Raphne’s memories are being restored.
Boing!
That’s now my top priority.
Bam!
Emily and Mary’s memories will be tackled one step at a time after I find Raphne’s.
Rustle rustle.
‘The problem is how to find those memories…’
Hmmmm…
To figure that out, I need to think about why Raphne’s memories are still lingering.
Think, think.
Let’s backtrack.
I changed the past.
Whoosh!
Since I changed the past, the related events disappeared, and so did the associated memories.
Poof!
But the emotions tied to those memories remain in Raphne.
Hmm?
From this, I’ve formulated a hypothesis.
Ding ding ding!
It’s about the way the past has been altered.
Until now, I thought changing the past meant reconstructing everything from the change point to now.
Slice and dice!
In other words, cutting out the existing times and attaching a newly written history.
Slap!
But if that were the case, Raphne’s emotions and memories should have been completely erased.
Zap!
However, if fragments of the history before the change remain with her…
Maybe changing the past isn’t about cutting and attaching but overlaying?
Layer it on!
Instead of erasing the original history, it’s about layering the new history on top.
Crunch!
Then the original history remains beneath the new one.
That’s why Raphne still has those pre-change emotions.
So now, the question is how to unearth those buried pre-change memories.
Dig dig!
‘But why do I still have memories…?’
Hmm?
While pondering Raphne’s memories, I suddenly wondered.
Even my physical state is the same as when I lost weight at the Tower of Tarlos.
I’m clearly here at the Tower of Tarlos because of Raphne’s prophecy…
‘My status window still has the same stats.’
Thud!
Even the skill proficiency and items I possess are exactly the same as the memories I have.
“I guess the only one I can ask is this guy.”
Ding!
I decided to check with the only one who might know the related history.
I glanced out the window.
I’m currently in my room in the boys’ dormitory.
Tick tock!
The sun has already set, and the moon hangs in the middle of the sky.
‘It shouldn’t be too noisy, right…?’
Fingers crossed!
With a slight worry, I extended my hand.
“Quick production…”
Shimmer shimmer!
Soon, mana gathered at my fingertips, and countless categories and weapon crafting methods flooded my mind.
“Tirpione.”
Whoosh!
And as the mana light burst forth, a familiar antique longsword appeared in my outstretched hand.
[…Hmm, …uh? Where is this…. Oh nooo!!! Master!…]
The Tirpione in my hand realized she was summoned and promptly extracted her spirit.
Zap!
“Aaaahh! You’ve summoned me again!! I’m so happy!”
“Shh, quiet down! We’re in the dorms and the next room can hear you!”
Shh!
I hurriedly covered her mouth, causing the tearful Tirpione, who was about to cling to me, to widen her eyes.
Gasp!
After hearing my words, she gently nodded.
I cautiously pulled my hand away.
But the moment I did…
“Master!!!”
She clung to me and wrapped her arms around my neck.
“Whee! Whee! Hah, whee! Hah.”
“Uh, right, I’m glad to see you too, but can you not cling to me?”
“Aww, you’re so mean, Master! I’m always waiting for you to call me from that labyrinth!”
Aw…
Hearing Tirpione’s sobbing voice near my shoulder momentarily pierced my heart.
After all, I’m the one who threw her into that labyrinth.
‘Should I leave her like this for a bit?’
Hmmm…
I’ve received quite a bit of help. I should indulge her this much.
A few moments later,
After rubbing against me to her heart’s content, Tirpione finally composed herself and sat up facing me.
“Are you talking about our first meeting?”
“Yeah, do you remember when we first met?”
“Of course! I could never forget that moment~. Hehe.”
“So you met me at the bottom of Tarlos, right?”
“Exactly! You found me, sitting in my home, and spoke to me!”
“And the moment we parted?”
“Ugh! You threw me away mercilessly! …But, even that roughness of yours was charming.”
Blushing!?
As I watched Tirpione bashfully grab her cheeks, I realized that her memory of our first encounter matched mine perfectly.
“So… defeating the ancient dragon Tarlos was.”
“You summoned me and defeated it in a single strike!”
“Do you remember the people who were with us?”
Thinking caps on!
That’s the crucial part.
In this altered history, Raphne, Emily, and Mary have no memory of conquering the tower with me.
After gazing at me blankly for a moment, Tirpione suddenly lit up.
“There was definitely a black-haired knight helping you! He swooped in to protect you when the ancient dragon was about to unleash its breath!”
“…I see.”
Ping!
I uncovered a discrepancy in the memories.
It seems in this history, I conquered the tower alone with Siegfried.
‘Well, I guess if I didn’t have any assistance, shortcuts would be impossible.’
That means in this world, Siegfried had to hold back that monster rush alone…?
Even though the number of people decreased, the difficulty remains outrageous!
“Thanks, Tirpione. You really helped me out.”
Endearing!
“Hehe, I’d do anything for you, Master!”
Then Tirpione subtly revealed her shoulder.
Uh-oh!
And wow, it went all the way to an impressive chest!
“If you want, I can give you my first right now…”
“Thanks, but you can take a break.”
Splish!
“Wait, Master?!”
I ignored Tirpione’s shout and tossed her into the Subspace Pocket.
Poof!
Soon, her ruckus faded away.
If she didn’t like being in the pocket, she would have returned to the labyrinth herself.
“By the way… just me and Siegfried, huh…”
Hmm?
Wait a second. Isn’t someone missing?
“…Where’s Adrian?”
Uh-oh…
I realized I hadn’t seen Adrian at all today.
Ding!
—-
The next day, I headed to the Academy earlier than anyone else.
The reason was that damn prince.
‘Why have I not seen him at all…?’
Pondering!
With his eye-catching blonde hair and handsome face, he’s the center of attention in our class.
If he had come into the classroom, it would have been obvious to me.
Surprised whispers!
For example, on my way to the academy, students pass by and murmur about me.
It’s been two days, and I’m slightly adjusted, but that gaze still feels burdensome.
If Adrian were in class, he would definitely notice such attention.
Hmm… hmmm…
Having arrived at class early, I sat down, waited for the other students to come in, and confirmed my surroundings.
“Hey… Ken.”
“Huh? Oh, hey.”
Casual chat!
Soon, students began trickling into the classroom.
“You’re here early! Good morning.”
“Oh? Right.”
Huh?
However, oddly enough, as I glanced at the classroom’s back door, the entering students were waving their hands and greeting me.
Then…
“Hey! Long time no see. Do you remember me?”
“Ken, how’d you lose weight? Did you exercise during the break?”
“Wow! Look at those arm muscles. What workouts are you doing?”
“You really should’ve lost weight earlier. I mean, you were cute before, but wow!”
“Uh, um, well… but…”
Uh-oh…
For some reason, more and more people were gathering around me.
‘This is way too different from before.’
Gulp!
Most of the girls surrounding me were people I had never exchanged words with before losing weight.
But today, they were all exceptionally eager to talk to me.
Invasive!
As more people joined the circle, each new one intruded even more boldly.
Consequently, my field of vision was filled with the students who had come, blocking the back door.
‘I can’t see if Adrian is coming…’
Anxious!
This is uncomfortable.
Of course, when a former chubby guy shows up looking this good, it’s natural to be interested.
I get that.
But even so, gathering like this makes things troublesome.
Especially in a situation where I need to check for someone…!
Ding!
At that moment.
“Hey. What are you all doing?”
“Oh, Enzo. Hey!”
Phew!
Someone pushed their way through the gathered girls.
The person revealed was a boy with orange hair and earrings.
‘…This guy.’
“Whoa, Ken. You really changed!”
Wow!
He entered the crowd of girls and waved at me with a friendly smile.
I definitely hadn’t seen this guy since I was reincarnated.
But I remember!
‘He’s the guy who had problems with Adrian and dropped out of the academy!’
Gasp!
Enzo Rotirix.
First semester of first year.
When we started at Epiris Academy, he was an extra character introduced to showcase Adrian’s character.
‘He was a guy very interested in girls and liked being the center of attention.’
Enzo, who wanted all the attention from the female students, found Adrian a nuisance.
Because, since Adrian was around, the girls flocked to him instead of Enzo.
So he staged some incident that got him expelled from the academy along with Adrian and Emily.
It was an event where the hidden prince Adrian’s power showed through.
‘But if he’s here…’
At that moment, the back door opened and someone came in.
Creek!
“Hey~.”
“Oh, hey, Emily! You’re here early!”
Emily entered the classroom with a sleepy face.
When I spotted her, I stood up and sought permission from the students surrounding me, as well as from Enzo.
“Excuse me, just a second! I need to check something. Haha.”
Race!
That’s how I dashed through the line of students surrounding me and approached Emily, who was just placing her bag on her desk.
“Emily!”
“Huh? …Oh?!”
“Can you spare a moment?”
I grabbed her arm and led her out of the classroom.
Fortunately, while Emily looked surprised to see me, she followed along.
I thought she might resist since I grabbed her arm suddenly.
“Wh-what’s going on…?”
We arrived at the end of a hallway.
The western staircase, where people rarely came in the mornings.
Breathe in… breathe out!
Holding her arm, Emily blushed and looked away when we got here.
Looking like she wanted to glance my way but panicked as soon as our eyes met.
What’s the deal?
Uh oh…
‘I needed a reason for dragging her here, though…’
If I say, “I actually called you to escape from everyone!” it would come off as rude, and I’d probably get my head stomped again.
Oh, right!
“Hey, Emily.”
“Huh…?”
When I quietly called her name, she gasped and stared at me wide-eyed.
She seemed unable to meet my gaze, her face turning red.
“Have you heard the name Adrian…?”
Crunch!
That’s what I’m curious about.
Where Adrian is.
Before the history changed, Adrian and Emily were as close as you could get.
Hoping she knew even just his name, I asked her about Adrian.
Praying that she knew something.
But upon my question, Emily tilted her head.
“…Adrian? …Sorry, I don’t think I’ve ever heard that before.”
Thud!
Her answer sent ‘No way!’ racing through my mind.
‘Adrian isn’t at the academy.’
Why could that be?
There’s no need to think it through.
Ultimately, it’s because history has changed.
In the first place, the reason he disguised himself at the academy was because of Raphne’s existence.
Adrian came to the academy because Raphne, the Child of Prophecy that the demon king’s army was targeting, was here.
But with that prophecy gone, there would be no need for Adrian to come to the academy.
Ugh…
But Emily is still here.
Emily is the prophetic figure in the kingdom.
Shouldn’t Adrian have cared about Emily’s importance?
Once again, my heart ached for the changed reality.
He was a guy I had only just become close with during our travels.
Deep sigh…
‘No, I can’t. …I can’t let this get me down.’
I recalled my current objective.
That’s to restore Raphne’s memories.
If I can do that, I can restore Emily’s, Mary’s, and even Adrian’s memories.
‘I’ll have to think about how to meet him at the royal palace…’
The thought of being able to reverse things calmed my heart a little.
Motivation!
With that, I smiled at Emily, who was staring at me blankly.
“Thanks, that was something I really wanted to know. You helped me a lot.”
“Oh, really?”
Blush!
Emily, in response to my words, gently smiled and cautiously looked up at me.
Her cheeks reddened, and she looked shy.
Then she bit her lip, seeming to make a decision, looking down before raising her gaze to meet mine once more.
“Um, um… Ken.”
“Yeah?”
“S-so, since we’re alone… I thought I should say something…”
Uh-oh?
Emily fidgeted, pressing her fingers together and darting her eyes around.
“I-I thought a lot about what happened yesterday, and… I wanted to say… that I…”
Uh oh!
Emily’s eyes started to glisten with tears as she stumbled over her words.
It looked like she might burst into tears at any moment!
But she seemed determined to finish her thought.
“I-I’m s-sorry…!”
“…Sorry?”
“S-sorry!”
Uh oh!
Emily looked at me with tears brimming in her eyes, as past memories rushed back.
‘I’m sorry for tormenting you… truly so sorry.’
Her sincere apology from ten days of time loop events flashed through my mind.
She was still carrying that guilt.
And after the time loop ended, she genuinely apologized to me.
‘So that’s it. Emily still has that feeling for me…’
She had the need to apologize to me again, holding on to the fact that she had tormented me.
‘Hang in there! Emily!’
I silently cheered her on as I waited for her to finish her sentence.
“S-s-sorry!!”
Thud!
Suddenly, just as Emily had mustered the courage to spill her heartfelt apology, a familiar voice came from behind me.
“Is that her?”
“Uh, …huh?”
What!?
Hearing the voice, Emily, who was about to apologize, turned startled and glanced over my shoulder.
Following her gaze, I turned my head, too.
“Is that the one you were talking about… ‘the one you want to take responsibility for’?”
There stood Raphne, glaring at us with murderous intent.
