Chapter 29

Chapter Two A Chance Encounter On this particular loop, I was guiding a young man named Carmine, the son of a knight, to be the Hero. I knew Carmine would be famed for fighting the Demon Lord’s army and defeating many demons when he grew older. Although his sword skills were not quite on Leon the Sword Saint’s level, he had the sort of upbeat and easygoing personality that allowed him to get along with anybody, and he was good at winning people over to his side. My many uses of World Revision had taught me that being the Hero involved more than just strength. Good character was essential as well. Leon the Sword Saint, Maria the Holy Maiden, and Solon the Great Sage possessed unbridled might, but their personality flaws had caused them to fail. Leon was virtuous and upright, but he was too rigid with his thinking, making it difficult for him to adapt to new situations. He was strong in a straightforward battle but susceptible to underhanded attacks. In the end, he had died after suffering betrayal at the hands of his fellow human beings. Maria appeared pure and innocent at first glance, but she was empty on the inside. Her relationships with others were superfluous; in her heart of hearts, she never trusted or relied on anybody. This made it impossible for her to forge any deep camaraderie with her companions, which had ultimately caused her death… Actually, it was doubtful whether she even intended to make friends in the first place. Solon was lacking in social graces and found it difficult to interact with people, though he did have more common sense than Leon and Maria. More importantly, he was astoundingly clever. With hardly any allies on his side, he’d made it all the way to the Demon Lord through his own wits. Sadly, he was no match for the Demon Lord by himself, and he’d died after the Demon Lord demonstrated the vast power gap between them. Strength alone is not enough. I need to look at what’s inside a person, too, I’d realized. This gave me high hopes for Carmine. Not only did he have a knight’s upbringing, he possessed a healthy sense of pride and dignity. Having said that, he was not so lofty as to alienate others. The young man was easy to get along with. When I’d declared him the Hero, he accepted the call to action with his head held high. His peers cheered for him as well. And yet… At that moment, Carmine lay dead before me. He had been attacked by a demon after he left the capital. Before he’d even reached the next town, his life came to an end. He was not originally fated to die like this. In the other loops, he’d become a worthy knight and fought the Demon Lord’s army. “Is this my fault…?” I muttered in a daze, staring at his corpse. There was no doubt in my mind that naming him the Hero had influenced this course of events. This was far from an unusual sight. The demons were no fools—as word of the Hero’s name spread, he increasingly became a target. Our kingdom was still safe, but the risk grew steeper in countries near the Demon Lord’s domain. I’d made sure to warn each Hero beforehand, but this did not mean they could live their entire lives in hiding. The Hero was fundamentally a public symbol who put his life on the line to fight the monsters. Carmine had been lacking as a Hero—when I put it to myself that way, my next course of action was simple. As usual, my chest felt heavy as I reflected on how long this loop had taken. Only six years this time. I wondered if I should restart immediately. I’m so tired… My efforts had been in vain once again. My passion for redoing these events had long since worn away. I was merely going through the motions out of obligation. The terrifying thought that I would never escape this eternal cycle had me by its claws. Having sustained considerable wounds in his fight against Carmine, the demon was still nearby. He had a towering frame, his red skin taut with muscles. Two horns sprouted from his head. He wore enough armor not to impede his movements, and he held an enormous sword in his hands. This demon appeared to be using magic to heal his wounds. There were some demons who could wield divine miracles. The major god regarded all living beings as equal, and so humans and demons alike could obtain its blessing. The deity that specifically served humanity was worshipped only in secret in our kingdom. This fact was known to just a select few, and it could not spread any further. The dark god worshipped by the monsters actually aimed to undermine that deity—the cruel goddess who made me repeat this world so many times over. As I floundered over whether I should activate World Revision—in other words, kill myself—the demon used a divine miracle. It was a strange impasse. The demon was not aware of my presence, of course, for the Prophet never showed themself directly. However, I was unable to leave the area unless I manipulated the Prophet’s phantom. I had to attach it to a human, for it did not work on demons. At length, the demon stood up, having finished remedying its wounds. At that moment, I heard someone approaching. “Too late, huh?” It was a flippant voice, devoid of any tension. The man who emerged looked to be about thirty, with sloppily groomed blond hair. Although he was of average height, his body was very muscled from what I could see through his light armor. The sword he held loosely in his right hand gleamed pale blue with magic. If not for that, he would have looked like nothing more than a bandit at first glance, but there was also something about the way he carried himself that gave off the unmistakable impression of a seasoned warrior. Three more humans appeared behind him: a male warrior with a spear, a female mage with a staff, and a female priest wielding her rod like a weapon. This was most likely an adventurer’s party. “Who are you?” the demon demanded as he drew his greatsword, baring his hostility. “Leonard. But hey, what’s the point in knowing my name? You’re not gonna have a head for too long, anyhoo. Why use it at this point?” “You think a puny human like you can best me?” “Hey, I’ll give it a shot if there’s cash involved. You know there’s a decent price on your head, yeah? Makes sense since you’ve killed your fair share of Hero candidates. So who’s that by your feet? The poor kid the Prophet named the Hero?” There was a pregnant pause, and then the demon said, “Indeed. I killed the Hero. No human stands a chance against me.” The demon glowered with his red eyes, attempting to intimidate Leonard and his party. “Bullshit. The Hero got killed by small fry like you? That’s no Hero, just a phony. You got hoodwinked, my guy. And I can prove it to you right now by giving you the second-worst day of your life. First place goes to the day you were born, by the way.”