episode_0089

“That took a while.”

“Cut me some slack. They’re thorough about security.”

Dismissing Cecil’s grumbling, Chris and I returned to the room. Only after seeing with his own eyes that I couldn’t use regression and receiving the artifact did Chris finally agree to follow me without hesitation. It wasn’t the most reassuring promise, but beyond this, I had no real leverage to force him to stay.

Even if we made a contract, given the difference in our magical power, he could break it unilaterally anyway.

“So, about the plan moving forward—first, apologize to Ellia.”

“Ellia?”

“Why so surprised? You think I didn’t notice? Did you really believe you could still go through with your original plan? If you dare even consider it, I’ll personally ask Ellia to tear apart the Church. No matter what.”

“……”

“You understand?”

“But—”

“No excuses. I get it.”

Cecil had desperately moved forward, even joining forces with Chris, to ensure Ellia wouldn’t break. The motivation was obvious.

“If you understand, that’s good. No matter how much we told Eric to rest, he never listened.”

“That’s my line. No matter how much you lot tell me to stop, I won’t—not until I decide I don’t need to anymore.”

I’ve already regressed, analyzed the changes from previous iterations, and now I’m determined to find a way to defeat the Demon King this time. That’s the only thing driving me.

Because of my regression, so much has already changed—and much more will. The fallout from it isn’t something I’ll shoulder alone; others will bear it all.

This world is no longer just a novel’s setting for me. If my actions bring happiness to some, then somewhere else, unseen, another suffers.

The novel never mentioned those people. Their lives are unknowable to me. So, until I return to my original world, I’ll do my best for this one—that’s the promise I made to myself. The least responsibility I owe. Even if I’m no saint, this much is only natural.

“Apologize to Ellia, lay out your plans, and then we’ll pool our strength properly for the hunt. I don’t intend to let Fairchild run loose. If what you said is true—that it possesses intelligence and can mimic me—then it could move unpredictably at any time.”

The Fairchild composed of Chris and Cecil’s memories would likely retain incomplete fragments of past iterations. If so, it might already know its fate and choose to disappear before we can hunt it down.

“You and Cecil alone aren’t enough. Ideally, we’d have Luciella alongside Ellia too, but…”

“Luci as she is now won’t help. How do you even hit that thing?”

Chris shot me down.

“No matter how much physical form Fairchild takes, at its core, it’s still nothing but distorted miracles. Just a mass of pure mana. A normal sword can’t even scratch it.”

“Hmm.”

I’d almost forgotten. Given how insanely powerful Luciella is, I’d somehow developed this bias in my head that she was this invincible superhuman capable of anything.

“…Really?”

“Of course! Unless Luciella pulls the Holy Sword and becomes the chosen Hero, right now, she’s useless for this.”

“No, but Luciella’s deeply skilled in mana manipulation, right? In the prophecy I saw—”

“There’s no sword other than the Holy Sword that can channel her mana. We checked already while we were together. Eric. Luciella’s power is transcendent, just as you believe. But unleashing it requires a catalyst. Right now… she’s just a really, really, really good swordsman. Nothing more.”

“Got it.”

So, the plan to one-shot Fairchild with Luciella’s help is scrapped.

“Then you’re saying you, Ellia, and Chris have a way to counter Fairchild?”

“Yes. Chris developed a magical barrier that blocks Fairchild’s mental interference. With this, as long as Fairchild doesn’t break us first, it can’t extend its influence to others. Chris?”

“I know.”

Chris flicked his wrist, conjuring a massive magic circle before my eyes.

“This… you made this?”

“I wouldn’t say I perfected it, but I managed something.”

“Mind explaining the principle behind it?”

“Basic spell sequences—Movement Restriction and Nervous Breakdown. By channeling my mana to directly imprint the restriction onto the target’s mind—”

“—the target won’t perceive anything but the caster? Clever.”

I briefly considered feeding him clues, but Chris smoothly explained it himself, skipping any tedious steps.

“Impressive.”

“Still incomplete, though.”

“Incomplete? How?”

The magic circle pulsed with a blue radiance, forming a flawless ring—no imperfections in sight. Compared to the crude mess of spells I’d cobbled together based on the original story’s fragments, this was refined elegance.

“Different from what I envisioned. It should’ve been much stronger, unstable. This version is too weak.”

“Ah.”

Probably my fault. With Cecil here, I can’t let on that I know anything about this spell. I feigned confusion.

“‘Weak?’ If anything, trying to strengthen it now would destabilize it. I’m not an expert, but it looks balanced to me.”

“Balance isn’t enough. My spells must be able to save everyone. Even a single victim is unacceptable.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

I brutally cut her off.

“‘Save everyone?’ That’s not confidence—that’s arrogance. What, you’re responsible for the entire capital’s populace now? Even Ellia wouldn’t be that presumptuous. No matter how strong you are, you can’t save tens of thousands alone.”

“B-But—”

I know what she’s about to say. She’s referring to what I did in a past iteration. Back then, I forcibly linked my mind to Fairchild’s, sacrificing my psyche to hold it off. The spell I used then was what Chris just created—and at the time, I did stop Fairchild without anyone’s sacrifice.

If he could do it, so can I! That confidence, unfortunately, is misplaced.

“Not for you. Even if Fairchild itself fine-tuned this spell, it wouldn’t be possible.”

I wanted to hand it off—but I couldn’t.

“Then what do we do?! Without this spell, Fairchild will—”

“I’ll handle it. More accurately, only I can.”

“What?”

I tapped my temple.

“That spell forcibly syncs the caster’s mind with the target’s, right? It doesn’t break until one collapses.”

Chris nodded.

“Fairchild’s ‘miracles’ are just high-tier illusion magic. And illusions only work if the victim believes they’re real—which Fairchild excels at making sure nobody wakes from.”

“You know well. Then you understand how impossible escaping them is.”

“No, why escape at all? Just don’t fall for them in the first place.”

“Huh?”

Whether Fairchild shows you a blissful paradise or a torturous hell, illusions are meaningless if you never accept them as reality.

“Illusions. Fakes. Sleight of hand.”

“That’s…?”

“Which means no one’s better suited than me. Call it a perk of visions—I’m resistant to mental attacks.”

Of course, it wasn’t the visions. Complete immunity to mental attacks? If I had such a cheat ability, maybe I wouldn’t resent this world as much.

Sadly, my skill isn’t that convenient.

Illusions rely on the victim’s belief that this world is real.

Which means—if you don’t accept this world as yours from the start, illusions won’t work at all.

“Resistant? Oppa, you’re underestimating Fairchild. Even Cecil, practically a High Priestess, consulted me about it.”

“Exactly why I’m the perfect fit. If I’m this confident where even a High Priest struggles, wouldn’t you assume I have an edge?”