The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

The destruction of the warship turned out to be more helpful than expected.

The Empire’s forces, which had been advancing under the cover of the ship’s heavy artillery support, were slowed significantly with the loss of their most powerful firepower. As a result, only the Emperor, his children, and the Imperial Knights accompanying them managed to reach Lutetia.

This meant that most of Belvur’s army had shifted from urban combat to defending Lutetia itself. While bombs had fallen within the city, it hadn’t been reduced to complete rubble as it had in the game.

There was one advantage to this: the small, elite force centered around the Emperor could more easily make their way toward the Holy Nation.

The Holy Nation had hidden the relics beneath Lutetia and stationed most of their forces there. They had no means to stop the Emperor and his children, a group that could only be described as a gathering of monsters. As I remembered, the Emperor broke into the Holy Nation with relative ease.

Of course, that process involved hijacking trains, stealing cars, and the deaths of countless people...

“Are you planning to use me as a hostage?”

“I’ll say it again: I have no intention of killing or harming you.”

Honestly, Charlotte had no right to say that, considering she hadn’t managed to stab me and had let me go.

More importantly, it was Charlotte who chose to follow us.

Our “party” wasn’t very large. Lena never left her country for the Empire. Jake and Lottie, though friendly with me, prioritized protecting their own territory. Mia was defending Crowfield’s lands.

I hadn’t even met Sophia. Carolyn, not being a soldier, stayed behind at the academy. Jennifer had apparently gone to the battlefield, but her exact location was unknown.

I was worried. If any of them were to die, I wouldn’t even know about it.

Despite my conviction that this world was a mirage created by the goddess, despite knowing countless people were being sacrificed even now, I was still troubled by the slim chance that I might not reach my “happy ending.” If this world wasn’t an illusion and I was being doubly deceived by the goddess...

—No, it’s fine.

If that’s the case, I’ll just rewind time as many times as it takes.

And the fewer people around me, the better. The goddess wants to get rid of me. Up until now, I’ve avoided her threats by sticking close to those stronger than me, but this is a battlefield.

With the destruction of the warship, there was no longer the threat of bombs falling from above. The biplanes, too, had been taken out of the equation, reducing the danger significantly. Even so, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

“...”

In the end, the only one who had followed me all the way from the academy to here was Leo, who remained silent among our group.

It was just me, Leo, Alice, Claire, and Charlotte.

Five of us.

“You’d be much safer returning to the Lutetia Palace. I won’t stop you,” I said calmly.

“...”

Charlotte glared at me but didn’t seem to know how to respond.

Perhaps, deep down, there were still lingering emotions she couldn’t ignore.

In the end, whatever argument she’d been preparing to make was swallowed, and she silently chose to keep following us.

The path our carriage took was so peaceful it was hard to believe we were in a nation embroiled in a fierce war. Then again, all the means to launch an attack here had already been eliminated.

The monitor ships had headed to other nations. A single warship could produce the firepower equivalent to eight monitors. From the moment the warship had been directed toward Lutetia, additional bombardment support had been almost unnecessary.

This hadn’t been part of the plan, but it was a fortunate outcome nonetheless.

Clip-clop, clip-clop. The carriage rattled along for quite some time before coming to a stop.

The distance from Lutetia to the Holy Nation wasn’t particularly far, but that didn’t mean a carriage was faster than a train. We’d traveled a long way, zigzagging to avoid the numerous checkpoints along the railway after the train had been hijacked.

Who would’ve thought it would take two whole days to get here?

Along the way, we’d stayed in an abandoned house left behind by refugees. Our food consisted of tasteless military rations we’d brought with us. Even Charlotte, who normally recoiled at bland food, silently shoved the rations into her mouth without complaint.

“There must be a reason you’ve brought us this far,” Charlotte said as she stepped out of the carriage.

Border villages were typically of a decent size, but the area we arrived in had no such village. It was nothing more than a narrow trail leading onward.

Still, the Holy Nation, with its dense development even on small plots of land, was visible in the distance.

“There is,” I replied.

The “machine” wasn’t operational yet. Not without the necessary “parts.”

I gazed at the spire of the cathedral visible in the distance, took a deep breath, and exhaled in one swift motion.

“Let’s go.”

*

After all the twists and turns, we were finally here.

“Hah... Hah...”

There were still people standing.

Even after the Emperor completed the relic, it seemed he either didn’t have a way to use it or had chosen to approach things differently this time. Maybe he had conserved his strength after raiding the underground of Lutetia before coming here.

Well, that place had a Gryphon, after all. It wasn’t fully operational as a force, and I had warned them in advance about the one controlling it, so the damage seemed to have been minimal.

Among the knights still standing, I saw a familiar face.

“Sophia.”

That voice came from behind me, and Charlotte turned her head in surprise.

Understandable. While Sophia’s skills were solid, she wasn’t a knight whose name echoed across the world.

Or, to be more precise, knights from the Holy Nation rarely gained worldwide fame. They operated as discreetly as possible, leaving their faces unseen.

Sophia flinched momentarily at Claire’s words, but quickly composed herself.

It wasn’t just Sophia. Verati was also here. Both of them were wounded, with cuts and bruises all over, but they were still standing. There were a few other knights in similar condition, but they wouldn’t last long.

“You’re a bit late. Were you meeting with a friend?”

The Emperor spoke to me with the warm tone of a father waiting for his daughter to return home.

Without a word, I walked toward him.

I heard sharp intakes of breath from behind me.

Claire and Alice, at least, would trust me. But what about Charlotte?

Unfortunately, I had no way to convince Charlotte any further.

“Father,” I said, slowly approaching the Emperor.

“Yes, my daughter,” he replied.

“...”

Step by step, I ascended toward him—

And then I raised my hand.

Bang!

With someone capable of crafting power armor among my allies, it was trivial to hide a gun beneath my wide sleeves.

Slash!

My arm was severed. Not just cut, but completely severed, falling to the ground below.

The first to move was Lucas.

Good.

Before I could rewind time again, I was back in my original state.

When I turned my head, I saw Claire staring at me with wide, panicked eyes.

It seemed Claire was the one who had rewound time this time.

Well, it wasn’t entirely unexpected. Just as I hoped the protagonist and heroines wouldn’t die, Claire didn’t want me to die either.

And thanks to her, I could be certain of one thing:

Even if I were to die instantly, even if my head were severed in one blow, as long as Claire was here, I could keep trying again and again.

I smiled at Claire, then turned back and started walking forward once more.

Again, and again, and again.

*

“Hah... Haha...”

It was the first time I’d heard the Emperor laugh like this.

How defeated he must have felt.

If a plan he’d prepared for his entire life had been doomed to fail from the start...

I looked over at Lucas. Bleeding and sitting on the ground, he stared up at me with an expression of utter disbelief.

It must have been incomprehensible to him. The idea that someone with no visible talent could hit him with a bullet was beyond his understanding.

But even the most ordinary person can accomplish something if they repeat it countless times.

The sound of swords clashing echoed around us.

“Hm. So it’s already over, is it?”

“Don’t be too disappointed. Soon enough, you’ll get to witness the sight you’ve been longing for.”

I responded to the Sword Saint, who had arrived slightly late to the cathedral.

Leo remained silent, his eyes locked on me in disbelief. Claire and Alice stood with their swords drawn alongside Charlotte, but none of them could bring themselves to move.

Claire, in particular, was breathing heavily. ...I felt bad for putting her through this.

Even if Bella swung her sword, with the Sword Saint here, there was no way to stop what was happening.

“May I ask you one question?”

Amidst the silence, the Emperor finally spoke.

“What are you? Just what in the world are you?”

“...”

I looked down at the Emperor for a moment, lost in thought, before finally answering.

“I am not the goddess, at the very least. Nor do I have any intention of becoming her.”

“I see.”

At my response, the Emperor simply let his shoulders sag and let out another laugh.