“Nyau. Can you tell me what happened after I lost consciousness?”
“I can, but...”
The mage Nyau hesitated, her mouth working as if the words were stuck in her throat.
I could already guess most of it, though.
“Was the Hero killed?”
“Yes... he was. I am so sorry. It is only because Nyau was not strong enough...”
So, even with Nyau’s intervention, Hero Eligion’s death was unavoidable.
“And I take it Demon King Zoga has been resurrected?”
“H-How did you know...!?”
When I correctly guessed the Demon King’s return, Nyau’s eyes widened in shock.
“I have a knack for predicting how things will play out.”
“I see... Come to think of it, you already knew that Kanaria and Golgano were traitors as well.”
It seemed she was already aware that they had sided with the Demon King.
“Do you happen to know what will happen next, too?”
I wasn't sure how to answer that. To be honest, I didn't have much detailed information regarding the events following the Demon King’s resurrection.
However, there was one thing I could say for certain.
“If we leave the Demon King to his own devices, the world will end.”
“I see...”
Nyau nodded and stood up, her expression hardening.
“I have decided! Even if the Hero is gone, Nyau will defeat the Demon King with my own power!”
She made the declaration with absolute resolve.
Watching her, I couldn't help but feel a spark of genuine admiration. Despite the utter desperation of our circumstances, she hadn't given up.
Hero Eligion was dead, and Demon King Zoga was back. The thought had crossed my mind that I should just abandon this timeline and trigger Return by Death again.
But looking at her, I wondered if she might actually be the key to breaking this deadlock.
“Can I help you?”
The words left my mouth instinctively.
“Of course! Every bit of fighting power counts!”
With that, Nyau and I began our journey to subjugate the Demon King.
◆
“This is... horrific.”
We returned to Kataroff Village first, but the scene was a nightmare. Houses lay in ruins, and the wounded and the dead were scattered everywhere.
“After the Demon King’s resurrection, a pack of dragons descended on the village,” Nyau explained.
“A pack of dragons?”
“To be honest, it makes no sense. Dragons have never served the Demon King before. For them to suddenly follow his orders... something is wrong.”
“Is that so?”
It was certainly strange. Dragons were known as proud monsters; the general consensus was that they would never deign to join anyone’s army.
“By the way, Nyau, why did we come back to the village?”
“I wanted to secure horses. Also, if possible, I was hoping to rendezvous with Noc.”
Noc...? Right, the man in the hood. My other alias.
“Is this Noc person someone we can trust?”
“I believe so... Regardless, he is incredibly skilled. I would be very grateful if he agreed to help us.”
We split up to search for the hooded man, but our efforts were in vain. No one in the village had any information on Noc’s whereabouts.
Eventually, we gave up on finding him and focused on what we could do. We managed to purchase two horses, which would significantly speed up our travel.
“So, Nyau. What’s our next move?”
“Well, for now, I want to find allies. Even without the Hero, there are still many powerful people in the world. Specifically, those known as Masters.”
“Masters. Those are the ten highest-ranked individuals, right?”
“Exactly!”
“Hero Eligion was a Master too, wasn’t he?”
I remembered him mentioning it during his self-introduction.
“Hero Eligion was the 7th Seat. Demon King Zoga is considered the 5th Seat.”
If the Demon King was only the 5th Seat, that meant there were four others in the world even stronger than him.
“In that case, couldn't the person in the 1st Seat just defeat the Demon King easily?”
“It isn't that simple. The existence of the 1st through 3rd Seats hasn't even been confirmed, and the 4th Seat is definitely not our ally.”
“I see...”
“But the 9th Seat and the 10th Seat are definitely on our side!”
Having the 9th and 10th Seats sounded like a massive advantage.
“What kind of people are they?”
“The 9th Seat is a master of magic known as the Great Sage. The 10th Seat is the strongest swordsman alive, known as the Great Swordsmaster.”
They both sounded incredibly reliable—enough to make me think we might actually stand a chance against the Demon King without the Hero.
“Where can we find them?”
“The Great Swordsmaster should be in the Royal Capital. That is where we are heading!”
The Royal Capital.
I thought about telling her what I knew, but... no, I decided to keep quiet for now.
◆
As we traveled, Nyau told me more about the Great Swordsmaster.
His name was Nidorg.
He was the man who had been most instrumental in the Battle of Arianne, where the Demon King Army suffered a crushing defeat.
However, because he had been severely injured, he hadn't joined the Hero's party in their pursuit of the Demon King. Instead, he had returned to the Royal Capital to recover.
When we finally reached the capital in search of him, we were met with a sight that left us paralyzed.
Or rather, it left Nyau paralyzed. I had already seen this future.
The Royal Capital had been completely annihilated by the Demon King and his dragons.
It was a scene I had witnessed in a previous timeline. The attack seemed to be over; there was no sign of the Demon King or his dragons anymore.
“W-What... what is this...?”
Nyau was in total shock. No one could stay calm after seeing their home or their goal reduced to this.
“We should look for survivors,” I suggested. “What do you think, Nyau?”
“Y-Yes... you’re right. Let’s look for anyone who’s still alive.”
We searched desperately, scouring the ruins for any sign of life.
We found no one.
An entire city had been wiped out, just like that.
“It’s Nyau’s fault...” she whispered suddenly.
“If Nyau had protected the Hero... if I had stopped those two... this wouldn't have happened... It’s all Nyau’s fault...”
She began to spiral, her face contorted with overwhelming regret.
“Hey, are you okay...?” I asked, growing concerned.
“It’s Nyau’s fault, it’s Nyau’s fault, it’s Nyau’s fault, it’s Nyau’s fault, it’s Nyau’s fault, it’s Nyau’s fault, it’s Nyau’s fault, it’s Nyau’s fault, it’s Nyau’s fault, it’s Nyau’s fault, it’s Nyau’s fault, it’s Nyau’s fault, it’s Nyau’s fault, it’s Nyau’s fault, it’s Nyau’s fault, it’s Nyau’s fault, it’s Nyau’s fault...!!”
She began to mutter the same words over and over, like a broken record.
“Hey, pull yourself together!”
Sensing she was on the verge of a total breakdown, I grabbed her shoulders and shook her.
The moment she looked up at me, she let out a retch and vomited.
I flinched, a jolt of revulsion running through me.
Shamefully, my first instinct was that it was revolting. I knew full well how rude it was to think that about a girl in such a state, but I couldn't lie to my own feelings.
Because of that instinctive disgust, I let go of her.
Nyau collapsed to the ground instantly.
For a moment, I panicked, thinking she had died, but her chest was still moving. It seemed the sheer shock had caused her to lose consciousness.