'Once this mission finishes, I can finally retire. The end is in sight now. Finally, my journey has an end.'
Hopeful eyes looked at the system one last time, where it displayed the debt amount he had paid back already.
Lucian Vale looked at the system screen, his eyes reflecting the blue that had bound him for multiple lifetimes. And now, for the last time, he would see this.
[Debt paid: 999,999,990/1,000,000,000]
The system had once given Lucian a second life, and in his arrogance, he had signed his life away to it. And now, the only way to become free was to repay this debt by completing missions given by the system.
Even death could not bring him peace, since it just thrust him into another world, and once again, at the system's whims.
He had tried escaping a few times already, but in the end, he had figured out that the easiest way to get out of his messy situation was to repay his debt.
It had taken over a million years and over a hundred cycles, but the end finally looked to be in sight.
And now, all he needed to do to complete his mission was to die at the hero's hand, and he would be free.
"Master, why would you do this to us? You were the one who helped us get this far…"
The hero cried out, but his tears did not affect Lucian anymore.
Had he been in one of his earlier reincarnations, this may have affected him. But because he was already near the end, he no longer cared about the method. The only thing that reflected in his eyes was the end goal.
"You fool. Can't you see that you were just a means to an end for me? Now, come, attack and defeat me. That is…. if you can."
Fireballs emerged from the air as the villain cast the spell. The hero's party, who came to ask questions, had no time to think as they had to act on their feet.
[Warning. The user's task is to lose at the hero's hand. Reward will be issued once the user dies and sets the hero on his path of greatness.]
'Tsk, don't you think I know that? It's the only reason I am holding back right now. Otherwise, do you think these kids can stand up against someone like me?'
Lucian felt a momentary irritation when he heard the system's warnings. But ultimately, these warnings were for his benefit.
After all, if he ended up killing the hero's party, then he would be forced to pay a penalty and would have to live another life to repay his debt.
That was something he refused to consider.
"Master, I'm sorry. Please, come back to your senses. I hope peace finds you in your death."
The hero took the opportunity that was provided by Lucian's hesitation and attacked him.
Lucian had a million ways to stop that blade. After all, he had lived countless times, and he had also acquired countless skills.
But he did none of that as the blade came for him. Only one thought penetrated his mind at the time of his final death.
'Finally, the debt will be repaid, and I will be free. I cannot wait to ditch the hard life and live as an ordinary person….and maybe, find a place to belong to.'
After all, in the story of a hero, extras like him had no future. And the system had made him play the extra role too many times.
"Master-"
The voice called out to Lucian, but he could no longer hear it. The only thing that rang in his ears was the ding ding ding of the system, telling him that he had completed his mission.
And for the final time, Lucian closed his eyes.
______
[Congratulations to the host. You have earned +9 coins for your wonderful performance in this world. Your total balance is 999,999,999 coins.]
[You are one coin away from repaying your debt.]
"A-Are you fucking with me? I am short? By one coin? This is fraud! You fraudulent system-! Come back here-"
Lucian opened his eyes in the white, blinding room he had dubbed the 'reincarnation room'.
This was the place he ended up in after he died each time and had to start anew. Just being back in this place meant one thing- Lucian had not been able to repay his debt.
[Congratulations, user. You have repaid 99.9% of your debt. You are close to repaying 100% of your debt. Please, proceed to enter the next world within 1 minute. Otherwise, the system will automatically choose the next world for you.]
The blinding blue light from the system screen haunted Lucian. He wanted to deny what was in front of him, but his mind refused to move.
Finally, his mouth moved once more, but only curses escaped his mouth.
"Are you fucking kidding me? This was supposed to be the last mission. You promised me that this was the last mission. So why? Why is there more? Did I not-?"
Lucian tried to reach the system screen, but his body froze.
The blue glow taunted him as it flickered in front of his eyes.
[User is warned not to harm his body outside mission perimeters. The user has signed a contract, giving away all his rights. User is advised to follow protocol-]
"I know. Tsk, I curse the day I decided to take your hand to save my life. So, what's next? Are you going to reward me with 0.9 coins for completing the next mission? What a hassle."
Lucian complained, but the system and the countdown on the screen did not stop.
"I am not going this time. If you want me to fulfil your mission, you'll have to drag me there-"
[System countdown 3…2…1…The user will be transported to the last mission location. Mission objective- to die at the hero's hand at the end of the story and earn retirement. Any other outcome will result in an increase in the user's debt.]
"You little bastar-"
The curse faded away as Lucian felt himself being torn from the white space he called the reincarnation center.
White light indicated Lucian's journey starting anew, and once he had departed, the white and serene place faded away into a pitch black darkness.
The walls that were once decorated with light began to fade, and only a single blue screen lay at the end.
[O-Objective…. updated…. Need to keep the…. user alive. Final objective….in progre…ss…System is…shutting down….Offline…]
Finally, the screen went blank and the main system went offline.
But even then, a part of the system survived, heading into a new tomorrow with Lucian.
And as long as Lucian continues his journey, the system will live on. And once it had finished its mission, it will depart from this world for good.
______
"Off with the criminal. Throw him to the pit."
"Don't let the criminal loose."
"So what if he's a kid? He has still sinned and put us all in danger. Send him down."
Loud voices woke Lucian up and he struggled to open his eyes and look down. But in the end, curiosity got the better of him and he forced his eyes to open.
What he was met with was hundreds of eyes, all looking at him in an accusing manner from down below.
That in itself was not something to get startled about.
What startled him was how he could not move even an inch. His hands felt immobile and his body was stuck to a hard surface.
'This sucks. I hate it so much. How did I end up like this? Where am I?'
The system had not briefed Lucian about his circumstances, and he was also unfamiliar with the location.
He just instinctively knew that he was in a bad position.
"Today, we shall get rid of the spawn of the devil, for he has polluted our land long enough. With this sacrifice, the doors of heaven shall open for us once more."
The man dressed in off-white spoke. His clothes looked filthy to Lucian's eyes, but to the people standing below, the speaker might as well be wearing a spotless cloak of faith.
No matter how far Lucian could see, the priest looked like the only speck of white and gold among the masses.
Lucian's eyes looked at the mass and in return, the masses looked back at him. Lucian refused to look away from the masses and they, in return, did not look away from him.
Ultimately, the stalemate was broken by the speaker in white when he turned to look at Lucian.
"You might be a sinner, but even you deserve to have your words be heard one last time by the masses. Now, say your last words of repentance, so that the gods can hear and judge you."
The speaker asked Lucian in a clear voice. There was no room for misunderstanding in there.
But Lucian's mouth had only one thing to say to him and the others.
"Fuck you all-"
Lucian did not even get to finish his words before the rope holding him up was cut off and he felt his body drop down the cliff.
He tried to call for the system, but since he had just been thrown in this world, the system was not present. Usually, it took around an hour for the system to boot up, but it had been getting later and later as he cleared more worlds.
So now, here he was, left defenceless until the system decided to return.
'Tsk, I wanted to be free, but not like this. Once the system returns, I need to register a complaint in it.'
That was Lucian's last thought as his body fell from the cliff.
People rushed to look at him and he, in return, looked back at them with a blank look.
Memories of his current body rushed in his mind, but there were not a lot. A five-year-old's brain did not have enough information to retain, and especially one that was framed as a villain by the people incharge.
"What a brilliant start to my last life in debt."
The fast-flowing wind around him drowned out Lucian's words, and then he disappeared in the sea of clouds.
______
This is based on Reborn as a Useless Noble with my SSS-Class Innate Talent but is a stand alone story. You can read it even if you've not read Reborn as a Useless Noble with my SSS-Class Innate Talent and it will make sense.