I opened my eyes. finding myself surrounded by the dungeon walls, a clear indication that I was within the confines of the Katarov Dungeon.
It seems that I'm safe; apparently, I've looped.
"Kiska."
I heard a voice, and when I thought about it, Agetha flew into my chest.
I remember what happened just before the loop.
I was killed by the enraged Agetha.
"Agetha…"
I mutter cautiously.
Perhaps Agetha is still angry.
"Kiska, I'm sorry. I was wrong."
For some reason, Agetha's thoughts had changed.
I wonder what happened.
"What do you mean by 'wrong'?"
"It was wrong to kill Kiska and repeat this time over and over. I'll be sealed, so Kiska can rest assured."
Agetha, who spoke these words, trembled slightly.
Well, that makes sense.
I've been sealed for a short time, so I understand. I don't want to experience that kind of suffering again.
"Hey, I have a suggestion."
"What is it?"
"What if I were sealed along with Agetha? Would that be okay?"
"…."
Agetha was puzzled.
"I don't want to leave Agetha alone."
"But it's really tough."
"Yeah, I'm prepared for it, of course."
"I see… It's strange. When I think of it with Kiska, the seal that I hated so much doesn't seem so bad. Because Kiska is right beside me."
"If I'm with Agetha, I have no worries at all."
Saying that, she smiled and said, "Ehehe." That's good. It seems like she has regained her smile.
"What should I do then?"
"Hmm, Kiska doesn't need to do anything, I guess."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, because originally, Kiska wasn't supposed to be in this era."
"I see."
"If you wait here, everything should come to an end. So, Kiska, come to the place where the Demon Lord is. I have things to do, so I'll disappear for now."
"Ah, I understand."
With a nod, Agetha disappeared in front of me.
Come to think of it, at this stage, Agetha was sealed in the holy sword held by Prince Eligion. Therefore, the one in front of me was nothing but Agetha's avatar.
After that, I briskly proceeded through the dungeon.
First, I went to the room where the heavily armored Bugbears appeared in large numbers and obtained the skill "Agility Enhancement." Then, I utilized synthesis to acquire "Thief's Skills."
I don't know if I'll have the opportunity to use them in battle, but obtaining these skills can only be beneficial, so I decided to acquire them just in case.
Following Agetha's instructions, all that was left was to head to the location of the Demon Lord Zoga.
No, there's a slight unease about Sage Nyau.
I should have enough time, so I decided to change my course and go to the location of Sage Nyau, guiding her on the way.
◆
"Not here…"
I muttered.
I've been searching for Sage Nyau for quite a while, wandering around the dungeon extensively, but there was no sign of her anywhere. I'm worried about Sage Nyau, but it seems like I need to return to the place where the Demon Lord is soon.
For now, let's head to the Demon Lord's location. Maybe Sage Nyau has reached the place where the Demon Lord is.
"Oh, Kiska-san."
As I walked, I heard a voice calling my name.
There was Sage Nyau, and behind her were the assassin Noct and the warrior Gorgano.
"Oh, you're alive!"
Warrior Gorgano spoke to me with an unabashed smile. It's complicated in many ways, but since there's no point in being hostile now, I nodded and said, "Yes, thank you."
Ah, so these three were working together. No wonder Sage Nyau couldn't be found.
Come to think of it, when I was manipulating things to defeat the Demon Lord Zoga, these three had come together to Prince Eligion.
"Where are you all heading now?"
"Oh, Noct-san here knows where the hero is, so we're getting him to guide us."
As Warrior Gorgano responded, the hooded assassin Noct nodded silently.
I see, so Assassin Noct knows the location of the Demon Lord. Perhaps Agetha has conveyed the information.
"Understood. I'll accompany you."
After that, the four of us headed to the location of Demon Lord Zoga and Prince Eligion.
"All right, everyone's here."
When we reached the location of Prince Eligion, he spoke these words.
At Prince Eligion's feet, the Demon Lord Zoga was already a lifeless corpse. Ah, I see. Prince Eligion has already defeated the Demon Lord Zoga.
Standing beside Prince Eligion was the Holy Knight Canaria, who seemed to have already arrived.
Agetha was nowhere to be seen. She must still be sealed in the holy sword held by Prince Eligion.
What will happen now?
Since I haven't been given any instructions, all I can do is watch silently.
It was a sudden turn of events.
Prince Eligion started bleeding and fell.
Looking at him, I saw the assassin Noct holding a knife next to him. Could it be that he swiftly slashed with unimaginable speed?
"You, what are you doing?!"
Suddenly, the Holy Knight Canaria shouted and swung her sword.
In the next moment, she spat blood and staggered.
Assassin Noct's movements were too fast, and she couldn't keep up at all.
"Noct-san, what is going on!?"
I heard Sage Nyau's voice.
Suddenly, I remembered something. Agetha had tried to kill Sage Nyau without hesitation. At that time, I managed to convince Agetha to spare her, but Agetha's attitude toward Sage Nyau hadn't changed. If Sage Nyau becomes an obstacle, Agetha would probably instruct Assassin Noct to kill her.
I can't let that happen—
"Nyau, stop!"
I immediately grabbed Sage Nyau in a headlock.
"Hey, what are you—"
I covered Sage Nyau's mouth as she shouted. If she can't vocalize, she won't be able to cast spells.
"Agetha! Instruct Noct to stop killing unnecessarily!"
I shouted, not knowing if she could hear. Whether it got through or not, Assassin Noct averted his gaze from us and turned towards Warrior Gorgano.
"Well, things have gotten a bit complicated."
Saying so, Warrior Gorgano began unfolding his Parasitic Scythe Puppeteer.
"Hey, Canaria, wake up. Let's defeat this guy together."
"Yeah, I understand."
Holy Knight Canaria also got up.
It seems that even after being attacked by Assassin Noct, she managed to retain consciousness.
Then Holy Knight Canaria also unfolded her Parasitic Sword Puppeteer. Although both Warrior Gorgano and Holy Knight Canaria should be strong, Assassin Noct not only held his ground against them but also seemed to have a slight advantage.
Suddenly, I looked towards Prince Eligion.
He twitched, and his hair moved.
It seems he's not completely dead yet.
While observing this, I felt a sharp pain in my hand.
Looking down, I saw Sage Nyau, who had bitten my finger hard, now she was no longer gagged.
"Ah—"
Unable to endure, I released my hand.
"In the name of Nyau, I command. Order born from chaos. Absence of good and evil—"
Immediately, Sage Nyau began chanting.
I hesitated on whether to stop her. No, I've heard this incantation before. If she's activating the same magic as the one I envisioned, there's no need to stop her.
"Translocation magic, first tier, Regreso!!"
In an instant, a magic circle activated around Nyau.
It was indeed translocation magic.
Suddenly, Assassin Noct flipped his body and rolled on the ground. It seems he had taken the Holy Sword Hagentia from Prince Eligion.
"You, return that!!"
Suddenly, Holy Knight Canaria was about to pounce on Assassin Noct.
Swish—! The sound of cutting through the air was heard.
"Gah!"
And Holy Knight Canaria was spitting out a large amount of blood from her mouth.
Looking closely, her chest was deeply and diagonally slashed. She seemed to have lost her grip, and the Parasitic Sword Puppeteer fell to the ground from her hand.
Assassin Noct, with a hand holding the sword and another making a snatching gesture, had the ring necessary for the Demon Lord's revival.
If we don't retrieve that ring, the Demon Lord will revive, and the world will be doomed anyway.
Before I knew it, the light from the magic circle brought by Sage Nyau had disappeared.
It seems she successfully translocated, as Sage Nyau, Prince Eligion, Holy Knight Canaria, Warrior Gorgano, and the lifeless body of Demon Lord Zoga had vanished from my sight.
The only ones left were me and Assassin Noct.
I see, it seems I couldn't be brought along by Sage Nyau's translocation magic. Probably because she recognized me as an enemy.
Well, I did rough things to disable Sage Nyau at the end.
I know it's inevitable, but it's a bit lonely.
However, dwelling on sentimentality won't change anything.
After all, we have to revive Agetha now.