Under the gloomy sky, a blood moon shrouded the broken city walls.
Within the ruins of this city, skeletons clad in armor lay scattered on the ground. Beside them sat a family crest representing the Earl of Gaderade.
*Caw, caw—*
A carrion crow circled the area but failed to find any food. It first stood dazed on a withered fruit tree beside a ruined building, looking around, before flying straight toward the massive castle built in the center of Gaderade.
*Clang, clang!*
Inside the castle, the doors leading to the Throne room were slowly pushed open.
A travel-worn, blonde-haired girl stepped forward, clutching the hero’s sword.
Across from her, a white-haired beauty sat upon the throne, giggling incessantly as she embraced a male skeleton.
“Master~ your Destiny is here~”
The white-haired beauty opened her scarlet eyes. An eerie, crimson longsword fell from the ceiling of the Throne room.
“Isis will go kill her now, then come back to keep talking to you~”
“So this is where the ending animation is.”
The vision returned to a milky white world. Standing within it, Ron rubbed his temples, feeling a massive headache coming on.
He had played this save file to the very end just for this ending animation, which he could have used as video material.
He never expected that he would not only receive the “blessing” of transmigrating into the Uthis Continent but would also be killed once again by the Hero he had raised, Isis.
‘I just didn’t expect that after I left, Isis would choose to fuse with the power of the demon race. Judging by the end of the animation, she really did become the Demon King.’
Ron didn’t feel the slightest sense of accomplishment from having his suspicions confirmed. On the contrary, his heart was filled with shame and apology.
Not just toward Isis, but toward Lifa as well.
He clearly knew many secrets and possessed much knowledge about the Uthis Continent. Even without the high-level equipment from the game, he could have provided Lifa with more help.
However, he had previously chosen to live in a daze, driven by a fluke mentality.
While he claimed to be training Lifa to be his support, Ron knew deep down that he had the selfish desire to find another person he could win over, someone like Isis.
The result was…
“Save-loading. Return to the moment we entered Gaderade.”
Ron let out a long sigh. His eyes gradually grew determined before he made the choice to load his save.
“Lifa!”
“Eh? Master, is something wrong?”
His vision filled with the familiar streets of Gaderade. As soon as Ron confirmed he had successfully loaded back to the moment they entered the city, he immediately turned around.
Before him was the city gate they had just passed through, and…
A flustered, blonde-haired swordswoman.
“Whew… Lifa!”
Ron’s complicated gaze made Lifa, who had been reminiscing about her conversation with Aunt Ruth, blush slightly. She pinched the edge of her skirt beneath her armor, unsure of what was happening.
‘Wait, did Master Ron find out something?’
Even though she was emotionally clumsy, she could feel that her teacher’s gaze had suddenly become intense and solemn.
Just as she was about to ask, Ron had already opened his arms and pulled Lifa into a hug.
‘Wait, wait, wait, what is Master doing!’
Faced with Ron’s proactive and intimate gesture, Lifa opened her lips but found herself speechless.
By the time he let her go, she felt as if her soul had been snatched away. She allowed Ron to lead her back toward the city gate.
“Ma—Master, isn’t this Gaderade? Where are we going now?”
Lifa belatedly realized that the direction they were heading was completely opposite to their original path.
They were pushing against the flow of people entering the city, heading back toward the road connecting to the city.
Actually, she had a third question—she wanted to ask why her teacher had suddenly hugged her. However, after thinking it over with her small head, she felt a bit too embarrassed to ask.
“Lifa, do you want to know about the trouble I’ve run into?”
Ron held Lifa’s hand, leading her away from the road and into a relatively shaded little grove.
Yes, this time he intended to tell Lifa part of the truth.
“Master, please tell me.”
Lifa had originally been sitting on a large rock with Ron, but after hearing his words, she immediately stood up and walked over to him.
“Well, there’s no need to be so serious.”
Seeing Lifa look like she was ready to draw her sword and fight at any moment, Ron flashed a smile to ease her tension before he began his explanation.
“Before I came to the village, I did some wrong things.”
Ron first set the tone for his own actions.
“In the past, there were many children like Lifa. I embarked on various adventurous journeys with them as well.”
“But during that process, I had my own selfish motives. I wanted to see them grow stronger.”
“To that end, I did things that made them sad and caused them pain, and then I just left.”
Ron knew that such a straightforward explanation would definitely affect his image in Lifa’s heart.
But he also felt that he knew and trusted Lifa enough. Such honesty wouldn’t make Lifa leave his side.
Sure enough, after listening, Lifa’s serious expression turned blank again. Her two emerald-green eyes blinked a few times before she tilted her head.
“And then?”
“That’s it. Because they all want to find me, I hid in your village.”
Ron thought about the general situation, and it seemed to be about right. Lifa, after thinking for a good while, raised one hand.
“I think I understand. Even though Master was in the wrong, if you go and apologize properly, they should all forgive you, right?”
Lifa’s simple way of thinking brought a bitter smile to Ron’s face. He could only add a few more details.
“Some of the things I did might have been truly too much. So, some of them won’t accept an apology. They might be looking for me to kill me…”
As Ron spoke, he recalled the ending animation of Isis he had just seen. The skeleton she had been holding in her arms seemed to be him.
“So, Master needs my protection?”
Lifa’s eyes lit up as she interjected with a question.
“Exactly. However, they are all very powerful, which is why I wanted to go on an adventure with you to increase our strength first.”
Ron didn’t see any sign of disappointment or dissatisfaction on Lifa’s face. He simply admitted his original intention of “utilizing” her for the adventure, making his request with sincere honesty.
“Right now, I really need Lifa~”
‘Only when Mister Ron has to rely on Lifa will it be time for little Lifa to propose what’s in her heart~’
Aunt Ruth’s advice and Ron’s request resonated in Lifa’s mind at the same moment.
One moment, Lifa was guessing the strength of the people Ron mentioned, and the next, she was tightly grasping both of Ron’s hands.
“Li—Lifa?”
‘I can say it. Now is the time to say it, Lifa!’
‘Tell Master Ron that you like him, that you are willing to protect him, that you are willing to be his wife, and that you are willing to do anything.’
“Is something wrong?”
Ron didn’t expect that Lifa’s mind was currently filled with the timing for a confession as instructed by Aunt Ruth.
Seeing that the girl only stammered for a long time without being able to speak, he pulled her down to sit beside him.
“I—I’m fine.”
Lifa’s hands pressed down on her thighs. Having her “incantation” interrupted, she was left with nothing but a flushed face, unsure of how to face Ron.
“I’m willing… I’m willing…”
Ron heard the girl’s quiet whispering, but he smiled and didn’t take it to heart.
“Lifa, there is someone looking for me in Gaderade. Her situation is very complicated, so we have to bypass this place.”
Ron then had Lifa take out the map from her storage pendant. He pressed his finger on Gaderade’s location and moved it to a nearby city that was also close to the magic beast forest—Enid.