Ch.198Chapter 198: The Truth Revealed (3)

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I savored the harmony created by the beats of my heart and the dragon heart.

I became intoxicated by the warmth that accompanied the harmony, gently heating my body and soul.

It wasn’t exactly pleasant to have the life trajectories of countless versions of myself from different timelines flooding into my mind.

But when I realized that the conclusion of all those lives was to unhesitatingly sacrifice everything for you waiting outside, I felt at peace.

I no longer try to feel troubled by the numerous afterimages of memories swirling in my head.

I simply feel the emotions of my past selves layering within my heart—those who sacrificed everything for you without a moment’s hesitation when the moment of choice came.

If a moment comes when I too must make a choice,

It’s overwhelming enough just to slowly make the commitment to dedicate my all to you, just as I did in those memories piercing my mind.

That’s why.

“How was it? Your impressions after seeing the life trajectories of your many potential selves.”

As I finished my commitment and organized my thoughts, the goddess asked with her still-warm voice.

“I learned what I need to do.”

I first gave this simple yet meaningful answer, then,

“Thank you.”

I showed the goddess the most formal respect I could in my current state.

“Hoho.”

The same warm laughter gently caressed my ears.

The goddess, who could rightfully be called the kindest divine being I had ever encountered, simply responded to my respect with a gentle laugh.

Since that laugh purely revealed her genuine feelings without any hidden intentions,

Even though the goddess before me still concealed her appearance with a hazy mist of divinity,

I was certain that along with that laugh, her expression would show an exceptionally warm smile.

“Among all the versions of you I’ve met so far, your answer is the most satisfying.”

As expected, perhaps.

As the goddess’s words of satisfaction with my answer reached my ears,

I could see the face portion of the goddess’s silhouette—completely hidden by divinity except for her voice—rippling slightly.

Perhaps the divinity concealing her face rippled momentarily as she changed her expression to match her words of satisfaction with my answer.

Thus, I felt relieved that I had given an appropriate response to the goddess’s question.

And I also sensed that the trial I had undergone in this sword tomb, throwing in both body and soul, was finally coming to an end.

I had successfully passed the first trial and had Fafnir’s dragon heart implanted in my body.

I had also passed the second trial, seeing the different possibilities of myself living across numerous timelines, and had organized my thoughts on how I should live.

The trials in the sword tomb had ended in success, to a degree I could proudly say couldn’t be better.

Ah, I probably don’t need to experience anything more in this sword tomb now, right?

So, I’ll bid farewell to this goddess with a respectful greeting.

Then go home and rest my body and mind, exhausted from the trials.

Shizu… Shizu must still be waiting for me at the entrance.

To you, who must be waiting for me with worry,

I must definitely say, “I’m back, did you wait long?”

Just as I was about to indulge in the feeling of my already warm heart growing even warmer at the thought,

“Well, I suppose it’s a natural result? After all, you’re the one who experienced a miracle that none of the other possibilities I’ve observed ever did.”

At the goddess’s words, suggesting she knew about a characteristic that only the current me possessed and none of the many other versions of me she had observed,

“A miracle… you say?”

I pretended not to know what she meant, but,

“You don’t have to force yourself to hide it.”

The goddess began with a voice tinged with laughter, as if she knew exactly what I was trying to conceal.

“It’s a first. Among all the possibilities that bloomed, you’re the first to experience the miracle of returning through time with memories of a failed life.”

She was precisely revealing the secret I held.

The moment the goddess’s words, knowing my secret, reached my ears,

I felt cold sweat running down my back.

I wondered how this goddess, even if she had observed me, knew the secret that I had returned from the future.

No, really, how did she know?

It seems she noticed something different about the current me compared to other versions of me from different timelines while watching me bloom and wither countless possibilities across immeasurable timelines.

Since my meager intellect made it difficult to guess how the goddess knew my secret,

“…”

As I silently raised my right hand to scratch the back of my head, about to blame my poor imagination,

“There are several reasons, but I’ll just tell you the key ones to avoid confusing you too much.”

The goddess’s warm words, offering to kindly explain what she didn’t need to, reached my ears.

Hmm, perhaps because we’ve passed an important moment.

The goddess’s voice speaking to me had moved beyond being merely warm.

I could clearly feel the playfulness that she had briefly revealed earlier.

So is this voice I’m hearing now what could be called her normal voice?

Although she was the being who treated me most comfortably without any coercion among all the transcendent beings I had met,

The voice I heard when I first met her still carried dignity befitting her status.

Hearing her voice with that dignity somewhat lowered, filled with friendliness and playfulness,

I began to feel a sense of familiarity beyond reverence for this goddess, when,

“It’s simple.”

The goddess’s voice, about to explain how she knew my secret, appropriately cut off my thoughts that were about to wander.

What kind of secret could be described simply as “simple”?

As I waited for the words about to come from the goddess’s mouth,

I felt puzzled when the goddess suddenly turned her gaze away, even though I could clearly feel she had been making eye contact with me despite her hazy silhouette.

The goddess turned her back, slightly raised her hand, and pointed her finger in the direction I had entered to undergo this trial.

“Your attitude toward the person waiting for you out there even now. That’s enough.”

No sooner had I heard the goddess reveal that simple reason in such a simple way,

“Haha…”

A light laugh involuntarily escaped from my lips.

Hearing the words coming from the goddess’s mouth now,

I realized there was nothing good about the way I had changed my behavior after experiencing the miracle of traveling back in time.

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When the life trajectories of my many selves flowed into my mind,

Apart from feeling sympathy for myself who withered away like a flower while sacrificing everything for Shizu, and a vague satisfaction toward myself who consistently sacrificed for you,

I couldn’t help but lament the behavior I showed in all the memories except for the first one where I lived the happiest life.

Why couldn’t I help but lament?

It was good that I saved Shizu by choosing to sacrifice my all, but

The attitude that the me in those memories showed toward Shizu before making that choice couldn’t be called good by any stretch of the imagination.

To explain more clearly,

Before returning to the past, crushed by inferiority, I didn’t recognize Shizu’s feelings who always cherished me and instead endlessly hurt her.

Then after a long time, I finally realized my mistake and secretly helped her from behind the scenes.

I sacrificed myself without hesitation to protect her when she was in danger,

Eventually losing my life in the process.

And sometimes, just like before I returned, I caught the evil god’s eye and struggled with unwanted power and status, only to lose my life at Shizu’s hands in the end.

While I can’t deny that I gave my all for her without reservation,

The process leading to that result was far from clean, to say the least.

Even now, as I was still processing the memories of myself, I naturally felt a bitter taste in my mouth.

Just as I was about to feel a kind of admiration for the goddess’s insight in noticing the difference between me and the other versions of myself she had observed based on that,

After carefully observing my face showing various emotions upon hearing her brief explanation, the goddess said,

“Well, I probably don’t need to tell you this, but.”

Sensing she was about to tell me something more,

I stopped thinking for a moment and listened to her words.

“Always cherish her.”

Words of advice came from the goddess’s lips.

Although she didn’t specifically mention what to cherish,

I wasn’t foolish enough to ask what she meant.

“No matter what happens.”

After briefly acknowledging her advice,

“I believe someone is waiting for me outside. May I go now?”

I subtly expressed my intention to leave and rest my tired body now that the trial was over.

“Oh my, look at me. I kept you too long in my excitement over observing something so far outside the norm.”

As the goddess Lux raised her right hand in a somewhat exaggerated manner, visible even through her hazy form,

Snap-!!

The clearest and most crisp sound possible when fingers meet fingers shook the inside of the sword tomb, then,

“You may go now.”

The words I most wanted to hear came from the lips of the goddess who had been informing me about the trials and various other things since I entered this sword tomb.

Now… I can rest.

As I was inwardly storing away words that should never be spoken aloud,

“I wanted to be of more help, but all I can do is provide information about the arrangements left by my original master and what you need to do in the future.”

The goddess’s words expressing regret for not being able to do more despite giving me more than enough gifts reached my ears.

“What you’ve given is more than sufficient. I’m grateful for a kindness I’ll never forget in my lifetime.”

After expressing gratitude that the goddess could fully feel,

“Then…”

As I bowed my head and turned around to leave the sword tomb,

“Ah!”

A sudden exclamation from the goddess, as if she had forgotten something important, stopped me in my tracks.

…?

What is it? Is there something more she needs to tell me?

With puzzlement, I turned back toward the hazy form of the goddess.

Pointing at my waist with her finger, the goddess said,

“Please lend me your dragon sword for a moment.”

I couldn’t help but tilt my head at this request that didn’t make immediate sense.

…Why does she suddenly want to borrow this?

Is she planning to do something to the sword?

Or perhaps she wants to detach a part of her transcendent divinity and imbue it into the sword?

Whether she knew or not about my complicated thoughts as I couldn’t understand why she wanted to borrow the sword,

“I’ll make sure it returns to you on its own by the end of today, so please lend it to me for just a moment.”

The goddess’s urgent voice asking to borrow the sword was clearly resonating throughout the sword tomb.