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There were a lot of people around Ilias who wanted to tell her their happiness directly after the ceremony was over. 

Giving away that opportunity to them is a natural thing to do as someone who can talk to her as much as I want at night. 

Even so, Ilias might sulk if I were to talk all friendly with others here. 

And so, I left the castle soon after and went out for a walk, and suddenly felt like heading somewhere. 

When I arrived at the destination, I asked Wolfe, who came with me as a bodyguard, to wait outside for a bit. 

I actually wanted to bask in the moment alone, so I wanted to leave Kutou as well, but…I can’t do that in my position. 

I greeted the knight guard and told him I wanted to check the inside for a bit, and he agreed immediately. 

The face of a certain someone has gotten pretty well known.

“Choosing this place instead of the old Ilias house… Might as well just change my room to the basement of our present residence…” 

I opened and closed the door of the cell, and got cynical there. 

The first time I got to this place, I couldn’t speak at all and was thought of as a suspicious guy (demon), and was immediately thrown into a cell in the barracks that are outside the castle gates. 

There wasn’t anyone around me when I was summoned to this world. 

I ran away from the strongest monster and bandits. Went down a mountain road I am not used to walking on, and finally arrived at civilization. 

I didn’t mind being put inside a cell, and ended up falling fast asleep with a strange tension. 

We are going to be returning after this anyways. It is my own clothes, so it doesn’t matter if they get dirty. I lie down inside the cell.

“Makes sense this is not as comfortable as a bed.” 

But there are still walls, a floor, and a ceiling. This is a great difference from sleeping in the mountains. It hasn’t only been once or twice that I have slept in places that are more uncomfortable than this one since coming to this world.

I am sleepy, probably because of being slightly tired from walking for quite a bit. 

I don’t hate this dozy feeling. 

I am sorry for Wolfe, but let’s take a nap for around 10 or so minutes…

“Wake up.” 

I was dragged to reality with a refreshing pain. 

I confirm the view in front of me while sighing lightly. 

“Don’t poke me with your scabbard…” 

“I got nostalgic. I ended up waking you up in the same way.” 

The one in front of me was Ilias. 

What’s different from before is the scabbard of the sword and the cloak at her back, I guess. No, her expression is totally softer than that time. 

“I am impressed you could tell I would be here.” 

“Everyone you would go around greeting was in the castle after all. We have already given our previous house to other people, so I thought about searching for the first place that came to mind.” (Ilias)

“So it saved you the trouble of running around searching, huh.” 

“You did make me walk from the castle all the way here though. You could have waited a bit for me.” (Ilias)

Ah, Ilias-san’s mood is a bit sour. It reminds me of the time when she was waiting the whole time alone in her house. 

I lifted my body and checked the state of my body lightly. 

I think I slept for around 30 minutes. I did something bad to Wolfe. I have to apologize later. 

“There’s people who would get reserved if they were to see me waiting in the castle, right?” 

“That’s true, but…” (Ilias)

The people who are truly happy about this would make time some other day and come meet here though. 

That said, Ilias herself will get busy later on though.

Well, all of that is trifling. Let’s say this properly for now. 

“Congratulations on your promotion to a knight captain. How do you feel about surpassing your ideal?” 

The father of Ilias managed to climb all the way to vice-captain of the Ragudo Division at a young age. 

Ilias competed for 1st and 2nd place in the Ragudo Division, but her standing was still that of a normal member. In that sense, you could say that she has gotten a post that’s even higher than her father. 

“…I don’t feel like I have surpassed him. What I was aiming for was to become a wonderful knight like my father. Walking the same path my father did, not surpassing him.” (Ilias)

“Then, should I be asking your opinion after arriving at the same scenery as him?” 

“Not much of an opinion there either. It is not like what’s inside of me will suddenly change after being promoted. But it does make me think ‘this is how it is’. Basically, the changing happens from here on.” (Ilias)

“The same as becoming an adult. You don’t change, but begin changing. The weight of that mantle will probably increase eventually.” 

“…That’s probably how it works.” (Ilias)

Ilias is now in a position where she is shouldering a lot more. She is simply in that position, it is not like she has become that. For her, this is the beginning of her growth as a knight captain. 

“Yeah, but it is true that your achievements have been acknowledged properly. I am honestly happy about it. Bluntly speaking, I am a bit moved by it to the point of tears.” 

“…Thanks. But I don’t know about celebrating in a cell.” (Ilias)

“Sorry about that. But I was planning on telling you this soon after it was just the two of us.” 

There’s no way Wolfe didn’t notice Ilias came here. In other words, Wolfe is being considerate with me and leaving us two alone. 

I can’t just waste that good will. 

“That’s just like you… By the way, is it okay to tell you one thing?” (Ilias)

“Yeah, ask away.” 

“—Do you not regret choosing this world?” (Ilias)

“No.” 

It was an immediate answer, but I thought she would be asking this question, so I prepared that answer. Of course, I have my thoughts about it. Ilias must have noticed this, her face still looked somewhat downtrodden. 

“But I was indeed reluctant to part from it. The people who I met and got involved with in that world…the people who I could call friends and comrades, and I even had my family there. We did go our separate ways, but I feel like I would have been able to fix things to a certain degree as I currently am.” 

It is different from the time when I was fed up from facing people. I have also been influenced by Ilias and the others and have grown. 

That’s probably why I am sure I would be able to face not only those people’s malice, but also their true essence. 

I probably would have been able to share happiness with them and be in a relationship where we would be sad about parting from each other. To a degree where it wouldn’t be different from the ones in this world. 

This is purely speculative. 

However, the days I have spent with Ilias and the others gives me a clearer image and I feel like I can grasp the future. 

“I also believe that you would be able to redo things. That’s why, losing that opportunity is—” (Ilias)

“Don’t worry. There will always be choices as long as you are alive. You also lost a lot of opportunities after choosing the path of a knight. But you also obtained things exactly because you chose that path, right?” 

Ilias obviously knows this even without telling her. Ilias is feeling sad in my stead. 

Even if there’s a rift, I could have filled that up someday and formed a good relationship. When that happens, I would be able to feel the same emotions Ilias felt towards her own family and friends. 

That’s wonderful. It is true that it is a shame that I have lost the opportunity to redo things.

“…Yeah.” (Ilias)

When I returned to Earth, I was in my own room, and the first thing I confirmed was the day. 

It is short compared to the time I spent in the isekai, but it seems like a few months went by. 

My payments were made on debit and I was eating instant food the whole time, so there was only a bit of dust piled up in my room. 

It was in a state that I would be able to go back to my normal life immediately. 

I thought for an instant that maybe I wouldn’t be able to return to this world anymore, but that god carved some weird mark on someone else’s arm, so I was able to switch pretty quickly. 

I first relied on an intermediary I used a long time ago, and finished my preparations to obscure my whereabouts overseas. 

I thought it would be easier for my surroundings to forget about me if I were to journey to a foreign country over dying from an accident. 

They happily accepted the job when I got generous on the payment for the processing of the furniture, the procedure for the lease, and the contractor. 

My precious savings for the sake of living a minute lifestyle was already loose change that had no use anymore, so I felt a bit refreshed after having spent a good amount for the first time in a long while. 

But it went so smoothly that I had some free time before I got resummoned by God. 

I was thinking about greeting my neighbor to tell him I would be moving, but he unfortunately wasn’t there. 

I was thinking about walking outside, but I thought that such small temptations like convenience stores would create lingering attachments, so I was sitting in the room after I finished tidying everything up. 

I checked my cell phone that I will be erasing the information from, and chuckled at how wonderful scientific progress is. And then, I unconsciously opened my contacts. 

I may be in a situation where I still haven’t finished redoing it all, but I don’t have anyone who I could have a friendly talk with. 

The contractor will be leaving traces of me traveling overseas, so there’s no need to go out of my way to contact someone. But I thought this would be the last time anyways, so I couldn’t close the screen. 

And so, I thought I might as well bask in the past. 

I thought that maybe I would be able to think of some considerate words of farewell if I thought about my days on Earth. 

“I have no regrets about choosing this world. No, I decided to live a lifestyle that I won’t regret.” 

But what surfaced in my mind were memories of the days I spent with Ilias, Wolfe, and everyone in this world. 

The way of living of the proud knights, the purity of the people who live earnestly, the threat of the powerhouses, the fear of being close to dying, the reality of a fading life in my arms. 

There were days so wonderful they were dazzling. There were also sour memories I would rather not remember. There are good and bad reasons for me to not be able to forget them. 

I was able to hold lingering attachments towards Earth because of Ilias and the others. The reason why I can face the reality of the life I am currently living in is because of the days I spent in this world. 

In the end, I could only remember faint memories of my days on Earth. 

After ruminating about it, I sent a single message: [I will be living safely in a distant land.]

I then took out the chip from my cell phone and got rid of it together with the other electronics.

I crushed the chip into pieces and threw it out together with the trash. The haze in my heart had disappeared by the time I was doing that chore. 

“…I see.” (Ilias)

I took the hand of Ilias, whose expression had softened, and stood up. 

It is a rugged hand that’s even somewhat painful to hold, but even that feels precious. No, it is still painful.

You are putting a bit too much strength there, Ilias-san. Most likely because she is in a really good mood. 

“There’s a bit of sentimentalism. You will wipe out at least that much, right?” 

“Of course. I can’t be promoted anymore than this after all. I will be repaying the debts I have with you.” (Ilias)

“Please be lenient with me. I want to live safely -together with all of you.” 

“Fufu, I know. That’s why I am leaving the peace of my own heart in your hands.” (Ilias)

“I will do what I can. And so, what do you want right now?” 

“Right… For now, I would like to call your name.” (Ilias)

Speaking of which, I completely forgot about that. 

I couldn’t reveal my real name from Earth because of the Enticement of Purple, but I confirmed that Ritial was fine when he just changed his family name, so it is actually okay to reveal your given name. 

That said, I was changing my names even in Japan and living with fake names, so my own real name has grown faint. I don’t know about being called by that name. 

“…My life on Earth has ended, so maybe I should just change to a new name.” 

“So you are going with that…” (Ilias)

“Alright, I’ll leave it to you.” 

“I am the one deciding?!” (Ilias)

I thought about whether to consult with the others as well, but I could tell easily that it would get out of control in a heartbeat. 

Also, I am sure I will be able to love the name that Ilias chooses and will be calling me with. 

I went out the barrack and the evening was already dyeing the surroundings red. 

It is similar to the scenery I saw through the window on Earth. 

I felt nostalgic at the commonplace scenery. I was a bit happy that I could feel this. 

Ilias had a happy face as well from looking at my expression.

——

Author Afterword:

I am truly grateful for everyone who read all the way until this point. 

From September 2017 to June 2021. It has been close to 4 years, but it has concluded now. 

It is around 2,500,000 characters. It is a pretty hefty number. 

I at first was writing this out of pure inertia, so it was pretty much like just writing down memos.

There was a lot of miswritten stuff at the beginning thanks to that and it caused trouble for a lot of people in many directions (I still use text to speech in order to proofread, but there are still a lot of errors), but I managed to reach all the way here. 

It turned into a light novel and a manga on the way. I managed to write this story in an extremely blessed environment thanks to the support of all you readers, 123 Library-san, Magcomi-san, the illustrator Hitaki Yuu-san, and the mangaka Sasamine Kou-sensei. I am borrowing this space to give my thanks. 

About the future of this story, I plan on concluding it for now. 

However, I will be writing special side stories to match the progress of the manga and other works. <TLN: Side stories follow after the ending.>

Well then, thank you very much for tagging along with me until now. Let’s meet again elsewhere. 

Translator Afterword:

Hey guys, Reigokai here! 

We have reached the end of another story. A journey of close to 2 years. Felt so long and at the same time so short. 

I first learned of this story from its manga version. It really caught my eyes because the main character gave off that villain vibe and used his wits instead of brute forcing stuff in typical isekai fashion. 

When someone told me this story had been abandoned and it was already finished, I had to take it. And I have zero regrets. 

This story was great. I won’t say there were no slow parts, but it overall stuck to its original vision and kept it that way all the way to the end.

I could feel this especially strongly when it came to the battles of this story. It never was a pure show of strength. You would normally assume so with a muscle gorilla like Ilias, but every time a new enemy appeared, they would instead analyze their fighting style and come up with methods to take advantage with their own set of techniques. 

My personal favorite was the battle between Raheight and Dokora. The way Dokora showed just how soft the main cast was in that fight and opened them to a new perspective was pretty interesting to read. Fight poison with poison.

Dokora was my personal favorite in general aside from Rakura and Purple. The first villain who really propelled all events in the story and still made his presence known even after dying in the very first arc of the story. 

But really, what’s most important is after all, the main character which I myself call him Nameless.

Nameless is easily the most interesting one in all the cast. I felt like this whole story explored the psyche of Nameless, and what’s most surprising is that it didn’t run dry. He is such a complex character I couldn’t help getting drawn by everything that makes him tick. 

I even got chills the first time he used me.

Not gonna lie, there was a part of me that wanted Nameless to break out a combination of his personas so that I could bust out the Me. Shame.

Also, because the main character’s gimmick was to comprehend the inner workings of other people, that in turn ‘forced’ the author to create complex characters. 

He really managed to flesh out every character to the point that even parts of the story where we don’t follow the MC still felt interesting to read. The last arc being a prime example of this. Hell, you could even say Ekdoik and Haakudoku were the protagonists of their own stories. 

The world in itself was also a pretty nice point for me. I really liked the way they handled a being beyond the level of reason like Yugura, and the view of this ‘God’ that sees everything as if it were a statistic. 

Really, defining the power of a God by the amount of continents they can unify is a pretty cool concept. I really hope the author can expand this in future stories, but I doubt that will be happening.

And that bait at the end was nasty. I felt like I was reading Nekomimi Neko (another story I translated).

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this journey together with me. I am really happy that we managed to reach all the way to the end. 

Also, it brought a smile to my face whenever I saw familiar names in the comments all the way through the end. Really, know that you guys were and are a very big motivating factor for me and I really appreciate it. 

And so, we have now reached the end of this afterword as well. May we see each other in the new isekai I am translating, Minor Villain! 

Adios!

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