At that same moment, Ageha and Demon King Zoga were closing in on each other.
"Who the hell are you?"
Demon King Zoga knit his brows, eyeing Ageha’s slight frame with suspicion.
"I’m the Hero," she replied, her face a mask of smug satisfaction. "The real one."
"Hah?"
Zoga’s expression shifted to one of pure bewilderment.
"Well, it doesn't really matter what you think. It won't change what I’m about to do."
"What’s with you? You’ve been getting on my nerves for a while now."
"Oh, it seems we have something in common. I’ve been thinking you were a nuisance for quite some time as well."
The instant the words left her lips, both gripped their blades and lunged, steel clashing against steel.
"Kiska—!"
By the time I made my way back to the heart of the battlefield, the struggle was already over. Ageha came toward me, waving her hand cheerfully.
"Hey. You okay?" I asked.
"Mm-hmm. I'm fine."
As she spoke, she threw her arms around me, clinging to my side.
"What about the Demon King?"
"He’s right over there. I made sure to finish him off."
I looked where she pointed. There, sprawled across the floor, lay the broken remains of Demon King Zoga. From the look of things, Ageha had slaughtered him without much of a struggle.
"I see. You did good."
I reached out and patted her head. Ageha leaned into my touch with a look of pure bliss, surrendering herself to the gesture.
"Look, I brought Sage Nyau with me."
"So you did."
Ageha turned her gaze toward the Sage. Nyau stood a few paces back, her face a mask of confusion as she struggled to process the scene before her.
"I’d like to use your Teleportation Magic to get us out of the Dungeon," Ageha said.
"I—I don’t mind, but... who exactly are you?"
"I’m the Hero. The real one."
Nyau’s face crumpled in disbelief at the claim.
"Honestly, it doesn’t matter if you believe I’m the Hero or not," Ageha shrugged. "The fact is, I’m the one who killed the Demon King. Look for yourself."
"The Demon King... he really is dead," Nyau whispered, her eyes fixed on the massive corpse. She turned her attention to the silent figure standing nearby. "Noc-san, is it true? Did she really defeat him?"
"Yeah."
Assassin Noc gave a short, firm nod.
"I understand. There is so much I don't know, but if Noc-san says so, then I will believe Ageha-san is the one who defeated the Demon King. I will give you my full cooperation. However, for the Teleportation Magic to work, we must all be together... Lord Hero Eligion is unconscious there, but should we wait for Warrior Golgano and Holy Knight Kanaria?"
"No need for that," Ageha said flatly. "They were both traitors, so I killed them."
I winced internally. There was definitely a better way to put that, but since it was the truth, I kept my mouth shut. Nyau, however, went rigid with shock.
"Noc-san... is that true?"
"Yeah."
Seeing Noc nod a second time, Nyau tried her best to steady herself and accept the reality of the situation.
"Understood. I will ask for the full details later. For now, let’s use the Teleportation Magic and get back to the surface."
I breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Nyau was proving to be far more reasonable than I had anticipated. She took her Rod in hand and began the Spell Chant.
Teleportation Magic of this scale took time to manifest, so there was nothing to do but wait. I stood there blankly, letting my mind wander.
The Demon King was dead. Everything should have been over now.
When I first arrived in this era a hundred years in the past, I had been lost and confused. But now, the source of the world’s ruin had been excised. I had fulfilled my purpose.
...That reminded me. How exactly was I supposed to return to my own time?
What had the Observer said again?
If I recalled correctly...
"Once I judge that the world has been saved, I will forcibly return you to your original timeline."
Right. That was it.
But... how did he judge if the world was 'saved'? Was the Demon King’s death not the end of it?
I should have pressed him for more details.
While I was lost in these thoughts—it happened.
It was so sudden that my first instinct was to doubt my own eyes.
"Hey... what are you doing?"
The words escaped me as an unconscious mumble.
My eyes were fixed on Ageha. She held her Greatsword in her hand, the blade slick and heavy with a fresh coating of blood.
"He was in the way," Ageha muttered softly.
She looked up at me and flashed a bright, innocent smile.
"Besides, you'll be happier with him gone, right, Kiska? Now there’s no risk of the Reputation of the Alcusians being tarnished."
I stared at her, my mind racing. It was true that if he died now, he would never be known as a traitor... but that wasn't the point.
"W-What do you think you’re doing!?" Nyau shrieked.
She leveled her Rod at Ageha, her stance shifting to one of open hostility.
"What? You want to go next?"
"Answer me! Why... why did you kill Noc-san!?"
It was exactly as she said. Without warning or provocation, Ageha had driven her sword through Noc’s chest. The blade had sunk so deep that blood had sprayed across the floor in a violent arc. He hadn't even had time to groan. It was instant death.
"I’m not obligated to answer to you."
"Nyau demands an answer! If you won't give one, Nyau will have to oppose you!"
"Fine by me. Do whatever you want. I don’t particularly care if you live or die anyway."
Ageha’s hand tightened around the hilt of her sword.
This was bad. At this rate, Ageha and Nyau were going to tear each other apart right here. I had to stop this.
"Ageha, calm down! There’s no reason to fight Nyau!"
"Kiska. Why are you protecting that woman?"
Ageha’s eyes snapped to mine. In that moment, a primal chill raced down my spine. The Intimidation rolling off her was suffocating, a physical weight that made it hard to breathe.
Still, I forced myself to speak, mustering every bit of courage I had left.
"I’m not protecting her. I’m saying this fight is pointless. And you can’t blame her for being angry. Why the hell did you kill Noc?"
"Why? Kiska, aren't you happy? You wanted Noc out of the way too, didn't you?"
"I never said anything like—"
I bit my tongue. The more I spoke, the more the situation seemed to spiral out of control.
"Kiska, move."
Ageha’s voice was cold, and her Intimidation spiked again. If I continued to side with Nyau, Ageha was going to snap.
"Fine. I understand."
I nodded and backed away.
Immediately, Ageha closed the distance to Sage Nyau. She pressed the edge of her blade against the girl's throat and spoke with chilling clarity.
"If you don't want to die, hurry up and finish the Teleportation Magic."
"I... I understand," Nyau stammered, her resistance crumbling instantly.
I felt a pang of guilt for terrifying her, but at least she wasn't going to be killed. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
Moments later, the magic took hold, and we were whisked away from the depths of the Dungeon.
In the end, only four of us made it out alive: myself, Ageha, Sage Nyau, and the unconscious Hero Eligion.