Chapter 90: Nanahoshi's Realization (Patreon)

Inside the carriage, Rudeus was busy improving Eris's and Ghislaine's physical constitution.

Outside, Nanahoshi Shizuka sat listening to Dragon God Orsted's question.

The more she thought about it, the more she compared, and the more she felt that Rudeus truly was an outstanding senior. Strong, valiant, confident!!! Handsome, dashing, always smiling!!!

And on top of that, he was from the same hometown as she was, a fellow countryman from the same world.

The only pity was that Rudeus was destined to have many wives.

Suddenly, Nanahoshi Shizuka's mind drifted back to the conversation she'd had with Rudeus earlier, when they'd talked about Blue Star.

Whether it was 2012 or 2023, the state of the whole world had been a mess. In circumstances like that… could she really have met her Mr. Right??

And now that she'd met a senior as outstanding as Rudeus, could she truly find someone even better than Senior Rudeus??

All of it was unknown. It was almost impossible, even.

But then, what about her parents?? Why not bring Dad and Mom over to this side too??

With Senior Rudeus's strength, once they'd finished off Hitogami (Human God), he would surely rule this world. And by then, this world would most likely be built along the lines of Blue Star.

Her father, who loved kendo, might well love this world. And her mother, who loved being free and unrestrained, would surely be happy too, right?

The more she thought, the sweeter the smile on Nanahoshi Shizuka's face grew.

Dragon God Orsted, sitting beside her, watched Shizuka grin a little manically over a single question from him. He turned away, speechless.

He raised the whip in his hand and gave it a light flick, nudging the ox pulling the carriage back onto the road so it wouldn't wander off.

But just then, Nanahoshi Shizuka said earnestly, "Senior Rudeus really is an incredibly outstanding person!!"

Orsted glanced at her and nodded, naturally in full agreement.

If he weren't outstanding… who else could have done it? Who else could have, on thirty-odd years of effort alone, taken him at full strength and beaten him into such a wretched state?

He'd nearly triggered his own regression-reincarnation method. He'd nearly sunk into numb, who-cares apathy.

Shizuka turned toward him again. Perhaps because of Rudeus, the distance between her and Dragon God Orsted wasn't what it had been at the start.

"Orsted, have you never thought about finding a partner?" she asked, curious.

Hearing that, Dragon God Orsted answered flatly, "My only goal is Hitogami!!"

"But all these years, don't you feel lonely?" Nanahoshi Shizuka asked, curious.

Dragon God Orsted answered flatly, "My only goal is Hitogami!!"

"Spending who knows how many years all by yourself, it must have been hard," Nanahoshi Shizuka pressed on.

Dragon God Orsted answered flatly, "My only goal is Hitogami!!"

Nanahoshi Shizuka let out a speechless sigh.

Asking Dragon God Orsted had been a mistake. She'd known all along that Hitogami had slaughtered his entire family, and she'd still asked such a childish question.

And yet… with no spiritual support at all, running on nothing but absolute hatred, for who knew how many years… Dragon God Orsted was a remarkable man.

Every thought he had had become an obsession with killing Hitogami!!! He had stood alone against Hitogami, by himself.

Every time he learned how it ended, he'd fall into despair. But every time he started over, Dragon God Orsted would summon up that same boundless drive again.

And Eris seemed to be the same. She swung her sword for Rudeus alone.

Ghislaine, too!! She worked herself into a frenzy for the sake of protecting the people important to her!!

And Senior Rudeus… he too was walking the cycle of reincarnation again and again, all to oppose Hitogami.

Compared with her, a restless-minded girl who had only just crossed over into this other world, everyone here was so pure, so single-minded!!!

But it was precisely because of that purity—

[Author's Note: …Begging for flowers…]

—that they could stand against Hitogami, the most formidable being in the world, and win, she supposed.

Come to think of it… she had always been a rather ordinary, worldly person.

She thought back over everything in her own past, then looked at what everyone in this world was doing.

Nanahoshi Shizuka said softly to Dragon God Orsted, "Thank you."

Dragon God Orsted glanced at her and gave a light nod.

Shizuka looked once more at Dragon God Orsted, quietly driving the cart. Then she turned away again, wrapped her arms around her knees, and buried her whole face in them.

And so time slowly flowed by. Before they knew it, evening had come.

Click!!!

Just then, the carriage door swung open.

A strange smell came rolling out.

Out came Ghislaine, bright and full of energy, and Eris, just as bright and energetic. The two of them climbed down from the carriage.

Dragon God Orsted stopped the ox cart with a light grip, and the ox pulling it didn't dare move a muscle.

At that moment, Rudeus, equally radiant, stepped out of the carriage as well.

He patted the ox and let it graze peacefully on the ground. Then, together with Eris, he took out the table they'd prepared earlier and stowed on the carriage roof, along with the food from the carriage's trunk, and the two of them began setting up, sweetness all around.

"Just a moment, we'll be ready to eat soon," Rudeus said with a smile.

Seeing this, Ghislaine rushed over with a smile too and pitched in alongside Rudeus and Eris.

Standing off to one side, Nanahoshi Shizuka, watching such a harmonious scene, found herself sniffing at the peculiar smell still pouring out of the carriage. Her cheeks, lit by the setting sun, glowed a lovely shade of red.

"Rudeus…"

"Hm? Shizuka, what is it?"

"You really… you really aren't planning to go back?"

"Nope. But I can bring your parents over here. Would that be okay??"