episode_0124

There is usually no way out.

Alice and Leo also took advantage of the moment of internal and external chaos in the palace to infiltrate. In the end, they were caught and unable to escape as planned.

But I am not.

If I could turn back time, I could go back to before I came here.

Thanks to that, I can’t write down anything or anything, but of all the things I have in my hands right now, the most important thing is time.

Seo Jae-an was quiet.

Could it be because this place was considered ‘non-existent’? It would have already been known that someone had sneaked in, and the alarm would have been sounding in the palace, but it seemed that no one knew that they had come this far.

As soon as I got out of the vent, I went straight to the door and locked it inside.

It was probably originally made to buy time when the palace was in danger, but I have no intention of going outside anyway.

And then turned back.

There was a lot of dust piled up here and there. It was so bad that I thought just being there might be a problem with my lung health.

There was a dim light coming on only in the center of the round room.

In the place where the light of the magic stone was shining, there was something like a box filled with nails.

However, the nail head was not uneven. It seemed to have been made to match the end flat to make it like a plate. In fact, if someone had never seen it in operation, they would have thought it was a very peculiar structure.

I went straight to it and just randomly pressed the ‘screen’.

Some of the nails were pressed in according to the shape of my finger. When I took my hand off, the screen went back to its overall flat state, and then all the nails’ heads rose up in the empty space.

The surface became bumpy, but it was by no means irregular in shape.

[Please enter the name of the book you want.]

The curve that rose to the level of a nail head was a letter. The brass nails were raised in the shape of letters as if they were expressing a screen.

Crunch.

I opened the drawer below the screen.

Inside, there was something that looked like a typewriter. However, there was no place to put paper. There were thin metal plates, each letter connected, all facing down toward the screen.

I opened the drawer all the way, made a small click sound, and started typing slowly.

Click, click. Every time a letter was pressed, a loud sound echoed in the dark study.

[04-08]

Registration number of the Prophet.

Normally you wouldn’t know. It’s not even on the thick bibliography hanging next to the screen.

That doesn’t mean there’s a password or anything like that. In the first place, not many people are allowed to come in here.

There was a rusty machine-like noise, and the brass pillar behind the screen opened, revealing a thin metal arm.

It moved with a creaking sound, as if something was moving in sync with the frame.

As the arm extends, the cylinder also rotates.

The arm reaching up high took out a book that was placed near the ceiling.

The machine came back and came down to the eighth floor.

And then, place the book in front of me so that the cover is clearly visible.

[04-08]

All that was written on the book cover were those numbers.

The book was brought to me. The mechanical arm did not let go of the book. More precisely, the tip of the arm was firmly attached to the metal part that was firmly attached to the spine of the book.

But that didn’t stop me from opening the book.

Instead, when I opened the book, I placed a soft magic stone on the top of the book and it showed me light.

“… … .”

I turned the page straight away.

[I wrote about the future not to prepare for that future, but to prepare you.]

The future has already been decided, so don’t try to avoid it, but prepare yourself mentally.

“Bullshit.”

I muttered like that.

thud.

There was a sound from the door. It seemed like they finally realized I was in there.

That’s pretty fast.

In terms of time, I can only read the book for about 5 minutes.

If I were to read all the prophetic books here from beginning to end, it would take too little time.

But, well. All I have left is time.

I put down the book I was holding and muttered.

“Again.”

*

“Princess.”

“Ford Kyung.”

It was a peaceful day like any other.

I wasn’t inside a ventilation shaft, I wasn’t fighting any weird enemies, and I certainly wasn’t asking for books from some weird mechanic in some musty, dusty place.

At least, that’s what it felt like to other people.

As I was walking down the palace corridor, I encountered a person.

A knight with a kind face and the trendy Kaiser beard bowed his head to me.

The knight, wearing thick plate armor that seemed too heavy for modern times, had a sword and a gun tucked into his waistband.

A revolver much larger and longer than the one I use.

I had a thought that maybe it could even penetrate the armor that person was wearing.

“I heard about the military exploits the princess had achieved last time.”

“Is that so?”

I nodded at the kind-hearted man’s words. Well, it’s not like I’m hiding anything.

What happened in Northwood is a secret from everyone, but what happened on the Winterfield battlefield is being widely publicized by the Imperial Family. It will help boost the morale of the soldiers and promote the Imperial Family itself.

Normally, it would be a ridiculous rumor that no one would believe, but all the soldiers who were on the battlefield received long-term leave and a lot of extra pay as a reward. They must have returned to their hometowns and are passing the time, and of course, they must be talking a lot about me.

With so many witnesses and Winterfield’s assurances, there’s no way anyone wouldn’t believe the story.

“Each and every one of our knights should have gone with the princess and personally protected her, but we are sorry that we were unable to do so.”

What the knight said first was not praise for his military achievements, but an apology.

“… … .”

This old man has no idea that I was contemplating whether I should shoot all the knights in this palace and go in this morning, or sneak in without being noticed by anyone. Because I turned back time.

“There can’t be an Imperial Knight there. And it doesn’t make sense for a knight troop to accompany a single soldier on the battlefield.”

“… … .”

For a moment, he made an expression that seemed like he had a lot to say, but the old man said nothing. It must have been because of the knight’s example that one should not act rashly in front of those whom one serves.

“… … but.”

But it was a bit much to just leave this person in this state.

Even so, he is one of the people whose face I have seen in the palace since I was very young.

In order to talk to the princess, you need to be more than just close to her. You need to have a good reason for it. Status, position, age, and a lot of other things to consider.

In that sense, the article titled Sir Iford was in a position where it could be done.

“Thank you for your concern… ”

Ford Kyung-i lifted his head at my words.

And again, for just a moment, he looked at me with an expression as if he was seeing something strange.

Yeah, well.

Because it’s something I wouldn’t normally say.

And then a faint smile spread across Ford’s face again.

“No, we’re just doing what we have to do.”

I heard you had a baby recently.

I looked up at the smiling Ford and thought to myself.

If the first one were alive, she would have been around my age. If I had been a ‘normal princess’, I might have been able to negotiate a marriage with this person’s child. Even if it wasn’t a marriage proposal, at least my bloodline was noble enough to be put on the list.

However, not long after I entered the palace, I lost my child. It was an accident, I think. I didn’t hear the exact story, but I couldn’t see this person’s face for a while. It seems like he was holding a funeral and trying to calm his mind.

I even heard someone whispering that it was hard to believe that something like that could happen to someone as honest and good as him.

I wondered if I should say a few more words to him, but I just nodded once more and went my way.

I started to hear the sound of footsteps coming from behind, a little later.

When that person dies, only his wife and children in his estate will be reunited. Many people will be immersed in sorrow.

Before that happens, wouldn’t it be better to turn back time and make it seem like it never happened?

… … Certainly, I thought that way even just half a year ago.

The longer I stay here, the more I realize that shooting someone I know, even if I know it will render it useless…

Maybe it’s because I realized once again that my ability to turn back time may disappear.

There were incidents that made me realize very clearly that the results of something I did without much thought could change the lives of many people.

“… … .”

Suddenly, I remembered Mia Crowfield, who was still looking at me with confused eyes on the day I finished the first semester.