Chapter 41

At present, Garnahazza was firmly under the Demon Lord’s control. It was far from the current warfront, which obviously meant it was quite some distance from the town we were at. We borrowed a carriage and traveled at top speed, and it still took us three days. Weirdly, though, the monsters never got in our way once. The journey was eerily uneventful. Berzera must have given them orders, which only made things even more unsettling. “It’s like we’re off on a little camping trip,” I said. Everyone nodded. It was a peaceful adventure. At night, we gathered around the campfire and chatted about pointless stuff over dinner. I wondered if everyone was hoping nobody would be there at our destination. The night before we arrived, the Prophet appeared before me while I was standing guard. “You have no desire to turn back?” the Prophet asked me. As per usual, it was impossible to tell her age or gender from her voice, but her tone made me think of a kindhearted woman. “No, sadly. Hey, maybe it’s not a great idea to keep sticking with us. Why not look for the next Hero-to-be?” “I’ll keep looking. However many times it takes.” I could sense a firm resolve in that voice. Nice to see she’d gotten her mojo back. “Still, I have decided to use this loop to see you off.” “Weird hobby you’ve got there. Considering I’m not even the Hero or anything.” “No, you are the Hero. No matter what anyone says. Even if you are not the man who defeats the Demon Lord, you are still the Hero.” “That’s one hell of an exaggeration. But hey, nice to get some credit from the Prophet. Feels like a childhood dream come true.” Yep, that was the reason why I’d wanted to be an adventurer way back when. I’d wanted to be like the Hero from those fairy tales. “I am not the only one who believes so. I’m sure the people you’ve met see the Hero in you.” “You think? No one’s ever said anything that nice to me before. Guess it’s ’cause of how I act.” Such was the path I’d chosen. I was the moneygrubbing adventurer, a guy shunned by ordinary society. The perfect recruit for the demons’ side. It was close enough to my true identity, so it wasn’t a particularly hard role to play. Besides, it’d gotten me to where I wanted. Now it was a matter of reaching Berzera. “Was there no other way?” “If there was a smarter way of going about it, I would’ve loved to know. Berzera’s like a king, you could say. He’s usually all snug in his castle, surrounded by strong knights. Not to mention he can take care of himself. How are adventurers like us supposed to beat him? Only way to do it is for him to invite us.” “What if you enlisted others for help…?” “You saw Ralph, didn’t you? He looked like the sort of good guy you’d see anywhere. Competent at his job. If a guy like him’s working for the Demon Lord’s army, there’s no way of knowing who the traitors are. Doesn’t matter if you’re a noble or a peasant; everyone likes living a little longer. Imagine someone saying, ‘I’ll make sure you live.’ Pretty enticing, right? I can’t blame them for feeling the way they do. I was a chicken who ran away. It’s why I can’t place too much trust in anyone. I picked my party members because I respect them for surviving the battle I fled. There’s no one else I can count on.” “…Some of the Heroes I guided were betrayed by their fellow humans. That was what happened to Leon, the first Hero I chose. Although he possessed the strength befitting of his Sword Saint title, he never conceived that he would be betrayed. His lofty ideals as a nobleman were his downfall. The young knight I guided on this loop was also a dignified man, but someone leaked his appointment as the Hero, which led to his death at the hands of the demons. It is very difficult to safeguard against such machinations no matter how many times I repeat these events.” The Prophet’s words resounded like a heavy sigh. “Humans are weak like that. The people who fight cleanly and honorably aren’t necessarily the ones who get things done.” I shook my head. “I reckon the Hero has to be a stubborn, no-frills sorta guy. The type who digs in his heels no matter what. He’s gotta be strong, of course—that’s a given—but that can’t be the only thing. There’s mental strength, too, y’know? I reckon that’s what the Hero needs.” “Is there such a person like that in the world?” “Sure there is. Put it that way and anyone can be the Hero. But people kill the Hero inside of them all the time. Like what happened with me fifteen years ago. But hey, there’s plenty of fish in the sea—or, in this case, humans in the world. I’m sure there’s someone out there who’s willing to stick it out and be the Hero, come what may.” As I muttered those words, I heard a sound from inside the carriage, where my party members were sleeping. It was about time to switch lookout duty. My conversation with the Prophet had come to an end. Garnahazza, capital of the fallen Kingdom of Malika, had once been the site of a brutal war between humans and monsters fifteen years ago. After their three-day journey, Leonard and his companions finally returned to where it had all begun. The scars from fifteen years ago were still plain to behold. Demons now roamed the devastated town. Berzera, de facto leader of the Demon Lord’s army, possessed red eyes brimming with keen intelligence. It was hard to imagine he belonged to a monster race. He was twice the size of a human and covered in black scales that served as a kind of armor. At his hip hung a massive sword that put any human greatsword to shame. Behind Berzera stood three demons who were slightly shorter than him. Although they possessed the same armor-like scales, theirs were of different colors: red, blue, and green. The red demon grasped a long battle-ax in both hands, the blue demon carried an enormous spear, and the green demon wielded a long, two-handed club. After dismounting from their carriage, Leonard’s party walked slowly up to the demons. There was a considerable distance between them. “So you’re Leonard.” Berzera’s voice was low, though it still boomed across their surroundings. “Got it in one. I take it you’re Berzera?” “Indeed. I have heard of your circumstances. I, Berzera, will guarantee the four of you will live. In return, you will kill the Hero when next he appears. Your methods are up to your discretion.” Berzera spoke crisply, vocalizing no more than what was necessary. “That’s nice of you, guaranteeing our lives directly. By the way, are those three your only guards? Aren’t you being a bit lax?” “This will suffice. You might have refused to show yourself if I had brought too many guards. The best-case scenario is that you betray humanity. The next best case is that you scheme against us and we kill you. Both are positive outcomes. So which will it be?” Berzera appeared to be goading Leonard and his party into a fight. It was the reason why he had brought only three demon bodyguards. A light bead of sweat ran down Leonard’s face. “What? You thought we’d break our promise?” “It is the human way to play at sophistry. You are an incorrigible fool. However, you are strong enough to have defeated multiple demons. There is meaning in killing you. Whether you betray humanity or renege your promise is fine with me.” Berzera and his bodyguards both wore completely level expressions. They thought it was a given that Leonard and his companions would attack them. “Aww, geez. You demons are much too thorough. I was hoping to give you a bit of a surprise.” Leonard drew his sword. Evsei readied his spear. Sophia and Nina began chanting spells. “So you choose to fight, human. You are aware you have no chance of victory, yes?” Berzera drew his sword, too. A malevolent black aura exuded from the blade. The demons waiting behind him sprang forward as well. Thus began the final battle. I have witnessed many battles throughout my journey. In the beginning, I prayed for the Heroes to win, but reality taught me repeatedly that prayers were meaningless. I was powerless. I had attempted to use the Prophet’s phantom to distract the Hero’s foes before, but I could not move it freely, and it was hardly useful at all. Eventually, I started averting my eyes whenever the Heroes faced defeat. On some occasions, I even stopped synchronizing with the phantom. That day, however, I prayed for Leonard’s victory for the first time in dozens or perhaps even over a hundred years. I prayed not to the goddess but to something I could believe in. Evsei, Sophia, and Nina took on the three demon bodyguards. Upon reflection, the three of them had always lured the monsters toward them in their battles. They must have been envisioning how a fight with Berzera would play out. Evsei might have been able to stand his ground, but the spellcasters were hopelessly outmatched in close-quarters combat against demons. Despite this, Sophia and Nina moved with a swiftness that belied their limitations. By using magic to bolster their bodies, they were able to keep apace with their opponents. But that was not all—this was undoubtedly the fruit of long training. On closer inspection, I could see their clothes and shoes were made for ease of movement. Magical ability depended largely on innate talent, not to mention that Leonard’s party were all past thirty years of age. It was hard to imagine them becoming any stronger. The women had trained their bodies so they could reach greater potential. Naturally, they did not use their speed solely to run circles around their opponents. They cast spells whenever they saw an opening. I could see their sheer strength of will to defeat a demon all by themselves. However…that did not change the fact that they were skating on thin ice. Even when Nina and Sophia cast their spells directly on their opponents, the demons showed no signs of fear. They did look as if they were having some trouble handling the mages’ tactics, but if they landed even one solid hit, Sophia and Nina would lose immediately. Evsei was in a similar position. He was locked in a spear duel with the blue demon, but compared with his opponent’s gigantic weapon, Evsei was practically wielding a piece of straw. Whenever they clashed, Evsei’s spear would bend dramatically, as if it was bound to break at any moment. Just watching them made it hard for me to breathe. Yet Evsei kept up the fight, his spirit unflagging. He was trying his absolute best to keep the demon away from Berzera. Evsei, Sophia, and Nina were all putting their lives on the line to buy time. Because they believed in Leonard’s victory. Speaking of Leonard, he was fighting with a rawer sense of desperation than he had ever demonstrated before. He had no time for his usual wisecracks. He was doing everything he could to dodge Berzera’s greatsword. It was my first time watching Berzera in action. Between the black aura emanating from his sword and his powerful strikes, he was a fearsome foe indeed. Whenever he brought his sword down, the earth split beneath him. When he swung it sideways, it would smash through the rubble, leaving nothing but fine dust in its wake. His attacks were the culmination of physical and magical prowess. Leonard was uncowed by any of this. He tried to get in close on multiple occasions, twisting his body around like an acrobat, but it was like charging into a tempest, and he was forced to retreat. Berzera was probably right—Leonard appeared to have no chance of winning whatsoever. Yet he forged onward anyway, forcing open the tempest by contorting his body and ramming his way through. He was walking on a tightrope. One wrong move, and he would fall to his doom. Over and over, he dodged and stepped forward, and every single time his efforts came to waste. Yet still, he continued facing forward. The reason he had clashed with demons on so many occasions was all for the sake of this very moment. After dozens upon dozens of attempts, Leonard swung his sword for the first time. It grazed Berzera’s fingertip very slightly. This did nothing to dull the demon general’s movements. Undaunted, Leonard charged at Berzera once more. It was like trying to pierce stone with raindrops. Yet by piling on the damage, Leonard gradually induced some sloppiness in Berzera’s moves. Was it because of his wounds, or was it because of his mounting frustration? It was impossible to say. Eventually, Leonard was one step away from Berzera. He swung his sword ferociously at the demon’s neck… …only to meet his blade. Leonard’s sword went flying—along with his right arm. Everything past the elbow was gone. “It’s over for you.” Berzera’s lips curled upward. “Don’t underestimate humans, demon!” Leonard was completely unfazed by the loss of his arm. If anything, he used the recoil from the attack to perform a tailspin and press in on Berzera. With his remaining hand, he drew a shortsword from his hip. It was the weapon he had taken from Carmine’s dead body. “I’m carrying on his will.” The words Leonard had uttered when I first saw him raced through my mind. Before I knew it, I was kneeling on the ground. Praying that the sword would reach its target. It was just one fleeting moment, too short to even blink. In the time it took for tears to roll down my cheek, Leonard had thrown his entire body toward Berzera and stabbed through the black scales on his neck. It was a miraculous strike—but the shortsword was lodged near the base of his neck. It was slightly lower than it needed to be in order to inflict a fatal wound on a durable demon; that much I knew. For the first time, Berzera’s face contorted in rage. Yet it was only for a split second, and then the demon sent Leonard flying with his right arm. The shortsword was still buried in Berzera’s neck. After crashing to the ground, it took considerable effort for Leonard to hoist himself up with his left hand—which only made sense, considering the stub that remained of his right arm was gushing blood. Berzera pulled out the shortsword. Red blood shot from his wound. “You did well, human.” His voice betrayed no pain or anger. “I will acknowledge you as the Hero—who shall die at my hand.” “Praise? Hey, I’ll take it…,” Leonard quipped, although his face was pale from blood loss. “But one day, the actual Hero is gonna show up. Even if it takes a thousand years, he’ll finish what I started.” Was it a coincidence that Leonard’s gaze was pointed toward me, even though I wasn’t visible to him? He was smiling like he always did. That lackadaisical grin had ticked me off like nothing else. Now, though, I found it so endearing. “I fail to understand what you are saying, but this is the end.” Berzera brought his greatsword down without mercy. Looking around, I saw that Evsei and the others were lifeless on the ground, having fulfilled their role of distracting the bodyguards for the duration of the battle. The three demons soon returned to Berzera’s side. It was over. This was the end of the loop. Yet this time, I did not experience the usual wave of hopelessness. Leonard believed in me. And he’d shown me how a Hero was meant to be. I would redo my mission, however many times it took—because I was certain I could change this ending, too. I’d thought I had lost the fire in my belly, but now I could feel it. It was coursing inside me.