episode_0154

“I, I’ve found something new… In the, in the dungeon, magic… can be applied.”

“…”

“…”

Jill and Yerina momentarily forgot what they wanted to say.

Their minds were blank, as if they had been reset, with no thoughts coming to mind.

They were just left staring blankly, overwhelmed by pure madness and shock in the aftermath.

Yulia, with eyes filled with anticipation like a puppy wanting praise, looked back and forth between Jill and Yerina.

Soon realizing that the expressions of the two were not exactly cheerful, Yulia averted her gaze.

“Well, it is indeed a remarkable discovery, Lord Fentenburg. Could you start by explaining the connection between that and our shared secret and purpose?”

“Um, um… I’m, I’m sorry. I got too excited and skipped the introduction…”

“…”

Watching Yulia clear her throat, Yerina felt the urge to bolt out of the room immediately.

What kind of introduction must precede the casting of magic in a dungeon?

This woman was clearly obsessed with tying her new discovery to something.

Coming to that conclusion, Yerina began to rack her brain for an excuse to leave this meeting.

“Hmm… This crazy woman. I should humor her for a bit, then come up with a decent excuse and run away.”

And Jill felt the same way.

“The reason I am sharing this information with you… is because we share the same secret and purpose…”

“What are you talking about? You’re not talking about investments, are you? If you thought I would join in on the insane act of casting magic in a dungeon just because Palana has a stake in the Fentenburg Foundation, then you are mistaken. It’s a bit unpleasant. Can we just forget about today’s events?”

“…”

Yerina, who was getting angry because she didn’t understand a word, but Jill seemed to have caught on to something, so he clenched his jaw.

Jill and Yulia’s eyes met.

Ignoring Yerina’s grumbling beside them, the two exchanged glances for a moment and gained mutual assurance.

“Indeed. The Saintess also retains memories from the previous cycle.”

“This person has also regressed.”

Though there were slight differences in the specific details, they both had the same conviction that they retained memories from the previous cycle.

Jill had known about Yulia’s existence from before.

He was well aware of the relationship between her and Eugene, and had even ruined it out of jealousy, causing a rift between them.

Since the return of her memories from the previous cycle, she had been haunted by one suspicion.

Was the regression really just for her alone?

If there was someone behaving differently from the previous cycle, it was only Eugene.

Therefore, he thought that they had regressed together.

“I wasn’t alone.”

“Yes, that’s right. Surely… you didn’t think you were the only one… special?”

“…”

Yulia smirked with a bitter smile.

Jill muttered curses in his mind about ‘the adulteress’ and brushed it off.

Even that nuisance had regressed.

His calculations were getting all messed up.

Eugene’s gaze, which had been curious about what was so appealing about this seemingly dim-witted woman, landed on Yulia’s chest.

And in that moment of slight understanding, Jill’s thoughts veered off elsewhere.

“What are you two talking about right now?”

“…”

“…”

Yerina, still unable to grasp the conversation, looked towards Jill and Yulia.

Yulia had mentioned that the people gathered here shared a secret and a purpose.

Yulia, too, a regressor…?

Jill’s mouth slowly fell open.

A belated realization came upon her.

A look of astonishment spread across Jill’s face.

“Surely, Lord Seri, have you also regressed?!”

“What nonsense is this? Regressed?”

“You’re asking if you also came from the future.”

“How did you know that…?”

Yerina’s sharp pupils, now devoid of their poker face, darted around.

She had never spoken to anyone about regression before.

She had only mentioned knowing the future to a few close aides.

She had never thought this story would leak out, but now, with the Saint and Yulia casually bringing it up, her confusion doubled.

“S-So you… shared Eugene and… love, right?”

“How does the Viscount of Petenburg know Eugene? No, rather, how did you both…”

“Well, we are just like you.”

“?!?”

An incomprehensible reality was forced upon her.

This couldn’t be happening.

A series of stories that lacked any sense of reality.

Yerina felt as if she were trapped in an unpleasant dream.

If their words were true, then they too had regressed from a future where they shared love with Eugene.

But that couldn’t be possible.

Eugene had only ever had eyes for her, and loved only her.

His unwavering devotion was well-known, to the point where, in Pallana, there was no one who would insult him by mocking his status, as his character and integrity were beyond reproach.

It was clear to everyone that their love was destined and pure.

Even those who envied the love between a commoner and a lord acknowledged its sincerity.

On the day they had broken off their engagement, Yerina had regressed, but in the past that she returned to, Eugene did not come looking for her.

She was aware that something had changed in the past Eugene.

But what did these women, who had no connection to Eugene, have to do with anything?

Women who had no relationship with Eugene were claiming to have shared love with him?

She couldn’t understand what they were talking about.

“Ha! Okay, I get it. We all regressed, but Eugene? Say it again.”

“W-We all… shared love with Eugene and made a promise for the future…”

“I hate to admit it, but I think I’m in the same boat as Viscount Petenburg. Ha. I had a feeling about Petenburg, but I never expected Lord Seri to be involved…”

“…”

Yerina glared as if to threaten, but Yulia and Jill responded nonchalantly, without batting an eye.

The answer Yerina feared the most spilled from their lips.

Reality was becoming distorted.

Yerina’s idealized image of Eugene’s past actions, which she believed in, or rather, wanted to believe in, flashed through her mind one by one.

She remembered every detail.

The day Eugene stayed an extra day in Hameln due to prolonged business discussions.

The sudden trip to Petenburg due to a copyright dispute.

The back and forth between Hameln and Petenburg for additional consultations.

At that time, both Yulia and Jill were considered potential suspects due to their inability to find any evidence of surveillance or intelligence gathering.

Jill and Yulia stood before her.

Both confessing to having committed adultery with Eugene.

…Adultery.

At least in Yerina’s mind, it was adultery.

Unable to contain herself any longer, Yerina’s face flushed red as she shouted, “These thieves…!”

“Ha. There were rumors that Lord Seri suffered from severe delusions. Seems like they were true.”

“What did you say?! Saint, did I hear you correctly just now?”

“Do you think you can call me a thief cat to my face and expect to hear good things? You’re quite amusing.”

“Jill Diner······!”

Jill, revealing her true colors and sneering.

Yerina, at a loss for words in response, let out a sigh of disbelief.

Within a short period of time, a series of shocking revelations hit her one after another.

It was unbelievable to hear that Eugene had crossed the bridge.

The saint had taken off her angelic mask and was speaking harshly.

Yerina fervently hoped that this was all just a dream and she would wake up soon.

“Show me the evidence! You seem to be trying to deceive me, but it’s impossible! Eugene only loves one person, and that’s me! I can’t believe anything about regression or loving Eugene until you provide clear evidence!”

“Sigh······. Is this how it’s going to be? It seems like your self-made reality, built on delusions, is crumbling, causing a lot of confusion. Well then, I’ll give you an awakening pill so you can wake up from this sweet dream. Listen carefully······.”

Yerina, still unable to accept reality, cried and sobbed.

Jill, feeling a bit sorry for Yerina, took a deep breath and decided to help her break free from her delusions.

Soon, Jill and Yulia began pouring the awakening potion meant for Yerina.

The evidence of regression was a priority.

If they were not from the future, then unknown information kept popping out of Jill and Yulia’s mouths without pause.

The secrets that flowed back and forth with millions of gold in the background were like worthless pebbles passing between the three of them.

Next was the evidence of Eugene’s love.

Eugene’s personality and way of speaking.

And physical characteristics or habits.

Specifically, things like enjoying wrapping the back of the head when kissing or twirling hair around their fingers······.

Amidst the feast of matching information, Yerina felt dizzy.

The sky fell and reality collapsed.

That day, Yerina’s world crumbled.

“Aaaaah······. No······. No, please don’t do this to me, please······. Tell me it’s a lie······.”

“Was that too harsh?”

“I, I think I may have, um, exaggerated a bit with Lord Seri······.”

“But there seems to be a slight discrepancy. The Eugene I know and the Eugene you know seem to have a slight difference······.”

“I, I felt the same way.”

“To make sure, shall we compare more specifically?”

Ignoring Yerina, who was sobbing on the floor.

Jill and Yulia began meticulously comparing the futures they had experienced.

And the result.

They discovered that, apart from Eugene’s existence, the futures experienced by the two were completely different.

“This can’t be······. Am I leading the Holy Knights to invade Petenbourg? That’s impossible······.”

“T, there’s not a single match······. In, in early this year······. Eu, Eugene was definitely with me······. A, according to the Saint, she has never been separated from her guard for at least a month······.”

“Hmph. In the future I was in, Eugene spent more than half of the year with me. So the future you saw is all nonsense. It’s just a delusion.”

Lord Seri added with a sniffle.

Upon hearing this, Yulia and Jill were able to gain another certainty.

We did not come from the same future.

“Regression wasn’t just once······.”

“Y, yes······. P, perhaps we didn’t, um, regress, but Eugene did······. W, we remembered the previous round······.”

“······.”

Jill closed her eyes tightly.

She had firmly believed that she was the one who had regressed all this time.

In reality, I was just one of the many ‘me’s that Eugene had gone through in countless chapters, and that fact shocked me quite a bit.

I felt like I wanted to collapse and cry like Yerina right now.

‘How many times was I… No, more importantly, how many times did Eugene regress…’

A slightly resentful feeling.

Right after that, I felt a deep worry for Eugene.

If it was just one regression, Eugene might have been angry.

But if it was at least three times, maybe ten times, or even hundreds of regressions, I didn’t know.

It was certain that Eugene had regressed enough for his personality and habits to change significantly.

What was Eugene suffering so much for?

Why…

With what kind of heart did he face his lover as if meeting for the first time, with memories erased?

Thinking about it made me feel like crying.

I couldn’t understand Eugene’s feelings at all.

It was something a person couldn’t do in their right mind.

It was so painful that it felt like my heart was being torn apart, and thinking that Eugene had experienced something even worse many times over made it even more painful.

“Ev, everyone… D, do we all confirm that we share the same s, secret and purpose…?”

“Sigh, haa. I roughly understand the secret, witch. But the purpose? How are our purposes the same?”

“Our, our purpose is Eu, Eugene’s happiness… Right…?”

“…”

Yerina’s mouth closed.

Eugene’s happiness.

Those two words pierced her heart, and Yerina couldn’t say anything.

She had been chasing Eugene all along, not for Eugene’s sake.

Internally, she rationalized that being loved by Eugene and being by his side was a happy life, but now it was time to return to reality.

It was all for her own satisfaction.

Her selfish love.

Realizing this, Yerina slumped in her chair, deflated.

“A, as you all know… Eu, Eugene is conquering the dungeon… Continuously facing something in the other world connected to the dungeon… But the dungeon is extremely dangerous. As far as I know, Eugene almost lost his life in the dungeon once… So, I’m telling you the method I discovered… Casting spells on the dungeon to weaken it… With this, we can help Eugene…”

“But why are you telling us this, Lady Yeongju? It seems like you already knew that we three received Eugene’s love, and you knew how to help Eugene… Wouldn’t it be a more rational choice to help Eugene on your own and win his favor? Something smells fishy.”

“I agree with the Saint’s opinion. What’s the hidden agenda? Why are you doing us favors-”

“Hey…!”

As Jill and Yerina’s questions continued,

Yulia slammed the table, shouting loudly.

Among all the ant-like voices she had made so far, this was the loudest.

Jill and Yerina’s gazes simultaneously turned to her.

“I-I told you…! To help Eu, Eugene! I know too! If you keep it to yourself, you can monopolize Eu, Eugene…! B-but the more magical power and ma, magic you use, the safer Eu, Eugene becomes! That’s why I called you…! Taking risks and revealing this to help Eu, Eugene’s happiness…! Both of you only think of yourselves! How selfish can you be…!”

“…”

“…”

Yulia burst into tears.

In front of her, Jill and Yerina felt their excitement fade away.

They felt themselves becoming infinitely smaller.

They felt the rush of shame.