Gozine

After returning from the journey.
Zitri, Eleanor, Paracelsus, Leon, and Emperor Penelope
I gathered most of my companions from Eldain Academy at the Rivalin Merchant Group’s café.
The academy’s faculty and my magic instructor, Astrid, couldn’t leave their posts immediately, so I decided to share the truth about the demons and angels of this world, as I had learned in the labyrinth recently, only with my inner circle.
The reason for revealing this truth, even though it wasn’t strictly necessary, was as follows.

The companions by my side now had sacrificed themselves for me, Nox von Reinhaver, at least once before. The deaths of my companions across 27 failed cycles had been too numerous, and the memories flooding back felt surreal.

Even as we returned from the northern snowfields, I kept thinking and thinking.
In this situation, I had grown weary of being unable to be honest with my companions.

So, I decided to lay everything bare.
Everything I knew.

No, almost everything, except for one thing.

“First of all, this isn’t my first life.”

It was a sudden opening. Emperor Penelope was the first to speak.

“I secretly left my duties to come here, and now you’re making some kind of joke….”

But her words trailed off.

“It seems. You’re serious.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Everyone, please listen carefully. What I’m about to say is the absolute truth, without a single falsehood… and it may even lead us to witness the end of the Holy-Demon War, fought under the name of the goddess Arden, involving the demons and angels depicted in myth.”

“This…. is quite an intriguing story.”

Paracelsus spoke in a low voice. Slowly, the beast’s eyes began to gleam.
He likely already had some inkling of the situation.
After all, the object on his hand, no, more accurately, the gemstone currently embedded in Paracelsus’s hand—was one of the key pieces of this puzzle.

“You’ve experienced the future multiple times? Then, about the thing on my hand.”

Paracelsus paused briefly, then removed the white glove he always wore, revealing the back of his hand.
He pointed to the red gem embedded there and continued calmly.

“Can I assume you already know about this as well?”

His intention was clear.
Did I truly possess the knowledge and experience necessary to end the war?
He needed a definitive answer for that.

“Of course.”

I nodded slowly, then stepped closer to Paracelsus and continued.

“The divine relic bestowed upon humanity by Arden at the very beginning…the ‘Philosopher’s Stone.'”

“Th-the Philosopher’s Stone?… Don’t tell me”

“Young master, is this true?”

“Yes. To add, sealed within that stone is the being we’ve longed to kill. Archduke Baal.”

Instantly, the atmosphere grew icy.

They hadn’t been shocked by my story of repeated regressions.
But the mention of Baal, the Archduke and Demon King, was something they couldn’t take lightly.

This was a matter of continental survival.

“You know it well, huh”

As Paracelsus agreed, Emperor Penelope extended her hand toward him, mana flaring.
It was a precaution, in case things turned dangerous.
Outwardly, that was the case. But her true intent was clear.

“You’d better explain this properly, Paracelsus.”

“Hmm, to do that, I’d have to start with what happened in the east… Are you sure? It’s not exactly a pleasant story for Your Majesty’s ears.”

“Begin.”

I cut off Paracelsus’ words.
Leon watched silently. Only someone as unshakable as Leon could remain so composed.

With unusually somber eyes, Paracelsus slowly began speaking.

“I came across it when I was a child.”

**********

Paracelsus.

Around the time he began making a name for himself as one of the eastern conquerors.
Legends of a red stone were spreading across the continent.

‘The Philosopher’s Stone.’
A divine artifact said to grant any wish.
Born from the Chalice of Creation, it was now regarded as little more than a relic of history.
But after the war, the situation clearly changed.
The Philosopher’s Stone, nothing more than a legend, uncertain whether it truly exists.
This was…

Merely a ploy prepared by the highest-ranking nobles to prevent the commoners from ever finding it.

The written word became a powerful tool, flooding the continent with false articles about the ‘Philosopher’s Stone’ and the ‘Legend of the Red Stone.’

And then.
At some point, after the hellish war that engulfed the East in chaos, and after the religious war that tore through the central continent had finally ended.
The nobles, having finally achieved a balance of power, all thought the same thing.

— Now is the time to find the Philosopher’s Stone!

— To etch our family’s name at the pinnacle of history, we need the power of god!

The three dark noble families and the central nobles, blessed with divine punishment and holiness, believe.
The one who will rule the continent again will be the family that possesses the red stone, the Philosopher’s Stone.
Thus, most families became desperate.

Hiring many adventurers and making endless attempts.
They promised vast rewards and status to anyone who could bring them the stone.

But there was something even they didn’t know.
A truth known only to a few family heads among the highest nobles. The stone’s true nature was that it sealed the first demon, Baal, and that nine fragmented pieces of it were scattered across the continent.

As a child, Paracelsus once entered an abandoned dungeon at the edge of a village.

— Child, take the stone.

A place thought to be empty—abandoned, nothing more than a hideout for children. Yet, in that sealed dungeon, Paracelsus had an extraordinary experience. From beyond his line of sight, he heard a whispering voice—one he’d never heard before.
A voice that seemed to enchant, keep continued.

— This stone will grant you everything you desire.
— Take it, child…

— Seize it. This continent will belong to those who dare to challenge it…

Naturally, Paracelsus was young, and he had a powerful drive to grow stronger. Having lost his family and companions, his deep-seated resentment kept him from resisting the demon’s whispers.

So he took it.

The red stone, a stone that burned endlessly, crimson as blood….

**********

When Paracelsus realized what he held was one of the nine ‘Philosopher’s Stones’ scattered across the continent, he had no choice but to agonize over it.
This was clearly a calamity, a grotesque, cursed object that should be discarded.

He was certain that if he didn’t get rid of it, he would eventually suffer for it.
Though Paracelsus’s genius talent prevented Baal from fully taking over his body, this was only possible so long as he resisted surrendering himself to the demon. It was a fragile belief, like a candle in the wind.

But removing it was impossible.

No matter where he turned, if he spoke the truth, he’d be branded a heretic and executed—or worse, dissected by nobles seeking to study his body.

Just like that, time passed.
Paracelsus continued to hear the whispers of Baal’s fragmented soul within the Philosopher’s Stone, but he never let the demon take full control.

Yet he knew.

If enough time passed—or if he reached a certain breaking point, he might lose his body to the demon.
No, in truth, the odds were overwhelmingly high.

The fragment of Baal’s soul embedded in the back of his hand whispered to him endlessly.

— Find the remaining eight pieces…
— If you do, you will become the ruler of this continent.

**********

“Your Majesty, could you perhaps, retract that magic? It’s a bit too murderous, I might die of a heart attack before finishing my story.”

Paracelsus joked lightly.
The Emperor complied, but her guard, Echidna, remained tense.

Was Paracelsus’s story true?
Nox von Reinhaver had already confirmed it. There really was a red gem embedded in the back of his hand, and as he said, it couldn’t be removed by simply cutting off his arm. In fact, his body was currently serving as a seal for one of Baal’s fragments.

There was no reason to provoke such a dangerous element now.

If Paracelsus had already been consumed by Baal, he would have killed everyone here long ago.

Amid the heavy silence, Nox spoke calmly.

“This lowly commoner’s words are true. Rather, try to think positively. Baal is a demon who will awaken someday, no matter whose hands he falls into. Though it’s only one fragment, stealing a piece of his soul will prevent him from being fully restored.”

“That’s true. Even if Baal gathers the remaining fragments and revives, there would be only eight pieces. In the end, it wouldn’t be complete.”

“But even as he is now, he’s already a being that surpasses all Grand dukes. Whether that’s something we can consider good is debatable. Decisively…. someone will have to be entrusted to kill Baal.”

“That’s right.”

Nox replied calmly.

“But isn’t that person already here?”

Paracelsus folded his arms, looking incredulous.

“…I thought for sure you’d call me a liar and lop my head off right here.”

“I told you. This isn’t my first time.”

Nox’s expression was uncharacteristically cold as he looked at Paracelsus and the red gem embedded in his hand.

Then, he recalled.

— Damn it, you fucking noble brat! Now’s your chance! You’ve always hated me. Decide, and kill me!

The image of Paracelsus, his body slowly being taken over by the demon, collapsing in the end.

His usual arrogance had completely vanished, and the face that even shed tears while urging his own death still vividly lingered.

“Commoner, you’ve died many times already.”

“Damn, you sure know how to say cursed things. Don’t worry, I have not the slightest intention of dying!”

Paracelsus’s bold declaration. But no one took it lightly.
How could they? The situation was far too extreme.

But in Nox’s mind, an even more shocking scene was playing out.

— Did you really think an attack like this could kill me, Baal, the Archduke?

Just as Paracelsus had said, after beheading him in one timeline, Nox witnessed it, Baal’s resurrection and the corpses of everyone who had already died.

Baal could not be killed unless his soul was destroyed.
And to destroy him, a vessel with the innate talent to contain him was necessary. Nox had already made his decision. How could he kill Baal and ensure all his companions survived? The answer was already clear.

“Can you really survive?” [Eleanor]

“Husband….. Please answer me. Tell me you’ll survive.”

“Please… Young master!”

But as answers often are, even when the outcome is already decided, the time it takes to make that decision can feel agonizingly long.

….Especially when that decision involves one’s own death.
In this moment, Nox told his companions a single lie.

“Right. I won’t die.”

Just as he had said at the very beginning, Nox lied.
Of course, the emotions he felt now were entirely different from back then….