Chapter 5

The manor without its master had become quite quiet. While the Lagias couple had been staying there, it had been filled with a certain tension, but now that was gone. Both the servants and the private soldiers wore calm expressions. Seeing them made him realize that those two really were dead. …Even though he had killed them with his own hands.

During his lifetime, the lord of the Lagias Domain would summon the servants and scold them whenever anything happened. He would order the private army to fulfill unreasonable demands and bask in satisfaction. If taxes were overdue, he would personally lead the collection, and those who refused or could not pay were cut down with his prized jeweled sword. —He was truly wicked and inhuman. He had done as he pleased.

The news that the Lagias couple had lost their lives quickly spread throughout the domain. To the people of the domain, it was apparently news worth rejoicing over, something closer to glad tidings than an obituary.

Whatever the reason, if the lord died, it was customary for succession to take place. Normally the eldest son would inherit, and if that was impossible, the second son, but the House of Lagias had only one son.

When a sudden change of lord occurred, the people involved would usually become busy, but neither the House of Lagias nor Zeke showed any sign of that.

—And that was only natural. Zeke himself, Hiroto, had never intended to keep the domain going from the start.

(There’s no way an amateur like me could manage a domain. This isn’t a manga…)

There were people who had been dragged into this by Hiroto’s choices and actions. There were people of the domain who would be left adrift because Hiroto had possessed Zeke.

If he prioritized only his own survival, he could simply leave them be. He could forget everything and flee the country. …But Hiroto’s heart could not abandon them.

The deal he had forced Arnica to accept in exchange for the lives of Samaris’s residents. With that, the Lagias Domain would become a nationally administered region, and the lives of the people would dramatically improve. Those who had aided Zeke would be protected under the name of the royal family. Things Zeke, Hiroto, could not do would be possible for royalty.

(With this, my role is over. …I was supposed to scold the king as Lagias one last time and end it there—at least, that was how it was supposed to be…)

Hiroto had learned the truth about Fool, Noisy, and the past generations of Lagias. How much easier would it have been if he had known nothing? But now that he knew, he could not pretend not to see it. He had needed to show a way of life that would not shame him before Fool and Noisy.

(So this is what happened after I got so worked up. …I really am scum.)

Lagias was not the only one hiding a truth. The king, Alderic, had a secret too.

This world never moved forward and continued forever. It was an endless hell. …At the very end, he had dropped an unbelievable bombshell.

Hiroto had been thinking of leaving the country, just as the Lagias couple had told him. He had fulfilled the bare minimum of his duty, so he had intended not to care about the scenario anymore.

(Damn it… This kind of thing, this kind of setting, wasn’t even in the strategy guide.)

A repeating world. An endless story.

Hiroto did not feel that Alderic was lying, and there was no reason for him to do so in the first place.

If what the king said was true… the same tragedy would happen again. Fool and Noisy would be turned into monsters and killed again.

(…That’s too cruel. Why do those people have to be hurt again? Why does only Lagias have to be forced to sacrifice itself? What did they ever do…?)

In the first place, he did not even know whether what Alderic had said was correct. The only way to confirm it was to see what happened after the end. —In other words, there was no method but to die.

Would he die according to the scenario, or would he live out his natural lifespan as Zeke? Would Hiroto be able to return to his original world? He knew nothing.

(If it loops, will my memories remain? Will I keep walking the same life for eternity? If I don’t have my memories… will I kill the “Watchman” again? Can Hiroto, me, even exist in the first place?)

If the world looped, then whether he had his memories or not, either way led to hell. Even if the world moved forward, he did not know whether Hiroto would be there. Much less was there any guarantee that he could overturn the scenario in which Zeke died.

(A person on the king’s level resisted it again and again and still failed. There’s no way an ordinary person like me can change it.)

He understood when he saw Alderic’s eyes. They were the eyes of someone who had despaired of everything. That man was also a proper victim. A victim of this rotten world.

(I can’t do it. I can’t endure this.)

No matter how much power Zeke had, it meant nothing if the person inside was ordinary. Hiroto was nothing more than a normal person who could be found anywhere.

He remembered what Aaron had once told him. That the person swinging the sword had grown weaker. It was exactly as he had said.

At first, he had been able to fight only for himself. Because he knew nothing, he had been able to act freely and do as he pleased. Because he had only needed to try hard in order to survive. Because he had been able to watch from a step removed.

In the end, this was a game world. He had been able to decide that he was the only sane person in it.

(I’m different from those main characters.)

This was a world born at the end of the Spirit War. Even after learning that it was a repeating world, Van and the others had chosen to fight. They had no guarantee that they would win, nor any guarantee that it would end. Even if their actions were meaningless, they possessed the strength of heart to declare that they were not pointless. …Unlike him, who was nothing but a fake.

—The truth was, I had noticed it from the beginning. I had only been looking away.

(No matter how hard I try… I can’t become the real thing.)

Zeke, Hiroto, hung his head before Fool and Noisy’s graves. It was the cemetery where the past generations of Lagias slept. He should have been able to give them a good report. …There was no way he could tell them such a cruel truth.

(It was impossible. An ordinary person couldn’t change just because he went to another world. What the hell did I misunderstand?)

Hiroto was alive now only because he was borrowing Zeke’s power. He had survived simply because the person he happened to possess was Zeke. If this had been some ordinary background character, he would have ended without being able to do anything. …Perhaps that might have been better. He could have ended in an instant without suffering.

(Someone… please save me.)

There was no one to answer Hiroto’s agonized cry. The past generations of Lagias said nothing. Time merely passed quietly.

How much time had passed? He repeated questions to himself, but no answer appeared.

That was why he noticed too late. He probably also had a preconception. He had thought that in the Lagias Domain—no, in the entire country—no one would come near the cemetery where the hated Lagias slept.

Several people had gathered before the cemetery. And there were quite a number of them. Among them were servants and private soldiers Hiroto recognized.

“What are you people? Grave robbers? Are you committing this foolish act while understanding that this is the cemetery of Lagias?”

His tone grew stronger even without him meaning to. Their faces twitched under his killing intent, and some even turned deathly pale.

“N-Not at all! Of course, neither we nor the people of the domain harbor any such thoughts!”

One of the private soldiers hurriedly explained. The others nodded as if following his lead.

“I see… As you can see, I am in a bad mood. Disappear at once. You do not want to die, do you?”

“Of course, sir. We will leave as soon as our business is done. …We came to pay our respects to Fool-sama and Noisy-sama.”

(…What? What is he talking about? The people of the Lagias Domain came to visit the graves of the lords of Lagias?)

Even Zeke’s mouth, which always spat insults, froze from sheer surprise. …But he immediately understood. They had been hurt by their lord countless times until now. They had come to pour out their resentment.

A middle-aged man slowly opened his mouth.

“Z-Zeke-sama. Allow me to say this frankly… We people of the domain do not hold good feelings toward the lord.”

(Well, that’s the obvious reaction. If they praised him as a wise ruler here, they’d be insane.)

“We were treated unjustly. Money, dignity… Some even had their lives taken.”

It was all true. How much money had the Lagias family taken from the people through extortion called taxation? If they had no money, then something else was taken in its place, and if they had nothing even then, their lives were taken as punishment.

To the people of the domain who did not know the truth of Lagias, it was an outrageous story. Even if they had known, no one would have been able to accept it.

“To be honest… we were glad they died. Everyone thought so.”

A soldier reproached him for going too far, but Hiroto had no intention of blaming him. He did not have the right to do so.

“Is that all you wanted to say? If you are satisfied after cursing at silent gravestones, then disappear. …You no longer need to pay taxes to Lagias. Not your lives, not anything.”

If Arnica did not make a blunder, the dismantling of the House of Lagias and the nationalization of the Lagias Domain would proceed smoothly. It was not a bad deal for the country either. After all, the one who had proposed it was Zeke himself, the last surviving member of Lagias, who must have been difficult to handle.

The people’s lives would improve, and Hiroto would be freed. It was a win-win for both sides.

“…So what Her Highness said was true after all.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

The statement came out of nowhere, and he could not help replying roughly.

“We heard everything from Her Highness Princess Arnica. That Zeke-sama had appealed to the country on our behalf.”

According to the people of the domain, the third princess, Arnica, had visited the town with her guards. The people had been confused by the sudden event, but the story she told them brought an even greater shock.

Zeke had advised the country to govern the Lagias Domain as a directly controlled territory. In addition, in exchange for accepting the dismantling of the House of Lagias, he had asked that the lives of the people be guaranteed.

(…Aren’t they misunderstanding something? I just didn’t want the hassle. I’m not a good person.)

“It seems she had business with Zeke-sama and was visiting the towns and villages along the way. …She said there would be confusion if she did not explain it beforehand.”

A servant added the explanation. Apparently she had missed Zeke, who had gone to the royal capital.

At the time, he had been thinking only of storming the royal castle, but…

“Of course, that is not all. We are grateful to you, Zeke-sama.”

This time, another person from the domain began to speak. Judging from the small child she had with her, she was probably a parent.

“Monster damage in the Lagias Domain was an everyday occurrence. Zeke-sama dispatched soldiers to deal with it, and at times you personally went out to fight. …At first, I thought you were someone crazed for battle, but now I understand. Those actions were for our sake.”

“You paid taxes in place of towns, villages, and individuals who could not pay them. You made appeals to the lord. We know all of it.”

Nothing the people said was wrong. If one looked only at the results, such things had certainly happened.

But the monster subjugations had only been for the sake of strengthening the private army, his own combat training, and his convenience as an adventurer carrying out requests.

As for paying taxes in their place… that was only because the lord would be in a bad mood if there were overdue taxes, so he had prevented it in advance. His appeals had never been accepted in the end either. Thinking back on it now, with the oath in place, it had been impossible.

“…Do not misunderstand. Everything was for my own convenience.”

(Yes. My own convenience. For my own convenience, I did that to Fool and the others…)

“Even so. We have the present we do because Zeke-sama was there. Our future changed. No matter what Zeke-sama thinks of it, that fact will not change.”

Those who should have died were alive. Towns that should have collapsed still existed. He had not aimed for that. Hiroto was not a decent enough person to act out of goodwill. …Even so, the people before him were truly grateful. There was no reason for them to put on appearances for Lagias, which would be abolished. —In other words, it came from the heart.

“Once people die, everyone is equal. We do have complicated feelings, but… if they are Zeke-sama’s parents, then we judged that we should pay our respects. That is the shared will of everyone here.”

The people of the Lagias Domain came to visit the graves of Fool and Noisy. Who would believe such a thing? If the developers knew, they would probably faint. —An outrageous break in the scenario had occurred.

They were not main characters, nor were they side characters. They were less than background characters, people who had never appeared in the game. This was a step they had taken of their own will. —Hiroto was not arrogant enough to deny that.

(So I did have one too… A future I was able to change.)

If these people, who were nobodies just like him, said it, Hiroto could believe it. If they could do it, then there should still be something Hiroto could do too.

It was not over yet. It could not end. He could never let it be as though none of this had happened.

“…I will be away from the manor for a while. There will be movement in the Lagias Domain soon. Hear the details from Simon or someone else.”

Wrapped in light, Zeke, Hiroto, disappeared.

The royal castle stood in Spirito, the royal capital of the Kingdom of Diabalet. In a large conference room inside that castle, many people had been summoned.

From the national military—the Knight Order and the Mage Corps—every officer from vice commanders to regimental commander class was present. The commander and vice commander of the Royal Guard Corps. Members of the royal family, important figures of the state, cabinet ministers, and powerful nobles headed by the Astera Ducal House. Organizations such as the Adventurers Association, the Apothecaries Association, and the Maria Church. Many others were there as well.

The written documents distributed to them bore King Alderic’s signature, and everyone was shocked upon reading them.

The fact that this world was one born from Diabalet’s wish. The existence of the inheritors. The truth of Lagias. Elzen and the others’ objective. And the truth behind the murder of the Sword Saint. Every item overturned the foundations of everything they had known, and agitation and confusion spread.

The matter of the world repeating had been kept hidden. The only ones who knew were Van’s group and Alderic, who were present there. It had been judged that if any more confusion were caused, the situation would become impossible to control.

“Everyone, I understand your agitation and confusion, but everything written there is true. And we have no time. The reason I have gathered you here is to stop the outrage of Elzen Freak and his cohorts.”

Since Alderic himself declared that there was no falsehood, the people around him had no choice but to accept it.

How should they act based on the information they had been given? Some looked around, perhaps trying to gauge the reactions of those nearby.

In contrast, there were those who did not hide their anger, dissatisfaction, or relief. They were Eris and the others, who had parted from Van’s group at the Hidden-World Ruins the other day. After that, they had hurried back to the royal capital while taking breaks, and after Luke explained the circumstances, they ended up participating here.

Normally, Eris, who was merely an adventurer, Simon of the private army, and even Kratz, a foreigner, would not have been allowed to participate. However, since they were companions of Zeke, the hero who had saved the nation, they had been permitted to attend the meeting. Of course, that was the official reason; in reality, Luke and Glanz had worked behind the scenes to appeal to Alderic.

“This is an emergency that shakes the nation. I do not mind. Each of you has permission to speak.”

The conference room had fallen silent. At this rate, they had only gathered, and the discussion would not move forward at all. With Alderic’s permission, the meeting finally began to move.

“Forgive my presumption, but please allow me to speak. How does Your Majesty intend to move from here?”

The one who opened his mouth was Alight Astera, the current duke and head of the Astera Ducal House, as well as Aktor and Ciel’s father.

“We will mobilize the Knight Order and the Mage Corps in full and strike the enemy. Naturally, that alone will not be enough as fighting power. That is the reason for this summons.”

Alight understood that this was why not only the Royal Guard Corps, but also external organizations such as the Adventurers Association were present. Conversely, it meant that without committing that much fighting power, they had no chance of victory. Those who understood the situation from this exchange broke out in cold sweat.

“…However, the key players have not yet assembled. That person will likely be the cornerstone of the battle.”

The place Alderic turned his gaze toward was an empty chair. It was a seat among Van’s group, and the spot beside Luke was vacant.

“Hey, Luke. Is that guy really coming? He doesn’t even know this meeting is happening, does he?”

Van panicked when Alderic’s gaze turned toward them. He asked Luke in a quiet voice, but Luke remained silent. Everyone’s eyes gathered on them, drawing even more attention. As Van grew flustered over what to do, Glanz opened his mouth.

“It seems… he has made up his mind.”

—A wind blew. The shadowed hero appeared along with cold mana. The last Lagias revealed himself.

Some rejoiced, some were shocked, and some felt fear. Depending on his choice, he could become a powerful ally or a vicious enemy.

Before his overwhelming presence, which surpassed even that of Alderic, the king of a great nation, they could not speak. They could only watch what he would do. All except one person, Luke.

“You’re late. This counts as tardy, you know?”

“Spare me. I have my own circumstances.”

His noble attire, black as its base with blue embroidery, was the symbol that had been shunned by the country… the proof of Lagias. There was only one person left in this country who would proudly wear it.

—The Demon of Lagias opened his mouth as he looked over everyone.

“Listen, you pieces of trash. Shut up and obey me. —If you want to win.”