71 Chapter 71: Belated Realization

"Tired?"

"Yeah…"

After arriving at the familia home, Hephaestus-sama greeted the three of us. Filvis and Ein aren't in the state to continue this night. It left me and Hephaestus-sama alone in her office.

I drank a glass of water in one go. The ice cubes made a clanking sound. It sounded refreshing for someone tired like me.

"Never had I thought that dealing with Dionysus would be this tiring."

"It is how emotional entanglements work with humans."

"True."

Hephaestus-sama's words reminded me of her actual age. She's far older than Lord Nettesheim who lived for a thousand years.

"About his execution… Artemis would take that on?"

"Yes." I replied. "She insisted on executing Dionysus by herself."

I recalled Lady Artemis' terrifying expression at that time. That was the only time I saw her out for blood. However, it was not surprising after a second thought.

Lady Artemis and Hephaestus-sama know what Dionysus did to me—I told them that. While I have a slight regret about telling that, I assumed it would be better for them to know. We already reached a point where we don't hide anything from each other.

"If it's her… I'll leave it to that."

Somehow, Hephaestus-sama looked 'regretful'?

Does she also want to..?

"Loki-sama told us we could visit him. They'll take a few days before their execution. They've done it to control the aftermath and to see if they spill more information."

"Indeed, Loki is good at that kind of thing."

Soon, our conversation about it ended. We decided on visiting Dionysus and Thanatos one last time before their 'execution'.

"Should we update your status?" She asked.

"Okay."

As usual, I removed my top and revealed my back. I sat facing the back of the chair.

"Huh..? Did you grow taller?"

Suddenly, she asked that.

"Taller? Maybe. I haven't checked it much."

I didn't care much about my height. If I'm small, it would be an advantage. If I grew taller, it could give me greater reach. I'm fine with either way.

Nevertheless, I am certain I would grow tall in the future.

In every future I saw, I grew around 175 centimeters. That was already tall by Japan's standards. It must've been brought by the body training in the earlier days.

While falna doesn't directly affect the body, it might be able to induce growth. Perhaps it decided it'd be best for my body to grow up.

"You also… Nevermind."

Hephaestus-sama's voice cracked for a moment. I am not facing her. I didn't see her expression.

I felt her touch on my back. She drew the familia emblem using her blood. It unlocked my falna and made status updates possible.

Instead of pulling the 'virtual' status up, I waited for Hephaestus-sama's sheet of paper. It is kind of a special act done by us.

[Level 3]

Strength: D534 > SSS1588 Defense: D504 > SSS1589 Dexterity: D536 > SSS1592 Agility: D527 > SSS1599 Magic: D556 > SSS1599

Hacker: F Ubiquitous: H > F

<<Magic>>

[Orionids]

[Memoir Manifest]

<<Skills>>

[Miracle Maker]

[Child of Constellations]

[Proof of Combat (E)] (10% to be upgraded)

[Curse Hunter]

"Another big increase… You faced danger again?"

"...Yes."

I revealed the cursed spirit's appearance to Hephaestus-sama.

"It's a sudden appearance. I didn't expect Gekai would also have them…"

"...It's strange."

"Lady Artemis said the same thing."

When I faced her, I saw she was perplexed by it. Both of them know about cursed spirits due to my stories. However, they believed Gekai doesn't have them.

"She mentioned it was her first time hearing it…"

"As expected…" Hephaestus-sama muttered. "They are not discovered in this world yet, Nobu-kun. If they appeared, Gekai might be facing the same thing as your world."

"Twilight Syndrome."

My expression turned serious. Our world faced the same problem. I know too well how destructive it could be. We have as far as seven possible Level Ten at the very least—even, they could be above that.

Satoru-san and Lord Nettesheim stand atop them all. Yet, these personages had many troubles due to Twilight Syndrome.

Gekai is also facing the threat of One-eyed Black Dragon. If the problems stack, it could very well cause the end of this world.

Suddenly, I caught onto a vague thought.

"Only now…"

Is it possible that I caused this?

Traveling between worlds is something without much study about it. Suimei has the greatest knowledge regarding it. I shelved the thought of studying other worlds since it could very well lead to a gamble.

It would be fine if the people of that world are willing to help us. If they chose to be hostile, however, it'd pose a significant threat.

I haven't met Louise-san and Kaito-san back in those iterations, too. It indirectly proved that my cheat allows me to see the 'cracks' caused by world travel. Since I didn't have my cheat in those iterations, I couldn't see them—hence I haven't met them and discovered the usability of Suimei's World Transfer Spell and Louise-san's Dimensional Gate.

If I brought the curses with me…

I forcibly stopped the pessimistic thoughts. I would only burden myself with these worries.

I will discover the answer in the future.

I shifted my focus to the new skill I gained.

[Curse Hunter]

-Increases status against curses

-Increases status against demons

-Improvements scale with the target/s strength

Yet again, I gained an absurd skill. If I successfully return from here, I could face the Special-grade curses directly. I have finally stepped onto this level…

I would become stronger as long as I steadily increase my status.

"These battles went well regardless of those hiccups. Perhaps I could level up in a few days."

"You'll rewrite Orario's records again." She mused. "I won't be surprised if you become as famous as those great heroes one day."

Argonaut.

Mercenary King.

These are the two figures that once shook this world. They are the equivalent of an era's heroes that changed Gekai's history.

Mercenary King cleaned up berserk monsters and kept the bastions of humanity safe.

Argonaut ignited the zeals of the entire humanity and gave them hope—that everyone could be a hero.

They are similar to Lord Nettesheim who nurtured the future generation singlehandedly, and Tengen-sama who sacrificed herself to converge most of the world's 'evil' to her barrier.

"Hephaestus-sama thinks too much. I might not be able to do that."

"We'll see in the future."

I dare not to be complacent. While I won't live my entire life as if I were in a warzone, I shouldn't be too complacent. I admit, I have the means to become someone like them. My magic system alone, the 'Akasaka System', could subtly integrate myths and physical laws. Magicians of my world could interact with science even if it's not to the same degree as mine. It could lead to a new age of magic era ushering forth.

In case something happens to me, Miku could publish those findings through Kazamitsu-san.

I won't downplay my contributions, but I won't inflate it too much. My original goal have been to give myself and the ones I care about a better life.

We talked a bit more before Hephaestus-sama told me to rest.

Coincidentally, I saw someone running at my direction.

"Good morning, Haruhime-san."

"Akasaka-san..! Why… Why did you do that?"

She wore a look of helplessness. Her slightly reddened eyes showed how her sleep was interrupted at 4 AM.

"I wouldn't bring someone actively to such danger. There are too many variables that could pose a threat to you."

"Even so…"

"I said it before. I will help Haruhime-san regardless of cost."

Haruhime-san is willing to go to Knossos with me—she brought this up last night. I gave her a sound refusal. I am not the type of person to place someone actively in danger. She also hasn't faced much danger. It's like placing a civilian in a warzone.

Tonight, she insisted on joining the operation. What I did was place a sleep spell on her.

"..."

Haruhime-san looked downcast. I have a guess as to what was running on her mind. Still, I don't regret my decision. Sending Haruhime-san to grave danger would contradict my beliefs.

"I see… Akasaka-san… Never mind. Have a good night."

"Good night, Haruhime-san."

*****

Haruhime stared silently at the door. Complex feelings ran in her mind.

'Akasaka-san…'

One side of hers doesn't want to disrespect his ideals. Nobu saved her without asking for anything. Her gratitude made her respect him as her savior.

However, it is her gratitude that made things complicated. She wanted to help him, but he didn't want her to go head-on to danger. She hasn't found any way to help him besides the house chores.

After missing the entire operation, Haruhime doesn't know what to do.

As for offering her body, it left as soon as it came to her mind. Nobu is a respectable person who doesn't prefer those things. Although she hadn't been sent to the brothels, she'd seen others from her familia doing that thing.

While she was educated as a young miss of a noble clan, it was not completed. She came to her own conclusions after observing them for a while.

"What should I do..?"

*****

A shield.

It stood tall on the field. The grass swayed in the direction of the wind. The refreshing scent was caught by my nose.

The next moment, my surroundings changed to a room. The walls are made of gray bricks. The room held a solemn atmosphere. My eyes found its source—an item housed by a pedestal.

It looked out of this world.

Upon further analysis, I found the item's nature.

"A golden cup… No, this solemn feeling…"

It reminded me of the anti-curse magic—one based on the Abrahamic God. Golden cup… holy…

"Holy grail..?"

The famed item in Europe—the grail once drunk from by Christ. It is said to grant immortality to those who drink from it. It came from the Arthurian Legends written in history.

The surroundings changed to the grasslands once more.

"..!"

A man stood a few distance away from the shield I saw earlier.

"What..?"

He looks exactly like me—a perfect carbon copy. However, he possessed a different aura than mine. It is otherworldly in the sense that it felt incongruent—inhuman, even.

The man wore black armor draped with purple cloth. A longsword hung sheathed to his waist.

Am I dreaming again?

"—"

The man tried to say something based on his face but it came off as silence. I couldn't hear his voice as if I became deaf. I couldn't read the movements of his lips, either.

I was about to ask something when dozens of memories kicked in. They barged into my mind all of a sudden.

All of those memories… rather, my dreams involved a meeting with this man. They are all the dreams I couldn't remember..!

"What is going on?"

I concisely pinpointed the concern.

Unfortunately, silence prevailed over my words—

"...fate… caution… protect…"

—or not.

After saying these words, I woke up.

I heaved a deep breath. My heart continued beating in a fast manner. I controlled my breathing rhythm and calmed it down.

"What… was that..?"

I brought up my memories of this dream, only to find out I couldn't remember many things about it. Except for the man and his three words, I couldn't remember anything else.

This time, I knew it was strange. I didn't brush it off as a mere dream but something else.

"Was it an alter ego? Or was he similar to my ideal self?"

I swiftly rejected the second notion. I could still feel a part of myself on the 'Nobu' who warned me about Dionysus. But, that man is completely different.

I couldn't see a part of myself in him. His otherworldly aura made him similar to the Saints written in the scriptures.

"Fate, caution, protect."

It was the three words he uttered before the dream ended. Do they pose a significant meaning?

If that man has a purpose, those words has a meaning.

Still…

"What are they supposed to mean?"

I know how to analyze languages, but I am not as good as professional linguists. The intent and gesture has to be there. The man didn't have the gesture due to his lips being blurred. His face remained reticent throughout the conversation.

"Protect."

Fortunately, he left this word. If it means 'protect' it usually involves fending 'something' adverse in nature.

"Caution… Fate… To be cautious of fate and protect something or someone?"

Glancing at the sunlight by the window, I realized it is already late in the afternoon.

"I'll analyze this in-depth later."

*****

A paradise.

It is an unsullied land devoid of the presence of mortals. Flowers bloomed and the waters remained clean. Red apples grew on the trees without falling.

In such a detached place, there lived a man.

"Hum..?"

The man's beauty was otherworldly. His long white hair shone with a rainbow light once sunlight shone over them. The robe made of the finest fabrics further accentuated his appearance.

Most women would swoon all over him. It didn't help that the man in question is a womanizer.

He felt an itch on his nose. The white-robed man stopped what he was doing and glanced outside the floating black tower. Soon, his gaze landed on the lakeside.

It was filled with flowers, an adorning sight that suited his epithet. However, the beauty of these flowers wasn't the one that caught his attention.

"Wait a minute…"

A brief memory popped into his mind.

Several dozen years ago, he welcomed an unexpected visitor. The man thought he was a magus who mistakenly—or luckily—entered the paradise. He imagined the boy's collapse, however, it did not happen.

The boy did not collapse due to the overwhelming magical energy in this place. He was affected by it, but only a portion of him.

Something had protected the boy from the True Ether in this paradise—something that was lost after the Age of God's end.

A normal human woulld die a split second after their exposure to it. They would hallucinate due to its sheer density; their body would inflate akin to a balloon and explode.

The Magus of Flowers couldn't see through the blur of the boy back then. It proved to be an interesting topic he spent his time on. After seeing his parallel selves existing in different futures, he found out he was one of the few that didn't have an interesting event.

A certain someone irresponsibly passed her duties to someone else.

Another guided someone on his journey as a human, all the while masquerading as a virtual idol.

Fortunately, he finally encountered one after a long time.

"No way…"

The wise man...scratch that.

The bastard mage from the Arthurian Legend, Merlin, found out that the blur was removed. It unveiled the identity of his visitor back in the past. That removed the need to unveil it himself. Nevertheless, he was completely caught off guard by the boy's identity.

"It's him?!"

He couldn't be more familiar with him.

After all—

"How did he come here?!"

—he used to serve the chosen king.

*****

A/N: I don't know if y'all got surprised by this reveal. Though I have to say, there are many people who picked up the bits of hints I left in the past 70 chapters. Some of them include:

*Chapter 5 (Paradise and White-robed man/woman)

*Somewhere in Chapter 30~40 (Dream of a man on the end of his journey)

*Chapter 51 (Kaye tells Nobu that she thought of 'shield' when first meeting him)

*The novel's cover picture and MC's appearance

So yeah, everything isn't a coincidence. It is going as planned (fixes glasses).