“Leave the stage?” I repeated. Was this guy kidding?!

“Still . . . how about this, Bow Imposter. If you slay the shield demon standing there, we will accept you as our true ally once again,” Mald offered. No! That wasn’t good! Itsuki couldn’t really think for himself right now. He was getting better but still had a tendency to do whatever people told him to do. Right now, Itsuki and I were about the same strength. I didn’t want any needless fighting here.

“Unfortunately for you, I have found something I wish to defend for myself. Mald, I will not obey you,” Itsuki said. Interesting! He rejected the orders! Maybe he was coming back to himself at last. Or perhaps it was Rishia’s teachings working their magic.

In either case, this was a good—and timely—change.

“Tell me, Mald! Why are you here?” Itsuki asked.

“I have no words to bandy with evil! I would be a moron if I told you how we came to be here!” he stated. I mean, I had to agree with the guy. I’d never heard of a self-proclaimed ally of justice explaining how they got somewhere.

“Let me change the question,” Itsuki said, obviously trying again. “Why do you ally yourself with these kinds of people?”

“Why do you think? Because we share the same spirit of justice!”

“Mald, that person standing at your side is the very one who took in that megalomaniac Takt and attempted to use him for her own ends. There’s no justice on your side,” Itsuki said.

“Takt? He was just a sacrifice to form the foundation of our justice. His violence was purely intended to prove that we are just. We had every intention of swinging that justice hammer, but then you stepped in,” Mald replied.

“How many people suffered for your opportunity to deliver that justice? The world does not exist for your selfish justice,” Itsuki responded. That was the kind of thing a character would say from the kind of story Rishia probably loved. It was a common trope in manga too, a man of justice trying to correct the mistaken path an ally had taken—by force if necessary. Surely it wasn’t actually possible in real life. Armor hadn’t said much yet, but his attitude spoke volumes, and he definitely didn’t seem like the type to listen to what others had to say.

In any case, it was nice seeing Itsuki being able to hold this kind of conversation. That was definitely progress. Back when we started out, Itsuki himself had been saying things like, “I won’t listen to the words of evil!”

“Hah. Whatever you may say, I will never listen to your false justice!” Armor replied, as arrogant as ever, and then stared me down. “Brainwashing even the Bow Imposter? Your list of crimes only grows!”