How to Tame That Gentle Hero - Chapter 10.13

“My goodness…”

“He also explained about the relationship between gods and humans, but I’ll skip that since it would make things too complicated. Anyway, Lord Sernaus told me the most likely future. That’s why I advised Eldis to go to the holy land to overcome his limits, to fix his weakness of trusting people too easily and thus being vulnerable to malice.”

Resena bit her lip for a moment before speaking.

“This whole process may be unbelievable, but it’s real. The weakness Father observed in His Highness Eldis—being unable to act politically cunningly because he’s honest—was a flaw highlighted by this aspect. That’s why I recommended the holy land journey so Eldis could learn to trust his own instincts to detect malice. And His Highness accepted my words and went there himself. With his trusted subordinates.”

“Ah…”

The Duke and Duchess were silent for a while. Was it too difficult for these practical people to accept? Resena felt slightly anxious, but there was nothing she could do.

Anyway, to explain why she and Eldis were so entangled, they needed to know this whole process. Resena waited quietly, hoping they would understand.

“Now I clearly understand why you changed. And I completely understand the reason you changed. Then tell me one thing. What are you going to do from now on? Do you plan to watch over the world by His Highness’s side to prevent the world’s destruction?”

The Duke spoke after several minutes had passed.

Resena responded to his words.

“I haven’t decided what to do yet. And since Lord Sernaus hasn’t appeared in my dreams since then, it’s difficult to say that His Highness Eldis has completely overcome his weakness. Probably, he’s just gotten a sense of how he needs to change through his holy land journey. So I plan to watch over Eldis together with Vernas.”

“….”

“Of course, His Highness may have completely overcome his weakness. But from what I’ve seen in the future, events that cause His Highness to lose his precious people will continue to occur. I’ll need to keep an eye on His Highness to ensure he doesn’t lose his precious people in the face of that.”

Father and Mother were silent. But soon Mother whispered something to Father. Listening to her words, Father nodded and then spoke to Resena.

“Resena. Who have you told this story to? Who knows about it?”

She carefully answered.

“Saint Lorona, Alken Rawley, Eldis, and Renard know. Sir Ian Fullecher probably heard it from Lorona.”

“That’s somewhat fortunate. They’re all tight-lipped people. You didn’t tell the maids, did you?”

“No, of course not. No matter how close they are to me, this information shouldn’t be known to ordinary imperial citizens. The fact that he destroys the world could become an obstacle preventing Crown Prince Eldis from succeeding to the throne.”

Yes. The Duchess nodded carefully.

“I hope this never reaches His Majesty the Emperor’s ears. Although His Majesty cherishes the Crown Prince, he fundamentally doesn’t like his position being threatened. If that happens, some unexpected collateral imperial family member might succeed to the throne instead of His Highness Eldis.”

Hearing those words, the Duke spoke gently to Resena.

“Still, thank you for telling us in advance. If we hadn’t heard this series of stories, we might have misunderstood in the wrong direction.”

“….”

“Anyway… You endured that difficult time alone. Thank you, Resena.”

“Father…”

“It must have been extremely difficult for you to experience regression alone. While training with the sword, I once read that the holy knight Irkenes went through 5 regressions. From the description, I could understand how difficult it was for that hero to face battles because of it. And you, who isn’t even a warrior, experiencing that must have been so hard.”

Resena felt her heart resonate with the kind response. Fortunately, Father seemed to accept the fact that Resena had regressed as a given. Feeling slightly relieved, Resena examined her mother’s expression.

However, the Duchess seemed deep in thought and remained silent. But soon she moved her lips.

“Then, Resena. What was the biggest problem you faced just before you regressed?”

“Well… It differs by iteration, but Eldis’s use of Sernaus’s light to turn the imperial capital to dust was directly caused by losing Saint Lorona. The ones who killed her varied by iteration, but they were the serial killer Tom Baker and the black mage Zergard, respectively.”

“I understand the black mage Zergard, but the serial killer Tom Baker? Are you saying the senior knight of the guard I know becomes a serial killer?”

The Duke opened his eyes wide.

Resena nodded.

“Yes. He had already been committing murders before. But since I didn’t see where his hideout was in the future, I can’t hastily arrest him. In the future, the dozens of corpses he killed were headlined in newspapers, but I don’t know for sure whether he buried them at his home or in another hideout.”

“…I see…”

The Duke frowned. The Duchess, perhaps having lost her appetite, drank some water. Silence settled over the table for a while.

“I think we need to discuss this with His Highness Eldis.”

Resena listened to the Duke’s words.

“If he knows about your regression, His Highness will want to discuss this topic with you. Although the Crown Prince’s lover now is you, if the development changes and you end up being killed, it would be a disaster.”

“….”

Resena silently nodded at those words. The Duchess, who had been quiet, continued.

“And regarding the black mage Zergard, who might follow the same route, we should also consult. I think we need to call someone else to protect you besides Renard. If Renard has to enter the imperial palace or go on an expedition, your security will be lacking, and if the leader of the black mages targets you, it would be difficult to face him unless one is a Sword Master.”

Indeed, every word was correct. Thinking that it was good to have talked about this, Resena listened attentively.

“So, Resena.”

“Yes, Mother.”

The Duchess added in a serious tone.

“Don’t leave the ducal residence for a while. I’m thinking of the Mercenary King Rasen Iraz as your security personnel. If he’s not currently engaged, he’ll come soon, but if he happens to be unavailable, I want you to stay inside the ducal residence, even if it’s inconvenient, for the time being.”

“Yes. Today is a special day, and since the Crown Prince and the senior knight Vernas will be with you, you may go out, but from the next day on, stay inside for safety. When Rasen Iraz takes charge of your security, only then may you go out.”

Resena nodded in agreement.

“I understand. As Father said, the Mercenary King Rasen Iraz is a Sword Master, so he can certainly handle the leader of the black mages or the serial killer Tom Baker. Moreover, considering that their movements aren’t far off, it seems safer to stay only in the ducal residence where Renard is until dedicated security personnel arrive.”

“Yes. It’s all for your safety… Thank you for understanding.”

Resena thought about the time after the Founding Festival. When the winter ball comes, another of the male lead’s precious acquaintances will be sacrificed. And in the meantime, Tom Baker would be active, killing one by one the senior knights who were close to the male lead.

‘Since they were personnel deployed to catch Tom Baker, the clash with him was inevitable, but…’

For now, as Father and Mother said, it seemed time to talk to Eldis about Tom Baker and the black mage Zergard. Given that Eldis had seriously listened to her when she previously told him about her regression, he would probably sincerely accept her advice this time too.

But at the same time, Resena felt a pain in her heart.

This pain, like something tightly squeezing the inside of her chest, is because she knows that Eldis loses all his precious people to the point of destroying the world.