Epilogue
If he claimed he hadn't been looking forward to it, he'd be lying.
No transmigration into the past this time — only the flow of the present had changed. The dead had all come back to life, and the ending was a happy one.
'Starting over from the beginning, huh.'
Come to think of it, maybe this was a punishment of sorts.
Not that it mattered — he wasn't going to do anything anyway.
"Are you listening?"
Luid rubbed his sleepy eyes.
"Yeah."
"Honestly, that insufferable feather thief—!"
The wicked woman, Hershey.
This time, her position matched the original story exactly. Though it might turn out better than the original — for whatever reason, he'd gotten tangled up with her all over again.
Luid's head bobbed and dipped, performing acrobatics of its own. Hershey, who had been talking away with great enthusiasm, let out a sigh and smiled a little.
"You really shouldn't sleep in a place like this, my lord. You must maintain your dignity."
In the end, Luid fell fast asleep.
Hershey kept watch over the spot for a while before leaving for her next class.
"Do you have no concept of keeping an appointment?"
Damon appeared at Delin's Lake with his hands buried in his pockets — wearing, for the record, an absolutely furious expression.
He kicked the sleeping Luid.
Tumble, tumble.
Luid wriggled like a caterpillar.
"Ow."
"Why do you break your promises to play chess? I cannot comprehend it."
His first meeting with Damon in this world had been a little different. Wanting to become friends, Luid had challenged him to a game of chess — and, being the genius of the century, naturally won. Ever since then, this was how things had been.
'Well, close enough.'
Luid spoke with a faint smile.
"Say what you will, but I always keep the promises that matter."
"Amelia. Is Luid behaving himself?"
"Y-yes… big sister."
At the Windsor family villa, she'd been caught in a conversation with Irene, who was passing through on official business.
Amelia hung her head like a child being scolded, unable to meet her eyes.
Irene watched her with an odd little smile for a moment, then spoke as if something had just come to mind.
"Lui. About that swordsmanship tournament I mentioned before."
"Mm."
"I've decided to host it myself. I've received the approval of both the Lord of the house and His Majesty."
Irene looked, rarely enough, delighted.
Luid stared at her blankly for a beat, then asked quietly, "You just like fighting, don't you."
"How touching. So you proposed it for my sake."
"I-I want to enter too!"
Amelia shot to her feet and declared her ambition.
"And I will definitely win!"
"You don't have to push yourself."
"No, I mean it! Someday, I… I want to become a fine knight, just like you, big sister!"
Luid, halfway through nibbling at a snack — eating it or just mangling it, hard to say — glanced sideways at Irene.
"Irene."
"Speak."
"You're not bored anymore, are you?"
Irene looked at him for a moment without saying anything.
Then she rested her chin on her hand and gave him that peculiar smile.
"Thanks to you."
Peaceful days continued on after that.
The story was marching steadily along the path of the original, and Irene was no longer bored.
The only thing that niggled at him was the sense that she somehow possessed memories of the future.
'Must be my imagination.'
Irene had always been a strange one, after all.
Luid sighed and sprawled out on his all-natural grass bed. His cheeks flushed faintly pink as he let out a deep, blissful sigh.
"Nothing beats a nap at Delin's Lake."
Nowhere else could hold a candle to it.
If only this happy everyday life could go on forever — no, he was going to make sure it did.
Thud, thud, thud.
And then, someone arrived to disturb Luid's peaceful afternoon nap.
"Luid!"
It was Justin.
'The idiot is the protagonist.'
Luid regarded him through half-lidded eyes. Seeing that dopey look again didn't exactly lift his mood.
"I-I have a favor to ask."
Justin was a complete wreck, as always. What on earth did he get up to —
well, actually, he knew the answer to that. But still, today he looked worse than ever. His clothes had graduated from rags to something closer to a floor rag, and if he made any sudden moves, Luid suspected even his underwear would make an appearance.
Without warning, the boy dropped to his knees.
"Right now, the Academy is in crisis. Someone calling himself Rach has possessed Nia and is turning everything into chaos. If this goes on, a lot of people are going to die…! Please, Luid! I know you find me annoying, but—"
"Okay."
Luid rose to his feet, brushing the grass off his backside and stretching his short arms up toward the sky. A slight sheen of tears gathered at the corners of his eyes as he spoke.
"Lead the way."
It seemed the time had come to go pick up Miho.
And if she pulled anything like turning him into a girl out of nowhere this time — he was going to erase her.
For real.