CH 117

We all had indescribable feelings, and yet, two days later, we were somehow released from our cramped quarters. Looking down on the bustling streets of the Holy City through the window, Tia and I were facing each other in a room at a luxury inn that Riel had secured for us.

“Now, as promised, the two of you will accompany me on my journey. As a prerequisite, please Ed-san check all of your belongings at least once a day to make sure you are not carrying anything strange. Also, please refrain from traveling separately If you must do so, please be sure to consult with me in advance. Okay?”

“Yeah, no problem. I’m just glad I’m not locked up, to tell you the truth.”

“Well, it couldn’t be helped.”

I nodded my head in agreement with Reil’s suggestion. The reason I was speaking casually was because Riel asked me to do so since we were going to be working together as companions. The first time, I was speaking formally all the time, so I felt a little uncomfortable, but the atmosphere that Reil wore was very different from the first round, so I’m sure I’ll get used to it soon.

“Well then, after some preparation, I think we should leave as soon as possible tomorrow, any suggestions?”

“Huh? Aren’t you going to look for other companions?”

I asked as Reil’s words caught me off guard. It’s a completely different story from the start, so memories of the first round were no longer useful except as a reference, but I should still at least ask about the companions I traveled with at the time.

“Other? Is it about the world of Ed-san’s memories?”

“Yes, that’s right. At that time, Tia was not with us. Instead, we had an old warrior with a big sword on his back and a sorcerer who specialized in offensive attacks. I think both of them were trusted compared to my shitty attitude back then, and I thought it would be better to have them in the group,  if we have to leave in the middle of the trip, right?”

Looking back, I realize that Reil’s attitude toward me at that time was a mirror image of my own attitude toward Reil. It seemed somewhat cold and harsh because that’s how irresponsible I was.

Reil, who was seriously trying to defeat the Demon Lord with her life, and me, who was acting irresponsibly to be banished. There’s no way we’d mesh and there’s no way I’d be accepted. Thinking that they would be able to cover for the hole I had left behind in the end was nothing more than an excuse for self-satisfaction…. The cold, sad look in Reil’s eyes at that moment is still stuck in my soul as a needle of ice that won’t melt.

Then I must not repeat the same mistake. I would sincerely do my best to cooperate with her, but that would not change the fact that we would be leaving during the trip. That was why I suggested this, but she shook her head with a serious expression on her face.

“No, it is not. There are two reasons. One is that if we invite other people, we have to tell them about the situation of both of you. Since we are companions who entrust our lives to each other, it would be insincere to conceal the situation only from the new invitees, and such a relationship will soon break down. However, we can’t tell them our secret. This is not only to ensure the safety of Ed-san and the others, but also because we cannot let them know anything about the “Red Gem”.  Of course those people may be trustworthy, but even so, we do not want to increase the number of people who know about this fact, even if it is just one person. Considering the possibility that the secret might leak out in some way, I would rather not increase the number of people who know about it.”

“Mmm, I see… Well, that’s certainly one choice.”

The [Demon Lord’s Heart] I’ve had for some time was a high-grade dangerous item that deserves such excessive caution. If this was either “it will never appear again” or “it will definitely appear again,” then we could think of appropriate responses for each, but it is an uncertain situation where “it might appear someday,” I think it is right that it is better for no one to know about it.

“Then what’s the second reason?”

“Fufufu, that’s… I want you two to defeat the Demon Lord together with me.”

(T/N: FINALLY)

“Huh!?”

I did my best to sound dumb when Riel said it with a look of pride on her face for some reason.

“No, no, no, wait. I mean, didn’t I tell you? We don’t fight the Demon Lord and we don’t defeat him. Otherwise, the existence of a Hero――”

“I heard that from Tia-san. I mean, I was listening to Tia-san’s story yesterday, and I was thinking …. would you care to hear my conjecture?”

“O-oh?”

I was wondering why you didn’t show up yesterday. So, you were talking to Tia. But Tia’s story….What is it?

“Fuhn. Well, just ask!”

‘Well, I’ll ask you….then, go ahead.’

I glanced at Tia, who also turned her chest and showed me a nice smile. I felt a little sad that I was the only one who was left out of the group, but when I urged Reil to go ahead, she started talking again.

“Yes, I understand that you need to be expelled from the Hero’s party in order to return to your original world. And if the Demon Lord is defeated, the hero’s party is forcibly disbanded at that point, and that’s why you always have to leave in the middle of it because you don’t know if you can fulfill the conditions of “banishment”. But, let’s see, was it the …. {Records Of the Hero’s Story} ? According to Tia-san’s story, in the case of a hero who defeated the Demon Lord, his or her subsequent activities were also listed in the book, right? Doesn’t that mean that even if the Demon Lord is defeated, a Hero is still a Hero and the concept of a “Hero’s Party” still functions?”

(T/N: O.O, okay I didn’t think that)

“……!?”

I was greatly shocked by her words. If the {Records Of the Hero’s Story} was a record of the hero’s life, and if it continues after the defeat of the Demon Lord, then the hero will be a hero until his death,…, and that guess certainly seems correct. But if that’s the case――

“I also felt that the conditions for banishment were quite loose according to Tia-san’s story. In other words, I judged that the conditions for Ed’s group to return could be met by defeating the Demon Lord and then disbanding the group after completing their role. What do you think? Do you think I am wrong?”

“N-No…that’s…………”

It made sense. It was a realistic enough inference, given my experience travelling with Tia during the second round. But even before accumulating highly reliable information, I had thought of something similar. And those concerns are still unresolved.

“Sure, it might work, but what if it doesn’t? In fact, once the Demon Lord is defeated, the authority of the heroes is gone and even if we are banished, we can’t return …… it’s my life and Tia’s life itself that’s at stake. Are you asking us to throw away a sure-fire, precedent-setting method and risk everything we have on an element of uncertainty?”

“It’s all right with me! Hey Ed, remember how I met you again?”

“How, that’s …. N-no way!?”

“Yes! The ability I was given before we came here …. is called [Home Point], and it seems to allow me to transfer to [A place I recognize as the place I should return to]. Of course, it consumes a lot of mana….”

“I am willing to make up for the mana that is needed. As a saint of the Arlene cult, not to mention my own strength, I offer my help to all the believers, and I will probably be able to do so for 10 years…. Even taking into account a margin of error, I believe that I will be able to provide the necessary mana for around 15 to 20 years.”

“H-Ho? Is that so?”

When Tia once crossed the world to come to me, she paid a tremendous price in terms of her life span. Compared to that, it was certainly not such a bad deal to just stay in this world for an extended period of time.

Aside from Tia, 20 years is a long time for me, an ordinary human being. But if I go back to the other world, my physical age will be rewound, so to be frank, it’s not a big risk unless it’s so long that I fear I will die of old age. So, if that is the case, …

“Can I…… Can we defeat the Demon Lord?”

“Yes! Hey, Ed, We–“

“Let’s defeat the Demon Lord together!”

The shortest distance to the greatest ending I was never allowed to dream of, even after crossing 100 worlds. I could not help but make a stupid, dumbfounded face at the miracle that fell before my eyes.

(T/N: Wow I like this arc.)