CH 158

“…… What! What is this place!?”

Lunaritia, who had left her body behind and entered the Demon King’s body, involuntarily screamed at the situation she found herself in. She found herself floating in a pitch-dark world. This alien sensation was completely different from the one she had experienced when she entered Ed’s body.

Or rather, the state of being inside Ed was, in Lunaritia’s view, like “being in a stuffed animal that could not move freely”. She could see exactly what Ed was seeing, and she could feel what he touched.

It was not as if she could read his mind, but she could at least sense his emotions, and if she closed her eyes, she could probably put his consciousness to sleep.

However, the situation she was in now was fundamentally different from back then. Was it because she had entered the body of a huge vessel called the Demon King, or was it because Ed was special in some way? For a moment, Lunaritia entertained such a doubt, but she quickly discarded it.

“That’s not important right now, I must hurry!”

Fortunately, in this state, she can recognize her own form just like usual. She briefly thought that it would be unpleasant if she was naked since she was in her conscious form, but it seemed that she was wearing the same clothes as she had been outside, so that was not a problem. Then, when Lunaritia directed her consciousness towards her little finger, she could see a single red thread extending into the darkness from there.

“Okay, okay, we’re connected.”　　

The [Promise Link] used by Lunaritia will not disappear as long as the subject exists. In other words, even if it dies, it will not disappear until the soul is purified in order to travel to the next life.

Even so, it’s common sense to think that bringing the dead back to life is impossible, but Lunaria knows that they are not ordinary beings. Even if their bodies were lost, they believed that they could regenerate their flesh as long as they could bring their consciousness or soul back to that <White World> they knew of…. That’s why she was able to live her days after the communication was cut off without crying her heart out.

“Wait for me, Ed. I’ll find you soon and help you.”

To use spirit magic, the first step is to clearly visualize that the ground “exists”. After creating a solid feeling under her feet, Lunaritia began to walk, following the thread. As she walked on, brushing away with her hand the black miasma that seemed to be blocking her way, and soon noticed fragments connected to the thread lying at her feet.

“…This? Is this Ed?”

There it was, a palm-sized thin shard with a reflection of a landscape she had never seen before. She crouched down and gently touched the fragment, and at that moment, Lunaritia’s consciousness was transported to another place.

*******

“Enough, you worthless piece of shit!”

“I-I’m sorry ……’

In the middle of the forest, two men were facing each other. The one shouting was a handsome swordsman wearing shining armor, while the one being scolded was a seemingly unreliable young man. His pathetic attitude of groveling and fawning seems to irritate even those who were watching them from afar, and the other two people who were observing them also had annoyed expressions towards the young man.

[…Ed?]

Lunaritia, who was floating in the air and looking down at the scene as if she were a ghost, recognized the young man’s face. It was a very different impression from the Ed she knew, but even so, there was no way she could have mistaken the face of the person she had come to save.

“I brought you along because you insisted so stubbornly! If you cause any more trouble, go back to town right away!”

“No, no, no, that’s a bit …… please! I’ll do anything, just let me accompany you on your journey for a little while longer!”

Ed desperately clinged to the man who yelled at him. The man glared at Ed as if he were looking at something dirty,……, but it seems foolish to even bother with him anymore, and the man started walking away with his friends. Ed desperately follows them, carrying a large package on his back.

[Is this Ed before he met me? No, chronologically it would be after he met me, but …… hmm?]

Lunaritia had previously heard from Ed that the world she and Alexis were in was always the first world Ed would visit. If that was the case, then this world must be one that she hadn’t visited yet, but it was a world that existed after she met Ed. However, Ed’s impression was too different from what she expected.

The current Ed, and of course the Ed she saw in her dream world….. Compared to the Ed she met in that world where Alexis let him escape and couldn’t defeat the Demon King, Ed’s attitude still seemed too resigned.

[What is it? Oh, by any chance, does this mean that this is Ed before he got the banishment skill?]

Then Lunaritia remembered a story Ed had told her earlier. He said that before the Demon King’s power returned, in a state where he was really only a human being, Ed had been repeating that world for a mind-boggling number of years.

Then is this it? Since there was nothing in particular she could do, Lunaritia simply continued to watch Ed’s journey while floating silently in the sky, but it was far more demanding than she had imagined.

“You Fool!”

“Gah!”

A man in impressive equipment…The Hero of this world kicked Ed to the ground, and if this scene were taken out of context, it would seem extremely unfair. However, in reality, there was more to the situation.

“You bastard, what the hell are you!? What do you want? The fame of being a member of the hero party? There’s no way we’ll accept you as a comrade just because you forced yourself to come with us! Just leave already!”

“….I don’t intend to do that. I just want to travel with you all….”

‘That’s why I said it’s impossible! It’s true that I didn’t abandon you because I am a Hero…No I couldn’t abandon you. But my patience has reached its limits!”

Ed’s existence was a burden to everyone, as anyone could see. Everyone, including Ed himself, was aware of this fact. Despite this, his desperate clinging to the hero party gave the impression that he was a nuisance who had forcibly attached himself in order to gain the reputation of being active as part of the hero party, as the hero had pointed out.

“Everyone is annoyed! We have to defeat the Demon King, but because of you, we can’t make progress on our journey! You’re putting your own interests first by inconveniencing not only us but the whole world! Shame on you!”

“Hehehe…..”

Ed dismisses the hero’s words, which were spat out as if they were disgusted, with a faint smile. Although he was desperate, he lacked sincerity, and while he understood, he did not agree.

“……………………Che”

As the hero left with animosity, Ed wiped the blood that had trickled from his cut mouth due to being kicked, and followed after him.

Who would feel sympathy for Ed when they see this scene? Ed, who has been causing trouble for the Heroes for his own greed, was disliked even by the townspeople. He was not only subjected to blatant scorn on a daily basis, but also to having water poured over his head, being served food that was apparently unpalatable, and being forced to stay in a stable by himself.

But that didn’t stop Ed from accompanying the Heroes. No matter how much ill will was hurled at him, he continued to be part of the “Hero’s party” with a foolish smile on his face.

Yes, these were Ed’s original days. This was the price that a man with no power was forced to pay in order to accompany a hero, the only means to fulfill a pure wish that no one could deny, to return to the world where he was born, from the world where he was kidnapped for no reason.

And even that was all a hoax. Even if he could endure all these days and cross 100 worlds, what awaited him was to have his memory erased and to start over from the beginning. No matter how much he endured, no matter how much he persevered, there was no hope beyond that point.

One of thousands, tens of thousands, and hundreds of millions of loops. When Ed was “expelled” from the Hero’s party after being confronted with a sword for the last time, he was released into the forest and attacked by a demonic beast that he could not possibly compete with.

Lunaritia, unable to do anything about it, continued to watch until the end as Ed’s figure disappeared into the light, crying and laughing at the fact that he was one step closer to returning home, even though his limbs had been eaten off.