Chapter 154: The Crossroads (3)
“S-sir, I’ve discovered something new… I-in the d-deeper dungeons, m-magic… can be u-used.”
“······.”
“······.”
Jill and Yerina were momentarily speechless.
Their minds seemed to have been wiped clean, as if they had been reset. They couldn’t think of anything.
They could only feel the lingering traces of pure madness and shock that had washed over them.
Julia looked at Jill and Yerina with eyes filled with anticipation, as if she were a puppy waiting to be praised.
Only after she noticed that their expressions were not particularly pleasant did Julia avert her gaze.
“It is certainly an astonishing discovery, Lord of Petersburg. Could you please explain how it is relevant to us?”
“W-well, I-I’m sorry. I g-got too e-excited and skipped the i-introduction…”
“······.”
Watching Julia clear her throat, Yerina felt like she wanted to run away from this place right now.
What kind of introduction could possibly precede the main topic of using magic in dungeons?
This woman was clearly a madwoman obsessed with her new discovery.
Yerina came to that conclusion and began to rack her brain for an excuse to leave this meeting.
‘Ugh… This crazy woman. I’ll just humor her for a bit and then run away with some excuse.’
And Jill felt the same way.
“T-the reason I’m s-sharing this with you… is b-because we have the s-same s-secret and… g-goal…”
“What do you mean? Surely you’re not talking about investment funds? If you thought that just because Palanaga has a stake in the Petersburg Foundation, we would join you in this insane plan to use magic in dungeons, then you are mistaken. I find it rather offensive. Can we just pretend today never happened?”
“······.”
Yerina, who had no idea what she was talking about, was getting angry instead.
But Jill seemed to have grasped the gist of what she was saying and kept her mouth shut.
Jill and Julia’s eyes met.
They exchanged glances for a moment, ignoring Yerina’s muttering beside them, and simultaneously came to a realization.
‘As I thought. The Saintess also has memories of the previous round.’
‘This person has also regressed.’
Although there were slight differences in the details,
It was the same certainty that they both had memories of the previous round.
Jill had known of Julia’s existence for a long time.
She also knew about her relationship with Eugene, and had been jealous of it, and had once scolded Eugene for it, ruining their relationship.
Ever since she had regained her memories of the previous round, she had been living with one doubt.
The doubt that she was the only one who had regressed.
The only person who had acted differently from the previous round that she had discovered so far was Eugene.
That’s why she had thought that the two of them had regressed together.
“I’m not alone.”
“O-of course not. S-surely… I-I’m not the o-only one who… t-thought I was s-special?”
“······.”
Julia smiled wryly.
Jill cursed inwardly, muttering insults like ‘adulteress’ under her breath.
That meddler had also regressed.
Her calculations were all messed up.
Jill’s gaze, which had been wondering what Eugene saw in that dull and stupid-looking woman, fell on Julia’s chest.
And then, in a moment of realization,
Jill’s thoughts went elsewhere.
“What are you two talking about?”
“······.”
“······.”
Jill and Julia’s gazes turned to Yerina, who still hadn’t caught on to the conversation.
Julia had said that the people gathered here shared the same secret and goal.
If Julia was a regressor, then this blue-haired woman as well…?
Jill’s mouth slowly opened.
A belated realization dawned on her.
A look of astonishment crossed Jill’s face.
“Surely, Lord of the Frost, you have also regressed?!”
“What are you talking about? Regressed?”
“I’m asking if you also came from the future.”
“H-how did you know that…?”
Yerina’s poker face cracked and her pupils darted around.
She had never told anyone about the regression until now.
Only a few of her closest aides knew that she knew about the future.
She had thought that this story would never get out, so she was doubly embarrassed when the Saintess and Julia brought it up right away.”You, you too… Y, you and Eugene, you l, loved each other… I, I shared him with you…”
“How does the Lord of Petersburg know Eugene? Oh, no. Rather than that, how did you both…”
“Well, we’re the same as you.”
“······?!”
A reality that was hard to accept was forced upon her.
This couldn’t be happening.
A series of stories that didn’t feel real.
Yelina felt as if she were having an unpleasant dream.
If what they said was true, then they too had returned to the past from a future where they had shared love with Eugene.
But that couldn’t be.
Eugene only looked at her and loved her.
His devotion was famous, so in Palana, there were those who insulted his status, but no one insulted his character and integrity, saying that he was not fit to be the Lord of Frost.
To anyone, it was a natural match and pure love.
Even those who looked down on the love between a commoner and a lord acknowledged its sincerity.
The day she was engaged to Eugene.
Yelina had returned, and in the past she had returned to, Eugene had not come looking for her.
She was aware that something had changed in Eugene’s past.
But what did these women who didn’t care have to do with it?
These women who had nothing to do with Eugene, they shared love with Eugene?
She didn’t understand what they were talking about at all.
“Ha! I understand. I understand that we all returned… But Eugene, what? Tell me again.”
“W, we three, all three… Y, you and Eugene… W, we shared love and p, promised a future t, together…”
“I hate to admit it, but I think the same as the Lord of Petersburg. Haa. I expected Petersburg to some extent, but I never thought you would have seduced the Lord of Frost…”
“······.”
Yelina glared at them threateningly.
But Julia and Jill didn’t flinch and answered calmly.
The answer that Yelina was most afraid to hear came pouring out of their mouths.
Reality became distorted.
Eugene’s past actions, which she had believed to be devoted, or rather, which she had wanted to believe were devoted, flashed through Yelina’s mind one by one.
She had not forgotten any of it.
The time Eugene stayed in Hameln for another day, saying that his business negotiations had increased.
The time he suddenly visited Petersburg because of a copyright dispute.
The time he traveled back and forth between Hameln and Petersburg, saying that he had something else to discuss.
At the time, neither the surveillance nor the informants had been able to find any evidence, so they had only been considered as possible targets.
Jill and Julia were standing before her.
Both of them confessed that they had committed adultery with Eugene.
······Adultery.
At least in Yelina’s mind, it was adultery.
Yelina finally couldn’t take it anymore, and she shouted, her face turning pale.
“Y, you thieving cats…!”
“Haa. I heard that the Lord of Frost had a bad case of delusions. I guess it’s true.”
“What?! Did I hear you correctly, Saintess?”
“Do you think you’ll hear anything good if you go around calling people thieving cats? You’re really funny.”
“Jill Diner…!”
Jill revealed her true colors and sneered.
Yelina lost her words at this, and sighed in disbelief.
In a short period of time, she had been hit with too many big and shocking events.
She was hearing something that sounded like Eugene, who was a natural match, had cheated on her.
The Saintess had taken off her angelic mask and was cursing.
Yelina desperately wished that if this was a dream, she would wake up soon.
“Evidence! Show me the evidence! You’re trying to trick me, it’s ridiculous! The only person Eugene loves is me! Until you both show clear evidence, I can’t believe anything you say about returning or loving Eugene!”
“Haa······. Is this how it’s going to be? It seems like you’re very confused because your own reality, which you’ve built up with delusions, is crumbling. Then I’ll give you a stimulant so you can wake up from your sweet dream. Listen carefully…”
Yelina was still crying and whining, unable to accept reality.
Jill felt a little sorry for Yelina, so she sighed and decided to help Yelina get out of her delusions.
Soon, Jill and Julia began to pour Yelina’s special stimulant.
Evidence of the return was the priority.
Information that could not be known unless they had come from the future was constantly coming out of Jill and Julia’s mouths.
Secrets that were worth a fortune in the shadows were being exchanged like worthless pebbles between these three people.
Next was the evidence that they had shared love with Eugene.Eugene’s personality and speech.
And physical characteristics or habits.
Specifically, he likes to wrap his arms around the back of your head when he kisses you, or he likes to twirl your hair with his fingers······.
In the midst of a feast of information that generally matched, Yerina felt dizzy.
The sky was falling and reality was crumbling.
That day, Yerina’s world collapsed.
“aaa······. No······. No······. Don’t do this to me, please······. Tell me it’s a lie······.”
“Was it too much?”
“To the F, Frost Lord, I t, told you a l, little bit······.”
“But don’t you think there’s a slight discrepancy? The Eugene I know and the Eugene the Lord knows seem to be slightly different······.”
“I, I felt that way too.”
“Let’s compare more specifically to make sure.”
Leaving Yerina, who was lying down and crying.
Jill and Julia began to compare closely, each revealing the future they had experienced.
And the result.
The two people discovered that the future they had experienced was completely different, except for Eugene’s existence.
“This can’t be······. I’m leading the Holy Knights and invading Petersburg? That can’t be······.”
“T, there’s n, not a s, single match······. Oh, earlier this year······. E, Eugene was definitely with me······. A, according to the S, Saintess, you’ve never been s, separated for at least a month as the S, Saintess’s escort······.”
“Keugh. In the future I was in, Eugene spent more than half of the year with me. So all the futures you saw are nonsense. It’s a delusion.”
The Frost Lord added, sobbing.
Julia and Jill were able to gain another conviction.
We did not come from the same future.
“Regression wasn’t just once······.”
“Yes, yes······. Oh, maybe w, we didn’t do the r, regression······. E, Eugene did······. W, we’re from the previous round······. W, we remembered······.”
“······.”
Jill closed her eyes tightly.
Until now, I firmly believed that I was the one who had regressed.
In fact, I was shocked to learn that I was just one of the countless ‘me’s’ that Eugene had gone through.
I just wanted to lie down and cry like Yerina right now.
‘What number was I······. No, rather, how many times has Eugene regressed······.’
A slightly resentful heart.
Immediately after that, I felt a great deal of concern for Eugene.
If it was a one-time regression, I might have been angry with Eugene.
But at least three times, maybe ten or twenty or even hundreds of times.
At least it was clear that Eugene had regressed enough to significantly change his personality and habits.
What on earth did Eugene suffer for?
Why on earth······.
With what kind of heart did he face his lover, who had lost his memory and was like a stranger?
I felt like crying when I thought about it.
I didn’t understand Eugene’s feelings at all.
It wasn’t something a person could do with a sound mind.
My heart felt like it was being torn apart, but I thought Eugene had gone through something even worse than this several times, and it hurt even more.
“E, everyone······ D, do you c, confirm that we all s, share the same s, secret and g, goal······?”
“Sob, haa. I know the secret, witch. But what about the purpose? How can our purpose be the same?”
“O, our purpose is E, Eugene’s happiness······. Isn’t it······?”
“······.”
Yerina’s mouth closed.
Eugene’s happiness.
Yerina couldn’t say anything, her heart pierced by those two words.
Until now, I had been chasing Eugene, not for Eugene’s sake.
Inwardly, I rationalized that Eugene loved me and that being by my side was a happy life, but now it was time to come back to reality.
It was all for my own satisfaction.
From Noble mtl dot com
It was a selfish love for me alone.
Yerina, who realized that, collapsed and fell into a chair.
“As you all know, E, Eugene is c, clearing the d, dungeon······. A, always c, confronting something in the o, other world c, connected to the d, dungeon······. B, but the d, dungeon is v, very d, dangerous. A, as far as I know, Eugene has a, already a, almost l, lost his life in the d, dungeon once······. T, that’s why I’m t, telling you the m, method I f, found······. A w, way to w, weaken the d, dungeon by c, casting a s, spell on the d, dungeon······. This w, way, I c, can h, help Eugene······.””But why are you telling us this, Your Grace? It seems that you knew that the three of us had received Eugene’s love long ago, and you also knew how to help Eugene… In that case, wouldn’t it have been a more rational choice to help Eugene on your own and win his favor? Something smells fishy.”
“I agree with the Saintess’s opinion. What are your real intentions? Why are you just doing us a favor-“
“Hey…!”
While Jill and Yerina’s questions continued.
Julia slammed the desk and shouted loudly.
It was the loudest sound Julia had ever made, who had been speaking in a timid voice all along.
At this, Jill and Yerina’s gazes turned to her at the same time.
“I, I told you… to help E, Eugene! I, I know! If I know it alone, I can m, monopolize E, Eugene… B, but the more magic and m, mana I mobilize, the more E, Eugene will be… s, safe! That’s why I called you… I’m telling you this at the expense of my own loss, for E, Eugene’s happiness… You both only know y, yourselves! How c, can you be so selfish…!”
“······.”
“······.”
Julia bursts into tears.
In front of her, Jill and Yerina felt their excitement subside.
They felt themselves shrinking infinitely.
They felt a wave of shame wash over them.
Hmm…