Chapter 13

Indeed, it should be about time now.

This time, or at the very least, the next.

I had such a premonition.

But even so, I cannot let my guard down – no, I will not.

I can understand now, but my master was, to put it bluntly, not blessed with sword talent.

Even with the same "Sword Master" skill, in terms of swordsmanship alone, I was probably several levels above him.

I couldn't say the same for others, but he was far from someone who could aim to defeat the Demon King.

But.

During the final exam, when I was thirteen, the last time I faced my master.

When I was about to deliver a blow with the confidence of victory, my master deflected the attack, countered, and I was knocked to the ground.

I thought I had surpassed him, but he pinned me down.

And for the first and last time, he lectured me, with a cheerful demeanor that had never shown anger before.

"Elis, do you understand why you lost?"

"......I don't understand."

"You became complacent, thinking you had surpassed me."

"But that's not—"

"Stop making excuses, Elis. You let your guard down, thinking you had already won. I've been hiding my true strength for the past two years. I did this to teach you one last lesson."

"Teach me what?"

My master, with a stern expression he had never shown before, scolded me.

"Never let your guard down until you win! And even if you can't win, devise a strategy and find a way to win! Pursue victory without letting your guard down until the moment of complete defeat! That is the spirit of a swordsman!"

As I felt ashamed at his words, my master smiled, as if the sternness was a lie.

"I won't fight you anymore. I'll run away with the victory; it's also a way to win."

"That's cheating!"

"Cheat if you can, hahaha."

But even such a master fell before the Demon King's army.

That's why I don't let my guard down until the end.

I will give it my all until the Demon King's death.

Only then can I proudly say I have surpassed my master.

However.

After expelling Elein, there is nothing I can do.

I have been exploring various possibilities after the expulsion event, but neither red nor blue text has been added.

I haven't stopped thinking.

For example, joining the battle when Elein attacks the Demon King's castle on my own initiative.

But no matter what, it was impossible.

If Elein awakens, my fate of death is certain, and everything converges to that point.

So, I have accepted it.

The only text added after Elein's skill awakening is the result in black text.

In other words, my role ends when I expel her.

If I let Elein live for a while and accumulate various experiences, and then expel her, that is my role, given by the gods or something.

Therefore, if Elein wins this time, the fact that I could give her a parting gift at the time of expulsion will be the last thing I can do for her.

I have thought about this before, but valuable items cannot be given due to Lena's interference.

So, I prepared a small amount of money and a bottle of healing potion.

The contents of the bottle are just low-level healing potions that can be found anywhere.

Considering Lena's personality, I will use my wits to somehow give it to her.

That's all I can do.

Well, maybe the year until my death can be seen as a bit of a vacation.

After Elein's expulsion, her movements are heard as rumors.

After being expelled, she fights mostly alone, sometimes coordinating with the kingdom's knights, but never forming a fixed party.

Perhaps, due to the trauma of being expelled, she has a resistance to forming a party with others.

She might even hate me deeply.

But I can't see her after expelling her, so I have no way of knowing her feelings.

Actually,

"Defeating the Demon King is becoming realistic."

From the 110th time I felt this, every time I expel Elein and approach the day of my death, I do something.

I ask someone to do something, but it might be unnecessary.

But neither red nor black text is added.

It probably has no impact on defeating the Demon King.

This time, Elein's skill awakened as usual.

A year later, I am twenty.

Well, it's about time.

Even though it happens every time, it makes me feel dark.

Since I learned that expelling Elein is necessary, except for the cases where she doesn't awaken her skill, I die the same way every time.

I have tried to change it many times.

The place I stay and the actions I take there...

But the way I die never changes.

So, I have stopped futile resistance.

On that day, I quietly slept at a familiar inn.

When I woke up, I was in a familiar place.

The outskirts of a town, a field there.

I am always brought here while sleeping.

My place of end.

Dying under a sky that never clears, in this place.

"Have you woken up? Elis..."

"Yeah."

I am still restrained with magic tools, looking up at the main culprit of the kidnapping.

It's Lena.

The Holy Maiden Lena.

She is my Grim Reaper.

"I've been hearing rumors... that the mastermind behind Elein's expulsion is me."

Who is spreading those rumors?

I don't know.

But it has made her suspicious.

She suspects that I might leave her and rejoin Elein's party.

"You swore. You promised not to leave me alone."

I am asked the same thing every time.

At first, I tried to defend myself, but I stopped when I realized it was futile.

"Are those words, that promise, not a lie, Elis?"

Yes, defending is futile.

She is beginning to awaken to the characteristics of her Holy Maiden skill.

"Lie Detection."

Literally, the ability to see through lies.

It is effective against monsters that use illusions to deceive, but it can also be used on humans.

Ironically, Lena's awakening of this ability and Elein's expulsion are a package deal.

Lena gains enough confidence as a Holy Maiden to start talking about expelling Elein.

If the donations are reduced and efforts to strengthen Lena's skills are slacked, Elein's expulsion will not happen, and we will be defeated by the Demon King's army.

And in the repeated cycles, I realized.

When Elein defeats the Demon King.

I die.

Because I made a deal with Crow.

If I can defeat the Demon King, I will offer my future after the age of twenty.

That was the material I offered to get the "Guide."

I was prepared for this from the start, so it's not a surprise to me.

What I realized...

If I expel Elein and only Lena and I remain in the party, then at the moment of success—

—I will leave her alone!

Despite knowing this, I continued to swear to her.

Not to leave her alone.

To lead the Demon King to death, I continued to lie to her.

Knowing that she would realize and be sad.

So.

This death is a guilty verdict on me.

A punishment for deceiving and using her.

"The index finger of the right hand governs destruction—"

With the incantation, magic power converges in Lena's right hand.

"It is the punishment given by the gods."

When the convergence is complete, she asks me again.

"Please, Elis. Say... that the promise is not a lie!"

At first, I answered "it's not a lie."

In the last few loops, I remained silent.

But.

"This might be the last time."

That thought—made me speak.

"I don't want to leave you alone! But it's impossible! No matter how much I think... it's impossible!"

Yes, it was impossible.

Something has been strengthened through repetition.

Whether it's an additional ability of the "Guide" or my instinct, I don't know.

But around the 100th cycle, I began to sense something.

I began to sense my own death—defeat.

I can sense the presence that will bring me death or defeat.

The stronger the danger, the stronger I feel it.

And what I feel from Lena now is—too strong.

It makes me certain that this fate cannot be avoided.

She shook her head at my words.

"I understand that your feelings are not a lie... but I can't forgive you."

Tears welled up in her eyes, and magic burst from her finger.

The result was... slightly different from before.

Until now, it was instant death.

Her magic was supposed to hit my heart, and I would die helplessly.

But this time, her aim was slightly off, and only my left arm was blown off from the elbow down.

Still, the impact sent me flying, and I was slammed into a well nearby.

The well was about knee-high, and the impact broke my right knee.

The momentum didn't stop, and I fell into the well.

I felt a floating sensation, and then I was slammed into the water.

...I'm still barely alive.

Surprised by the different outcome, I looked up from the well—.

The familiar black clouds were thinning.

No, they were clearly white.

And through the gaps, blue sky and sunlight were beginning to shine through.

What this means—

I did it.

She did it.

Finally.

Finally, Elein did it.

I don't know why Lena's magic missed.

Was it because of my words?

Or did she notice the change in the sky before I did?

But the fact that I survived a little longer than usual has great significance.

I was worried.

Even if Elein succeeded, would I die without knowing it?

The narrow blue sky I saw from the bottom of the well told me.

What I have done—was not in vain!

"Haha, hahaha, hahaha."

Laughter welled up naturally.

The blue sky my father wished to see.

What I have been trying to reclaim.

"Haha, I did it, I did it, I did it! Haha, hahaha, hahaha!"

Even as I bled and became dazed, my laughter wouldn't stop.

I—finally accomplished it.

It feels both relieving and a bit lonely.

If I could, I would have wanted to defeat the Demon King with my own hands, in place of my father.

When I realized that wasn't my role, I was disappointed.

But now, even that doesn't matter.

It would be a lie to say I have no regrets.

Lena, and my mother, who will be left behind.

But the biggest regret is—being unable to praise Elein.

Ah, if I could.

I want to praise her directly.

And—I want her to know.

I was also fighting, and even though we were destined to part ways, I was fighting alongside her.

You might think of me as just the former party leader you expelled, a hateful person—no, you might even think of being in my party as a stain on your record.

But I thought of you as a comrade, at least in these dozens of loops.

I'm sorry for expelling you so many times.

I'm sorry for making you challenge the Demon King and die so many times.

I'm sorry for not being able to let you win.

I always thought that.

But you did it.

You accomplished it.

Even after you left, dejected, you continued to train with your inherent seriousness.

And you fought alone, in loneliness, and accomplished what no one else could.

And you fulfilled my lifelong wish, in my place.

You showed me this blue sky.

"Thank you, Elein."

I sank.

Soon, the sky disappeared—

And a black curtain fell over my vision.