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Right now, I was in a perfectly awakened state, unlike during the Saint’s raid incident.

Back then, I had only called upon one of my past four lives, but now I remembered all my realms entirely.

I understood clearly what the power of a Hero was, and thanks to that, I was able to defeat Eden. Of course, it was only possible because I wasn’t on my own, but rather, I was with Selian.

In fact, my previous lives were all synergizing with one another, leading me further upward.

However, because of this, I came to realize something I didn’t want to know but had to: it wasn’t merely a story from my past discovered through the broken brainwashing magic upon awakening as a Hero; it was another story from a different past altogether.

“Why…! I’m fine! Since that day, my heart beats only for Elysia. Only she can make it stop or keep it beating!”

Selian looked at me, her usual calm demeanor replaced by an excited outburst.

When I first entered the Academy, I wanted to assassinate her; after the Assassin Guild was destroyed, I sought her trust merely to survive.

And now, I could say that I had completely earned her trust. Truly, it was a moment filled with profound emotion.

That day she refers to must be when I took the blow for the Guild Master in my first life.

I sacrificed myself for her, but such an action was nothing more than hypocrisy in the end. If I hadn’t gotten close to her, I wouldn’t have sacrificed anything; I would have ended up stabbing her heart instead. In my second and third lives, that’s how it played out.

Of course, in those second and third lives, I hesitated to stab her. If I hadn’t, the assassination deadline wouldn’t have dragged on for so long.

Looking back, I was practically disqualified from being an assassin. I had grown as an assassin for ten long years and yet had compassion for my target. How ludicrous, especially considering my own plight!

But in the end, a stab is a stab. No matter how much coercion came through the Master-Servant Mark, it was my own actions.

If I truly didn’t want to stab her, I should have resisted with the willpower surpassing that of the sealing magic, just as I did in my first life. Knowing that was possible leaves me with no room for excuses.

Yes, this was the first reason I couldn’t forgive myself, even if Selian did.

“If… if you’re leaving… I’ll stop you by force…!”

Selian lifted the sword she was still holding and aimed it at me.

But despite her words about stopping me by force, her arms were trembling mightily to follow my formidable power regained from my prime.

With a step light as air, and before she could even make a sound, I approached her swiftly.

Clang!

Without even trying hard, I deflected her sword, which flew lightly from her hand, embedding into the ground far away.

Though Selian was tired, even if she were in perfect condition, she could not stop me with her current strength.

Her level, considering her state, was merely at the introductory phase of being a Sword Master.

While that level alone is indeed notable on the continent, reminiscing about the time I took down one of the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings shows that she was lacking in many ways.

Without the Holy Sword’s assistance, her body wasn’t at its former prime, and pushing her limits further delayed her recovery.

Had she not exerted herself, her body would have reached its best condition in two or three years, restoring her power from previous lives by that time as well.

However, since she already overextended herself, there’s no guarantee she could recover her strength in just two or three years.

She probably overexerted herself believing she would eventually regain the Holy Sword. Of course, it would seem like a perfectly reasonable thought from her perspective. I, too, could never have imagined I would be chosen as the Hero.

Yet unexpectedly, the Holy Sword came to me, and her choice ultimately turned out to be the wrong one.

I couldn’t embark on the dangerous path of slaying the Demon King with her in this weakened state. Even in my past life when I possessed greater strength, I failed; it’s only rational that saving Selian’s life now is the only option.

This was the second reason I couldn’t be with her.

“Ugh…”

Watching Selian, who bowed her head and shed tears in frustration, made my heart waver. The urge to support her and comfort her surged within me.

Thus, I clenched my teeth and turned my back. I wondered if things would improve if I didn’t see her, even for a moment.

“Please don’t go!”

As soon as I turned away, she cried out, her voice saturated with despair.

With her cry, I felt the flow of magic tickling my back.

Using the sharpened senses of a Sword Master, I instinctively traced the magic flow, realizing it was emanating from Selian sitting behind me.

Ultimately, I found myself turning back once more to face her.

She looked at me, biting her lip, tears streaming down her face, holding something in her hand and sobbing.

“Please… don’t go…”

“…So you did have it, Selian.”

In her hand was the Master-Servant Mark scroll.

Recalling the fourth life, there was a moment when the Master-Servant Mark that had been etched onto my body disappeared cleanly. Likely, it was because Selian, in her attempt to rescue me, annihilated the Assassin Guild along with burning the Master-Servant Mark scroll.

However, in this life, even after the Assassin Guild was eradicated, the mark was still etched onto me. This implies that the Master-Servant Mark scroll remained.

Since she hadn’t burnt it, it was only natural that she still possessed it.

I wouldn’t bother asking her why she hid the scroll. She must have worried for my life, recalling when I disregarded her warnings in the fourth life.

As you can see, I’m currently disregarding her warnings once again. Her choice wasn’t wrong.

I don’t blame her for keeping the Master-Servant Mark scroll safe. She did so out of concern for my life.

I don’t even hold it against her for keeping silent about it, given that back then neither of us expected I would awaken as a Hero.

If anything, I should be thankful to her; how could I blame her?

“Selian…”

I called her name softly as I looked at her pleading with the half-charred scroll in hand.

She must have taken it out as a last resort.

But…

“You know, Selian, as a Hero, such mind-control magic is pointless…”

In the end, her choice was nothing but a meaningless action.

Had it been when I hadn’t fully awakened as a Hero, perhaps it would have worked, but can a warrior swinging the Goddess’s sword be swayed by mere mental manipulation?

The scroll she held, already showing signs of burning since she took it out, erupted in flames once more and turned to ashes.

At that moment, I didn’t need to see to feel that the Master-Servant Mark etched onto my body had completely vanished.

Just as the brainwashing magic naturally shattered when I fully awakened as a Hero, so too was the Master-Servant Mark now rendered meaningless.

Selian, who was once a Hero herself, surely understood this fact.

Yet still, for her to pull out that scroll means she must have been desperate, resigned to the possibility I might hate her.

Yes, this Master-Servant Mark scroll that tormented me so terribly is the third and greatest reason I cannot be with her.

“Selian, do you remember? Me from the second and third lives…”

It seemed the barrier would need a little more time to collapse completely after Eden’s downfall. There was enough time for a brief conversation.

Normally, I would have preferred to keep my secrets, but since she was the only one who shared my previous lives, it was okay to confess.

“In that time, as much as I was forced to act because of the Master-Servant Mark… I ended up stabbing your heart…”

“So, I said it’s fine…!”

“But you see… I didn’t only stab you.”

A story she didn’t know, one she could never understand. I intended to confess that story now.