Chapter 160
Chapter 160
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 160
Chapter Title: D-Day
At the moment I saw Victoria drenched in blood, a sensation as if all the blood in my body had frozen solid washed over me.
Even though I came as fast as I could, I nearly lost Victoria due to a single misstep.
"You could have at least asked someone else for help."
Crackle, fizzz—!
I clapped my palms together, transformed my entire body into lightning, and evacuated Victoria to where her parents were.
"…I wanted to be a woman who seemed even a little bit cool to the younger you."
Victoria, nestled in my arms, spoke with a smile more relaxed than anyone else's.
We were so alike, each striving to save the other's past self.
"You didn't have to go that far. Big sis."
Hearing her words, I let out a soft chuckle.
The fact that she could crack jokes like that was proof her life was still firmly attached.
"Are you going to keep calling me that? There are so many eyes watching here… it's embarrassing…."
Victoria glanced at me and our surroundings, then gave my chest a light, embarrassed tap with her fist.
Of course, my parents and Victoria's parents were panting as they ran toward us from afar.
And the younger versions of me and Victoria were also watching this situation with astonished eyes.
Durahan, perhaps sensing something was fundamentally wrong, had stopped moving and stood frozen in place.
"What, have you forgotten how you tried to seduce my younger self with your body like that?"
"…Urk."
Victoria bit her lower lip, withholding any excuse for the indecent seduction she couldn't deny.
"Wearing nothing but an apron to serve me breakfast, or deliberately dropping your underwear… such shameless acts…."
Thump.
Victoria covered my mouth with both hands, preventing any further disgraceful revelations.
It was a natural reaction, when you thought about it.
A seemingly pure Saint on the outside had mobilized every perverted trick in the book to seduce a boy not even ten years old.
"I hate you. It's because you didn't fall for my seduction…! I thought if I did this, you might like me someday…!!"
Victoria complained resentfully, recounting how I had rejected her confessions or distanced myself from her.
If only I had been a bit more perceptive, I wouldn't have done that.
"So, was that really the reason you tried to mold my sexual preferences to match you?"
"……."
"You didn't need to do that. I would have liked you anyway."
I wiped the blood from Victoria's face with my palm as I spoke.
How could I possibly dislike a woman who willingly risked her life for me and loved me with her whole being?
"Well, I guess I have to admit that plan, frustrating as it is, was a success."
I poured all the potions I had on hand over Victoria's body and used healing magic to mend her wounds as I spoke.
Victoria's actions were undoubtedly wrong, but precisely because of that, the previously inconsistent causality had fallen into place.
"Huh? What on earth are you talking about…."
"I'll explain later. First, we need to deal with that bastard right in front of us."
The broken bones, torn skin, and bleeding wounds on Victoria's body healed without a trace.
"…That bastard is the one I need to kill more than anyone."
Once Victoria's safety was confirmed, I turned a sharp hostility toward Durahan standing before me.
A vengeance that had traveled back through time.
A fragment of fate that should never have existed was right before my eyes.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The young Astal couldn't help but gasp in admiration as he watched his future self fight.
How could anyone use magic so freely like that?
Magic was originally something akin to innate talent.
Astal, who possessed eyes that could see the mana in the air, was like that, and so was his mother, who could use magic due to her noble bloodline.
That's why mages were often specialized in a single attribute and tended to have narrow perspectives, rarely choosing combat styles other than magic.
But,
"…You're insane. I admit it. You're stronger than any mage I've ever seen."
"I'm not happy to receive praise from you."
Scarred, twisted, calloused hands.
They had fought so much that he didn't fall behind at all even in close combat against a Death Knight.
What the young Astal saw before him was the fruit of one person's countless efforts and failures, built up over time.
It wasn't a talent bestowed by heaven.
It wasn't about meeting a good teacher and gaining enlightenment, nor using unorthodox methods like a heretic.
Simply stubbornly, persistently moving forward even when broken and bent—that sight was captured in the young Astal's vision.
"—O magic, source of infinite wisdom, essence of countless failures. The lowly Astal Kaisaros beseeches you, grant primordial light into these hands."
Using every spell he knew, borrowing the power of his companion Victoria, he transcended the laws of the world to defeat the enemy before him.
A beautiful scene transforming from a plane to a solid, from countless masses of magic into a single conviction that seals away evil.
"Idea."
Awe and praise for magic.
For the young Astal, it was a thrilling stimulus that felt like his brain was burning.
"……!!"
The moment Durahan saw Idea, he instinctively sensed something ominous.
It might have been the influence of being sealed in another worldline, or the nature of the unease he felt toward the being who suddenly appeared riding a dragon.
To anyone's eyes, the young Astal and his current self looked identical, and the same was true for the two Victorias.
"Perish, be silenced, fade away…!!"
He was trying to stop that violent act, using not only the corrupted Holy Sword but also the legendary artifacts he possessed, and even incantations.
It was an ugly sight, like a bug turned on its back, flailing helplessly.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it…!!!"
For Durahan, that was his last remaining escape route!
'So… this is why there was a prophecy about a hero who would kill the Demon King…!'
Even if he realized where things had gone wrong, it was already too late.
The moment more people knew about a prophecy, its meaning faded.
The future Saint and the future Hero.
The current Astal and Victoria knew that information in advance, which is why they saved each other immediately upon returning to the past.
"You, damn bastard…!!!"
Looking at Idea binding him, Durahan felt a strange sense of foreboding, as if he were being dragged into the maw of a demon.
He intuitively sensed that if he couldn't stop Idea, he would be trapped in a state of eternal suffering, unable to die, wandering the Nine Heavens.
"Sorry, but you're way too late."
Bang—!
In sync with Astal's clenched fist, Idea emitted a multicolored light.
As if purifying something unclean, the moment all energy poured toward the trapped Durahan—
Kwaaaa—!
Amidst that light, Astal successfully protected the surroundings by pulling out the second Idea he had prepared in advance.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After Durahan was dealt with, the young Astal and Victoria faced their grown-up selves.
"Um… you're the future me, right…? No matter how I think about it, you look too much like me…."
"……."
The current Victoria remained silent, gazing at her parents who had survived thanks to Astal's efforts.
Revealing here that she was their daughter didn't seem likely to yield a good outcome,
and at worst, since two beings who couldn't exist in the same timeframe had met, one of them might disappear.
"B-Big sis…! You must never reveal your identity…!"
The Time Paradox.
As the young Astal said this, he had heard about its dangers before.
But,
"Why not just say yes? Changing the past doesn't mean our very existence becomes null and void."
Surprisingly, it was the adult Astal who instilled courage in Victoria.
A stark contrast to his younger self, who covered his eyes with both hands in fear.
"Then why is the younger you covering his eyes like that…?"
Something was strange.
Didn't they say that existence would vanish, or a new worldline would be created, rendering it as if it never happened?
"Well, to be precise, the time paradox my younger self recalled was close to the truth… but unfortunately missed the mark."
"…If it's close, then what is it?"
"Traveling through time and changing the past creates a new worldline. And if you encounter yourself, you're sent back to your original world and vanish…."
As he spoke, Astal lowered the hands covering his younger self's eyes and made him look at the girl beside him.
"…And, each worldline influences the others."
The faces of the young Astal and Victoria instantly flushed red.
As if struck by lightning for the first time, a thrilling sensation settled into the bodies of the two young boy and girl.
"Like how my preference changed to older sisters, or a wife who wears nothing but an apron."
That's right.
The sense of incongruity Astal and Victoria had shown before.
The reason why, even when Victoria severely insulted him or teased him with lewd acts, he didn't dislike it—on the contrary, he liked it deep down.
And the reason Astal's preferences became so twisted, to the point of being considered perverted, favoring older sisters—
"Now open your eyes. Even if I disappear, you have to protect your family and Victoria."
Its true nature was precisely this moment.
Because he had traveled back in time and made his younger self's lover fall for him.
"Uh, hi…?"
"H-Hello…."
As if proving that fact, the young Victoria and Astal couldn't even make proper eye contact the moment they saw each other's faces.
A fresh, ticklish emotion palpable even to the others watching.
"So that means everything I'm doing to you now also affects those two children?"
"That's right. I wouldn't have known either if you hadn't played those dirty tricks—."
Hearing this, the current Victoria felt the lecherous thoughts she had suppressed until now bubbling up.
She didn't have to worry about others watching.
If she could just imprint a surefire method to conquer Astal onto her other self in another worldline,
she could secure an advantageous position in their future relationship, just as she had arbitrarily held and manipulated the young Astal's heart.
"Hah… Huh… Chu… Hahhh…♡"
"Wait, I can't breathe…."
And then, Victoria put her devised scheme into action.
Using the dragon's unique strength, she pinned Astal down, inserted her tongue into his open mouth, and gave him a kiss so deep he could barely breathe.
The sound of saliva mixing messily, increasingly rough, heated breaths.
For the young pair, it was a lewd spectacle they had to peek at through their fingers.
"I promise you. If you truly defeat the Demon King, I'll obediently become your breeding stock…♡ Hah…."
"Victoria, what are you saying… Ugh."
"If you wish, shall I put up just a little resistance? After all, Astal-nim is a pervert and a sadist of a mage, beyond even a Saint like me to save…."
However, even in a place with both sets of parents present, Victoria brazenly wriggled her hips.
"Ah, you're excited…? Seeing you unable to move when I play these dirty tricks or insult you with vulgar words is truly adorable. Hehe…."
The immense possessiveness inherent to dragons.
It was Victoria's atrocity, having devised an unbeatable method to never let her most beloved be taken by anyone.