“So, you’re saying you’re having trouble casting high-tier magic?”
Hearing Acella’s confession, Lars immediately figured out the cause.
Her astounding talent for magic.
The potential that could have rivaled her master, Sage Seymour, belonged solely to her.
‘It’s clear that the curse, which is a debuff, damaged her talent as well.’
Camilla’s duplication had awakened a second talent in Acella. Since it was based on black magic, Lars could only guess.
‘This is beyond my healing abilities.’
Talent comes with a price. Lars also received a health decrease debuff in exchange for two talents. Seymour suffered from sensory paralysis, Neria and Ambrosia faced growth inhibition, and the Emperor was trapped in a fate of never being able to rest, leading to a short life.
For Acella, there were only two magical talents. The price of the first talent might have been an inevitable fate to be paid alongside the second.
“It’s not like you can’t use magic at all, right?”
“Yeah, I can’t cast anything above 5th tier.”
‘Her talent hasn’t been completely erased.’
From Lars’s perspective, it was more comforting to maintain the current state.
He had witnessed countless times how powerful magic could doom the world.
But that bad ending was wiped clean while trying to fix Acella.
[Deleted endings won’t reappear.]
The status window firmly states that Acella wouldn’t destroy the world with her magic.
Lars fell into a bit of contemplation.
“Do you wish to reach a higher realm, Your Royal Highness?”
“Yeah.”
“I heard that the lifelong goal of a wizard is to elevate their magical tier.”
“That’s right. I’m a proper wizard myself. If my magic stops here…”
Acella clenched her fist.
Of course, the goal of being an empress was important too.
But in a sense, that was more of a grand, idealistic goal given by her birth and circumstances.
Having now flowed into nobility, she became the rightful owner and heir of a palace.
Surrounded by loyal subjects, supportive nobles, and citizens of the Empire, she stood in a position that she couldn’t just abandon overnight.
Becoming a great wizard was a goal she truly cherished for herself.
If she missed that and fell into despair, wouldn’t the other collapse as well? Acella felt anxious about that.
Previously, she might have focused solely on that thought and given selfish orders, but now…
‘What about Lars’s goals?’
Now her thoughts drifted naturally towards Lars. Suddenly, she became curious about that.
“Lars, what do you want to do?”
“Me all of a sudden?”
“Yeah. If I become the Emperor, are you planning to become a royal physician and sit as the head of the Inner Palace?”
Acella had been vaguely picturing that image in her mind until now.
Of course.
But she hadn’t shared that vision aloud with Lars until now.
“Haha.”
Lars felt a bit embarrassed but didn’t let it show.
He clearly had a vision.
‘For now, erase the bad ending.’
After getting out of the Imperial Palace and reaching a good ending.
He imagined running a private clinic as a Marquis while living comfortably.
Just treating patients for three hours a day, lounging on the sofa, eating candy, and having fun. Thanks to the fame built up in the Inner Palace, he could rely solely on his students to keep the hospital busy.
Even Neria would operate the pharmaceutical factory and pile gold coins in storage. The mansion would have luxurious swimming pools and skiing areas. A life of abundance earned by doing nothing.
To achieve that, the world must be intact for now. If it were to be destroyed by the Demon King’s army and he died too, then obviously, nothing would come of it.
“Well, maybe world peace?”
He couldn’t use explicit terms like endings or escapes, so Lars implied it metaphorically.
“…Oh my.”
On the other hand, Acella imagined how grandiose ideals and compromises with reality led to Lars finally uttering that word.
Why had he been so diligent for the hero? Why had he been healing people in the Inner Palace all this time? She interpreted it in her own way.
Even I, a royal princess, don’t feel the need to put my heart into realizing such fanciful ideals.
‘Right, he ought to be that ambitious.’
He is indeed a man with the right caliber for her. Acella felt relieved that she had fallen for him.
“Lars.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll make one promise.”
Acella stepped closer to Lars, her gaze firm.
“When I regain my talents, I’ll assist you with all my abilities, including magic, to realize your ideals.”
“…Are you being serious?”
“Of course.”
It was quite a shocking statement for Lars.
That Acella would seek world peace.
It felt as shocking as a tiger declaring it would promote vegetarianism, but…
‘So, that’s why she was wary of Lishe.’
Lars thought Acella tortured Lishe out of jealousy.
In fact, the ending of [Incarnation of Jealousy] still lingered.
However, now that Charles was clearly proven to heighten the bad ending probability, Acella’s insight might have been surprisingly accurate.
Acella didn’t desire the world’s destruction.
Instead, she sincerely wished for true peace, not simply as justification for the succession battle.
‘If Acella helps erase the bad ending, there can be no greater support.’
For Lars, there was just one hurdle.
‘Is the future Empress Acella truly a hundred percent mad due to the curse or not?’
Indeed, because of Acella’s actions, the probability of bad endings unrelated to her had just risen significantly.
Of course, the current Acella had neither the motivation to destroy the world nor a curse that would harm her soul.
But if she were to become the Emperor he knew and attempted to sabotage events with malicious intent, it would be too late to turn back then.
‘Still, I want to believe.’
Lars felt that sentiment rise first.
He could now feel the trust she held in him reflected in her eyes.
“Your Royal Highness.”
Lars gently took Acella’s hand and lifted it.
“If I can borrow Your Highness’s insight and resources, it would surely assist me greatly.”
Lars locked eyes with Acella once more to confirm.
“Do you sincerely wish for peace on the continent too, Your Royal Highness?”
“Of course I do.”
Acella responded without a hint of hesitation.
That was enough.
Lars nodded.
“Alright. Starting today, I will restore your magical fatigue.”
“…Okay.”
Receiving Lars’s commitment, the anxiety in Acella’s heart melted away.
“Oh, I may have spoken boldly, but I have almost no knowledge of magic. You know that, right?”
“Still, you’ll find a way, right?”
“Actually, I have an inkling.”
Acella’s eyes widened.
“There’s a certain person in the continent who can definitely solve this issue.”
“…You mean the Sage?”
Acella realized. Seymour could indeed help her.
“But no one knows where he is. He said he would study his magic, and since he deals with spirit magic, he might not even be in the human realm.”
“Well, the truth is, I know where he is.”
“What? How?”
The reason Lars knew Seymour’s whereabouts was simple.
‘The Sage’s Grave. It was the backdrop for the battle against the Four Heavenly Kings, Ritch.’
Seymour was a character who did not appear after Lars exited the future.
‘It was simply noted that his lifespan ended. He was buried right where he lived last. Though he told us that, he must have known his lifespan was short and went to spend his remaining days.’
In other words, the probability that Seymour was currently residing at the location of the grave was very high.
“I think if we go to the Sage, he’ll be able to provide us with a solution. What do you think?”
“Where is it?”
“Near the central entrance of the Great Disaster in the southern continent.”
“That’s far. Even using the southern gate of the Empire, the journey will take at least a month.”
Acella nodded.
“Let’s leave right away.”
“Right away? What about our schedule?”
“We can manage that. You should get ready too.”
“I also? Hmm, this involves the hero, you know.”
“Lars, what do you think is the fundamental reason for the hero breaking with the holy sword?”
“Well, it’s a complicated explanation, but there are various reasons. The change in his way of thinking due to personality integration…”
“No, I mean you.”
Acella stated firmly.
“The hero gets broken when he’s with you.”
“Hm.”
Lars found himself agreeing with Acella this time.
Originally, Lishe had the potential to grow into an ideal hero. She was indeed improving her swordsmanship and gaining confidence, showing leadership soon.
Perhaps Charles’ presence hastened her growth. With that much experience, there were plenty of positive aspects too.
The problem arose when Lishe hurt herself to gain Lars’s attention.
If it hadn’t happened, she might have been stronger by being discovered in the Empire earlier than other timelines.
“The hero needs to be separated from you.”
Was Acella’s opinion the best judgment stemming from insight, or was it colored by jealousy?
Lars activated a skill.
Counseling.
―――――――――――
Target: Acella von Württemberg
Stress: Stabilization ■■□□□□□□ (Tension)
Autonomous Nervous System: Sympathetic ■■■■■□□□ (Sympathy)
Fatigue: Blood Health ■□□□□□□□ (Fatigue)
A: Shall I engage with the royal princess instead? (Sympathy +1)
B: Give her a hug. (Stress -2)
―――――――――――
Seeing the low stress levels, Lars concluded.
“Seems like a calm judgment.”
“Of course.”
“Weren’t you just really angry earlier?”
“Not really, I mean, I’m with you now…”
Acella trailed off, her lips moving.
Lars snickered at Acella and teased as he leaned in under her chin.
“Do you really like me that much?”
“Shut up.”
“If I rated it from 1 to 10?”
“I really hate it when you say things like that.”
Acella slapped Lars on the shoulder with a smack.
“Understood. I think it’s better for me to just plan the hero’s healing and leave the face-to-face interactions to the team. Leaving the palace for a while to find the Sage will gather good data too.”
Lars stroked his chin and nodded.
“Then I’ll prepare. Don’t forget the promise you made.”
“Got it. And…”
Acella looked around nervously for a moment.
In the end, she pointed with her finger at something. When Lars followed her gaze, he saw a painting hanging on the wall.
“It’s a Huli Jing. A monster classified as a fantasy beast. Even having one of its hundred tails can create a very mystical item. But why?”
“…Uh, never mind, it’s fine if you don’t understand.”
“Are you saying there’s a Huli Jing on the way?”
“Forget it.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
Acella struggled to shake off Lars, who clung to her like a pesky fly, waving her hands around.
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