"......This is only the second time in my life that I've felt just how quickly time passes."
The Queen of the Night Demons let out a deep sigh.
It was a sigh full of regret and lingering sorrow.
With a lifespan close to infinite, she had thought she had long since cast aside the human sense of time that only lesser races cared about.
But she had been wrong.
More precisely, two humans had reminded her of it.
Of what it meant to form a bond as dear friends, and what it meant to part.
"...Even if it isn't a permanent farewell, I suppose it can't be helped that I still feel regret."
The queen, Luminous, reached out a hand toward the friend standing before her.
Perhaps because sunlight never touched her, her hand was slender and pale white.
More than a [Vampire Lord], she looked like a princess raised delicately in a greenhouse.
"......"
I watched Luminous quietly.
Unlike her, I was used to the feeling of parting.
In my previous life, I had already gone through losing family, and even after reincarnating, there had been times when I lived apart from Ria.
Besides, this parting was not death, much less an eternal one.
It was only like falling into a deep dream for a little while, just a very little while.
Nothing more than a procedure to confirm the result of [Regression] and the karma he carried.
So I would not grieve, and I would not lament it either.
I would simply see her off with a smile.
That was all.
So—
"—There's no need to be sad. We'll see each other again before you know it. Right, Hinata?"
As if soothing a crying child, I gave Luminous a gentle pat on the shoulder and looked at Hinata.
Standing alone in the empty space where the holy ark would soon appear, she had been calmly resting with her eyes closed. At my words, she opened them and gave a faint smile.
"Of course. We'll meet again before long."
Far from looking regretful, Hinata almost seemed happy.
The sense of duty that came with being a [Regressor], the pressure of knowing the future, and the relief of being freed from Chronoa's body.
She was about to cast off all of that weight and return to a more peaceful time, so it made sense that joy rose more strongly in her than regret.
After all, she would be able to experience that one month again, the month she had spent as Shizu's disciple.
And beside Shizu, after she became a teacher... I'll be there too.
I was the turning point of [Regression].
And by my side was Shizu, who had cast off the fate of a majin and reached the level of a sage.
Unlike Hinata, who had become a saint in only a few years, Shizu had not yet reached sainthood, but that was not because she lacked talent.
On the contrary, it was because the [Hero]'s Egg I had given her suited her so perfectly that its blossoming had slowed.
It meant that the [World] created by Veldanava still had not found an ability worthy of her.
Maybe the Shizu and Hinata of this world could become just as strong as Chronoa and I did.
I would keep teaching Shizu, and when Hinata later became Shizu's disciple, I would teach her too.
In other words, that meant three people carrying a [Hero]'s Egg would gather in one place.
...That guy does worry me a little, but the Shizu of now should be fine.
That guy.
Another former disciple of Shizu's, an [otherworld] native summoned by Kazaream.
I was concerned about that monstrous boy who hid enormous ambition behind a smiling face, but I did not bother voicing it aloud.
Hinata, who knew he would betray us someday, had deliberately chosen not to tell me, so I intended to pretend I knew nothing about him as well.
At this point, when the clowns had not yet made a direct move, stepping in too early would not lead to any especially good result.
"I'll explain it all properly to Shizu."
For the record, Shizu was not here right now, since she had remained in [Ingrassia] with Ria.
She still did not know Luminous's true identity, and Hinata had also asked to leave in secret.
Most likely, she simply did not want to see her precious teacher crying over a farewell.
Shizu looked mature, but in truth, she had a very tender side.
"...Okay. I'm counting on you."
Hinata said that with a nostalgic look in her eyes, as if recalling something dear.
Then, after a moment, she held out her hand to me.
In her palm was a mask engraved with a peculiar pattern.
"This is..."
The [Conquering Mask].
The item that would become Shizu's symbol, and the trigger for [Regression].
"Please give it to Teacher Shizu for me. I think it'll be better if it comes from you instead of me."
"......Are you sure? If you're giving this to me, then that means..."
It meant drawing a clear line between this and the countless [Regression]s that had failed until now.
In short, she was saying she would discard all the information accumulated through those failures and entrust everything to me.
"...Are you really okay with leaving it to me?"
I did not mind falling into an endless cycle.
After all, if we wanted to reach the true ending, the success of this [Regression] was absolutely essential.
But there was no guarantee I could do everything right.
Helping from the sidelines was one thing, but becoming the one at the center and acting directly was something else entirely.
...Even so—
"It's fine. We... I trust you."
—Hinata placed the mask in my hand.
"There's no one more suited for this than you. Only you know about the [Regressor], know Teacher Shizu, and... know me. Only you can do this."
Trust, sincerity, affection.
All kinds of feelings were reflected in the gaze she turned on me.
It was the upright gaze of a [Hero], not even a grain of falsehood within it.
"......"
...When she put it like that, how could I possibly refuse?
At least... I couldn't.
As someone who felt like I understood what kind of feelings Hinata held for me, it was utterly impossible.
"...All right."
Until the day she would become a disciple to Shizu and me.
Until the day she would become a Holy Knight of this holy empire.
I felt like I needed to prepare an answer... to the feelings she carried.
An answer that would truly satisfy her, not another vague evasion like last time.
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