Chapter 148
Chapter 148
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 148
Chapter Title: The Saint's Confession
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The next morning, Victoria slipped out as soon as she opened her eyes, tiptoeing softly.
Though there were only six days left until the Demon King's army invaded, something she could only do now had come to mind.
Creak...
Opening the door to Astal's room, Victoria looked at the boy's face, sound asleep and innocent of the world, and gently lifted the corners of her mouth.
"...How can someone so kind and naive be refused any mercy by this harsh reality?"
Normally, he often stayed up all night to survive in the Demon Realm, which made him perpetually sleep-deprived.
But to see him sleeping with such a peaceful expression... it seemed certain he had indeed returned to the past.
"How wonderful it would have been if I had spent my childhood by your side. Then I wouldn't have had to carry this painful past alone."
Victoria softly brushed Astal's bangs and whispered in a small voice.
If she had lived in this village with Astal, perhaps something would have changed.
She could have discussed the sudden increase of monsters around the village with someone, and maybe found a better choice or method to minimize sacrifices.
"...You truly are a sinner. How is it that you were this handsome and cute even as a child?"
Victoria carefully poked young Astal's cheek with her finger. He mumbled something in his sleep, his lips moving.
If the young Astal were hostile to Victoria, she wondered if she would resort to physical temptation...
But such worries were unnecessary. The young Astal was showing a favorable attitude toward the present Victoria.
His ears and face turning red when tickled or teased, and the adorable way he brought her an outer garment, saying she'd be cold dressed like that—it was all so endearing.
Knowing Astal's current preferences, Victoria even considered acting like an older sister and wearing nothing but an apron...
'But that would probably be too much stimulation.'
This was Astal's home where he lived with his parents, and it might negatively influence the young him in the future, so she had no choice but to restrain herself.
For now, she was just slowly tempting him so it wouldn't be awkward when she met him later.
"Ah."
"......"
Victoria suddenly felt a gaze from behind and turned around. Soon, she realized Astal's mother, Celine, had been watching her the whole time.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Victoria couldn't hide her anxiety looking at the woman before her. Her palms were sweaty and sticky, and her fists kept clenching involuntarily.
"Why were you watching my Astal sleep?"
Her tone was endlessly gentle, but she seemed to suspect Victoria of being a bad person.
From her perspective, a suspicious woman she met just yesterday was eyeing her sleeping son.
If she told the truth here—that she came from the future and was her son's girlfriend—it would be useless.
What should she do?
Should she lie her way out this time, or run away now?
"...You're not answering."
"Ah, yes...! I just thought Astal was so cute.... I wanted to sneak a peek at him sleeping..."
A startled Victoria even bit her tongue.
Even for her, a Saint who had given speeches and spoken before countless people, this was a trembling moment.
Lying here would only make her more suspicious, so she chose not to hide the truth.
"But, what did you mean by saying he was this handsome and cute even as a child?"
Ah, she was caught.
Just how long had she been listening?
"W-well, you must have misheard, right? You must have confused me with someone else."
Victoria calmly stated she hadn't done such a thing, but the suspicious gaze was already impossible to erase.
"It's better not to lie. I saw you sneaking into my son's bedroom from the very beginning."
"......"
Victoria thought it was all over. She closed her eyes tightly and swallowed hard.
If this continued, she'd be treated as a promiscuous woman trying to lay hands on an innocent boy and be driven out of the village.
Just as she despaired, thinking that...
"You're actually from another world, or you came from the distant future to the past, right?"
"...Huh?"
The words that came from Celine's mouth unexpectedly pierced through Victoria's thoughts.
"How did you come to that conclusion?"
Victoria couldn't help but ask how the woman before her had realized this fact.
If she noticed Victoria had fallen into the past while fighting Romulus, she might be an enemy who knew her.
"If not, things just don't add up. No matter how much monsters have increased around the village lately, someone like you getting stranded is rare."
"That alone isn't enough..."
"Moreover, looking at the cross and attire on your clothes, you must be a high-ranking clergy member from the Holy Kingdom of Aurelium."
Celine pointed with her finger at the ornament embedded in the center of Victoria's chest. As she said, this was an item Victoria received during her formal inauguration as a Saint.
"...But currently, in the Holy Kingdom, there is no one in such a position who shares your characteristics. And you don't look like you stole or looted the clothes."
So that's why she showed a favorable attitude when they first met.
Victoria was surprised that a woman in such a rural village knew these details, but then she remembered Celine was of noble birth.
The reason Astal bore the surname of the famous magical family, Kaisaros.
It was because, like Victoria's parents, Astal's parents had also abandoned honor and money for love and eloped with their lover.
"Well, of course, to our son, that outfit looks quite provocative."
"I'm sorry..."
Victoria blushed and apologized to Celine, wondering what impression she was making on her future mother-in-law.
"No need to apologize. I think a devout clergy member like you must have had a separate reason for adopting such attire."
Celine handed Victoria a spare linen dress as she spoke. Though it looked like humble circumstances, there was a considerate effort to choose the best possible item for a guest.
"For instance, maybe our son in the future isn't very interested in women."
"...Something like that."
"Oh my, did I guess right? Well, our Astal doesn't really try to talk much with friends other than about magic. Though he did inherit someone's looks and is really handsome."
At Victoria's answer, Celine clapped her hands and burst into laughter. She seemed amused and surprised that her speculation was correct.
Recalling yesterday's events, Astal was different from other children his age, showing genius and mature aspects.
Combined with the story from within the corrupted Holy Sword, the young Astal probably had no interest in anything but magic.
"But... no matter how I think about it, it's strange. Even if you noticed I'm from the Holy Kingdom, how did you know I'm from the future?"
Victoria still hadn't let go of her suspicion. It could still be a scheme by Romulus, who noticed she had come from the future to the past.
Just like how she allowed Bellamora's Illusionary Dream or Memoria's ambush, if it were one of the Demon King's Four Heavenly Kings, it would be standard to take advantage of her moment of carelessness.
"I knew by looking at the ring on your ring finger. This was originally something I planned to give to Astal later."
At that moment, Celine smiled while looking at the cosmos-patterned ring on Victoria's ring finger.
The item she obtained in Bellamora's cinema. Realizing it held important meaning, Victoria's mouth fell open slightly.
"That's the only item I took when I left my family and ran away. So that if our son ever had trouble, he could seek help under the name of Kaisaros."
"Ah, so that's why..."
If it was such a precious item, it made sense why Bellamora coveted it.
"My father is a famous mage of the Red Magic Tower. If our Astal wanted to learn magic more professionally, I thought showing this ring later would help."
Victoria recalled Astal once mentioning his grandfather and saying he regretted never having met him.
"Even if he might hate me, who eloped with the family butler, I thought he'd like our Astal. Grandfathers are like that, aren't they? Who would dislike a cute grandchild?"
"......"
Now, she felt the missing puzzle pieces falling into place.
Why Astal from another route wore the red robes signifying the Red Tower, not the blue robes of the Blue Tower.
And why he held such guilt and regret toward Victoria.
"But then, a person appeared wearing the ring that should have been in my dresser drawer. On top of that, a high-ranking clergy member from the Holy Kingdom who didn't seem unaware of our Astal."
Listening to Celine, Victoria began to understand a little who Astal's genius resembled.
His looks took after his father, and his intellect took after his mother.
"...Now, can you tell me honestly? What happens to our son in the future? Saint."
"Yes, Mother."
With a determined expression, Victoria nodded and began to tell Celine about the bleak future that lay ahead.