[Physis' POV]
The battle had come to an end, and we had successfully repelled the demon king and his horde, with minimal casualties.
What stood out the most was that, according to the original story, this assault should have nearly annihilated the North and plunged Adilun into despair.
The main goal of the story was to portray Adilun rising above despair after a long struggle, but that goal was broken. There was no need to worry about sticking to the original storyline.
To me, the story didn't have to adhere strictly to its original course. This place was not just a world within a novel; it was a world where the people I cherished lived and breathed.
Therefore, it was crucial for Adilun not to fall into despair.
Moreover, one could argue that it was fortunate for the story's flow to deviate. If everything had followed the original plan, the calamity starting from the monster's assault would have led to the invasion of Ortaire in the east, and events would have unfolded with the destruction of the North.
The terrible plague, originating from the shattered North, a combination of corpses and the vile energy of monsters, would have emerged. The story would have depicted how Vitala Church and Adilun united their strength to barely overcome the plague.
In truth, the most critical issue was the plague. It was more than a mere epidemic; many lives could have been lost due to this outbreak.
If the plague had spread to the central region, weakening Enadeim's power, Ortaire would have been invaded by Eastern kingdoms.
Though I didn't fully comprehend the intricacies of the politics within the central region, at the very least, a new significant turn of events had emerged, one that preemptively blocked those disastrous occurrences.
So, I couldn't help but feel delighted.
Even with pain spreading through my shoulder, I could still smile. I was happy that many people had survived.
I felt a sense of accomplishment that I had experienced in my previous life, once again welling up within me.
'Let's go back.'
'I should return and share the joy with Adilun.'
Leaving behind the corpse of the Demon King, I headed back to the Ice Wall.
At the Ice Wall, the soldiers' cheers resounded. The triumphant cheers of soldiers brimming with joy over protecting the North... their excitement was contagious, even warming my heart.
However, the moment I climbed the Ice Wall and faced Adilun, I sensed that my joyous emotions were being tinged with embarrassment.
"...Adilun?"
Adilun's expression was twisted as if on the verge of tears. Only then did I realize that her gaze was fixed on my shoulder.
I glanced at my right shoulder, brutally torn apart with bones almost exposed. It was a deep and potentially fatal wound that seemed to have happened during the battle.
Although I was already accustomed to this level of pain, the problem was that Adilun had never seen such injuries on me before.
...She seemed quite worried.
She rushed over to me and held me, starting to cast healing magic.
"Are you okay? If you were going to get hurt like this... Why couldn't you have just... fought on top of the wall? You could have been killed, seriously..."
Her voice was filled with concern. But I was actually happy that she was scolding me out of worry.
As she cast healing magic while scolding me, I hugged her and said.
"I'm sorry for getting hurt. I guess I wasn't careful enough."
"Sorry? You... need to be scolded even more."
"Haha. I would appreciate it. But if I hadn't come down, more soldiers would have been injured or killed. You saw it. The giant Ice Wall shook from a single attack he made."
"...Yes, still..."
The wound on my right shoulder gradually began to heal, but it hadn't completely healed yet. When I had gone to apologize to her before, she had quickly healed me when I was almost frozen to death.
But now, the fact that she couldn't heal such an injury meant that she had poured all her strength into the magic for protecting people.
Adilun, who was trying to draw more mana out of the air, collapsed in her seat, probably because her strength was exhausted or because she felt relieved.
"This is fine. You are very tired too."
"Still..."
"It's really okay. I will get better soon. You know how strong I am, right?"
"...Yes."
Reluctantly accepting her defeat, she lowered her head. I kneeled down and pulled her into my arms, saying, "You've worked hard, Adilun."
"So have you. Physis. It's all because of you."
"What I did was nothing. If you hadn't cast support magic, if you hadn't used the Star of Hope... I wouldn't have been able to defeat him."
"...Still. I think you would have made it through anyway. I think so."
It was a typical response, but I accepted it with pleasure. As I gently ran my fingers through her disheveled hair, she spoke in a somewhat stern tone, which was how she usually responded to my touch.
"And don't think I'll let you get away with it. You'll get a good scolding later."
Her resolute tone made it seem like there was no room for argument.
"...Alright. I'll humbly accept it. I was boasting that I wouldn't get hurt, but look, I did."
In the end, I nodded.
I didn't know what kind of scolding I would receive, but it felt like a weak chill ran down my back.
.
.
.
.
Although we managed to repel the monsters without too much damage, that didn't mean there were no casualties.
It was a battle that could have resulted in more casualties if it hadn't ended quickly, especially if we hadn't swiftly taken down the Demon King.
But even so, we couldn't simply put a value on people's lives. The bodies of the deceased were given proper funerals inside the Ice Wall, and generous compensation was provided to their families.
The considerable amount of money that would have originally been used for military expenses was given to the families, and the soldiers and knights were also rewarded generously.
Moreover, to lessen the burden on those who suffered the most in this war, the tax rate was reduced. After all, Rodenov's finances were still thriving.
After completing all these procedures, we immediately returned from the Ice Wall to Rodenov. We were warmly welcomed and arrived at the Duke's residence.
It seemed like His Excellency Johannes, had heard about our achievements from Sir Aidan and was looking at us with admiration.
"...You've been through a lot. You saved Rodenov. I heard Physis got injured?"
"Ah, Adilun treated all my injuries, so I'm fine now. And... saving Rodenov was a team effort; it wasn't just our effort alone."
Adilun and I replied that way.
"I see. I understand. You must be tired, so eat something delicious and rest."
Upon receiving that response, he smiled gently and told us to take a break.
"Understood."
We soon headed to our respective rooms. Even though we were going to our separate rooms, there was a strange sense of regret. We used to share a room when we were at the Ice Wall.
"Well then, rest well. Even though I have healed your injuries with magic, pushing yourself too hard might damage your muscles again."
"I will."
Adilun also seemed to feel the same regret as I did, as she glanced at me with a peculiar expression before returning to her room.
After confirming that she had entered her room, I immediately returned to my room.
Despite pretending to be okay, the battle with the Demon King had indeed left me quite exhausted.
It wasn't just a matter of injuries; the fatigue from continuously facing formidable enemies and risking my life in battles still weighed heavily on me.
Without even having the chance to think about anything, I could only succumb to sleep.
.
.
.
.
'My head feels heavy. Where am I?'
I opened my eyes and looked ahead. The landscape I thought I would never see again was right before my eyes.
The view of a devastated city and wrecked vehicles scattered around... Yes, to put it bluntly, it was a scene of a desolate city that had been swept away by a catastrophe.
In the center of that desolate landscape, there was a black dragon.
And in front of me... once again, 'it' was there. A piece of my old personality. It faced me again, wrapped in a black mist. Taking on a female figure, it playfully asked me.
[ Hello. Seeing me again? ]
"Are You... a piece of my old personality?"
[Yes. You haven't forgotten.]
"I can't forget."
[Hahahaha. I guess so.]
Its voice was somewhat scornful.
"Why have you appeared again?"
[ Well? Don't you just think it's a dream anyway?]
As it said, I should have just treated it as a dream and let it go, but a strange sense of unease welled up. I felt that there was something hidden, some truth to be revealed.
[ Oh, should I congratulate you first? ]
"...What?"
[Because it looks like Adilun seems to be falling into your hands soon. You've put a lot of effort into getting her, right? Now you're on the verge of getting married, right? Oh, congratulations. You, who had no relationships with any women in your past life, are getting married!]
The exaggerated tone was laced with vivid animosity.
Why was this piece, which claims to be my former personality, so twisted? And what does the sudden appearance of that dragon mean?
Questions flashed through my mind.
[ You must be very curious. Why I appeared before you again, why you returned to the moment just before your death. ]
For some reason, it looked familiar; indeed, it was the place where I fought the black dragon just before I died.
"Is this... the place where I died? Why are you showing me these scenes? And why do you harbor such hatred toward me? Even if you claim to be just a piece of my old personality, I can't shake the feeling that you're a separate entity."
[ Haha. Indeed, you do have such penetrating eyes to see through the essence, right? You see quite accurately. Well, there's no need to go on with all the tedious explanations. ]
The figure exaggeratedly waved its hand and approached the black dragon. Finally, standing side by side with the black dragon, it looked at me and said:
[ Now then... are you ready to accept the truth? I have a bad personality, and I find joy in biting someone at their happiest moment. ]
"The truth?"
[ Yes, the truth. Well then... even after witnessing this truth, can you still... not feel a sense of guilt? ]
A twisted smile turned towards me. And... I couldn't help but feel a certain foreboding.