Regalia looked up at the sky.
The warm sunlight and the refreshing breeze.
The smell of party food carried by the wind.
And the worried voice of her mother.
All of these were so vivid that she couldn’t believe it was just a dream.
“Lia?”
“…Mother.”
“Li, Lia? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”
Regalia’s mother asked, her voice sounding surprised. Regalia, lost in thought for a moment, recalled how she used to call her parents.
It felt quite embarrassing to call them now, but at the same time, it was a fond word she always wanted to say.
“M-Mama…”
“That’s right. Our Lia. What happened?”
“Mhm…”
Her mother embraced her as she said this. Being ten years old now, she shouldn’t be able to lift her lightly, but perhaps because it was a dream, that part was easily overlooked.
Holding onto her mother, Regalia closed her eyes, taking in the soft skin and the unique scent she hadn’t experienced in a long time. If she let her guard down for even a moment, she felt like she would burst into tears.
Just when she was trying her hardest to hold back her tears, a rough hand stroked her head.
“Lia. Is something wrong?”
“…Papa.”
“That’s right, it’s Papa. Come here?”
And in that moment, when she met her father, the floodgates opened. As Regalia began to cry, her mother suddenly came over, scolding her father for making her cry.
“Honey! How could you make her cry!”
“Oh, no. I didn’t do anything…”
“Really! Lia? Don’t cry. Today is a day you mustn’t cry. Today is the day you should be the happiest in the world…”
Receiving her mother’s comfort, Regalia let her emotions spill out. Yes, today was her birthday, the day she was supposed to be the happiest.
Her mother’s words became reality. Since that day, Regalia hadn’t felt happiness even once. No matter how hard she tried, turning the anniversary of her parents’ deaths into a happy day was impossible.
But right now, Regalia was feeling that bliss after a very long time.
What in the world is this?
Having calmed herself after crying, Regalia stepped into the mansion and noticed some puzzling things around her.
First of all, it was the fact that this world was not simply a dream.
She hadn’t cried on her birthday five years ago. Therefore, she had no memory of entering the mansion that day. Yet, this dream vividly guided her and her mother deeper inside the mansion.
“…Mama.”
“Huh? Lia? Have you stopped crying?”
“That book. I want to read it.”
“Suddenly? There are people waiting outside…”
“I want to read it right now.”
Hearing her daughter’s plea, her mother looked troubled but couldn’t refuse the request from today’s protagonist, and carefully retrieved a book from the shelf.
Receiving the book, Regalia immediately skimmed over its contents. It was a book she had never seen before, something she wouldn’t stumble upon even by mistake.
Surely not a dream.
If this were a dream, it would have used the contents of books that only existed in Regalia’s memory. Everyone appearing in this world would act exactly as they did in her memory, thus she would simply be having a brief sweet dream.
But the reality? There was a book stuffed here that she didn’t remember, and people moved in ways she couldn’t recall.
In other words, this place was not just a simple dream— it was a sort of virtual reality that perfectly recreated the birthday party from five years ago.
What on earth did that scientist make…
Regalia, surprised to receive such a birthday gift, let out a small laugh and went outside the mansion with her mother.
In the garden of the mansion, there were numerous people waiting for her along with heroes, personal mercenaries, police special forces, and other special agents.
It was quite surprising to think that there was someone amidst this many guards who had killed her parents.
“Lia! Are you okay now?”
“…Yes, Papa. I’m okay now.”
“Hmm? Then, we can start the birthday party.”
The birthday party, which had been delayed when she burst into tears, was about to begin. The MC started the party, and well-known singers and performers began to sing.
As beautiful melodies filled the venue, a variety of people approached Regalia with gifts.
“–Young lady Regalia? Happy birthday.”
“This is…?”
“Yes. This is a product created by combining the skills of our heroes and our company…”
“A self-moving robot.”
“Oh, you recognized it at a glance. You’re truly amazing.”
Receiving the robot filled with memories.
“Regalia! Happy birthday!”
“Mhm… It’s been a while.”
“O-oh? You remember me?”
“Of course. I remember.”
“Yay!”
Encountering the heir of another company who was infatuated with her.
“We truly wish your daughter a happy birthday, Mr. CEO. Mrs. CEO.”
“Oh my, even the Mayor is here.”
“What are you saying? I had to come, no matter what.”
Even the Mayor of City E came to visit.
Regalia felt the grandeur of the party, realizing once again how massive the birthday party of the heir to a major corporation was.
Amidst the crowd overflowing with relaxation and joy, Regalia couldn’t relax at all. Only she knew how this party would end.
“–Now then, since we’ve finished the gift-giving, it’s time to wrap up…”
The moment the MC said this, a light burst from the sky.
The heroes and mercenaries rushed out, using their abilities, but they couldn’t stop or evade it in time.
“Lia! Save Lia!”
Before her parents could shout anything, Vira and several guards quickly turned their backs on her and activated their abilities.
A barrier capable of blocking hundreds of tons of aerial bombs was deployed. It was an absolute defense that had never been breached before.
Yet, it wasn’t enough. The heat that suddenly erupted beat against the barrier mercilessly, and Vira’s arms and legs began to collapse from the overuse of her powers.
“Ugh-! Young lady!”
“–I’m fine, Vira.”
“Y-you’s all right!?”
Looking over the crumbling Vira, Regalia glared at someone beyond the barrier. Indeed, the inside of the newly rising sun was something human eyes couldn’t see.
But it didn’t matter. Regalia stepped into the radiant beam of light, feeling her optic nerves burning with intensity. Soon her body began to melt just like her parents—but she wouldn’t die.
“Again.”
The scientist had said that this world was a dream.
It didn’t look like one at all, but if it were a dream, perhaps she could control it to some extent.
Regalia firmly believed in that fact, and that belief became strength.
“One more time.”
–Time rewinds.
“Lia?”
“…Yes, Mama.”
Regalia snapped back to her senses during the birthday party. She remembered roughly when that guy would appear.
If so, it was time to figure out his identity.
After all, today was her birthday—and the protagonist of the birthday party boasts omnipotent power in that moment. She had the ability to command the S-rank hero and elite mercenaries who came to guard her with just a wave.
“I’ll repeat it as many times as it takes.”
That was probably why the scientist showed her this dream.
Every time the sun rises, time rewinds.
Regalia repeated the dream time and again.
By now, after countless repetitions of the dream, Regalia finally managed to see the face of her attacker.
“–Truly horrifically strong, aren’t you?”
“……”
In a party where over a dozen S-rank heroes and many peerless warriors were present, a transcendent being single-handedly annihilated them all.
Regalia somehow managed to overcome that transcendent with her overwhelming advantage from the repeated incidents.
Of course, thinking of the S-rank heroes and agents lost in capturing him, it could hardly be called a victory…
“If it’s a dream, it doesn’t matter.”
Regalia thought to herself as she looked up at the man kneeling in front of her. The pure white mask he wore was quite irritating.
She was genuinely curious about what kind of face lingered behind it.
So she decided to find out—the real face of the man who left not a single trace behind except for the name Mr. Clear.
“Hmm… Quite ordinary.”
“…I never thought I’d be defeated by a kid like you.”
Mr. Clear spoke up. Regalia burst into laughter. She really couldn’t help but laugh uncontrollably.
His face was so ordinary that it was hard to remember, but that didn’t matter. She intended to engrave it in every single one of her brain cells.
“–You got defeated by her? No way. From now on, you will.”
“What do you mean…”
“See you again in reality.”
And in the next moment.
The world began to slowly crumble.
Soon, only a white fracture remained in the world as Regalia felt a rising sensation.
“Am I waking up…?”
If it were up to her, she wanted to stay in this world for longer—but she couldn’t stay trapped in a dream forever. After all, she was the owner of the Evilus Corporation, a sovereign leading numerous subordinates.
Dreams must remain as dreams.
Even knowing this, Regalia glanced down at her feet.
–I love you, Regalia.
–May you be happy.
“…!!”
At that moment, Regalia looked around after hearing the voice calling her. Naturally, there was no presence to be found around her.
Was it an auditory hallucination? Regalia instinctively knew that what she’d just heard was not a figment of her imagination.
A false voice made by the brain could never contain such longing. That voice was undoubtedly the last gift left behind by a soul that burned brightly.
“…I love you, Mama, Papa.”
In a dream that resembled reality too closely.
Regalia, having spouted the feelings bottled up inside her, slowly opened her eyes.
There was a knocking sound coming from outside the door.
–Young lady? I will come in.
“…Come in.”
The maid responsible for cleaning the room entered, pulling the curtains and opening the window wide. As the morning sunlight and the sound of chirping birds flooded the room, the maid cautiously asked.
“Did you sleep well last night?”
It was probably a habitual question from the maid, but Regalia smiled lightly. Was last night comfortable?
“–Ah, more than any other day.”
It was an incredibly happy day.
An emotion she hadn’t felt in almost five years.
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