Chapter 10: Someone’s Regret, Part 2

“…Allen?”

Yes, that’s the reaction I wanted.

Angelina, the magic-obsessed mage of the hero’s party.

Pink hair, beautiful, elegant… and now meeting me in a cathedral for the regret route.

“Why… why are you here?”

Even if you ask, I’m not going to tell you I came to see you.

My reasons for coming here are simple.

First, Angelina is close to the Saint.

Allen told me in the dream that she’d likely be here.

Unlike the other two, whose whereabouts are uncertain, Angelina was a safe bet.

Second, Angelina is the most… normal of the three, making her easier to deal with than Lilia or Helena.

I have to meet them all eventually, but it’s best to start with the easiest target.

This encounter might even influence my interactions with the other two.

Now, back to the cathedral…

“…? Sister Angelina, do you know this brother?”

“Uh… well…”

The target has arrived. Time to start the show.

“Brother, you’re done praying. I’ll be going now. Goodbye.”

I was pretending to pray, but now that Angelina is here, I’m ready to leave.

“Oh, yes… goodbye, bro—”

“Wait, Allen. I need to talk to you.”

And there it is. She’s stopping me.

“Hmm? Does the genius mage of the glorious hero’s party have business with a lowly commoner like me?”

I pretend not to know her, trying to avoid a conversation here.

I don’t want an audience. If other people find out I was in the hero’s party, it could complicate things.

Only a few people know about my past, and my plan assumes no bystanders or interference.

This priest is trying to mediate, so I can’t talk here.

“…Are you pretending not to know me now?”

No no, of course not. I still have to deal with you, so I can’t just ignore you.

I just want you to follow me quietly…

“Honestly, Allen, I understand you’re angry and resentful. But aren’t you being unreasonable?”

Huh? Another unexpected turn.

I didn’t think she’d be remorseful so soon. I was hoping she wouldn’t be. But this… this is too much.

Unreasonable? Is she blaming me for not following proper procedure when leaving the party?

Marvin and Luna know I left, and they didn’t say anything about procedure.

“…Goodbye.”

Creak

“Wait, Allen!”

Yes, just follow me. Let’s talk outside, away from the cathedral.

“Wh-Where are you going? What are you planning…?”

We arrive at a secluded alley near the cathedral.

The only people who might be here are street thugs, but they’re probably at the festival, enjoying the break and grabbing lunch. No one will bother us here.

“You wanted to see me, right? Isn’t it better to talk face-to-face, in private?”

Technically, Angelina wouldn’t care about having an audience, but this is more convenient for me.

“…You’ve really changed, Allen. I don’t know what happened, but if you need our help…”

“Cut the crap. I just want to know why you’re suddenly interested in a useless pack mule after discarding him. And what’s this about me being unreasonable?”

I thought her confidence would make this difficult, but she does have a conscience. She’s trying to understand why I left, offering help.

In that case, I could go easy on her, leave her with some lingering questions, and disappear into the wind…

“All your questions have the same answer: you abandoned our party. Used us and then discarded us? Or perhaps it was you who used us, Allen, with your position in the hero’s party?”

…Looks like I have to go for the spicy option.

She’s surprisingly feisty, second only to Helena.

She seems genuinely convinced she’s right…

…which is ridiculous.

“Haha…”

“Why are you laughing? That wasn’t meant to be a joke.”

“Hahahaha…！ That’s even funnier. Your twisted logic… as expected of a genius. Your thought process is… different. No, wrong is a better word.”

“…What are you—”

Smash!

“Ugh…?!”

The sound of breaking glass, and Angelina freezes.

A paralysis potion, throwable version.

Longer lasting than the spray I used against the Demon King, or the vapor I used earlier.

It’s a bit comical, and a little pathetic, that she’s been paralyzed three times in two days.

She’s either incredibly naive or has a terrible memory.

“Y-You’re going to run again…?”

“Why would I run? You wanted to talk, right? Let’s talk.”

Yes, let’s talk. A conversation that will make even the most stubborn person listen.

I step closer to the paralyzed Angelina, raise my hand, and…

Slap!

“Gasp…?!”

One slap.

“You think I used you? I was a nobody until Yerin recruited me. You know I had nothing but pure intentions back then, right?”

One fact.

Slap!

“Ugh…!”

Another slap.

“You think I abandoned the party? Well, we did make a promise, over drinks. But which do you think holds more weight: a few drunken words, or the years of constant abuse I endured?”

Another fact.

Slap!

Another slap…

“S-Stop… please…”

“Stop what? You said I was being unreasonable. Then why didn’t the king say anything about it when I met him? Why haven’t I heard anything about you looking for me? You’re the ones being unreasonable, acting like I did something wrong.”

One more fact.

Slap!

Almost there.

“P-Please… s-stop… I’m sorry… please…”

“The festival is going just fine without me. Most people don’t even know I was in the hero’s party. But some do. And they’re all having fun, not even mentioning me. Doesn’t that mean I was… unnecessary? You bunch of a**holes.”

And…

Slap!

One final, powerful slap, infused with all my manufactured rage.

I stop here partly because the paralysis is wearing off, and partly because I don’t want to break her completely.

But mostly because I’ve run out of things to say.

To make someone realize they’re wrong, you have to walk a fine line between aggressive and logical.

And this is as far as my prepared script goes.

I was planning to use this paralysis-and-slap method on someone else, but I ended up using it on Angelina because I wanted to go all out.

This method works best on people with strong personalities.

And Angelina’s personality is as fiery as Helena’s.

See?

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

Effective, isn’t it?

A perfect state of brokenness for a harsh regret route, as long as I don’t go too far.

But even now… if I raise my hand…

“Eek…!”

The paralysis has worn off, and she flinches defensively.

She’s still terrified.

And that’s exactly what I want: confusion, fear, and uncertainty.

“…Hey, Angelina.”

“Y-Yes!”

She responds instantly, eager to please. She’s definitely scared.

“Do you… want me to come back?”

“Don’t tell me what you think I want to hear. Tell me what you think.”

“Y-Yes…”

“Why?”

“Because… Yerin needs you… and…”

Yerin? I wasn’t expecting that.

Slap!

“Ow…！ I’m sorry… I’m so sor—”

“Not that excuse. Why do you think I should come back? Your own personal reason.”

“I…”

“…Whatever. I’m not going back to that h*ll. And even though we ran into each other today, don’t look for me again.”

It’s contradictory to ask why she wants me back after saying I won’t return, but whatever.

I leave Angelina standing there, dazed, and walk out of the alley.

The goal was to make Angelina regret her actions.

I used physical pain and harsh truths to break her, and then ended with a question that will linger in her mind.

I don’t know if it worked, but it depends on how she interprets it.

I’ll have to observe her reaction when we meet again.

“What do you know about Allen, Your Highness? We barely spent two months together at the palace. You can’t possibly know him better than I do, after spending years with him.”

“And after all those years, he still left your party.”

“…I’ll apologize. I’ll apologize until his hatred disappears. I’ll do anything to earn his forgiveness. Then… he’ll come back. He’s kind, he’ll come back.”

“After seeing this, you still think so?”

“What is that? A note?”

“It was in his luggage. ‘The festival looks fun. You’ll be returning to your original world after today, right? Safe travels.’ A touching farewell message, isn’t it?”

“N-No! That’s not true! Give it to me!”

“Oops. Want to see it for yourself?”

“Oh… No, Allen…！ I’m not going back…！ Please don’t say goodbye like that…!”

“Even if you say that… Allen isn’t here. And maybe… you should go back.”

“What do you mean?”

“Allen will be mine now. So, just give up and leave.”