Chapter 36

"Welcome back, Elyus."

"Back, Mom. Here, I brought you a souvenir. It's not much, but..."

"Oh, what is it?"

When I handed her the small package, my mother's face lit up with a mix of surprise and joy.

"…Oh, this!"

"Yep."

"Thank you, Elyus… I can't believe you remembered."

The souvenir I brought was tea leaves from a neighboring country.

These leaves were cultivated in this country before the black clouds covered the sky, before the Demon King appeared.

I, who have only known a dim town and sky even during the day since I was born, couldn't quite grasp the significance, but apparently, my village was once famous for its tea leaves.

The villagers often enjoyed tea back then.

My parents, who grew up in this village as childhood friends, often met in the tea fields that spread across the village, eventually leading to their marriage and my birth.

It was a well-known joke in the village that a child who had never helped with the family business would suddenly start saying, "I'm going to take care of the tea leaves!"

However, due to the black clouds created by the Demon King, the country became perpetually dim, and the lack of sunlight made it impossible to grow tea properly.

The village lost its main industry, and the villagers no longer had the opportunity to drink tea.

When my mother talked about her memories with my father, they were often tied to tea.

"I'm sorry, but I can only make a few cups, I think."

"No, that's fine. It must have been expensive, right?"

Mother looked a bit worried, but I couldn't lie to her, so I answered honestly.

"It was, but I didn't push myself."

"Thank you, Elyus. I never thought I'd be able to drink tea again. Let's have it right away."

Mother took out two cups from the cupboard.

These were the cups my mother and father used.

I carry the family sword as a memento, and my mother keeps the cups as cherished items.

Mother boiled water and made the tea.

"When I smell this… I remember."

The familiar aroma rose with the steam, and Mother was lost in her memories for a moment.

After we finished our tea, Mother let out a satisfied sigh.

"It was delicious. Thank you."

"I'm glad."

"I'll keep the rest of the tea leaves."

Here it comes.

I always struggle to respond to Mother's next words.

But, I want to see her happy, which is why I always bring tea as a souvenir.

"Next time… maybe when you bring your fiancée, we can make tea together?"

I usually just manage a wry smile in response to this.

But… I've been practicing my response.

"You can drink it, you know. Because… if the Demon King is defeated, we can grow tea here again. I don't really understand the idea of a fiancée yet… but if that day comes, I can offer the tea grown in this village."

At my words, Mother looked at me for a while, then lowered her eyes and whispered with a smile.

"…Yes, you're right."

---

"Remember Sasha?"

During dinner one night, Mother asked me a question that made me flinch.

"Yeah, I remember, but…"

Sasha is a girl, now a woman, who grew up in this village with me, a year younger.

After a few hundred years of the time loop, my sense of age is a bit confused.

But, I remember seeing her briefly when the black text appeared in the guide a few hundred years ago.

We used to play together as children.

However, after I learned of my father's death and started focusing on my sword training, we only exchanged greetings when we met, and had little interaction.

She was a girl of my generation from the same village.

That's all I really knew about her.

I flinched because…

"Sasha got married and has children now."

"Really? I didn't know. If I had known, I would have brought a souvenir."

I didn't know.

What is this conversation…?

It's strange.

In the last few loops, I visited Mother just before my death.

The conversations were almost the same.

Tonight, we were supposed to talk about memories of my father.

Sasha's name had never come up before.

"Because of the world we live in… Sasha's family is struggling. But, Sasha says with a smile that this child is her hope. She says she can keep going because of this child."

"…Yeah."

"Because of that, Elyus, I… I…"

Mother lowered her head, then raised it again.

Her expression was anxious, and she looked like she was confessing a sin.

"When I received the news of your father's death… do you remember what I said to you?"

"Yeah."

I could never forget.

"I… I think your father was a truly wonderful person. He sacrificed himself to save many lives. I wanted you to be strong and kind like him. That hasn't changed."

"Okay."

"But… ever since you left on your journey, I've been troubled. And… when I see Sasha's child, I think…"

"Think what?"

"I… I wonder if I imposed my way of life on you. If I took away the happiness of getting married, supporting a family, and being supported… the happiness I should have let you have…"

"…"

"I wonder if, by pushing my ideals on you, I made you live a painful life focused only on revenge. I wonder if I asked too much of you, even though I couldn't do anything for you…"

"…"

"By buying tea for me, you've been a good son, more than enough. I wonder if I expected too much from you. I wonder if I couldn't do anything for you…"

Mother's voice faltered, and she started to tremble.

I gently held her hand to calm her.

The hand that always used to pat my head when I was upset.

When I really thought about it, it was surprisingly small.

"There is, Mom. Actually, I came today to ask you a favor."

"Huh?"

When I interrupted, Mother's expression changed to surprise.

Usually, I would ask at the end of our visit.

But, given the flow of the conversation, I thought now was the time.

I let go of Mother's hand, took a letter from my pocket, and handed it to her.

"If you ever meet a woman named Elaine… I want you to give her this."

"…This is a letter? Why don't you give it to her yourself?"

"There are some circumstances… I can't meet her."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah… she used to be in my party… but we had a falling out."

"Oh. You should make up."

"I'd like to, but… just in case."

"…Alright. I'll keep it for you. But, you should also make an effort to reconcile. It's a promise, okay?"

"…Okay."

My meticulous mother took the letter and stood up, probably to put it somewhere.

Looking at her back, I suddenly remembered my promise to Lena and my promise to see fireworks with Elaine again.

I was making promises I couldn't keep, and I was inwardly mocking myself.

Mother returned to the table.

To Mother, who still had a troubled expression, I said in a bright voice.

"I… I'm satisfied with my current way of life."

"Elyus…"

"Please don't worry. I never felt like my way of life was imposed on me. The reason I want to kill the Demon King is simple."

"What is it?"

"It's because I respect Father and Master. I don't think they chose their way of life to be respected. Your words were important to me, but it's a mistake to say I was forced into it."

"Mistake?"

I took Mother's hand again and nodded strongly before sharing my true feelings.

"To me, it's a guide. It shows me the right path to walk – to be like them. I respect them because they lived their beliefs and put them into practice."

"…Yeah, you're right."

Mother's expression softened, and she smiled.

She tried to cover up her earlier distress with a slightly brighter voice.

"So, what's this Elaine like?"

Thinking about Mother's question and reflecting on the past…

"She's amazing, hardworking, and smart… actually, Father…"

Talking about Elaine, the night wore on.

---

On the way back to town from my parents' house, I thought about why Mother had said those things.

In the end, I couldn't know the truth.

But… perhaps Mother had seen through my 'resolve.'

This loop was likely the last.

When I return to town… I will die soon.

I have accepted being killed by Lena.

It's a sin I committed against her.

To protect her, who will be left alone, I don't want to make her do something dirty, but… I think this fate is quite strong, and trying to avoid it might even lead to Elaine's failure in defeating the Demon King.

Yes, I felt this in the loops.

Defeating the Demon King is a narrow path between overlapping causes and effects.

A slight deviation means you can't walk the path.

I know all too well that the fated causes and effects can't be easily changed.

That's why I think…

Since my father's death, Mother has shown concern for me but never weakness.

She must have kept her worries to herself, thinking they would hinder me or be a burden.

For Mother to reveal her true feelings, even by bending the fated causes and effects… perhaps she sensed even the slightest change in me and saw through it.

'This is the last time.'

I think she saw through my state of mind and said those things… it's just my wishful thinking, but I hope it's true.

Yes.

In the past.

And even now, as I face my end.

Mother has always been more concerned about me than the fated causes and effects.

---

*Announcement*

Finally, the manga adaptation starts on May 4th at midnight!

The distribution site is 'Manga Park' operated by Shinyasha.

Thanks to Mr. Shinobu Yanai, the manga adaptation is something I can confidently recommend to everyone, not just as the original author but as a comic fan.

You can access Manga Park from the cool image of Elyus below, or you can download the app version, which I personally recommend because it has a good coin distribution system and allows you to read ahead without registration.

I would be grateful if you could support the manga adaptation by adding it to your favorites.

The next additional episode will be Elyus and Elaine's reunion.

It's been a difficult process, and I've been working on it for a few months, but I'll keep at it.

Bookmarks and reviews boost my motivation to write.

I apologize for the bold request, but I would appreciate your support.