The ball at the Blueport Ducal mansion finally ends.
Before the carriage to return to the Pesteros mansion departed, the two people in the carriage, Hikan and Dalia, said nothing to each other. It had been like this all along.
From time to time, Hikan looked at Dalia. Dalia knew it was something that needed to be solved, but she felt more awkward to say it.
It will be hard to see him at home for a while because of the person they caught this time.
Besides, she had something to talk about with Lewayne before the end of the day. To do that, she has to send Hikan first, and then he’ll definitely misunderstand.
Dalia, who knew of Hikan’s personality of digging secretly, did not want to let him get hurt for nothing.
“……Dalia.”
Hikan called her in a low voice.
Now is the time.
Eventually, Dalia mustered up the courage. She lifted her head, looked straight at Hikan, and said in a trembling voice.
“B, b, b, brother!”
Then, she gently hugged his neck.
“I was wrong. Please don’t be angry!”
Dalia, who had loosened her arms, quickly opened the door and got out of the carriage quickly before it left.
“I’ll be back after seeing Mr. Lewayne for a moment! Brother can go back first!”
Hikan was staring at Dalia with a blank expression.
He didn’t catch her.
Thinking this was her chance, she waved at him and quickly ran to the Blueport mansion.
She heard the voice of the coachman panicking behind her.
“D, Duke! Are you crying?”
“……Shut up.”
‘I must have heard it wrong, right?’
Dalia ran to the Blueport Mansion while trying to look away.
Then, she gasped and said to the butler of the Blueport Mansion who came out to meet her in surprise.
“Please call His Excellency Duke Blueport.”
Dalia had a thought after going through the Kelsion incident.
‘It’s really coming to an end.’
According to the route shown by Lewayne, if they pass this event safely, all the flags of the original work, in other words, the chain of causality of all the events he fixed, will be cut off.
From then on, this world will be able to move freely in the direction it should go again.
In a way that makes everyone happy.
“…….”
Dalia clenched her fist.
The final event. That gave Dalia a hint.
‘Before Aceras comes to this Empire, I need to talk to Mr. Lewayne.’
Without his cooperation, Dalia will lose someone dear to her. She didn’t want to feel that way again.
* * *
Even though she showed up again without a word, Lewayne wasn’t taken aback at all. He was rather pleased.
“You’re no longer mad at me now?”
Dalia immediately shook her head.
“Don’t ever say anything about me being your daughter again.”
Lewayne became sullen again.
He brought all kinds of fruits and cakes for Dalia this time too. Dalia chewed on some fruits she was now familiar with.
Lewayne, who was staring at her without any expression, said.
“So what’s going on today? Is there anything else you’re curious about?”
“……Duke.”
“Yes.”
“You said it before. The only one who couldn’t get off the route was Aceras.”
“That’s right.”
“Then you must have seen from a different timeline on how to stop him in the final Aceras route, right?”
Lewayne’s eyes sank deeply. As if he was immersed under his consciousness with his eyes open.
Dalia said without stopping.
“At the end of the Aceras route you showed me, it was not clear why the war broke out. Kelsion called it the ‘holy power bombardment’. Duke knows how to stop it, don’t you?”
“…….”
“Tell me how to stop him.”
Lewayne was staring at Dalia with a calm look, to the point she could not read any emotions. She confronted him head on without avoiding his gaze.
Back then, Dalia remembered Lewayne telling her to save Aceras.
Dalia also agonized a lot after that. But…..she couldn’t. There were too many more important people.
“Duke, Aceras tried to kidnap me twice. He’s still aiming for me now. The situation is bad, which is not a reason for me to help him.”
This could never be conceded.
Dalia was not worried about Aceras at all.
However, Dalia had no intention of bearing any burden on Aceras’s fate. Even if Lewayne had called her to save everyone, she never agreed to that. No matter how much Lewayne tries to persuade her, it will be useless.
She looked at him with determination.
“……Then I can’t help you.”
“…….”
Dalia was discouraged by the fast rejection.
Lewayne slipped her more of the tropical fruit plate she was dipping in.
“It’s a bribe. Will this not do?”
“No.”
“…….”
Lewayne’s shoulders drooped.’’
After a while he continued.
“If it’s my daughter’s will, I will accept it.”
Although he looked at Dalia pitifully, as if to stimulate her sympathy, she ignored it.
‘I’m not his daughter in the first place…….’
Dalia hesitated whether or not to tell him this matter before opening her mouth.
“Well, I can’t even save Aceras anyway.”
“May I ask why?”
“My ability is influenced by the feelings I have toward the other person. It doesn’t work on people I don’t like.”
“…… Is that so.”
Lewayne replied one beat slower. For a moment, an inexplicable sorrow passed over his face.
“Then it would be useless. In the end, the ending without sacrifice…….”
He stopped talking halfway through and closed his eyes as if he was exhausted.
Dalia was flustered because she didn’t know what it meant. She looked at him and said cautiously.
“But Duke is fine. If Duke needs purification…….”
“I appreciate the favor, but my soul is so worn out that it can no longer be corrupted. Rather than that, please call me father.”
Dalia cleared her throat. It meant an outright refusal.
Then Lewayne continued to talk again.
“I understand what my daughter is thinking. As you said, the plan that Aceras is making has never gone further in several episodes. This is always the last time.”
Dalia’s eyes twinkled. She knew about it, but getting confirmation was different.
“As you might expect, I’m reading all of his fixed behavior patterns through countless iterations of regression.
It’s a little different this time. Since you appeared, his target became you, not Yustia. I can’t predict each and every change in his behavior. It will become increasingly difficult.
But there are definitely patterns that didn’t change.”
“……What is it?”
“I can’t tell you.”
Unexpectedly, a denial came back. Dalia looked at him in surprise.
Lewayne said calmly.
“Miss Dalia, as I told you before. I can’t use the information I learned from my past regressions in this world.”
“…….”
“The more I do, the more people in this world will be aware of the existence of repeated lives.”
“……No way, could it be that other people will be corrupted as they were before once they regain their past memories?”
“It won’t be. Miss Dalia has already saved their souls. Now their event ends there.”
“Then why……?”
Dalia asked hesitantly.
“If Duke doesn’t help, this event might become one of the many regressions that you have seen.”
Dalia did not know how Aceras’ holy power terror would take place. Because that part doesn’t appear in the original story.
It was only Lewayne who knew that.
If he did not help Dalia, she was not certain whether everyone could join forces to stop Aceras.
Lewayne didn’t answer. Dalia’s heart tightened with anxiety. She spoke in a low voice.
“I know what you are afraid of. Are you afraid that people will blame you?”
“…….”
“I’m scared, too. I’m afraid everyone will be disappointed in me if they know that I’m from another world.”
Lewayne raised his head and looked at Dalia with eyes that still can’t be read. She spoke with trembling lips.
“But I will still tell them. Because they’re precious people. Even if they are disappointed in me, I will protect you.”
Lewayne was silent for a while.
He seemed to be tracing a time in the distant past.
After that, he said.
“Actually……the happy ending where everyone knows nothing is my greed.”
Dalia grasped her skirt.
Lewayne said calmly.
“Miss Dalia, you are wrong. I am no longer afraid of people’s criticism. I’ve forgotten those feelings before.”
“…….”
“Perhaps the fact that I keep keeping my mouth shut is an inertia that I have repeated countless times.”
Lewayne rose from his seat and walked over to the sofa where Dalia was and kneeled down.
He stopped Dalia who was trying to get up in panic.
“Miss Dalia Pesteros, now the only thing precious to me in my world is you, whom I have chosen myself. How could I refuse your request?”
“…….”
“I hesitated until the end because I was too greedy. But if you really want to stop Aceras……I will accept your will.”
Lewayne said that and gestured for the back of Dalia’s hand. And when Dalia reached out her hand, he kissed it briefly. Like a knight’s oath.
“Now I will stop Aceras for you. And I will tell you everything I know.”
Dalia could not comprehend all of his thoughts, but she knew for certain that there was a huge wave running within him.
Translator Note: Very late update..not feeling these past few days haaa
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