I lightly extend my left arm toward the approaching Gary to gauge the distance.
The moment my left fingertips touch Gary, I use the momentum of his charge to slip past him and circle around to his back as if parrying.
Just as I try to pin him to the ground, multiple pointed tree branches burst out from the ground again, so I dodge them while leaping backward.
In doing so, our positions have effectively swapped.
Which means the shrub that grew earlier is now right beside me.
Vines extend from the shrub and lash toward me like whips.
"...Tch."
The moment I divert my attention to the vine attacks, Gary closes in again.
Even though I try to meet him head-on in perfect condition, the vines interfere, and I can't manage a counterattack.
Gary, now at point-blank range, drives a kick into me.
I block it with my left forearm, but I can't withstand the force and get blown backward.
After taking a fall properly and reapplying recovery magic to my left arm, something like autumn leaves begins drifting around me.
For an instant, I'm captivated by the out-of-season foliage, but then they suddenly explode.
Fortunately, the power is low, so it doesn't cause serious damage.
I blow away the surrounding smoke to secure my vision, and right in front of me, Gary is swinging a massive wooden hammer.
"—っ!?"
I instantly activate [Reflective Wall], repelling the swung hammer.
With the hammer's trajectory suddenly reversing, Gary's posture collapses greatly.
Using the demonic sword Schwarzhaese gripped in my right hand, I sever both of Gary's arms holding the hammer.
With that same momentum, I deliver a spinning kick to Gary's abdomen, forcibly creating distance.
(...What am I hesitating for? The current Gary is no longer the explorer I respected. He's my enemy, affiliated with the Order.)
I mutter to myself in my mind as if to convince myself.
Even if he reflects the traits of a deep-floor boss, he's nothing more than a counterfeit.
Far from the original.
If Gary's consciousness were still intact, he would have been a troublesome enemy combining human intellect with magical beast abilities, but right now, I can't sense any living presence from Gary.
In our exchanges so far, there have been countless opportunities to finish Gary off.
Yet part of me is hesitating to do so.
『——Please... kill me already...』
Just as I try to take a deep breath to cut away unnecessary thoughts, a voice like Gary's echoes in my head, almost as if through Selma-san's unique skill [Mental Sympathy].
『I... killed Warren...? Why did I do something like that...』
Again, Gary's voice resounds in my head.
I think it might be my imagination, but apparently not.
The tone carries strong regret, as if lamenting his own actions.
"Gary...?"
I call out to him, but there's no reaction to my voice. New arms are already growing from the wounds on his severed limbs.
Having regained his arms, he charges at me once more.
While parrying his incoming fists and kicks, dodging the magic activated to fill the gaps, I continue listening to the voice of Gary's heart.
—How his comrades shone brightly and he felt out of place, yet they told him he was needed.
—How he cursed his own inadequacy when his comrades were killed by "Amuntzaas".
—How he thought an incompetent like himself would only hinder the rebuilding of "Golden Echo Hero Party" and deliberately distanced himself from Warren and Albert.
—How, while pondering what to do next, a person claiming to be a subordinate of the one-eyed swordsman who had saved them appeared and recruited him to the Order.
—How, while indebted to the Order, Philly Carpenter—who joined around the same time—became someone he could talk to.
—How he gradually inflated his inferiority complex toward his comrades and actively did things beneficial to the Order to prove his own ability and worth.
—And finally, how he assassinated the king of the Nohitant Kingdom and Warren, making war between the kingdom and empire inevitable.
Contrary to Gary's body relentlessly attacking to kill me, his heart desires his own death and endlessly recounts his regrets.
What Gary did is by no means forgivable.
Yet I also think there might be some room for sympathy.
If the voice of his heart is true, he spent no short amount of time with Philly Carpenter.
The same could be said for Marquis Forgas, the lord of Tsutorail.
If so, isn't the biggest factor in inflating his inferiority complex Philly Carpenter's [Recognition Alteration]?
He was merely exploited for those negative emotions.
The true great evil is Philly Carpenter—and by extension, the "Cyclamen Order".
My vow is 'no matter how unreasonable things become, to lose nothing; to become strong enough to protect what's precious in any situation.'
But I am not a god.
More than ten years have passed since I made that vow after losing everything.
Countless events have occurred since then, and gradually, the things I consider "precious" have increased.
I know I can't protect them all.
That's why I must "choose."
The footsteps of the explorer Gary O'Rail are the ones that influenced Orun Dura the most.
So his footsteps can also be called something "precious" to me.
However, since the current Gary is rampaging against his own will, the possibility of him harming other precious things is extremely high.
This choice might be wrong.
Even so, I will make this choice.
To protect other precious things.
Above all, so that the explorer I respected... no longer has to suffer.
"Hah, completely selfish action. I really am weak..."
Muttering self-deprecatingly, I slip through Gary's still-continuing barrage of attacks and thrust Schwarzhaese into his chest.
Releasing my grip on Schwarzhaese, Gary falls limply onto his back.
For the first time, the eyes of the transformed grotesque Gary move, and I can tell his gaze is directed at me.
Catching me in his vision, his face breaks into a smile as
『Ah, I see... so it was you... Thank you』
A gentle voice from Gary echoes in my head.
"I haven't done anything worthy of thanks. I simply forced my own convenience onto you."
This time my voice seems to have reached him; Gary shows a surprised expression at my reply.
『I see, Selma was in "Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky"... Haha... This is your miscalculation, Stig, and Philly.』
I don't know what's so funny, but Gary is laughing at the current situation.
When the laughter subsides, he speaks to me again with a serious expression.
『Can you still hear my voice now?』
I nod at Gary's question.
He's probably trying to leave a last will.
If so, I have an obligation to hear it out.
『Time is short, so I'll speak briefly——』
As Gary begins, just like when a magical beast dies, his body starts turning into black mist from the feet upward.
『Contact Christopher Downing, the president of the Downing商会. But if the Order learns of this, everything ends. So involve as few people as possible. Tell no one about this.』
The Downing商会 is one of the continent's leading trading companies, with branches across the entire continent.
What meaning could contacting its president hold...?
I don't quite understand Gary's intention.
But he rose to the verge of becoming an executive of the Order.
There must be some secret in this world, and since he—who knows it—says so, it must carry some significance.
『And one more thing. About ten years ago, you came into contact with Philly.』
"......Eh?"
An unexpected statement from Gary draws a foolish sound from me.
(Me having contact with Philly ten years ago...? The only time I saw her was the day after last year's instructional exploration, at the explorer guild when I reported about the black dragon. I have no memory of meeting her before that. If this is true, then that means——)
『You understand what I mean, right? Doubt your own common sense... It is highly likely to be a distorted truth.』
"...ぐっ...ぁ..."
Hearing Gary's words, I am assaulted by the biggest headache yet.
My head feels like it's splitting.
It's as if my mind is rejecting any further thought.
『You don't need to think deeply about it now. But I recommend keeping it in the corner of your mind.』
"Why are you telling me something like this...? From your earlier words, isn't this content disadvantageous to the Order?"
『...Who knows. I don't really understand myself. But perhaps I wanted to respond to you, who looked straight at someone like me...』
Most of Gary's body has turned into black mist; only his face remains.
With a gentle smile, he spins his final words.
『Please never break. I'm cheering you on from hell. Do your best, junior.』
With those words, Gary vanishes into black mist.
However, his footsteps and his final words continue to remain within me.
The intense headache still persists.
Even speaking feels burdensome, but I tell myself I must speak now, ignore the pain, and open my mouth.
"I have certainly received your words. I will continue moving forward no matter what lies ahead. So please watch over me, senior."