“Ugh…”
Yohan opened his eyes.
His whole body ached as if it were breaking apart. He could almost believe his bones had been crushed.
‘My condition is a mess.’
His Magical Power circuits were tattered, making it impossible to use magic without sufficient rest. It was inevitable, considering he had used Mana Manipulation to block the explosion.
‘And the headache is no joke.’
His brain screamed. His vision was blurry. It was because he had overexerted himself in the process of the barrier being destroyed and recreated. As a result, his brow and the bridge of his nose felt hot. A nosebleed would soon follow.
“Hoo.”
However, he couldn’t afford to rest leisurely. He needed to quickly announce his return. Yohan slowly raised his body. And calmly looked around.
‘Where is this?’
It was a pure white space where neither sky nor ground existed. He wasn’t even sure if it had an end.
“You’re awake.”
A voice was heard. Yohan turned his head in the direction of the sound. He saw a woman with no expression on her face.
“…Celestial Mage.”
“Call me Hedeia.”
Hedeia slowly rose from her seat. She had been sitting in mid-air, seemingly on a makeshift chair made of Magical Power.
“…Hedeia, so where is this? Did you intentionally bring me here?”
Yohan asked with a prickly tone. The current Hedeia, the Celestial Mage, was merely a lingering thought filled with negativity.
Hedeia slowly began to walk, approaching Yohan.
“Don’t be so wary. Unlike the Hedeia you met, I have a personality.”
Yohan subtly stepped back, narrowing his eyebrows.
“You’re saying you’re the real Hedeia.”
Hedeia chuckled softly and nodded.
“That’s right. The one outside is just a thought-form driven by resentment. Not a person. It would be more accurate to see her as my doppelganger, an illusion imitating me.”
She continued.
“I brought you here. You would have died if you had stayed there. It was a reckless plan. A suicide mission, no less.”
“…..”
“…I don’t know what you’re talking about. According to my calculations, I could have survived.”
“No, you would have died if I hadn’t brought you here.”
Hedeia was firm.
“That magic possesses immense properties of nothingness. No matter how much it’s your own Magical Power, it’s impossible to survive being hit by it head-on.”
Yohan couldn’t understand. He had survived the fight with the Archmage. This time shouldn’t have been any different.
“You have a look of incomprehension on your face. Very well, I’ll explain.”
Hedeia slowly continued.
“You poured out your Magical Power to the limit to eliminate the snow mountain. You had only a minimal amount of Magical Power left. Furthermore, that place was thick with Demonic Energy. Do you understand now?”
In short, he lacked the Magical Power necessary for defense, and the area itself was unfavorable.
“A place thick with Demonic Energy is like a forest filled with poisonous fog. If I hadn’t brought you here, you would have died before the knights found you.”
“…I see.”
Yohan conceded. It was a foolish judgment. He was too hasty, and his calculations weren’t perfect. He should have recognized that the environment was completely different from before.
“Then I’ll ask the reason now. What do you want that you brought me into your mindscape? It can’t be just to save me.”
This place was Hedeia’s mindscape. All the laws were being carried out according to her will. The flow of Magical Power was like that.
“There’s something I want to ask you.”
Hedeia took a deep breath and continued her question.
“Do you really not feel betrayed by Francia Ferbache and Rudbeckia Friché?”
“Not at all.”
“Why? They deceived you.”
She continued.
“Even if you told her to find you, Francia Ferbache imprisoned you for her own selfish desires. Rudbeckia Friché also tried to deceive you. Aren’t you angry about that?”
From another point of view, he could have been angry, but Yohan didn’t care at all. It was a little difficult, but weren’t two beautiful women so fond of him that they even transcended time? If you think about it simply, it was a reward.
“I don’t know. I’m not angry. I rather like it. Things got twisted, but in the end, it all worked out.”
“…I can’t understand.”
Hedeia shook her head as if she couldn’t understand. Her sigh deepened.
“Well, I guess you wouldn’t understand. Your environment was different from mine. It’s only natural that different results would come out. I understand your thoughts.”
She seemed to have come to her own conclusion.
“There’s no reason to talk anymore. Now, go back. Ah, my thought-form naturally disappeared as the Demonic Beast of the snow mountain was removed. It was my negativity that was tied to that place. There will be no one to disturb you anymore.”
Just as Hedeia was about to wave her hand, Yohan hurriedly asked.
“Wait, there’s still something I want to ask.”
“What is it?”
Her hand stopped.
Yohan quickly spoke.
“The crack in the north is particularly severe compared to other places. I suspect that your existence might be the reason for that. Is the creation of Demon Nests related to you?”
This was information that could only be obtained now. He had to ask.
“That’s not it. In the first place, cracks are a law created by the world. They will continue to appear in the future. You can eliminate them, but you can’t stop them.”
Just as there are physical laws, like gravity in the world, cracks are created.
“There’s no way to completely stop the cracks from appearing…”
“That’s right. Even I gave up on understanding the cracks. It was something that couldn’t be done within the realm of humans.”
If even the Celestial Mage couldn’t do it, there was no reason to delve into it any further.
“Are you done asking questions?”
“One more.”
“Speak.”
“…What are you going to do from now on?”
She slowly closed and opened her eyes and said.
“I have existed in this realm from the beginning. And I will continue to do so. Always, as I have done until now, I will simply watch over the world. In order to find the answer I couldn’t reach.”
Hedeia was still regretting the past and searching for her own answer. It would be right to see her as an observer of this world.
“I see.”
“Are you done asking questions?”
“Yes.”
“Then it’s time to part ways.”
Swish.
Hedeia lightly waved her hand. As she drew in the air with her fingers, the space split.
“Yohan, I will watch how your story ends.”
* * *
Yohan came out of Hedeia’s realm.
The place where the explosion occurred was hollowed out in a semicircle, leaving only emptiness without any traces. Mana wasn’t breathing either.
‘So that’s why Hedeia said I wouldn’t survive.’
Judging from the fact that nothing was left, it was much more powerful than when he fought the Archmage. Well, it was only natural since he put in much more effort than before.
“Minister!!”
It was at that moment. A knight’s voice was heard. He turned his head in the direction of the sound. A knight was shouting from the edge of a cliff-like wall.
“I’m fine, so come slowly!”
After that, the knight shouted something, but it couldn’t be heard because the distance was too far.
‘It would be faster for me to go up.’
Yohan calmly loosened his body. His condition wasn’t good yet. Still, Mana Manipulation was possible. With this much, he should be able to go up.
His body slowly floated up. Cold sweat flowed even with simple Mana Manipulation. It was because his brain was soaked in fatigue. But it wasn’t impossible.
He came up. From afar, the knights were rushing over. Judging from the fact that they brought a carriage, they seemed to have vaguely noticed Yohan’s condition.
Soon, the knights arrived, and Francia ran over.
“Yohan!!”
She hugged Yohan tightly, burying her face in his chest. Francia could only feel relieved after hearing the regularly beating heart.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
Yohan stroked Francia’s hair and asked.
“I’m fine. How about you, Yohan?”
“I’m fine too. I received unexpected help.”
Nevertheless, Francia didn’t seem to believe it and examined Yohan’s body with trembling eyes. He was covered in dirt and had rolled in the snow, but there were no wounds.
“That’s a relief, really…”
Francia burrowed further into Yohan’s arms. Yohan smiled lightly and hugged her.
“Now that I’m fine, let’s go back. There’s something to talk about.”
“If you’re talking about something?”
“About Francia crossing time.”
Her eyes slowly widened.
“How did you…”
“I saw Francia’s memories.”
“…..”
At that moment. Francia’s heart pounded violently. Guilt and relief washed over her at the same time.
She was worried that Yohan might hate her. After all, it was the same as deceiving him. Her eyes trembled greatly.
She looked into Yohan’s eyes. Herself reflected in the blue eyes. There was no blame or resentment in them. Francia’s lips trembled.
“The things Francia is worried about won’t happen, so don’t worry. I didn’t feel betrayed or anything like that.”
In the first place, it was he who gave her, who had given up on everything, another chance. It was also he who offered to help.
Francia had simply liked him sincerely.
“So, don’t cry.”
Clear tears flowed down her cheeks. Yohan gently wiped away the tears with his fingertips.
“Everything will be alright.”
And he smiled softly.
Francia swallowed her quickened breath and smiled.
“Yes…”
* * *
Ferbache Territory.
The Demon Nest purification work was temporarily suspended. The mages had used up all their Magical Power by performing joint
magic, and Yohan also needed to recover.
Thus, Yohan, Francia, and Rudbeckia gathered in the drawing room of the inn.
The explanation was briefly finished. From meeting the Celestial Mage in the snow mountain and reading Francia’s memories, to learning the truth.
Yohan said.
“Rudbeckia, first of all, I want to apologize to you.”
“Yes, to me?”
“Yes. For ignoring you, who was my wife, and only thinking about myself.”
It was the wrong thing to do. He only thought about his own feelings while having a family and a family to protect.
“I’m alright? Rather, I think it’s better this way. Because I was able to be truly loved by Yohan. I like it now.”
Rudbeckia smiled awkwardly. She didn’t care at all. Her relationship with Yohan was completely different from before the regression.
“And, Francia.”
“Yes, yes?”
“Thank you for believing in me.”
Yohan smiled softly.
“For not collapsing and coming to find me, and for liking me. I am grateful for everything.”
Francia bit her lip and clenched her fist. Her hands trembled.
“I’m the one who’s grateful… It was my selfishness…”
Clear tears flowed down her cheeks.
Of course, she knew that Yohan would definitely say that. But hearing it directly was another matter. Her heart was overwhelmed. It felt like the guilt that had been building up was relieved at once.
“I told you not to cry.”
Yohan smiled softly and reached out his hand.
The handkerchief in his hand wiped away the tears.
“I am happy to have met Francia, Rudbeckia, and Rudella.”
It was the truth without the slightest lie.
“So, now, let’s only think about living happily. The wedding is soon, too.”
How long had she been waiting for this moment, this answer?
Francia tried to suppress the emotions that were bursting out. She wanted to cry right away, but she had to smile now.
“Okay…!”
She smiled with tears in her eyes.