By the time we finished sorting the belongings left behind by the <Ruffians> and disposing of the corpses, the sun had completely vanished below the horizon.
In this world, the general custom for adventurers or <Ruffians> who died outside the safety of the city was to recover their personal effects whenever possible and "return them to the earth." The Chryscles Holy Church distributed burial <Scrolls> for use by adventurers, who encountered death all too often.
Without a proper burial, there was a risk of corpses becoming undead if exposed to miasma. Furthermore, creatures like Goblins or Orcs would scavenge equipment to grow stronger. Thus, even if a full burial wasn't possible, recovering the items was strongly encouraged to prevent a cycle where monsters used an adventurer's own gear to kill the next person.
"I did nothing but let you protect me during the battle, so please, leave this part to me!"
Anze said this with a bright, untroubled smile as she took on the task of burying over twenty men. Even seasoned adventurers would have grimaced at the sight of so many bodies, but Anze's composure was remarkable.
"If they are to atone for their sins in the underworld and be permitted to be born again as humans... then please, may they possess pure souls when that time comes..."
"...I suppose so."
Even though this world was clearly based on a Western setting, hearing a Sister talk about reincarnation as if it were common knowledge made it feel like a "pseudo-fantasy" novel.
But I found myself hoping she was right. What those men did to Ruerie and her sister was unforgivable, but I didn't have the heart to wish them eternal suffering in some hellish afterlife.
Thus, the incident surrounding <Windmill> reached a temporary conclusion.
However—as for the two A-rank girls who had been rescued—they remained unresisting and listless, likely due to deep psychological wounds. They were barely able to speak; the most we could learn was that their party's name was <Seeklore>.
And while Shiarie’s life was not in danger, she had not responded to Ruerie’s calls, remaining locked in a deep, unconscious sleep.
/
"Wolka, you must absolutely not be reckless... I shall return shortly, so mind you don't burn yourself!"
"Yeah. You be careful too, Master."
Fortunately, there was a spring nearby, so we quickly began preparing camp. Master went to set up a barrier around the perimeter; Yulitia and Atri set up the tents; Anze looked after the rescued girls; and Rosche went to retrieve the carriage that had been left behind at the <Ruffians'> hunting grounds. Everyone divided the roles and moved briskly through their tasks.
My job was to gather dry branches, start the fire, and do the preliminary prep for dinner.
However, as Master had just sternly warned me, there had been a bit of a fuss regarding my work. It seemed that getting my arm slashed at the ruins had resulted in a significant drop in my reputation; everyone had strongly opposed me doing anything, telling me to just stay still and do nothing! Look, that was an unavoidable accident...
Still, it felt awkward to let everyone work while I just sat back and relaxed. In the end, they had grudgingly agreed with a "well, if it's just that much..." to let me handle the fire and dinner preparations.
"Senpai, I'll help you make dinner too! Please don't try to do everything by yourself! Just wait for me!"
"O-Oh, okay."
Yulitia cooperated with Atri, setting up tents one after another with incredible speed. Since our group had grown to ten people—including Ruerie, Shiarie, and the two rescued members of <Seeklore>—we were deploying every tent we had. Wait, were those two using <Strength>? They were being way too efficient; they’d already finished setting up another one.
I could feel their intense determination to prevent me from doing anything unnecessary. At least let me start the fire...!
And so, adding to what I had picked up, I cut some of the longer branches and quickly began starting the fire. I arranged the stones and branches and ignited it with fire magic. Somehow, it felt like it had been a very long time since I had used magic other than <Strength>.
"Hello, Wolka. Are you behaving yourself properly?"
"Yeah, Rosche..."
Just as the fire stabilized and I was about to take the cooking utensils out of <Storage>, Rosche returned from retrieving the carriage, looking somewhat amused. I tried asking, "Do you need help with anything?" but—
"No, I’m quite fine. You just stay there and writhe in frustration at being unable to do anything but watch to your heart's content."
"You're all worrying too much... I can at least—"
"When you were attacked by Shiarie, the feelings of Lady Liesel and Anze were far beyond that."
I was silenced.
Rosche sat down next to me with one knee up, still maintaining a smile.
"Can you understand a little of how it feels to be pushed away with a 'stay out of this,' even though a companion might be killed and you're within a distance where you could help immediately?"
"..."
Staring into Rosche's deep blue eyes, I realized it. Ah, I see. Could it be that the reason Master and Anze were so angry back then...
It wasn't just because I got hurt. It was because even in a situation where I might have been killed by Shiarie, I chose to handle it all by myself and told them not to interfere.
"I know you didn't intend to push them away. Most likely, your body moved before your head did, right?"
"Well..."
"Being able to act by putting yourself on the line is truly beautiful. But at the same time, it is a great flaw—to be able to make that kind of choice as naturally as breathing, before even thinking."
Thinking about it calmly, that might be true. Even if it was a misunderstanding, having a knife swung at me with clear murderous intent, having my arm slashed, and still rejecting my companions' help to see it through alone—no, wait.
If I think about it carefully, why did I do that? Looking back now, even I feel like it wasn't exactly a sane judgment.
"Honestly, even I didn't expect it—that you had such a stubborn side to you."
I couldn't say a word in response. But at that time, I felt like I had to be the one to say it. If asked why I felt that way, I’d be at a loss, but it was more like I couldn't stand not doing it.
I empathized from the bottom of my heart with the way Shiarie was desperately throwing everything away, and at the same time, I felt a pure, cold anger. Not at Shiarie, nor at the <Ruffians>, but at the abominable gears of fate that forced such a situation to exist.
The knife piercing my arm hadn't even registered in my sight, and I don't think I felt much pain.
It was just like when I fought the <Life Reaper>.
Seeing me lost in thought, Rosche let out a short, wry laugh.
"You’re much more suited to being a Knight than an Adventurer. I don't think it's too late; how about it? I can make the arrangements for you."
"No... I'll pass."
This wasn't the first time Rosche had invited me to join the <Chrys Knights>. Why did this guy keep inviting me when he knew I'd refuse? Being a Knight seemed far too stiff and didn't suit my personality, and since they were a religious organization directly under the <Chryscles Holy Church>, I had a vague resistance to getting deeply involved.
My Quick-draw Technique would probably look like nothing more than irrational, ridiculous swordsmanship to Knights who valued formality and tradition. In fact, I'd overheard such mockery when I was sparring with Rosche. The guy who said it somehow ended up sparring with Yulitia afterward and got beaten to a pathetic pulp.
But now, more than any of that, I had a major reason to refuse Rosche's invitation without hesitation.
"...My party is a bit unusual right now, isn't it? Because I got this kind of injury. That's why I want everyone to recover... I want them to be happy."
Through this incident, my goal had become clearer, a more solid vision. In this piece-of-shit world, I want to be with everyone for as long as possible. I can no longer return to the days when I traveled freely without knowing anything. Even so, we have to overcome guilt, regret, disappointment, failure—all those terrible things—and reach a point where we can laugh from our hearts again.
"—Until then, I have no intention of leaving this party."
Rosche looked at me with exasperated eyes.
"...I think you should probably say those things out loud to them."
"...No, that's... it's embarrassing."
A massive sigh followed.
"You coward."
"Shut up! I'm not a social butterfly like you. How am I supposed to say things like 'I want you to be happy' to girls so easily?"
"You're the only one I can say that to."
"...Hmm? So you're saying I'm the only one you can reveal your true heart to? As a friend, I suppose that doesn't feel too bad."
Rosche narrowed his eyes with a look of slight satisfaction and stood up.
"But shouldn't you try to speak your mind a bit more? After all, you've probably almost never had a heart-to-heart talk with those girls, have you?"
"..."
"The idea that 'things are understood even without words' is a fantasy. Even more so if the other person is a woman. I, who have close ties with many Mademoiselles, can guarantee it."
Well, that was certainly persuasive coming from him.
"Now then, I'll go let the horses rest."
Waving his hand over his shoulder, Rosche walked away toward the carriage. Watching that back—which was somehow pretentious despite saying sensible things—I focused my attention on the red glow of the campfire and the pleasant sound of branches crackling.
A heart-to-heart talk, huh?
Perhaps I really should do that. "Being able to make that kind of choice as naturally as breathing"—I couldn't just keep quiet now that I'd become aware of it. Otherwise, I'd just keep repeating selfish actions and endlessly cause trouble for Master and the others.
The fact that I had such a stubborn side was honestly surprising, even to me. Had I been that way all along without realizing it? Or was this a side effect of remembering the Knowledge of the Original Work and changing how I saw this world?
In any case—I had to apologize properly to Master and the others.
/
Afterward, I handed over the dinner preparations to Yulitia, who had returned after finishing the tent setup.
After Rosche pointed it out so clearly, I felt that stubbornly insisting on helping would be selfish, so I decided to honestly rely on everyone today.
"Um... I'm looking forward to it."
"Hawa—ah, yes! I'll put my heart and soul into making it!"
Yulitia seemed a bit taken aback, perhaps not expecting to be given full charge, but she immediately started cooking with intense focus. She was so enthusiastic that her hands prepping the ingredients looked like a blur. Was she seriously applying Quick-draw Technique to cooking?
"Atri! I'm going to boil some water, can you help me?"
"Mm."
Near the spring, Master called Atri and began preparations to heat water for bathing.
Inside the largest tent set up by the shore, a ceramic bathtub large enough for three or four people appeared. Our group of four all preferred to bathe even when camping, so we had spent a large sum of money—equivalent to three months' worth of the party's earnings—to buy it. It was engraved with an <Accessorize> ritual, making it a superior item that could be carried without taking up space in <Storage>.
Watching this familiar scene made me truly feel that one incident had come to an end.
We'll all have a meal soon, wash off the dirt with hot water, and then Ruerie and the others can rest—yes, I was thinking optimistically, as if everything was over.
—Until the two girls from <Seeklore> suddenly began to wail, as if a dam had burst.
What could have been the cause? Did the sight of us quickly preparing camp overlap with the ghosts of their companions who had gone to a place where they could never meet again? Or did the hearts they had closed to protect themselves from the <Ruffians'> violence naturally thaw, causing their suppressed emotions to overflow?
Whatever the case, it was no longer a situation where we could talk about everyone having a meal together.
There was nothing a man like me could do, and I could only listen with my back turned to the endless cries of self-reproach and apology.
"This is rough."
"Yeah. At times like this, a man is truly powerless."
We were supposed to gather around the campfire, but now only Rosche and I were here. The dinner pot, which was almost finished, had been removed from the fire and was slowly losing its heat to the cold night ground. Even the slightly extravagant menu, using meat obtained from <Drops> without hesitation, might have been nothing but painful for those two.
Anze had taken the two to the tent near the spring, deciding it was better to let them let everything out. Ruerie—perhaps reminded of Cain and Lloyd as well—had left with Yulitia. Master and Atri had gone over there too, carrying freshly boiled water.
Although they had calmed down somewhat, the sobbing of <Seeklore> still faintly reached my ears.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't do anything. It's my fault. They did nothing wrong. They tried to protect me. Because I was taken hostage. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
—If someone had to die, it should have been me.
"............"
The breath I exhaled was hot with resentment.
What was I thinking, that everything was over?
What was I thinking, that I could let them rest now?
There’s no way this is a Happy End.
All the men died, and only the women were left. Looking at that result alone, how was it any different from the numerous <Bad Ends> depicted in The Original Work?
"Rosche. Sorry, can I go cool my head for a bit?"
"..."
Rosche lowered his eyes, appearing to think for a few seconds, then sighed.
"Don't go too far."
"Yeah."
I stood up and started walking into the forest, in the opposite direction of everyone's tents.
If they found out I was gone, Master and the others might worry again. But Rosche would probably make up a story for me, and I just wanted to be alone right now. I felt like seeing these emotions bleeding onto my face would only cause them more worry.
My insides felt like they were boiling.
/
About five minutes after Wolka left, Atri was the first to return. Rosche threw a thin branch into the fire.
"Hello, Lady Atri. How are things over there?"
"They've calmed down a lot. Right now, Anze is—"
As expected of someone who cared for Wolka, Atri noticed the oddness of the scene immediately. She looked around, narrowing her eyes.
"Where's Wolka?"
"Um, Wolka is..."
After thinking for only two seconds, Rosche decided to answer honestly.
"He said he was going for a short walk around here. That way."
Rosche pointed toward the depths of the forest. Atri didn't change her expression, but she immediately made some sort of judgment and turned back toward the tents. Soon, the surprised voices of Anze and Master were heard, and frantic footsteps approached.
"Rosche! Did you let Wolka go alone!?"
The first to arrive was the small mage who was likely the most strongly attached to Wolka. The way the color had drained from her face was surely not just due to the pale moonlight.
The commotion grew. Anze caught up soon after, her legs nearly tangling, and Atri returned bringing Yulitia with her.
"Senpai!? Did Senpai disappear!?"
"Lord Rosche, where is Lord Wolka...!?"
It was clear that the usually quiet Atri had told them very bluntly that "Wolka is gone." Good grief, Rosche sighed in his heart. To think they’d panic this much just because he stepped away for a moment. Honestly, that guy—why did he leave things like this until it came to this?
"Wait, calm down. He just went for a walk. I’m sure he just felt powerless sitting here and doing nothing."
"..."
"Lady Liesel, with your <Probe>, you can find his location immediately, and you should be able to tell there are no monsters nearby. There's no need to panic."
Even Rosche had performed a search of the surroundings with <Probe> before letting Wolka go, and it was only because he knew there were no signs of monsters that he had agreed. Besides, even if there were monsters, Wolka could easily cut down the likes of Goblins or Bandits that appeared in this area even while lost in thought.
They should have understood that much through logic.
"That... is true. There is no need to panic, no need to panic... There is nothing to worry about..."
Liesel’s words seemed less like an answer to Rosche and more like she was desperately trying to convince herself.
But then, Liesel’s expression suddenly crumbled.
"Ugh, aah—No... I don't like this..."
Her voice trembled, her eyes wavered, and she hugged herself in fear. She surely must have remembered the nightmare of the <Life Reaper>. And that moment when she could only watch as his arm was pierced by Shiarie, nearly being killed.
"To leave Wolka alone is, absolutely, unacceptable...!!"
She started running. As if Rosche hadn't even been there from the start, she stared only in the direction where Wolka's presence was. Yulitia and Atri followed her without hesitation, and finally, Anze—
"Lord Rosche, I also—"
"Yes, go on."
"I am sorry. Please, watch things here for a moment...!"
Of course, Rosche could have stopped them, but he chose not to. If it turned out like this, that was fine too. That man really needed to learn to share his true feelings with his companions.
Honestly, even though they all cared for each other so strongly, they were fatally out of sync. Or in a way, they were miraculously too in sync.
At that moment, Ruerie timidly peeked out from the shadow of a tent.
"Um, did something happen...?"
"Oh, Lady Ruerie. No, it's just that they are truly such high-maintenance children."
That man really should learn from me! Rosche thought, gracefully brushing back his bangs.
"Now then, it's just you and me for a short while. Could you tell me how those two are doing? No matter how beautiful I am—no, because I am beautiful!—it would be better if I didn't approach them yet!"
"Yes, I suppose...?"
He followed up with a lot of support after that.
/
I walked aimlessly through the night forest. The light of the campfire had disappeared long ago, lost in the darkness of the trees. I had probably even stepped outside the barrier Master had set up. I had only been walking straight, but thinking it would be dangerous to go any further, I stopped.
Should it be okay if I'm this far?
I looked up at the sky. Through the lush forest, I could see a night sky that was frustratingly fantastical. To the glittering stars high above, nothing that happened on the ground mattered at all.
I looked forward and picked out a tree of a suitable thickness.
Anything would have done.
"H—!!"
Taking a single breath, I swung my fist with all my might at that tree.
In the silent night forest, a dull crushing sound echoed. I hardly used <Strength>. My fist, striking with pure physical power, stopped after crushing the surface of the trunk, conveying a muffled pain back to me.
"............"
This time, I took a long, deep breath. My fist was slightly cut by the shattered fragments, and I felt blood starting to seep into my skin. But thanks to this heat, I was able to rationally suppress my boiling emotions.
It spilled out.
"Ah, dammit. I really... hate this."
There’s no way this can be called a Happy End.
Yeah, sure, all the women were saved. But looking at it from the opposite perspective, all the men died. Cain, Lloyd, and the men of <Seeklore>—it wasn't even possible to properly mourn their bodies. They had been prepared to throw away their lives to protect their companions, but they died in despair without being able to protect them.
Even the women who survived are by no means "safe" just because their lives were spared. Having lost precious companions, having suffered horrific violence, and having wailed as if tearing their throats—there's no way you can call that state "safe." Shiarie hasn't woken up because her body and mind had long ago passed their limits, and Ruerie will surely blame herself for the rest of her life for becoming the pawn of villains.
In the true sense of the word, no one was safe.
"Why are humans like this in every world?"
Some argue that human history is, in essence, a history of conflict. For life to continue connecting its existence, suffering is necessary. Thinking that way, it might have been inevitable for humans on Earth to start fighting amongst themselves.
But this world is different. There are monsters, a terrifying enemy common to all of humanity. In order for humans to continue connecting their lives, they have to fight monsters. This isn't the time to be fighting amongst our own kind.
Is it arrogant of me to think that way?
"There's no way there's a God. There better not be...!"
For me, who remembered the Knowledge of the Original Work, the 'God' of this world meant the name of that scum author. Even if it was just a nonsensical delusion born from my deep hatred of Bad Ends—the mere thought that the author might be looking down on us made my skin crawl.
That's why I think it's better if there is no God.
If Anze, a devout Sister, heard me, would she be disappointed? However, the Church gives grand lectures about how God watches over the people from the heavens, but if this is the result, isn't it a joke?
If there really is a God, then come down right now and try to save Ruerie and the others.
I couldn't help but think that from the bottom of my heart.
"..."
I thought about the Protagonist of the original work. I recalled a flashback arc touching on his past. It was a brutal story. Having his family eaten before his eyes, having his companions killed, having his hometown destroyed—even if his reason for living was hatred toward monsters—that Protagonist kept moving forward, looking only ahead.
I really think he's amazing.
I’m in this state just because a few girls I don't even know went through something tragic. The Protagonist who lost everything and still struggled to protect someone—he seemed many times cooler than when I was seeing him in a manga.
"I'll be laughed at if I'm slumped over this much."
"Is what you should be doing right now looking down and stopping your feet?"—I feel like he’d say that to me.
I laughed under my breath and pulled my fist back. What I should be looking up to is that Protagonist's back. An indomitable heart that never breaks. A spirit like tempered steel.
If the person aiming for a Happy End is looking down, nothing will ever start.
"Master, Yulitia, Atri, Anze. Everyone has to be happy. Absolutely."
Even in such a world—no, because it is such a world—I want at least the girls who are by my side to be safe, no matter what happens. I want them to be happy. Otherwise, I won't be able to rest even in death.
"I... this life must be for that—"
The reason for such a nonsensical reincarnation into a manga. The meaning of receiving the life of a mob character who died pointlessly in the beginning. I don't give a damn about any of that, but if I am 'me'—I don't need anything other than a Grand Finale.
Anyway, I've been talking to myself way too much. I seem to have a habit of letting words overflow from my mouth when my head gets messy. It helps me organize my thoughts, but if someone heard me, I'd just be a cringy person.
I should head back. I'm sure Rosche is making up some good excuse, but Master and the others must be worried—
"Wolka!"
"!"
I thought my heart was going to jump out of my mouth.
It was Master. It was Yulitia. It was Atri. It was Anze.
When I looked back, everyone was there—looking as if they had just come running through the forest out of breath.
Wait. Since when? Since when have you all been there? Oh, you've got to be kidding me, I didn't notice you at all!
My head, drained of blood, began to spin. This is bad. This is too bad. I was punching a tree and talking to myself, and before I knew it, everyone was behind me. They might have seen and heard everything from start to finish.
No matter how you look at it, I'm a completely cringy person. I want to die of embarrassment.
"Wolka! What are you doing in a place like this? Don't make us worry so!"
With her hands on her hips and her cheeks puffed out, she looked like the usual Master.
Could it be they didn't see? Master and the others had only just arrived, meaning they hadn't seen what I was doing.
Phew, that was close... I thought my stomach was going to collapse. I calmly put on my poker face.
"Sorry, everyone. I was just getting some air..."
"You even stepped outside of my barrier! Wolka, you fool!"
Following her, Anze stood next to Master, showing her usual compassionate smile.
"Lord Wolka, those two have calmed down. There is no longer anything to worry about."
Then Yulitia and Atri added—
"Let's go back? The dinner we worked so hard on will get cold."
"I'm hungry."
Yulitia’s voice was lovely as usual, and Atri’s eyes were as expressionless as usual.
It’s okay to believe they didn't see anything, right?
At this point, that possibility was the only path left for me. If my companions were repulsed by my cringy display and gave me painful sympathy, I’d cry.
In reality, it would be impossible for them not to have noticed anything.
I had struck the tree with all my strength. A reasonably loud sound had echoed. Even if Master and the others had truly just arrived, they would have questioned me about the sound.
At that time, I didn't even notice such a simple thing.
"Come, let us return!"
"O-Oh, okay."
And the moment I took Master's hand, she squeezed it back with a much stronger force than I expected.
Always... We shall be together, always.
I felt like Master's lips had moved gently like that.
I failed to notice that the expressions on everyone's faces were formed by an immeasurable weight of resolve.
I simply couldn't notice it. My desperate desire to believe that nothing had been seen created a bias, and I couldn't delve any deeper into my thoughts than that.