A Resplendent Era (14)

The battle inevitably left much to be desired in various aspects.

Of course, there was no one to observe and evaluate my performance – this is merely my personal impression.

Admittedly, there were mitigating factors.

My combat experience was limited to human-on-human brawls. Enacting a slaughter against the first Demonic Tribe I’d encountered was arguably more improbable than succeeding.

Truthfully, I hadn’t harbored outlandish expectations of spontaneously awakening some hitherto unknown capability granting, say, a 300% damage buff against the Demonic Tribe. Nevertheless, I strived to perform admirably with my existing capabilities.

Yet scrutinizing the outcome, my purported aim of safeguarding Freugne ultimately culminated in unconscious failure, did it not?

‘I could have done better.’

Haven’t we all experienced such moments?

Agonizing between choices 3 and 4, selecting 3, only to belatedly realize 4 was the correct answer upon exiting the examination hall.

Had I modified this spell’s sequence to an earlier version, I could have conserved mana.

If I had detonated the electromagnetic shrapnel two seconds sooner, I might have incapacitated one more Demonic Tribe, and so forth.

With my life at stake, my mind had been consumed by intense focus, but as the adrenaline subsided, I gained perspective – along with regrets.

If asked whether I had given my utmost, the answer is undoubtedly yes.

But if questioned about the possibility of performing better, then the response would be negative.

Some things cannot be fully comprehended through theoretical study alone until directly experienced – and combat is among them.

Yet having undergone this baptism by fire, I ought to fare better next time. And truthfully, my capabilities weren’t entirely lacking.

But enough ruminating on the battle.

“…Ugh.”

“…You’re awake?”

I attempted to speak but felt a scorching sensation in my throat.

This was no mere thirst from a few hours of slumber – I must have been unconscious for at least half a day.

Upon opening my eyes, I immediately sensed a weight upon my chest.

Rubbing my still-blurry vision, I found Freugne straddling me. Thankfully, I had not become a high-school girl due to some Demonic Tribe’s nefarious curse.

My depleted state lacked the strength to dislodge Freugne. After a brief struggle, I resigned myself to her presence.

“Hm? Why?”

“Seeing you return injured like this every time, Uncle, what am I to do…?”

Pondering her words, I recalled a recent conversation.

“But the outcome was favorable, wasn’t it? Look, you’re unharmed your-“

“I may be. But what about you, Uncle?”

“Me? This is nothing – a hearty meal, and I’ll be as good as new.”

Tears she had been unable to wipe away stained her eyes.

Truthfully, aside from Freugne, who else would concern themselves with me to such an extent?

Any parents I may have had abandoned me at the orphanage, and Freugne likely shared a similar background.

Since I had never contemplated marriage, anticipating imminent upheaval, Freugne and I were each other’s sole family, at least legally speaking.

I had taken Freugne in with the conviction that I could care for her until adulthood.

And the once-diminutive girl I had first met had grown into her present self. In her youth, I would occasionally hoist her high by slipping my hands beneath her armpits, but such gestures would undoubtedly seem inappropriate now.

In a few months, Freugne would graduate from Cardiff School and eventually establish her own household.

While that prospect did induce some apprehension, her ability to foresee the future provided reassurance.

‘Ah, that’s right.’

Come to think of it, Freugne had mentioned possessing future sight.

Fortuitous timing. Soliciting her aid could prove invaluable in the forthcoming war against the Demonic Tribe.

Undoubtedly, others would seek to exploit her capabilities, but… hmm, that was an issue requiring deeper contemplation.

Yet as I prepared to inquire further about her abilities, Freugne, seeming to anticipate my intentions, spoke first.

---

The resilient Freugne, capable of standing on her own without a guardian, did not weep.

“So your body is alright, then?”

“Ah, yes, it seems intact.”

“Truly?”

Some tears had indeed surfaced, but since no one had witnessed them, she could dismiss them as nonexistent.

As Edan remained fixated on the hospital ceiling, Freugne discreetly wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

She did not entirely blame herself for Edan’s assault by the Demonic Tribe. Common sense dictated that the aggressors were ultimately culpable.

Yet she did acknowledge a degree of responsibility.

Objectively speaking, despite possessing ample means to flee independently, her presence had compelled him to remain and sustain injuries.

And had she not concealed secrets until now? Her self-assuredness in foreseeing the future had merely resulted in having those memories stripped away, countered by the Dark Lord himself.

Yet the greatest casualty was not her, but Edan, left bloodied and unconscious – an outcome that could not fail to elicit profound introspection.

Freugne softly murmured:

“…I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For deceiving you until now.”

Edan reached out, taking Freugne’s hand in his.

While he had received minimal nourishment over three days, he had not properly eaten. His grip lacked strength.

Yet it was the same hand that had reached for her when he had first found her at the orphanage, imbuing her with an inexplicable warmth and faith as always.

“That wasn’t deception, merely concealment.”

“Is there a difference? By withholding the truth, I intended to mislead you regardless…”

“Adolescents invariably harbor secrets from their parents. I suspected you might have your own, and it seems I’ve belatedly uncovered one.”

While unaware it constituted such a monumental secret, Edan lowered his voice as he added:

“But you ultimately chose to be forthright.”

“……”

Freugne could not respond, for she still harbored one remaining secret.

Come to think of it, while Edan knew of her ability to glimpse the future, he remained unaware of her machinations enveloping Belfast and Glasgow.

She would have to disclose this soon. Not at some ambiguous, ill-timed juncture, but when she was truly prepared.

She intended to reveal it here, in this very ward.

But first, she would propose something.

‘Still, I ought to say it.’

The mage who had examined her had mentioned the possibility of only insignificant memories being accessed, which conversely implied that only the most crucial information could have been extracted.

Thus, she had to assume her myriad behind-the-scenes maneuvers in Belfast and Glasgow were known.

And therein lay the greatest terror.

The futures she had witnessed could potentially fall into the Dark Lord’s hands at any moment.

Apparently, the Dark Lord had possessed another Demonic Tribe member – or something akin to possession. Just hearing about it evoked a sense of incredulity regarding how such magic could even be cast. Even the Demonic Tribe expert who had come for her examination deemed it unprecedented.

And that was merely the beginning – from that state, he could evidently read minds as well.

The possibility now existed that he could possess those around her and access her memories at any moment.

And a future known to others ceased to be a true future.

It became merely one potential outcome among many, susceptible to being unraveled by the Dark Lord’s whims.

“Uncle, do you know about that?”

Even if she had foreseen a future where Edan remained alive, his demise the following day was no longer an impossibility.

“The Dark Lord proposed that I betray humanity. No, ‘betray’ isn’t quite accurate. He said I merely needed to stand aside and withhold intervention.”

“I’ve heard that claim before. So what was your response?”

“I refused. No matter what, I couldn’t bring myself to abandon humanity – and you – to the Demonic Tribe.”

“Good, well done.”

“But over the past three days, those convictions have… wavered, somewhat.”

In this very moment, Freugne realized:

This was the culmination of the altered future precipitated by her refusal to shoot Edan.

The reason she had become invested in Edan.

And no matter how many timelines she revisited, the sole variable determining whether Edan expressed resentment and hostility towards her was that pivotal decision.

Presumably, in the original history, she had proposed to Edan: ‘Let us abandon the doomed human race and join the Demonic Tribe.’

Yet presently, she could not fathom extending such an offer.

Not due to any newfound awareness of the Demonic Tribe’s brutality, but simply because aligning with the very collective that had attempted to kill Edan was unconscionable.

Many factors had shifted.

Judging by Edan having aimed a firearm at her, the backdrop was likely Londinium, where such weapons were permitted. And Edan would not have been hospitalized after a Demonic Tribe assault.

One of those divergences was the very proposal itself.

“Uncle, how about we just run away together?”

“Where to?”

“Somewhere far away, where the Demonic Tribe cannot find us.”

Having already contemplated this, she swiftly reached her conclusion. Edan shook his head.

“No, I still wish to remain.”

“And if that gets you killed? I have the capability to make such a thing possible.”

“I have something to protect. And I don’t wish to consign it to a life of perpetual concealment in some burrow.”

“Is that because I’m like a daughter to you?”

“One could say that.”

Ah, I see.

To Uncle, I’m still someone to be protected, like a daughter.

Of course, I was grateful for his sentiment, for it had enabled my present existence.

Yet did such a dynamic necessitate permanence? Fortunately, the timing was opportune.

‘I would have to broach this topic eventually.’

Freugne tightened her grip on Edan’s hand.

As he began rising to meet her gaze, she gently pressed him back onto the pillow.

“The word ‘daughter,’ you mean.”

“Wh-Freugne?”

Freugne leaned closer, his breathing now audible in her ear.

Up to this point, perhaps an ordinary father and daughter could engage thus. But Freugne had no intention of stopping there.

Tilting her head slightly, she lingered in a prolonged kiss.

Edan’s eyes widened, seemingly struggling to comprehend the situation. Regarding him intently as she licked her lips, Freugne inquired:

“Do you still perceive me as such?”