I blankly stared ahead.
Aryandor and Beatrice looked younger than the faces I knew.
Where am I?
I pondered deeply.
Just moments ago, I was fighting Aryandor.
But why am I here all of a sudden?
Then, a thought crossed my mind.
The pocket watch Aryandor had touched.
Surely, when it was hit, all sorts of information flooded into my head.
Is that why I'm seeing this scene now?
"How have you been... up until now?"
"I've been good. I've made a lot of friends... and saved many people..."
Then, Aryandor and Beatrice in front of me started talking.
They continued their conversation as if they couldn't see me standing right in front of them.
"It was hell for me. Being pushed around in the streets, striving hard working my body... And in doing so, I kept searching... I strived to continue my search.
I..."
Beatrice hugged Aryandor.
"I'm sorry... I should have come sooner. I'm sorry."
After holding him for a moment, Beatrice let go.
Then, she reached out her hand to Aryandor.
"It's okay now that I'm here. It's all right now."
With a sad smile, Beatrice spoke.
"Let's go together. To a quiet place in the countryside... Let's live comfortably, just the two of us. You can meet someone you love, get married, and live comfortably... quietly... Let's live like that."
I tilted my head in confusion at that.
Beatrice made such an offer?
Was I witnessing something strange?
If such an event had happened, wouldn't the current situation be different?
I silently observed.
Aryandor quietly looked at the hand Beatrice offered him.
Then, he raised his head and looked into Beatrice's eyes.
"Sister... I now know the future."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"Yes, I know all about you learning time magic... and knowing the future..."
"So."
Aryandor interrupted Beatrice.
"I know what will happen later."
Aryandor clenched his fist.
"No matter what I do, no matter what happens, within a year, you will die."
"Aryandor."
"I've seen thousands, tens of thousands of futures. But in none of those futures did you survive. People demanded your sacrifice, and you accepted it. And those things were all trivial. You died for really minor things. I cannot accept that future."
Beatrice then closed her mouth tightly before finally speaking.
"Aryandor, everyone dies eventually."
"But, that doesn't have to be at a young age, before one's natural lifespan is up. Especially not for strangers one has never met before."
"No, if that life can help someone. If it can save someone. Then isn't it right to use it for that? Especially if it's a life that's going to end anyway."
"And then,"
Beatrice placed her hand on Aryandor's shoulder.
"Have you ever seen a future where I come to find you?"
"......"
"Even if you look at tens of thousands of futures, you can't know everything. That's the nature of the future. You might see a future where you die tomorrow, but you can't know if you'll really die tomorrow, the day after, or not at all."
Beatrice locked eyes with Aryandor.
"You shouldn't let such futures determine your life. The future is just a reference."
"No, I disagree."
Aryandor spoke firmly.
"I plan to change the future entirely. And your words just now have confirmed my belief."
"What?"
Aryandor smiled.
A bitter madness swirled in his laughter.
"We'll start over. A world where you don't become a Saint. A world where you don't have to sacrifice. That's the world we'll create."
"What are you talking about?"
This time, Aryandor reached out his hand to Beatrice.
"We're starting over. With dimension magic, it's possible. Creating a different world. Restarting this world is possible."
Beatrice's eyes widened.
"I don't understand what you're saying."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})"We'll turn back the time of this world. To before we parted. To that time in Ephomos. And then, you won't become a Saint, and I won't learn time magic from Ophillius. If we go back to that time..."
Beatrice opened her mouth.
"Then what about now?"
"If we turn back time, now will cease to exist."
"So you're saying to erase the present itself?"
"Yes. We don't need a twisted world like this. A timeline where your death is certain and I'm broken."
"Aryandor..."
"Sister. Take my hand."
Aryandor smiled again, extending his hand once more.
"With a bit more research, it's possible. Maybe even now. Especially if you help, we can speed up the process."
Thwack!
Beatrice slapped Aryandor's hand away without hesitation.
"......?"
Aryandor looked at Beatrice, puzzled.
"Sister?"
"You're seriously mistaken about something."
"What do you mean? This is the way for all of us to be happy. A way to overcome this fate, this future..."
"That's not overcoming; it's avoidance."
Beatrice looked at Aryandor with a sad expression.
"Aryandor, it's not too late. Even now. If you go down that path, many people will die. Everyone around you."
"I know. But if we turn back time, all those people will come back. Everything will be reset to its original state. No, they might even live better lives. I know everything and can change those people's lives..."
"Then, can you truly say those people are themselves?"
The two were already walking different paths.
Beatrice opened her mouth with a pleading voice.
"Aryandor... this is the end... take my hand."
Aryandor looked at Beatrice and then turned away.
"If that's what you wish, Sister. I will leave."
His voice was cold.
He didn't look back.
"Aryandor..."
Aryandor went his own way, and Beatrice was left sitting on the ground, crying.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})I quietly spoke up after watching them.
"So Beatrice is..."
Suddenly, everything in front of me became blurry.
"...So it ended up that way."
"Is that so..."
The surroundings changed.
It looked like a small study.
In front of me were Beatrice and an old man.
"...Levian?"
It was Levian, the man who had handed over the spellbook to Luna.
"We've reached the worst-case scenario."
Then, a phrase came to mind.
Levian's diary I saw in the Railer domain.
Levian had mentioned meeting Beatrice there.
The details weren't specified, though.
Levian looked at Beatrice and spoke.
"So, are we proceeding as planned?"
"Yes, we must. I've made up my mind after all."
A decision?
"It might be very painful. It's something no one has ever done before."
"I'm aware. But can I just summon someone... to suddenly fall into another dimension. I just feel sorry. It feels like I'm passing my responsibility onto them..."
I widened my eyes.
Summoning someone from another dimension.
They were talking about me.
"What will you do, Levian?"
"I have my preparations to make. I have my own sins to atone for."
Levian held a book in his hand.
The book was the spellbook used by Luna.
"Then I shall take my leave now."
"Thank you."
"What are you thanking me for? I'm the one who should be thankful."
Levian smiled with his eyes.
The warm wrinkles around his eyes made him look very kind.
After seeing that, my consciousness began to blur.
"Uh..."
My head was throbbing.
I grabbed my head and got up.
"Rudy!"
"Rudy! Are you okay?"
"Senior!"
Various voices were heard.
I opened my eyes and saw Yuni, Haruna, and Luna in front of me.
I quickly grasped the situation and asked.
"...How long have I been out?"
Haruna answered.
"It hasn't even been 5 minutes."
"Aryandor?"
"Beatrice supported him and took him inside the sanctuary."
The last scene I remembered was Aryandor being stabbed in the abdomen.
If Beatrice had supported him and taken him away, he was seriously injured.
I regained my composure and looked at the pocket watch in my hand.
The pocket watch appeared to be cracked from Aryandor's forceful strike.
However, the information it recorded was already in my head.
Countless pieces of information floated around in my mind.
From Aryandor's objectives, the futures he saw, to other details.
"I need to go... to the sanctuary."
I got up from my spot and steadied myself.
Then, I looked beside me.
Haruna was there.
"Haruna."
"...Yes."
"What are the chances of me winning in the futures you've seen?"
Haruna's expression hardened at my sudden question.
I asked Haruna again.
"How likely is it?"
After pondering for a moment, Haruna smiled.
Then she confidently said.
"100 percent."
It was a lie.
It couldn't possibly be 100 percent.
I was curious about what she would say, but her answer was so absurd that it made me laugh.
In truth, the future didn't matter much to me.
Whatever the future holds, I can overcome it.
I've always done so.
"If it's 100 percent, then there's no problem."
I loosened up a bit and reached out my hand to Luna.
"Luna, can you help me?"
"Huh?"
Luna looked at me, puzzled.
"I think I'll need your help."
Hearing my words, Luna smiled and nodded.
"Yeah! Okay."
"Senior... Are you sure you're okay?"
Yuni, who was beside me, asked with a worried look.
I nodded.
"Just a bit dizzy, but not enough to stop me from fighting."
Although I had used up mana, my physical condition wasn't too bad.
"Yuni, please inform the others about the situation. Luna and I will head into the sanctuary."
"...Okay, I understand."
I reached out and patted Yuni's head.
I stroked her hair a few times and smiled.
"Take care."
"Okay..."
Then, I turned around.
"Luna, shall we go?"
"...Yeah."
Hearing Luna's response, I activated my mana.
