There was no such thing as an unbeatable opponent.
At least, if I set my mind to winning, it was certain that I could gain the upper hand against any opponent.
But… what Adele said shook the very foundation of that thought.
I was confident I could move without Adele, but at this point, it seemed like I couldn’t.
It’s all about priorities. Honestly, there was hardly anything wrong with what Adele said.
It was true that I always considered others more than myself.
I had never thought about how that would reflect in others’ eyes.
I slowly averted my gaze from Adele, who was quietly observing me. No, I tried to escape.
When Adele realized I was trying to run away from that gaze and caught me, I didn’t know how to respond. It was definitely dangerous.
No matter what I did, Kaitel would surely pay attention to Adele through this affair.
But I had no idea in what direction that would go.
“Is this what you meant when you said you wouldn’t let go?”
“That’s right. You tend to underestimate yourself too much. I really don’t want to see that.”
“Even knowing it would be dangerous?”
“Better to be in danger together than alone, right? And you’re close to the princess, so if anything happens, you can just rescue me. Surely…”
Cook.
Adele poked my chest with her finger and grinned mischievously.
It felt like an attempt to lighten the stiff atmosphere, but somehow, it just seemed to poke at my inner feelings.
My mouth, which was about to smile, awkwardly twisted.
“You’re not thinking about the past and assuming it will repeat itself, are you?”
“I can’t say that’s not the case.”
Kaitel was always involved with my death, and that was a common thread that Adele shared as well.
If Adele were to directly intervene with Kaitel, what kind of variable would that present?
If I had to stop it, could I? After a moment of contemplation, I suddenly realized that the thought I was holding was foolish.
Wasn’t almost everything different? As Adele said, the past and the present are different.
I was the head of the family with much greater authority, and Adele knew her death was linked to Kaitel.
If I decided to avoid it, I could escape as much as I wanted. Perhaps Adele was right.
I always had a tendency to reflect the past in the present. Rubbing my forehead, I quietly sighed.
I hoped it was just needless worry. I wished Kaitel had no interest in Adele and that she wouldn’t suffer the slightest harm in this life.
“…I concede.”
It was a word I had never uttered through countless reincarnations, yet its meaning was shattered by the few words of the woman.
I couldn’t help but suppress the desire to go together.
With Adele around, it was certain that I’d get more help, so I needed to keep probing Kaitel about his thoughts on her.
“So, what’s the answer?”
“Let’s go together. Do you really think I’ll stick around if you say anything?”
“I feel like I’m getting to know you a bit better now.”
All I needed to do was try harder. Even if something surprising came up, I could just handle it.
The future where Adele survives is the one I initially envisioned, so no matter what, I simply hope she’s alive by the end of this year.
#
“I can’t analyze all the information collected from the ruins. I should send it to someone who can analyze it and wait for the results.”
“And who would that be?”
“There’s someone I saved at the Full Moon Festival before. I’ve hired that person before. Even now, I’m receiving help in gathering information with appropriate compensation. It was quite useful back when I became the head of the family.”
If it was something from the Full Moon Festival, Adele would surely remember it vividly, and then her eyes widened slightly as she recalled Arwen.
There’s probably just one reason for that kind of reaction.
Since Arwen is a woman too, she might be suspicious of my true intentions.
“Woman, huh.”
“Yes, she is a woman, but I’m not interested.”
“Sounds like you are interested in me, doesn’t it? Were you surprisingly honest?”
As I let out a sigh at her mischievous grin, Adele looked at me, chuckling as if she found it all amusing.
To be honest, I thought of Arwen less as a woman and more like some transcendent being.
Her bizarre obsession with dead dragons, her ease with handling the moon’s magic…
She had even reached a level of magic mastery far higher than anyone else, so her lifespan was bound to be extraordinary.
Surprisingly, Adele was pretty sharp in this regard, quickly shelving her doubts and bringing up another topic.
“So, you mean we can do something once those results come in? How long do you think it’ll take?”
“I think it will take about a week.”
With the plan to stay here for about a week already completely thrown off, I had pushed back anything unimportant to the very end.
Now I had plenty of time. Though Renold had his complaints, I deemed it wise to focus on this matter for now.
When I mentioned the schedule, I caught a fleeting glimpse of Adele’s lips twitch slightly.
Although barely noticeable, the tiny movement seemed to bring her some satisfaction.
It wasn’t visible, but the subtle movements seemed quite satisfying.
I personally enjoyed staying in the North, though I wish it weren’t just because of serious matters.
It would be better to think positively in various ways.
“So, you’re thinking of staying for about a month?”
“Yes. But you seem quite comfortable.”
I said this to Adele, who was sitting on my bed, and she chuckled as she casually sat on the blanket.
It seemed like she had intended this. There wouldn’t be any reason to make our beds the same, right?
While it was nice to be honest, my heart would drop every time.
“Well, it doesn’t matter now, does it? We’ve already slept together.”
“Anyone who hears that will misunderstand. We only slept, purely.”
“To others, it might look like the same thing. Should I tell the Saint or the Princess about this?”
“That we slept together.” As Adele said this, she tugged at the corners of her mouth and then casually lay down on my pillow, patting the space next to her.
I sighed at the thought of lying down together, but I couldn’t deny that this kind of relationship wasn’t bad after all.
It was much better than the stiff first impressions when we first met in this life.
It was just getting drunk and passing out together, but what reaction would Adrian or Miragen have if they found out?
I didn’t want to think about it. It wasn’t the kind of joke to make, and there were plenty of misunderstandings that could arise.
Especially since Adrian’s feelings were similar to mine.
She understood everything about the life I had lived, so perhaps that affection could grow strangely stronger.
It would be best to be cautious. I should pay special attention to Lothos.
“Still, it’s a bit better now that I have some free time. Normally, I would have to be busy even now.”
“I’m helping with that. Didn’t I say you’d finish faster with me around?”
“…Well, considering I saw the ruins, that’s true.”
The title of Grand Duke wasn’t just a name.
Her words had quite a bit of influence in this Empire, meaning that even substantial matters could become nonexistent if Adele overlooked them.
I usually tried not to accompany her, but I was admitting to myself that many things became easier when I was with Adele.
However, the worry about danger never left my mind, though now I could just be careful.
Anyway, since things had come to this, I was determined to finish off those masked ones in the North decisively.
There would probably be times I would have to use force, and it was about time to wrap up the skills I had almost recovered.
It was about time to push myself.
The fact that the Dead Dragon’s mind is still alive is clearly a source of anxiety.
I couldn’t help but think about the possibility of resurrection, which I had deemed completely impossible until now.
If the Dead Dragon were to resurrect and attempt to ruin the world, would I be able to overpower it in my current state?
…I’m not sure. Unless I fully recover my original abilities, I needed to be more cautious and patient.
That’s why what I needed was experience in wielding a sword, so I was thinking of moving towards utilizing force if possible.
“Starting tomorrow, I’ll be busy again. Since Adele has to move as well, I guess I’m not the only one getting busy. But is your schedule alright?”
“Schedule?”
“Don’t you have some work to do? Summer is coming soon, so it’s bound to get busy.”
In the North, summer is a preparation period for the approaching winter. The saying “Winter is coming” is often used like a proverb in the North.
Since the winter there brings unbearable cold, preparations to endure it must be thorough during summer and fall.
Repairing collapsed houses and stockpiling food. Just thinking of how busy Adele must be doing this on a regional level was overwhelming.
Whether she understood my question or not, she swallowed her thoughts and shrugged her shoulders, answering as if it were no big deal.
“Well, Rotoss will take care of it anyway. If I say I’m busy, he’ll handle it.”
“…So it’s Rotoss who does that.”
After all, Adele hasn’t often handled such matters directly. Most of it fell to Rotoss and his subordinates.
With nothing having changed on that front, I chuckled softly, suddenly reminded that there was one more person to bring to this North.
It’s not just Arwen who needs information about the Dead Dragon.
Arwen has a wealth of information, but the existence of the Dead Dragon is largely erased from information across the entire Empire, making it quite difficult to find something about it.
If anyone could obtain such information relatively easily, it would be someone related to the Order.
There was someone I knew who was both connected to the Order and could easily find such information.
As I rose from my seat, Adele watched me quietly.
“Where are you going?”
“I think I need to call someone else in the North. I’m going to get in touch.”
“Who are you talking about? Someone I know?”
“You know the Saintess, right?”
As I mentioned Adrian, Adele’s expression gradually hardened into a cold gaze.
She emitted a clear sign of dislike and was quite straightforward about it.
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