"Kiska, do you know where Demon Lord Zoga is?"
"Yeah, I know."
"Good. In that case, let's split up from here. Kiska, go find Sage Nyau. We'll take care of Demon Lord Zoga in the meantime."
"Ah, got it."
Looking back, I realized I had never encountered Nyau in the dungeon, so I didn't know where she was. I asked Agetha, and she roughly told me where Sage Nyau might be. After parting ways with Agetha and the others, I headed towards the possible location of Sage Nyau.
"Ugh, where is everyone!"
From a distance, I could see Sage Nyau anxiously exploring the dungeon.
This is nerve-wracking.
Given the events of the previous timeline, I couldn't help but feel some resistance to meeting Sage Nyau face-to-face. Well, she probably doesn't remember anything, so maybe I should casually approach her.
"Hey, so this is where you've been."
I raised a hand and approached Nyau.
"Oh, finally joined up with someone else… Wait, isn't it Kiska, the least reliable one?"
"Hey, don't judge people by their looks."
"But Kiska, you're the weakest among us, right?"
"Well, yeah, that's true, but…"
Is this person always this unpleasant? In the previous timeline, she was so cute… Well, she's still undeniably cute now.
"Anyway, let's go. The others are waiting."
"Huh!? Have the others already gathered?"
"Well, yeah."
I nodded, feeling a twinge of guilt for misleading her. After all, there was no scene like what Nyau imagined.
"Alright, we shouldn't waste time. Kiska, please lead the way!"
With Nyau in tow, I headed towards where Agetha and the others were waiting.
"Hey, Nyau."
"What is it?"
"By the time we arrive, there's a high chance that the Demon Lord will have been defeated."
"Really? Could it be that Hero Eligion is currently in the midst of a battle with the Demon Lord?"
"No, that's not it."
"Huh? Then who is going to defeat the Demon Lord?"
"It's Agetha."
"Agetha, you say?"
"Hero Agetha. Unlike Hero Eligion, she's a genuine hero."
"Um…"
Nyau wore a puzzled expression.
Well, that's understandable.
I had explained in advance to Nyau that meeting Agetha suddenly would be confusing, but it would still be challenging for her to believe.
"I know it's hard to believe, but it's the truth. Just be prepared for it, for now."
"U-Understood."
Though still bewildered, Nyau nodded.
For now, this was probably the best I could do.
"Sorry about this. I wish I could be more helpful to you, but it might not be possible this time."
"Well… it's not like I need your help or anything."
"That's true."
I chuckled.
Indeed, Nyau was much stronger than me. It was only natural that she didn't need my assistance.
◆
Navigated by Kiska inside the dungeon, Sage Nyau walked alongside him. While walking, there was no particular conversation between Nyau and Kiska. Kiska was a person Nyau had just met, so she didn't feel inclined to initiate a conversation.
"Oh…"
Having spotted a monster, Nyau spoke up. It was a Headless Mule. With her magical abilities, she could easily defeat that monster. So, Nyau readied her rod and began chanting a spell to take it down.
A thud sound echoed. What was that sound? Nyau turned around.
"Kugooo!!"
There, a Headless Mule roared triumphantly. It seemed there was another monster hidden behind her. This was bad, and Nyau panicked. If they got this close, avoiding an attack would be difficult. Therefore, Nyau hastily switched to a different magic to use healing spells that would allow her to return to the front lines even if she took damage.
A sensation of floating hit Nyau. She realized she had been embraced by Kiska the next moment. Kiska, holding Nyau, skillfully wielded a sword with his free hand, cutting down the monsters one by one. Apparently, with Kiska's power, handling these kinds of monsters was no issue at all. So, Nyau decided to trust herself to Kiska's arms and relaxed. While looking at Kiska's face, she thought his eyelashes were long.
"Nyau, are you okay?"
Kiska, relieved that the battle had ended without incident, gently lowered Nyau to the ground.
"Yes, thanks to you. I appreciate it."
Surely, if it weren't for Kiska, Nyau would have been injured. That's why Nyau expressed gratitude.
Then, for some reason, Kiska seemed reluctant to let go of Nyau's hair, touching it as if savoring the moment.
"I'm glad. Your cute face remains unharmed."
Saying this, Kiska released Nyau's hand.
"Phew."
While giving a vague response, Nyau suddenly thought, "Was I just called cute?"
At that moment, Nyau became aware of the rapid beating of her own heart.
(Huh? Why am I getting excited about something like this?)
(It's just a little help, and I was just called cute.) For Nyau, it's a trivial matter. Despite knowing this, the heartbeat only intensified.
She had no way of knowing.
The reason it had come to this.