A Fatal Slip
Getting the Princess out of the royal palace, where she had barricaded herself in her bedchamber, was far easier than I had anticipated. After all, under the current regime, there wasn't a single soul left in the royal family—including the Princess herself—who dared to ignore my words, backed as I was by the might of the Empire.
And so, a mere twenty minutes after my regression, the Princess and I set out on a quiet stroll, unaccompanied by guards, servants, or handmaidens.
"Is it not pleasant to go for a stroll once in a while, Your Highness?"
"..."
"It is certainly better than shutting yourself away under the pretense of an illness you do not have."
The problem, however, was that the Princess—who usually stared blankly with dead eyes no matter who spoke to her—was glaring at me today with unmistakable, murderous intent.
"Ethan von Astrape."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Do you truly remember nothing?"
Despite normally refusing to even breathe the same air as me, she had been relentlessly interrogating me about the events before the regression.
"Ahaha... Your Highness."
To be frank, my mind had been short-circuiting ever since this unprecedented anomaly occurred, but I still had a role to play.
"How on earth am I supposed to remember a ridiculous pipe dream you had all by yourself?"
"What did you say?"
"...Here I am, escorting you out of concern for your precious health, and you ruin my morning like this."
To deceive your enemy, you must first deceive your allies. That was my golden rule of patriotism.
Naturally, the Princess—whom I had to protect at all costs for the sake of our homeland—was no exception. To preserve the lifeblood of the kingdom's resistance, which was currently sustained solely by my existence, it was safest to eliminate any possibility of the truth leaking out.
Ironically, this meant my life was constantly targeted by the very secret society I had founded, but as long as I possessed the power of Infinite Regression, it was a minor inconvenience I could easily tolerate.
"Insolent..."
"So, do stop this nonsense and take my loyal advice to heart."
Still, no matter how many times I repeated these loops, I could never quite get used to speaking so harshly to this young princess.
"Why not stop worrying about the throne of a kingdom on the brink of ruin, and find a quiet place to enjoy the rest of your days?"
But since I had no idea where the Empire's eyes and ears might be hiding, even in this secluded spot, I had no choice but to wound the young princess once again.
"Do you say that knowing full well I am the only royal left in this country?"
Usually, she would hang her head and tear up at my verbal abuse. But today, she shot back, her eyes burning with defiance.
"No, of course a lapdog of the Empire like you wouldn't care."
"..."
"I have no intention of giving up on this nation. Unlike a traitor like you, who sold out his country despite coming from a family of war heroes... Urgh!"
Her defiance was short-lived. I placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently, forcing her to cut her words short and lower her head as she always did.
"...I wonder where you learned such vulgar language, dragging my family into this."
"How dare you... mock your sovereign..."
"Even if I were to humiliate you to my heart's content right here, there is no one left in this kingdom to help you, Your Highness."
Unfortunately for her, every word I spoke was the cold truth. The knights who should have rushed to defend her the moment I laid a hand on her royal person, and even the Commander of the Royal Guard, had long since defected to the Empire.
Thus, excluding the secret resistance I had personally established, there was no military force left in this country capable of protecting her.
"So, learn your place, Princess."
"Ngh..."
"And why do you insist on calling yourself 'sovereign' when Her Majesty is still very much alive?"
Knowing this harsh reality all too well, she would normally endure my insults in silence. But today, she was different.
"Mother is only in that state because you and the Empire turned her into a vegetable!"
Perhaps it was because she retained her memories from before the regression. Faced with her unusually emotional outburst, I could only offer a bitter smile.
"My, do you have any proof of that?"
"You bastard...!"
"Enough. Let us refrain from pointless bickering."
Whenever this topic arose, it was incredibly difficult to suppress my true emotions. I had to force a smirk just to keep up my facade.
"Today's outing is purely for your health, after all."
"..."
"And is your health not the very future of our kingdom?"
Cutting the conversation short, I turned and walked ahead. Behind me, I could feel a terrifying wave of murderous intent radiating from her.
Whoosh...
Yet, when it came to this particular matter, I couldn't help but feel a sense of injustice.
Honestly, both mother and daughter are determined to make my life a living hell.
For the Princess's mother—the Queen currently lying in a vegetative state—was the very person who had passed the power of Infinite Regression down to me.
"Sir Ethan, I am actually an infinite regressor."
"Pardon?"
"And our kingdom will fall within ten years."
On the night I was commissioned as a low-ranking officer in the royal army—the sole survivor of a fallen war hero family—the Queen had suddenly appeared in my barracks without warning and uttered those bizarre words.
"Your Majesty? That is a rather tasteless joke..."
"It is no joke. Tomorrow morning, for instance, the guard captain at the East Gate will doze off and let a spy slip through. A minor crack will also be reported on the western wall."
"Uh..."
"That is not all. At that exact hour, a child who stole bread will be caught at the East Gate. You will be the one to let that child go. Around that time, three white doves will fly across the sky. It has never been wrong, so I am certain."
Naturally, I initially harbored serious doubts about her sense of humor. But when every single event she predicted occurred the next day without a single detail out of place, I had no choice but to believe her.
"Well? Do you believe me now?"
"I... I do, Your Majesty."
"Good. What I am about to tell you next is of utmost importance, so listen closely."
Listening with a dazed expression as she visited my barracks again the following night, I was jolted awake by a shocking revelation.
"Five years after our kingdom's fall—which is to say, fifteen years from now—the Madonia Empire will collapse."
Anyone in my position, hearing that the empire constantly hungering for our land would soon perish, would have reacted the same way.
"So, it is only fifteen years. If we can just endure those fifteen years, our kingdom can rise again."
"Is... is that truly possible...?"
The mighty Madonia Empire, collapsing in a mere fifteen years? It was hard to believe, but if the Queen was truly an infinite regressor, then this was an absolute future. It should have been wonderful news. Yet, as she continued, the reality was far grimmer.
"...But fifteen years has always been more than enough time for our kingdom to be utterly devastated beyond recovery."
One might think fifteen years was short, but during that time, the kingdom would be subjected to such catastrophic plundering that it would perish alongside the Empire. Explaining this despairing future with a sorrowful expression, the Queen suddenly grasped my hand with trembling fingers and spoke with great difficulty.
"Sir Ethan, do you know why I sought you out of all people?"
"..."
"It is because... I have very little time left."
The truth she revealed was devastating. Born with a frail constitution and an exceptionally small mana vessel, she could not withstand the immense strain of Infinite Regression—a secret royal magic triggered only during national crises. Yet, she had forced herself to regress repeatedly, shaving away her life force until she was on the verge of death.
"Sir Ethan. In every single timeline, you alone remained the kingdom's last loyal subject until the very end."
Having struggled to her absolute limit, she had sought out her last loyal subject.
"If someone like you were to inherit this power from a powerless ruler like me..."
"..."
"Then fifteen years from now, our kingdom will surely rise again."
Having finished her explanation, she forced her fading eyes wide open. Her final question carried a heavy weight of guilt in every syllable.
"The reward is the liberation of our homeland. The price you must pay is endless life and suffering."
"..."
"...Even so, are you willing to inherit my power for the sake of this wretched kingdom?"
Seeing my silence, she squeezed my hand even tighter, her voice trembling with desperation.
"I-If you refuse... it is entirely the fault of this incompetent sovereign... Take as many people as you can and flee this country..."
She looked far too pitiful and broken to be called a monarch. As a loyal subject of the kingdom, I could not commit any further insolence.
"Your Majesty's spark... I shall inherit it."
I still could not forget the tears of the Queen as she stared at me blankly before collapsing into my arms.
"Thank you..." she whispered. "Even in death, I shall remember you... Sir Ethan, the eternal last loyal subject of Erandel..."
The next day, having collapsed in her chambers from the backlash of transferring all her power to me, the Queen never opened her eyes again.
"Where on earth are you taking me?"
"..."
"I am not well enough to keep walking. This stroll ends now..."
Back to the present. Pulled from my brief trip down memory lane by her icy voice, I stopped and turned to face her.
"...Then let us rest for a moment."
Before she could even reply, I turned around and quickened my pace.
We've reached a secluded spot with no one around. Now is the perfect time.
Now that we were safe, my plan was to contact the Resistance's secret channel and smuggle her out.
Crackle!
But my perfect plan was instantly shattered by an ominous, piercing sound cutting through the air.
"...!"
At first, I thought it was an ambush aimed at me. But the trajectory of the incoming projectile was headed straight for the Princess behind me.
"Tsk!"
The moment I realized, my body moved on instinct. I whipped out the communication magic tool from my breast pocket and hurled it desperately toward her.
Boom!
An instant later, the magic tool collided with the mysterious projectile, detonating in a spectacular mid-air explosion.
"Eek!"
Only then realizing what had happened, the Princess stumbled backward, her legs giving out as she collapsed onto the ground.
This operation is a failure.
This was supposed to be a secure location, yet she had nearly been assassinated.
Fortunately, the reflexes I had honed through countless regressions saved her. I didn't have to suffer the agonizing helplessness of watching her cold, lifeless corpse.
Still, now that things had gone awry, another regression was inevitable. It would be wise to identify the assailant before I reset...
"...You?"
As I scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes, searching for the attacker, her dazed voice drifted from behind, jolting me into a sudden, horrifying realization of my mistake.
"Just now... did you..."
"..."
"...save me?"
In front of the only person who retains her memories when time resets... what on earth did I just do?