Epilogue

As I was writing my diary in my room at the inn in Hydra Kingdom, I suddenly remembered a conversation I had with Alice not long ago.

[……Hey, Alice.]

[What is it?]

When I called out to her, Alice immediately appeared and tilted her head.

[You remember what you told me before? About how there’s a 20% chance of something happening…… Were you talking about this situation back then?]

[No, this is a completely different matter. Though I say that, if you were to ask me if it will happen or not, it’s more likely not to happen.]

I asked Alice about the 20% she had mentioned a short while ago…… and the way she said it makes me feel uneasy. However, with the way she’s speaking…… it seems like Alice isn’t willing to tell me the details about it. At least, not yet.

[……I won’t force you to tell me about it if you don’t want to.]

[I’m sorry, this subject is rather sensitive…… I’ll talk about it when I need to.]

Well, since Alice said it like that, that probability is probably related to some kind of complicated situation. I trust her decision, so if Alice doesn’t feel the need to inform me now, it’s probably for the best.

[Well, I guess there’s no point in worrying about it. Besides, it’s not likely to happen, is it?]

[That’s right…… There’s just roughly a “25%” chance of that happening!]

[It increased though!?]

When I sharply threw a tsukkomi back at the increased 5 points, Alice laughed somewhat happily, and seeing her like that, I couldn’t help but chuckle along with her. This ended our conversation…… is what I thought, but after a little while, Alice’s expression became serious as she seriously spoke.

[……By the way, Kaito-san. Have you noticed anything strange around you lately?]

[Anything strange? No, nothing really comes to mind……]

[……I see.]

[Did something happen?]

[H- Hmmm…… If you ask me what it is, I myself am troubled about it. You could say that it may have just been my imagination, but I feel a little tense lately…… With all the preparations for the Six Kings Festival and the other things going on, my mind may have just been too frazzled.]

Alice smiled wryly as she said that. However, I wonder why? It’s not so great as to say I have a hunch…… but I feel an inexplicable anxiety in my chest, as if something was about to happen.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

Standing on the rooftop of the inn where Kaito sleeps…… Alice was looking at the stars in the night sky, thinking to herself.

(I really wonder what this could be? This restless feeling…… “as if someone is watching me”…… No, I guess I’m just thinking too much. The only people who can slip through my detection are Kuro-san or Shallow Vernal-sama…… However……)

It was easy to conclude that it was just her imagination. But her intuition, based on her vast experience, refutes that. It’s telling her that she shouldn’t be optimistic……

(Optimism really is the most dangerous thought. Assumptions should be made even further beyond the worst…… In that case, let’s assume that they are there. I don’t know who their target is, whether it’s me or Kaito-san…… but there’s someone watching us, and I can’t perceive their presence at all. Assuming that’s the case…… This is troublesome.)

Alice’s thoughts and intellect are the best in the world. Therefore, she assumes all eventualities. Everything, including those possibilities that don’t have 1% of a chance happening……

(This isn’t Shallow Vernal-sama. I have never felt this way before, so it would be better if I think of them as a different being…… That means they are a being comparable to the almost omnipotent Shallow Vernal-sama huh…… When it comes to a fight, is the me right now capable of winning against them? This “me who has lost my former strength”……)

After thinking that much, Alice moves her gaze away from the sky and looks towards the direction of the room Kaito was in.

(No, it doesn’t matter what kind of being the other party is…… I will protect Kaito-san without fail. Never again…… Never will I lose someone again!)

As strong determination dwelled within Alice’s heart…… From above the skies…… richly-colored eyes stared at her back.

(Volume 9 End)

Afterword

For picking up the 9th Volume of “I was Caught up in a Hero Summoning, but That World is at Peace”, thank you very much. In a previous Afterword, I said that if the year leading up to the Festival of Hero is one whole part, then the Kuro arc would be the climax of Part 1 and the Vier arc is the climax of Part 2, and that is finally coming to full fruition.

Earth God, who is the new character that appeared this time, is closely related not only to Shallow Vernal, but also to Alice, and can be said to be a very important key character. In terms of her position, she is the God of the world in which Kaito was born and raised, and she will be involved in the story at various important points in the future. To be honest, Earth God’s character has changed a lot compared to her Web Novel equivalent. In the Web Novel, in the beginning, she was “a character who speaks only with words”. Well, as the story progressed to the latter half of the Web Novel, her tone changed and she’s making use of a normal polite way of speaking…… but as for the reason?

It’s for the author’s convenience, who now thinks that her earlier way of speaking, the way they imagined her to be, was tedious.

Then, there’s the other promise in this volume, the relationship between Vier and Funf. This itself has been hinted at in previous volumes, but it seems that time is nearing and the details became clear. Funf didn’t appear this time in the Web Novel, and the promise with Vier is a change added in the Light Novel. Therefore, Vier arc is going to have a lot of revisions, and even though I’m the one who’s holding the steering wheel here, I’m sometimes afraid to look where this ship is sailing.

Speaking of changes in the Light Novel, there’s another major one in this volume. Yes, it’s the Kuromueina chapter in the first chapter, the one you see after opening this book. In fact, after that big event that could be called the turning point of the Web Novel’s Part 1, or after the Kuromueina arc in the Light Novel, Kuromueina was a little overshadowed and appeared less and less in the novel until about the Six Kings Festival, although in some sense, it can’t be helped. She was being referred to as Main Heroine (lol), and the author themself using this gag…… but she is the main heroine of this novel, and she will firmly hold onto her presence in this volume.

Well, of course, since she’s the main heroine, Kuromueina is the author’s favorite character, and she is completely favored by the author. I think most of the revisions in the Light Novel are related to Kuromueina. After her would be Isis and Illness, as they have new chapters written for them. On the other hand, Alice, who has appeared often in the Web Novel, hardly has new chapters written for her. Though I say that, the crucial moment of the next volume will be Alice Arc. Well, there were many stories in this volume that would still continue in the next and subsequent volumes, and I hope you enjoyed them.

Considering that the next volume will be the commemorative Volume 10, I’m deeply moved. I’m able to reach this far thanks to all the readers who have read our work and picked up our series. Thank you very much for reading to the end.

I would be very happy if you could look forward to the next volume and the ones beyond that.