The evening passed into night. I was called by Kanan, who had completed the Monster subjugation, to a tent in the encampment.

Kanan and Bosuro were there. And Sofia, Sylvie, and Kuuza—the five of them, in other words, the people who had known the situation from before.

“First, I thank you.”

Kanan opened his mouth.

“I am grateful for your cooperation in this war… no, ‘grateful’ is an understatement for your achievements. It is no exaggeration to say that you saved this Continent. I was thinking of giving you some visible form of reward, but…”

In reality, if I hadn’t acted with the Spirit God, the Continent would have collapsed—in that sense, it was true, but I forced a wry smile.

“…No, it’s fine.”

“You don’t want a reward?”

“I have more money than I know what to do with, to begin with.”

When I said that, Sylvie burst out laughing.

“Well, you’re just crazy through and through, Ruon.”

“I understand what you mean, but… King Kanan, if you’re willing to listen, I do have one request.”

“I know what you want to assert. You have no intention of getting involved in politics, do you?”

—Kanan said, with eyes that seemed to see right through me. I nodded as if to confirm it.

Honestly, you could say I’ve done too much. Even if I tried to impose an Information Blockade, the fact that I rampaged on the Allied Forces’ battlefield remains, and the story of annihilating the Western Region’s Army will surely spread.

No matter how you look at it, factions that will try to incorporate my existence are bound to emerge. It’s unavoidable because I acted with the thought of minimizing casualties, but—

“Until the final battle with the Demon King, there should be no particular problems.”

Kanan said. That meant—

“In addition to the Demon King being alive, the Sage’s Bloodline will move to prepare for it… that’s what I explained. The Kings of the Nations allied with me have agreed, and I’m explaining it to the executives of other Nations. We should be able to prevent chaos.”

“I understand. So, after that—”

“I wanted to ask one thing about that. Lord Ruon, what will you do after the war is over?”

I fell silent for a moment at the question. Honestly, I don’t want to incite anxiety, but—

“…I have things to do.”

“Will that threaten this Continent?”

“There’s a non-zero possibility. However, I don’t think it’s a matter of one or two years.”

“That’s rather vague.”

Kanan said that, but he seemed to have no intention of elaborating further.

“Understood. As for the reasoning, let’s say you’re touring various Nations to see if any lingering influence of the Demon Lord remains. Additionally, you have connections with Divine Spirits… if we explain it that way, at least fewer people will try to interfere with Lord Ruon.”

“Will that be alright?”

“The fact that you command Divine Spirits is a terrifying truth for any Nation on this Continent.”

—I guess it’s like, I’m so irregular that it’s better for them not to get involved. It’s a complicated feeling, but… well, that’s probably for the best.

“Understood. Then, we’ll go with that. If any problems arise, may I consult with you at the Capital City?”

“Of course. Now, about the next matter, you will explain Lord Ruon’s situation to your companions, to some extent, won’t you?”

“Yes.”

“How far will you speak?”

“Honestly, since my power was revealed to the Demon King, I don’t think there’s any problem with being open about myself. But I’d be troubled if strange rumors started.”

“So, it’s okay for trustworthy people?”

“Yes… I think I can explain it to the members of the Sage’s Bloodline.”

“In that case, it would be better to explain the situation to their companions as well. If you can’t tell those outside the Bloodline, won’t some people be dissatisfied?”

I nodded. Then Kanan continued.

“As for the Army personnel, we will speak to them to a harmless extent. The Adventurers will surely want to hear directly from Lord Ruon. I leave that to your judgment.

“Understood. Oh, and will you be leaving here today?”

“No, it’s already night. I’m also concerned about the presence of monsters, so I’ll stay here until tomorrow morning.”

“Is that so? Then I’ll be on standby as well. Report anything if it happens.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

I nodded at Kanan’s words, and the discussion ended.

That day, perhaps due to exhaustion, I fell asleep immediately after talking with Kanan. My comrades also seemed to have accumulated fatigue and fell asleep quickly, and we welcomed the next morning.

Under Kanan’s instructions, the Adventurer Faction decided to return to the fortress where Sofia was. Along the way, Alto and others seemed eager to hear the circumstances, but I explained, “Please bear with me until we reach the fortress.” Also, Richard was among these members.

“The King thanked me. There was a mention of a reward, but everything will be after the battle ends.”

Here, he shrugs his shoulders.

“…Well, it might be insignificant compared to Ruon’s efforts.”

“Everyone is insignificant compared to Ruon.”

Sylvie made that retort as we continued, and we arrived at the fortress, which would serve as our stronghold. There, we also met up with Orudia. When I introduced her, everyone looked surprised, but once I explained that she was of the Sage’s Bloodline, they seemed to accept her as a comrade.

Then we set up a discussion. We reserved the largest conference room inside the fortress and began the explanation. Considering the fact that I knew it as a story, I had to explain it from the perspective of possessing memories of my previous life… but it didn’t take long for the leader to understand.

“–That concludes the overview.”

After I finished speaking, the reactions varied. Alto, leaning against the wall, had an intrigued expression. Richard, similarly near the wall, showed the same. Phili and Kyarun, who were seated, tilted their heads slightly, as if they couldn’t follow the story.

Eina initially showed a suspicious face, but perhaps because Sofia, who knew the circumstances, was present, her expression quickly softened.

“Well, there were times I thought there might be a better way, but in the end, it’s impossible for everyone to survive, and that’s why I was acting to defeat the Demon King… Uh, are there any questions?”

“Then, from me.”

It was Kyarun who raised her hand and said that.

“When you met me, was that also within the framework of the story?”

“…There were events that would lead to my involvement with Kyarun, and indeed, that’s how it unfolded. However, the place we encountered each other was different.”

“I see.”

“Nevertheless, your strength is still astonishing.”

Next, Richard spoke. I hadn’t explained much about him yet, but–

“Ruon, can I explain my situation too?”

“…I’ll leave it to your judgment, Richard, but are you going to talk about it?”

“Well, I figured it might be good for them to know the circumstances, just in case.”

Saying that, Richard also spoke about himself. A Transmigrator and a person who reversed time… It seemed like a strange combination, but meeting and talking like this felt somewhat natural.

“–And I’m also of the Sage’s Bloodline. Well, my magical power is reduced, so I’ll probably only be able to provide support during the final battle. So, Ruon, continue the story.”

“Understood… Well then, since I’ve finished explaining the situation, let’s talk about what’s next. Our original plan was to go to Corona to seek materials for the Demon King Slaying Weapon. However, since the Demon King wasn’t strengthened, another option has emerged.”

Sofia and the others’ faces tensed at my words.

“Now that the Demon King is aware of my existence, he must be considerably wary. The Demon King hasn’t been strengthened because I didn’t activate the Continent-Shattering Magic, but he will undoubtedly take some kind of counter-strategy.”

“So, there’s an option to move to settle things quickly before that counter-strategy is put into effect, is that it?”

Eina spoke. I nodded, confirming it.

“The method of settling things quickly, or the method of taking some time to create powerful armaments… It’s difficult to say which is the right answer, but–“

“Regarding that, we have an opinion.”

Garuku’s voice. He appeared before me and abruptly began to speak.