Ch.100Choice

# 1.

A crumbling orphanage.

Outer walls beginning to burn.

Children crying sorrowfully.

“Pedro, I hurt.”

“Are you abandoning us again?”

“Why aren’t you affected at all?”

And with a faint smile, embracing him,

“‘Sleep well,’ how sweet of you, Pedro? I regret it. I should have said the same to you.”

Ria, covered in blood.

In that embrace, he realized.

‘Was it all Ria’s doing?’

The blood covering Ria wasn’t her own, but the children’s.

“Why?”

“Hmm?”

“Why did you do it?”

To Pedro’s calm question, Ria smiled sweetly and asked tenderly.

“Does it matter?”

“No.”

“Are you understanding me?”

“I’d need an explanation to understand.”

“…Are you angry?”

“No.”

A rapid exchange of questions and answers.

“This is why I like you.”

With Ria embracing Pedro, the two remained in that spot for a while.

Evil spirit.

Beings born with human form, but lacking human hearts.

Evil that could not be corrected by any means made them strong, but also made them incomprehensible to anyone.

Pedro, contemplating the situation, looked down at Ria in his arms and asked.

“Are you the same as me?”

“……”

Her eyes wavered.

After much deliberation, when even the faint smile on Ria’s face faded, she pulled her smile back up and answered.

“No. You’re different from me.”

“I thought so.”

Pedro immediately agreed.

A smiling face.

That alone was enough to prove she was different from him.

Even if she had killed those children, she must be an ordinary person unlike himself.

But after a brief silence, Ria’s additional words stopped Pedro in his tracks.

“Look. I’m smiling, and you’re crying.”

“…What do you mean?”

“What do I mean?”

Ria gently reached out, took Pedro’s hand, and guided it to his face.

The dampness felt on his fingertips.

“It means you can feel sadness now.”

Before he could question it, the surroundings scattered like dust, leaving only darkness.

“Wait… I was definitely stabbed in the heart…”

“Your memories have returned? Now… now it’s truly ending.”

Pedro’s memories returned, and somehow Ria appeared unharmed again.

Confused, Pedro reached out urgently toward Ria and asked.

“What’s going on here…?”

“It’s okay, Pedro. It’s nothing. You’ll be able to go back to how things were before the seal was broken, as if nothing happened.”

“Don’t say that, give me a proper explanation—!”

“The seal won’t break again. It’s truly over now. So don’t waver at all, and make choices only for your happiness, Pedro.”

A resolute tone and a faint smile.

Feeling an ominous premonition, Pedro tried to pull Ria closer, but his hand returned empty, grasping nothing.

Simultaneously, a system window appeared.

【Character – <Ria???> presents conditions to <???>.】

【If successful.】

【Following <Ria???>’s wishes, the essence of <Evil> residing in subject – <Pedro(Ex-)> will be sealed forever.】

【If failed.】

【<???> will awaken.】

Though he couldn’t directly confirm it, as emotions gradually awakened within him and Ria’s figure became blurry, Pedro grew anxious.

Ria stroked Pedro’s head and murmured in a small voice.

“I just want you to be happy.”

This was what Ria had prepared for since the moment she held Pedro in her heart.

“When everything ends, there won’t be any going back to how things are now.”

She still wore a faint smile as she waved to Pedro.

“So, I hope you won’t be sad because of someone like me. Understand?”

It was clearly,

【<Ria>’s memories are being played.】

【Target – <Pedro(???)>】

【The wager begins.】

A farewell.

.

.

.

【Before character – <Pedro>’s choice, an alarm is sent to the <Saviors>.】

【Please choose.】

【1. Intervene to save <Pedro(Ex-)>.】

【2. Abandon him to destruction.】

【As always, this world respects <Your> choices.】

# 2.

Hestia Vulcanus.

Saved by Black Wolf and Ian Red, she had one concern.

That concern was—

-[The Guardian’s shield is the BEST in the world!!!]

“…Best……”

-[Your voice is too small!! Again!!!]

“B-Best…!!”

Being constantly attached to the founder of the Guardians, Balak Gardner.

Now that the celestial barrier had disappeared.

Though it was necessary to maintain the frontline defense, being with someone louder than her brother 24 hours a day was torturous.

Moreover, rather than staying in a mansion, she had to live alone at the top of a newly built high tower for security reasons.

-[The Guardian’s shield is—!!]

“Ah, please be quiet for once!!”

It wasn’t hard to understand why her once gentle personality had become somewhat fiercer.

-[If you don’t like it… well, should I just leave?]

“…No. I don’t dislike it.”

-[Then can I shout?]

“……Do as you please.”

-[Hahah!! Yes, if that’s what you want!!! Ahem, ahem!! The Guaaardian’s shield is the BEST in the world!!!!!]

Still, she had to suppress her feelings again, as she desperately needed Founder Balak’s help until a new solution could be found.

“What is the family head doing? How long do I have to wait…!!”

-[Hmm? Don’t you like being with me?]

“Grrrgh. So annoooying.”

-[Yes, I like you too!!!!]

…Crack.

Thus, with anger piled up to the brim, Hestia thought at every moment.

Anyone but the Founder.

Even if Black Wolf came back or the Emperor visited.

‘If anyone mocks my current situation, I won’t let it slide.’

She would give a stern lecture as the former 1st Legion’s strategist to Black Wolf who caused this situation, and even to His Majesty who put the country in this state.

But then.

“…Who are you?”

“Black Wolf.”

“……You won’t leave even if I ask you to, right?”

“You know well?”

She had been so determined.

“Sigh… Let me ask, you’re not planning to kidnap me again, are you?”

“Of course not. This time I brought someone.”

“…Pardon?”

How did it come to this?

“Say hello, Reina. This is Hestia.”

“It’s been a while, capable strategist of the 1st Legion.”

“Say hello, Hestia. This is Reina.”

“Wh-what, wha-what? What?”

Hestia blinked at the two people who had suddenly barged in.

But only for a moment.

Thud.

Panicked, Hestia unconsciously fell from her chair and prostrated on the floor.

“…I am honored to meet the Sun of the Empire.”

Black Wolf was one thing, but having been saved directly and indirectly, Hestia had subconsciously decided he was a decent person.

For the current Hestia, the person to be most wary of was not Black Wolf but the Empire’s tyrant, Reina Babylonia.

‘What is this? Why are they visiting? Did the family head rebel? I predicted that the great nobles, including Duke Hallorand, were preparing for reform, but I told them not to act rashly just in case. Did he make a judgment and move independently? Stupidly like Balkan?’

Being as intelligent as all the brains of the Gardner family combined, she tried to grasp the current situation.

‘…Come to think of it, why is Black Wolf here too? Was His Majesty captured? If so, she would have resisted. …Wait. The Black Wolf has shown a tendency to help the Empire, unlike the rumors, acting like an extreme hardliner? Could it be that the Emperor and Black Wolf were on the same side from the beginning?’

When her thoughts reached that point, the haphazard hypotheses she had formed became entangled under the pressure of the two people and reached a conclusion.

‘The family head took Duke Hallorand’s side. Therefore, His Majesty has brought Black Wolf under her command to destroy the Gardners.’

In other words, the Gardner family would be exterminated, starting with her.

Predicting her own death, she opened her mouth to save her family members.

“…Please spare me.”

“?”

“Please be satisfied with just me…”

At that moment, she realized.

Ah, I…

-The Guardian’s shield is the best in the world!!!

-Still, this father is smarter than that kid, right?

I love my family more than I thought.

The noisy Balak,

The complicated thoughts in her head,

The pressure of three powerful figures appearing out of nowhere.

…Drip, drip.

Finally, her restrained reason overflowed with emotion, and tears streamed down her face.

“…I don’t know much about imperial law, but does an emperor normally make people who can’t use their legs kneel?”

“Ah, no!! It’s a misunderstanding!!”

“…I thought you were just stupid, but you’ve leaped beyond that to become arrogant too.”

“S-Sister!! That’s not it…!!”

As Black Wolf and Lactea criticized her, Reina hurriedly helped Hestia up.

“Don’t misunderstand!! I was merely attacked by Duke Hallorand—!!”

“Aah, assassination…!!! It’s over…!! There was never any chance from the beginning!!”

“No, listen to me—!!!”

After several dozen minutes had passed.

“Hestia.”

“Black Wolf… please make it painless.”

“That’s not it.”

“…Sniff. I’m sorry, hero…”

【<Mastermind(Ex)> – 1% activates.】

“Attention. That’s not what this is about.”

“Y-yes, yes, yes.”

“Be quiet and listen to her.”

“Her?”

“The Emperor.”

“Eh?”

Thanks to Black Wolf, Hestia finally calmed down and heard the whole situation.

“So Duke Hallorand finally.”

“Finally? You knew?”

“I only predicted the possibility.”

“Isn’t that the same as knowing?”

“……Please kill me.”

“It’s fine, just listen and answer.”

The fortunate thing was that, thanks to the brilliant Hestia, they could seek alternatives.

“The current situation, and my circumstances are…”

Knowing her competence since her days as the imperial army’s strategist, Reina, having revealed everything about her situation, asked her:

“So, what should be done?”

Rebellion.

Yet without proper evidence, they couldn’t openly confront the situation.

Just as Hestia, after much hesitation, was about to open her mouth,

A system window appeared before Nahan.

【Before character – <Pedro>’s choice, an alarm is sent to the <Saviors>.】

【Please choose.】

【1. Intervene to save <Pedro(Ex-)>.】

【2. Abandon him to destruction.】

【As always, this world respects <Your> choices.】

A choice that appeared out of nowhere.

Despite the incomprehensible words and an event with unknown causes, Nahan spoke without a moment’s hesitation.

“…Lactea. We’re returning to the island.”

The choice was obviously number 1.