Chapter 3
Lumia was quiet.
Without saying a word, she simply listened whenever I spoke and did as I said.
At first, I thought she was a mage with an exceptionally quiet personality, but it didn't take long to learn that she actually couldn't speak.
After learning that she couldn't even hear sounds, let alone speak, I became unable to take my eyes off her. I felt that if I wasn't by her side, this frail girl wouldn't last long.
I knew the party members had feelings for me, but I pretended not to know and acted vaguely, thinking the party would fall apart if anything developed—and because Lumia's face came to mind whenever I considered it.
What had Lumia thought as she watched me act that way?
What had Lumia been thinking when she saw the Demon King, who displayed an impregnable form that rendered every attack useless when we faced him?
A girl who could neither speak nor hear because of the Demon King's curse, and yet a dependable mage blessed with a destiny written in the stars, wielding magic that could be called a miracle and always helping me—and the entire party.
And the mage who sacrificed herself to protect us.
“Is it morning...?”
I had returned.
To the past.
.
.
.
The time I returned to was precisely before I met Lumia.
The moment I stepped out of the room and saw her teal hair with its faint lavender sheen, I hugged her without realizing it, creating an awkward situation.
Fortunately, after I explained the circumstances, she not only forgave me but also readily nodded when I showed her the Hero's Mark and told her I was recruiting someone to travel with me. Judging by the interest in her eyes, it seemed she found it fascinating that she could hear me.
Even though I had no right to complain if the guards dragged me away for hugging someone I'd just met.
And yesterday, she accepted my proposal and became a member of the same party as me.
When I first became a Hero, I had no idea how to put together a party, and somehow ended up in the same party as her after meeting her while working as an adventurer. Things were unfolding very differently from back then, so I didn't know what she thought of me, but this much should probably be fine.
Because I'd traveled with her before, I knew all about her tastes and what food she liked. I ordered it without thinking and immediately realized my mistake, but thankfully—or so I should say—Lumia didn't mind.
As she wolfed it down with obvious enjoyment, I smiled and wiped the food from the corner of her mouth, then caught myself. I'd often done that while taking care of her before, so I had once again wiped it away out of habit without thinking.
I anxiously watched her, worried that she might be offended, but fortunately, she showed no sign of taking offense. Thinking that her personality hadn't changed even after returning to the past, I resolved inwardly to be truly careful.
The next person I had to meet was, naturally, her.
Saint Cecilia.
First, I had to meet her.
I wanted to see that old party again.
It would be a long journey all the way to the distant Holy Kingdom to form the party, but if it meant recreating the party from back then, it was nothing.
Of course, bringing the Saint into the party wouldn't automatically let us defeat the Demon King or anything.
We had already gone to defeat the Demon King once, only to nearly be wiped out by the overwhelming difference in power. Thanks to Lumia's sacrifice, we barely managed to seal him and escaped with our lives.
And the truth I heard then.
After hearing that truth, I returned to the past.
Knowing how to defeat the Demon King.
But,
The method I knew for defeating the Demon King required taking things slowly, over a long period of time.
And it was a terrible thing to ask of Lumia.
I had to make her genuinely fall in love with me. And I had to love her, too.
And her...
“Ugh...”
Smack!
“..?!”
As I sat on the bench, I suddenly slapped myself across the cheek, and Lumia beside me looked startled.
I shook my head at Lumia, who was looking at me with an expression that asked what was wrong, to indicate that it was nothing. Lumia tilted her head as she looked at me, but soon lost interest and stared blankly back at the street.
Anyway... I already felt guilty just for thinking this way, but if I didn't, everyone would die.
I was sorry, Lumia, but I couldn't let her sacrifice herself like this.
If I took a half-hearted, ambiguous stance this time as well, I'd repeat the same mistake I made back then in this second chance I'd been given.
I waited, thinking to myself over and over that I needed to get a grip, and then the carriage pulled in.
Had it finally arrived?
I rose from the bench and held out my hand to Lumia beside me.
Lumia stared down at the hand I'd extended for a moment, then made a puzzled face and cautiously placed her hand on mine. I'd held it out for her to take, but had she interpreted it as a request for something?
The sight of her placing her hand on my empty palm was so cute that I nearly laughed without meaning to.
I helped Lumia to her feet while she still tilted her head in confusion, then pointed toward the carriage.
“The carriage has arrived.”
Only then did realization dawn on her, and she turned her head away as if embarrassed.
Hmm... she seems to be a little more expressive than before. Or is that just my imagination?
Maybe she had always been like this, and I was the one who hadn't paid attention.
I had to make sure nothing like that happened this time.
I turned my head and looked toward the carriage.
I knew everything that would happen on the ride aboard this carriage.
It was so long ago that I barely remembered it, but since I was taking the same carriage, departing on the same date, things probably wouldn't be completely different.
The most important thing, of course, was to prevent the incident before it happened.
I told Lumia to wait a moment and approached the carriage.
.
.
.
.
I'm so embarrassed I could die.
The Hero suddenly held out a hand, and I placed mine on it, wondering what was going on. The Hero tried to suppress a laugh, then clasped my hand. I never imagined the hand had been offered simply to help me up.
What?
Was the Hero always like this?
No, of course, since the original Hero was described as a kind-hearted eunuch bastard, objectively speaking, it was only natural that the Hero would take care of a beautiful girl like me, who still hadn't shed her childish air.
Whenever I looked in the mirror, I thought I looked like a doll and was cute, so I could only imagine what the Hero thought.
Well... if the Hero really had that kind of personality, they would be the sort to take care of everyone equally, without caring whether someone was ugly or good-looking...
I turned toward the Hero.
In the game, the Hero's name was simply Hero, so I didn't know the Hero's actual name. It was probably because being called simply Hero made it easier for players to immerse themselves than having the character possess a name, but it was inconvenient in situations like this.
The fact that I didn't know the Hero's name was practically the same as having heard it yesterday and already forgotten it.
If there was one fortunate thing, perhaps it was that I couldn't speak?
I could speak, but I was known as someone who couldn't.
But...
“Had I always left Lumia here and gone to the carriage alone like this...?”
Didn't people usually board together as soon as the carriage arrived?
Personally, I wasn't exactly happy about riding that carriage. It looked perfectly fine on the outside, but in truth, it was a disguised slave carriage that had slipped in under false pretenses.
In other words, it was a carriage that put everyone aboard to sleep with soporific incense inside, then sold them into slavery. Many people who started the game for the first time fell victim to the incense right here and reached an ending where they were sold as slaves.
I did too.
But fighting wasn't an option either, since the people operating the slave carriage were far too strong for beginners to handle, leaving me unable to do anything. There were two ways to deal with it: disable the soporific incense in advance or make sure the carriage was exposed as a slave carriage during the inspection. Otherwise, I had to avoid boarding it entirely.
Since this carriage ran at such a ridiculously cheap price compared to the others, it was a graveyard for novices lured in by the temptation.
Of course, the developers had put it there as a warning, a lesson not to trust things too readily.
Not knowing that, the Hero had probably chosen this carriage to save what little money the Hero had.
“Hmm...”
I should do something, shouldn't I?
Going alone toward the carriage did look a little suspicious, but perhaps the Hero had simply gone to speak with the driver. When the Hero came back, I could just ask where the Hero had been.
I thought I could cast a faint purification spell over my nose so I wouldn't smell the soporific incense, and tried using various kinds of magic, but there was no way I could use magic when I didn't even know how to move mana.
Since I'd come to a fantasy world and all, I wanted to try using magic, at least...
How sad...