“Hey, Dad? You’ve hunted a lot of monsters and animals before as a hunter, right?”

“You betcha.”

“Did you feel uneasy taking an animal’s life for the first time like I was?”

“Aye, but during that time, the circumstances were dire since I didn’t have my own dad to look after me. I guess when I thought my own survival was at stake, I had to make some drastic decisions in order to live. The more I did it, the more the uneasiness didn’t affect me as much.”

“I heard … hunters have also hunted bandits with bounties on their heads. Have you … done that, as well?”

“… Aye, that I did.”

“Have you killed them like you did with animals and monsters?”

“Ugh, really, I know you’re bright, Soar, but I expected to have this conversation when you were older at least.”

“Was it too soon for me to ask?”

“Well … maybe it’s because you’re so bright and mature that I should try to start seeing you more like an adult now. As adults, talks like this can get heavy and can put them into a position in one’s eyes depending on what they say. What I’m about to tell you … only your mother and our fairies know about it, and I’d appreciate it if it was kept between the five of us.”

“I understand,” I answered with a nod. Though, in reality, it would be between eight counting my fairies who were nearby in hiding. Only Dad’s Fairy, Tyra, was with us as she sat on his lap.

“The first time I killed a man was actually before I even became a hunter. I was living in the slums when a madman had lost his sanity. I knew of him, how he’d resort to stealing in order to survive along with his Fairy Companion, how they’d frequently get into arguments that quickly turned one-sided in the man’s favor. The fairy was at her wit’s end, though. She couldn’t find someone else to confide into and from how much pain she was dealing with at the time, she couldn’t bear to live with that man anymore, and so, she took matters into her own hands … as well as her own life.”

“Heart Break …” I remembered Breezy was the one who said that from earshot.

Heart Break is pretty much what it sounds like. The gemstones you’d see on a Fairy’s chest are their ‘hearts’ that brighten or dim in light and color depending on their well-being when magic isn’t being cast. For a fairy to commit Heart Break, those gemstones would have to turn mostly, if not completely black. At this state, fairies could barely cast magic without hurting themselves if not at all, and until they’re seen to with proper attention and care, it would only get worse as it’s further neglected.

This was accurately named Heart Break for how the fairy victim forces herself to cast magic despite the increasing pain until the gemstone cracks and shatters, the shards would fall and reveal themselves to the world while their manifested bodies burst and scatter into light that floats up to the sky. It was said that was the soul of a fairy who would go back to where Elmyra and the other gods reside in another realm called Palazim, to confide in her and seek the comfort they so needed.

In other words, Heart Break is basically fairy suicide. Hearing how a fairy can actually commit such an act was probably the biggest slap of reality I had ever received since coming to Manara. Just hearing about it was heart-rendering enough, but when I talked to Ms. Renne about it in further detail after that, I couldn’t hold myself back from crying when I thought of my fairies going through that same thing.

Considering fairies were such a huge influence in Manara, their fates depended on the Chaperone. Whether a Companion was miserable enough to resort to Heart Break to be freed or she was forced into it due to the built-up stress, the Chaperone would be left responsible for those outcomes, branding them killers of their own fairies.

In this world, a Chaperone killing their Fairy Companion was a bigger taboo than murdering one of their own kind or other living-sentient beings. If one were to use magic on the fairy’s remnants from the gemstone and trace its mana signature back to their former Chaperone, they would be immediately executed while volunteering Fairies nearby would perform a sort of funeral ceremony for the shards the victim left behind.

“I saw that moment with my very eyes,” Dad continued. “I watched how that man was getting hysterical trying to stop her, but she went through it anyway. He knew what was going on by the time those shards fell to the ground and what would happen to him when others would catch wind of it. I’m not sure if he gave up on life or was trying to keep himself clean when I look back on it now, but when he saw me there, I had a sense that he didn’t want to have witnesses.

“I could still remember the loss of life and madness in his eyes as he tried to chase me down and silence me for good, how angry I was at that man, how sad I was for that fairy, and how terrified I was for my own life as I ran. I could still remember how painful it was when I resorted to using a shard of broken glass I found as an improvised means to protect myself despite it cutting into my hand and fingers. Then there was the dreadful warmth of his blood spraying on me quickly turning cold when I cut his carotid until he stopped moving.

“I didn’t really think about what I was doing that time, whether what I was doing was right or wrong, but I didn’t really know that man well enough to even care what was best for him as I thought of my own survival. Even so, the reality of what I did back then stuck to me for a while and I wondered why I even needed to go through something like that at such a young age. It was then I knew something needed to change in my life and I had to work for that change with my own hands. That was when I did what I could to train and become a hunter before I met Tyra.”

Dad then looked to me with a calm, but somber expression. “There are a few things I want you to take away from this, son. One is that you do not follow that madman’s example and abuse your fairies after you make your contract. The other … if there comes a time when you have to face a similar situation like I did, I want you to think really hard with that great head of yours what the best thing is to do at that moment if you have the time and space. Think of what options are available to you, how and why you came to that choice, and whether that will affect what kind of person you want to become that others might see you when you grow up. If you know your assailant well enough, try to think of what they might’ve gone through to come to where they stand at that moment so you can arrive at a clearer decision.

“You’re a bright and splendid young man, Soar, and I’ve watched you grow up long enough to know that there are reasons behind every action that you take. If you are ever at a loss for what to do and what’s best, Ms. Renne, your mom, Dew, Tyra, and I will always be happy to lend you a hand, and we will do what we can to provide the support that you need. Ain’t that right, Tyra?”

“Mm,” she responded from his lap with a firm nod. She wasn’t one that talked very much, but she was very strong like Dad that she’d help out without needing to say anything. Seeing how bright and orange the gemstone on her chest was after learning more about it showed how much she loved and respected him.

“I understand … and Dad?”

“Yes, son?”

“Thanks … for everything you’ve done to raise me. I couldn’t be any prouder and more grateful to be the son of such a great man.”

“… Y-Yeah, of course. That’s what us dads are for, after all.” Just from hearing Dad sniffle after that, I saw that he tried really hard not to break into tears in front of me. The smug look on Tyra’s face as she watched her Chaperone spoke levels, too. My fairies who were watching from hiding also cried from how moving the scene was.

After that, I took extra care in making sure each of my Companions had the kindness and attention they deserved after forming a contract with someone like me. I also took time to really think about how I viewed life, both from my past and my reincarnated life. I thought about it long and hard after that talk with Dad. In a world like Manara with the experience and wisdom I had then, it would be best that I settle to something as soon as possible instead of not worrying about it until I crossed that bridge.

And so, I came to a decision should a life-threatening situation arise.

~~

Okay, let’s think of the circumstances, I said to my Companions telepathically after my trip through memory lane, specifically what Dad advised me. We want the victims trapped in that cave to be safe and set free. Here are a few options of how that can be done.

One, we sneak in, unlock them from their bindings, and sneak them out, but with the tight security and only one way to get in and out of that cave, that would be difficult if not impossible, so that’s out.

Two, we incapacitate the bandits without killing them. Is there any way we can put people to sleep through magic?

the new voice in my head after I got the Great Sage gift answered for me.

… Why is that? We’re able to communicate telepathically and scan our surroundings with our combined powers and mana. Those aren’t elemental like Fire, Water, and the like. Why can’t we do something like putting a person to sleep with magic?

We all sat there aghast at this sudden info dump from the voice.

Um … wow, okay, I guess that explains some things. So, I can’t use something like mind control, either?

Well, all right then. Is there a way we can cast magic on those bandits without killing them?

But I don’t know what their MAG stats are, and I don’t think I’m trained enough in magic to be that precise in my spells. My aim’s pretty good, though. Can you help me figure all of that out?

I can’t help but feel there’s a hint of sass in your monotone, but I guess that one’s on me for asking, then. Going back to our options though, while it may difficult to pull off, according to that voice, it is possible to incapacitate them all without killing them before setting the hostages free. That’s option number two. There is one more option we can do to rescue the hostages.

Shadina asked.

Simply kill them all. What I’m concerned of though is what will become of the fairies after their Chaperones die?

Whoa whoa whoa, hold up. How come Fairy A in 2.1’s case has to start off at LV 1 again in order to make a contract with a new Chaperone?

Ah, I get it, that’s why it would be okay if Fairy B took in all of Fairy A’s powers that would increase her own level as the new Chaperone is already familiar with that element.

But what would become of Fairy A after she’s … absorbed? Wouldn’t that mean she died?

Huh, so it’s both a yes and no kind of thing.

That’s kind of vague coming from you, despite us starting to talk to each other not even 5 minutes ago.

Uh-huh …

Shadina asked Mist, to which she shrugged.

Well, anyway, those are our three options: sneak in, incapacitate, or kill. What are your thoughts, everyone? I asked, getting back on topic.

[Mist]

[Shadina]

Breezy asked the others, to which they nod in response.

And your happiness is my top priority above everything else as I live with all of you.

If these bandits really were soldiers once, how they were discharged is anyone’s guess, but they all had a choice of what to do from there. I may not have hit rock bottom in my life, but even if the situation looked bleak, there’s a difference between having difficulty not finding new work and not attempting to find it at all. Whether they were aware of it or not, they had a choice to make something different in their lives and out of the numerous other options out there, they decided becoming bandits that commit burglary and kidnap people to sell off for money was the way to go. No matter how desperate they were at the time or how idiotic their thought process was, they were the lowest of the low in my book.

There were times in my previous life where I was also a victim in some form: bullying, having the goods in my previous retail job be stolen or blatantly messed around by disrespectful ‘customers,’ I felt I couldn’t do anything out of either of those cases if I didn’t want to get into serious trouble just from trying to stand up for myself. Those kinds of people, I felt they wouldn’t change their ways until they got what’s coming to them, and who knows how long that would be if the authorities proved to be unreliable, if not at all? And if that somehow didn’t work, then what was the point of having them still loitering around and being a thorn to my side along with everyone else? So many times, I thought ‘just go die already’, ‘why can’t I just do everyone a favor and take you down myself?’, or ‘humanity should just burn in flames if they’re accepting this as the norm in society.’

My mood may have improved when I finally switched over to my IT job after graduation, but I was exposed to too much negativity of the world, and so I limited my contact with people as much as possible and shut myself away in my home with my hobbies before meeting and helping Shannon. Up to that point, I didn’t care what was going on with everyone along with the rest of world because all I heard was the same thing: ‘the world is shit, what else was new?’ Boy or girl, young or old, no matter the background, I didn’t want anything to do with them, I didn’t want to care about them. If I had the power and choice to do something about the bad things in the world, I admit, my way of thinking might be oversimplified and to the extreme, but taking the ‘short and easy way’ was more to my own satisfaction and peace of mind than out of ‘justice,’ and I already knew from that judgment alone that there was no way I would consider myself a ‘hero’ by that point, no matter what others might say.

That was why … with my new powers, I wouldn’t let these bandits off easy. That was why … I did not care what their sad backstory was that led them to that point.

That was why outside of my new family, [adult] friends, and Companions, I didn’t care anybody else and what they thought of me.

I’d feel really shitty leaving this alone and pretend I didn’t see anything if we can do something about it, I continued with the telepathic talk with my fairies. If they have a bounty, I’m not sure what difference it would make bringing them in alive and I’m not really desperate for money right now. Hell, I think the hostages may need it more if their circumstances are dire, and they’ll take anything they can get if it means they can live for a little longer.

And honestly? I think it’s too big of a pain trying to hold myself back to keep those bastards alive if they’re gonna fight back, so I say we go the straight and narrow way and kill them all. Is everybody with me?

They all silently nodded in response with no further objections.

And so, with my decision set and our hide detection spell still activated, we quickly came up with a planned course of action while moving to a different spot where I could see both of the bandits at their posts in my line of sight. I asked the new voice in my head, temporarily called the Great Sage Voice, some questions all the while and changed how we’d proceed accordingly.

Our rescue mission commenced when I cast my powered-up Wind Needle spell with Breezy’s assistance, and much to all of our surprises, I made my very first two kills in both lives with one try. It went right through both of their skulls with such speed, power, and trajectory in a single clean shot.

My Wind Needle became more like a Wind ‘Bullet’ that was shot from a magic sniper rifle. That was only the beginning to the discovery of my newfound powers as a Great Sage.