“This is quite troublesome.”
Seriously, it was truly troublesome.
Who would have thought that guy would hurt himself?
Cough!
“My Lord…!”
Elia didn’t seem to care much about the dirty, sticky blood on her hands.
She cradled the Lord, who was vomiting blood, and after a moment of checking his complexion, she turned to me.
“Harang! What on earth…!”
Elia’s eyes were filled with resentment.
I had no excuses for that.
And can you blame me? Isn’t it pretty obvious?
The Lord, who was vomiting blood, and me pointing a wooden sword at him.
No matter what excuse I made, I was the villain who harmed the god that child believed in.
Moreover, I really was that villain who intended to harm the god she believed in.
Most importantly, from my perspective, that guy was just annoying. From their perspective, the Lord is clearly a force of good.
In short, I was indeed in the wrong.
Initially, while fighting that guy, I didn’t foresee this situation with Elia, Lucius, and Camilla around.
But even so…
I was unhappy with the current situation, and somewhat unjust about it too.
Look at him, even now he’s grinning like a coward as if he has won!
“…Tsk, what a pathetic trick.”
So, what should I do now?
Honestly, I don’t think I can clear up their misunderstandings.
My verbal skills aren’t that great.
And above all, people tend to believe what they see, and in their eyes, I’m already the villain.
So, if I want to achieve my immediate goals, I have to think of turning my back on them…
But that idea doesn’t sit well with me.
“Hmm…”
Then, what options do I have left?
First is to run away, and the second is to subdue that guy right away.
However, can I really subdue him?
Killing and subduing are two different levels of difficulty—like heaven and earth.
Plus, if it comes to a fight, I would have to face not just the Lord, but also Camilla, Lucius, and Elia.
Hmm, so running away it is?
No, calling it running away feels off.
Since I could definitely defeat them if it came to it, calling it a truce would be more appropriate.
Well, this might actually be the answer.
To put it bluntly, if I were to hide where that Lord couldn’t find me…
No, I wouldn’t even need to go that far.
I just have to go somewhere Elia, Lucius, and Camilla can’t reach me.
After all, didn’t that Lord figure that taking me on alone was a stretch, hence causing this mess?
So, he can’t possibly think of confronting me alone.
In other words, as long as that Lord doesn’t interfere, I’m confident I can make it back home.
“…Hmm.”
Why did I want to go back in the first place?
Ah. I wanted to know the truth about Nameless.
…If it’s only about understanding Nameless’ true sentiments, is there really a need to return?
As the Lord said, maybe staying here and watching over Nameless could be enough.
…But that can’t be right. I feel like I need some other reason.
Just to justify my escape.
…Right.
I’m just a bit homesick, wanting to return home.
So, it’s a significant resolution to cross dimensions.
‘Okay.’
Just as I thought that, I started to slowly step back.
-Thud.
Suddenly, I collided with something, and my arm was caught, rendering me unable to move.
“…Hmm.”
Naturally, the only one who could catch me was Nameless, and I looked at my disciple with an annoyed expression.
“Nameless, what are you doing?”
“I thought Master might resort to that bad habit of yours, so I intervened early.”
Wasn’t this little brat uncomfortable just a moment ago? When did he get all cozy…?
No, more importantly.
What does he mean by bad habit? What’s that about?
As I tilted my head in confusion, Nameless, wearing an awkward expression, spoke up.
“It’s not my place to say, but weren’t you just going to think by yourself and act on it again?”
…Hmm, he knows me too well.
Still, I don’t think reflecting more or having conversation with them would yield better results than this.
No, more than that, I no longer have the desire to stay here longer.
Why should I have to receive that kind of gaze from Elia?
Why should I endure the cold stares from Lucius and Camilla after letting them down?
“…”
Perhaps my thoughts were reflected in my expression, as Nameless shrugged his shoulders and added.
“How about we clear up this small misunderstanding first, and then you can leave?”
“A small misunderstanding…”
So Nameless means I should resolve the sticky feelings they have towards me.
If that was possible, I would’ve done it long ago… Well, it can’t hurt to try.
Nodding to Nameless briefly, I turned my gaze toward Elia, who was still glaring at me.
“Elia, I won’t make any pathetic excuses, but it seems like things have heated up too much, so I think it’d be best if I step away for now.”
Then, to show I had no intention of being hostile, I sheathed my wooden sword and turned my back.
It’s a bit disappointing that I can’t settle things right now.
But I was more scared of being at odds with them, so I tried to flee.
…Of course, running away doesn’t mean the conflict is resolved, but at least I believe this is the right choice for now.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave—”
Just as I was about to step away.
“Hey, wait a minute, old lady!”
Camilla’s cold voice, without a hint of intonation, piled up like snow, halting my movements.
I could brush away something as trivial as a gaze, but I still couldn’t move.
…Why are there so many people trying to stop me?
Sighing deeply, I turned around to face Camilla, who simply called out to me.
“What do you want?”
“Don’t you remember anything?”
“Hmm… remember what?”
Camilla’s expression was one of disbelief as I tilted my head.
Standing beside her, Lucius supplemented with a long sigh.
“Shouldn’t you explain how things came to this point before leaving?”
As if it were the most natural thing in the world.
I couldn’t hide my bewilderment at their calm reactions and tightly sealed my lips.
…Why aren’t they angry?
Doesn’t it look like I’ve harmed their god?
Besides, Lucius may not know, but it’s basically the Lord’s avatar.
…I don’t get it.
“Master, what Camilla and Lucius said is right.”
Nameless backed up Camilla and Lucius, starting to coax me to say more.
I was inexplicably annoyed, so I puffed my lips and punched Nameless in the back.
“Ow!”
“Aren’t you my disciple? You should be on my side, not Camilla’s!”
“…It’s for your own good—”
“Hey.”
“…Understood.”
Though Nameless looked quite miffed, I didn’t mind too much.
What’s he going to do about it?
It’s true that he’s not on my side.
As I was engaging in this trivial tussle with Nameless.
“Pff.”
I heard Camilla’s laugh, tinged with irritation.
“Stop messing around and just explain already!”
Ah, right.
I got momentarily distracted.
“…Sorry about that.”
I offered an awkward smile and nodded.
“However, it’s not messing around… Anyway, where should I start?”
Suddenly feeling the weight of Camilla’s glare, I hurriedly turned my focus back to the matter at hand.
But can I even speak about it here…?
That so-called god is watching us with wide-open eyes, isn’t he?
Hmm, well, it should be fine.
Since he hasn’t interfered until now, that just means I’m out of his interest.
Or perhaps it means he has excluded the possibility of being harmed.
For some reason, it felt a bit insulting.
But as Nameless, Camilla, and Lucius said, there’s no harm in having a conversation rather than backing away immediately.
…More than that.
“Elia, I want to make it clear: I have no intention of disgracing your god.”
Looking at Elia, who still gazed at me with resentment, I felt a pang in my heart.
What should I say?
It’s not like I’m upset, more like I feel like I’m being judged.
I, too, had once resented her solely because she was loved by the god.
As I recalled that, a faint, sad smile emerged, and my voice trembled slightly as I spoke.
“Truly, this conflict arose from a clash of opinions, so I hope you can understand that.”
“…Yes.”
The difference between me and Elia is that she seems to be a bit more mature.
…Living for long seems to mean nothing.
Unlike Elia, I couldn’t think of forgiving or at least waiting for the other person.
I had just been waiting for an opportunity instead.
Feeling a bit heavy-hearted, I let out a sigh and gazed at the distant mountains as I began to speak.
“My hometown was not this place, but somewhere else.”
Thus commenced a long narrative, initiated by my own candid and straightforward words.
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