Volume 4 Chapter 76: What the Hell Is That One Doing?【Final Volume: Balor and Nanashi Arc】

“I was saved by Balor-chan. I had known no fun, felt not even a trace of happiness—I was merely on a path toward my demise. But Balor-chan picked me up.”

Konoha’s cheeks flushed, as if a cherished memory were surfacing.

But I couldn’t remember a single thing I had done, so I really had nothing to say.

What did I do?

I mean, even if Konoha came from the future, the past in which I met her shouldn’t have been altered…

…Why can’t I remember?

It’s scary…

“That’s why I decided to live for Balor-chan. I did my best to do as he wished—to be useful to him. I even defeated that Gorgon, you know?”

Konoha spoke with such intensity, yet her words just wouldn’t sink in.

What does it mean that I have no memories?

Why… can’t I remember Konoha?

One possibility is that her time-slip altered the world.

So even the event of meeting Konoha was affected—and it simply vanished.

…That’s just full-blown delusion.

Alright, I’ll try not to think about it!

“I fought that Gorgon with every ounce of strength I had—even when death was nearly upon me. That’s why, when I returned and saw Balor-chan dead, the shock was something I’d rather not recall.”

“And then, what did you do?”

Somehow, the conversation kept moving forward.

Nanashi, growing curious, even began questioning Konoha.

“In my shock, I devoted every ounce of effort to getting Balor-chan back. Since magic has the power to trigger supernatural phenomena, I figured it might even be able to resurrect the dead.”

Ah—truly, magic does come in many forms.

It’s probably limited to a select few and comes at a hefty cost, but a resurrection spell might exist.

…That said, it doesn’t bring the dead back as undead, does it?

I wouldn’t be happy at all if they came back as mere walking corpses.

It would ruin my looks.

“But the others turned out differently, you know.”

Konoha rested her hand on her chin.

The “others” meant the maids aside from Konoha.

“Ashvin was consumed by rage and became an avenger. I don’t know who the perpetrator was, but since it was most likely someone from the kingdom, she joined a terrorist organization made up of foreigners and went on to completely destroy the kingdom.”

What the hell is that one doing?

“Izun’s power went haywire. It stayed stable with Balor-chan around, but once the past was behind her—and with that trauma—it completely spiraled out of control. Wherever she walked, a dead world where all life ceased to exist spread out. She came to be known as the ‘moving disaster.'”

What the hell is that one doing?

“Artemis had vanished entirely. There wasn’t the faintest clue as to where she was or what she was doing—no trace at all. It was as if she had never existed in this world from the very start. Because of that, I never learned how her story ended.”

Ah, so normal… normal?

No, she isn’t really normal—but compared to the other two, she seems so.

What exactly is this terrorist organization? And what in the world is a “moving disaster?”

It’s all beyond what I can even comprehend…

After hearing about the fates of those two, and then learning of Artemis’s path, I became incredibly uneasy—wondering if in her disappearance she’s gotten involved in something unsavory.

“So, Nanashi committed suicide. After all, she was the one I’d been involved with the longest.”

“That’s false. There’s no doubt that Nanashi was the culprit.”

“To do something like that to someone as loyal as me…”

There’s absolutely no way you would take your own life.

It must be a mistake.

Or maybe it was made to look like suicide, and you were actually killed?

“That is really scary, too…”

Nanashi’s face went pale, her expression impassive.

Even so, every single one of them is just insanely crazy.

Why do they all barrel headfirst into such dangerous directions?

…I just can’t figure out why.

Even if I die, couldn’t they choose a different path?

They’re so stupid.

“We’ve learned what paths you all took, but we just can’t understand why you time-slipped.”

“There were others who thought of redoing their past just like I did. I merely borrowed that person’s research findings.”

…In other words, someone had nearly perfected the art of moving into the past, and Konoha just hopped on board.

Had such magic existed, it would have been the discovery of the century. Besides, if altering the past were allowed at will, the world would be unrecognizable—so it must have been kept secret.

But Konoha’s relentless determination to unearth it is equally terrifying.

“If you could change the past, what would you do?”

For now, I’m not hiring you.

“Hmm, well…”

But was it really wise that the one who returned from the past turned out to be Konoha?

If someone intent on harming me had come back, I’d be in deep trouble.

After all, knowing what’s about to happen, they’d have a perfect grasp of when and how to try to hurt me.

“I will change Balor-chan’s future. So, have faith in me, Balor-chan.”

“(Not that I’m even sure I trust you) Let’s all do our best to return safely.”

At worst, you all act as my shield so I can get away on my own.

…Huh?

Did it somehow end up that I’m actually locked into seriously taking part in the Gorgon extermination?