That night, the same thing that happened before my time looped occurred again. Everything felt the same, and it didn't surprise me.
One of Loki-san's subordinates burst into the dining room while my party, Loki-san, Forn-san, and Iris were discussing the ancient ruins.
He said that a force had been spotted moving toward Riruyo, but this time, something was different.
That person also mentioned that they were expected to arrive here in the afternoon. Before my time was rewound by someone, that force had arrived in the morning.
Could it be that some of the actions I had taken during this time loop had already altered fate?
Y-yeah, I suppose everything I do every time the loop happens is bound to change the ending I'll eventually reach.
Is that why the force is expected to arrive in the afternoon? If that's the case, then I still have time to think about what I should do here.
An action that can drive away the force that may have come from the Abyss, without a single casualty occurring here.
Indeed, if the key to this time loop is Iris's death, then I absolutely won't allow her to become a target for assassination again.
I will continue to protect her. Of course, together with Hime, Yuu-chan, and Luke, I won't let us be separated or fall into anxiety.
Perhaps this time, I will take a different action from what I did back then. I won't be able to defeat the Abyss if I cannot overcome the trial that takes place in Riruyo.
——
Because of the information they had received, Loki-san immediately asked us to discuss the matter.
Loki-san asked whether our hero party would help them, or simply watch their battle.
(He asked the same question before my time was rewound.)
Naturally, the four of us had no intention of allowing the elves here to be attacked while they defended their land alone.
Our party would help them hold their ground and counterattack.
Just like last time, that night, Loki-san, Luke, and I discussed all the possibilities that could occur before noon the next day.
From the strategy to the distribution of roles for everyone who would take part in the attack.
"Then, what should I do?" I asked.
I had asked the two of them because they hadn't assigned me any role at all yet.
Up until now, they had only been talking about each person's role and which elves would participate in the attack.
I could guess how they felt. I already knew what my role here was.
Most likely, I would be asked to wait in this house together with Iris, and I would need to quickly deepen our relationship and make her awaken her power.
But they didn't say it now, perhaps because they thought I already understood my role here.
"We'll think about it later, but don't worry, Yukito," Luke replied.
"Yes, you're right. We all surely have very important roles to play. More importantly, we should focus on our defensive strategy," Loki-san added as he joined the conversation.
See? They didn't want to say it to me right now. I thought that maybe they would tell me later that night, or perhaps early the next morning.
Well, in any case, this time I had already decided what I wanted to do.
Back then, my time loop likely occurred because of Iris's death, so I had to find the safest way to ensure she wouldn't be killed again.
This time, I would try to remain here and choose to stay with Iris. I would do something that she might remember, so that her power could awaken.
—
(The next morning)
Just as expected, as soon as I woke up, Luke immediately asked me to stay here with Iris.
Just like last time, everyone had slept at the dining table, since the matters from last night had ended around midnight or one in the morning.
To conserve energy and avoid accidents, we ended up falling asleep in this room instead.
Back then, I had rejected Luke's request and selfishly chose to go with them to the front lines.
Iris, who had already woken up after hearing our conversation, ended up following my wishes and went to the front lines as well.
Iris might be awake now too, but I didn't want her to find out about this.
"Yukito, what do you think? I believe this is the only thing you can do to support the fighters on the front lines," Luke said.
Luke, who was usually calm and quietly composed, became panicked and restless in situations like this.
I didn't know why he became like that, but I assumed it was because he wanted to protect the lives of the people important to him—and those people were the members of our party.
"Calm down, Luke. I'll stay here. In fact, that's exactly what I want to do," I replied.
Luke fell silent and waited for what I would say next.
"I'll stay here with Iris, so I'll leave this place to you and the others," I said.
Luke immediately smiled faintly and replied right away.
"Alright. In that case, I'll head to Loki-san and Forn-san first. I'll leave things here to you as well," Luke said as he opened the door and left the room.
——
After a while, Hime and Yuu-chan had woken up, and I told them that Luke had already left ahead of us.
At first, Hime was a little worried about me, since only Iris and I would remain here.
Meanwhile, everyone else would be near the barrier, defending this place from the approaching force.
In the end, Hime warned me that if Iris and I were ever in danger, I must prioritize saving both of our lives.
Of course, I said a few things to Hime as well, and asked her to be careful too.
"Alright, Yukito-sama. We'll head out now. If we meet again later… I'd like to ask you for something, okay?" Yuu-chan asked.
I wasn't used to hearing that kind of line from her, and it caught me slightly off guard.
Hime murmured quietly before saying something similar.
"Yukito-san, we're heading out now, okay? I won't forgive you if we don't meet again later. You understand, right?" Hime said.
Hahaha, it sounded more like a threat mixed with her concern for me.
The two of them left the room, leaving only Iris and me behind.
Iris had woken up a few minutes ago, and she had just finished her breakfast.
"Iris, what do you want to do?" I asked.
Everything depended on the answer Iris would give me.
If she wanted to go to the front lines, I would force her to stay here with me. I would do it even if it made her uncomfortable.
But if she chose to stay here, then all I had to do was spend time with her and help awaken her power.
Come on, Iris… I'm counting on you now!