Chapter 21

While glaring at the mocking Crow...

I was recalling the first encounter and the deal I made with him.

Crow had told me then that if I gave up, the deal would be nullified, and that he wanted me to succeed.

If I think about it, that means...

Completing the task of defeating the Demon King.

For some unknown reason, this is the condition for my defeat. Therefore, his goal is not the early defeat of the Demon King or the lives saved as a result.

The repeated trials and errors that led to this current outcome. Among them, something must be beneficial to him and a condition for my defeat.

However, if Crow only gains an advantage, he wouldn't call it a 'defeat' for me.

So his goal is—what I offered as the price of the deal. What I can only give him by succeeding.

—My own 'future.'

I offered my future after the age of twenty in exchange for the many lives that would be saved. In return, he gave me the 'Guide.'

That was the content of our deal.

If I had given up halfway, the deal would have been nullified. In that case, it's unclear what would happen to my 'future'—but it would probably revert to my original fate.

In other words...

"You wanted to take and eliminate my future, didn't you?"

When I voiced my guess, Crow responded with a mocking tone, seemingly enjoying it.

"Hmm? Well, half... no, a little bit correct, maybe? You are a troublesome guy, but you're not the main target, just a side effect... but it doesn't matter now, does it?"

Frustrated by Crow's consistent mocking attitude, I shouted without thinking.

"No way! What is your goal!"

"Because... You wished for the early defeat of the Demon King, and I fulfilled that wish. I said you were losing, but isn't this a sufficient result for the deal?"

Crow's twisted smile never wavered, as if he was enjoying my attitude.

No good.

He has no intention of telling me anything more.

He just wants to mock me and enjoy it.

His genuine pleasure is evident from his expression.

Probably, this man...

Enjoys ensnaring people, keeping them in the dark, mocking them, and reveling in their frustration. That is his true desire.

—But.

That is also his weakness.

The gap I should exploit.

In theory, this meeting should be unnecessary.

If there were elements to determine the winner in the deal, he wouldn't need to tell me, the enemy, and just win quietly.

If left alone, I would die without ever knowing of my defeat.

But he called me here to report my defeat, prioritizing his own enjoyment.

In other words... he is overconfident.

He believes I have no chance of winning.

—Just like when I faced my master in the final bout.

This meeting exists because of his overconfidence.

So, I should do what my master did.

I recalled my master's final lesson in my heart.

"Until the moment of complete defeat, pursue victory without letting your guard down! That is the spirit of a swordsman who wields a sword and fights!"

That's right.

His overconfidence is something to be welcomed.

In reality, there is no sword here that I usually rely on.

I don't have a sword in my hand.

The retries and adjustments I made with the 'Guide' are no longer possible.

This is the time to adhere to my master's teachings.

What is needed here is not a sword or the courage to admit defeat.

Even without weapons or means...

The spirit to see things through to the end!

Time is running out.

If I try to do something and it could change the situation, he will surely end this meeting.

And when it ends, I will die.

What can I do in this near-death state?

Charge at him and engage in a physical fight.

No, that's a last resort, a desperate move.

I have lost my left hand, and my right leg barely functions.

I don't know his strength.

I can't choose to fight him head-on in my current state.

Then, what else?

Is there no solution in what I have done so far?

—No, probably.

What I should do here is something I haven't done before.

A new attempt.

That is the way to surpass his expectations and strike back.

Time is running out, and I feel the urgency.

But because I feel it, I strive to remain calm and consider my options.

What I have done so far.

What I haven't done so far.

I swung my sword, repeatedly consulted the 'Guide,' and continued searching for causality.

Looking back, those were passive days.

Waiting for the 'Guide' to provide information and repeating the process.

Despite thinking a lot, I was ultimately guided by the book and relied on what was given.

Acting proactively, not passively.

That is what I haven't done, the missing attitude...

Then—inspiration struck.

Yes, he said.

During the deal, he said the usage of the 'Guide' would become clear over time.

As he said, I gradually grasped the power of this book through repeated use.

And I thought I understood everything.

The floating text, the causality.

I thought I had verified everything.

But there are still things I haven't done, things I haven't tried.

—What if I write something?

What would happen if I write something in this book?

It's just a sudden idea with no certainty, but I feel a nagging thought.

Something is urging me to do it!

Is it the will of the 'Guide' or my own instinct?

I don't know.

But there's no time, and I can't think of anything else.

And the essential part, the 'red text,' is convenient.

I don't have a writing tool, but... there is a way to write!

From experience, what should be written in the book is not absurd but realistic causality.

Not sudden things like "Crow dies" or "My hand grows back," but something plausible.

I quickly gathered my thoughts and took action.

"Guide!"

While summoning the book, I observed Crow.

First, Crow's response was the usual mocking smile.

"Oh, Elise. What do you plan to do by calling this now? Do you want to reminisce with me one last time?"

I didn't respond to his words and specified the next page.

"Page 116"

Following my instruction, the 'Guide' flipped to the page.

It was a part that hadn't appeared through repeated use.

As soon as I specified, I placed the 'Guide' on the ground and sat down.

When the 'Guide' opened automatically, it showed a blank page, the inside of the back cover.

A perfect blank page for writing!

And... I...

I inserted my right index finger into the wound of my left hand, blown off by Lena!

Instantly, the pain that had subsided exploded, attacking me.

The pain shot from my left hand to my brain, and I almost pulled my finger out.

Resisting the instinctive reflex, I gritted my teeth and pushed my finger deeper into the wound.

"Hey, Elise, what are you... ah!"

Crow's face, always smiling, changed for the first time.

Clearly driven by anxiety, his expression.

—Crow, that's it.

That's what I wanted to see.

Your face is proof that what I'm about to do is right.

He said...

"I can predict to some extent where the accumulation of fate is heading."

If what I'm about to do leads to an inconvenient fate for him, there should be some reaction.

Thinking that, I observed him.

And there was a reaction.

So my idea of 'causality' is not wrong!

Keep going!

I urged myself while enduring the intense pain.

Previously, the man who intervened in my deal with this guy—Shiro.

He must have some idea about Crow's scheme.

I'm betting on that.

As I pulled my finger out of the wound and started writing red text with blood, Crow waved his hand frantically.

At the same time, the black world began to close.

And...

(Eleane... I'm sorry! I'm relying on you until the end!)

As I apologized in my heart and finished writing, the black world closed—

—and the black world closed.