“Let me formally introduce myself. I am Lars Gothberg, a doctor affiliated with the Inner Palace of the Empire and the Moonlight Palace.”
I asked the Hero sitting across from me for a handshake.
Unlike Lishe, she pouted her lips and reluctantly accepted my handshake.
Since she had signed the Geass, her restrictions were temporarily lifted.
“First, I’d like to establish a title. I keep confusing you with Lishe, whether calling you the Hero or by name.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Then can I call you Charles? How does that sound?”
“What? Are you naming a puppy right now? Do you just call people like that on a whim?”
“It’s not a whim! It’s the name of someone I respect. She’s the one who uncovered the allergy response…”
“Charles Lishe. I remember now. We’ve talked about this before.”
The Lishe from the Holy Sword—Charles’s eyes widened as she slowly recalled.
As she mentioned, I had indeed called her Charles in a previous chapter. That was when I had to use a pseudonym for my infiltration mission.
I wasn’t sure if that had been Lishe or Charles, but given how often it happened, I thought she might remember it at least once.
“Lars, you…”
“Previous meeting? This is the first time Charles and I are meeting.”
“…That’s true.”
Charles looked disappointed.
I didn’t want her to know about my return.
I couldn’t be sure that unstable Charles would keep it a secret, and there was also the possibility that Lishe would inadvertently get the information.
It would complicate everything.
Of course, she was hostile toward Acella, just like I was when I first returned.
If she didn’t understand my situation now, she might lose her trust in me.
If a patient doesn’t trust their doctor, treatment ends there.
“So, Charles, let’s get straight to the point. First, you’re another personality of Lishe, the Hero, created by the Holy Sword and the resonance. Are you aware of this?”
“I’m also Lishe.”
“Of course, you are. But you’re not the Lishe I knew.”
“You’re not the Lars I knew either! Where’s the rebellious guy who opposed Empress Acella? You’ve turned into a loyal dog to the Imperial Family!”
Ouch, that stings a bit.
But hey, the paycheck is good.
The food is like paradise compared to the combat rations I had back in the Hero Party.
Just kidding.
“I don’t quite get it, but there must be some reason behind what you’re saying, Charles. Above all, you’re the Hero fighting for the continent.”
“Right. You’re not supposed to be under Acella. I can’t trust you. Maybe it’s not a state of resonance right now? If you are being mentally attacked by some kind of illusion…”
Charles looked unstable. She seemed ready to jump out of her chair at any moment.
She was seriously agitated. The past I changed by returning to ten years ago seemed to confuse her.
I anticipated that if we continued the conversation like this, it would likely go off track and only hurt our feelings.
With the hope of actually helping, I cast a skill targeting Charles.
‘Counseling.’
Then, a gauge I had never seen before appeared on the status window, presenting options.
―――――――――――
Target: Hero Lishe (In Resonance)
Stress: Stabilization ■■■■■■■□ Tension
Autonomic Nerve – Parasympathetic ■□□□□□□□ Sympathy
Blood Fatigue ■■■■■■■■ Fatigue
A: Let’s take a walk together. (Fatigue -2)
B: You’ve been through a lot. (Stress -1)
―――――――――――
‘So that’s how it works.’
It became a state where I could perform real-time HRV tests on the nervous system.
I could intuitively understand the patient’s psychological state and also suggest ways to stabilize her.
This skill is perfect for treating mental illnesses.
‘The stress is too high. Meanwhile, the sympathetic nerve is all but dead.’
Having been trapped by the Holy Sword and only experiencing combat while repeating failure, she was overwhelmed by negativity.
Looking at the test results alone, it was phenomenal that her mind hadn’t completely shattered.
“Charles.”
“What?”
“You’ve had a tough time. You’ve never given up your duties as a Hero for the continent, and you must be exhausted from fighting alone.”
Charles was taken aback, as if she hadn’t expected me to say that.
She couldn’t respond, pouting her lips and glancing around. It looked like she was desperately holding back tears.
“…Lars, you always know everything.”
Her voice trembled as she spoke, somewhat returning to the tone of Lishe.
“And you’re the only one who always understands me.”
―――――――――――
A: What do you mean? (Stress -0)
B: That’s how it will be from now on. (Stress -1)
―――――――――――
It seemed like the right answer was to build trust based on empathy.
“From now on, I will be on your side, Charles.”
“Yeah, I’m on your side too.”
Charles let out a deep sigh, as if her mood had calmed down.
“Hey, Lars. You might not realize, but… I’ve received a lot of help from you. Ah, I guess this is sudden and might be awkward. Just take it as rambling. You’ve always been there for me, whether I was injured or struggling emotionally, from the very beginning.”
“I see. I’m glad to have been of help to the Hero.”
“Hey, stop being so formal. And calling me a Hero… who decided I should be one, anyway?”
Charles gave an ambiguous laugh.
“Um, Lars. It feels weird using honorifics. Can’t we just speak casually?”
Of course, I also felt fond of her.
She’s a colleague with whom I’ve shared hardships, and while she said I helped her, she saved my life more times than I could count.
But that was the future Lishe, and all of that wasn’t entirely Charles.
Charles was a worn-out version of Lishe, a so-called failed iteration after countless repetitions.
[No. 010: Holy Sword Destruction 99%]
Seeing this ending probability not decreasing at all while she was out there says it all.
While Charles might fight better than Lishe, she was an obstacle on my path to a good ending.
Only Lishe should be the one fighting.
For that reason, I decided to keep a little distance from her.
“It might be a bit early for that. Let’s consider it once we’re closer.”
“Uh, okay…”
Charles drooped her shoulders, looking disappointed.
Then, as if she remembered something important, her eyes widened suddenly.
“Right, Lars. I have something to warn you about. This is important. You guessed I might have knowledge of the future.”
“Yes.”
“Then you can trust me. This is for your own good. Get away from Princess Acella as soon as possible.”
As expected, that’s where this was heading.
“That woman is dangerous. If you stay close, you could lose your life as soon as tomorrow.”
“I understand she’s a strong person. I’m watching her the closest as her attending physician.”
“Then why…!”
“I believe I’ve eliminated the dangerous factors you’re worried about.”
“What?”
Charles looked incredulous.
“No one knows what will happen in the future. Right now, Lishe is also bound to the Imperial family, and I still have things to do.”
I could leave the Imperial family anytime. I have a contract with Acella.
I just don’t need it right now. I still need to prepare the territory to return to, and there are still bad endings I need to erase from the system.
And most importantly.
‘Do I really have to leave Acella?’
I’m feeling a bit unsure about that at the moment.
Well, it’s not like I truly imagined marrying Acella as per the engagement.
She seems to quite like me, and I, too, think it’s okay if she’s by my side when I return to the Marquess household.
‘Of course, that will never happen.’
Acella is vying for the throne.
Regardless of how history changes, she’s a strong and capable woman who will claw her way to the throne on her own.
There’s no way she could retire to become a marquess alongside a guy like me who’s left the succession battle.
Acella and I are on different paths.
It’s like we’re born with different fates.
“Right now? Ah, I see.”
Charles looked as if she had realized something and suddenly leaned in closer, her eyes sparkling.
“Lars, you’re thinking of leaving the Imperial family.”
“Maybe?”
Sharp as ever.
“What will you do if you leave?”
“I’ve got things I’m considering.”
“Really? You know, Lars, I feel that meeting you here instead of Neria or Lark was indeed fate.”
Charles’s eyes sparkled as if she’d just found the last hope in a well.
“Hey, how about you join my Hero Party and fight alongside me? Having you around, I feel like we could actually make it this time.”
The numbers shift.
―――――――――――
· Good Ending
· With the Hero■■ 45% → 62%
―――――――――――
I had my suspicions.
Just like how the second good ending rose as it was linked to Gishta.
It appears the third good ending revolves around Lishe and Charles being together.
This is likely an ending where I become part of the Hero Party, just like the countless futures I experienced.
A chance to achieve the unparalleled feat of saving the continent from the Demon King.
The hero’s route.
‘The risk of this route is…’
If Lishe is there, the chance of failing the resonance is high, and if Charles is there, the Holy Sword will nearly always be destroyed, resulting in a bad ending.
‘Above all.’
I’m a doctor.
I’m not the hero who saves the world.
I’ve decided that for this life.
‘If I refuse flat out, it’ll affect my treatment.’
The counseling skill alerts me that that answer isn’t a good option.
I responded lightly, but seriously.
“Thank you for trusting me. May I ask one thing? If I join the party, will you be fighting wholeheartedly with the Holy Sword?”
Charles paused for a moment, held her breath, then nodded vigorously.
“Of course! That’s my duty!”
[No. 010: Holy Sword Destruction 99% → 99.5%]
That was a lie.
For some reason, she was determined to break the Holy Sword.
Regrettably, I was sure Charles’s personality would get in the way of Lishe, and beyond treatment, there was no alternative to resolve this problem.
“I need some time to think. In the meantime, please cooperate with the treatment.”
“…Okay, sorry? For suddenly going on about things only I know… but it was nice to see your face again. Let’s talk more often, and invite me again.”
“That will depend on Lishe.”
“True, true. Yeah.”
Charles said that and slowly leaned into me, burying her head in my chest.
“Charles.”
“Just a little….”
I could see her stress slowly decreasing.
The [Sanctification] buff should help, so I decided to leave it for now.
After a moment, she suddenly lifted her head.
“Ah! Doctor Gothberg!”
She appeared startled, as if abruptly waking from a dream, wiping her mouth.
Lishe quickly pulled away from me.
I met her with a gentle smile.
“Welcome back.”
“Uh, did I commit some sort of rudeness again? I remember fiercely defeating a Demon, but when did I return to the Moonlight Palace?”
“The progress in treatment has been good. I’ll explain the details.”
I continued my discussion with Lishe.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.