Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Recap - 12
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"Are you heading back?"
"I've stayed a long time."
It had been too long.
Even when the capital came into view, he'd thought he could wrap things up quickly and go home.
At the very least, he figured he wouldn't have to see the hero party's faces again.
But it had been harder than expected, and though the time was short, there had been so many incidents.
Still, it was over now.
The silver-haired maid shook her head restlessly, looking regretful.
"Aren't you going to miss it?"
"Not at all."
"But... leaving just like this..."
He had his own desires. Anyone with desires would probably make a good maid.
The hero, the saintess, the archer—they all had their own wants too. And naturally, he had no obligation to fulfill them.
No, there had never been any obligation from the start.
Even when the goddess first asked him to become the hero for this world, he had no duty.
He'd simply done what he could. Given what he had to give. Endured because he thought he could hold out just a little longer.
"There's nothing left. If you go like this, nothing at all..."
"That's enough."
He hadn't started this hoping for anything in return. Nothing he'd done had been for himself.
"Looks like it's time. I'll head down now."
For once, he could manage a relaxed expression. He had to dig deep into his memories to recall the last time he'd smiled.
Realizing even that memory had been made with the hero party, he had no choice but to stop reminiscing.
/////
He remembered the day he'd first arrived. The faint smell of blood in the air, the blue glows sparkling here and there, the unfamiliar feel of holy power and mana.
Only after smelling it did it truly sink in that he was going home.
"I'm truly sorry to you."
The emperor standing before him bowed his head in apology.
It couldn't have been easy. The mages and priests here had eyes and ears.
The secret would be tightly guarded, but it was obvious this would damage his authority.
"...."
He couldn't say it didn't matter, or that it was fine, or that he forgave him. That would be an outright lie.
But in this atmosphere, he didn't feel like hurling insults either. He just glared at the man once before walking toward the center of the magic circle.
The mages wore gray robes, the priests brown, perhaps to distinguish them. But Pashier faced him with her face bare, her eyes weary.
If it was meant to hide identities, it was utterly pointless for her.
Considering her small stature, no robe could conceal who she was.
"We'll begin. Just sit there."
Without another word, she started the ritual. It suited him fine. Talking to her would only make him angry.
It's ending. It's ending. It's ending.
There had been so many events, but in the end, he'd succeeded.
He'd defeated the Demon King. Endured for all that time.
Until the very last moment, he hadn't forgotten his original intent. He'd remained a good person.
The priests chanted hymns, interspersed with the mages' incantations. The hymns were as complex and subtle as the mages' spells, and the spells as grand as the priests' hymns.
Light poured from the magic circle. A massive glow he could feel even with his eyes closed.
All strength drained from his body. He could feel the bond tying him to this world loosening.
I'm going.
He felt that reality once more. Only then could he smile.
/////
"N-No...!"
Nerwen leaped from tree to tree in the imperial palace garden, blood dripping steadily.
It hurt, no doubt, but her impulses and desires drowned out the pain.
Enough to tear half the flesh from her own body to shed her shackles and cuffs, then overpower the guard who'd come to check on her and steal his keys.
She knew her crimes would only grow worse. But she had no time to weigh the consequences.
"Please... please..."
Locked in her cell, she'd apologized to him in her mind hundreds of times. Her neck had been stiff from the strain.
At this point, Nerwen's pride was in tatters.
She didn't care what happened anymore—she just wanted to see him one more time. Even dying on the spot wouldn't be so bad, but not even the urge to end her pain could surpass her compulsion toward Enel.
The imperial guards were tight, but with superhuman focus and a stroke of luck, she slipped inside.
She didn't need to search hard for him. As if born to find him, the elf followed his trail.
"..."
But even that had its limits.
Her body was a wreck, and she hadn't entered with permission. She was part of the hero party, but rumors of her imprisonment had already spread.
Getting this far was a miracle. No matter how capable and strong she was, she couldn't brazenly push further.
"Y-Yes, Nerwen!"
"Eek!"
Without time to think, the elf whipped her bow toward the voice.
It wasn't her usual bow but a crude guard's weapon—still, the arrow wouldn't miss.
"Wh-What happened? You're hurt so badly! Heal up quick!"
With one 'command' from the saintess, Nerwen's body was fully restored. The bloodstains remained, but inside, she was good as new.
"Wh...at?"
Celia flinched at Nerwen's eyes, flickering like she was possessed by demonic energy.
"This isn't the time! Pashier says she's sending Enel away for good..."
"That... can't happen...!"
Nerwen's mind was already frayed, but those words got a reaction.
She trudged onward, following the scent. Celia hesitated briefly but soon understood and followed.
The saintess hadn't been banished from the palace either, but she had no better options.
"D-Don't kill anyone. Just subdue them, and I'll heal..."
The two outlaws hid and began taking down the palace guards.
The reverse summoning was a vital ritual, but one that had to be kept secret. Knowing it existed meant knowing there was a real hero besides Elenor.
They couldn't add extra guards or elites without drawing suspicion.
Transporting supplies and people to an unused basement was risky enough—more would expose everything.
"...Almost there."
"I-I'm scared. What do we do? Something huge is below..."
Just before the basement door, they felt it.
The massive flash leaking through the cracks. The great miracle blending holy power and mana.
"Ah..."
Like a doll with its strings cut, Celia collapsed before it. Nerwen couldn't fully grasp the situation yet, but she knew something irreversible had happened.
Everything was over.
/////
"Do you even know what you've done?"
Pashier realized this was a dream right away. But her angry mouth wouldn't stop. She had to follow her past self's actions exactly.
"You've set my research back sixty years."
"It was impossible from the start. Even if we'd all died, we couldn't have retrieved it! If you'd spoken up sooner, at least three more could have..."
Enel usually obeyed her meekly, but not this time.
"Didn't I give you a return stone? Once you got the item, you could come back."
"What about the others?"
"Unavoidable sacrifices."
"Unavoidable? If it was that important, the party should have..."
"That dungeon's rules are too dangerous! Even the strongest can die if luck turns bad!"
Repeating her past words, Pashier drowned in endless regret.
"The return stone only works for someone like you, unlinked to mana!"
The sad part was, no matter how much she regretted it, she couldn't collapse. Her memory-self was shouting at Enel.
"Is that more important than lives? Mages have infinite lifespans! Not for me, but for you, sixty years is..."
"You're overvaluing the 'people right in front of you' with your shortsighted view! Sixty years. How many will that monster called time kill?"
Past Pashier trembled with betrayal.
"I thought... you understood!"
Thinking they'd communicated well had been her delusion alone.
She'd planned to grant him immortality someday, letting him join this grand, beautiful endeavor.
Magic was a solitary pursuit, but that didn't make the loneliness and boredom any less painful.
Still, if there was one kindred spirit on that path, she might endure, Pashier had thought.
"I can't understand anymore. I no longer expect your success."
"You know I will succeed. Somehow, no matter what!"
"You'll succeed somehow, sure. But..."
-I have zero expectations for the world you'd create.
The recollection ended. Pashier sat in the dim magic circle, opening eyes she didn't want to.
"You were right."
It wasn't about success or failure. Not life or death.
Someone who'd lost their heart couldn't make a world of eternal life that brought joy to anyone.
"I never... not once, not even a little, not even slightly..."
Tears welled in Pashier's eyes.
"...thanked you..."