At the same moment, Agetha and the Demon Lord Zoga were engaging in combat.
"Who are you?!"
Upon seeing Agetha, Demon Lord Zoga frowned and uttered those words.
"I'm the hero. The real deal."
"Huh?"
In response to Agetha's confident expression, Demon Lord Zoga wore a puzzled look.
"Well, whether you believe it or not, it doesn't matter. Because what we have to do remains the same."
"What's your problem? You've been annoying since earlier."
"Yeah, it seems we get along well in that regard. I've found you irritating since earlier too."
Having said that, at that very moment, both of them gripped their swords and attacked each other.
◆
"Kiska!"
Returning to the location where Agetha and the Demon Lord were likely fighting, it seemed the battle had already concluded. Agetha approached, waving her hand.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
As she spoke, she embraced me.
"What about the Demon Lord?"
"There, over there. I defeated him properly."
Certainly, there lay Demon Lord Zoga in the direction Agetha pointed. It looked like he had been killed by Agetha.
"I see, you did well."
While saying that, I stroked Agetha's head, and she happily leaned into me.
"Look, I brought Sage Nyau."
"Is that so?"
As she said that, Agetha looked towards Sage Nyau. Nyau seemed still unable to grasp the situation and appeared bewildered.
"I want to use your teleportation magic to get out of the dungeon."
"W-Well, that's fine, but… who are you?"
"I'm the hero, the real one."
Nyau seemed unable to believe it, furrowing her brows.
"Well, whether I'm the hero or not doesn't matter. Look, the fact remains that I defeated the Demon Lord."
"Indeed, the Demon Lord has already been defeated."
Sage Nyau observed the Demon Lord's remains.
"Is it true, Noct-san, that she defeated the Demon Lord?"
"Yeah."
Assassin Noct nodded in response to Sage Nyau's question.
"I understand. There's still much I don't know, but if Noct-san says so, I believe Agetha-san defeated the Demon Lord. So, I won't hesitate to cooperate. However, even if we use teleportation magic, shouldn't we wait for everyone to gather…? Hero Eligion-sama seems to be sleeping there, but is it okay to wait for Warrior Gorgano-san and Holy Knight Canaria-san?"
"No need for that. I killed both of them; they were traitors."
While thinking there might be a better way to phrase it, the truth left no room for argument.
Sage Nyau seemed shocked and stood frozen.
"Noct-san, is that true?"
"Yeah."
Seeing Noct nod again, Nyau tried to come to terms with it.
"I understand. For now, let's hear the details later. Shall we use teleportation magic to return outside?"
For now, we managed to convince Sage Nyau. Her compliance was surprisingly good, and it was a relief.
After that, Nyau took her staff and began chanting a spell.
Activating teleportation magic would likely take some time, so we needed to wait.
So, I sat there absentmindedly waiting.
With the Demon Lord defeated, it seemed like everything was over.
When I first came a hundred years ago, nothing made sense, but now, I had managed to eliminate the source of the world's destruction. It seemed like I had accomplished everything I needed to do.
… Come to think of it, how could I return to the original time? What did the Observer say again? I remember…
"If it is determined that the world has been saved, I will forcibly return you to the original timeline."
That's right, that's what was said.
Wait…? How would the Observer determine that the world had been saved? Isn't defeating the Demon Lord the end?
If only I had asked for more details.
While I was lost in thought—
It happened suddenly.
So suddenly that, at first, I doubted my own eyes.
"Hey, what are you doing…?"
Unconsciously, I muttered.
In my line of sight was Agetha.
In Agetha's hands was a large sword, covered with a substantial amount of blood.
"This one's in the way."
Agetha mumbled.
"Besides, without this one, Kiska will be happy. With this, there won't be any negative rumors about the Alcus people."
Saying that, Agetha looked at me and smiled.
Certainly, if Noct were to die, the stigma of betrayal wouldn't spread… I thought.
"W-What are you doing!?"
Sage Nyau shouted.
While shouting, she readied her staff, preparing to confront Agetha.
"What? Are you in the mood to fight me?"
"Please answer the question… Why did you kill Noct-san!?"
Yes, just now, like a surprise attack, Agetha thrust her sword into Noct's chest.
The sword plunged so deep that blood splattered forcefully. Without even a moment to groan, it was evident that Noct had died instantly.
"I don't have any obligation to answer you."
"I want you to answer! Otherwise, Nyau will become your enemy."
"Sure, whatever. It doesn't matter to me. Your life or death doesn't interest me much."
While saying that, Agetha tightened her grip on the sword.
Wait, at this rate, Nyau and Agetha might start killing each other here. I want to avoid that at all costs.
"Hey, Agetha, calm down. There's no point in opposing Nyau here!"
"Kiska. Why are you defending that woman?"
Saying that, Agetha glared.
In an instant, a chill ran down my spine. The pressure emanating from Agetha was incredibly intense.
Nevertheless, I mustered up the courage and tried to persuade Agetha.
"I'm not defending her. I'm just saying it's pointless to fight here. Besides, it's natural for Nyau to be angry. Why did you kill Noct?"
"Why? Kiska, aren't you happy about it too? Kiska, wasn't Noct getting in your way?"
"I never said anything like that…"
This is bad. The more I talk, the worse the situation seems to get.
"Kiska, move."
Saying that, Agetha exerted pressure again.
If I continue to side with Nyau, Agetha's mood is likely to worsen.
"Okay."
Nodding, I stepped away.
Immediately, Agetha approached Sage Nyau, placing her sword against Nyau's neck, and spoke.
"If you don't want to be killed, use teleportation magic quickly."
"I-I understand."
Sage Nyau had no choice but to nod in agreement.
From my perspective, although Nyau may have been frightened, it seemed unlikely that she would be killed, so for now, there was a sense of relief
And then, using Nyau's teleportation magic, we escaped outside the dungeon.
In the end, only four of us—Agetha, myself, Sage Nyau, and Hero Eligion—managed to survive and exit the dungeon alive.
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