"Sorry about that. Come on, cheer up," I said after laughing for a while, trying to calm down the sulky Nyau.
"It's not like I'm angry," she said, but her cheeks were noticeably puffed out. She was clearly angry, though if she wanted to deny it, that was fine.
Nevertheless, even though I had repeated many timelines, it seemed like the first time I had a conversation like this with the mage Nyau.
Since it was a rare opportunity, I thought it might be a good idea to learn more about her. While the Holy Knight Canaria and the warrior Gorgano turned out to be traitors, I wondered about Nyau. Although there was no evidence that she was a traitor, she didn't seem like one.
If she were a traitor, her somewhat foolish personality would likely expose her quickly.
So, maybe it wouldn't hurt to offer her cooperation.
"Hey, Nyau, do you have any idea about the 'Luna Village'?" I decided to ask her about Luna Village, which the Holy Knight Canaria had mentioned, before getting to the main topic.
"Luna Village? Oh, I've heard of it. It used to be a village that was purged for allegedly collaborating with the demons," Nyau replied.
I see, that explains it. Perhaps the first prince, Hero Eligion, had some involvement in the purging of Luna Village. That's why the Holy Knight Canaria resents the Hero.
"It seems like the Holy Knight Canaria is from that Luna Village," I explained.
"Hmm, I remember her being of noble birth…" Nyau responded.
"Well, I don't know all the details, but it seems Canaria is a bastard born from an affair and was sent to Luna Village when she was young," I continued.
"I see, is that so?" Nyau tilted her head in confusion.
"Because of that, it seems the Holy Knight Canaria has a strong grudge against Hero Eligion," I added.
"Really? Is that so?"
The elf Nyau seemed puzzled. Well, if you only observed the usual Holy Knight Canaria, you wouldn't expect her to hold a grudge against Hero Eligion.
"It appears that Hero Eligion had some involvement in the purging of Luna Village," I explained.
"So… does that mean, for the Holy Knight Canaria, it's like Hero-sama killed her parents?" Nyau quickly grasped the situation.
She catches on quickly, which is helpful. Being a mage certainly has its advantages.
"So, tonight, the Holy Knight Canaria is planning to kill Hero Eligion. By the way, the warrior Gorgano is also involved in this plan."
Now, I wonder how Nyau will react. If she's not a traitor, maybe she'll show a willingness to cooperate.
"What…? What are you talking about?" Nyau frowned.
"Canaria-sama betraying Hero-sama? That can't possibly happen," she said, almost scoffing at the idea.
She even laughed at my suggestion. Well, it seems like I won't be able to gain her trust after all.
I had anticipated this outcome, but it's still a bit disappointing.
"Nyaa! Wh-why are you pinching Nyau's cheeks?!"
"Because I got annoyed."
Leaving that aside, I decided to pinch her cheeks.
I was a fool to have expected anything from Nyau.
◆
Midnight had arrived, and just like in the previous timelines, the battle was about to happen. I was determined not to let Hero Eligion die this time, no matter how many times I had failed before.
Honestly, I didn't have much hope for success this time either. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't imagine a future where Hero Eligion survived. With this kind of mindset, it was likely to fail again.
"All right, let's do this."
To overcome my negative emotions, I gave my cheeks a good slap. If this attempt failed, I had decided to give up. If it didn't work, I would search for a completely different approach. Since this would be the last time I tried this method, I was determined to give it my all.
With that resolution in mind, I headed to Hero Eligion's room.
It was getting close. Hero Eligion was sleeping in his bed, with the Holy Knight Canaria as Hero Eligion's guard.
Soon, the warrior Gorgano would enter the room, and that would be the signal for the battle to begin.
"Hey, are you doing okay?" Gorgano quietly broke the door and entered the room, addressing me.
"I'm feeling terrible."
"Yeah, I see. Hey, sorry, but can you step outside the room for a moment?"
"No, I won't. After I leave the room, you're planning to kill Hero-sama, aren't you?"
"Oh, I see, so our plan has been exposed. Well, that's fine. In that case, let's go head-on, Canaria."
In an instant, the Holy Knight Canaria opened her eyes and lunged at Hero Eligion. At the same time, Gorgano came at me with his sword.
It had been proven in previous timelines that Hero Eligion wouldn't be killed by a sudden attack from the Holy Knight Canaria. Now, I just needed to find a way to prevent her from uttering the word "Luna Village."
"Hey, aren't you looking away too much? I'm the one who's going to deal with you."
Saying that, warrior Gorgano blocked my path.
Damn it, I need to silence the Holy Knight Canaria at all costs, but it never works because of this guy. If only there was some way to break through…
"I'm a survivor from Luna Village," came the voice of the Holy Knight Canaria.
Oh, it's over. Hero Eligion will go mad and get killed. This attempt is a failure once again.
"W-what are you doing…?"
It was a completely unexpected turn of events. Nyau stood before the door, holding a staff. She had wide-eyed amazement as she observed the commotion in the room.
"Nyau! Protect the hero!"
"Y-yes!"
Nyau replied and began chanting a spell. The sudden entrance of Mage Nyau had significantly altered the course of events. Perhaps, in this timeline, we might be able to save the hero from death…
"Geez, what an annoying person showed up," Gorgano muttered as he looked at Mage Nyau. At the same time, he used the Parasitic Scythe Puppeeter.
"
Suddenly, the Parasitic Scythe Puppeteer transformed into a grotesque creature with three heads.
Oh, I see.
Warrior Gorgano had been holding back when dealing with me all along.
If Warrior Gorgano got his hands on me, it was probably child's play for him to finish me off.
"Darn it!!"
Maybe, just maybe, I thought we would succeed this time…
But it was another failure.
A crunching sound reached my ears as the
Before long, my consciousness faded away.
◆
"Ah…"
I opened my eyes.
It was a sensation I had experienced many times before. It seemed like I had returned from death once again.
Starting from scratch all over again.
With that thought in mind, I began to sit up.
"Wait, please don't move yet. Your wounds haven't completely healed!"
"Huh…?"
What lay before me was an unfamiliar sight.
For some reason, I was lying in the middle of a forest, and nearby, the mage Nyau was crouched down.
"What's going on…?"
"What's going on…? Well, you fainted, and I brought you here. You should be grateful to Nyau. If it weren't for Nyau, you'd be dead right now."
Listening to Nyau's explanation, I touched my own neck with my hand.
I remembered being bitten by the
Oh, the wound is still there.
"Ah, please don't touch it! I'm in the middle of healing it now."
From what I could see, Nyau seemed to be using healing magic on me.
Finally, I began to understand the current situation.
It seemed like I had somehow managed to survive.