Chapter 11: – And So the Journey Ends, and the World Closes Quietly.
“Wow, that was easy!”
“Thank you for that.”
I carried Tia on my back as I ran through a magical area infested with vicious magical beasts. Although it was crazy to move through the demonic area at night, the greatest threat to me now was not the magical beasts that I could deal with, but the flow of time that would not allow me to even stop.
“Ah! Ed, over there!”
“Oh!”
Elves had excellent night vision. Looking from Tia’s point of view, who was strapped to my backpack, I could see countless eyes glittering between the dark trees…, and I immediately changed course.
That would be true. In a world full of magical beasts, there was no point in fighting every single one of them. If the path was blocked by force, I would take care of it, but if it was not, it was obvious that it would take less time and effort to avoid it.
It was a strange feeling. The last time I came here, this place was a place to hide and breathe under crushing pressure at night. …. I never thought I’d be able to run through it with such confidence.
“Fufufu~, well, that’s where I’ve got you.”
I could not use the [Mirage Shift] because it had not been a day yet, but to begin with, it only worked on me, so I could not use it with Tia on my back. …. Or rather, if I did, Tia would fall to the ground and stare at me with tears in her eyes as she rubbed her bottom.
However, if I used the [Hermes Dash] to move fast, I could leave most demonic beasts behind, and even if I moved erratically, I wouldn’t lose track of my destination with the [Akashic Compass]. Therefore, we were boldly running through the area infested with magical beasts. …
“No, isn’t it too damn far? I mean, isn’t it too big?”
“Of course it’s big. If it was so easy to get through, the Kingdom’s army would have already invaded the Demon Lord’s castle.”
“That’s true, but…”
The Demon Territory was ten times bigger than I thought it would be. Certainly, if we were to try to get through here normally, a large amount of supplies would be essential.
Besides, if we were to get out of here, even the porters would have had a hard time. She probably traveled with Alexis and the others for a longer period of time than I did, gaining their trust and supporting each other as they made their way through this demonic realm. Even with that much experience, could people truly trust each other? I didn’t have an answer to that question, as I had always been forced to abandon and be abandoned.
“… Speaking of which, what happened to that porter that got away?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he got caught?”
“I see. Yeah, I guess so.”
The king of Nortland, a great nation, knew the truth, so there was no way he could have missed the person who had abandoned his son, a hero. He was probably captured in secret … and it would be pointless to think about what happened to him after that.
“Oh, I think we are nearly there. The roots of the trees are starting to look different.”
“… Are you sure?”
I had no idea if it was the density of the trees or if it was the protrusion of the roots. I kept running, thinking that if Tia said it, then it must be true, and eventually, the growing sensation of the trees opened up so much that even I could see it.
After more than ten hours of running through the night, with several breaks in between, the trees finally disappeared from sight, and what we saw was a vast grassland.
“It should be right here. … Tia?”
“………….Put me down here”
“Yeah.”
After I lowered her from my backpack, Tia stood straight on her feet and walked unsteadily through the meadow. She looked around to make sure, and eventually approached a nearby rock that was as high as her waist.
“He… … Here. This is where Alexis gave me the transfer crystal.”
“Then, …
“Yeah. ………… I’m back. Guys, I’m finally back. ……………………”
She sat down on the ground, her voice trembling as she slumped against the rock. Now, she had finally arrived at the place where she had been forced to leave her friends behind.
“Alexis, Gonzo, …. do you know? Ed, the one we kicked out, is the one who brought me here, you know? Ed has become incredibly strong. …. Fufu~”
As Tia leaned her back against a rock, she looked up at the sky. As I looked up, I saw a red light beginning to rise from the base of the twinkling stars.
“… Hey, Ed. Do you remember? Remember when I … we banished you.”
“Of course I remember. I’ll remember that, after all the accusations.”
At Tia’s words, I chuckled and shrugged my shoulders. The reason why I was kicked out of the brave party was because I peeked at her while she was changing clothes.
But, of course, I didn’t do it on purpose. I was called by Tia to go to the tent, and there Tia was changing her clothes. Tia screamed out loud in panic, and forcefully complained to Alexis, “I can’t be with someone who peeks at me while I was changing my clothes,” and as a result, I was expelled from the hero’s party.
“… At that time, I kept thinking. I thought that if the enemy got stronger and the fighting got harder, we wouldn’t be able to protect you anymore. That’s why I kicked you out. I deliberately let you peek at me and complained to Alexis … because I knew that if I didn’t, you would die.”
“I see. Well, that’s true.”
I was really weak at the time. In fact, in the latter half of the trip, I felt my life was in danger countless times, and I thought to myself that I was just lucky to have survived until I was banished.
“But it was a mistake. Ed is strong enough now that he doesn’t need me to protect him.”
“No, that’s not――”
No, it’s not. My strength was due to the banishment skills I received with each world I was banished from, and the time I was given to train for a hundred years, while always remaining in a young body. There was no way that I could have continued my journey without being banished and still be on par with what I was now.
“Ed.”
“… What?”
“Thank you. Thanks to you, we were all able to get together again. And I am sorry. I guess I have to leave you behind again, along with everyone else.”
“……………………”
“I… I- thank you for carrying me … my soul so far. You were truly …. the best porter I’ve ever had. ….. …..――――”
With one last small smile, Tia’s eyelids slowly fall. When her eyes closed in contrast to the rising sun, that was the true end of my adventure in this world. The story of the end that I was never supposed to know, after I was banished.
Now, there was nothing more I could do. Now that I had fulfilled my duty to my former comrades, all I had to do was to use the key to return to the <White World> and from there to my own world … where I belonged.
一What kind of face should I make when I see the them again after a hundred years? From their point of view, it would probably be a few hours at most, so they would probably give me a strange look.
It was easy to make money now. Do I give my parents a house or a farm? A glass of good wine for the idiot Taruho would be enough. Maybe I should send some jewels along with a bouquet of flowers to the receptionist, Ashia-chan, who used to be the flower of the higher class.
Yeah, I know. If I returned home now, I could do anything. I could slay all the strong magical beasts I want, I could become a nobleman, I could even start a country. Anything, anything.――
“………… Hey, God? Is this part of your calculation? Sure, I’ll get in. I’ll dance in the palm of your hand until there’s a hole in it!”
As I touched Tia’s still-warm hand, I raised my fist to the sky. And so I used the last banishment skill I got after being banished from a hundred worlds. It allowed me to make a direct appeal to the gods and make any wish come true, depending on my mood――
“Take it all! [Unlimited!]”
A pillar of light rose from my raised right fist. It broke through the clouds, transcended the world, and carried my wish through to God. … At that moment, my consciousness sank into total darkness.
(T/N: MC and Tia in the illustration and Romcom will be posted tom.)