A Reunion That Isn't Entirely Joyful
There are almost no buildings with a black base color on the Lumiris Continent. Lumiris was developed as a new city under the pretense of "more effectively nurturing the dreams and hopes of students." The Great Sage of Lumiris, who built this new city from ruins that didn't have a single tree long ago, emphasized countless times that dreams and hopes overflow in a bright atmosphere. As a result, the Lumiris Continent became filled with an excessive number of stark white buildings. When constructing buildings, use the brightest colors possible. This implicit rule of the Lumiris Continent, which had been maintained without incident for hundreds of years, was shattered by a voluptuous girl with red hair tied back in a ponytail.
A five-story building with a black base. The top floor, the fifth, is the office of Muse Fairfield, the owner of the Frey Merchant Guild. It is soundproof and incredibly spacious. Compared to my office at the Daylight Church, it seems about three times larger. It is the most secretive space in this building, where even employees of the Frey Merchant Guild cannot enter without permission. There, I hear a shocking story from Muse Fairfield, who is sitting in the seat of honor.
The way she speaks of an act that would get her reported for treason as if it were nothing is truly characteristic of the Empress of Revolution, Muse Fairfield. Not only can I never get used to that fox-like, smiling gaze, but it also leaves me with an unpleasant feeling, as if she is reading my inner thoughts. While her boldness is something I can't help but admire in many ways, that is one thing, and my answer was already decided.
"Are you insane?"
Start a revolution and seize the throne? Who would handle the aftermath, and let's concede for a moment that you did handle it. Even then, would the citizens accept an emperor named Muse Fairfield? There is a reason why Muse Fairfield's trauma is the revolution. From the start, it is an unrealistic endeavor with not even a 1 percent chance of success. Therefore, my answer was, naturally, that I could not help her.
"You're already in a high enough position as it is. Why on earth are you trying to seize the throne?"
"There is a saying. Human greed is endless. I would like to answer your question like that."
"I'm advising you sincerely for your own sake. Stop. It's not going to work anyway."
"It's possible. If it's me, who knows the future."
"Common sense dictates that no noble family would recognize a throne seized by a commoner leading a rebel army. Even if the commoners support you, you will eventually be stopped by more powerful nobles."
Take Judith, who is sitting on the sofa to my left, for example. The Moondust family is a family with such deep history that it is called the right arm of the Solaris imperial family. They have helped the Solaris imperial family many times, and they have received much in return. The Duke of Moondust would certainly not stand by and watch Muse's revolution.
"Actually, I never intended to persuade Mate from the start. What I'm interested in are the two people beside you."
"I suppose so, since I'm the one who hindered your revolution the most from right beside you."
"If I were to pick the number one contributor who hindered my revolution, I would choose Mate without a moment's hesitation, but because of what you've done for me in the meantime... Honestly speaking, I think well of you as a person?"
Muse takes a sip of black tea and gently strokes the surface of the teacup with her thumb. Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine.
"I believe that if Mate weren't here, my revolution would definitely succeed. You've guessed what that means, haven't you?"
"Are you saying you're going to erase my existence from this world?"
"I have a 50 percent desire to do so, and a 50 percent desire not to, but in fact, even if my heart leans toward the former, there isn't anything I can actually do."
Muse holds up a 'V' sign with a fox-like smile. I felt my throat dry up on its own.
"There are two main reasons. It's very simple, right?"
The clouds blocking the sun scatter, and sunny light covers Muse from across the window. A beautiful girl who boasts a charm as subtle as moonlight under the bright sunlight—if the sun and moon were to collide in the sky and engage in a battle of nerves, I wonder if it would feel like this.
"One is my personal affection for Mate."
Muse glances at Sia and begins to curl her fingers one by one. It was an action to count something in her mind.
"The other is the powerful entities guarding Mate's side."
The reason Muse curled her fingers while looking at Sia was that, to Muse, the existence of Sia Stella was classified as a powerful force.
"Sia Stella and the Saintess Shirai. If it were only one of the two, I might be able to manage, but it's difficult right now."
Sia, whose name was called while I was watching, immediately went into a defensive posture, tucking her hand into her robe. Muse, perhaps feeling that Sia's appearance was adorable, covers her mouth with her hand and lets out a chuckle.
"Sia, what I mean is. If you join me, everything will be solved."
This is a crisis. My intuition is telling me so.
"You like Mate, don't you?"
"...!"
"If you join hands with me and we can keep Mate—who would be left only with Shirai—in check, then everything after that will go smoothly. Everything will go according to my plan."
To be able to spit out such words in front of the person involved—I can't help but click my tongue at Muse's shameless and confident attitude. Muse licks her thumb, which had been stroking the teacup, and this time she looks at Judith and speaks.
"Judith, you want Yuren, don't you? To the extent that you betrayed Mate, who was your spouse in the previous timeline, and met with Yuren in secret."
"..."
"If you become my ally, I will help ensure that Yuren and Shirai never end up together. If the Duke of Moondust joins our forces, there would be no greater gain than this."
The feeling of a sense of crisis creeping up was a domain of unpleasantness that exceeded the limit, to the point where I wouldn't even want to feel it in a dream. The more the two of them agonized, the more my insides burned. Muse's eloquence is a step above mine. If I stay still like this, both of them will be persuaded by Muse's cunning tongue.
"Do you know this? Personally, Sia, you are the one I understand the least."
"It's natural that you don't understand. Because you only think of Sia as a tool for your revolution."
"Why can't you use your terrifying ability—the one that doesn't die even if you die—meaningfully? Bluntly speaking, if you only made up your mind, you could achieve everything you want."
To Sia, who is hesitating and silent, Muse drives a wedge as if she had been waiting for this moment.
"I'll help you. Separating Shirai from Mate..."
"I refuse."
Sia's answer was simple and clear. A firm refusal. Sia's emerald eyes are still directed at the floor.
"No matter what you think of me, I think you are incredibly reckless. I don't understand why you're trying to start a revolution, talking about the imperial throne and whatnot."
"Hmm~."
"Like you said, if I made up my mind, I could achieve everything I want. But I don't want to use my ability in that way."
Sia glanced at me for a very short moment, then looked straight into Muse's eyes and said.
"I want to live normally. I want to achieve my romantic feelings with my own power, not someone else's."
How admirable that sounded—I wanted to pat her head, but it wasn't the atmosphere for that.
"If you have nothing more to say, I'm leaving."
Sia lifts her hips from the chair and stands up. She brushes the dust off her robe, looks at me for a moment, and then takes a stance as if she is hesitating, pursing her lips. She is the girl who honestly confessed her feelings for me before I turned back time. But she remembers my words that I would keep my distance from you all as much as possible, and yesterday, she even unintentionally put a hole in my wrist with an arrow. She must be feeling more complicated than Shirai. She must have a lot to say to me, and I have a lot to say to Sia.
"Sia, do you know that?"
Muse makes a vivid smile with her fox-like gaze.
"The things you said as a rebuttal to me—those are the stories Mate told you when he persuaded you in the previous timeline."
"So what, is there something strange about that?"
"In the previous timeline, you hindered me with all your might along with Mate. You were persuaded by Mate, and you liked Mate."
Sia continues her steps regardless. As if expressing with her whole body that her convictions will never collapse.
"So, by moving only according to Mate's words like that, what have you gained?"
The moment Sia's footsteps, which seemed like they would never stop, suddenly stiffened. I had the illusion that time and space had stopped, just like when the world collapsed after using the Regression Book.
"Mate didn't give you a glance or a chance. The woman Mate had a crush on was always Judith, and he married Judith. Then, has he done anything for you since returning to the past? No, he's shamelessly hanging out only with Shirai. He doesn't even care about you."
"Shut up."
"It wasn't me who used you, it was Mate. I promised you that if you stood on my side, I would help you achieve everything you want, but Mate didn't do anything for you."
Muse approaches Sia, gently grabs her shoulders, and whispers. Just like Professor Cheren grabbed my shoulder and whispered in my ear. Because it was such a small sound, I couldn't hear it with my ears, but I judged that staying still wouldn't do any good, and it was the moment I lifted my hips from the chair and stood up.
Click-
The door, which had been firmly closed since the moment the employee left, slowly opens from the outside. Not the feeling of Judith's neat long hair, but abundant, wavy cherry-blossom-colored hair, a neat posture and attire, and a woman who is closing both eyes and being supported by a female employee.
"I'll introduce you. This is the hidden guest who has been listening to our conversation from the beginning."
Shirai was frozen like a statue with a shocked face.