Rehabilitation Therapist for the Broken Warrior – Chapter 101

I just intuitively knew I was living in a different world from others as soon as I was born.

Or maybe someone taught me that I was special, but I might have forgotten that fact.

But even the memories I had with that someone probably weren’t very special or meaningful.

When using time magic, the memories that disappear first are those that my subconscious feels are relatively unimportant.

Typically, as I repeat regression and reversal, a Time Aptitude Holder’s memories become increasingly sorted, centering around what is precious and important.

But that’s the story of a regular Time Aptitude Holder bound to one world.

The world of someone who can manipulate both time and space is entirely different from that of ordinary people, along with other Time Aptitude Holders.

A Spacetime Magic Aptitude Holder, the ‘Space Traveller’.

A wanderer living a non-fixed life, crossing various worlds and universes.

I’ve lived many lives, but none of those lives held any particular meaning to me.

Was it said that without hardship, there’s no growth?

Whenever something unpleasant happened, I’d just go back to the past and erase it.

If it didn’t work out after a few tries, I’d regress somewhere and erase the unpleasurable memories.

People each belong to their own worlds, living out their own stories, but it’s all a world unrelated to me, a story that has nothing to do with me.

When I leave a world, it changes as if I never existed from the start.

I become someone new in a different world and live yet another meaningless life.

Amidst the repetition of such meaningless lives…

“Are you a mage who deals with space?”

Suddenly, a meeting arrived.

I thought the life I encountered with Zion would become one of those meaningless lives at first.

A sixteen-year-old girl with long black hair and innocent golden eyes.

Is this girl the hero of this world?

Zion, who had outstretched her hand with a sparkling smile, changed to a slightly awkward expression when I didn’t respond for a while and tilted her head.

“Um… is that right?”

– …….

Nodding in affirmation, Zion finally smiled again.

“I am Zion Laurel. I’m heading towards the northern gate to defeat the Demon King. Will you lend us your strength to end the war?”

Adventurers who want a Space Aptitude Holder in their party exist in every world.

Have I ever been part of a hero party?

I can’t remember, so I don’t know, but it seems I’ve never been with them until the end.

It’s likely that I only failed and fled.

Having traveled through many worlds, I knew not every world was peaceful.

This world, too, has been in a boring full-scale war for years ever since the gate opened.

Using space magic to protect myself in battle, my name became known, leading the hero to find me.

What will be the conclusion of this world?

For me, it doesn’t matter how the conclusion turns out; if humanity becomes extinct, I’ll just regress to another world.

When I nodded, Zion seemed surprised and a bit flustered.

“Uh, you’re not thinking about it? Aren’t you curious? This is quite a dangerous situation, you know?”

“Nope.”

Anyway, since I’m using space magic, there’s no danger for me, and if it truly comes to a dangerous situation, I’ll leave this world without hesitation.

A fleeting bond that might change and disappear. Nothing to worry about or be curious about.

“Wow~ but this kid’s got some nerve! Is the first thing you say after nodding off so casual?”

“Just bear with it, Iris. It’s probably because we’re strangers.”

A rogue adventurer with silver bobbed hair, black eyes, and a sharp look.

Her name is Iris. She seemed displeased with my attitude and approached me, making a gesture of disbelief as if to threaten me.

“Strangers? Ah~ does the kingdom have a culture of talking back when you’re a stranger?”

– Thwack

“Ahh!”

Zion ended up hitting Iris on the head.

“I’m sorry; she’s a bit short-tempered… This is Iris Harmony. She’s our party’s rogue. She’s just shy right now; please understand she has a good heart despite appearances.”

“Ugh…”

Iris seemed to have calmed down a bit after getting hit, but she still held a grudge against me. Zion continued introducing the party members.

“And this beautiful blonde is our mage, Nao.”

“Zion? That introduction’s a bit strange, don’t you think?”

“And this little one here is the cleric, Hanamana Cherrybell.”

“Ah, hi… I’m Hanamana.”

“What’s your name?”

After introducing the party members, Zion turned to me for my name.

“Hope. Hop Harvey.”

“Nice to meet you, Hope. I look forward to working with you.”

Zion, hearing my name, greeted me warmly once again, extending her hand which had been pointed toward me this whole time as if inviting me to shake it.

“……”

It’s all meaningless anyway. To me, no incident, experience, meeting, bond—even if it’s a world—holds any significance…

“Looking forward to it.”

So, I shook the hand that Zion offered.

Since I could always let go of my life in this world and start another.

A tiny bond I might let go of at any time.

This was the beginning for us.

It was the day Zion and I first met.

***

So, I joined the hero party, but I wasn’t really assigned any roles.

The four-person hero party already had established positions.

My task was to safely wait in the back while isolated, and when the party was on the verge of extinction, I would use space movement to relocate to a safe place.

“Hey, Hope! Are you really not going to fight?”

“……”

And Iris was quite dissatisfied with my position, always demanding that I assist in battles and join in.

“If you ask for any role other than securing an escape route, I’ll leave this party.”

“You jerk…!”

I had no desire to do anything dangerous or troublesome, so I simply declined.

Iris’s expression crumpled in an instant.

“Do you really understand what we’re doing? If we fail, this world will…!”

“I don’t care; shut up while I’m eating.”

“Hey!!!”

Iris was throwing a fit over my apathetic response, but as always, Zion stepped in and managed to calm her down.

Eventually, Iris and I ended up isolated, and while Nao and Hanamana soothed Iris, Zion quietly approached and sat beside me.

“Don’t you care what happens to this world, Hope?”

I don’t know what’s so good, but Zion was smiling widely while casually starting a conversation.

At first, Zion had been polite and respectful, but she had gradually closed the distance and was now treating me like a friend.

I, on the other hand, had no interest in how anyone treated me, so I simply let them act as they pleased.

In relationships with people who would eventually disappear, I hadn’t felt good or bad in a long time.

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Why? Don’t you have anything you wish wouldn’t disappear? Nothing precious? No family, friends, lovers? Not even a favorite place or item?”

“Nope.”

The first thing I do when I get born into a world is abandon my family.

Because there’s no good in forming attachments.

Once my body grows a bit, I’d run off and live carelessly, doing whatever.

The parents in this world would feel sad for a while, but when I leave, that child will have never existed from the start, so that too holds no meaning.

“Then what about your life? Are you okay with dying?”

“I won’t die.”

“You seem pretty confident about survival. Is it that usual when you can use space magic?”

The reason I won’t die is that, if things go awry, I’ll simply regress to the past or another world, but there was no need to enlighten Zion about that.

That, too, is of no consequence.

At some point, I stopped doing anything in every moment.

The life and experiences I’m building up, the time I spend, the present I’m living…

They’re all insignificant things that will eventually change and disappear, forgotten even from my memory.

“Then why are you alive, Hope? If you have nothing precious, nothing you want to do, nothing you have to do, is there any meaning in living?”

Zion’s usual soft smile vanished, replaced by a face devoid of expression as she asked.

What am I living for?

Why has such a meaningless life been given to me?

If there’s an answer to that question, I felt like I wanted to ask someone, too.

Is my life destined to forever wander searching for a reason to live that may or may not exist, eventually breaking down completely and losing consciousness as I surrender to the flow of time?

My life felt akin to walking on wet sand on a shore being endlessly battered by waves.

Easily swept away by the tide, leaving no trace behind—a meaningless journey.

My life was just waiting to be consumed by the waves.

Why am I forced to live such a life…

“I don’t know. Maybe there isn’t one.”

“I see. So you have no reason to live, Hope. Hehe.”

Zion seemed to maturely nod when asking a question, but upon hearing my answer, she smiled again. Did she find my answer amusing?

“Maybe you and I are somewhat alike.”

I thought it to be nonsense but could not muster the energy to correct her.

I just listened quietly, as I always did with people who didn’t concern me.

“This is a secret, but I’m kind of empty too. No precious things, nothing I want, nothing I aspire to… the ‘reason to live’ that ordinary people usually have.”

“?”

That was a bit hard to grasp.

A hero, dedicating themselves to defeating the Demon King, cherishing comrades, worlds, and humanity—very clearly having a purpose.

Is that something a hero would say?

“There’s just one thing I have; the ‘duty’ I must fulfill. It’s crucial for me to live as a hero. That’s my everything. Without it, I’d probably be a hollow shell, just like you, Hope.”

“……”

So, it is. In this world, a hero’s life can revolve solely around duty and mission.

I guess such heroes can exist.

Having said as much, Zion abruptly stood up, as if she had something else to do.

She took a few heavy steps towards where the other party members were, paused slightly, and looked back.

“Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Let’s talk again next time.”

Was it because I heard those words from Zion?

Her usual bright smile didn’t seem quite so bright this time.

I felt a sense of discomfort creeping in that something unusual was happening.

But, thinking about it, feeling strange right now didn’t really matter either.

If they fail to defeat the Demon King, I’ll be leaving this world anyway.

And even if they succeed, as soon as I regress to avoid death, it will all become moot.

They wouldn’t even remember me while living in a world without me.

What’s happening now is really just another thing that has nothing to do with me.