"Join my party," I said
Iago burst out laughing so hard that it was as if I had just told the most hilarious joke in the world.
"What's so funny?"
"Ahahaha! Oh...sorry!" Iago replied, wiping a tear from his eye. "Don't worry about it."
"Now, I'm curious."
"Nah, I said not to worry. I'll show you why I'm laughing later."
"If you say so."
Iago was as mischievous as ever.
"Anyway, you haven't answered my question," I said.
"Oh yeah, you're right. Well, I was gonna go somewhere, but I guess it can wait for a bit. So, in that case, I'll join your party!"
Iago held out a hand, and I shook it, sealing the deal. Even now, Iago still had that oblivious grin on his face.
Just what was he thinking about?
"You know, Iago," I said. "You're gonna be a hero to the people of Rivenvalius."
"Mm, I never thought about that."
"I'm bummed out that I wasn't able to get my revenge on Enzo, but taking down the archdemons is all that matters."
"You shouldn't get too bummed out," Iago said. "Besides, you'll have the chance to fight against the archdemon of Polsius soon."
"You already have your sights set on Thello, do you? Even though I've over-leveled myself, I'm not sure if I can go toe-to-toe with him yet."
"I'm sure you can."
"I'm glad for the encouragement, but before we can go to Polsius, I'll have to make a stop at my hometown," I said.
"Alright. Let's go, then."
***
After Iago and I got on Vortigern, Marigold cracked the reins, urging the spinebear to a trot. Sakimi remained silent and tied to the saddle.
Even though demons still roamed Rivenvalius, subjugating humans, they derived most of their power from the archdemon. Without Enzo, their energy beacon, they became no more powerful than a human.
It wouldn't be long until humanity could liberate themselves and reclaim their territory.
Upon returning to Eden, I announced that we had finally defeated the archdemon. People lined the streets to applaud us as we rode in a procession.
Next, I went to visit my family while Marigold visited the Fujimoto's with Sakimi. It was cowardly of me to leave the demon girl to Marigold, but she was kind enough to be the volunteer that would break the news. If I spoke with Sakimi's parents again, I'd just be plagued by even more guilt.
When I arrived at my house, my family all came together in one large embrace. Iago waited outside, seeing as he had no one to visit in this city.
"You did it!" my younger brother exclaimed.
My younger sister patted my head saying, "You're amazing, brother! I knew you could do it!"
Finally, my father put both hands on my shoulders and shook me, saying, "I'm proud of you, son."
Before I knew it, tears welled up in my eyes. I pulled my father into a hug and said, "I'm sorry. I got Mother and Joyce killed, but I finally did it. Well, it wasn't me who took down the archdemon. It was an acquaintance of mine, but Enzo's finally dead."
"It's fine if it wasn't you who killed the archdemon. At least you helped, right?"
Well, not really, but...
"Yeah. I helped a little bit."
I breathed an inward sigh. I was no hero. Iago was the one who killed the archdemon, and not me. In the beginning, I thought I was the main character of the game, but now, I've found out that there was another Hierophant. There might even be more Hierophants than Iago. In this world, I wasn't even special. I was just one guy who had been given an enormous task.
In the end, my ideals have failed to create this reality as it should be.
When I finished my reunion with my family, I headed off to the Solace Bridge. I told Iago I needed some alone time, so he went somewhere else.
Once again, I stared into the muddy water. Strangely enough, it looked to be clearer than usual, and I could finally see some tiny fish that were swimming about. Maybe someone had been cleaning the stream.
An image popped up in front of my eyes, saying,
[Quest Complete: Rivenvalius]
There was a certain catharsis seeing those words, even though Iago was the true hero.
It was proof that my efforts weren't all futile.
"Well done," Virgil suddenly said, startling me.
The woman giggled upon seeing my reaction.
"Thanks," I replied. "But shouldn't you be praising Iago instead?"
"Nothing he's done is praiseworthy. I hate him. Even still, Hashimov is telling me to let him do whatever he wants."
"Who's Hashimov, and why do you hate Iago?"
"Sorry," Virgil said. "It's not important. I was just ranting for a bit."
"Okay, then."
There was a short moment of contemplative silence.
Finally, I said, "There's still so much to do."
"You're right, but it's the journey that counts, doesn't it?"
"Yeah."
"Along the way, you had fun, strife, and probably even learned a little about yourself. I'm sure you've changed for the better."
"I don't know. I still feel like the same person as when I first started."
"That's for you to decide," Virgil said.
"I guess so."
Have I really changed? Or have I always been the man that I am now?
Am I Ares, or am I Claudia?
I don't even know who I am anymore.
Or maybe, I've become the person who I was always meant to be.
I've finally become a player character.
"Don't overthink it," Virgil said. "You're making a weird face."
"Sorry. I have a habit of doing that when I'm lost in thought."
Virgil giggled. "You truly are a fine specimen."
"Specimen?"
"Oh, nothing."
I sighed. "Welp, I guess I'll be heading off to Polsius now."
"Good luck. You'll need it."
"What do you mean that I'll need it?"
"Rivenvalius is only the beginning, Claudia. We kept it mostly the same as the original game to ensure that old players wouldn't get too confused, but your path will soon diverge. There's a whole entire world out there that you still have yet to discover.
"You'll face agony, tribulations, and tremendous adversaries, but I know that you'll still push forward. Remember to trust in yourself, and only yourself, for you are the Hierophant, the one destined to defeat the Demon King. Even when everything seems lost, there's nothing you can't do."
"Thanks for the encouraging words," I said.
At that, I heard a blip, and Virgil logged off.
With a deep breath, I left Solace Bridge and returned to the city. I met back up with Marigold, Iago, and Sakimi, and we headed out, saying our farewells to the crowd of people who came to see us off.
Amidst the crowd, I spotted Mr. and Mrs. Fujimoto. Like always, Sakimi's father wore a deathly scowl, but Sakimi's mother was waving goodbye with a teary smile while my party members and I rode off into the sunset, leaving behind Eden.
"Marigold," I said. "Did everything work out with Sakimi's parents?"
"Yeah. I got yelled at, and Mr. Fujimoto cursed you, but that's a given. I assured them that we could bring Sakimi back to normal, and they believed me. Still, they didn't want to speak to me after that."
"I see," I replied with a pessimistic sigh. "But I don't even know any way to cure Sakimi."
"It's simple," Iago said. "First, you get a resurrection potion. Second, you kill Sakimi. Third, you use the potion, bringing her back to life as a human again."
I cast a suspicious gaze. "Are you sure that will work?"
"Of course! We're party members now, so there's no reason to trick you."
"If you say so."
Then, Iago stretched his arms and let out a satisfying yawn. "Man, I'm really looking forward to Polsius."
"As do I," Marigold said. "The demons will perish under my arrows."
I let out a short laugh. "I'm looking forward to our next adventure too.
And so, we traveled through Rivenvalius, heading toward the city of Vindport. From there, we could hitch a ride on a boat to the mainland continent.
After about a week and a half, we finally arrived at a precipice that overlooked our destination. Under the sunset, Vindport's buildings glowed a warm marmalade, and the oceanic view only served to enhance the city's beautiful aesthetic.
This was once a city controlled by demons, but Enzo no longer reigned supreme.
In fact, most of the demon territory was easily taken back during the past week.
This was humanity's first step to victory.
While I looked onward, a set of text appeared in front of me:
[New Quest Accepted: Polsius]
***
"What are you doing, Hashimov?" Virgil asked.
The old scientist was strapping himself to a white capsule chair with a complicated console that contained dozens of buttons and screens.
"I've always wanted to meet this Claudia fellow. I'm going into the game."
"No! You shouldn't meet him in person! Who knows what you'll do to him!"
"In that case, can I just watch?"
Virgil rolled her eyes. "You can watch from the command room, you idiot!"
"But it's a whole different experience if I get to see it in person."
"Ugh! Fine!"
"Thanks!" Hashimov said, making a peace sign with his fingers, which only deepened Virgil's scowl.
"Peace signs don't suit an old fart like you," Virgil said.
"Sure they do!" Hashimov replied with an airheaded smile.
At that, the old man stepped inside the capsule and closed the lid.
As Virgil left, she muttered, "Stupid doctor."
When she returned to the command room, she peered into one of the monitors, depicting Claudia and his party members standing on the edge of a cliff that overlooked Vindport.
"You've only touched the tip of the iceberg, Claudia, And Hashimov wants to be there to see you reach the depths of despair."