Repeat Vice - The Villainous Noble Doesn't Want to Die, So He Swore to Not Die As One of The Four Heavenly Kings - Chapter 62: Sky Pirate Riruka

Chapter 62: Sky Pirate Riruka

Riruka and Rofus safely returned to the airship.

Immediately after, Rofus went to Iz, who was resting in bed, and began treating her endemic disease. He summoned a Crystal Ghost soldier and used its Mana Drain ability to absorb the magical elements accumulated in Iz’s body.

In the relatively small bedroom, the members of the “Crimson Wind” team gathered to watch the treatment. Iz’s body had accumulated a significant amount of magical elements, and leopard-like spots had spread all over her body. Although it took some time to remove the deeply rooted magical elements, the Crystal Ghost soldier’s Mana Drain completely eliminated the spots from Iz’s body.

Iz blinked in disbelief at Rofus. “Is it… cured?”

Rofus repeatedly used magic detection to confirm that no magical elements remained in Iz’s body. He then smiled slightly. “Rejoice, the disease is cured. However, the possibility of recurrence is not zero—” Before he could finish, Iz threw herself at him, pressing his face against her chest.

“I can’t believe it! It really healed! Lord Rofus… how can I ever thank you?” Iz, teary-eyed and with frail arms, hugged Rofus tightly. Rofus struggled to free himself from her grip.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Yaaaaaaaah!” Sigil charged towards Rofus, who had just broken free from Iz. Startled, Rofus braced himself, only for Sigil to embrace him with outstretched arms.

“Rofus-saaan!!”

“Get off me, you fool! Hawk, help me pry this idiot off!” Called upon by Rofus, Hawk adjusted his round sunglasses, then calmly walked behind Sigil—only to join in the hug.

“You’re amazing, Rofus-saaan!!”

“You too, Hawk!?”

With two grown men clinging to him, Rofus shouted, “Get off me!” Seeing this, Kay and Dan exchanged glances and grinned, then both charged at Rofus.

“Hey, let us join in too!”

“Thanks!”

“Stay away from me, it’s too hot!”

With four men clinging to him, Rofus screamed in frustration. Meanwhile, Riruka embraced Iz, who was sitting on the bed.

“I’m so glad we made it in time.”

Iz smiled, patting Riruka’s head. “Thank you, Riruka. It’s all thanks to you.”

“Me? What are you talking about? It was all Rofus. I didn’t do anything…”

“Is that so? Maybe you’re right.”

Iz gently wiped the tears from Riruka’s eyes. Elma joined them, hugging both.

“Finally, the girls’ trio is back. Taking care of those foolish men was exhausting.”

“I’ve really been a burden, haven’t I?”

“Absolutely, Iz. You need to recover quickly. We’re going back into the dungeons together.”

The women smiled and hugged each other through their tears.

“Alright! Let’s celebrate Iz’s recovery! We’re drinking tonight!” Sigil’s shout was echoed by the other three men.

“Yeah, it’s been a while since we had a drink!”

“Hey, Iz just got out of bed!” Elma tried to stop Iz, who was enthusiastically raising her arms.

As the “Crimson Wind” team continued their lively chatter, Rofus shouted, “Alright, that’s enough! Get off me! I said it’s too hot!”

His voice was drowned out by the noise.

＊

It was late at night. They were on their way back to the kingdom of Lightless territory from the Holy Dragon Kingdom.

The airship’s cockpit was empty, currently in autopilot mode. In the ship’s bar lounge, the men were passed out from drinking. Sigil lay on the floor with a bottle, Hawk was slumped over the counter, Kay was sprawled on a table, and Dan was snoring while standing in a corner.

The women were nowhere to be seen. Elma had taken the drunken Iz back to her room early on and had likely returned to her own room.

Having just freed himself from the clinging Hawk, Rofus sighed and stood up. “Rofus-saaan, I’ll follow you forever!” mumbled a drunken Sigil.

“You’re not needed. It’d just be a nuisance,” Rofus muttered, leaving the bar lounge. He wanted to get some fresh air.

On the deck of the airship, a barrier shielded them from the external pressure, allowing a pleasant breeze to blow through. The view from above the clouds was truly breathtaking. While the members of “Crimson Wind” were probably used to the sight, Rofus secretly enjoyed the scenery.

As he stepped out onto the deck, he saw someone was already there. Riruka, her hair shining yellow under the moonlight, was leaning against the railing. Noticing Rofus, she moved slightly to make room for him.

Without hesitation, Rofus joined her. “So, you decided to escape alone. Must be nice.”

“Everyone was pretty wild when they got drunk. They’ve always had terrible drinking habits… But it’s been a while since they were this rowdy. Since Iz fell ill, we hadn’t had a reason to celebrate.”

“Indeed, even after we defeated Despia, it wasn’t this lively.”

“Oh, that time? Feels like ages ago. That was the most we had celebrated since Iz’s passing.”

Riruka reminisced with a pained smile.

“You seemed pretty used to dealing with drunks. Is this not your first time?”

Rofus recalled the raucous night in Rougvelt, a stark contrast to the subdued parties of nobility. “No, it’s not.”

“Really? That’s surprising. You don’t seem like the type who enjoys noisy gatherings.”

“Your observation is correct. I don’t enjoy it. Yet somehow, I always get dragged into it.”

“Is that so?”

“By the way, you seem a bit flushed. Have you been drinking?”

“Just a little. I didn’t drink last time. But I don’t really get why everyone likes it so much,” Riruka said with a bitter laugh, hinting that her first taste of alcohol was not to her liking.

“Aren’t you underage?”

“You’re such a stickler. I’m a sky pirate, remember? I don’t follow kingdom laws. Besides, I’m an adult at heart.”

“A grown-up who can’t appreciate the taste of alcohol?”

Rofus chuckled, making Riruka pout. “Yes. I’m more mature than you, Rofus. You can lean on me more, you know?”

“Who’s the older one here?”

Their casual banter was unimaginable from when they were enemies. Each time they chatted like this, Riruka felt a pang of guilt. She didn’t regret killing Rofus before. But talking with him now made her wonder if they could have resolved things through dialogue, if there was a chance for mutual understanding.

No, the previous Rofus of the “Shadow Wolves” wouldn’t have been swayed by words alone. However, the protagonists, including Abel, had given up on dialogue too early, especially with Rofus of the “Shadow Wolves.” His shadow familiars had caused too much harm, among other reasons, but the incident with Falatia was also a major factor.

Therefore, there were no regrets, but emotionally, Riruka couldn’t come to terms with it.

Riruka stared intently at Rofus and opened her mouth.

“…Ro, don’t you hate me?”

＊

Rofus frowned at Riruka’s sudden question.

“What’s this all of a sudden?”

“Last time, you were killed by us. Usually, one would harbor some anger or hatred, right?”

“Here we go again with the ‘last time’ talk.”

Rofus averted his eyes in annoyance, causing Riruka to frown.

“The last time was the beginning of everything… For us, it’s a crucial issue.”

“It’s not ‘us’… it’s ‘you’. As I’ve said before, don’t push your guilt onto me.”

“How can you be so indifferent…? Ro, you were killed by us!”

Riruka’s face contorted as if she couldn’t understand.

The emotion in Rofus’ eyes disappeared.

“Killed, huh… Riruka, how many times have you killed me?”

“…What?”

Riruka was at a loss for words, unable to comprehend Rofus’ sudden question.

“Answer me. How many times?”

“Well, once…”

Riruka, still confused by the question’s intent, answered. Strictly speaking, she didn’t deliver the final blow, but she undeniably participated in the act of killing Rofus.

Rofus cut his gaze from Riruka, appearing bored, and spoke.

“…20,802,001 times.”

“…What?”

Riruka frowned, not understanding the number Rofus mentioned.

“…Wait, what? What number is that?”

Rofus looked at Riruka, his dark eyes deep as an abyss.

“Twenty million, eight hundred and two thousand and one times… That’s the number of times I’ve been killed by Abel and his companions. Not once have I forgotten it, even for a moment.”

Riruka collapsed, overwhelmed by the darkness in Rofus’ eyes.

“Twenty million…? What does that even mean…?”

Riruka only remembered the last time. To her, this world was only in its second cycle. Could it be that this world had been repeating countless times…?

“Does that mean it’s been repeating… over and over?”

“I don’t know. But I can say one thing: you weren’t among those who killed me.”

“Wasn’t…?”

Rofus shook his head at Riruka’s murmur.

“Don’t misunderstand. Riruka Skyfield was indeed among Abel and his group. But it wasn’t ‘you’. It was someone else.”

“…How do you know that?”

“I know. We interacted quite a bit, and it wasn’t a shallow relationship. That’s how I can tell.”

Rofus gently wiped the tears trailing down from Riruka’s swollen eyes as if to console her.

Riruka grasped Rofus’ hand and asked anxiously.

“Did I… not kill you, Ro?”

“You didn’t kill me, and I wasn’t killed by you. So get rid of that guilt when dealing with me. It’s a hindrance between us.”

“…”

Riruka clutched Rofus’ hand and quietly sobbed. The more important Rofus became to her, the more the fact that she had killed him in the past tormented her.

Moreover, with Iz’s illness progressing, Riruka hadn’t had a moment’s peace for the past two years.

When Iz’s illness was finally cured, and she was told she hadn’t killed her benefactor, Rofus, Riruka’s restrained emotions burst forth, and she cried.

Rofus silently stayed by her side until she stopped crying.

＊

The horizon began to turn white, signaling the dawn.

On the deck of the airship, Riruka, who had used Rofus’ lap as a pillow, woke up.

“…Ro?”

“You’re awake. It’s just dawn.”

At Rofus’ words, Riruka looked around and remembered crying herself to sleep on his lap the previous night.

Blushing, she quickly moved away from Rofus.

“Sorry! I fell asleep…”

“It’s fine. You pushed yourself with a large-scale invisibility spell and magic power suppression yesterday.”

“But you too, Ro.”

“That level of magic consumption is nothing to me.”

“That’s nothing…?”

Riruka sighed at Rofus’ monstrous magic power.

“Well, that’s just like you, Ro.”

Riruka sat next to the seated Rofus and leaned her head on his shoulder. Rofus accepted it without pushing her away.

“Hey, Ro.”

“What?”

Rofus responded quietly to Riruka’s call.

After a pause, Riruka spoke.

“We’ve been pretending to be lovers, haven’t we?”

“…Yeah.”

“I think we should stop that now.”

Rofus narrowed his eyes at Riruka’s words.

“It was a relationship you started. You’re free to end it.”

“…”

After a brief silence, Rofus spoke.

“Well, we successfully treated Iz. There’s no reason to continue.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

“Huh?”

“I mean, it’s not about not needing you anymore because Iz’s treatment is done.”

“There’s no need to cover it up now. That was part of the arrangement…”

“No, that’s not it. Listen to me.”

Riruka, a bit annoyed, grabbed Rofus’ collar.

“It’s really late, but pretending to be lovers isn’t a good situation.”

“You’re telling me this after two years.”

“…Sorry. I’m really sorry.”

Riruka looked down.

“…Ro, do you want to keep up this relationship with me?”

“Of course not.”

Rofus bluntly denied Riruka’s strained question, making her smile a little sadly.

“Right? I think it’s not good to keep pretending either. So, let’s end this relationship. Besides, you have Far, right?”

Rofus narrowed his eyes at Riruka’s words.

“Far… you mean Faratiana. How much do you know?”

“Of course, I know. I was searching for the other apostles, former comrades, and the top candidates. I did my research.”

“…Did you meet Fol?”

“Fol? Wow, you call her by a nickname? But you never call me Lily…”

“Don’t tease me.”

Rofus glared at Riruka, who grinned. She shrugged her shoulders.

“I met her. She told me a lot. Like how you promised to marry if you became a noble.”

“Did Fol say that? She’s jumping to conclusions. I never promised marriage.”

“…But you’ll respond to her feelings, right? Then marriage seems appropriate.”

“That’s originally… never mind.”

Rofus sighed in resignation.

Riruka rested her head on Rofus’ chest.

“I told her I’d support her love. So, continuing to pretend is insincere. Let’s end this.”

“Supporting her love is quite presumptuous… But if you say it’s over, then it’s over.”

Rofus said, a bit sadly.

“…Ro.”

“What now?”

“I’m sorry for killing you.”

“Don’t make me repeat myself. You didn’t kill me.”

“Yeah, I know. But I’m still sorry. This is just for my satisfaction.”

“You’re such a selfish person.”

And so, the two-year-long facade between Rofus and Riruka came to an end.

Shortly, the “Crimson Wind” and Rofus would return to the Lightless territory.

Later, Riruka would question Rofus about his relationship with Saint Fran, leading to a discussion about the dream-like “story” and the encounter with the Demon Whale in the Sea of Demons.

At that time, Riruka was unusually persistent in probing about Saint Fran, but that’s another story.

＊

About a month after the incident in the Sky City, a guest arrived at the Lightless estate.

Given Rofus’ busy schedule and the guest’s unknown status, those without prior appointments were typically turned away.

However, this guest told the servant:

“Tell your master that ‘Shadow Wolf’ is here.”

Hearing this, Rofus immediately had the guest shown to the parlor.

Rofus prepared by equipping a potion in his artificial hand and wore a healing amulet given by Yusurika, heading to the parlor fully prepared.

The guest waiting in the parlor was a young girl.

With white hair and clad in black, she exuded an eerie presence.

She was an unfamiliar face, both in the present and throughout the story.

Seeing Rofus, the girl narrowed her jade eyes and smiled.

“For the first time across past, present, and future, we meet face-to-face. Allow me to say these words—Nice to meet you. I’m the demon king Lars, the final boss of ‘Chapter One’. You’re Rofus, the ‘Shadow Wolf’ of ‘Chapter Two’s Four Heavenly Kings. I’ve always wanted to meet you.”

Hearing this, Rofus conjured the dark scythe, Dark Scythe, in his hand.