Chapter 86: The Lord is With Us (7)
Chapter 86: The Lord is With Us (7)
“Hey, you bastard! I don't care if you're from the future, you still stole my friend’s body!”
It was true. Even if he was from the ‘future,’ he was merely someone from a place that would have been the future. The current Ian was a separate human being from the future Ian.
This was after he had received the letters from the future and the intervention of a soul. Naturally, the path the current Ian would walk was different from the one the future Ian had already trodden.
Wasn't his ‘amnesia’ proof of that? It was decisive evidence that the two personalities had not merged. If they had integrated into a single persona, they would be sharing memories.
In other words, from Reto’s perspective, his ‘friend Ian’ had suddenly been snatched away by the soul of ‘future Ian.’ It would be abnormal for him not to be angry.
Reto swung a weak fist. The man stepped back slightly, almost as if he had no choice, and evaded the punch. The moment Reto huffed and threw a second punch—
Thud.
The man caught Reto’s hand.
A faint arc formed at the corners of the man’s mouth. It was a bitter smile. It was the closest thing to an actual expression he had shown so far.
“Don’t worry. I can’t stay for long anyway… I’m just doing what needs to be done.”
Despite the man’s explanation, Reto’s heated temper showed no signs of cooling. His green eyes darted toward his robes. It looked as though he might pull out a scroll at any moment.
It was then.
With a sharp sound, Reto’s body spun around, and he and the man swapped places. Reto was slammed against the wall.
His arm was twisted behind his back. There had been no sign of such a move; Reto couldn't even fathom how it had happened. He groaned at the pain in his arm.
However, his fire was still burning bright. With bloodshot eyes, Reto spoke.
His voice was a growl, filled with blatant hostility.
“What needs to be done…? Do you have any idea how much Ian suffered last time because of that great ‘task’ of yours?! He almost died! How much longer do we have to play along with your games…!”
“If I don’t, everyone dies.”
The words were calm. A plain voice devoid of any inflection.
Reto regained his composure instantly. It was because he read the deep remorse embedded in that voice. As if doused with cold water, his gaze turned chilly as he blankly followed the man’s golden eyes.
There was no wavering. It meant he was telling the truth. At least, that was what Reto gathered.
His lips parted and closed several times.
Still pinned against the wall, Reto managed to squeeze out a single question.
“……Just what exactly happened?”
“Reto……”
The man murmured with a serious face. Then, he offered a piece of sincere advice.
“Don’t try to know too much. The world won’t allow it, and you might get hurt.”
That was the end of it.
Thinking that Reto had finally calmed down, the man released him with a slight shove and turned away without hesitation. Reto awkwardly straightened his posture but couldn't find his voice for a moment.
Threads of thought were tangling complexly in his mind.
Everyone dies? Why? And if the world won’t allow it, why is Ian the only one who can know the future?
Those numerous problems tangled into a ball of question marks. It was impossible to unravel this mess with the clues given so far.
If so, there was only one answer: obtain as much information as possible.
“……Why did you come back?”
The man, who was about to walk away, stopped dead in his tracks.
His golden eyes glanced back at Reto. Fearing the man might change his mind and leave, Reto had to ask again.
“Returning from the future to the past—that’s a miracle mages of the human world can’t achieve. It must have required an immense effort… Why did you have to go that far? And why you, of all people?”
The man seemed lost in thought for a moment. His eyes shifted to the side before returning to their original position.
He answered in a voice that remained emotionless.
“……Because I’m a failure.”
A ‘failure.’ Another incomprehensible statement. Reto felt a throbbing headache coming on.
Regardless, the man trudged away, heading out of the alleyway.
Unable to guess his destination, Reto had no choice but to shout even in his confusion.
“Hey, where are you going!”
“To meet someone.”
He waved his hand dismissively as if telling Reto not to worry.
“……I’m supposed to meet Delphine Yurdina.”
Hearing that, Reto could only follow the man’s retreating back with a bewildered gaze.
That was the last of it.
Reto said he hadn't spoken to the man since then.
Until he met me today.
I fell silent after hearing Reto’s entire story. My thoughts were complicated in many ways. There were many parts I didn't understand.
First, I asked Reto.
“What do you mean, the future me and the current me are different?”
“I knew you’d say that. Honestly, you Swordsmanship Department guys……”
Clicking his tongue, Reto drew a line of light in the air. It was a drawing made of mana.
It was a technique originally used for engraving magic circles, but in cases like this, it was used as a tool for explanation. A shimmering, pure white line was drawn vertically.
Reto pointed to the bottom of the line and began his explanation.
“Alright, this is the past. And let’s say it goes straight toward the future.”
His finger followed the line upward until it reached the top. Then, he asked me.
“Now, what do you have to do to go back to the past?”
“Well, wouldn't you just go back to somewhere in the middle?”
Reto nodded and moved his finger to a position roughly in the center of the line. His green eyes stared at me quietly.
“Then what happens next? Do you just follow the already drawn future?”
Hearing that, I held my chin and fell into thought. I didn't need to think for long. I shook my head and said.
“No, something would change, wouldn't it?”
“Good. Then let’s draw a new future.”
He then drew a new line branching off diagonally. Suddenly, like a tree branch, two lines diverged from the center point.
My questioning eyes turned toward Reto. As if he had been waiting for this, he began to explain.
“See? Starting from that middle point, two futures now exist.”
“Since I returned to the past, doesn't the first future disappear?”
“Think about it. Then what happens to the ‘me’ who returned to the past? That ‘me’ is the product of that first future, isn't it?”
Now that he mentioned it, he was right. I let out a low groan and furrowed my brows.
I finally understood what Reto was trying to say. I asked him to confirm.
“So, that diagonal future is ‘me,’ and the one who possessed me came from that straight-line future?”
“Exactly. Time is like drawing a shape that can’t be erased. Once it’s drawn, it can never be deleted. In other words, the moment that ‘Ian’ returned to the past, another world of possibility was created. That’s why you and that ‘Ian’ are different people who happen to share a past.”
Reto muttered that it might have been better if the personalities had merged, smacking his lips.
However, there was still something bothering me. The letter from the future that was currently tucked in my robes.
The world it testified to was a peaceful and happy place. Just in case, I asked Reto.
“But the letter I received also came from the future. In fact, that letter says the world will be destroyed if I don’t follow it exactly……”
As if that problem was also simple, Reto pointed to the end of the second future drawn diagonally.
“It came from here. I don’t know what was done, but the time axis itself was shaken entirely. It wouldn't be strange for a letter to fly in from any world of possibility. Of course, since you received the letter, we have to say the current world is drawing a future infinitely close to it.”
It was a complex story, but I managed to understand it through Reto’s explanation.
In other words, the future ‘me’ who possessed my body and the love letter that flew in from seven years in the future came from different futures.
Then, was the man in my dreams also the future ‘me’?
I recalled that blood-soaked landscape. A battlefield where ominous sounds echoed; a scene so littered with corpses that it couldn't be recreated without including the word ‘death.’
Thinking that might have been the finale I was destined to face made my heart feel hollow. And on the other hand, it sent a chill down my spine.
Because it was the same as saying that such a future would arrive if I didn't follow the contents of the letter.
That alone was a great achievement. Since the letters from the future were said to include numerous worlds of possibility, it wasn't strange even if there were multiple senders.
Because those were, after all, nothing more than possibilities.
The important thing was the content of the letters. I felt that if I did my best to follow them, the identities of my future lovers would be revealed one by one.
I truly felt that Reto was impressive. I looked at my close friend with eyes full of admiration.
He had a smug expression. He seemed quite satisfied with the results he had achieved.
I patted his shoulder. Words of praise naturally spilled from my mouth.
“Reto, you’re pretty good. I’ve got a bit of a handle on things thanks to you.”
“Ha, I am quite competent. You owe me a drink.”
Buying him a drink was a condition I could easily fulfill. My eyes were filled with trust as I looked at Reto.
I asked him with an expectant voice.
“So, what should I do now?”
At my question, Reto wore a beaming smile. He patted my shoulder and said.
“Well, you’ll have to figure that out yourself.”
“……?”
At that half-hearted answer, I could only stare blankly at Reto. My gaze even held a hint of betrayal.
However, Reto reacted as if I were the one being absurd. He frowned deeply and asked me.
“You expect me to think for you? I don’t even know what’s in those letters.”
I parted my lips to argue but closed them just as quickly.
There was nothing wrong with what Reto said. To make a plan, one needed information, but only I could read the contents of the letters from the future.
Then, is it the final exam substitute practical?
My thoughts turned to the information ‘Ian’ had requested from the Saintess. If he judged it necessary, then that ‘orphanage’ likely had a connection to the future.
Even if that was something that happened in the first future. Since I didn't have detailed information, it was right to start with the information he had already sought out.
Reto watched me in silence for a moment as I was lost in thought. Then, as if it bothered him, he cleared his throat and turned away.
“Come to think of it, that guy said he was going to meet Senior Delphine, right?”
Senior Delphine. Now that I thought about it, I heard she had gone into hiding after the Hunting Festival.
Besides her, there was another woman who came to mind. The person who first informed me of the possibility that letters could fly in from the future.
Emma. Two options hung in the balance in my heart.
One was a woman with beauty like the sun, Delphine Yurdina.
The other was a girl with an impressively warm and kind smile, Emma.
It seemed better to meet one of the two. And while I was at it, I needed to gather a team to go on the final exam substitute practical together.
I’ll probably have to visit Senior Elsie as well.
I immediately began to map out my movement path in my head.
Because I had lost my memory, not much time was left. The period for the final exam substitute practical was just around the corner.
The time remaining until the practical dispatch regions were decided and teams were formed was one week.
Within that time, I had to gather information and strength somehow.
The scent of blood was drawing closer by the second.
That evening, I went to Idalos Hall to find Senior Delphine. However, the news I heard from the servant was exactly what I had inwardly expected.
“Well, Lady Yurdina is currently admitted to the temple’s Concentrated Healing Room……”
I crossed my arms and tapped my arm with my finger.
Right, I thought so. I just hoped the injuries weren't severe enough to require the Concentrated Healing Room.
A sigh escaped my lips because I couldn't predict Senior Delphine’s reaction when she faced me again.
I shook my head and lamented inwardly. It was a complaint directed at my future self.
What an impatient man. If only he had possessed even half of my peace-loving heart.
It was a pity.