"When you and Assassin Noc betrayed us, Kiska-san, I used Teleportation Magic to escape Kataroff Dungeon with Hero Eligion and the others."
As the rhythm of the horse’s hooves beat against the road, Nyau began to speak. Her voice was a soft, breathy whisper, recounting the events of a hundred years past.
"First, I used every bit of magic I had to save the fatally wounded Knight Kanaria. Fortunately, she managed to cling to life."
I kept the horse at a steady gallop, my ears tuned to Nyau’s words from behind me. In the dead of night, her small voice was the only thing vibrating against my eardrums.
So, Kanaria had survived.
"From there, we traveled by carriage to the Royal Capital. We reported the Demon King Subjugation to His Majesty and received our rewards. I remember the entire country was in an uproar, celebrating the victory... But I couldn't bring myself to be happy. I just couldn't understand why Noc and Kiska-san had betrayed us..."
"...And then?"
"Then, about a month later... Kanaria and Warrior Golgano suddenly vanished. I asked Highness Eligion and the others, but no one knew where they had gone. My heart wouldn't stop racing. I was no closer to the truth of the betrayal, and now I was losing everyone else, too..."
Nyau trailed off, letting out a heavy sigh.
"So, I decided to leave the Royal Capital. I felt like I would never find a clue if I stayed there. And then, surprisingly, I found Noc quite easily near Kataroff Village. Noc told me, 'Eligion is not the True Hero. I simply followed the True Hero.' But when I pressed him about who this True Hero was, he either didn't know or wouldn't say. He told me that if I found you, Kiska-san, I might learn the truth... But no matter where I looked, you were gone. I traveled across the entire world, yet I couldn't find a single trace of you. It was during that time that I found Warrior Golgano and Knight Kanaria. They both identified themselves as members of Chaosism."
I couldn't hide my shock. To think Nyau had known about Chaosism all along.
"They told me, 'This world is distorted. For example, the Demon King can never defeat the Hero. Not because of logic, but because the world is rigged so that the Hero must win.' It was as if they were saying the world itself revolved around the Hero."
Nyau’s voice trembled occasionally, as if she were enduring physical pain, but she continued to spin her tale with careful precision. I focused on the road while keeping my senses sharp, feeling her weight against me.
Given her injuries, I probably should have slowed down, but the threat of the Demon Beelphegor loomed too large for us to dally. I settled for ensuring she was held securely so she wouldn't fall from the horse.
"There was... someone else there. It wasn't Kanaria or Golgano. I couldn't see their face, but they had a High-Pitched Voiced Person’s tone, like a young girl. They said, 'I will show you another causality.' They told me that anyone who saw it would surely join their side. And in the next instant, a flood of unknown information poured into my mind."
I heard Nyau swallow hard. It was as if the terror and impact of that moment were being resurrected within her.
"What... did they show you?"
When I asked, Nyau took a moment to steady her breathing before continuing in a shaky voice.
"For a long time, my mind was dominated by images, and my body wouldn't move. I saw worlds I didn't recognize... or perhaps it's more accurate to say times I didn't recognize. It was like being hit with a deluge of messy, intertwined timelines. When it was over, the High-Pitched Voiced Person said, 'The Hero is an existence bordering on omnipotence. If they wish it, they can remake the world to their liking. You saw them, didn't you? The worlds that vanished simply because they were inconvenient for the Hero.'"
The Hero is nearly omnipotent?
The Hero I knew—right, for some reason, I still couldn't recall her clearly.
Still, the idea of the Hero being an omnipotent existence didn't sit right with me.
I remained silent, prompting Nyau to continue. She wore a bitter expression as her thin voice carried through the wind.
"That voice also said, 'Such an existence must not be allowed. You must join us in Chaosism.' They said it over and over, carefully explaining their version of justice to me."
I grit my teeth.
On the surface, Chaosism's argument almost sounded reasonable. Yet, I felt an inexplicable sense of revulsion toward them. I found myself hoping Nyau hadn't been swayed by their rhetoric.
"But their explanations didn't matter to me. All that filled my head was... thoughts of you, Kiska-san. I didn't care about Chaosism or the world being distorted. My heart was consumed by the you I had spent time with in that timeline."
"What...?"
I asked instinctively, and in response, Nyau clung more tightly to my back. I could feel her warmth radiating through my clothes.
"...It’s probably creepy to hear this so suddenly. But the shock of seeing that timeline was so great that I couldn't think of anything else. You and I... we fought together in that timeline, and we... we..."
She stopped herself, her voice thick with embarrassment.
"I’m sorry... I’m getting ahead of myself. The point is, that timeline became more important to me than anything. I didn't care about 'correcting the world.' My only desire was to see you again..."
Nyau exhaled softly, her words heavy with resolve.
"From that day on, I searched for you every single day. I wondered where you were. I traveled the world, using the networks of the Adventurer's Guild and the Magic School. Sometimes I even sought help from the underworld. But I couldn't find so much as a footprint."
She looked down, her face full of regret.
It must have been a long, lonely journey. She had wandered through a span of time I couldn't even fathom.
"I couldn't give up. The... interactions we had in that timeline... I couldn't get them out of my head. I wanted to see you one more time and tell you how I felt. But sometimes I’d get so scared, thinking maybe it was all just a delusion shown to me by Chaosism..."
Her voice wavered.
Only the sound of hooves striking the ground filled the silence. I found myself unable to speak. Nyau had been looking for me all this time? For a hundred years...
"Before I knew it, a century had passed. Not a single day went by that I didn't think of you. But with no clues to follow, I had almost given up."
Her voice was saturated with a helpless sort of yearning.
She had spent ages chasing a single truth only to find nothing. The despair behind her words tightened my chest.
"But then... you suddenly appeared right in front of me. I was... beyond shaken. I thought I was seeing a ghost. But when I touched you, when I heard your voice and realized you were truly here... I didn't know what to do with myself."
Nyau paused, leaning her forehead against my back. I could feel her shoulders trembling.
A wave of affection for her washed over me, making it hard to breathe. I felt like I was finally starting to understand why she had been so erratic.
"Nyau..."
I tried to say something, but the lump in my throat made it impossible.
Should I say thank you? Should I apologize? My own mind was a mess.
But one thing was certain: I couldn't leave her like this. I never wanted to see her hurt again. That was my honest truth.
"Kiska-san. I... I care for you deeply."
Her confession melted into the wind, nearly lost to the night air. Even so, the sound of it made my heart skip a beat.
Nyau cast her eyes down and let out another small sigh.
"I know it's a lot to take in. After all, I'm the only one who remembers that timeline; you don't remember a thing. I never intended to tell you any of this. I was just happy that we could be together again."
Ah, I see. Nyau thought I didn't remember that other world.
"But then Elsie saw right through me. She manipulated Ryune to direct her feelings toward you... and when I realized what was happening, I completely lost my way..."
Jealousy toward Ryune. That was why she had been so shaken. And because of that distraction, Elsie had been able to steal her mana.
I couldn't bring myself to blame her. No one could have predicted such a twisted scheme.
"This is all my fault. Because I held onto these feelings, this happened. These feelings were just an illusion, a mistake from the beginning. Please, Kiska-san... you should despise me."
Her tone was that of a true penance.
I didn't know how to respond.
The truth was, I did know about that timeline we spent together. In fact, for me, Nyau was—
But could I really tell her that I remembered right now?
With Ryune in her current state, the timing was terrible.
So, while my heart ached with the urge to speak, I kept my lips sealed.
Hearing her pure, honest feelings made me happier than I could say. But returning those feelings wouldn't change what had happened to Ryune.
For now, I could only remain silent.