Even though I realized that time had rewound, I was still in a state of panic.
In my panicked state, I was dealing with the revenant in the form of Namia.
Before I knew it, I had accused her of being a "fake," and once her true identity was exposed, the Namia who had been revealed as a fake disappeared before my eyes with a laugh.
While still bewildered, one thing came back to me.
— I have to save Nyau.
If things continue as they are, Sage Nyau will be killed along with the second prince, Dilekka. Moreover, the one who will kill them is the incredibly powerful demon Belphegor.
I couldn't just stand there.
I rushed out of the house, borrowed a horse, and headed towards the capital where Nyau would likely be.
If I recall correctly, the second prince, Dilekka, is scheduled to depart from the capital with over a thousand guards. Among those guards is Sage Nyau.
So, if I join the guards before they depart, I can act alongside Nyau. If we act together, we should be able to protect them.
Despite reasoning through various arguments, all I wanted was to meet Nyau.
I never thought that I would be able to meet Nyau again in this world 100 years later. Come to think of it, she was an elf.
I had heard that elves were long-lived, but I didn't know it was to such an extent.
It takes a full day even using a horse to reach the capital.
After a few rest stops along the way, I somehow arrived at the capital.
Then, I went to the Adventurer's Guild and inquired with the receptionist about the second prince, Dilekka's escort.
The second prince, Dilekka, has not yet departed from the capital. The military force for escorting him is constantly recruiting, and if you have combat experience, it's relatively easy to join.
I am currently hiding my silver hair under a robe, but as long as my silver hair isn't exposed, it seems like I can join the escort.
"Also, do you know anything about the Sage Nyau?"
I then asked the receptionist about Sage Nyau.
"Sage Nyau-sama? Yes, of course, I'm familiar with her."
"I heard she's joining the escort for the second prince, Dilekka. Is that true?"
"Yes, that's right. With her, we can feel secure against any bandits or monsters. Moreover, Sage Nyau-sama is a living legend. She participated in the Great Demon War 100 years ago and contributed to the defeat of the Demon Lord. As a tribute, Sage Nyau-sama has been invited to the Demon Lord's Subjugation Commemoration Festival. Yes, that's why she is heading to Katarov Village with the second prince, serving as both an escort and a guest for the festival."
It seems that Sage Nyau is not only an escort but also invited as a guest for the festival. Certainly, if Sage Nyau is present, the festival is sure to be lively.
"I see, thank you."
Saying that, I handed her a tip as thanks and left.
◆
"Ugh, it's such a hassle. I really don't want to do this escort thing. Can't I refuse it now?"
Weary, the sage Nyau sat in a lavishly decorated room, slouched in a chair with her head resting on the desk.
"Master, if someone else sees you in such a sloppy state, you'll disappoint them. You're a living legend, so you should pull yourself together a bit more."
A girl in front of Nyau said so.
When she mentioned Nyau being a living legend, Nyau didn't miss the sly smile she had. It was clear she was teasing Nyau about something.
"Who the heck are you? Who gave Nyau such a grandiose title?"
"Hahaha, people tend to overestimate Master, you know. In reality, Nyau-sensei is just a tardy, childlike elf. Well, I used to have illusions about Master before becoming her disciple. If I had known Master was like this, I wouldn't have become her disciple."
"Hey, Lyune! As a disciple, you should show more respect to Nyau! If Nyau decides, she can easily kill you with magic anytime!"
Nyau stood up and angrily retorted.
"Hahaha, is Master angry, perhaps? If you don't want to be underestimated, you should gain more experience like me. It's natural to be underestimated at your age with zero experience."
"Ugh…!"
Despite her Master being angry, the girl called Lyune mocked her.
Nyau bit her lip, unable to retort when her lack of experience was pointed out.
"Ny-Nyau used to be cool back in the day."
"Oh, I'd love to hear stories about Master's cool days. It's hard to believe that there's a guy who falls for a loli-shaped Master, though."
Lyune smirked, clearly teasing Nyau.
"I'm definitely going to kill you! Be prepared!"
"Kyaa, Master is angry! Scary, scary!"
While exchanging words, the two of them tussled and wrestled with each other.
However, they didn't notice the knocking sound on the door, knock knock.
Even when the knocking sound, knock knock, was heard again, the two were too caught up in their commotion.
"Sage Nyau-sama, excuse me!"
With a bang, the door opened, and finally, the two fell silent.
"Um, what do you need from Nyau…?"
The one who opened the door was one of the soldiers accompanying them on this journey.
Hastily, Nyau slowly lowered her feet from the desk. (Did they hear the commotion just now? If they did, it could be embarrassing for Nyau.)
"Well, there's someone who really wants to meet Sage Nyau-sama. Normally, we would reject such suspicious individuals without question at the gate. However, this person mentioned something slightly intriguing. He said, 'I am a thief named Kiska. If you mention guiding in the Katarov dungeon a hundred years ago, she should understand.' What should we do?"
"Um, what was that person saying?"
"He said, I am a thief named Kiska. If you mention guiding in the Katarov dungeon a hundred years ago, she should understand."
"…Allow that person to come to this room."
Nyau calmly declared.
The soldier responded with a "Understood," closed the door, and headed towards the person who made the inquiry.
Nyau couldn't respond normally. It seemed that she was more shocked than she had imagined.
"Hey, what's going on? I'm curious. Is it, by any chance, your ex-boyfriend, Master?"
"It's not like that."
"…Could it be that Master is nervous?"
Lyune's expression was completely serious, and the teasing attitude from earlier had disappeared.
Nyau thought that she must be nervous if her disciple noticed.
"So, who is it? This person called Kiska."
"He's someone from a hundred years ago, someone with a complicated history. However, he should have been just a regular human. It's mysterious why he's still alive."
"Maybe he's a fake?"
"That's a high possibility."
Yes, the possibility of him being a fake was high. However, at the same time, Nyau thought it wouldn't be strange if he were genuine. He had a certain mysterious aura about him.
"If he turns out to be genuine, what will Master do?"
"Well…"
After a few seconds of silence in response to Lyune's question, Nyau spoke.
"If he's genuine, I'll expose him right here. After all, he betrayed us, the hero party, and turned into a villain." Saying this, Nyau lifted the corners of her mouth ever so slightly.