A bright light surrounds Lyrica's body. And then, the girl plunges towards the Guardian Snake.
The ruler of the forest who couldn't move an inch takes the hit and its head got bashed into the ground.
It happened so fast, and powerful. The impact caused a powerful shockwave that stretches throughout the center of the forest.
"Hide, hide, hide!"
"Watch out!"
The knights took cover once more as the shockwave eventually went past them.
Magdalo is the first one out of the others who came out of hiding, observing the scene covered with thick smoke made out of dust and dirt.
Right then, Magdalo remembers the conversation he had with Riko.
...
"Please, we have to go back! I have to go back before someone else gets killed because of me!"
Magdalo finds himself in a dilemma as the young knight—Riko goes down on his knees and pleads with all his heart to go back and help the girl.
Magdalo is a knight who offers his loyalty and his own life for his country. He's a kind soldier who helps the people in need, a courageous knight willing to put his life on the line to save and protect others.
But due to some unknown circumstances, Magdalo is forced to think for himself and nothing else.
With that being said, Magdalo's heart and mind are clashing with one another, conflicting his thoughts.
On one hand, the veteran knight wants to go back and help the girl along with Riko. He doesn't want to leave anyone behind, no matter how dangerous and what limited options they have. On the other hand, however, Magdalo wants to do the most realistic option there is—to get out of the forest alive.
He doesn't care about anyone else. He doesn't give a damn if anyone calls him a coward or selfish, either. The only thing that matters to him is that he can go home and see his family once more.
It's like putting two different things on a scale to figure out which one is heavier, but you can't decide between the two because they weigh the same. Magdalo is left with a headache and heartache.
'Damn it.'
He grits his teeth and his fists begin to tremble as he approaches a compromise.
Eventually, Magdalo's hands and teeth start to relax as he made up his mind. After a long bout of thinking, Magdalo tells himself that he wants to go home and see his family once more. Yes, although it's against his heart as a knight, there's nothing more important than being with his loved ones.
"Ri—"
"What if the rumors are true?"
However, just when he had steeled his resolve in answering the young knight's plea...
"What if the four heroes do exist?"
Riko throws a question to the scale.
"What if she's one of them? I know she's speaking in our language, but didn't you see how she looked different compared to us? Her clothes and everything."
"Ha?"
"And that thing on her head, too. I don't know what that is, but I know that thing did not come from our world."
Thanks to Riko, Magdalo's thoughts were once again thrown in confusion. Because of the young knight's questions, the scale becomes shaky.
"If she turned out to be one of the rumored heroes, then maybe... maybe she can sa–!"
"What are you doing?!"
Magdalo suddenly puts his hand over Riko's mouth, stopping the young knight from completing his sentence.
"Do you want to get yourself KILLED or something?!"
He looks at Riko's face that appears as though he's in shock, not because of what Magdalo did all-so-suddenly, but because of what he's about to say next. Not only that, Marlo and the others were looking at the young knight in concern, but they also seemed relieved that Magdalo managed to stop Riko from speaking.
'It's just a rumor!' is what Magdalo wanted to say to Riko's face.
But now that Magdalo thought about it, apart from the fact that she can speak the same language as them, everything about the girl seemed out of this world.
"If you don't want to go, then it's fine. I can go back myself." Said the young knight after shoving Magdalo's hand away from his mouth.
"Riko!"
What if Riko's claim is true? What if the girl is indeed one of the rumored heroes? A selfless nature, or a selfish act, the scale remains undeciding. It kept going back and forth as if it's begging to add more weight.
"What if that girl is not what you think she is?"
Magdalo asked Riko, stopping the young knight in his tracks.
"What if she's not one of them? What if she's not a hero? What will you do?"
"... I don't know. I don't know if she's one of them, neither do I know if they are real. But..." Riko looks back on Magdalo with his eyes burning with determination. "...I'm a knight. It's my duty to save and protect those who are in need, whether they are a hero or not."
Magdalo did not say a word afterward. He watches as Riko turns around and marches back to the battle, putting his life on the line for someone who needs his help as a knight.
After a while, the scale that is restlessly going back and forth, unsure which one weighs more than the other, starts slowing down.
"Magdalo..."
Magdalo looks back to Marlo, Roberto, and Cardo. And as Marlo nods his head towards the fellow knight, the scale finally stopped.
It's decided. Magdalo has made up his mind. And this time, there's no turning back.
Behind Riko, a hand reaches for his shoulder. He tries to look back, only to see Magdalo's face right beside him as the veteran knight takes the lead.
"I said this before, but I'm not letting anyone, including you, share the same fate as Karlo. Of course, that includes the snobbish brat."
"Magdalo..."
"You said that the girl could be one of the FOUR HEROES, right? Well..."
Magdalo stops walking. And as his face turns around, the scene cuts to the present, where he would utter the same thing he told Riko to his mind.
...
'I hope you're right.'
The thick smoke gradually disappears, revealing the head of the Guardian Snake buried deep into the ground, unconscious. Lying on top of the creature's head is Lyrica.
Riko went past Magdalo and goes straight to the girl. Before carefully approaching her, he tries to see if she's well and alive.
Soon after confirming that she's still breathing, Riko asks the girl, "Can you stand?"
"...Give me three minutes."