Published: January 24, 2026
“...Ah, gah...!”
As the battle with Belia ended, my entire body felt as if it was on fire, overwhelmed by unbearable pain.
Unable to utter a sound, I immediately released the Demonic Sword Unification (Alteration) and activated Time Reversal.
“...Hah... hah... hah... This pain... I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it...”
Once the physical collapse subsided, I caught my breath and surveyed my surroundings.
Though I fought Belia with all my might, the Royal Capital remained untouched by the aftermath of the battle thanks to the ice Shion had created.
Belia had collapsed on the ice, seemingly exhausted, but he was still alive.
“There’s no time to rest. This is just the beginning.”
I wanted nothing more than to collapse and sleep immediately, but I pushed myself forward, refusing to allow such weakness.
I made my way to the front of the royal palace and began manipulating the surrounding mana to melt the ice enveloping the Royal Capital.
In less than five minutes, the massive ice block vanished, and the Royal Capital returned to its original appearance.
(Now then, as for His Highness Lucilla...)
After confirming there were no issues with the Royal Capital, I searched for His Highness Lucilla.
But then, townspeople began to gather around me in droves, their eyes vacant and seemingly lifeless.
—“What have you done...!”
An angry voice came from one of the residents.
Others also glared at me, their faces filled with rage.
—“Say something!”
—“You’re supposed to be the hero of the kingdom! Why did you do something like this?”
Others hurled insults at me, venting their emotions in every way possible.
(What is going on...?)
This outcome was exactly what I had aimed for...
But—
(This looks like someone else is inciting them...! No way!)
Coming to one conclusion, I immediately used Bird’s-Eye Vision to check the place where Belia had fallen.
Belia was nowhere to be seen.
I had dealt him damage so severe he couldn’t stand on his own.
Yet now, he had disappeared.
What this meant was...
Next, I combined Bird's-Eye Vision with Time Reversal to perform a Past Vision, rewinding the scene there at high speed.
Right before Belia vanished, I saw two women appear.
I rewound to regular speed just before they showed up to see what happened.
The two who appeared near the exhausted Belia were Philly Carpenter and a red-haired girl dragging an unconscious Felix.
At that moment, Philly looked up at the sky as if she had noticed something.
It felt like she was looking directly at me.
In fact, I felt our eyes meet across time and space.
As if she knew I was watching, Philly gave a daring smile, then pulled down her lower eyelid with her index finger and stuck out her tongue.
“—!!”
(Philly outsmarted me...! Even though I was caught up in the fight with Belia and had no energy left to watch my surroundings, I had at least considered that she might be nearby... Damn it!)
Stopping Past Vision, I returned my focus to the present, gritting my teeth in frustration.
“Enough, answer me...! Why did you do something like this, Orun...!”
A woman’s angry voice reached my ears.
Turning my gaze toward the source, I saw His Highness Lucilla hiding her left eye behind her left hand, wearing a sad expression.
That was the prearranged signal with Darane.
In other words, she remained on my side.
Philly’s intervention could easily have caused her to switch allegiances through cognitive alteration.
Thankfully, the charm worked properly.
“And to think you killed the Guild’s Grandmaster—why would you commit such a reckless act!?”
His Highness Lucilla raised her voice, pressing me.
Her acting was convincing.
No outsider would suspect that she and I were cooperating.
(I see. So that’s how it turned out...)
Everyone surrounding me had probably undergone cognitive alteration.
They all believed that I had killed Belia.
There were many unexpected developments.
But this situation was close to the result I wanted.
“Why? It’s obvious. The Grandmaster was in my way.”
I brushed back my hair, covering my left eye with my left hand, and answered Lucilla without honorifics.