Vol 1 Chapter 24: Chosen as Sword Saint, Destined to Die (Great Labyrinth Arc)

“Hah… Hah… Hah…”

“Sword Saint, what’s wrong? Is that all you’ve got? The Demon King is here, you know?”

“You’re acting so cocky… Damn it… Just wait and see…!”

Contrary to my words, ever since I had Grain before me, I knew that this was no longer even a battle.

Even though I knew I couldn’t win, I swung Asterion with everything I had—aware that no matter how much I risked my life, my blows would never reach him.

I never uttered a single complaint, nor did I show even a hint of giving up—I kept making Grain believe that I still intended to win.

It was all because I believed that Nio and Yuu would come up with a solution.

Even I had to admit, it was an act of relying entirely on others—a foolhardy attempt to cross a surface where not even a thin sheet of ice had formed.

I wasn’t sure if Nio would go along with this plan. And even if she did, I had no idea what Yuu was thinking. If Yuu harbored any resentment, I wasn’t sure I could persuade her. And if she turned hostile, nothing would work.

In short, it was a hopeless endeavor. I should have just run away instead.

Perhaps, as Nio suggested, the best course of action was to retreat for now, reveal the truth to the world, and then return to save Yuu.

—the wise would probably choose that option. To resolve matters without anyone dying, that’s the path to take.

Instead of further hurting Yuu’s heart, taking the safe route was the best move. But I knew instinctively—Yuu simply wouldn’t last much longer. It wasn’t merely a matter of time; I had realized that if I were abandoned again, no matter the reason, her heart would shatter.

It was foolish to risk total ruin on such baseless reasoning. I should have banished that thought from my mind immediately.

All the heroes of the past, whom I have come to know over these past two years, would surely say the same thing.

They would all say in unison, “If you keep this up, you’ll die, so stop being foolish!”

“…Huh.”

“What’s so funny?”

“No, it’s nothing… I just think that the line we often hear might actually be true.”

“Fools don’t learn until they die.” Well said indeed. I like to think I’ve studied quite a bit, but it seems that at its root, nothing can be done.

But often, fools are stubborn; no matter how dire the situation, they cling to it—without even realizing the harm it causes them.

And that’s exactly the case now. With only one arm, facing the Demon King, and not knowing what Nio or Yuu would do or how they would act—and above all, with not the slightest chance of winning—I didn’t even entertain the thought of fleeing.

For a brief moment, the idea that a word to Nio might make her run away flashed through my mind, but I wouldn’t give that notion to a dog.

Since it was obvious I couldn’t win like this, I figured there was at least something I needed to say.

“‘If you can’t think of anything, run away with Yuu.’”

No matter how much of an idiot you are, you have to take responsibility for the confrontation you forced upon yourself. After all, if you’re just going to run away, you don’t necessarily have to do it with me—but if you care about me, you might not choose that option.

All I can do now is make sure you don’t change your mind.

And once you escape outside, you might reveal the truth to the world in ways I could never imagine—and you might even corner Grain.

It’s merely wishful thinking. But there is certainly hope.

My life, too, is destined to end, but that’s that. The moment I realized that Sieg had deceived me upstairs, I should have been killed. That was how the scenario was written.

As long as the scenario remains unchanged, I remain an irregular born into this story. I was the man whose role was written to die, and although my ad-libs have slightly altered the play, the time has come to pay the price.

I was chosen as the Sword Saint precisely because I was meant to be eliminated.

Even with that role, perhaps with one final desperate struggle I can create a chance to change this ridiculous scenario.

So I turned around—shifting the body that had been facing Grain to face away—intending to say, “You guys, run away!”

B-but… for some reason, Nio and Yuu weren’t there. I even suspected they might have run off ahead of me, but I soon realized that was mistaken.

“Excuse me, to the right.”

Nio and Yuu, holding hands, teleported to my very side—the right side where I was clutching Asterion.

“Nio…? What are you…?”

I was only supposed to be able to teleport once more. And you used it now? To cover such a short distance? No, why did you come to my side in the first place?

I was baffled—Grain’s eyes widened, Nio grinned cockily, and Yuu, standing beside her, wore an inexplicably apologetic expression.

Amid the array of emotions on our faces, it was Yuu who broke the silence.

“Please don’t be angry, okay?”

Yuu, opening her palm, touched my right hand that was gripping Asterion and began chanting a magic spell I’d never heard before.

Then, my tightly clenched right palm opened involuntarily.

“Wha!?”

I couldn’t help but cry out, but I couldn’t close my right hand. The Asterion I had been holding fell to the ground, but Nio caught it.

“I’ll just have it back for a moment.”

“What?! You bastard!”

“What? I’ll return it immediately.”

“It’s so sudden… and besides, Asterion is…!”

When someone unworthy touches it, dark, rejecting magic appears. If you don’t let go quickly, it will begin to consume you.

I wondered if she was doing something to counter it, but as soon as Nio took hold of Asterion, the same dark magic I’d seen before surged toward her.

It was the magic of rejection. Unlike the force I forcibly extracted and used, it was genuinely trying to repel her.

Nio’s face, which had been grinning cockily, twisted in pain, yet she managed to speak with a hint of amusement.

“Even as you resist, you still lend your strength as always… Not the unchanging guy, but an unchanging sword. Now then, let’s begin our impromptu play!”

After Nio raised her voice, she and Yuu teleported again. And the two who appeared were—

“You bastard!”

“This time, I won’t run away, Grain!”

They were right behind Grain.