Now then, let me file my report on the return.
Eris might be approaching her due date and feeling fragile.
She does have a tendency to get mentally down sometimes.
I decided to have Zanoba drop by my place first.
I needed to hand over Julie.
I could have kept her at my house for a while, but Julie would probably be happier staying with Zanoba.
Incidentally, Ginger was already scurrying around looking for lodging for Zanoba.
If he could just use the university dormitory, that would be ideal...
He had submitted a withdrawal form, but maybe he could re-enroll?
He was only a few months from graduation—it would be a waste to throw that away.
If I asked Geinus, couldn't he work something out?
I was pretty sure that even after graduation, some people stayed on at the Magic University to continue research as members of the Magic Guild.
"In any case, Zanoba. I'm counting on you going forward as well."
"And likewise."
Above all else, Zanoba would continue to be by my side from now on.
That was cause for celebration.
The研究 of the magic armor could progress, and I wouldn't have to give up on selling the dolls either.
Zanoba had lost his home and everything else, but if it came to that, I could even lend him the money.
Lending and borrowing money was the source of all trouble, but I wouldn't mind giving it to Zanoba if it came to that.
As I was thinking this, in the blink of an eye, we arrived at my home.
The trellis wrapped around the gateposts, the green roof.
From top to bottom, my house exuded an eco-friendly, low-impact lifestyle atmosphere.
As I approached the gate, Beetle opened it for me as usual.
"Well then, let's hope Julie hasn't been causing any trouble for Master's family."
"Julie's just fine. She gets along great with Aisha too..."
Whoosh!
The instant I stepped onto the property grounds, I heard the sound of something cutting through the air.
I knew immediately what the sound was.
After all, I'd heard it thousands and tens of thousands of times.
This was the sound of practice swings.
Had Norn come back home?
Whoosh!
No—though even so, Norn had gotten remarkably good at producing a clean sound.
I hadn't been able to watch her swordsmanship recently, but back when I was teaching her, it was more of a *buzzzz* and a *vroooom* kind of sound.
The current sound was a clean *whoosh*.
The sound of a sword running perfectly straight.
Even I would have trouble producing a sound like that.
This sound was just like Eris's—
Then, when I looked toward the source of the sound, I couldn't believe my eyes.
A woman was swinging the old stone practice sword I'd made years ago.
Her hair was bright red, as if someone had splashed primary-colored paint all over it.
An incredibly heavy stone sword, held in one hand, swung with effortless ease.
A pregnant woman.
Eris.
"Oh my, Rudeus. Welcome back. You're late, you know."
"Wh-wh-what are you doing, Eris?!"
I rushed over to her in a panic.
This was bad.
She was practically due any day now!
I mean, she was swinging it like it weighed nothing, but it was still heavy...
If she tensed up her stomach...
Her stomach.
"Huh?"
Eris's belly was... trim.
Slender.
Where had my baby gone?
"Huh?"
I reached out to touch it.
Wow—a six-pack.
And a defined waistline at that.
This was not the belly of any pregnant woman I knew.
"What the—?"
What was going on?
Had Eris's iron-hard six-pack somehow compressed the baby into a compact package...?
What the hell.
No—there was still time to panic. Maybe the baby had just been pushed down lower.
"Down here?"
"What do you think you're doing?!"
I grabbed her backside, and she decked me.
I hit the ground on my butt and looked up.
Standing over me with feet shoulder-width apart, arms crossed, and chin jutting upward, Eris looked down at me imperiously.
She declared flatly:
"I gave birth!"
"What?"
I answered reflexively.
There was only one possible answer, wasn't there?
"A baby!"
"Who?"
"Me, of course!"
Eris had.
Given birth.
To a child.
"............"
I sat cross-legged on the ground.
"So, um... approximately when did this happen...?"
"Ten days ago! It was late at night, but it worked out!"
Ten days ago.
What had I been doing?
Right—I'd been in the Sword Kingdom.
At the inn, probably, that day, with Roxy...
No—that wasn't the point.
So that meant...
"I... I didn't make it back in time for the birth...?"
"That's right! If you'd come back just a little sooner, you could have been there. What a shame!"
Eris said this with a smug look on her face.
In a voice that practically said, *I handled it just fine on my own, thank you very much.*
What should I do?
Should I prostrate myself?
It wasn't like I'd done anything wrong, exactly.
I had considered this possibility from the start, after all.
Still, I was overwhelmed with guilt.
"Wh-what's wrong...? Aren't you happy?"
When I hesitated, Eris furrowed her brows.
As if I could not be happy.
"I am happy, but... it's a bit complicated..."
"Oh! Right, of course—it's a boy! His name is Ars, after the legendary hero of the human race!"
But was I really allowed to be happy?
I had failed Orsted's mission.
Zanoba's brother, Pax, was dead.
By the skin of my teeth, but still—a failure through and through.
Was I really supposed to just be happy, receiving this joyful news out of nowhere, when I alone bore this weight?
"Master!"
While I was wavering, the front door burst open.
A small figure with orange hair came flying out of the entrance.
The figure headed straight for—behind me.
Toward Zanoba.
She was about to leap at him, stumbled, and ended up clinging to his thigh.
"Oh, Julie! My disciple, you've returned!"
Zanoba slid his hands under Julie's arms and lifted her up to his eye level.
Julie's eyes spilled tears in a steady stream as she gripped tightly onto Zanoba's sleeve.
"Julie! Julie has been waiting for Master's return!"
"Mm."
A tearful reunion.
So moving that it was almost as if our family had been bullying the poor girl.
The next instant, Julie uttered words that could only be described as a bombshell.
"Julie! Julie adores Master!"
"Oh, is that so? I hadn't realized—"
"Please—please, never leave me behind again! When it's time to die, please let me be at your side!"
It was a cry that bordered on anguish.
A cry that made it crystal clear just how much Julie had worried about Zanoba behind the scenes of this whole affair.
Zanoba wore a stunned expression for a moment,
but then a soft smile spread across his face.
"...Mm. Rest easy. From now on, we shall always be together."
"Maas-teeeerr!"
When Julie burst into tears, Zanoba gently pressed her face against his shoulder.
Zanoba himself, too, looked unmistakably happy.
Right.
Pax was dead, the mission had failed, and we'd lost to the Man-God.
But we'd come home alive.
All of us—me, Zanoba, Roxy, and Ginger.
Not a single person was missing.
Let's be happy.
You're allowed to be happy.
"Eris!"
I didn't fight the surge of emotion that welled up inside me.
I pulled Eris into an embrace and kissed her.
Eris was startled, but she responded.
She hugged me back and kissed me in return.
When I ran my hand down her back and grabbed her bottom, she pinned my shoulders and kissed me more deeply.
When I slipped my hands forward to cup her breasts, she decked me and introduced my face to the ground.
"You went too far!"
"Sorry!"
"Whoa!"
I sprang to my feet immediately and scooped Eris up in a princess carry.
I couldn't just stand around here.
I had to go see my child's face right away.
"So, where is he? The boy—where?"
"Inside the house!"
For once, Eris didn't resist. She wrapped her arms around my neck.
And pointed toward the house.
"Hmm—Master!"
"What is it, Zanoba?"
"Let's leave things here for today! We'll meet again another time! Please give my regards to Roxy as well!"
"Right!"
With that brief exchange, Zanoba turned on his heel.
He clearly had no intention of intruding on a family reunion.
I charged into the house myself.
Through the entryway and into the living room.
There, two girls sat on the sofa.
Holding a single baby between them.
"Look, look, Norn! He smiled! He just smiled!"
"Aisha, Aisha, let me hold him too."
"Gently, gently. Support his neck."
"I know, I know—I've held Lucy and Lara before... Oh, he's grabbing for my chest. Is he hungry?"
"Maybe~? He is Rudeus's kid after all~"
"A baby wouldn't do something like that!"
Two fourteen-year-olds were holding my baby and chattering excitedly.
My sisters. Holding my son.
...That came out sounding weird.
"...Eris, let me down for a second."
"Okay."
The moment I set Eris on the floor, my sisters noticed me.
They looked up and beamed.
"Oh, welcome home, big brother."
"Welcome back, Rudeus."
They were smiling.
Both my sisters were smiling.
And seeing that, I suddenly thought of Pax's face.
I remembered his wry, utterly resigned smile.
"Roxy told us everything. It must have been terrible."
"Norn, never mind that—look!"
"Oh, right... Here, big brother. This is your son, Ars."
I took the baby from Norn.
This was Ars.
Red hair. Eyes just like Eris's.
It didn't feel real.
Maybe because I hadn't been there for the moment he was born.
An uneasy feeling reared its head.
The baby looked at me and reached out with his tiny hand, touching the area around my chest.
He patted at it gently, as if feeling for something soft.
But my chest was hard.
"Agyah! Agaaa!"
He started crying immediately.
And at the same instant, the unease vanished, replaced by a wave of relief that spread through my entire body.
Ah—there was no mistaking it.
This boy was my child. Paul's grandson.
"Huh? Ars, that's your papa over there, okay? He's not a stranger!"
"B-big brother, are you alright?"
Aisha and Norn looked at me with concern.
They had been holding my baby, calling him "cute."
Holding him with smiles on their faces.
They loved him.
Surely the two of them loved me as well. As family.
I thought of Pax.
He had been killed.
Zanoba had no children, but Zanoba's other siblings had families.
His older brother's children, his younger brother's children...
I had killed them all.
I hadn't been able to love them.
I hadn't loved them.
I hadn't been loved.
Oh.
Perhaps Zanoba had wanted exactly this kind of relationship with Pax.
"...!"
The moment I realized it, tears streamed down my face.
"Hey! Why are you crying?"
"Yeah, I just... started tearing up."
"Oh, honestly—you're hopeless. Here, let me hold him. He'll stop crying when I hold him..."
"No..."
I shook my head like a child and sat down between Aisha and Norn, still cradling my son.
For a while, I just cried alongside my baby.
Why couldn't I have acknowledged Pax to the very end?
Why hadn't I noticed sooner what Zanoba felt toward Pax?
I should have been able to pick up on Pax's feelings...
Hearing my sobs, footsteps came down from the second floor.
A moment later, Sylphie appeared in the living room alongside Roxy, who was holding Lucy and Lara.
Lilia and Zenis must have been in the kitchen—they came in too.
Sylphie had surely heard what happened from Roxy.
Seeing me crying, she said nothing and simply stroked my head.
Lucy imitated her, climbing onto my knee and patting my head too.
"Goodness, Rudeus, you really are a crybaby..."
Finally, Eris stroked my head as well.
Everyone was so kind.
"Aisha... Norn..."
Through my tears, I spoke to my two sisters.
"No matter what happens, I'm on your side... If you're ever in trouble, don't hesitate—come to me. I know you might think I'm not much, but I'll absolutely do everything in my power to help..."
The two exchanged glances.
In fact, right now they were wearing expressions that said, "You're the one we're worried about, since you can't stop crying."
This was bad.
Like this, they might not come to me when it really mattered.
"Okay, we understand."
"Yes, got it."
But they nodded.
Thank goodness.
My family was going to be fine.
*Sniff.*
I sniffled and looked at Roxy and Lara.
Lara was in Roxy's arms, wearing her usual defiant expression.
It was true—this time, there had been no real danger to my life.
But without Roxy, I would have been in trouble.
No matter how strong my resolve, I was still weak.
If she hadn't been by my side, I might have broken down halfway through.
Roxy really was dependable.
And the one who had let Roxy come along was Lara.
Roxy, and Lara.
I could never thank the two of them enough for this.
"Roxy... thank you for everything."
"You too, Rudeus. You worked hard."
Above all else, it was over.
This time had been painful.
Doubting things I didn't need to doubt, wearing myself down mentally.
Bottling up nothing but stress, unable to even follow Orsted's orders.
Pax had died.
It had been like a nightmare.
But that nightmare was over.
Starting tomorrow, new events would await.
And before those came, there were things I needed to say.
"Everyone, listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you."
That day, I told my family everything about the Man-God.
About the Man-God, about Orsted.
About the two of them fighting, and about everything up to now.
About how Lara might be the觇世主, about why I was cooperating with Orsted—the details of it all.
Having told them everything, I asked for their help.
When the time came, I wanted them to lend their strength to me—and to Orsted.
Every member of my family nodded.
Eris and Sylphie and Roxy, needless to say.
Norn and Aisha, too, though they were bewildered.
Even Lucy, without fully understanding, put on a serious face and nodded firmly.
I felt a weight lift from my shoulders.
Now the only secret I had left was that I had been reincarnated from another world.
I was back where I started.
---
■
Let me organize what I knew.
First—the steps needed to defeat the Man-God.
To reach the Man-God, five treasures passed down through the Dragon Race were required.
Five treasures created by the ancient Dragon Race.
Each of the Five Dragon Generals possessed one, and the door to the Man-God's location could only be opened through the Dragon God's secret arts.
Future me had realized in despair that no matter what he did, he could never obtain the last one.
That last treasure was most likely the one Laplace possessed.
Given Orsted's words—that Laplace had to be killed—I could infer that it was obtained in exchange for the Five Dragon Generals' lives.
The Dragon King of Chaos was already dead.
Orsted must have killed him.
Meaning that one had been recovered.
That left four Dragon Generals.
The "Holy Dragon Emperor" Chilled.
The "Nether Dragon King" Maxwell.
The "Armor Dragon King" Perugius.
The "Demon Dragon King" Laplace.
Perhaps Chilled and Maxwell were already dead as well.
Orsted wouldn't tell me about that sort of thing.
But I would take it as consideration for my feelings—regarding the act of "killing even one's own allies," or perhaps his own guilt.
It wasn't as though my relationship with Perugius was bad, either...
In any case.
To obtain those five treasures, Laplace's resurrection was absolutely necessary.
Laplace would be resurrected through the method of reincarnation.
He would be born as an infant.
Orsted had planned to identify him at birth and kill Laplace like crushing an insect.
But that plan had failed.
Laplace had been reborn in a place beyond anyone's knowledge and launched a war against humanity.
To fight through that war, kill Laplace, and obtain the treasure—
Even for Orsted, it would be an exhausting ordeal.
So exhausting that it would hamper the subsequent battle against the Man-God.
Therefore, this loop was a failure.
That was what Orsted had said.
But I didn't sense any resignation from him.
He was clearly deflated, yet he hadn't given up.
Thinking about it, it seemed like Orsted had anticipated this situation.
For example, the matter of Ariel.
He had told me that one hundred years from now, the Kingdom of Asura would fall into crisis.
If Ariel became queen, that crisis could be averted.
He had said something about talent produced by the Kingdom of Asura after that, but there was a high probability he was also thinking ahead to when Laplace's war broke out.
The Kingdom of Asura—the largest nation in the world.
If it resisted Laplace for a long time and wore down his forces,
that would also limit Orsted's own消耗.
Or perhaps Orsted, from the moment he detected my existence,
had considered the possibility that Laplace might not be reborn where he expected.
My very existence could have already thrown the flags out of alignment—there was every chance of that.
Why had the Man-God intervened to prevent it?
That question surfaced, but I quickly dismissed it.
Thinking about it, the Man-God couldn't see Orsted, yet had long treated the Dragon God as an enemy.
The one who had waved the banner of anti-Man-God resistance for the longest time was Laplace.
Orsted was going to resurrect Laplace and do something with him.
If within the hundred-some years since Orsted began his loops, the Man-God caught wind of that through some chance, it made sense that he would try to stop it.
Whatever the Dragon God was aiming for could only be harmful to the Man-God.
Regardless—from here on, we were stepping onto a path somewhat different from the history Orsted knew.
No more traveling the world at Orsted's beck and call, setting up flags.
That was finished. With the schedule thrown into chaos, none of that held meaning anymore.
Laplace would be resurrected.
War would break out.
Unless Laplace was defeated, we could never reach the Man-God.
And if Orsted was completely spent, even reaching the Man-God wouldn't help.
So—there was Zanoba's proposal.
I would gather companions.
Separate from Orsted, move freely, and build up our fighting strength.
For the war that would come in eighty or a hundred years.
Organize those who opposed the Man-God, and gather allies—or lay the groundwork—to support Orsted in defeating Laplace.
I would build Orsted's army.
Most likely, before the battle began, my lifespan would run out.
But if I left behind comrades, an organization, and my will, then surely Orsted would one day overthrow the Man-God.
That would be the guiding principle of my remaining life.
End of Chapter 20: Youth Arc — Zanoba Chapter
Next Chapter: Chapter 21: Youth Arc — Cliff Chapter