episode_0348

Nari lying naturally, Yuri sitting naturally, and so on. It’s like the strange things acting un-strange make them even more conspicuous. Like two-eyed people in a one-eyed village.

The scene unfolding before my eyes shows the situation is quickly turning around. That she wasn’t the only one who regressed.

However, Yuri subtly hinted, so they pretended to meet for the first time. Acting, which was their first time, was quite difficult, but there were no major problems. Nari thinks Tier is nervous because her speech and movements are awkward.

Soon, Nari left with Nix to attend to state affairs. With only the four of them remaining, Yuri immediately got up and hugged Tier.

“I missed you.”

“Uh… uh, yeah.”

Tier actually found Yuri a little uncomfortable. Of course, there was ulterior motive. The insincere Tier often envied the frank Yuri.

Uncomfortable, yet secretly wanting to be like her. The discomfort stemmed from her inability to be honest about her feelings, causing a conflict of emotions.

Anyway, with Nari, essentially an outsider, gone, only those who knew about the regression remained. The first to speak was, as expected, the curious Tier.

“So… what happened?”

“As you can see. At that time, we were all pulled into a black door at the same time, and when we opened our eyes, we were back in the past,”

“I’m asking how that happened.”

“We don’t know yet.”

It was an obvious answer. There’s no way four humans discussing it can understand what a god has done. They’ve only found a few clues.

Aspi silently stayed in place. Yuri also didn’t intend to bring up the subject until everyone was present. Lulu only thought about waiting for Nari to come of age.

Tier felt frustrated. First, because she didn’t know the truth about the regression, and second, because she realized she couldn’t have Nari’s first time.

Her original plan, which would have allowed her to strongly establish herself as a childhood friend, was now irrelevant. With so many strong rivals present, Tier could only feel intimidated.

‘It’s still too early to give up…’

But soon she regained her composure. She didn’t show it on her face. The current Saint Tier is a big shot who has a whole country under her control.

“Well… for now, I want to hear about how each of you has lived. As an information exchange, too.”

“I was planning on that today anyway. We have the future to consider.”

“Then I’ll go first.”

Since it seemed like the conversation would be long, Tier dismissed the priests to the reception room and returned.

The first thing those who were given a second chance thought of was the same: rectifying their failures.

It didn’t have to be their own failures. Those things lost due to lack of ability were included as well.

In Yuri’s case, it was her parents and hometown. Hinata Duchy, which was subjected to indiscriminate plunder and invasion by the Carcen Marquis. This time, with Lulu and Nix’s help, it was effortlessly stopped.

There was also a dangerous moment that followed. The day she almost got sold to the Carcen Marquis. But this time, the marquis himself was executed quickly, and even if he hadn’t been, she wasn’t as timid as in her previous life.

Yuri considered that she had practically made up for almost all her failures.

In Lulu’s case, it was her purity and dreams. Because she didn’t know what love was, she had thrown herself around, causing her to forget her dream of walking the path of magic. There were times she almost died.

This time she didn’t commit those failures. She communicated and empathized with the members of the Royal Magic Corps, and now they follow her, not her body.

Her dreams were the same. She’s going to be invited to the Magic Tower soon, and she’s looking at the pinnacle of magic that she couldn’t reach in her past life.

All that’s left is effort.

In Nix’s case, it was time and courage. If she had only had the courage to go outside, she could have gained the Spirit Core and become embodied sooner. However, In her past life, she chose to stay comfortably in her sanctuary, wasting a lot of time.

This time is different. She created her own body and went out into the human world much earlier, allowing her to make many connections and build a foundation.

Lea’s faction was still strong, and she has direct ties with the king. All of it became the strength to protect Nari.

In Aspi’s case, it was self-love. Although she found meaning in the mission given from birth, the young her chose isolation for a fable. She chose to become a chrysalis.

Even with good results, she still couldn’t easily approach Nari. Only Aspi the knight had grown, while Aspi the human was still a child in that training ground.

This time she didn’t retreat. Instead, she took another step forward and approached the princess. Thanks to that, she became her sword much earlier and received plenty of love.

In Tier’s case, it was luck and selfishness. When her talent bloomed, she had already lost everything precious, and it never returned.

This time, she acted more cleverly. She bloomed all her talents at once and used them relentlessly. She delivered her message, built upon it, gradually increased her presence, and eventually became another ruler of the Holy Nation.

Her parents and her home are intact. She quickly dealt with the variable that was Pope Gregorio.

The Holy Nation is on the side of the Goddess, and Lumine, the Goddess of Light who knows the stars’ future, is on Tier’s side. Now she fears nothing.

Currently, all five are stable. They regained what they lost by going back in time. They have power and opportunity in their hands without paying the price of hardship.

Now, the only thing to be wary of is the future.

After spending a day together, as Nari slept soundly that night, the five gathered again.

They huddled around a single lamp on the bed in Yuri’s personal maid’s room.

“Let’s go over the upcoming events.”

“The first thing that comes to mind… is probably the academy.”

“The academy… We had a lot of work there, too.”

In just that one year Nari was a first-year student, the academy was officially attacked twice. The culprit was Moriarty. Including unofficial attacks that Nari and Aspi’s knight order prevented knowing ahead of time, there were many more.

“What about the Artemis ruins? Certainly, that Four Saints’ leader, that child Rif, was imprisoned by Moriarty’s cadre.”

“Nix went there with the princess.”

“Uh… it was scary.”

Nix, wearing her sleeping cap, hugged herself and trembled. The fact that she, who crushes humans like killing bugs if they’re Nari’s enemies, trembled this much, showed the others how frightening the scene was.

“Uh… it’s nothing much, but there was also something with 1-B class in the academy…”

“Why is that nothing much, Lulu? There’s no need to worry this time. I’m here.”

“That’s right. This time the teacher won’t stand idly by.”

“U, uh-huh…”

Lulu hugged her pillow tightly and blushed. Yuri and Aspi alone were really reassuring. They would never know how much having colleagues meant to Lulu.

“I, I also… it’s nothing much… but there was something during that summer vacation at Liberty Port.”

“Hmm… it really is nothing much.”

“It’s nothing. Let’s move on.”

“Let’s move on.”

“Let’s move on.”

Tier, who had been listening, pulled so hard on the corner of her blanket that it tore.

“Wh-why?! I was almost eaten there too?!”

“Sister saved you in the end. It’s not an important issue to talk about now.”

“T-that’s… true, but…”

Only Lulu, awkwardly smiling, patted Tier on the back; the others continued their serious discussion.

“Oh, right. Tier’s mention of the demon realm reminded me. The dungeon break at the Artemis ruins was also caused by the Holy Nation blocking the entrance to the wolf’s lair.”

Tier’s eyebrows twitched, her face a picture of misery.

“Right. It ended successfully… but the residents of Evermore were almost in danger.”

“Those wolves were so persistent… even after showering them with magic, some survived.”

Tier cautiously raised her hand.

“T-that… I might be able to do something about that.”

“Really?”

“If it’s a matter of Luminose Holy Nation… I can suggest something. If I just know the specifics… why are you looking at me like that?”

Yuri, Nix, and Aspi stared at Tier with wide eyes. Surprised, or rather, unexpectedly.

“Tier is actually useful besides her ridiculously large breasts.”

“Shut up!”

The gentle, noble saint from the morning was gone. The time they’d all been together hadn’t been a full year, but the density of that year was equal to a lifetime.

The atmosphere calmed down, and Yuri, shouldering the responsibility of bringing up a necessary topic, spoke.

“The problem… is war.”

“The Ubiet Empire…”

“Damn it, Moriarty again… I have to curse again…”

Ultimately, what threatened Nari’s life, and the love and peace of this continent, were Moriarty and Duke Darius.

Racking their brains wouldn’t find an answer. Even though they’d undergone regression and gained transcendental power, they still couldn’t surpass the human realm. That was the difference between them and Nari.

Yuri, deep in thought, sensed a presence and looked out the window.

Thump—

Then she laughed lightly.

“Let’s hear it from the person themselves.”

Nix, sensitive to mana, was the next to notice, and Aspi, with her keen senses, was the third.

Yuri’s maid’s private room window opened. Outside stood someone in a black cloak pulled up to their head.

“A little late?”

“Just on time.”

Only Lulu and Tier, still not fully grasping the situation, hugged each other and trembled.

The mysterious figure removed their cloak and revealed their face. Pale blue hair fluttered.

“Eve…!!”

“It’s been a long time, everyone. How about it? How do you feel about regression?”

Eve smiled gently and innocently. Now that everyone was here, it was time to start the most important conversation.