a more careful look at Kazuya."Mallum-san's aura?" Kazuya was confused. He didn't know what she meant by that. He let Natsu put a hand on his shoulder and examine him."It's true not just his aura but his blood" Natsu crossed his arm and started to think of any reason why his friend would do such a thing."You could have just said if you needed proof. Mallum-san had entrusted me with a message to give to you." Kazuya stretched out his hand towards the table and made the book that he carried with him to this life appear.""!!"" the couple was shocked because they recognized the worn book that just appeared."Though I've added some contents myself, the accumulated research done by your companions are still intact." Kazuya let the two examine the book to their heart's content."Those guys" Natsu only needed one look at the handwritings to come to a conclusion that Kazuya had indeed been telling the truth. The sheer amount of information that had been written on the book should have taken ages to complete. Even if he didn't factor how worn the book now appeared to be, when he had left his unfinished research for his friends to complete, he left it so that they would not feel too bored and lonely after his departure."What is going on?" Tsuna who had been sitting quietly on the side couldn't take it anymore and decided to ask. He didn't understand what the rest of them did and as someone who was supposed to be a generation ahead of them, it didn't sit well with Tsuna."I need to apologize to you Tsuna-san." Kazuya bowed. "I originally thought that you were the hero Uriel when I heard that you too had been summoned from Edea. I had my suspicions at first because of the vast difference was between your reputations. I never would have expected the predecessor before the hero Natsu was still alive. More than two hundred years have passed since the hero Natsu left did I arrive in Edea after all."""Two hundred years!?"" Lailah and Tsuna couldn't help but gasp. Only Natsu had remained silent as he could already tell that it was the truth while browsing through the old book in his hand."How can that be? I've been with you for the last few years. These two said they had just returned from Edea so how could you have been summoned as a hero two hundred years after their departure?" Tsuna remained unconvinced. Though Kazuya definitely showed abilities and temperament of someone who had experienced the same things he did, Tsuna couldn't help but question this."I am not a hero" Kazuya gave a bitter look. "This story is going to take a while so please save your questions until the story is over."Natsu closed the book as Kazuya started his tale. This was a tale that Kazuya believed that he would never forget even after he died again. Though a lot of years have already passed since his return, the scars still felt fresh and he couldn't help but feel emotional at different parts of the story.He started the story by telling them about how he had woken in pain due to the accident he had suffered in his previous life. A boy that had no memories who only had one person who he could have called family. That family member was then suddenly taken away from him by a person who had dared to call himself an elder brother who had done nothing but make his life even more miserable whenever they saw each other.What followed was the time the boy had helped a young man. That young man returned the favor by offering him a place to stay. Kazuya discovered that the struggle to survive in the midst trying to reach the goal of being able to take back the person he cared for the most was hardest thing he ever had to do. Especially when it seemed like the people around you were working against you.Until one day, he had been swallowed by a bright light and heard a voice that pleaded for his help. This voice was the voice the other two people in the room should have heard when they experienced the same thing. The supposed goddess of light according to the people who summoned them explained which Natsu had proven was a recording of one of the sages who had made the summoning formation.From then on, the story had gone in a lighter tone. Each person in the room was familiar with it because they had experienced a similar start to their own adventure. Getting used to the new world, meeting new people, gathering allies, forging bonds, discovering new places were what they had all experienced in their own trip to the magical world that they never would have thought had existed.Of course, not all tales of heroes were filled with only good things. At least, not real stories. Companions were lost, wars were waged, the hero's determination to end the war quicker intensified so that none of his companions would fall victim to the hands of the enemy.It was when the story had reached the main castle of the Demon Lord did the atmosphere in the room fall silent. This was the castle that Natsu and Lailah had stayed in the most after their own adventure. This was the home of their friend so hearing it being sieged had pained them. Only when the story had reached to the point of when Kazuya faced with the Demon Lord alone were they able to breathe.The meeting between the hero and the demon lord, a fated encounter that was supposed to have been filled with fighting and explosions had turned into a peaceful discussion. Natsu couldn't help but praise and curse his friend at the same time for his reckless idea. Hellion Mallum was indeed worthy of his reputation as a person that even Natsu could never completely see through.After the conspiracy against the hero himself was revealed, the room had been filled with tremendous bloodlust as he continued to tell the story of what had happened when he confronted his allies. The pitiful end to the hero that was once called Gabriel who had been slain by the people who he had been putting his life on the line for."I am not a hero. I was just a pawn used in a conspiracy made by the Church of Light and the Zweifel Kingdom. They used the hero summoning ritual and made me go against the demon race after fabricating a fake war." Kazuya said with depression as the bloodlust in the room began to fade.Tsuna turned and was about to speak but he was stopped by the hand that Kazuya had raised. He was not done, the story had taken an unexpected turn in which Kazuya told them about what he had experienced after he had declared cancellation agreement between Natsu and the demon king.From there, the parts of his experiences in his time in Edea were revisited. This time, his observations about the people's behaviors and suspicious actions were included. It was not hard for people like Lailah, Natsu and Tsuna who were familiar with how dirty humanity could be to understand what Kazuya was saying.They could never understand how it must have felt for Kazuya to try and do right, only to be stabbed in the back by the people he fought for in the end. To makes things worse, he had to watch it over and over again without being given a choice. They did not know if anyone could have deserved to suffer such a thing but Kazuya was not one who should have experienced what he did.Lailah who had shed tears during multiple parts of the story couldn't hold it after hearing what had happened. She bawled on her husband's chest because of what happened to Kazuya after they thought they had solved the problem between the races.Natsu himself wasn't happy either. The royal family of the Zweifel kingdom had dared to use the hero summoning as a tool for war. The alliance between them and the church of light had used the oath he had with his best friend and made it into a shackle. His successor had been used and thrown away like a tool after they played around with his emotions.Tsuna was silent. He had always felt that Kazuya held within him a certain amount of darkness. It was only now that he understood just how much. Kazuya's overprotectiveness was also something he felt that he had underestimated. After hearing what had happened, he could only wonder how the boy could have stayed as sane as he appeared to be."From when I was in that endless void, there was nothing else I could have wished for than to go back and shred those people who used and betrayed me to pieces. I wanted to save the people who didn't deserve to die but did because their only sin was that they were true to me." He closed his eyes trying to cover his emotions."When I finally rid myself from that endless replay, I found myself in a the body that I was both familiar and unfamiliar with. A person suddenly appeared and said that she was the mother I never met before." Kazuya turned to the window which showed the bright moon above the dark forest. "It may be unbelievable to you but, absurd as it may sound, I woke up in the six-year-old body of myself that existed even before I knew my memory started." For the first time since Lailah and Natsu met him, Kazuya showed a faint smile."To me, Earth had been nothing but a place that gave me a life full of struggles. When I realized that I was sent back further than my original memories, I intended to bide my time and prepare for when it was time for me to be summoned to Edea." Kazuya turned to Natsu."But after meeting my mother, grandfather and the people around them, I couldn't help but change the tragedy that I had experienced. Meeting big sis Mei again, they have given me an experience of having a family which I never experienced in my previous life. If I couldn't change the tragedy that happened here on earth, I didn't have any right to go back to Edea to fix anything." He took the cup of tea that had gone cold in front of him and finished it, signaling that he was done with his story."This" Tsuna couldn't find the words to speak. He never would have expected that Kazuya had experienced a different version of his life. The talented monster of both the Kouzuki and the Kurogane family had once been a victim of the latter's devious schemes. He had experienced enough hardship on Earth to make him consider Edea as his new home only to be killed because they did not want him to stay after he had fulfilled his purpose."You said you planned to return to Edea." An oppressive aura suddenly pressed onto Kazuya. "Why are you planning on going back when you already know that they plan to use you as a weapon that shouldn't have been needed in the first place?" Natsu stood up and looked at Kazuya with a serious expression.Natsu couldn't help but ask this question. If it were any other person, the answer would have been to take revenge upon the people who tried to use him. Though it would have been hard to face both the kingdom and the church, with the status of the hero, it wouldn't be entirely impossible. This was especially after he heard that Kazuya had voided his agreement with the demon lord while he was taking his last breaths.He was afraid, afraid of what Kazuya might do if he returned to Edea. Though he understood Kazuya's reason for wanting to do so, Natsu didn't like the idea of Kazuya restarting the war between races that he and his companions had worked hard to prevent."Let me tell you a few things, Natsuhiko Akira-san." Kazuya stood up like he hadn't felt the oppressive force directed at him at all. "I idolized you back when I was a normal person, you came from humble beginnings and made a name for yourself so I had hoped that I could do the same. This was the reason I had approached you and wanted to recruit you to join Kazuno Technologies. I truly did not expect that you turned out to be my predecessor and the person who the demon king wanted me to deliver the message to.""What does that have to do with anything?" Natsu was confused."Let me finish." Kazuya looked at his predecessor straight in the eye. "I just told you the truth because of your identity and the fact I accepted Mallum-san's request. I don't appreciate being threatened after I chose to be honest." Kazuya concentrated mana on his ring.*dun* *bun* dun *bun*Multiple objects fell on the floor. When Natsu glanced at them, his eyes immediately moved back and glared at Kazuya. Multiple explosives were scattered on the floor."I don't respond well to threats. It looks like you still haven't learned your lesson from the last mistake you've made against me. You prefer to use force rather than asking me properly?" Kazuya grinned. "Unlike me, You and Tsuna-san have retained the mana in your bodies that was gained after the blessing had been used to summon you back but, I have not been sitting around waiting for the time of my summoning." He returned the glare with a casual look. Kazuya wasn't afraid of Natsu because he had already accounted for this reaction."Akira!" Natsu was suddenly slapped on the back of his head. "Has blood rushed up to your head again? He's right! You haven't even asked him properly and you're already threatening him!" Lailah's interruption had dispelled the tension in the room.Natsu couldn't help but sigh and be thankful towards his wife. Seeing the amount of explosives that were scattered on the floor, though he was confident that he could have shielded himself and Lailah from the explosions, their house, and the formation that was under it would be destroyed in the process. He was not a novice when it came to battles so he was sure that this was not all that Kazuya had hidden under his sleeves.Truth be told, Lailah was startled as well. She tried to maintain her composure as she also thought that the Kazuya in front of them did not match the Kazuya that they heard about when he was narrating his story earlier. He had been an earnest and nave boy who cared more about people than himself. The boy in front of them was like someone who even she, an elf that had lived for centuries couldn't grasp. Just the confidence he never lost when facing them made them feel like they would lose if another fight broke out."I apologize. I had been too emotional. I was afraid that since you mentioned returning, you may cause another war between the races. Though you might be entitled to do so because of what you experienced, I still can't let you do it while I sit here and do nothing." Natsu scratched his head feeling a bit embarrassed."I know." Kazuya used his magic to gather the explosives on the floor towards his hand and stored it back on his ring. "I don't blame you for thinking that way since those thoughts have indeed crossed my mind." Kazuya smiled before moving over to the pot to pour himself another cup of tea."Was this the reason why you asked me that question earlier?" Tsuna suddenly raised a question. He remembered the serious question that Kazuya asked him before. Now that he heard everything today, he understood why Kazuya had been peculiarly serious about the question he never thought could have been done."Question?" Lailah was the first to react."He asked me if I would take the chance to go back in time to save the companions I lost. I thought that it had been a question because of the guilt he felt after his own experiences. Never would I have thought that It was because he had the opportunity to do so." No one could blame him. The situation was indeed something that they usually wouldn't have believed."So you remembered" Kazuya glanced towards Tsuna and smiled before turning back to Natsu. "Delivering Malum-san's message wasn't the only reason I tried to find you. I wanted to seek your cooperation before I returned to that world. I believe that with your help, what I intend to do will not be as hard as I have imagined.""My help?" Natsu was startled. He didn't expect to be asked this as he had just threatened Kazuya. He intended to make him swear an oath not to throw Edea into chaos."You had a reputation of being the greatest mage and were often compared to the great sages in Edea's history. From reading the book I was entrusted with alone, I decided to seek your help in getting stronger." He said without hesitation. "I was never given much time to learn and appreciate magic. It was only because of the knowledge I gained from the watching the experiences I had and reading that book was I able to gain the insights I currently have on magic." His admittance to his own weakness loosened the suspicions Natsu had against him."Do you really want to go back just to save your companions? They wouldn't even know who you are, much less know that you are saving them from something that hasn't happened yet." Natsu wanted to remind him of this. Though he understood the sentiment, he wasn't sure that Kazuya was resolved to experience the changes he will cause."Why should it matter if they appreciate it or not? As long as they are well and safe from the danger that will surround me, that is good enough for me. If I could, I would chase them as far away from me as possible so that they would never have to be in danger." He replied as if it was a matter of fact. "I owe them too much to involve them in my affairs again. It would be better from them to have never have met me." A lonely smile formed on his face."That's" Lailah wanted to say something but held her tongue after he saw Kazuya's expression. This was the expression of someone who had already made up his mind so Lailah didn't think that her opinion would have mattered. She moved closer to Kazuya and couldn't help but give him a hug. "Your resolve is admirable but, do you think that they would agree to it?""Well" Kazuya remembered the conversation he had in a dream not to long ago. His fallen companions never said anything about not wanting to have anything to do with him but rather they only wanted to be called by their names after they saw each other again. He would have been beaten up if he dared tell them this plan of his."I believe that the safest place for them would be when they are with you. Do you not agree? You've decided to keep your own family on earth safe so why must you push the family you have on Edea?" Kazuya couldn't help but tremble after hearing Lailah's words. "You've already lived a life of selflessness. You're allowed to be a little selfish." Lailah encouraged him."Lailah!" Natsu shouted. Though it was true that Kazuya indeed wanted to save his companions, what about the people that betrayed him? These were the heads of the church of light and the royal family. The kingdom would be embroiled in chaos if Kazuya decided to be selfish and take revenge upon them."Shut up! I know what you're thinking!" Lailah shouted back. "If he was focused on revenge, then wouldn't his enemies in this world have all been eradicated!? With his current capabilities, would he even need your help after he receives the hero's blessing? Isn't the fact that we're still standing here despite what you did to endanger the family he wants to protect proof enough that he is competent enough to not let his emotions get the better of him!?" Lailah was annoyed. She felt that Kazuya's life had been too pitiful yet, he wanted to fight back to the world that made use of him just so he could save the people he cared about. It didn't matter to him if they appreciated him or even knew him or not."I agree." Tsuna stood from his seat and stood on their side. "If I were in his shoes, I would have gone back without even meeting you. Yet he stands here with full knowledge that you might stop him.""Even Tsuna-san" Natsu sighed."I've known Kazuya for quite a while. I can vouch that he won't do what you are thinking about." He placed a hand on Kazuya's shoulder. "No one who didn't deserve death has died in his hands. You should know that the Kurogane family still exists after all this time right?""Natsu-san" Kazuya stepped forward. "I've been straight and honest with you this whole time. Though my return to Edea will not be without bloodshed, It was never my intention to destroy both the church and the kingdom." Kazuya's direct gaze showed him that he was serious. "I sought your help so that I may not resort to desperation and seek your wisdom in making a concrete plan.""You want me to help you plan your return?" Natsu was taken aback. Looking at the boy who was supposed to be younger than him, he could tell that Kazuya had already thought about this."Yes. The knowledge you possess may prove invaluable in making this trip safer and more peaceful. My second objective is to prevent the war. You are Mallum-san's friend and I believe that you don't want him to suffer because of the conspiracy against us." Lailah smiled after finally hearing it from Kazuya. She walked back to stand with Natsu and nudged him with her elbow."Fine I'll cooperate." Natsu finally gave in after being reminded of his best friend's plight. "This place is quite far off from your home. Are you planning on moving here for training?""About that I will need some time to prepare a place for you and Lailah-san to move. In the meantime, I will make arrangements for Lailah-san's identity on earth." Kazuya explained what he had in mind.With Lailah's appearance, she would never pass as a native so Kazuya suggested that they have an official wedding ceremony after Lailah's fake identity was made. This had been Stockton International's doing in the past so he intended to ask for their help. The high elf was elated after hearing that she was going to be experiencing a wedding ceremony on earth and was thankful towards Kazuya for such a beautiful plan.Natsu ofcourse had other worries. He had just accepted a contract from a company that Kazuya was apparently in charge of. He had no money for such things so he would need to depend on this new benefactor to make the necessary arrangements. He couldn't help but wonder what their life and the history of Edea would have been like if he and Lailah had stayed.After a lengthy discussion, Natsu saw Kazuya and Tsuna to the shortcut they magically hid towards the village. It had already been late and Mame and the others were still waiting for them so they couldn't stay the night. Find authorized novels in Webnovelfaster updates, better experiencePlease click for visiting."I have one more thing I need to know." Natsu spoke as they were about to enter the village. "What do you intend to do with the people that betrayed you?" Lailah had stayed behind the cabin so he took the chance to ask this question.Kazuya looked back with a smile."Isn't the answer to that obvious?" he looked at Natsu as if he asked a stupid question."I haven't specifically decided If I should chain them up in a dark room and slowly let them starve, skin them alive and slowly boil them bit by bit, or feed them parasites that will painfully eat them from the inside. Nevertheless, they would wish they had never been born and i will laugh at them while they beg for their deaths. ".
