The enigmatic figure in the hooded robe, swordsman Noct.
Due to the deep hood covering his face, even his features were not clear from this distance.
"Is this guy really Agetha's ally?"
"Yeah, that's right," Agetha replied.
"What should I do?"
"For now, just start a conversation with him. I've already introduced you to Noct. Also, you've been muttering to yourself like a suspicious character since a while ago. There's no need to say it out loud when talking to me."
…I see.
Certainly, it seemed that Agetha's voice could only be heard by me, and if I kept talking out loud to communicate with her, it would raise suspicion.
"Can you hear this?"
"Yeah, I can hear you just fine."
It appeared that simply conversing within my mind was sufficient for Agetha to hear me.
"So, you've already introduced me to Noct, what does that mean?"
"We are communicating in a similar way now, with me remotely addressing Noct as well. So, Noct has already been informed of my situation to some extent."
I see, it makes sense now.
For the time being, I decided to speak to swordsman Noct and observed him.
Swordsman Noct simply stood silently. Since I couldn't see his expression and didn't know what he was thinking, I hesitated to start a conversation.
Nonetheless, I couldn't remain silent forever, so I gathered my courage and initiated the conversation.
"Uh, you're Noct, right?"
"Yeah."
"You're Agetha's ally, correct?"
"Agetha…?"
It seemed like the name "Agetha" didn't ring a bell with him.
"Hey, what's going on?"
"Come to think of it, I never introduced myself with my real name."
"So, what did you introduce yourself as?"
"I said I was the 'True Hero.'"
True Hero, huh.
That means that Hero Eligion is a false hero. Anyway, I should correct myself.
"I'm sorry, I misspoke. Noct, you are an ally of the True Hero, right?"
"Yeah, that's right. It seems like you're one as well. Earlier, the True Hero told me about it."
It seems that Agetha introduced me properly to swordsman Noct.
"So, what should I do?"
"Hmm… I guess we should go and consult the True Hero."
With that, swordsman Noct fell into silence once again. Was he communicating with Agetha in his mind?
"Hey, Agetha."
"Wait. I'm currently talking to Noct. You'll have to wait."
It seems she's occupied at the moment. I'll just have to be patient.
"Alright, I'm done."
"What's finished?"
"I told Noct everything about the plan. I almost forgot. Without my orders, he's just a puppet unable to do anything."
Come to think of it, in the previous timelines, swordsman Noct never actively participated. Perhaps it's because he couldn't do anything without Agetha's orders.
"So, what should I do?"
"Ah, I want you to cooperate with Noct to accomplish something."
"What do you mean by 'something'?"
"Ah, before explaining that, Noct, show your face hidden beneath the hood to this man."
As soon as Agetha said that, swordsman Noct removed his hood.
The first thing that caught my eye was his shining silver hair. Surprisingly, he had a handsome face, but the unsettling deadness in his eyes marred his appearance.
"You're fortunate. It seems like you two can get along well. I believe you refer to each other as Alcusians."
Ah, that's right. Swordsman Noct and I both had silver hair.
"Now, Kiska, what I need you to do is to eliminate the people I'm about to introduce."
The word 'eliminate' caught my attention.
"I want you to kill these four individuals: Warrior Gorgano, Holy Knight Canaria, Sage Nyau, and Hero Eligion."
"…What?"
I involuntarily let out a bewildered response. Two things struck me in that moment: the inclusion of Sage Nyau's name on the elimination list and the sudden recollection of something important.
Because of this silver hair, I had been bullied for years in the village of Katarov. The reason for the bullying stemmed from the belief that Alcusians, like me, had once betrayed the Hero and sided with the Demon race.
Come to think of it, when I first arrived in this world a hundred years ago, I interacted with the villagers, and my silver hair didn't earn me any disdain. In other words, in this era, the stigma of Alcusians being traitors had not yet taken root.
In fact, it suggested that during this time, there was still a chance to reconsider the belief that Alcusians would betray the Hero.
"Could it be… you've done this before?"
"Yeah, that's right. To save the world, there was no other choice but to kill these four." Hearing Agetha's words, I became certain of something and, simultaneously, my vision blurred and warped.
It seemed like a dizzy spell. Feeling nauseous, I instinctively leaned against the wall.
The silver hair was at the root of the chaos that had become my life. Due to this hair, I was tormented in the village, which led to my mother's illness and death, my childhood friend Namia's murder, and my wrongful imprisonment deep within the dungeon. If it weren't for this silver hair, my life would have taken a completely different path.
Now I was faced with the task of killing the Hero's party. While it might be necessary to save the world, from an outsider's perspective, it could easily be seen as a treacherous act against humans. Suddenly, I visualized something in my mind: the silver-haired swordsman Noct ruthlessly slaughtering the Hero's party. Ah, I see. It was this silver-haired Noct who had killed the Hero's party, and that was why Alcusians would be persecuted as traitors. I couldn't cooperate with this person. After all, this very individual was the source of the chaos in my life.
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