What was that? What on earth was that just now?

Up until the middle, the battle was evenly matched. A rather crude Sword Energy for a Royal Knights Commander. Perhaps because he had lost one eye, the openings were too apparent.

However, at some point, the Commander’s figure suddenly vanished. By the time he realized it, his arm was already severed. Soon after, his arms and legs dropped to the ground.

Ironically, only after Comprachico had his limbs severed could he regain a little bit of calmness. It was true that seeing that man made him boil with anger.

At least he was no longer blinded by rage and could think. Calmly swallowing his anger, Comprachico began to reason slowly.

The most important issue.

Did the Commander deliberately cut off his limbs?

No, that couldn’t be it. The current Commander didn’t seem in a position to have that kind of leisure. Instead, he looked like he was about to collapse any moment. That meant a significant expenditure of power.

It seems Blood Demon’s status wasn’t taken as a game of rock-paper-scissors. Not difficult to figure out that fact, Comprachico quickly prepared his next move. Death itself wasn’t that terrifying.

What was frightening was the thought of disappearing just like that without leaving anything behind. So, at least for the finale, he would gift them a stage that everyone would remember.

The Hero defeats the Villain.

In a cliché storyline where everyone lived happily ever after.

In reality, a delightful twist where that Hero had fallen.

Of course, he couldn’t move. His limbs had been severed, after all. Just limbs, mind you. A flute that had fallen somewhere touched his mouth. That flute was one with Comprachico.

Even without arms and legs, controlling it was easier than eating rice cakes while lying down. Moreover, the current Royal Knights Commander was in no condition to move, the power consumption was simply too great.

Eventually, the flute that reached Comprachico’s mouth started to emit sound again. But that was brief. Soon the sound ceased. Someone had forcefully grabbed and removed the flute.

‘Could it be that the Commander reacted?’

He didn’t seem to have that kind of leisure. Doubting his judgment, Comprachico lifted his head and encountered something beyond imagination. It was sitting above him.

A girl, twirling one leg, supporting her temple with a clenched fist while looking down arrogantly. Beneath her white hair were two eyes.

One was a white pupil that seemed empty. However, conversely, the other was a black pupil that looked very much like an ordinary human. What was this, what on earth was this?

“Hello?”

“……”

“I have something I dislike.”

The girl smiled, showing her opposite hand’s clenched fist instead of the one supporting her head. Then, just like that, Comprachico’s head burst like a watermelon, spilling fragments.

“One of those is being ignored.”

“Gah…!!”

“Are you finally thinking of being a little courteous?”

“I-I’m sorry. I had no intention to ignore you.”

That was sincerity, not a pathetic excuse. His mind couldn’t keep up with the suddenly unfolding situation, so he simply could not respond with a voice. And even now, it was no different.

He was dead.

There was no falsehood about that fact.

Literally, he just died as his head exploded. The unforgettable pain still lingered in his mind, torturing Comprachico. Yet now, he was alive.

Though he couldn’t move, he was still alive, breathing, and could even speak. In a situation beyond cognition, all he could do was respond earnestly to the words of the existence in front of him.

“Who are you?”

“You don’t seem to show any signs of fear?”

“I’m only afraid of ignorance and oblivion.”

“Well, let’s see. How shall I explain… You all seem to call me Time?”

“That’s quite the amusing joke. So why did this ‘Time’ come to speak to me?”

With polite words came an improper tone. An overtly mocking demeanor, but the girl did not mind. The fact that he wasn’t afraid of death was rather to her liking.

“You did the one thing I hate the most. Not just once, but twice.”

“The thing you hate the most?”

“I absolutely detest those who covet my belongings. I want to kill them terribly badly.”

Her words seemed no empty threats. Now, her black pupil blazed with intense anger. Not just once but twice; so that’s it. This was something that was attached to that Commander.

“However, I found you particularly interesting. So apologize. Then I’ll make sure to kill you without too much pain.”

“That’s a foolish question. I don’t have the slightest regret for anything I’ve done.”

“That’s why I like you. A stupid fool choosing the thorny path all on his own.”

The girl clenched her fist. Then Comprachico’s remaining body began to crumble to dust. Even though he felt the pain of his body turning to dust, he continued to smile.

What I fear the most is.

Losing my smile.

Yes, just that alone.

*

Cough.

In the end, unable to hold it in, a clump of blood spurted from my mouth. The time I could maintain Time Acceleration was at most about a minute. Even that was nearly impossible to manipulate as I wished.

What I could do now was merely determine the direction to move. Controlling the speed of Time Acceleration and refining its precision was far too insufficient at this moment.

However, it was a welcome thing to have one more card to play. Of course, for now, I could only use it for a minute, and after that, I’d be rendered completely unable to fight.

“…What’s that?”

However, I had come to definitely end it, and yet, Comprachico was not present. To be precise, only the dust that appeared to be Comprachico remained.

I silently reached out to touch that dust. It looked like limestone dust. Nothing particularly special. And there was only a worn metallic pendant left behind.

Opening the pendant’s lid, there was a small picture. It seemed to depict something meaningful, like it was drawn by a child. Just from it, one could tell it included an adult and a child.

One peculiar fact was that the adult male had an overly large smile on his face. On the contrary, the child did not have a smile. What on earth could this picture symbolize?

Was it saying that Comprachico had some kind of story? No, that was not a story but merely an excuse. I coldly closed the pendant. After all, he had crossed the line.

“But this might be worth investigating.”

The biggest question was Comprachico’s identity. Although there had been no detailed settings revealed regarding Demons, looking at this pendant, he appeared nothing but human.

What if, in fact, he was not a being that came down from the Demon Realm? What if Comprachico had been human who turned into a Demon? Of course, I had never seen such a setting.

That kind of bait had never appeared in the game. But there was always a possibility. I took Comprachico’s pendant with me. And then I sat down on the ground. My legs gave out.

“I’m going crazy.”

“Teacher…!!!”

“Helia?”

“Are you okay?!”

Fortunately, thanks to Helia rushing over, I could avoid losing consciousness on the ground. Although it felt a bit embarrassing to be supported by a 13-year-old kid.

Right now, my physical condition was so bad that I could hardly manage that. Time Acceleration should be reserved for a last resort. If I used it recklessly and the opponent didn’t die?

Then I’d be the one to die, just like that. Anyway, I got support from Helia and joined her and the others. As soon as Cluna saw me, she immediately began healing. Thanks to that, I survived.

“It’s about the impact of running into a horse at full gallop. Living with a human body at this point is quite a feat.”

“Is it really that severe?”

“Yes, to be honest… It feels like I’m barely forcing my breath to keep from dying.”

“…I see, I appreciate your honest opinion.”

Using abilities related to time can be painful. But at least it meant I wouldn’t die. I let out a deep sigh. Just a minute of usage, and that was the kind of penalty?

Now, maintaining my sanity was becoming difficult. I looked at my hand. The hand that held onto the pendant had become limply spread out. Huh, where did the pendant go…?

I didn’t know. I was too sleepy to think about that. I closed my eyes. I could hear someone shouting around me. But it was too exhausting to respond.

Thus, I lost consciousness.