episode_0008

I clearly warned Amy not to spout nonsense like ‘for my sake.’

If she utters such words to Ronan again, I vowed that I would never forgive her.

“Ronan… No. I really…”

However, Amy paid no attention and continued to repeat the same words.

Even when I held a sword to Amy’s throat, she started crying and begging me.

Insisting on her innocence until the end, claiming it was a misunderstanding.

‘Truly disgusting.’

It seemed like a snicker would burst out at any moment.

I was feeling deep disillusionment towards Amy, who was trying to deceive Ronan until the end.

Even now, internally, I was pondering how to deceive Ronan again, what a scheming woman…

Although I felt a strong desire to just kill her.

Well, unfortunately, the inevitable end had arrived.

“That’s enough.”

As expected, the intense battle came to an end.

The Second Prince declared the end of the friendly match, and I reluctantly sheathed my sword.

Well, I never really intended to kill in the first place, so it’s time to end it here.

“The duel is over.”

As the duel concluded, I left the training ground without looking back.

Normally, the nobles would rush to me, the victor, with various words of praise.

But since the nobles had overheard the conversation during the duel, they seemed somewhat cautious.

Thanks to that, I left the training ground without any hindrance.

And after walking for a bit, I sat in the empty garden, gazing at the flowers and chuckled.

“It’s quite satisfying.”

To be honest, I didn’t expect the party members to apologize or anything like that.

If those scoundrels were going to repent, wouldn’t they have done so earlier?

If those women who begged Ronan for forgiveness after a mere duel hadn’t betrayed him in the first place.

I knew their way of thinking, and since I wasn’t a fool to commit murder there, I thought everything would end as expected.

“Indeed, it was good to have dueled. Very refreshing.”

Even knowing it would end up like this, why did I duel? It was obviously to defeat the party members.

From the start, that was the only purpose. It was regrettable to diminish Ronan’s lifespan like this and just let him go. Even if you’re leaving, shouldn’t you get hit back?

I sought revenge against Ronan from the beginning, and I accomplished that goal excellently.

“And now, I’ll receive some criticism.”

Also, although it wasn’t my intention, it seems quite significant that the nobles heard the conversation between me and the former hero party.

They must have realized that Ronan was betrayed, so they will understand how trashy the hero party members are.

Looking back, it was an excellent outcome.

“Now I need to shake it off and move on.”

By now, I could consider my business with the party members finished.

I had retaliated satisfactorily, and now I had to live my own life.

Now, it was time for me to live without regrets, not as Ronan but as myself.

I stood up in the garden.

And it was the moment when I was about to set off on my path again.

“… Huh?”

Strangely, warm liquid began to flow from my eyes.

Could it be that I’m sick? Am I shedding tears? Did I get hit in the battle?

Feeling that way, I brought my hand to my eye, but the liquid was too clear.

Shortly after, I realized that it was indeed tears.

“Why… am I crying?”

It was strange. Tears were not under my control.

I felt like my body wasn’t listening to me.

Why is this happening all of a sudden? Isn’t shedding tears supposed to come with feelings of sadness?

I don’t feel sad or any such emotions right now, so why am I shedding tears?

I pondered deeply about the situation I couldn’t understand, and as I thought about it, I came to one conclusion.

“Is it because of Ronan?”

There was no specific evidence, but for some reason, I felt like I knew the reason.

It must be because of Ronan.

Certainly, the mind in this body right now was undoubtedly mine, and there was not a trace of Ronan’s mind left.

However, this body was the physical form of a man who had sacrificed everything for his childhood friend and party members for ten years.

It must be this pitiful man’s body instinctively feeling sadness and crying.

“Should I cry a little?”

Well, it’s the end, isn’t it?

I didn’t bother to stop the flowing tears.

I’m not that unyielding, you know?

Ronan… You are a man worthy of tears.

I permit it. Cry as much as you want.

As I gazed up at the sky, shedding tears on behalf of Ronan, someone approached me.

“Are you crying?”

“Princess…?”

A woman with long golden hair exuding a somewhat dignified air, the Third Princess I had seen before, Ataraxia.

She quietly came to my side and silently gazed at the sky with me.

“…Um…”

It felt somewhat awkward.

After the duel, Ronan the warrior was crying alone, maybe she misunderstands?

Even though I’m not crying because I’m sad right now, I wondered if Ataraxia might misunderstand…

It seemed like a situation where misunderstanding was inevitable.

“What’s going on here?”

“I watched the duel. You seem greatly disheartened…”

“It’s not that great…”

“But you look so sad, don’t you?”

“There are reasons for this.”

“Perhaps I lacked consideration. However, I don’t think you need to hide it here.”

I tried desperately to say it’s not like that, but Ataraxia nodded, saying everyone understands.

With a very sad look in her eyes, the princess spoke to me again in a gloomy tone.

“Sir Ronan, I understand your heart.”

“Huh?”

“I also… had someone I believed in the past. Someone I truly trusted, but because there was no possibility of ascending to the throne, I was betrayed.”

“…”

Because of that past, I can fully understand Sir Ronan.”

Having such a past…

In the game, the Third Princess was almost like an extra.

She was the most normal person in the empire, but because she had no right to the throne, she couldn’t exert any power.

So nothing had been revealed, but this guy must have had a hard time just like Ronan.

As I empathized with Ronan’s pain, I also empathized with the princess’s pain.

“Now it’s all in the past. Cheer up, Sir Ronan. It won’t be as difficult as it used to be as time passes.”

“Don’t worry. As I said earlier, I shed tears for a reason, not because I’m that sad.”

“Haha. Is that so? Then there’s no need to worry.”

Well, the rather melancholic and sad story quickly came to an end.

Because both the princess and I were not people trapped in past sorrows but people rising above them.

I soon smiled and thought about the future.

“If we have the chance, let’s meet again next time.”

“Yes. Take care.”

The conversation with the princess ended like this.

Smiling at me and waving her hand, Ataraxia, the Third Princess, I also waved my hand to her.

It’s somewhat ambiguous whether I received help, but since I received comfort, I decided to repay Ataraxia someday…

I left the palace with light steps.

“I am no longer the hero Ronan. I am me.”

As I left the palace, I made a promise.

From now on, I will not be the hero Ronan anymore, but live as myself.

I am nothing like the hero Ronan. I had no obligation to my party members.

Now, I will act strictly for my own benefit and for my people.

Surely, I will live a completely different life from Ronan up to now.

“Hmm… The first thing I need to do.”

So, what should I do to live as myself?

After thinking briefly about the future, only one answer came in a short time.

“Let’s go solve this lifespan issue first.”

I had to somehow resolve the 89-day lifespan problem without doing anything else.

You can’t just die before doing anything, right?

“There is a way.”

Well, it may not be a normal way.

Still, there was a way to extend lifespan.

I walked towards the next destination to extend my lifespan.

# # #

Meanwhile, after the duel ended, Ronan left, but there were still people who hadn’t left.

Jax and Ronan’s former warrior party members, who needed treatment due to injuries from the duel, unavoidably remained in the palace.

After the duel ended, they gathered in Jax’s room after simple treatment.

“It’s because of your years.”

Thud!

Along with Jax’s anger-mixed words, a dull sound reverberated in the room where the party members were gathered.

“Get up. Stupid bitch.”

Grabbing Amy’s hair, Jax forcibly made her stand up again, groaning in pain.

They were in the middle of a ‘conversation’ as a warrior party.