episode_0075

“Oppa. Is this… the third world?”

At Chris’s question, I let out a small sigh. I already knew Chris was sharper than me, but I hadn’t expected her to make such an astute guess.

“Yeah, no.”

“Really? But—”

“I know, I know. I get why you’d suspect that.”

Between Lucilla’s earlier remark and my inexplicable silence, Chris had more than enough reason to think that way. What if the reason I trusted them wasn’t just because of the prophecy, but because, like in the very first world, I had already failed with them before?

If that were the case, it would explain why I chose them now without hesitation—because in a world they didn’t know, I had gotten so close to success with them before failing.

“Unfortunately, that’s not the case, so don’t worry. I’m trusting you all this time too, and even for me, it’s a pretty big gamble.”

“……”

Seeing Chris’s still-doubtful expression, I decided to deliver the finishing blow. After all, the more I could get her to watch her words from now on, the better.

“Chris. If I told you, ‘I really do believe in you all—this is our second and last chance,’ would you believe me?”

“Of course, if it’s you saying it, I’d want to believe you no matter what… but honestly? No, I wouldn’t. Because you and I are in completely different positions.”

“Right?”

I shrugged.

“That’s why I told you not to let the others know I regressed. If even you figured it out this much, imagine if the rest caught on.”

My gaze swept over the group sitting in a circle.

“Starting with Lucilla, they’d fracture in the blink of an eye. Got it? Now go back to your seat—the others are starting to look suspicious.”

Chris didn’t seem entirely convinced, but she quietly returned to her seat, at least understanding my point. There was still more to discuss about the prophecy.

“Alright, I’ve got a good idea of what you’re all thinking after that conversation. And I know what you need.”

I wasn’t about to spout clichés like confidence and courage. That was something they had to figure out themselves. If I babied them through every little thing, they’d regress rather than grow.

If I just sat back and did nothing, they’d never feel the need to push themselves.

Luckily, I knew exactly how to handle people like that. Now that I had a rough idea of what each of the four was thinking, all that was left was to give them advice tailored to their individual needs.

“First, Chris.”

“Yeah.”

The four of them were already far more talented than I could ever hope to teach. And the things I’d said in my past life were undoubtedly etched into their minds by now.

“You still don’t have enough usable magic, right?”

“Huh?”

“Go to the Shima Monastery. There’s something there that’ll help you.”

“Something that’ll help me?”

“You know how prophecies work. I can’t go into details.”

The Shima Monastery was a proper religious institution, unlike the Empire’s rotten church. In fact, it was founded by those who couldn’t stand the church’s current state—people who willingly endured being branded heretics just to relocate to a remote area.

In the previous loop, I hadn’t had time to visit, but the current Chris could gain a lot there. Artifacts, for instance. Or, well, artifacts.

She was already skilled at sniffing out rare treasures, and with her suspicious aura practically radiating, it wouldn’t be hard for her to find what she needed.

“Okay, got it.”

Chris nodded, then immediately sank into deep thought, likely recalling the monastery’s location.

This much should be enough for Chris. Overloading her with too much at once would be counterproductive.

“Next, Elia.”

“I’m listening.”

“Be careful with the work you’re doing now—and the people around you.”

Elia was practically running half the Empire’s affairs.

Her ability to delegate tasks to capable subordinates and lighten her own burden was the mark of a true ruler, but she still didn’t understand human malice.

“So there’s someone around me I should be wary of. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Elia gave a short reply before burying her face back in the documents she’d brought. She’d heard everything I had to say and was now focusing on her own work.

In a way, she was even more of a free spirit than Lucilla—but that only made her more reliable.

Arrogant and domineering as the future Empress might be, my words now were nothing but sound advice to her.

“Lucilla.”

“Yes.”

“Let me make one thing clear first: I chose you all because I believe in you. Questioning that is no different from doubting my prophetic ability—and my judgment.”

“That’s… I apologize. I didn’t consider that. I never meant to imply I didn’t trust you, Eric.”

“Good. I know. That’s why I want to give you some helpful advice too—if you’re willing?”

“Please.”

“Meet the Azure Swordsman.”

“Excuse me?”

“That’s all I can say. In my prophecy, I saw you crossing blades with him.”

“If he’s someone who can cross swords with me, then he’s definitely not from this Empire.”

Lucilla declared with absolute confidence that no one in the Empire could rival her—and since she wasn’t wrong, I stayed silent.

Well, technically, he wasn’t even human. He was a dragon.

A senile, battle-crazed old dragon who, despite being capable of fighting Elia and Chris on equal terms with magic, had spent most of his absurdly long life obsessing over the sword, calling magic “a coward’s tool.”

But then again, the Lucilla I was talking to now was just as sword-obsessed.

Maybe two lunatics would get along.

Coincidentally, the dragon’s specialties—magic-armored blades and pure mana restoration—were areas Lucilla wasn’t familiar with.

It wouldn’t hurt for her to learn.

In the previous loop, I’d been too busy spoon-feeding Lucilla events to meet the conditions for drawing the Holy Sword. But the current Lucilla could probably yank it straight out of the ground without breaking a sweat.

That meant I could afford to give her more varied advice.

“Last but not least—Cecilia.”

“Y-Yes!”

“Don’t stand out.”

“Eh?”

“Why so surprised? It’s just a continuation of what we were talking about before you got here.”

This much advice was enough for her.

“Right now, you’re a proper candidate for Saintess. That means you need to be even more careful with every move you make.”

“I’m already working as hard as I can! Who else could possibly be more suited for the role of Saintess than me?”

“No one. That’s exactly why you need to work harder—unless you want some random heretic to snatch the position from under you.”

This had almost happened in the previous loop. The church wanted a puppet who’d obey their every word, not someone like Cecilia, who traveled around helping people.

So while she was away on an expedition, they’d tried to hold a new Saintess coronation.

Of course, Elia—who would never let that slide—had crushed them before they could. But if things had gone slightly differently, everything could’ve spiraled out of control.

“I know you have issues with the church, but right now, we need their power more than ever. In every future I’ve seen, there’s not a single one where you don’t hold the Saintess’s staff. Do you understand what that means?”

“…Yes.”

Of course, I had no desire to shove Cecilia into a cesspool like the church.

After everything they’d done to me, they deserved worse—but she was never meant to rot in a place like that.

I’d considered ways to power her up without relying on them, but most of the opportunities available to her required both devout faith and the title of Saintess.

So like it or not, Cecilia had to become the Saintess.

“I’m not telling you to stop everything you’re doing. But for now, you need to lay low.”

“If I do that… it’ll be too late.”

“Even if it is, that’s not your fault.”

“You keep saying things like that, and I—”

“Enough, unnie.”

Chris shot Cecilia a sharp look.

“We all agreed not to question Oppa’s words, didn’t we?”

“To think the usually composed one would show such disarray—what an entertaining sight.”

Fortunately, before I could even respond, the other three were already busy re-educating Cecilia.

They were probably doing this to curry favor with me, but as long as the result was good, their intentions didn’t matter.

“Alright, now that you’ve all gotten your advice, I’ll say one last thing.”

“Wait, last? What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said—I’ve got nothing left to tell you. The rest is up to you.”

I’d said everything I needed to. Honestly, even now, I was barely suppressing the urge to leave.

“You’re all incredible people. That’s why someone like me—ghhk?!”

A familiar sensation rose in my throat.

Right, I should’ve known.

This trial would never let me off easy.

My hand, pressed to my mouth, came away covered in blood.