Nyau's head felt hazy.
On top of that, her entire body throbbed with pain. The intense pain seemed to have dulled her bodily sensations.
Furthermore, her vision was blurred, and she couldn't see in front of her properly.
But even in this condition, she couldn't afford not to fight. The words haunted her like a curse.
If she gave up now, many people would die, and she bore the blame for the current situation. If only she had been able to protect the Hero Eligion at that time, things wouldn't have come to this. She believed it was her duty to fight in this situation.
With these thoughts in mind, Nyau made an effort to stand up. Her legs wouldn't cooperate as they should, but she forced herself to use her staff as a crutch.
If she could just stand, she believed she could continue to fight. So she held onto that belief.
"Die."
Suddenly, a voice was heard.
It seemed that the Demon Lord Zoga was right in front of her. Despite his close proximity, Nyau was too drained to notice his presence.
Ah, is this the end for me? She realized she didn't have the strength to resist anymore, and her death was inevitable.
In an instant, various memories flashed through her mind. Her parents, her childhood spent in the Elven Forest, her time at the magic school, her adventures as an adventurer, and her battles alongside her friends against the Demon Lord.
However, more vividly than anything else, she remembered Kiska.
Looking back, the time she spent with Kiska felt incredibly short in her life. Without a doubt, without Kiska, Nyau's spirit would have broken long ago, rendering her unable to fight.
So, she thought that the reason she was still standing was all thanks to Kiska.
Kiska, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
In her heart, she expressed her gratitude.
Meeting Kiska, Nyau encountered so much love. Without knowing the feeling of love, her life would have been much more gray.
Thanks to meeting Kiska, she could die in happiness.
Yet, if she were to be a little selfish, she wished she could see him just one more time.
"I made it in time."
She heard a voice.
For Nyau, it was an unbelievable turn of events because he shouldn't be here. She had specifically ordered Kiska to leave the battlefield. Her wish was for him to live. So why had he returned to the battlefield, especially to where the Demon Lord was present?
"Why…?"
That's why Nyau asked.
"Because I want to be by the side of the person I love."
Kiska declared it with utmost clarity.
In that moment, Nyau realized it all too well.
Indeed, she was hopelessly in love with this person.
◆
"I'm glad… really glad. Nyau is still alive. Even though she's already battered and bruised to the point where it wouldn't be strange for her to die at any moment, just being alive is more than enough."
"Who are you?" The Demon Lord Zoga looked at me and asked.
We should have already met several times, yet he reacted as though he didn't remember me, as if I wasn't worth remembering.
"It's Kiska. I'd appreciate it if you could at least remember my name."
"I see. But sorry. I have a policy of not bothering to remember the names of small fry."
"I see."
I chuckled.
I was full of thoughts about Nyau, and I had come before the Demon Lord without thinking, but did I really have the strength to take him on?
"Master, may I offer some advice?"
"What's up, Puppeteer?"
"You can't beat him, so I recommend giving up."
"…I see."
I had thought the same, but hearing it from the Puppeteer again made me reluctantly acknowledge it.
"Nyau, may I make one request?"
"Yes, what is it?"
I asked Nyaou to perform a certain spell.
"Understood."
Nyau agreed and grasped her rod, then chanted.
"Water magic, Third Tier, Nebula Mist Diffusion."
Instantly, a dense fog began to emanate from Nyau.
"Doing such a troublesome thing! You damn…!"
The Demon Lord Zoga must have thought that he didn't want to be hidden by the fog again, and he charged forward cursing.
There was a certain time lag until the fog completely covered everything.
So I had to endure his initial attack, just this once.
I used Parasitic Sword Puppeteer to manage to deflect the Demon Lord Zoga's fist. However, the Demon Lord Zoga's fist was extremely heavy, and it felt like I might get crushed under its weight.
Therefore, I didn't just block his attack; I concentrated all my strength on deflecting it.
Somehow, I managed to deflect the attack.
Now, all that was left was to hide myself within the fog.
Already, with the city walls breached, the Demon Lord's army had advanced into the town. Moreover, with no one to stop the dragon's aerial attacks during my confrontation with Demon Lord Zoga, the dragons had free rein from the skies.
Hence, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the capital, Larrichmond, had already fallen.
Resistance at this point wouldn't change that reality.
So all I could do was carry Nyau and make a retreat.
◆
"Damn it!"
Demon Lord Zoga howled in frustration.
He scanned through the fog, but both Kiska and Nyau were nowhere to be found.
"They likely have already managed to escape," thought Demon Lord Zoga.
Kiska didn't matter to him, but letting Nyau get away like this would likely cause more trouble.
However, escaping from here would be difficult.
"Orders! Gather all available dragons and demons. Find that elven magician who escaped!"
There were still plenty of forces here that could fight.
It was only a matter of time until they would be found.
◆
"Regardless, if we've come this far, we should be safe…"
Having successfully made it to the forest, I took a seat, feeling thoroughly drained.
However, I was more concerned about Nyau than myself.
I spoke as I leaned over her, as she lay on the ground, looking heavily wounded.
"Hey, Nyau. Are you okay?"
But the moment she started to speak, it seemed she was about to express some discouragement.
"Kiska, Nyau might be beyond saving now…"
Nyau's words left me quite stiff.
I couldn't see any signs that she had used healing magic; she was in such a terrible condition.
With injuries this severe, it might be challenging for Nyau's magic to heal. If she had a bit more magical power left, she might have fully recovered, but with her current state, she has very little magical power left.
"Could it be that, after I asked you to use the Nebula Mist Diffusion, your magical power ran out…"
In our escape from Demon Lord Zoga, I had requested Nyau to use the Nebula Mist Diffusion, and I wondered if it had depleted her magical energy.
"No, it doesn't matter. The Nebula Mist Diffusion is a magic that doesn't consume much magical energy, so whether I used that magic or not, this outcome was inevitable."
Saying this, Nyau smiled.
I couldn't help but wonder how she could smile at a time like this.
"Probably, Demon Lord Zoga will use his subordinates to find us immediately."
I tried to say something silly, but the words stuck in my throat.
In the distance, I could hear the roars of dragons. They seemed to be wandering through the forest, searching for us.
"I don't have enough magical energy left to fight properly. Nyau, who can't even walk, will be nothing but a burden. So, you should leave Nyau behind and escape on your own. I believe the Demon Lord's target is Nyau alone, so if it's just you, Kiska, they might let you go."
"No, I can't…"
I couldn't fathom leaving Nyau behind.
"No, I can't, I can't, I can't. I don't want to leave Nyau behind."
As I spoke, tears fell from my eyes and splashed onto the ground.
"Please don't be so stubborn…"
Saying that, Nyau had a troubled expression on her face.
"No, I can't… I want to be with Nyau."
"Just saying that is enough."
Saying so, she reached out and touched my cheek. Inevitably, I held onto her hand. Nyau's hand was very cold. The chill made it feel like Nyau's time was running out, and it brought more tears to my eyes.
"Uh… Can I say something a bit far-fetched?"
I wondered what she was going to say in a moment like this, but I listened.
"Perhaps, Kiska, do you happen to have a way to turn this dire situation around?"
I had a feeling she was referring to my skill, "Save & Reset."
"Why would you say something like that?"
"Well, it's just a hunch, but I thought there might be something you're hiding."
I see. It seemed that Nyau had seen right through me.
"I have the power of a hero. With that power, I can make everything as if it never happened."
"Everything, including the death of Hero Eligion?"
"I can't say for sure, but probably."
Saying that, Nyau pursed her lips as if deep in thought.
"You don't believe me?"
"No, it's not that. It's just that it was beyond my imagination, so I was quite surprised."
"But I don't want to lose the relationship we've built."
I really didn't want that. We had finally become more than just lovers, and losing all of that was something I couldn't bear.
"Kiska, I love you."
Hearing those words suddenly made my heart skip a beat. I had heard it many times, but it still made me feel shy.
"I love you too, Nyau."
In response, Nyau looked at me and said, "Give me a kiss."
I agreed because Nyau was too exhausted to even sit up. I lifted her head and positioned her face higher, then kissed her lips. Her lips were small and plump.
"One more time."
Following her request, I kissed her again as she had asked.
"One more time."
Once again, I kissed her.
"One more time."
She repeated this several times, demanding more kisses. I obediently continued to kiss her.
And after the umpteenth kiss…
"One more time, or as many times as it takes, Nyau vows to fall in love with Kiska."
Hearing those words, my heart swelled with warmth. I didn't know how many more time loops awaited us. Perhaps we would go through an unimaginable number of them. But each time, she would tell me that she loved me.
"Oh, I—"
But as I started to speak, Nyau suddenly went limp, as if all the strength had drained from her body.
"Hey, Nyau!"
I shook her, but she remained unresponsive, as if she had fallen into a deep slumber.
"No, no, no, no, no…!"
I kept shaking her body repeatedly, but she showed no response.
"Oh… no…"
I didn't want to admit it. I wanted to confirm it multiple times, prove that it was different. But no matter how many times I checked, the fact remained unchanged. Nyau had already stopped breathing.
◆
How much time had passed while I mourned there? Holding Nyau's lifeless body, I couldn't move from the spot.
"Is this where you've been?" A voice spoke.
I turned to the source of the voice and saw Demon Lord Zoga standing there. Furthermore, there were numerous demons and dragons surrounding us. We were already encircled, and there was no way to escape.
At this point, I didn't care anymore. If they wanted to kill us, they could do as they pleased.
"Hey, hand over that woman," Demon Lord Zoga demanded.
That was out of the question. I couldn't let them take Nyau. So, I swatted away Zoga's hand.
"Fine, whatever. I'm going to kill you anyway," he muttered. As he said that, he gripped his sword. The sword was different in appearance from the massive sword he used to carry. Demon Lord Zoga swung the sword down without any hesitation.
The spattering blood stained my vision red. All that blood was mine.
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