episode_0145

“You keep talking about dying—what kind of nonsense is that?”

“Am I wrong? I don’t know how much you remember, but to me, it feels as vivid as if it happened yesterday. Back then, I didn’t pay much attention, but in a situation like this, I’ve realized it. How recklessly you’ve thrown your life away, Oppa. And I can’t just stand by and let you keep doing that.”

Seeing me at a loss for words, Chris seemed to gain confidence and pressed even harder.

“It doesn’t even have to be about the previous world. This incident with Fairchild—you nearly died then, too, because you acted on your own. It was something Cecily unni and I could’ve handled alone.”

“Back then, it was obvious we’d fail if I didn’t step in. Do you really think two academy students taking down the First Church was a reasonable plan?”

“If you knew that, you should’ve stopped us. It’s because you tried to half-heartedly have it both ways that things turned out like that.”

“Wait a minute. Listening to you, it sounds like you’re trying to pin all the blame on me?”

Fairchild was clearly Cecily’s idea—she convinced Chris first, and I only joined because I couldn’t just stand by. In other words, the one most responsible is Cecily, and Chris, who went along with it, isn’t free from blame either.

But Chris didn’t even blink, replying in a calm tone.

“Yeah, it’s your fault.”

“My fault?”

“You said it yourself, didn’t you? That the moment you speak a prophecy, you can’t predict how the future will change. So you couldn’t tell anyone, could only ask them to listen. Right?”

“…Yeah.”

“If you knew that, you shouldn’t have tried to help us. You should’ve stopped our plan by any means and acted separately later. Dragging us into your plans was the worst choice.”

“So you’re saying I should’ve left you out of it?”

“From now on, you should handle everything alone as much as possible. It might sound cruel… but this is the best way—for you and for us.”

Chris was saying the exact opposite of what Elia had told me. Instead of increasing the number of allies by my side, she insisted that I alone should bear everything.

“What are you talking about? Without you guys, there’s no way I could’ve defeated that thing alone.”

No matter how weakened or sealed it was, a holy relic is still a holy relic. Handling Fairchild’s power alone was beyond me.

“Then you should’ve just used us. Like you did before—without telling us anything, treating us like expendable tools.”

“Expendable tools?”

“Yeah. Even if your power was needed to reseal Fairchild, you didn’t have to drag us all the way to the First Church. You should’ve just ordered us to steal Fairchild away. Or moved alone and then asked us to deliver the final blow.”

“Wait. I’m not following.”

“Huh? I thought I explained it pretty simply.”

“My brain doesn’t work like yours. Explain it slower.”

“Fine. I’ll say it just once, so listen carefully.”

With that, Chris began explaining in a patient tone, like a professor lecturing a slow student.

“Let’s start with the previous world. You revealed yourself as the Prophet and told everyone—including us—that we should accept getting hurt or dying as inevitable. And back then, we didn’t even pretend to listen.”

“Right.”

“And because we ignored your warnings, we failed spectacularly and ended up kneeling before the Demon King.”

I nodded. The memory of Luciella’s holy sword shattering before it could even reach him remains one of my most horrifying recollections.

“Then you used that regression artifact you had to send the four of us back to our academy days. When our parents were still alive, before Elia unni ascended the throne, before the Great Holy War.”

“And now we’re here. What does that have to—”

“I’m not done explaining yet.”

“Got it.”

“After returning to the past, all of us retained our memories completely, but yours are incomplete. Sometimes, you can’t even tell whether what you’re saying is a prophecy or something from the previous world. I don’t know exactly how much you remember.”

Of course, I know the difference between my past and the original knowledge I had from the story. But as Chris said, I don’t remember exactly how much of that knowledge I revealed in the first timeline. Back then, I spilled everything I had just to be acknowledged. Remembering all of it is impossible for me.

“And for some unknown reason, that regression artifact caused severe side effects for you. Illnesses you never had in the previous world.”

“I’m fine. There aren’t any serious symptoms.”

“Coughing up blood every three days isn’t a serious symptom?”

“How did you—”

I made sure to handle it discreetly, out of sight. The hemoptysis started after Chris’s apology, occurring intermittently at unpredictable times.

“My influence spreads throughout the academy. And don’t assume my informants are all first-years.”

Of course. As the heir to House Grave, there’d be no shortage of people lining up to serve her the moment she enrolled.

“I get it. So, what’s your point?”

“Here’s what I’ve been trying to say. Why are you even helping us, Oppa?”

“What?”

“Think about everything we’ve talked about. From your perspective, there’s no reason to help us again. After being ignored and mocked over and over in the previous timeline, how could you possibly trust us again after returning to the past? Especially when our memories of that time are still intact?”

“That’s…”

I was at a loss. Why was I helping them?

From Chris’s perspective, it was a natural question. To her, I must’ve seemed like an idiot—someone who kept sacrificing himself for them despite being constantly dismissed, only to return and do it all over again.

Excessive kindness breeds suspicion. But even so, I couldn’t tell her the truth.

“Without you, the entire continent would’ve been devastated by the Demon King.”

After a brief struggle, the answer I gave was painfully clichéd. And Chris wasn’t the type to accept such a shallow reply.

“Just for that? If you really wanted to help, there were plenty of ways to do it without revealing yourself.”

“Even if I tried, you all still have your memories. I knew you wouldn’t let me go. Someone with the power of prophecy—you’d never let them slip away so easily.”

“Hmm.”

Chris crossed her arms.

“Now that’s more plausible. So you were scared of us? You figured it was better to approach us first—while we still felt guilty—than to be coerced and used by us later. Humans are self-centered, after all.”

“No! I—”

“Don’t be ashamed. It’s only natural, isn’t it? No matter how much we owed you, you were afraid we’d forget, right?”

That wasn’t it. My reason for helping them, for trying to make them the Hero Party, was never just that.

Of course, at first, it was selfishness—my own arrogance. I thought I could use my knowledge to guide them, just like in the original story.

I was desperate, and I made many mistakes. But one thing I knew for certain was that they were nothing like the characters I’d read about.

“You’re not bad people.”

“Not bad? In what way? I told you—we did things to you that were beyond cruel. We cast aside the one person who was willing to dedicate himself to us until the very end.”

The original story had already derailed the moment I intervened. Not that they were perfect, of course. Their pride was filthy strong, they rarely listened to advice, and they refused to bend once they’d made up their minds—true lone wolves.

Convincing them was an ordeal, and the results weren’t exactly satisfying. But even so, after fighting alongside them and living in this world, one thing became clear to me.

They boldly admitted their mistakes, never cowered before the strong, and refused to kneel to evil.

If I’d wanted to go back, I’d had the chance. During my encounter with Fairchild, I was given a choice. But I chose to stay in this world.

The decision for all of us to become the Hero Party was ultimately my responsibility. Yet they declared without hesitation that they’d walk that path. Leaving them behind to run away alone would’ve been too shameful.

Yes, my choice to help them was never out of fear or vengeance—

But those words never made it past my lips, leaving only an empty sigh in their place.

“……”

“So, Oppa, you shouldn’t forgive us. But I have the perfect solution for someone like you.”

“A solution? From you?”

“I know we’re the biggest burden on you. But even so, I can’t back down now. Since we’ve come this far, you’ve already decided to share your fate with us. I don’t know why you made that choice or how you really feel about us, but one thing is certain.”

Chris softened her expression.

“It’s impossible for you to deceive everyone now and come up with a perfect plan. Do you really think you can fool the others as they are now?”

“Well… no.”

I admitted it readily. Trying to manipulate Chris and the others—who already had their memories—into following some grand scheme of mine?

If anything, they’d only work harder to perfect things on their own.

A consequence of choosing allies who were too capable.