There are some kind of dealings going on. It might be best to think of it that way.
I don’t think it’s Miragen, but it’s clear that there’s a connection between the Imperial Family and the Dead Dragon.
The name Eclipse is similar, but the evidence gathered so far points toward the link between the Dead Dragon and the Imperial Family.
Kaitel’s intention to use Residual Thought ultimately aims for the resurrection of the Dead Dragon.
The Southern Crusade? Probably just an excuse.
The true purpose isn’t the Southern Crusade but rather to find the relics and ruins that were probably overlooked due to the Immigrant Tribe.
“What do you plan to do now?”
My Reincarnation was initiated by the Dead Dragon.
It seemed that he intended to use the Imperial Family for his own resurrection, but he was thwarted by the Moon God and failed.
In the end, he attempted to create a body to enter not by the original method he had in mind, but through a relic.
Ultimately, the plan the Dead Dragon conceived had reached its final stage.
If there’s a problem, it’s that my mind, which should have collapsed, is still intact.
Meeting the Minotaurus was one thing, and the situation was flowing along quite nicely.
I just need to crush Kaitel. However, there wasn’t much time left until the Dead Dragon’s resurrection, was there?
At least before next winter, when I usually died, there was never any news about the Dead Dragon.
There’s still time. I also had plenty of time to make some judgments.
I don’t think watching how things unfold from here is the wrong judgment.
I couldn’t just grab Kaitel’s weakness and swing at him right away.
Using that to pressure the Imperial Family wouldn’t deal a blow even if I revealed that there’s a connection between the Dead Dragon and the Imperial Family.
A plan has its order, doesn’t it? First, I need to make Adele’s death nonexistent.
The Dead Dragon? Important, but not as important as Adele to just drop everything and rush in.
I stared at the blue magic power seeping from the mural, then silently looked at Arwen.
I felt sorry for her, but it was right to put the matter of the Dead Dragon on the back burner.
“Let’s go back to the North.”
All that needed doing was finished. If there’s anything left, it’s to return.
I felt a bit drained. It wasn’t really a sense of emptiness, but more a feeling of relief.
#
“Robert?”
Perhaps because I hadn’t seen him for a few days, seeing Adrian again made him look quite surprised.
His usual unclouded eyes met mine, and it felt like he was glaring at me.
It was a busy time for explanations.
I had organized the story I heard from the Minotaurus in my head and had been going around confirming whether those thoughts were correct with Arwen.
It had been quite a long time since I last met Adele, so Adrian frowned a bit when he saw me.
“Where on earth have you been without contacting anyone?”
“I had something to look for. Including what I heard from the Minotaurus, it was about my Reincarnation.”
, “About my reincarnation.”
Arwen’s realization about my reincarnation was quite unexpected, but thanks to that, I was able to wrap things up a little faster.
Having mastered the study of magic meant my intelligence had already surpassed human limits.
Just like it wouldn’t be strange to be called a superhuman when I wield my sword, Arwen must have grasped my reincarnation in a similar way.
Of course, I didn’t explain it in detail like I did to Adrian.
To Arwen, my reincarnation was merely a connection point to the Dead Dragon, and the past itself wasn’t what mattered.
When Adrian heard that I had uncovered the truth about my reincarnation, he looked slightly surprised but then quietly parted his lips to speak.
“…Are you okay? If you’ve figured out your reincarnation, it can’t be all good news.”
“I’m fine. No, I’m trying to think that I am.”
Though I said that, knowing that I had been living like a puppet for the resurrection of the Dead Dragon made it impossible to feel okay.
It felt empty. I wanted to despair. But I couldn’t do that right now, could I?
There were so many things to protect; if I let go of everything here, I wouldn’t gain anything at all.
“There’s a lot that needs to be done, right?”
I replied flatly. Adrian tried to offer comfort, but I said I was fine.
She was the only one who could understand me, but I hadn’t come to her for comfort now.
It was a time when I had to run busier than ever in life.
Spring, with summer approaching again. I wanted to finish up the dealings with the masked group during the summer.
With an expression that looked complicated, I gently stroked Adrian’s hair and smiled softly.
“Don’t worry. It’s much better than you think.”
“That doesn’t look like it at all, which is why I’m worried.”
“Can you see my emotions?”
Perhaps he was reading my feelings, so when I tapped my fingers on my chest, Adrian gave a bitter smile.
I tried to lighten the mood with a joke, but it seemed I couldn’t hide all the complexities.
But what could I do? I had no choice but to stay like this until everything was resolved.
Still feeling strange, I walked away from Adrian, who showed a slightly improved expression than before.
Meeting Adele was a long time ago, even before I met Adrian.
I was curious about her reaction, but naturally, I had a vague feeling she’d be angry.
I messed up. I hadn’t contacted her, and it had already been about two weeks since we last met.
As soon as I returned from the reconnaissance mission, I disappeared somewhere, so even if she got mad, I had no excuse.
After a brief hesitation, I stood in front of Adele’s door and quietly knocked.
To be precise, I was about to knock, when the door swung open with a loud creak and there stood Adele.
I pondered over what to say and awkwardly waved my hand.
“Long time—”
“Do you think I’m a joke?”
From her rigid expression, a chill voice flowed out.
Tears trickled down her cold, stiff face, and I swallowed hard, seeing them helplessly streaming from her bloodshot eyes.
My hand, which was tightly clenched into a fist, trembled subtly. As she struck my chest, her words continued.
I felt a sharp pain, but it wasn’t a full swing.
Thud. I was about to continue talking when, again, a light tap on my chest disrupted me. My body wobbled slightly from the force, but I didn’t back away.
It was only natural to get hit. If it would ease her anger even a little, that would be good.
Adele continued to look at my silent self and slowly moved her lips.
“You don’t even contact me. You said you fought demons and vanished without showing your face. Do you think I would be happy that you return now and just wave?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“I don’t know how ridiculous I’ve become to always end up like this. You don’t have to contact me. If that’s the case, just don’t come to the North at all. It might be better to forget about your face than to see it for a lifetime.”
Grrr.
She pressed her elbow against my chest that had been shoved against the wall, and after looking at me for a while, she wiped her wet eyes.
Her gaze, which had laughed in disbelief multiple times, landed on me.
She seemed angry, but seeing the complicated look in her eyes strangely made me feel distressed.
Would it be the right answer to excuse myself saying there was nothing I could do?
No, in the midst of all this, there were surely things I could tell Adele.
Ultimately, wasn’t my behavior aimed at preventing her from meeting a future where she dies?
Rather than merely saying I’m sorry, I thought it might be better to keep listening to her.
So I kept my mouth shut. I merely met her gaze and listened to everything without flinching.
“I was worried you fought the demons. Once you returned, I planned to check your wounds immediately. Even though you went with the Saint, you never know. I was waiting at the entrance, thinking you’d come back alive. But when only the Saint showed up, do you know how I felt?”
I hadn’t considered that. I only remembered that my reincarnation was related to the dead dragon, pouring all my thoughts in that direction.
I thought it would be enough to finish everything quickly, reach a conclusion, and return to the North.
If Adele were to be in danger, I was focused only on the fact that I had time since autumn had passed.
“If you dislike me, just say so. If you hate me, say you hate me instead.”
As her hand slid down from my chest, Adele muttered, resting her forehead against mine.
I should have answered otherwise, but before I could say anything, Adele continued speaking.
“If you did, it would be easier for you. Why do you keep making things difficult for me?”
“I have nothing to say.”
“It should be normal to not have anything to say. It’s not like words can forgive what’s happened.”
As Adele looked at me with bloodshot eyes and a bitter smile, I could barely guess what she had been feeling while waiting.
I should have been a little more considerate.
It seems I had focused too much on my own matters.
I should have looked around more. I had momentarily forgotten that Adele and Adrian were there, and I only thought about my own tasks, overlooking the fact that someone was waiting.
Perhaps it was simply because it was such an unfamiliar situation.
In the past rounds, there were very few who waited for me, so naturally, I thought about it as usual.
Should I say I’m sorry, or should I thank her for waiting?
I should have told her that I didn’t hate or dislike her.
Rather than saying that, it felt better to show it in another way. Gently touching Adele’s shoulder caused her to yield easily.
The situation was completely reversed compared to when I was pushed against the wall, but Adele just silently looked at me without resisting.
I softly brushed away her tear-streaked cheek.
Just like when Adele had wiped my cheek after I had killed Temujin and collapsed, her hand moved, and Adele’s head tilted slightly.
Neither of us spoke. However, knowing what would come next, I suddenly smiled at the gaze that touched my lips.
Her lips, stained red, were slightly moist.
There were traces of blood as if she had bitten them alone at some point, so I gently poked that spot with my finger and murmured.
“When did you get hurt?”
“…Yesterday, before bed.”
“I’m not fond of the bitter taste.”
Despite the gap having narrowed, Adele didn’t say a word.
At first, I thought it was her forehead, then her cheek, but as we drew closer, I realized we had already leaped over that stage.
We were getting closer. This felt better than a few words of apology.
At the moment when the feelings accumulated over the time apart were about to connect, just as the tips of our lips were about to touch, suddenly, a sound echoed in my ears.
Brrr—
To be precise, it was the sound that came from the vibration felt in my embrace. The previously calm atmosphere turned slightly cold, creating a distance that felt like it would soon close again.
All that remained was the awkward air, as Adele, with her cheeks blushing red, hurriedly covered her lips with her hand and created distance.
“…Hah.”
Realizing too late that I had almost crossed a line in the atmosphere, the emotions left inside me were even more filled with regret.
However, the fact that the artifact rang only meant one thing; Arwen in the North couldn’t have contacted me.
Mi라젠.
Thinking of the name of the woman who would contact me, I slowly infused magic power into the artifact.
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