Chapter 24
“Hamma, go fetch some water from the river. And Kaizen, head into the forest and pick these greens for me.”
“Roger that! Mealtime! I’ll be right back!”
Hamma, who had been thoroughly tamed over the past few days, dashed off to fetch water in an instant.
Kaizen watched him leave with a baffled expression before raising a complaint.
“Why do I have to do that?”
“Then should I do it? There’s no such thing as free service in my house. I took care of you for two days—pay for your meals.”
“……”
His lips opened and closed several times, like he had a dozen retorts trapped inside his mouth. But in the end, Kaizen got up with the face of a man walking toward his doom.
Right before opening the door, he stopped and looked back.
“…This is all you need me to gather?”
“Yep. And if you see any game animals, catch one on the way back. I’ll make a meat dish for dinner.”
Ever since Hirata had been defeated, animals had begun appearing in the forest at night.
It wasn’t night right now, but the thought was enough to make him sigh before he left the house.
He complained a little, but the fact that he still did what he was told meant he was getting used to this lifestyle.
Still… I should start mixing in vegetables with his meals soon.
If he was adapting this well, then I should streamline the time he spent resisting.
I was coating a pot with oil while waiting for the two of them to return when a commotion stirred outside.
A moment later, someone banged on the door.
“Romi! Come out! Quickly!”
“What is it?”
His voice sounded unusually excited.
I set the pot down and peeked out the window.
And then I couldn’t help but gasp.
“Oh…!”
So that’s why it was so noisy.
A whole group of beastmen from Hanak Village were approaching from the forest.
At the front was the village chief.
Looks like he’s finally made up his mind.
Well, I should greet them properly.
Smiling widely, I stepped outside and waved.
Seeing me, the beastmen sped up their pace.
“You’re here? Welcome.”
“Ehem… It’s been two days, Miss Romi.”
The chief cleared his throat and opened his mouth as if to say something—but then closed it again.
Because walking behind them was Kaizen, carrying a basket stuffed with edible greens.
His brows knit together at the sight of the sudden crowd.
“What is this? Why are there so many rabbits?”
“That was fast. Where’s the meat?”
“I didn’t feel like catching any.”
Figures. You couldn’t expect much initiative from someone suffering severe burnout.
As long as the skull icon hovered above his head, expecting proactive behaviour was a pipe dream.
“Good work. It might get a little noisy, so you can wait inside.”
“I was planning to.”
Without another word or even a backward glance, Kaizen stepped inside and shut the door.
Hamma watched his back with an exasperated mutter.
“Ugh. That hero guy is starting again…”
I only shrugged and told the chief,
“Don’t mind him. He’s always like that.”
The chief stared at the closed door with a surprised look before turning back to me.
“Ahem. I know. The fact that he’s alive at all is a blessing.”
Oh… nice.
As expected, the chief seemed to know a bit about Kaizen’s condition.
Good. That’ll make negotiations much easier.
I felt laughter threatening to escape but held myself steady and spoke with a straight face.
“Since you brought everyone here, I assume you’re ready for this?”
“… Before anything, please explain how you knew our memories would return. How were you aware of that?”
“Sure. I’ll make it simple. Everyone, gather around.”
The beastmen flinched nervously but moved quickly. Their attitude was completely different from before.
Looks like almost all of them are here.
By my count, at least 80% of the village had shown up—including the innkeepers.
The innkeeper’s wife caught my eye and gave me a warm smile. I returned it and began speaking.
“It must’ve been shocking to suddenly remember your previous lives. Though calling them ‘previous lives’ isn’t exactly accurate. How do you call something a past life when it just keeps repeating?”
The beastmen nodded. Their anxious gazes flickered among each other.
“It’s scary, isn’t it? Not knowing when or how your life will end and restart. Still, anyone observant should have noticed this—the point where your life resets is almost always the same.”
“R-right! I always die at fifteen years old!”
“Oh? For me, it’s nine!”
Their murmuring grew loud.
After comparing their memories, many of them lowered their heads in sombre silence.
Then someone cautiously raised their head—only to look at Hamma standing next to me.
Their expression shifted as if a realisation struck.
“…Come to think of it, didn’t Hamma use to say he was on his 100th life when he was younger? ”
“That’s right! I remember that too. We just thought it was a child’s imagination…”
Silence fell over the crowd.
Those who met Hamma’s eyes quickly looked away.
Hamma folded his arms with a snort.
“Hmph. You didn’t listen back then, but now that it’s happening to you, you believe? You don’t know whether you’re eating soup or eating… well, you know. Unreal.”
“……”
“……”
The beastmen’s faces twisted as if they’d just swallowed something rotten.
If he’d just stop talking, he’d actually be fine. But that mouth of his always ruined everything.
Still, a few beastmen did look guilty and bowed their heads deeper.
I clapped my hands once, snapping them out of the mood.
“No need to look so gloomy. I know how to end this loop.”
“Th-that’s true?”
“Yes. But there are two conditions.”
“C-conditions…?”
The chief stared up at me nervously.
I gestured toward Hamma beside me and spoke calmly.
“First condition: I want to hear why all of you in the village teamed up to deceive Hamma. And after that, I want a real apology.”
The chief’s expression darkened.
The beastmen behind him weren’t any better—they avoided eye contact and stayed silent.
It took a long moment before the chief finally spoke.
“As I said in the previous cycle… it was to protect Hamma. And… I still cannot tell you the reason.”
“Why not? Is there a restriction?”
“……”
His eyes trembled violently.
And I realised—
So my guess was right.
Now then… What should I do?
The chief looked like he was dying to tell me but couldn’t.
What could I squeeze out of this situation?
Suppressing a grin, I straightened my face and declared,
“You can’t even say that you’re restricted, huh? Fine. Here’s my offer: I’ll lift your restriction.”
“W-what…? Is such a thing even possible!?”
“There’s nothing I can’t do.”
“Huh…”
His lips parted soundlessly before he eventually nodded.
“Good. That settles the first condition. Now, the second one.”
“…Why do I feel uneasy already…?”
“Don’t worry. This one’s easy.”
“What… what is it?”
This next part was critical.
I glanced toward the log cabin where Kaizen had gone inside before continuing.
“This concerns all of our futures. I hope you’ll cooperate fully. Some of you may have already guessed, but the reason we keep looping is that Kaizen dies. This world revolves around him.”
Several beastmen wore expressions that said they’d suspected as much.
They’d probably seen Kaizen die over and over.
The chief looked troubled yet unconvinced.
“But… why? What’s the reason?”
“My guess? Kaizen has the duty to defeat the Demon King. If the one who must slay the Demon King keeps dying, the world rewinds.”
“……”
In truth, it was because Kaizen was the protagonist of Tale’s World…
But there was no need to drop that bomb on them.
“Anyway, what matters is this: if he doesn’t die, the loop ends. He’s cursed, so he keeps trying to die—but if everyone helps me, I think I can stop that.”
Silence washed over the group.
Not a single beastman stepped forward.
Then the chief swallowed hard.
“H-how can we help? Tell us anything!”
“Anything?”
“Y-yes… yes…”
His face went pale as he realised he’d spoken too quickly.
But what’s said can’t be unsaid.
I grinned.
