episode_0167

Eliya caught my collapsing body.

“Be careful. From now on, you won’t be able to walk, so you must take even greater care.”

“You… You!”

“Hmm, your legs are paralyzed, as expected. So the triggers are the regrets or affections the four of us hold for you? If we don’t say it, you won’t know, is that it? What an infuriating riddle.”

I couldn’t stand at all unless Eliya was holding me up.

“I’m sorry, Eric. But if I didn’t do this, it was obvious you’d never stop.”

“You’re trying to stop me? Why?!”

“You’re too dangerous. ‘Dangerous’? What the hell—ugh!”

I tried desperately to force strength into my legs and stand, but they felt like jelly, utterly useless.

“I noticed something odd when you made that contract with the demon Elle. The same amount of mana Elle gave you was flowing from you back to her. It was suspicious, so I investigated on my own. And now, here we are.”

Eliya used her free hand—the one not holding me—to lift her shirt.

“Hey—what are you doing?!”

She forcibly turned my head despite my embarrassment.

“Look closely.”

A hideous scar marred Eliya’s abdomen.

“This is…”

“Yes. Exactly what you’re thinking.”

To my knowledge, Eliya had never had a scar like that. Not only that, but its shape was eerily familiar.

“The same marking that appeared on your body after your contract with Elle. Probably a mutual-sharing sigil, no?”

“You… knew all along… Why even ask?”

At my sarcasm, Eliya’s tone grew brisk, as though amused.

“Indeed. Through this contract, I was able to interfere with yours and Elle’s pact. Thanks to that, I learned everything about you. And… I was impressed.”

“What?”

“Knowing the truth, knowing the illusions of this world—yet you still chose to approach us. I never could have imagined it.”

Gently, Eliya laid my nearly collapsed body down. My first-ever lap pillow—and of all times, now. It was far more unpleasant than I’d imagined.

“Don’t worry. From now on, you won’t have to fight alongside us. Printing newspapers, elevating that cunning woman to saintess, making Lucilla a hero again—I’ll handle it all. So just step away from this.”

“‘Step away’? What are you talking about?”

“From sacrificing yourself for this world!”

Eliya grabbed the collar of my shirt as I lay on her lap.

“Let me be blunt, Eric. I fear you. I fear your ambitions—grander than mine as the future emperor of the Perial Empire, destined to move this continent. I fear how you, who had nothing, strive to achieve everything. I fear how you’d gamble even your own life on uncertain odds.”

“You’re scared while taking it for granted that you’ll become emperor? You boldly declared you’d stand above all—what exactly are you afraid of?!”

“I only roll the dice when I know I can win. Even if it costs my life, if I’m certain of victory, I’ll do it. In the end, I’m a coward who acts only when I know I’ll succeed. Even if I vanished, you’d forget about me and move forward. So… you terrify me.”

Her voice was quieter than usual.

“I’m sorry. It seems I can’t be the confident, resolute emperor you envisioned.”

“I never expected that from you.”

After all, betting one’s life with nothing but favorable odds isn’t something an ordinary person would even consider.

“Chris probably knew this, too. Given how she spoke to me about it. Instinctively, she understood you didn’t need us.”

“Explain so I can understand! What the—kgh!”

I tried lifting my head from her lap, but resisting her grip was impossible.

“You don’t need us. You just need a hero’s party. You chose to trust us again because we were the pieces available to you in this situation. It wasn’t forgiveness or tolerance—just compromise. Had you resented us and sought another way, I might have understood you. But you never even considered it. Am I wrong, Eric? If I am, tell me. Were we truly necessary to you?”

“Are you insane? Where else would I find replacements for you?!”

“Exactly. That’s the problem. You were insulted. Ignored. You took on all the dirty work for us, charged into the most dangerous places first. And yet, in this second life, you made the same choice? This world—you could’ve left it to rot. Had you stayed away from us, you wouldn’t have been dragged into this mess.”

“I’m not so broken that I’d let everyone die just to soothe my pride. Yeah, you treated me like garbage. But I’m not about to use that as leverage.”

What they did to me in the previous loop was harsh, sure, but for a hero party’s misdeeds, it was almost cute. The real terror was the people who blindly followed the crowd, condemning me without a second thought. If the hero party disliked me, those people genuinely wanted me dead and buried.

“You didn’t know. Had everyone known the truth, things might’ve been different. I ended up like that because I hid, afraid the world wouldn’t accept an anomaly like me. Blaming you for my choices would be wrong.”

“Right. That’s your answer.”

Eliya leaned in until her face was inches from mine.

“Meaning, if you ever thought we fell short, you’d sacrifice yourself to fill the gap. Because you’d see it as your responsibility for choosing to trust us again.

After this festival, you were planning to act, weren’t you? Ever since that night, the Academy, the Demon King’s army—everything’s been moving.”

Eliya laughed brightly.

“Now, let me ask again. Have I become someone you can hate?”

“Yes!”

Even after learning the truth, even after seeing all my memories—this is what she does?

“Look… further ahead!”

Why is she doing this when she knows it’s pointless?

“We’ll all die when the Demon King arrives anyway!”

“‘Look further ahead’? Honestly, I don’t expect to defeat the Demon King. At best, I’ll prolong this era slightly. His power is absolute. The most we can do is protect one nation. And that nation will be the Perial Empire.”

“You think I’d let that happen?”

“You’ll have to. You won’t be able to move from now on.”

I struggled against her grip, but it was futile.

“Now, Eric. The truth is out, and your life is in my hands. Not that I’d kill you, but your future is effectively closed.”

She released my arm.

“So curse me, break me—do as you please. You’ve earned that right. But don’t abandon us. Choke me, cripple me, sever my limbs—I don’t care. The wrath of Eric Grave, the failed savior—we’ll bear it all.”

Without hesitation, I punched Eliya’s benevolent face as she cradled my head.

Thud—!

The impact was dull, but she kept smiling. No blood, no wound.

Right. A hero party shouldn’t flinch at a punch like this.

“Still not enough?”

“I know… kgh!”

With my legs useless, even my upper body struggled to muster strength.

“Deep down, everyone longs for someone to lead them. Someone to trust, to follow—it’s comforting. But what about those who must stand at the top? There’s no one for them. Not the hero chosen by the holy sword, not me born to be emperor, not even you, who wore the mask of a prophet and deceived everyone.”

“Guh—?”

As I kept throwing punches, Eliya lightly exerted force, effortlessly pinning my arm.

“Despite being this fragile, you still believed someone had to stand there. Even when it wasn’t necessary. But it’s fine now. The long duty you carried—it ends here.”

Then, with a casual flick, she loosened her hair and spoke solemnly, like a bespectacled character from a manga.

“From now on, I will stand in that sky.”