“Polygamy…?”
Rudbeckia blinked as she looked at Francia. Polygamy? Yohan? She couldn’t believe it. Just how much had the future changed for him to end up in a polygamous marriage?
Of course, polygamy wasn’t common, but it wasn’t exactly strange either. It often involved matters of family succession, securing heirs, power, and economic reasons.
Rudbeckia blinked absentmindedly.
She had considered many possible reasons why the empire’s second duke, who had even gained Ferbache’s blessing, would choose polygamy. But in the end, all conclusions led to a single answer.
Because Yohan wanted it.
That, too, made no sense. Yohan was never the type to be interested in women.
“…Why is Yohan in a polygamous marriage?”
So she asked. Her green eyes stared intently at Francia, waiting for an explanation.
“…There were circumstances. I’ll tell you when I get the chance.”
Francia gave a bitter smile and continued.
“Anyway, what I want to say is that you still have a chance. But you have to do it with your own strength. Of course, I’ll help, but in the end, you need to win Yohan’s heart yourself.”
Yohan wasn’t an object. His feelings weren’t something that could be exchanged like a transaction.
Just because there was an opportunity, just because she was being offered help, didn’t mean she could win his heart.
“…What are you thinking?”
“What do you mean?”
“Weren’t you trying to keep me away from Yohan?”
That was what puzzled Rudbeckia. Why had Francia changed her stance? Just moments ago, she had been filled with ridicule and hostility, trying to push Rudbeckia away.
“…As you know, I’m not exactly innocent either.”
Objectively speaking, Francia was a ‘villainess.’ She was well aware of that fact.
That was why she had decided to accept Rudbeckia. Part of it was sympathy—seeing how desperately she searched for Yohan. But more than that, it was the guilt weighing on her.
“….”
Rudbeckia remained silent, observing Francia’s reaction. Her crimson eyes trembled slightly, but she didn’t avert her gaze. It didn’t seem like she was lying.
Rudbeckia hardened her expression and nodded.
“If there’s a chance, I have to take it. I can’t live without Yohan.”
There was no reason to give up. After all, the very reason she had returned was to see Yohan again.
Francia used healing magic to soothe the swelling on Rudbeckia’s cheek and spoke.
“Then get up. We need to move.”
The coffeehouse where they had fought was in complete disarray. Tables were overturned, teaware lay scattered, and shards of glass glistened across the floor.
“…Alright.”
“Get ready. We’re going to the Ferbache imperial estate.”
Once Francia confirmed that Rudbeckia’s cheek had healed, she walked over to the counter and spoke to the shopkeeper.
“Apologies for the commotion.”
“N-No, it’s alright…”
“This is a token of apology. I hope you’ll accept it.”
Francia placed three coins on the counter.
“T-This is…!”
Platinum coins.
It was a currency used only by the great noble families, so well-known that anyone who saw it would recognize its value. Just a single coin was enough to live without working for two years.
And she had given away three of them?
“Th-Thank you…!”
“There’s no need to bow so deeply.”
With her delicate hand, Francia slowly dusted off her dress and then spoke to the shopkeeper.
“If anyone questions this, just mention my name.”
“Your name is…?”
“Francia Ferbache.”
“A…!”
The shopkeeper immediately bowed repeatedly in gratitude.
“Thank you so much…!”
“It’s nothing. I apologize for causing a disturbance.”
Having finished her business, Francia turned back to where Rudbeckia was sitting and looked at her.
“Let’s go. This is going to be a long conversation.”
* * *
The two of them arrived at the Ferbache imperial estate.
Though Francia no longer visited this mansion since the construction of the Lahart imperial residence, the head butler and servants continued to maintain it, so nothing had changed.
Thus, in the reception room….
Francia and Rudbeckia sat across from each other.
“…So.”
Rudbeckia set down her teacup and looked into Francia’s crimson eyes.
“How exactly are you planning to help me?”
“To be honest, my help won’t be much.”
Her calm voice continued.
“At most, I’ll turn a blind eye so that Yohan can accept you without hesitation.”
In the end, accepting Rudbeckia was entirely Yohan’s decision. Francia couldn’t force his choice, nor did she want to.
“You have to win Yohan’s heart on your own.”
At those words, Rudbeckia frowned and asked,
“Why don’t I just tell him I’ve regressed?”
“That wouldn’t work. Didn’t you read the celestial mage’s warning?”
“I was too busy deciphering the regression formula. I didn’t have time to read that…”
As Rudbeckia averted her gaze and trailed off, Francia let out a sigh and continued.
“The warning in the celestial magic tome specifically states that you must never reveal to others that you’ve regressed. I don’t know why, but that’s what it says.”
The warning, written in red rune letters in the regression spellbook, wasn’t just a recommendation it was an absolute rule that had to be followed.
“It doesn’t matter for us since we both broke causality together, but Yohan in this timeline has no knowledge of regression magic. If you tell him, who knows what might happen?”
Of course, this restriction didn’t apply to Francia and Rudbeckia, who had both regressed and arrived in the same timeline.
“But there’s something I want to ask.”
“….What is it?”
“How did you regress? There’s no way you did it alone. Did you have help?”
It was a question that had been on her mind for a while.
She could accept that Rudbeckia had deciphered the rune script after all, she was a first-class mage.
But where had she obtained the immense amount of mana required to activate regression magic?
“…I didn’t have a helper.”
Rudbeckia let out a small breath before continuing.
“I interpreted the rune letters based on what Yohan taught me before and my own studies. It was manageable compared to other magic books, though still difficult.”
Francia, who had remained silent, quietly listened to her words.
“And as for the magic power… I used the corpse of the Tower Master that had been left abandoned in the archive. His magic had seeped into the mana of the archive.”
Francia’s eyes widened.
“…The Tower Master was dead? That Rain Adriche?”
Rain Adriche.
The master of the magic tower founded by the Celestial Mage, and the strongest transcendent mage on the continent.
The fact that he was dead was unbelievable.
“What happened?”
Rudbeckia furrowed her brows.
“You don’t know? That whole mess happened because of you.”
“…I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened after I left.”
When Francia lowered her head and apologized, Rudbeckia let out a sigh before continuing.
“The world believes that Yohan and those four men vanished without a trace on the same day. But I know the truth—I saw the Celestial Mage’s archive.”
She went on.
“The archive was completely destroyed. Yohan was dead… and those four men were brutally killed as well.”
Sadness filled Rudbeckia’s eyes. The image of Yohan’s cold, lifeless body still lingered in her mind. At the time, the shock had been so overwhelming that she had lost consciousness.
She struggled to continue.
“…Judging from the traces left behind, it seems that a great battle took place after Yohan died and you disappeared.”
“An internal conflict.”
There was no other way those four men could have died simultaneously. After all, they had reached at least the highest rank of magic.
“And what do you think happened after that? The world completely fell apart. Mages ran rampant, and demonic beasts flooded the land.”
Survivors still remained, but they were merely living on borrowed time. There was no way anyone could endure in that hellish, apocalyptic world.
“This is the world after you returned to the past.”
With that, Rudbeckia quietly picked up her teacup. Wisps of white steam rose in front of her face.
“My god…”
Francia let out a heavy sigh and clenched her fists. As she expected, Yohan had been murdered by them for her sake, to protect her, to send her back to the past…
“Now, I’d like to hear your side of the story.”
Rudbeckia narrowed her eyes and gazed at Francia.
“…It’s a long story.”
Francia finally opened her mouth to speak.
* * *
After the banquet ended, a few days passed.
Yohan went to work at the Purification Bureau as usual.
Now, he had to head west to the Empire’s demon lairs to seal them. Since the reinforcements from the Holy Nation had already returned, he needed to be even more thorough in his preparations.
In the process, he also had to form an elite unit within the Purification Bureau, consisting of members ranked first class or higher.
As such, Yohan sat in his office, sipping the tea his aide, Elena, had brought him while reviewing documents.
“Eris, you’ll be leading the elite unit.”
“…Me, sir?”
“Yes.”
Eris was a rare special-grade knight within the Purification Bureau. A former inspector, she possessed exceptional martial prowess. There was no one more suited for the role than her.
“I trust you with this responsibility. You are the knight I rely on the most in the Bureau.”
“Y-Yes…!”
When Yohan gave a small smile, Eris averted her gaze and hastily responded. Her complexion was pale as snow, yet the tips of her ears flushed red.
“I’ll send you a list of candidates, so for now, just rest. There’s nothing urgent to do at the moment.”
“…Understood.”
Though Eris felt an inexplicable sense of disappointment, she couldn’t come up with a reason to linger in the office any longer.
“…Please call on me anytime.”
Bowing deeply, Eris exited the office without making a sound.
Click.
The door closed, and Yohan resumed flipping through the documents, skimming over the personnel files. Some names were familiar, while others exceeded his expectations.
‘They all seem promising.’
Most were first-class warriors, well-qualified to join the elite unit.
Among them were also new applicants hoping to enter the Purification Bureau.
‘Let’s take a closer look.’
One by one, Yohan reviewed the files of the warriors and applicants seeking to join the elite unit. His eyes swiftly scanned the pages as he sorted through potential candidates.
After roughly narrowing down the list, Yohan leaned back for a moment. His eyes were strained.
‘Even if their rank isn’t high, I need individuals who can contribute in various ways.’
He rubbed his forehead with one hand. Though he received assistance from administrative officers, the newly established Purification Bureau was still suffering from a manpower shortage. As a result, Yohan had to handle a heavy workload himself.
His aide, Elena, helped him in many ways, yet there was still too much to do.
‘If only someone skilled in both combat and administration would show up. Even if they were just first-class, that would be enough.’
‘Hmm?’
His gaze stopped on a particular name.
An individual with an impressive background and outstanding abilities someone who could serve as his closest aide.
[Rudbeckia Friché]
For some reason, he couldn’t take his eyes off the name.