Published: March 21, 2026
After that, we disbanded in an awkward silence.
Not only I was visibly shaken, but I suppose they were thinking of the heroes as well. The boys put on a brave face in front of the girls, but their hands were trembling, and the girls had tears welling in their eyes.
After all, it was essentially being told we couldn't return to our original world.
I wanted to be alone, so I gently turned down Amelia’s offer to stay the night and used guard duty as an excuse to go out onto the deck.
Even though Amelia had promised, even though she’s the divine child, it would be difficult to oppose something called a “taboo.” Resurrection was only permitted for those who had died within two days. Even if traveling between worlds were allowed, there would probably be some limitation. For example, maybe only one person could return.
I want to go home. At first I was just glad to escape the cramped school life, the studies I didn’t want to do, and the honestly tough part‑time job. And this was the sword‑and‑magic world I’d dreamed about — the fantasy I used to imagine to escape a harsh reality. But the more I live here, the more I realize this isn’t my world. Thoughts of my family back home pop into my head at odd times.
“I wonder how Mom and Yui are doing…”
There’s no guarantee that time flows the same in this world as in ours. The best outcome would be returning to the exact moment we disappeared, with nothing changed and this world relegated to mere memory. The worst is the Urashima Taro syndrome: coming back to find your family dead and hundreds of years having passed. The thought of returning to a world centuries later chills me. If that’s the case, staying here might be better. In any event, dragging Amelia back would be hard. Thinking back on our journey so far, she stands out. Her appearance can’t be hidden by a simple disguise, and her pointed ears can’t be concealed either. In a world where only the Human race is recognized but fiction exists, anyone would immediately notice she’s an elf. At best she’d be an experimental guinea pig; at worst they’d execute her on the spot.
No — I don’t even know yet whether we can go home.
“...If you want to talk instead of just standing there, come closer.”
I said that to the human who had been giving me annoying looks.
The hero Tsukasa stepped out timidly from the shadows. Kyousuke stood beside him.
“So we were found out after all.”
Kyousuke came over to my side with his usual nonchalant air, but Tsukasa looked unsettled and came to stand on the other side of Kyousuke.
No one started a conversation; we just watched the sea as if moving slowly. Even though the scenery had the same colors as back home, the huge shadow reflected on the surface — as large as this ship — had a jagged silhouette unlike anything from our world.
“We really are in another world, huh.”
Tsukasa, who had been watching as well, murmured.
I was a bit surprised at the remark, but I agreed.
It wasn’t that I didn’t feel like we’d come to another world, but somewhere in my mind the notion lingered that if we could just reach the ending like in a fantasy game or novel, we’d be able to go home.
My reason for wanting to go to the Demon Clan territory was triggered when I saw the magic circle in the boss room where Yoru had been in the Cantinen Labyrinth. In the Brute Labyrinth we met Demon Clan members who used magic circles. Perhaps Yoru had been lured by a message entrusted by the Demon King to “wait at the Demon King’s Castle.” I don’t know when the Demon King switched to wanting to eliminate me, or whether it was Aurum’s berserk state that declared my death.
From Lord Lattice Nail’s words, I learned the Demon King’s aim was the resurrection of his dead wife. The reason he targeted Amelia was probably because of revival magic or her immeasurable magical power capacity. If that’s so, why aim at me? Yoru’s message addressed me directly, so it probably wasn’t merely because I was accompanying Amelia. The thought that came to mind was shadow magic that moves on its own and manipulates my body, but...