episode_0120

“……”

“……”

The moment I cut off the conversation, the comfortable atmosphere that had filled the room vanished in an instant.

Chris silently stared at me, as if declaring she wouldn’t say another word. The way she kept glancing at me, as though she’d committed some unforgivable sin, was nothing short of frustrating.

“Uh… I talked to Dave and Cheryl today. There’s something I need to tell you too.”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t look so down. I know you’re doing your best right now. Besides, it’s not like I can openly ask others for help either.”

“Got it.”

“Right. Honestly, I’d feel more at ease if you just treated me normally.”

“You were the one who approached those two first, right? Good call. They’ll definitely be on your side.”

“That’s what I thought too. Given what happened in the previous timeline, if we just set things up right, Cheryl would naturally drag Dave along. But… it didn’t go as smoothly as I expected.”

“It didn’t? What exactly happened?”

“I might end up seeing Daryl a lot sooner than planned.”

“What?! What the hell did you do to make those two—”

“I didn’t want it to happen either!”

I hurriedly defended myself as Chris looked at me in shock. Daryl was Dave and Cheryl’s child.

In the previous timeline, their relationship had naturally grown closer, and after fighting side by side on the battlefield, their friendship blossomed into love—resulting in Daryl. But this time, his birth might be pushed forward.

“I was trying to get Dave and Cheryl together, but Dave was being so dense… Still, it’s Cheryl we’re talking about. She wouldn’t do anything reckless, right?”

“Even so, that’s… Never mind. Go on.”

As if realizing this topic was pointless, Chris sank deeper into her chair.

“I talked to them about their newspaper. What if we distributed it not just in the academy but across the entire Perial Empire? You’d agree, right, Chris? I heard you helped a lot with making it.”

Given how polished it was despite only two weeks of work, Chris must have been involved.

“Yeah. I wanted to do something—anything. No matter how much I helped on-site or funded things, there was always a limit to what I could do alone.”

Chris let out a light sigh.

“Then I remembered Dave and Cheryl. I probably wasn’t much help, but even so, I never expected them to produce something that impressive.”

You were a huge help.

Cheryl herself had admitted how much she owed you.

Even if you weren’t directly involved in the production, just putting an end to the rumors and bringing in interviewees was more than enough.

“Thanks, Chris.”

“It’s nothing. So, what’s the plan with the newspaper?”

I summarized my conversation with Dave and Cheryl for Chris.

Talking about getting closer, distributing the paper nationwide, how I’d be stepping into the spotlight more often, and how her cooperation was essential for all of it.

“Hard to believe.”

“Hard to believe? Wait, are you saying you’re surprised I came up with this? That’s kind of sad.”

Even if I don’t seem reliable, I thought you at least acknowledged my intelligence.

“No, not like that. I mean, the fact that they agreed to your proposal so easily. Cheryl dragging Dave along—even I was shocked hearing about it, but it’s not like she made the first move, right? She only acted so boldly because your words moved her.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Those two aren’t fools. They probably analyzed your proposal, tested its feasibility, and weighed every angle. And no matter how grand your logic is, without my help, you wouldn’t even get started, right?”

“I appealed to their emotions.”

“Emotions?”

“The desire to be acknowledged, to live a proper life. It’s human nature to crave recognition. While I was out of my mind, they probably assumed I had no such feelings left and ignored them. But through conversation, they realized—this person wants to live a normal life again. Or rather, I led them to that conclusion.”

“You led them? That makes it sound like you have no intention of living that way yourself.”

“Of course not.”

“What?”

“Me, living a normal life? That’s impossible. Did you seriously think I meant it?”

There’s only one reason I’m alive and talking to them now.

“I’m here to watch you all defeat the Demon King and see this world return to its usual peaceful, boring self. Not to selfishly enjoy this life for myself.”

Of course, I’m human too. I’ve thought about it—wouldn’t it be a waste to spend this second chance the same way, sacrificing myself again? But no matter what I do, this is who I am.

“Even if I did nothing and indulged myself, the Demon King would still march forward, and this world would collapse much faster than before. Then what was the point of coming back? That’s just… too hollow. Besides—”

I took a breath.

“With these abilities of mine, there’s no way I could keep living alongside you all.”

Call it prophecy if you want, but it’s all based on the original story I read. For now, I’m barely keeping up the act of a seer with these thin threads of knowledge. But what if everything really does end perfectly and peace arrives?

The versions of them I know are the ones right before defeating the Demon King. I know nothing about who they become after.

The so-called “prophecy magic” only lasts until the Demon King’s defeat.

What if they—what if everyone—finds out that the person they believed was a prophet actually knew nothing, just spouting whatever came to mind?

“Pathetic as it sounds, I at least want to maintain my dignity in front of you all.”

It’s pointless, even ugly pride.

But if I don’t cling to the self-comfort of knowing the original story, the future, and these heroes better than anyone else—if I don’t tell myself I understand this world better than anyone—I’ll break.

Without that, I’m just a castaway stranded in a strange place. I’d never be able to stake my life on this insane quest, not knowing if I can ever return or if it’s even possible.

“Sorry. I have no idea what you’re talking about. We were the ones in the wrong. We ignored you, and that’s why things turned out this way. You’ve always been confident in front of us!”

“That’s exactly why.”

“Huh?”

“You wouldn’t want to see me fall apart either, right? What do you think happens to someone whose power exists solely to fight and defeat the Demon King once it’s all over?”

“Ah…”

“I’ve seen enough of how prophets end up to be sick of it. I don’t want to live the rest of my life like that—broken.”

Prophets who knew too much were either crushed under the weight of their own visions or drowned in the emptiness of their powerlessness.

Once Lucilla and the others defeat the Demon King, I’ll end up the same way.

Unlike those prophets who knew their own futures, I’ll spend every day in anxiety, never knowing what comes next.

Yeah, that’s even more pathetic.

“Don’t you want to be happy?”

“I already know better than anyone what would make me happy.”

I’d already rejected the sweet possibility of an “if.”

I didn’t like how the goddess interfered, but in the end, refusing to escape back to my world was my own choice.

But that doesn’t mean I’ve given up on that world.

So—

“Just forget about me. I’m nothing but a nuisance to you all. No matter what, I’ll always be the one exposing your flaws. You know that better than anyone, Chris.”

“We’ve already decided to carry that burden.”

“But the most unreliable thing in the world is a promise—especially one made to yourself. You can justify and rationalize anything to yourself.”

I clapped lightly.

“Rather than spending your lives regretting and suffering while trying to take care of someone like me, the best ending for all of us is to just forget me cleanly.”

“…Tch.”

“Chris?”

Chris, who had been quietly listening, suddenly grabbed me by the collar and yanked me forward.

“Shut the hell up!!!!”