The mysterious man in the robe, Swordsman Noc.
He wore his hood so low that I couldn’t even make out his face from where I stood.
"Is this guy your collaborator, Ageha?"
『Yes, that’s right,』 Ageha answered.
"What am I supposed to do?"
『For now, talk to him. I’ll introduce you to Noc beforehand. Also, you’re acting like a suspicious weirdo, standing there talking to yourself. There is no need to speak aloud when you address me.』
...So that was how it worked.
Ageha’s voice didn’t seem to reach anyone but me, so it was only natural that I’d look like a madman if I kept talking to thin air.
『Can you hear me now?』
『Yes, I can hear you perfectly fine.』
It seemed that simply addressing her in my mind was enough.
『So, what do you mean you’ve already introduced me?』
『I am speaking to Noc remotely, just as I am to you. I have already explained the gist of my circumstances to him.』
I see. That made sense.
I turned my gaze toward Swordsman Noc to try and strike up a conversation. He was just standing there, perfectly still and silent.
Because I couldn’t see his expression, I had no idea what he was thinking, which made me hesitate to approach him. Still, I couldn’t just stand here forever. I summoned my courage and spoke.
"Um, you’re Noc... right?"
"Yeah."
"And you’re Ageha’s collaborator?"
"Ageha...?"
The name didn’t seem to ring a bell.
『Hey, what’s going on?』
『Ah, now that I think about it, I never told him that name.』
『Then what did you call yourself?』
『I introduced myself as the True Hero.』
The True Hero, huh? I suppose that would make Hero Eligion the "fake" in her eyes. I cleared my throat and tried again.
"Sorry, I got it wrong. You’re the True Hero’s collaborator, aren't you?"
"Yeah. That’s right. It seems you are too. The True Hero just told me about you."
It seemed Ageha had properly introduced me to him after all.
"So, what are we supposed to do?"
"...I don't know. I will ask the True Hero for instructions."
With that, Swordsman Noc fell silent again. I assumed he was talking to Ageha inside his head.
『Hey, Ageha.』
『Wait. I’m speaking to Noc right now. You’re second in line.』
She seemed to have her hands full. I had no choice but to wait.
『All right, I’m finished,』 Ageha finally announced.
『Finished with what?』
『I’ve explained the entire plan to Noc. I’d forgotten—this man is a puppet who can’t do a single thing without my direct orders.』
Come to think of it, Swordsman Noc had never played an active role in any of the previous timelines. Perhaps he had been unable to act simply because Ageha hadn't given him the command.
『So, what's the plan for me?』
『I want you to cooperate with Noc to accomplish a specific task.』
『A task? What kind of task?』
『I’ll explain that in a moment. But first—Noc, show this man the face you have hidden under that hood.』
The moment Ageha gave the order, Swordsman Noc reached up and pulled back his hood.
The first thing I saw was radiant Silver Hair.
He had surprisingly handsome features, but his eyes were so hauntingly dead that they completely ruined his good looks.
『Isn’t this nice? You two fellow countrymen should get along great. Alcusians, I believe you’re called?』
That’s right. I had Silver Hair, just like him.
『Now then, Kiska. What I need you two to do is eliminate certain individuals.』
My focus sharpened on that dangerous word: eliminate.
『I want these four killed: Warrior Golgano, Holy Knight Kanaria, Sage Nyau, and finally, Hero Eligion.』
"...What?"
A stunned sound escaped my lips.
Part of it was shock at seeing Sage Nyau’s name on a hit list. But the other part was because a memory had suddenly resurfaced.
I had been bullied for years in Kataroff Village because of this Silver Hair. The reason was a legend: that long ago, the Alcusians had betrayed the Hero to side with the Demon Race.
When I first arrived in this era a hundred years in the past, I had interacted with the villagers, but not a single one of them had treated me poorly because of my hair. That meant the stigma of the Alcusians being traitors hadn't spread yet.
Which meant that the betrayal of the Hero was something that was about to happen.
『No way... Did you do this before, too?』
『Yes. In order to save the world, it was absolutely necessary to kill those four.』
Ageha’s confirmation made everything click into place. Suddenly, the world began to spin.
A wave of dizziness hit me, and I had to lean against the wall for support.
My life had been destroyed because of this Silver Hair. It led to the bullying in the village, which led to my mother dying of illness, my childhood friend Namia being murdered, and me being framed and thrown into the Dungeon Depths.
If it weren't for this hair, my life would have been entirely different.
If we were to kill the Hero’s party now—even if it was "necessary" to save the world—to anyone else, it would look like an act of ultimate betrayal against humanity.
An image formed in my mind. I saw Swordsman Noc, brutally slaughtering the Hero’s party.
I understood it now.
Because this silver-haired Swordsman Noc killed the Hero's party, the Alcusians would be persecuted as traitors for the next hundred years.
I couldn't cooperate with him.
The man standing right in front of me was the root of all my misery—the one who had truly made my life a living hell.