The plan to search for Seymour was progressing smoothly. Acella finished organizing her duties at the Moonlight Palace and then arranged for a guard detail to accompany her.
Of course, since my main duty was to support Acella, it was only natural for me to follow her, but I had one important matter to handle first.
Of course, it was Lishe.
No, it was Charles that was the problem.
That day, I immediately conducted a fourth counseling session with Charles. I informed her that I would be leaving the palace for the time being.
At first, she showed a passionate reaction, but gradually came to understand. She admitted that she had a negative influence on Lishe over this time.
“Lishe will become a great hero. In the process, I would only be a hindrance.”
As Acella had said, my presence had given Charles the opportunity to infiltrate Lishe.
Originally, in the future, despite being a bit clumsy, Lishe was a fully developed hero in terms of character.
If I continued to manage indirectly, I figured that given the extra time compared to the original timeline, she would become even stronger.
“Are you not thinking of hindering Lishe’s growth?”
“Of course not. I just… thought it’d be enjoyable to play with you more.”
“The social club is welcome. But it can’t be done that way.”
Charles accepted most of my opinions.
Perhaps because she was caught in the act, she seemed quite docile.
Before leaving the palace, I needed to confirm an important fact.
Every time Charles stepped outside, the probability of [Holy Sword Destruction] increased exponentially.
“I just have one thing I want to ask.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you want peace for the continent, Charles?”
“Of course.”
“But it seems like you don’t truly want to fight.”
At my words, Charles narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“…Why do you think that?”
“Just, people naturally get tired after fighting for a long time. Even though you’re a hero, in the end, you’re still human.”
Charles took a deep breath and buried her face in her embraced knees.
Stress -2
No. 010: Holy Sword Destruction 99% → 97%
It was a strange occurrence.
For the first time, the probability of the bad ending Charles would cause had slightly decreased.
“…You really are the only one who understands me.”
Charles slowly raised her head and confessed to me.
“To be honest, I’m not really interested in the hero’s duties or the peace of the continent anymore. I just think it’d be nice if things work out.”
“Given that, you didn’t attack the royal princess as soon as you opened your eyes?”
“That was a reflex. I never know when or where I’ll open my eyes. What if it’s different this time? So my body just moves on its own. The result is the same anyway. It’s a torment of hope.”
Lishe has experienced too many defeats.
In this round, she was trying to take action, and her first move would be eliminating Acella.
Since that was thwarted by me, did she quickly switch to a negative thought cycle?
She had become a cycle of defeat.
If things continued like this, Charles would easily give up at the slightest crisis.
“I understand that feeling. No matter how many failures you face, I believe Lishe won’t lose hope in any situation.”
“You think of me like Lishe.”
Charles smiled lightly.
“Lars.”
“Yes.”
“I want to be free.”
Charles finally confessed her true feelings.
That was the reason Charles broke the Holy Sword.
If she felt hope was lost while fighting, she would break the Holy Sword herself, just in case some variable arose that might let her go.
“Does that sound strange?”
“I respect it.”
“Thank you.”
I didn’t want to blame her.
In terms of the time spent, I had regressed far more than she had.
However, Charles and I had different types and timings of regression.
At the very least, I could sleep well during that one month of repetition, but Charles might have had to spend years tangled up in the daytime if she were unlucky.
We both had suffered.
Someone like her deserved to rest comfortably.
“Not right now.”
She could take a break after I saw the ending.
I had also suffered and needed to rest too.
I had barely set up the board to this point; she couldn’t just unilaterally break it.
I couldn’t let her selfishly go on a rampage and run away.
“Leaving her as she is might not harm Lishe.”
Without me and Acella around, Charles wouldn’t have materials to create trouble for the royal family, at least for now.
But it was still a fact that I felt uneasy. Was there a way to firmly chain Charles down from causing any trouble?
“From the fact that she pulled off this incident to draw attention, it seems her trust in me is high.”
That’s the problem with the future of the country.
No, it’s also my problem.
I didn’t want to reveal that I had regressed.
If it was Charles, she would definitely preemptively consider failure and surely spill everything if something went wrong, especially if she wanted to gain the upper hand over Acella.
She would certainly rush to proclaim our relationship to her.
There was also the possibility that it would be revealed to Lishe. Lishe seemed likely to make a mistake in front of Acella.
“She only comes out when it suits her.”
Ah, a good idea came to mind.
I could just come out when it suited me too.
I showed interest in the Holy Sword that Charles was resting her arms on and leaned in closer.
“Is Charles stored here right now?”
“Huh? Oh, I guess so? To be honest, I’m not entirely sure. It feels like I’m still stuck to Lishe even when the Holy Sword is absent.”
“Though it looks like an ordinary sword, this… uh.”
I subtly touched the hilt of the Holy Sword.
At the same time, I pretended to lose consciousness, collapsing onto Charles.
“Lars! Are you okay?!”
Charles panicked and grabbed my shoulder. After a moment…
“Huh!”
I clutched my heart and suddenly lifted my head. Slowly, hardening my gaze, I made eye contact with her.
“…Lishe, is that really you?”
“…Lars?”
Charles’s pupils trembled as if there were an earthquake.
I felt as happy as if I had met my long-lost younger sister and carefully placed my hand to gently stroke her cheek.
“Your expression matches. Haha, what a surprise to see you here.”
“Uh, what happened? The Holy Sword was only supposed to store me…”
“There’s no time to explain. I can only be out for a very short time. Focus and listen to me carefully.”
“Uh, okay.”
Charles stifled a sob, trying to gather herself, and steeled her eyes.
“I’ve gone back ten years and have been gradually changing the past. I had prepared a few things in advance for the me here.”
“What preparations? So that’s how the past changed strangely. Does Lars know you?”
“I don’t know. But it’s going perfectly according to my plan. Now, Empress Acella is on our side. She’s harmless now. The explanation would be complicated.”
“Really? You’ve seen so many things. Because of the Empress, how much…”
“Lishe.”
I placed my palm against Charles’s cheek and asked.
“Can you trust me?”
Feeling my body temperature, she calmed down, grasped my arm, and slowly nodded her head.
“Listen closely. This time we can really prevent destruction.”
“Ah, understood. So, how can you come out…”
“Ugh!”
I didn’t answer any further and pretended to faint again, slumping my head down.
I slowly shook my face as I lifted my upper body.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I think I just got a little dizzy… Oh wow, judging by your expression, I must have startled you quite a bit. Don’t worry; this happens sometimes.”
I pulled a candy from my pocket and popped it into my mouth.
“Where was I? I understand Charles’s goals. I get it, but if you continue to interfere with Lishe like now, I might have to take extreme measures…”
“I’ll stay quiet.”
“Oh, really?”
Wiping her tear-streaked eyes, Charles said just like that.
“I’ll stay quiet, but… please meet me at least briefly later.”
“Later, if I deem it appropriate.”
“Promise me.”
“Yes.”
Thus, I concluded my conversation with Charles.
―――――――――――
· Good Ending
· Hero ■ ■■ 45% → 51%
―――――――――――
*
“You look relieved. Did something good happen?”
As we traveled through the teleport gate and arrived at the southern end of the Empire, Acella asked that.
“What do you mean? Sometimes, it’s nice to step outside the palace for a bit of fresh air.”
“Really? If I had known you enjoyed it that much, I should have come out more often.”
“Not for an expedition, though.”
“If the royal family is moving knights, they should at least achieve a few martial feats, shouldn’t they?”
Though she said that, Acella seemed so excited about her outing that she had the carriage window wide open to enjoy the outside view.
“How’s the hero doing?”
“Yes, it’s all okay.”
“Even with Tanya here?”
Tanya was sitting upright across from Acella and me, maintaining a serious demeanor.
Since we were going some distance, her protection was needed.
“Tanya is more than capable enough to grow without guidance.”
“If Lars is that sure, it must be true. I’ll leave it to you.”
Tap, Acella snapped her fingers.
This conversation was her way of saying to forget about Lishe for the time being.
“Your Highness, are you not concerned about the palace? Georg has returned, and a response is necessary, right?”
“If he had any malice, that would be the case. But he only wants to earn money honestly to rebuild the palace. If he’s not hostile, it would be beneficial to use him. But look over there, Lars. Doesn’t that tree look funny?”
As the wind blew in from outside, Acella’s blonde hair danced lightly.
Summer was approaching, and since we were heading toward the warm south, she wore a lightweight camisole with a sheer silk scarf.
She radiated an atmosphere more akin to a refined young lady from a noble family than the rigid princess of the imperial family.
Although it was a journey to heal Acella’s condition, the atmosphere wasn’t urgent at all. In fact, it overflowed with leisure.
When we passed a stream, we would splash in the water to cool off, and at the little villages we came across, we’d stop for special local eats.
After crossing the border for a week and winding around the ravine, Acella asked, “Why not go down there?”
“It’s not a big deal, but just in case. You know that the Dausau is an elf territory, right?”
“Yeah. I’ve never seen one. They say they live for a thousand years.”
“The ravine is still subject to flood damage, so we could encounter scouts. Elves don’t really like outsiders.”
“That’s strange. Don’t we have a lot of elven adventurers in the Kingdom?”
“They belong to a different faction. Just like how we divide ourselves into different nations. The forest elves don’t end up in good terms with us.”
“Hmm.”
While gazing at the distant green expanse of the vast forest, Acella lightly mused.
“They’d have to marry carefully. After all, they’ll have to be together for a thousand years.”
Another day of travel brought us to a low hill, where the plains and mountains met.
A refreshing breeze greeted us. Acella suppressed her hair from blowing away and walked ahead without any hesitation.
On top of the hill stood a small log cabin.
Seymour, chopping wood, waved cheerfully as he saw us.
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