Ch.176Emperor, Aria. (4)

Tick, tock…

In the quiet library, the sound of the second hand moving echoes loudly.

Not a second hand powered by a spring mechanism, but one that draws its essence from Aria’s magical power.

Its meaning was singular.

It meant that Aria had completely made Melina’s time magic her own.

“…Hehe, I feel dizzy.”

A limited time of three days.

That’s why Aria chose a strategy of breaking her thoughts into instantaneous units to maximize time efficiency.

The time she actually experienced was dozens of times longer. Even so, time flew by quickly.

“If I repeat this for over a decade, I could reach the truth of time magic.”

After saying that, Aria rose to her feet with a pale complexion.

“Then, returning like Olivia would be entirely possible. I have now read that possibility.”

“…Can I trust that?”

“Hehe. After teaching you all this time, what use is there in doubting now? Of course, doubt is a good habit, but you take it too far.”

Aria conjured a chair and sat down, exhaling heavily.

“Before I leave, as the Emperor who reigns above all people, let me give you some advice.”

“…”

“First, trust Olivia.”

Melina’s memories of glimpsing Olivia’s numerous lives. Aria had read her mental images.

Though she couldn’t ultimately figure out why Olivia caused annihilation after thousands of salvations.

As someone who had directly experienced battle with the Demon God, she could conclude that Olivia’s ‘annihilation’ was not the Demon God’s doing.

The Demon God does not wish for humans to die without suffering.

It changes the very concept of pain, deceiving humans to the point where death feels like a blessing.

Yet it never grants the mercy of death—Aria remembers that malevolence as clearly as if it happened yesterday.

But in the ‘annihilation’ cycle, Olivia killed everyone without pain.

“And trust me.”

“…Aren’t you embarrassed to say such things about yourself?”

“Hehe. Being able to say embarrassing things without hesitation is what makes one an Emperor.”

Tsutsutsutsu…

Melina’s body gradually began to dissolve into particles. It meant her allotted time had run out.

To such a Melina, Aria casually said:

“When you open your eyes again, the world will have changed.”

“…I sincerely hope so.”

“However.”

At the sudden negative conjunction, Melina raised her head.

“If the world hasn’t changed at all, remember my advice.”

“…!!”

Melina widened her eyes. But that was all. Her lips had already dissolved into particles.

Swish…

Melina’s form completely disappeared. Looking at the empty space, Aria smiled bitterly.

“There will be so much to do from now on…”

Because from now on, she would have to figure out how to [return] by herself.

And…

*****

The atmosphere outside was not good.

It was probably because rumors had spread that the Empire had completed troop deployment in the border region.

The holy knights who believed in Aither were less agitated, but the Eastern Alliance forces were particularly affected. Without a pillar to trust and rely on, they felt the ominous current more clearly.

Even Olivia, who had entered the tent only days ago, could sense the current through hearsay.

‘…A gamble.’

Olivia closed her eyes and fell into thought. Should she take the risk and ask directly?

While she was deep in contemplation, a sound came from the magical communicator she had connected to Livga’s tent.

[Saintess. We have completed the evacuation of civilians residing nearby. The Empire has also sent notice of completed evacuation.]

[Good work. How many troops have gathered?]

[Everyone has assembled except for the minimum personnel required to defend the sanctuary.]

Total war.

The Empire seemed to have left forces in the south and west, but the relatively small Holy Kingdom had no margin to spare.

While the Empire raised numerous justifications, the Holy Kingdom raised only one.

Holy War.

A war waged in the name of God.

A simple yet most definitive justification.

[What about the reconnaissance units?]

[All three battalions were annihilated. It seems they’ve deployed skilled individuals in secret.]

[…Don’t rule out the possibility of spies.]

Olivia had a good idea who those “skilled” individuals might be.

Probably those under the Master of Dark.

Olivia removed the magical communicator and lifted her eyelids. The clattering sound coming incessantly from Melina’s place. What kind of research could be so engrossing from morning?

Olivia rubbed her eyes and approached Melina.

“…Master. What are you working on so diligently this morning?”

“…”

No answer came. Melina’s body was frozen stiff like a person turned to ice.

Startled by this sight, Olivia stepped back, when—

“…Ah…”

Melina’s blank eyes gradually regained focus. With revitalized eyes looking at Olivia, she murmured in a small voice.

“I’m… back.”

“…Pardon?”

In the tent surrounded by a large magical barrier.

Seeing the scenery unchanged from before, Melina closed her mouth.

Nothing had changed.

…Had the Emperor truly failed?

– Remember my advice.

Emperor Aria’s voice echoing in her ear.

The advice to trust Olivia and herself.

Had the Emperor somehow known things would turn out this way?

Melina exhaled a shallow sigh and said:

“Livi. I just returned from a different world-line.”

“…What?”

Olivia’s face, about to retort that such a thing was nonsense, froze. It was because she sensed the faint residual foreign magical power lingering in Melina’s soul.

It was not of this world.

Olivia asked with pure curiosity:

“How?”

“…I was inspired by the magic you showed me before. Well, I didn’t really expect it to succeed. It was quite a new experience.”

Melina looked somewhat tired as she said this. She seemed to be forcing a smile.

What price had she paid to cross world-lines when she hadn’t yet reached the truth?

Energy. Perhaps life force.

Olivia unconsciously twisted her lips.

“In that world, Aria was the Emperor. And Kiel was, believe it or not, a Grand Duke.”

Olivia’s eyes widened as she instantly realized which “world” Melina was talking about.

“You stay here for a moment. I need to check something.”

Thud.

Olivia grabbed Melina as she hurried to leave the tent.

“Master. What did you talk about with Aria? No, how long were you in that world?”

“I stayed for three days.”

“…You’re going to see Aria now, aren’t you?”

“…”

Melina slowly nodded.

“Before you go, please explain what happened there.”

After hesitating briefly, another voice echoed in Melina’s mind.

– Trust Olivia.

‘…I would have done so even without your advice.’

Melina’s expression hardened as if venting frustration, and she slowly began to speak.

Melina explained the situation briefly. Meeting Emperor Aria. Teaching her time magic for three days. And the suspicious advice she received at the end.

“Don’t go. No, you mustn’t go.”

Olivia’s face turned serious.

She didn’t mention that war would break out in a few days, and that entering enemy territory now would be suicidal.

Such words would be poison to the current Melina.

“Aria told you, didn’t she? To trust me. So, trust me.”

Even as she said this, Olivia’s mind was focused on only one fact.

A fleeting memory from the past.

[Ask me for help.]

[…What’s that supposed to mean all of a sudden?]

[If you’re thinking of starting over from the beginning, I’m telling you to go to me then and ask for help.]

The hidden story that even she, who prided herself on mastering Lactea, didn’t know.

The world after the ending.

In other words, ‘Olivia’s’ world.

If what Melina said was true, Emperor Aria must have succeeded in returning. Returning hundreds, thousands of times, finally catching up to ‘Olivia’s’ time.

Not her own time, but ‘Olivia’s’ time.

If so, could two geniuses who spent an eternity together…

Really have failed to discover a way to eliminate the Demon God’s remnants?

[It’s a bit awkward to say this myself, but I am extremely, incredibly, incomparably brilliant and capable.]

[If someone like me helps you, reaching the perfect ending you seek shouldn’t be impossible.]

“…”

A somewhat incredulous smile appeared on Olivia’s lips.

“…So that’s how it was.”

Olivia smiled with a sense of emptiness.

Sometimes, answers come from the most unexpected places.

‘…To think I mistook her for a mental magic user.’

She had been making a truly absurd misunderstanding.

15 returners.

The last returner she killed was Aria.

Now she finally noticed the contradiction hidden in these two sentences.

She now had an idea who the [14th] was.