Chapter 90

Hugo Grafton was a core member of the protagonist’s party in Brave Hearts. As a so-called "tank" character, he held the front lines with his high attack power and formidable defense.

In the story, he was portrayed as a reliable big brother figure for the protagonist and the rest of the group, being the eldest at twenty-three. While he often served as the butt of the party’s jokes, he was a man everyone could count on when it truly mattered.

Meeting such a man in the Hybar Ruins had been a completely unforeseen event for Harold.

First and foremost, it was a major miscalculation that he had unintentionally appeared in his "Trinity" persona. From this point forward, he would likely be forced to stand before Rainer and the others in that same outfit. To make matters worse, there would also be times when he would have to interact with them as Harold.

If they realized the two were the same person, his plans would crumble. He had gone to great lengths to put on an elaborate performance for Rainer and Colette specifically to avoid that, but he hadn't been prepared to do anything of the sort for Hugo.

One might wonder if he should have simply parted ways and acted independently, but that wasn't an option.

The primary reason was that, in the Original Story, Hugo was scheduled to join Rainer’s party in the Cadis Ruins. Those ruins appeared quite early in the game; Hugo was the first to join the party after the initial members, Rainer and Colette.

At this point, Rainer and his companions had already set out on their journey to reclaim the Sacred Sword. Traveling from the Hybar Ruins to the Cadis Ruins would take about three weeks on foot. Depending on Rainer's progress, Harold needed to get Hugo out of the Hybar Ruins as quickly as possible.

As a result, Harold had been forced to keep his face hidden while clearing the ruins at a breakneck pace. He had considered establishing a connection as Harold, but he ultimately decided against it, judging that revealing his identity without proper groundwork or a clear plan would only cause trouble later.

Despite the forced march through the ruins, Harold's efforts paid off. According to a regular report from El a few days later, a large man with short blue hair had begun traveling with Rainer’s group. Judging by the physical description, there was no doubt it was Hugo. It seemed he had made it just in time.

A little over two months had passed since that encounter. During that time, Harold had continued to collect the secret treasures scattered across the Continent as ordered by Harrison. He had already secured six of them; only one remained.

Though Harold occasionally worried that things were going too smoothly, El’s reports suggested that Rainer and the others were also clearing the Original Story at a steady pace.

In truth, the timeline had been a persistent headache for Harold. Even though he had played the original game, it was impossible to tell exactly how much time passed within the narrative. There were no seasons, no specific dates, and no years mentioned. Was the journey six months? A year? Longer? His inability to read the timeline was exactly why he had panicked regarding Hugo.

However, on further reflection, this was a battle to save the world from total destruction. Naturally, it would escalate into a large-scale conflict involving the entire Continent—it was, for all intents and purposes, a war.

It was hard to imagine the protagonist's party, which consisted of only six people, being able to fight such a war over a long period. Unless they settled things in a decisive, short-term struggle, Rainer and his friends would be at a severe disadvantage against the enemy’s superior numbers.

Therefore, the events of the Original Story were likely unfolding within a much shorter timeframe than Harold had initially assumed.

Then came a day that confirmed his suspicions.

He had just finished recovering the sixth treasure and was waiting for his next objective when he returned to the research institute for the first time in a while. Justus summoned him almost immediately. Feeling nothing but a sense of impending dread, Harold inwardly cursed the man’s habit of overworking him as he reluctantly headed toward the lab.

He entered the room with a perfunctory knock and cut straight to the chase.

"What do you want?"

"Ah, Harold. You see, a rather troublesome matter has come up."

"For you to call something 'troublesome' is rare."

"Well, it isn't particularly troublesome for me, personally."

"I don't follow. Stop talking in circles."

"You really are short-tempered. Fine, I’ll skip the roundabout explanation. You remember Lifa, don't you?"

"……What about her?"

Harold barely managed to keep his face from twitching at the mention of her name. It took a monumental effort to respond without letting his inner turmoil leak into his expression.

As if seeing right through him, Justus ruthlessly dropped a bombshell.

"It seems she's been sniffing around you lately. Shall I eliminate her?"

Harold’s head throbbed. First Colette, then Hugo, and now Lifa—why was everyone deviating so far from the Original Story? Because of her actions, Lifa had caught Justus’s attention in the worst possible way.

This was a problem. To Justus, "eliminate" meant one thing: death.

If Harold agreed, or even if he simply brushed it off as none of his business, Justus would either kill Lifa or find a way to use her for his twisted plans.

Neither outcome was acceptable. Harold had to take action himself.

"……Where is she now?"

"Oh? You’re going yourself?"

"Is there a problem?"

"Well, no, but……"

"You look like you have something to say."

"I just found it surprising. I had no idea your preferences leaned toward girls of such a tender age."

"Drop dead, you madman."

After hurling a blunt insult at Justus—who had accused him of being a lolicon with a perfectly straight face—Harold extracted Lifa’s location and stormed out of the lab.

---

According to what she had gathered from El, there were several suspicious gaps in the record between Harold’s death sentence and the moment he became a subject at the research institute. While the details were murky, Justus’s own account of how they met suggested that someone was pulling strings behind the scenes.

If Lifa could uncover the truth, she might understand the circumstances surrounding Harold. She might even discover the goal he was risking his life to achieve.

People would likely tell her there was no point. Even so, she couldn't sit idly by while knowing Harold’s life was being cut short.

There might still be a way to save him.

Of course, if she told that stubborn man, he’d probably scowl at her instead of saying thanks. That was why she was secretly investigating the period when Harold was sent to the Deliberation Chamber.

Roughly a month after she began her investigation, Lifa found herself staring at a clearly livid Harold.

They were inside a building. There were no windows, suggesting they might be underground.

It had happened so fast. While she was discreetly making inquiries in the Royal Capital, she had been jumped in a deserted alleyway. Her movements were pinned, her eyes were covered, and she was abducted before she could even scream. She hadn't been able to resist at all. When the blindfold was finally removed, Harold was standing over her, a vein throbbing in his temple.

She had no idea where they were or how she had been transported, but she had only sensed one person throughout the entire ordeal. Harold must have done this alone.

"Well? What the hell were you doing?"

His voice was the auditory embodiment of "pissed off."

"……It’s none of your business. More importantly, untie me."

Her arms and torso were lashed to a chair. She strained against the ropes, making the wood creak, but Harold didn't budge.

"Answer me. What were you doing?"

His voice and the intensity of his eyes grew sharper. She realized that lying her way out of this wouldn't work.

The very fact that Harold had intervened personally meant he already knew what she was up to. There was no other reason for him to be this angry.

She hadn't wanted him to find out, but resistance was futile now. Lifa sighed and gave in.

"……I was looking into your past."

"For what?"

"……Because I don't want you to die. I thought I might find a way to save your life."

That was Lifa’s honest feeling, and her primary motivation for everything she was doing.

She didn't know how much time he had left, and even if he could be saved, it might only be for a little while. The odds of success were probably one in ten thousand.

But even if her actions were ultimately meaningless, that wasn't a reason to give up on him. To Lifa, Harold might be an unpleasant, cynical jerk, but he was also the first person to ever acknowledge the years of effort and the results that defined her life.

Only Lifa could truly understand how much that meant to her.

"Stop it. Now."

"No."

"Don't mess with me. Do you want to die?"

"I know it's dangerous."

Apparently, she had been poking a hornet's nest that could get her killed. It was a sobering reminder of just how thin the ice Harold walked on truly was.

But if he was pursuing a goal worth his own life, then it stood to reason that the secrets surrounding it would be just as lethal. Lifa found she couldn't back down now.

Perhaps sensing her resolve, Harold shifted his approach.

"Why go this far? Do you want me to owe you?"

"It’s not that. It’s the opposite, actually."

"What?"

"I’m grateful to you. Enough to risk my life for you."

Finally voicing her feelings in a situation like this made her realize she might be just as twisted as Harold, even if she wasn't quite on his level yet.

Harold looked at her with a bewildered expression. He genuinely didn't seem to understand why she would be thankful.

"I’ve done nothing to earn your gratitude."

"I figured you’d say that. You probably wouldn't understand even if I explained it."

It was a waste of time to worry about it, and no amount of persuasion would change the facts.

"……If you’re truly grateful, then do as I say."

"That’s a separate issue! I want to save you!"

"I didn't ask for help, and I don't need it!"

"I’m doing this because I want to! I don't care if you want me to or not!"

Harold, who refused any interference, and Lifa, who was determined to save him.

The two were on parallel lines that would never meet. They continued their shouting match for over an hour, exhaustion eventually creeping into both of them.

There were only two ways to settle this: one of them had to break, or someone had to use force.

"You stubborn……!"

"Pot calling the kettle black, you blockhead……!"

"……This is my final warning. Stop digging into my past."

Harold spoke as he gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Lifa didn't flinch. "……I refuse."

"……I see."

With a sharp shing, the sword was drawn. It was the black straight sword she had seen many times before.

Lifa saw her own reflection in the cold steel.

"Then negotiations have failed."

"So it seems."

Without hesitation, the sword swung down. The blade sliced through the air and struck Lifa—or rather, the ropes binding her.

The restraints fell away, and Lifa was free. Harold looked as if he had just swallowed a mouthful of needles. He clicked his tongue and sheathed his sword.

This meant Harold had "lost" the argument.

Lifa wasn't surprised. She knew that beneath the cynicism, this man was unexpectedly kind. The only problem was that his kindness was incredibly difficult to detect.

"……Lifa. Are you truly sincere about wanting to save me?"

"Yes."

She looked him in the eye and nodded firmly. She wanted her feelings to reach this stubborn, clumsy man, even if only a little.

"Then if you value your life, follow my orders. If you act on your own again, you'll be erased."

"By who?"

"By Justus, or one of his subordinates."

"……I see."

She had suspected as much. Images of the weary, white-haired man came to mind, and while she had plenty she wanted to say about him, she held her tongue.

"So, what should I do?"

"For starters, leave the Royal Capital."

"This isn't just a convenient way to get rid of me, is it?"

"I wish it were, but I'm coming with you."

The situation was apparently so dire that Harold, who shouldn't have been able to move freely, felt the need to escort her. Lifa realized she must have been in significant danger.

That would also explain why Harold had been so frantic to intercept her.

"Fine, I understand. Where are we going?"

At that question, Harold’s expression darkened even further. He let out a long, weary sigh before naming their destination.

"To the land of Sumeragi, to the east. I have work for you there."