Chapter 147
Chapter 147
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 147
Chapter Title: The Saint's Inner Thoughts Are Heard
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Victoria let out a faint, incredulous laugh, even though she was the one who had asked the question.
Even if you presented such a complex problem to a boy who looked barely ten years old, you couldn't expect a clear, satisfying answer.
Why had she said this to a young Astal, pushing the choice onto him?
"...You came from the future?"
"Please forget I said that. No matter how you look at it, such a topic is not suitable for someone as young as you."
Victoria bowed her head, mocking her own weakness for trying to rely on Astal even in this emergency.
Didn't she know how much he had suffered from trauma by her side?
For Astal, the tragedy that would occur a week later was so horrific that he had even attempted suicide during the journey to subjugate the Demon King.
"I'm not that young!"
Perhaps her rejection acted as a catalyst.
Astal, with his youthful appearance, raised his voice toward Victoria, putting on a confident expression.
"You believe magic can allow time travel, right? Among mages, it's called a heresy and is considered taboo!"
"...Yes."
Seeing the sparkle in Astal's eyes gave Victoria a slight chill.
His eyes were filled with an endless thirst for inquiry and curiosity—a pure desire that, if slightly twisted, could lead him to dabble in black magic or forbidden arts.
Was this why Astal had been called a genius from a young age?
She had thought children typically lost interest when deep topics were brought up, but...
The current Astal was drawing on the wall with charcoal, even sketching diagrams to illustrate the situation Victoria had described.
"If we assume someone came from the future to save a person from the past..."
The drawings were simple and easy to understand, even for Victoria, who knew little about magic.
On a straight timeline he drew, two figures were placed.
Victoria superimposed the image of the Astal she knew onto that figure. A man who, no matter what serious worries she had, would provide a clear, refreshing solution no one else had thought of.
They say people don't change much.
Even if Astal's obsession or curiosity about magic was a bit twisted, it seemed to be offset by his warm heart.
"I'm afraid the causality of the person I'll meet in the future will be distorted, turning into something that never existed."
Holding her breath, Victoria confessed the truth to the young Astal.
If she didn't prevent the tragedy set to occur a week from now, history would flow on as before.
But if Victoria defeated Durahan, or at least succeeded in evacuating the villagers, the future would change.
"...So, if you save a boyfriend from the past, the point of contact to meet a girlfriend in the future disappears? Why?"
"Because the trauma from the past tragedy causes that person to become obsessed with saving people."
Victoria calmly and objectively evaluated the Astal she knew. In the distant future, he would be called the 'Harmless Mage,' a title earned by dedicating his body and soul to rescue operations.
"What a fascinating person... I don't think I could have done that."
The young Astal was having a surprisingly mature conversation with Victoria, making the label 'genius' seem inadequate.
Victoria barely resisted the urge to say, 'That person is you,' and waited for Astal's decision.
"Then, I think the answer is to do what you want."
"...Huh?"
The answer from the young Astal was so simply clear that Victoria almost blurted out something foolish.
"'Do what you want'? Where is there such an irresponsible answer? Shouldn't the correct answer be derived through complex magical formulas or calculations?"
Victoria looked strangely at Astal, who had stopped drawing with the charcoal, and spoke. It seemed like just a little more would bring a conclusion.
"There's no 'correct answer' in magic to begin with, Miss."
"...?"
"Right now, time-traveling magic is called heresy and taboo... but will it always be that way?"
"That is..."
Victoria couldn't readily answer Astal's question. In truth, even the power of Divine Power was once called a miracle bestowed by the gods in ancient times, leaving countless traces in history.
This created the concept of Saints and faith in the gods long ago, becoming a catalyst for people to yearn even more for true miracles.
Even if the gods couldn't directly influence the mortal world, this was also why they maintained religious authority.
"...I cannot state it definitively."
Victoria hung her head low, feeling like she'd been outsmarted by the young Astal.
Just how mature and thoughtful must a person be to speak so logically to an adult?
"Right? No matter how much you or I, Victoria, worry about it, it might not be the correct answer. Ultimately, the choice lies with that person."
The young Astal approached Victoria and patted her back as he spoke, as if he had sensed she was the one involved in that statement.
"But isn't that too irresponsible? If she really traveled through time to prevent a past tragedy... I think she should stop it."
Victoria opened up her true feelings to that Astal. For his sake, she was prepared to fight Durahan and protect the village, even if the future changed.
She thought that was the proper thing to do as repayment for Astal saving her and as his lover.
So why was he making such irresponsible remarks, indirectly saying he was okay with it?
As if it was fine even if he himself was sacrificed.
The image of the foolish Astal who had jumped into Romulus's mouth flashed in her mind, making Victoria's eyebrow twitch.
"Let's assume, as you say, that a magic allowing travel to the past was really developed. What would happen if a person from the future went back and eliminated the person who created it?"
At that moment, Astal finished the scribble on the wall and posed a question to Victoria.
"...A paradox would occur. Since the person who developed the time-travel magic disappeared, the technology itself to go back to the past would never have been created."
"Exactly! You're quite smart, Miss. Other kids my age just get bored when I talk about magic."
Victoria nodded at Astal's question, seeing through his intent.
If Victoria saved the young Astal now and the future changed, the very motive for the time travel would disappear.
The young Astal had inferred what would later be called the 'time machine paradox' from the elements Victoria had mentioned.
"Then there are two possibilities. If we assume you, Miss, are the girlfriend who came from the future, the moment you change the past, either a new worldline is created..."
"...Or you would vanish. Since history changed, removing the contradiction would require that."
"Yes, correct. At least, based on my reasoning."
"Impressive. The title 'genius' truly isn't wasted on you, Lord Astal."
Victoria's eyes widened slightly as she watched Astal explain, even drawing a new line as he grasped the concept of 'routes.'
The current Astal carried guilt for sacrificing his hometown people and parents due to his arrogance as a genius, but in Victoria's eyes, he was hardly an ordinary person.
"Hehe, it's embarrassing when a pretty person like you praises me..."
*Thump.*
Victoria's heart nearly stopped seeing Astal scratch his cheek shyly. It was a cuteness she never saw in the usual him.
What reaction would he show if she hugged him tightly? If she started a physical tussle like she usually did, how would this boy, ignorant of sexuality, react?
"So, I think this isn't something for us to decide, no matter how much we think about it. What's important is what choice the person actually in that situation makes."
How could he speak so beautifully and offer such pure, well-intentioned advice to her, who had fallen into the past?
Was he really a child?
What if the current Astal was also wandering the past like her, acting without her noticing?
Then wouldn't it be okay to play a little prank?
"Miss Victoria? Your eyes look scary..."
"......"
Victoria pursed her lips tightly, suppressing the insidious feelings rising from within.
A pure, untainted Astal, unmarred by self-loathing and guilt. Yet, a boy whose kindness and affection toward her remained unchanged was an overwhelmingly attractive presence.
So, Victoria strongly hugged the young Astal from behind and...
"Ahaha, Miss, that tickles! Stop, stop it!"
*Tickle tickle.*
She tickled Astal's sides and armpits, barely releasing the desire that had welled up for him.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ And that decision,
'...Why are my ears and cheeks so hot?'
Victoria's soft body and pleasant fragrance became an overwhelmingly stimulating experience for the pure, young Astal.
"Huhu, you're so shy. You could play a little more with this Miss..."
Astal covered his reddened ears and cheeks with his hands to hide them from Victoria, who only grinned and flashed a bewitching smile.
"Y-you must have a boyfriend, Miss! You shouldn't do this with me!"
"As I said earlier, the girlfriend from the future could be me, couldn't it?"
"T-that's weird! Someone as pretty as you couldn't be my girlfriend...!"
"Really? I have some thoughts about the current you, Lord Astal... Of course, only if you grow into an even more impressive person."
"......"
At that moment, Astal's first love changed to Saint Victoria in her maiden attire.