Interlude: The Accursed Survivor (Patreon)

Interlude: The Accursed Survivor

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Commissioned by Ichypa

Word Count: 1016

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The circumstances of the whole affair were beyond strange. Truly, all of it bordered on being beyond understanding. While I could understand that the death of a fellow can drive one to misery, Hikigaya-san’s reaction was beyond all expectations. In his grief from losing his student, he turned upon Orario… and changed it for the better.

One would expect the path of vengeance to be one of destruction, pain, and misery. I certainly believed that was the case, given the loss of my own Familia, while I survived. However, while all I could do was reforge my life, despite all the rumors of the ill-fate of whomever met with me, Hikigaya-san chose to stride forward, break what he found unacceptable, and remake everything within his reach.

The underbelly of Orario has been thoroughly gutted. Where sneering smiles, idle knives, and beings who dealt in flesh once roamed, there is now order, industry, and capital. One day, there was crime, evil, and terror, and seemingly overnight they were cast out screaming to make room for all the blessings a mere mortal can render upon another.

He established schools, trades, and councils from and for the downtrodden he’d freed. Though he asked for a portion of the profits his organizations brought, they were taxes compared to the extortions they once suffered, and within the span of a week, there was tangible growth wherever he strode, protected, and invested.

It did not take long for the news to spread. Places that were once avoided became open… and hosted services, items, and amenities that other portions of the city did not have. Thus, gold followed Hikigaya’s stride, even as he did nothing more than skim off the topmost layer of the fortune he left in his indefatigable march.

On his path of vengeance, Hikigaya brought joy, progress, and power upon others. The schools he brought into being trained Adventurers to the point where the first twenty floors are merely sources for Valis. The equipment and weapons he presented are plentiful, sturdy, and serve Adventurers well until they can find something to use for themselves. The concept of restraining oneself, artificially raising one’s challenge, to gain more Skill has made every Adventurer stronger and safer.

But, his companions saw fit to remove him from his position?

I understand that they missed him, that they needed him to return to their side, but I couldn’t help but believe that they were being infinitely selfish in their efforts. While what Hikigaya-san has made shows no sign of being broken, given his foresight and planning, since his return to “normalcy” there has been little change toit in the positive. The innovations, gifts, and powers he was freely gifting to all of Orario have ceased. The fact that his previous gifts continue to contribute is a boon that is not forgotten by many.

For every friend he has who is happy with his return to normalcy, there are a thousand who wish he never returned to his old self.

I do not know whether I prefer him now, or as he was.

Was it not better for a man to aid more than just those close to him? Was it not the very height of selfishness to take such a man away from the people? To claim an individual who could help so many as one’s own, keeping them away from those who need him… is that not a terrible action to take? Aren’t the actions of his friends and fellows costing those who need help and the support they need to flourish?

Orario is a wretched, unforgiving city. There are very few of the Divinity who care about anyone besides their own. And, though it might be blasphemous to say, I believe that the Divinity sometimes do not care for those in their own Familia, too. Some of the Divinity, I fear, have been changed by the world of man and become sinful. Therefore, Orario, the Divine City, has become waylaid, lawless, and terrible.

It would take the actions of a just man to overcome the injustices that now persist, so that the Divine Beings which have graced our world with the presence might become just, kind, and righteous as they once were. 

That man could have been Hikigaya-san, if not for the actions of his friends.

I am aware of the folly of my own words. I barely know the man in question, beyond my few interactions with him before his fall into “madness.” I care little for him, but my admiration for him is abounding. Do I know the man before the madness? Certainly, not. However, the “madness” he exuded was necessary for Orario.

True, the path I envision can be seen as evil, but I do not plan to see him fall once again. I would never harm someone undeserving, simply for the sake of power, as was done to me. However, I could not help but feel that if it were done, if someone acted in order to bring back Hikigaya’s “madness,” Orario would be a better place.

It is a reckless, brash, and uncouth thought, of course.  The idle wonderings of an individual who knows the terrors of the people of the Orario and fears them more than the dangers of the Dungeon. Hikigaya’s return to sanity will make him an Adventurer once more… but, he’d been a king that Orario needed when he’d been “mad.”

My beliefs are entirely that of an individual who looks upon the situation from afar, with little conviction and relations in regards to Hikigaya-san. Through the lens of logic, I can see both the reasons why his friends would save him… and why it would be better if they have not. And, though I preferred the accomplishments of his latter self, I did not dislike or hate his companions for their choice to return their friend into their arms.

Still, I cannot help but be selfish myself.

That world, where Orario is ruled justly, is a pleasant one to live within.

And, I would work to pay nearly every price to accomplish its coming.