The Man’s 101st Bad Ending

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Drip.

I watched the water droplets falling onto the beaker.

Colorful potions falling onto the green water, an alchemist’s day was nothing special.

Although the original intention of doing this was not for alchemy, making and selling these potions was quite profitable.

“Yawn… I’m dying of sleepiness.”

Unable to fall asleep until dawn, I eventually failed to lie in bed.

The problem was that it was too noisy due to the Full Moon Festival and whatnot.

Earlier, a firework exploded, causing me to spill a beaker.

That one beaker could make several potions. Thinking I had wasted gold for no reason, my brows furrowed.

With an unusually small physique, it was not easy to move.

If someone else saw, they would probably think I had the build of a 12-year-old girl.

Jay, who had tidied her hair tied back once more, jumped off the chair and picked up the glass pieces that had fallen on the floor.

I thought I had picked them all up earlier, but one was still left.

Through the open window, the moon was visible, and Jay rubbed her eyes and let out a sigh.

Now it was time to go to sleep. Tomorrow, she would leave this city and head south.

This life as a fugitive would soon end.

While her mind was at ease, a sense of unease rose for no reason.

Surely nothing would happen on this last day.

“I’ll think about it after waking up tomorrow. If they had found me, they would have killed me already.”

If the pursuers chasing her had figured it out, she would have been slaughtered long ago.

But it meant she was still safe.

Above all, with so many people around, if a suspicious person appeared, they would be caught by the patrol.

Thud, as the festival lights slowly went out, the place where Jay lived was also engulfed in darkness.

Thus, silence arrived.

Darkness where no sound could be heard, only the sound of snoring echoed.

Jay, lying on the bed, soon surrendered to the approaching slumber.

At dawn, when the once-bright light disappeared and the stars gradually revealed themselves.

The moon was veiled by clouds, and only a hazy light spread like fog in the streets.

…In the midst of it, the shadows began to move.

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Shaking off Adele was quite easy.

As she was lost in the afterglow of the fireworks, I simply said I had a place to stop by for a moment and quickly slipped away.

In the process, I obtained a weapon and headed in the direction of where Jay lived, remembering the location.

Swinging the sword in my hand, a heavy sensation was transmitted to my arm.

As expected, this body was not accustomed to wielding a sword.

Was it because I had never held a sword in this life?

Although it was natural since it was a body that had never held one before, it wasn’t a big deal.

There were times when I had stopped it without a single weapon.

It was close to being the same, but the engraved experience would be of great help in dealing with those assailants.

Couldn’t I even confront them barehanded now? Although I didn’t want to take such a gamble.

“She should still be alive.”

The time Jay was attacked was always the same.

After the fireworks ended and the lights were completely extinguished as people dispersed.

There were still a few street lamps left.

If I had to estimate the time, it would be around 1 AM.

As a few drunks were visible nearby, I had plenty of leeway.

Walking through the alleys, I suddenly thought of Adele, whom I had left alone.

Although I had tried to avoid going to the north as much as possible, it seemed necessary to visit at least once.

I could go and warn her about the false accusation of treason.

Then the debt of gratitude I held would also be cleanly resolved.

Come to think of it, she was quite different from the woman I knew.

Previously, when we had lived together, she was just the Grand Duchess of the North herself, cold and occasionally showing a cruel side.

But in this life… she was close to being capricious.

Saying she would be disappointed if I just left. She really seemed to mean it, so I couldn’t refuse.

I had a sense of how she thought of me.

It was probably a question about my conduct that was completely different from the rumors.

But that was all, it was obvious that her words about being interested in me stemmed from curiosity.

I never expected to get involved with her not once, but twice, and even directly coming here because I hadn’t gone to the north last time.

In other words, it would end with visiting her once.

If I appropriately agreed with her words, her interest in me would also cease.

The connection ends here.

Getting deeply entangled with a woman who would lose her life due to a false accusation of treason was never good. Didn’t I have to delay my death until I cut off the Crown Prince’s lifeline?

Lost in thought for a while, I realized that the lights around me were disappearing one by one.

Soon, when the light completely disappeared, this city would sink into darkness again.

That was precisely the moment for me to move. So I hid myself.

So that no one would notice my presence here.

The place where Jay lived was the building right above my head.

It looked ordinary for a place where an alchemist lived, but the inside would be filled with unusual items.

Usually, selling potions or herbs at a general store was her job, but in reality…

She was a woman who could be called the best information dealer in this empire.

No, perhaps it was ambiguous to even call her a woman.

Because she would have the physique of a young child at most due to her twisted mana from birth.

That was why she couldn’t deal with this kind of attack. Her ability was purely non-combat, wasn’t it?

It was thanks to Jay’s help that I had found out and collected information about what the Crown Prince had done.

Using illusions to infiltrate… it was an ability that was hard to understand even after hearing the explanation, but it was undeniable that she was important in every turn.

I felt fortunate to have learned various things in my previous life.

Wasn’t it all thanks to the previous runs that I could wield a sword and fight, and calmly think about the situation of an attack?

Others might see me as just an immature young man, but inside was a cunning old fox who had lived for hundreds of years.

I could predict most actions, and if it was something I knew, I wouldn’t make mistakes.

So I could be confident this time as well.

The alchemist Jay would live, and this time, for sure… I would sever the Crown Prince’s lifeline with my own hands.

As I closed my eyes, the faint mana in my body began to resonate with the surroundings.

Penetrating the darkness, drawing out faint threads to envelop the surroundings.

Like a spider web, dominating the space and simultaneously grasping the movements around, an application of mana.

The amount of mana in my body was not much, but if I wanted to utilize it, I could apply it better than anyone else.

That was how time worked.

Even if I didn’t intend to, time naturally advanced these skills.

I could sense presence even without touching these threads.

Observing the surroundings for a moment, I only felt a few passersby who were still drunk and making a fuss.

The assailant was probably among them.

As it had been in the past, my gaze was always directed towards those people.

…However, that concentration was soon shattered.

It was because I felt a presence that should not have existed at this time.

Cold mana flowed through the threads and was transmitted.

As if angry at something, my body trembled at the intense and violent mana.

“Why on earth is this person here?”

Adele Igrit.

I had no idea why I could sense her presence.

I also felt the presence of several people beside her.

Scattering and gathering repeatedly around, as if they were looking for someone.

When I sensed something strange and spread the threads, Adele’s mana suddenly reacted strongly.

“I’ve been caught.”

She must have realized that someone was sensing the surroundings with mana.

But she didn’t know that this was my mana.

Should I escape? After repeatedly contemplating, I shook my head and accepted the situation.

Now that it had come to this, it would be difficult for me to even get away alone.

But it was not the time to move recklessly, as the moment Jay would be attacked was approaching soon.

So I stood there quietly and waited, and Adele approached from beyond.

Seeing my face, she was slightly surprised, then began to glare at me with furrowed brows.

“…So you were here. I wondered where you had run off to, leaving me behind. Why on earth are you in a place like this?”

“Didn’t I tell you earlier? I said I have urgent business.”

“I didn’t know that urgent business was hiding in a place like this. Robert, do you perhaps have a hobby of peeping into others’ homes?”

“It’s a misunderstanding.”

Shing, the eyes of the woman who drew her sword turned cold.

She must have been displeased that I had lied to her and that she had been deceived.

But she was not a woman to draw a sword for just that reason.

It might be my hasty judgment, but it was certain that my existence was quite interesting to her.

The reason she drew her sword was not simply because she was angry, but rather… to demand an explanation for why I was here.

The nature of a woman named Adele Igrit was simple.

As she wanted, as her heart desired.

But that animalistic instinct was unpredictable, so she must have realized that there was definitely something here.

It was the first time someone other than me had learned about this matter.

I had tried not to tell as much as possible. But if it was Adele… I could trust her.

Didn’t she, even if she didn’t remember, used to be a comrade-in-arms at one point?

“Someone will die here tonight.”

Then her arm stopped right there.

In the posture of pointing her sword at me, Adele, with narrowed eyes, asked back.

“Someone?”

“Yes. If we don’t stop it, it will probably become an incident and be known to the surroundings tomorrow.”

“So you came to prevent that. I see… I understand.”

After contemplating for a moment, she nodded and lowered her sword.

It was quite an unexpected reaction that I was the one who was taken aback instead.

I had been preparing, thinking she would ask how I knew and who would die.

But seeing her sigh as if relieved, it seemed like the questioning was over.

So I stared intently, and Adele, who chuckled, sheathed her sword and opened her mouth.

“Why are you making that expression? Were you moved that I didn’t kill you?”

“You’re not going to ask anything?”

“Why should I ask?”

As if it was natural, she answered nonchalantly and continued.

The man beside her just laughed hollowly as if he had expected it.

I knew who he was too. The bespectacled man was Adele’s scholar, surely the man named Lothos.

“Everyone has secrets. Judging from the fact that you didn’t tell me right away, it’s probably that kind of matter. I have no intention of finding out every little thing like that. For a woman like me to be left alone to do something… it must be a very important matter. Lord Taylor.”

Although her tone was close to an interrogation, it seemed certain that she was not taking it too seriously.

Was I nervous for nothing?

So I let out a sigh of relief, and Lothos beside me clicked his tongue and glared at Adele.

“Didn’t you just search for him out of worry? We don’t even know who Robert is, but you made a fuss saying he disappeared and told us to find him- Phew. Anyway, I’m glad we found him.”

“Be quiet. Unless you want to die early.”

As Adele rebuked him, Lothos tightly shut his mouth and grasped his neck.

Nothing had changed at all. Well, I had experienced this situation dozens of times.

Lothos would blurt out something inappropriate and nearly die, and Adele would draw her sword and cause a commotion.

I almost laughed at that familiar situation, but I suppressed my expression and looked at Adele.

Adele seemed quite bothered by what Lothos had just said.

Glancing at me, she averted her gaze slightly and added.

“…I wasn’t worried. I just looked for you because you disappeared.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s better not to listen to the words of this blabbermouth beside me. There’s nothing helpful even if you listen. Remember that when you come to the north later.”

I realized it was her way of resolving her embarrassment.

Nodding as if I understood, Adele looked at me silently and turned her head.

Now that it had come to this, it would be far-fetched to say that I could avoid going to the north.

So I nodded, and Adele glanced around and opened her mouth.

Come to think of it, I realized that only one light remained in the surroundings. Soon, the attack on Jay would begin.

“But if you’re going to prevent someone’s death, can you do it alone? If it’s alright, we can help. We’ve done that kind of thing many times.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but this is something I have to resolve myself. If there’s something I need…”

Then I noticed Adele’s sword.

A sword far better than the one I currently had, one that wouldn’t break no matter how much it was swung.

If I received help, things might get complicated because of her presence.

But borrowing one item should be fine.

“May I borrow the sword you have?”

“The sword…? I don’t mind, but haven’t you never wielded a sword?”

“I did say that.”

After hesitating for a moment, Adele handed me the sword and spoke as if puzzled.

Indeed, I had said I had no interest in swords when we met last time.

In this turn, I had rarely held or swung a sword.

“But I never said I couldn’t handle a sword, did I?”

Crack, something I couldn’t do with the old sword.

Mana surging from my heart flowed through my arm and was transmitted to the sword.

As a blue flash erupted in the darkness, Adele blankly watched the scene.

Of course, it was nothing to me. The light that cut through the shadows was a natural thing for me, who had lived through a turn.

There was a time when I lived solely relying on the sword.

So even the me of the 101st run had no choice but to be familiar with the sword.

Because I had swung it so many times that I was sick of it.

Sword Saint was a title that had been attached to me in one of the runs.

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