When I opened my eyes, I was still inside the dungeon.
I just couldn't find the motivation to do anything and spent some time lost in thought. Despite all my efforts to burn and shatter the Demon Lord's remains into pieces, it had all been in vain.
But there was no time to dwell on it. There had been some gains. First and foremost, I now knew about the existence of the ring. If I could just steal it from the Holy Knight Canaria, there was a good chance to prevent the resurrection of Demon Lord Zoga.
With this determination, I had to start moving. My first step was to locate where Holy Knight Canaria was.
Having decided on my plan, I headed straight to the room where many heavily-armored Bugbears appeared, gaining the skill "Acceleration" along the way. In the previous timeline, I would have moved from this point to where Hero Eligion was located. However, this time I wanted to avoid encountering Hero Eligion and search independently.
If I were lucky, I'd find Holy Knight Canaria as I explored.
"I found her…"
I couldn't help but mutter under my breath. Before me was Holy Knight Canaria. She was on a higher floor than where Hero Eligion was and close to the room where the Golden Living Armor was supposed to be. In that area, Holy Knight Canaria was searching on her own.
I was ready to attack with the intention of killing her. With determination, I lunged forward, swinging my "Blazing Sword."
A loud clang echoed as her sword deflected the strike. It seemed my surprise attack had failed.
"What are you thinking, scoundrel?"
She glared at me with a sharp gaze.
"If there were any hints of an impending attack, you should have been aware."
With no room for conversation, I replied and resumed my attack.
"Hmph, that was a foolish question. I've disliked you from the moment I laid eyes on you, and it seems my instincts were not wrong."
I inwardly cursed her for saying that.
A traitor who sided with the Demon Lord.
The battle with Holy Knight Canaria then began.
"What's wrong? Your attacks have been feeble since the beginning."
The battle was consistently one-sided.
The reason was simple; Holy Knight Canaria was stronger and more agile. With each sword block, my body arched backward, creating openings. In this situation, it was only natural that I'd be on the defensive.
"Shut up."
I wiped the sweat from my forehead, casting the words aside.
I still had a trick up my sleeve.
"Acceleration."
The skill
"What…?"
In an instant, Holy Knight Canaria looked at me in astonishment. How does it feel to face this attack? You shouldn't stand a chance.
There was a sound of impact, coming from right behind me.
"Huh…?"
As I realized, my body was bent in an unexpected direction. Someone had attacked me from behind. By the time I comprehended this, my body had already collided with the wall. Who in the world…?
I thought while raising my head.
"Is Canaria all right?"
"Your Highness, I apologize for troubling you. It's all because of my incompetence…"
"Canaria, you don't need to apologize at times like this."
The person speaking to Holy Knight Canaria was Hero Eligion.
Ah, I see.
Until now, I had been guiding Hero Eligion to the location where the Demon Lord Zoga was.
Because I hadn't done that, he had come all the way here.
By the time I realized that, I had lost consciousness.
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