Chapter 576: Side: ???

『Hey, buddy, what’s wrong?』

「Oji-chan, I think they have arrived」

『They’re finally here, huh…?』

My partner, who had better detection abilities than me, was staring out the window of the inn.

It was already nighttime. The stars were shining bright in the sky, and the curtain of darkness had fallen.

But I was sure that my partner could feel it. He could feel the presence of the many people within the darkness of the night.

Not many people had that ability, even for an E-ranked adventurer. In particular, his ability to sense presences and danger had grown remarkably as a result of struggling on his own for years.

On the other hand, my ability to sense things had dropped significantly since I got into my current body. I guess it was because my survival instincts and intuition had been dulled. However, I am now able to sense things that I couldn’t sense before.

I focused my attention to look for any presence. Even though I don’t have the same accuracy as my partner, I could still sense the presences if I concentrated.

And Indeed, I could feel the presence of a large number of people outside the town.

They were finally here, huh?

10 years… It felt like it had been a long time, but it also feels like a blink of an eye. But I couldn’t turn back time, so I had to be prepared.

『It looks like Romio was also there』

「Yeah. But he’s crying like a baby as if he doesn’t know what’s going on, which is annoying」

An annoyed look showed up on my partner’s face as he spoke about Romio.

『Don’t say that. It’s normal for someone of his age, right? For a child like that, all he sees must be new to him』

「You’re right…」

『There’s also that damned High Elves near Romio』

I guess it was just like before, huh? I’ve brought Magnolia’s bloodline with me in case of emergency.

We were the ones who leaked the information about Romio and Zelos Reed to lure that High Elf. We thought it would be better than them being captured by Zelyse and treated as lab rats.

But was this really the right thing to do? That High Elves also had her eyes on the sealing technique that resided within Romeo after all.

At this rate, we’ll just end up in the same situation as before… But we had prepared to prevent that from happening, so we should be fine.

「As expected of a High Elf, her presence is so tremendous」

『I’d like to beat her to death, but It’s impossible for us now』

「She’s too strong. I just realized how monstrous a High Elf is at my age」

『…』

She had killed my previous partner before, and now, she might kill my new partner too.

But I must prevent that from happening.

However, I couldn’t find any hint of dislike or hatred on my partner’s face when he talked about the High Elves. On the contrary, he seemed to genuinely admire her.

『Are you sure you want to do this?』

「This is the surest way」

『That’s true, but…』

「I’ll do my best to prevent that from happening again」

『Well, unlike last time. Zelyse won’t intervene this time. The seal has loosened considerably due to the replacement, but we can still manage it for now』

「I’ll do something about it too」

『Ou』

It seemed that this slow-witted kid had learned to talk some sense.

「And it seems, there’s also an adventurer named Fran there…」

『That girl, huh? You’ve seen her before, aren’t you?』

「Yeah」

『Don’t make such a face. It would be different this time. You wanted to see Romio, right?』

「I know, but…」

My partner’s face turned into a hateful expression. He even exuded murderous intent.

For me, Weena Rhyn was far more unforgivable, but my partner didn’t seem to think so. He had a strong desire to kill the girl from the Black Cat kin.

Seeing him made me feel uncomfortable. But I wouldn’t be surprised if the girl from the Black Cat kin hated and wanted to kill me as I had killed someone important to her.

I’ve been living my life just like that. A life of being resented, a life full of negativity, and an endless cycle of bloodshed. All of that only brings more and more struggles to me.

As a result of that, I don’t mind if someone wanted to kill me for revenge. I would accept it. However, even if I told him not to hold a grudge, my partner would not forgive her.

And so, the endless cycle of negativity would only continue. Even after I’ve rotted away.

What I’ve done――

「――Chan?」

『…』

「Oji-chan?」

『Oops, I’m sorry. I was just thinking about something』

「Thinking about the seal?」

『It’s a bit different, but let’s focus on the seal for now』

「The thing we need to be most vigilant for now is the presence of Zelyse…」

『Even I don’t know where he is right now. I wonder if he’s anywhere near here』

「He was here before. So, there’s a good chance that he’s here this time too」

He was the Alchemist, Zelyse.

He was a man who acted based on his own desires. He didn’t care how many people he had to sacrifice to achieve his goals. Rather, he was a man who found joy in the number of sacrifices and the increase of his infamy.

「Zelyse used me for his own gain before, but not anymore」

『You’re right. But that bastard is tricky. No matter how much of an advantage you have, he always seems to have a trump card that can turn the tables to his favor』

「Yeah」

『More importantly, I don’t even know how long I can hold my ground against him. He might even have something in store for me』

「…Yeah」

As for me, I think my current body is convenient, but I’m sure it was because of the magic stones and the sword that Zelyse had implanted in me.

Zelyse was a very careful person. I wouldn’t be surprised even if he had planted a curse to manipulate me in anticipation of this.

「But can Zelyse use that now?」

『Well, I wonder…? But we should assume that he might use it, so we can deal with it when the time comes』

Weena Rhyn, Romio, Zelos Reed, and Fran. While all the key people were on the stage of doom, only Zelyse’s whereabouts were unknown.

And yet, we would prevent our demise. That was what we’ve been doing for the past eight years.

「I know for a fact that the fleet is suspicious. Let’s look again for any abnormalities」

『Yeah, let’s do so』

Next time, I would save my partner.