Chapter 9.2
After hesitating briefly, Resena decided to start by mentioning others.
“Before I tell this story, I want you to know that Saint Lorona and Renard believed this story.”
“….”
Vernas nodded with a kind expression. Then, after looking around for a moment, he took Resena’s hand and led her.
“Let’s sit down and talk, since this might be a long conversation. Resena, come this way.”
“Yes, Vernas.”
His footsteps headed toward a café that Resena had never visited before. As he opened the door to a neatly white-painted shop, Resena momentarily forgot her situation and expressed slight admiration.
“Wow… It’s really pretty. So charming…”
“I thought you would like it. I discovered this place when walking around the streets before.”
The manager, who was just placing freshly baked bread on the shelf, saw the two enter and came to the counter with a smiling face. Amidst the subtle aroma of savory bread, Resena exclaimed again at the interior decorated with pretty stuffed dolls and wooden figurines.
“This is truly… a café with an interior I’d want to visit again and again.”
“Ah, thank you for the compliment, miss!”
The manager continued with a smile.
“What would you like to order?”
“I’d like a café latte. Cold, please. What about you, Vernas?”
“An americano for me.”
“What kind of bread would you like?”
Resena looked at the breads displayed on the shelves and pointed to a cake topped with white, fluffy-looking cream.
“I’ll have that one, please.”
“Then I’ll have the tiramisu.”
After Vernas paid, he led Resena up to the second floor. Come to think of it, the previous café was also on the second floor.
The upper floor had a spacious terrace with open windows, allowing a refreshing view outside. As the breeze came in and gently stirred her hair, Resena unconsciously raised the corners of her lips slightly as she looked outside.
“The view is really nice. I didn’t know there was such a nice café in a place like this.”
“From the outside, the building looks small, but once you enter, it’s surprisingly spacious with well-decorated interiors. So, I thought you would like it, and I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”
Vernas seated Resena in a spot where she could see the outside view clearly. After he pulled out the chair for her, Vernas sat down across from her.
“Your drinks are ready.”
The waiter set the drinks in front of them. Drinking the cold café latte through a straw immediately cooled her neck. Moreover, the taste was excellent, indicating that he had introduced her to a good café.
Seeing the smile that bloomed on Resena’s small face, Vernas placed his hand on the back of hers with an affectionate expression.
“Now, tell me. Resena, what were you going to say?”
Resena quietly gazed into his blue eyes and finally opened her mouth slowly.
“Vernas, what do you think about regression?”
“It’s an act that defies the laws of Ermerius, the god of time, but I know that through it, the main deity protects the world.”
“….”
“Perhaps, Resena.”
“Yes, Vernas.”
Vernas calmly stared at Resena. He continued speaking nonchalantly.
“Are you a regressor?”
“….”
At Vernas’s words, Resena couldn’t say anything. Cold sweat ran down her back and her palms unconsciously clutched at the hem of her robe, but her lips could only tremble.
“Then it becomes clear why your advice to His Highness the Crown Prince has been so accurate. Because you know the future, you’ve been giving Eldis that kind of advice.”
“….”
“The reason you advised Eldis that if he behaves that way, he’ll lose someone precious to him… that advice must have been because in the future, Eldis actually lost someone precious because of it.”
“…. That’s correct. Vernas.”
Resena bit her lip and nodded with a clouded expression.
Tap tap.
Her fingernails anxiously tapped on the table. Watching her quietly, he reached out and wrapped his hand around hers, pulling it toward him. As she watched him press his lips to her palm, Resena managed to squeeze out words in a small voice.
“Isn’t it hard to believe?”
Vernas maintained a serious expression without any sign of discomfort.
“What’s there not to believe? I know you wouldn’t easily tell lies. Besides, seeing how your advice has been spot on, I can deduce that you gave such accurate counsel because you’ve seen the future.”
“….To be precise, not everything. There were things I could only guess at. The reason I decided to join this delegation was because I deduced that the royal family had been taken over by black mages.”
Vernas smiled slightly.
“I see. My instincts about you were correct after all.”
“Vernas…..”
“My wish to serve under your command someday remains intact. You truly gave precise instructions appropriate for each situation.”
“…..”
“Resena. Then, can I hear how you regressed and why you gave such advice to Eldis? What shape did your past take?”
Slowly, Resena began to speak.
Time flowed endlessly in tiny fragments. The clock’s hour hand moved to 4 o’clock, then soon shifted to 5. But as if that wasn’t enough, only when the hour hand finally settled at 6 did Resena’s story come to a rough conclusion.
When the last sentence finally fell from her lips, Vernas slowly caressed the back of her hand. Feeling that warm touch inspiring courage in her, Resena felt emotions welling up inside her.
“I see. Resena….. you really went through a lot.”
“….Vernas.”
“I can understand how you struggled and fought through it all. I think I understand what kind of emotional hardship you endured.”
“Vernas…..”
As tears began to well up in Resena’s eyes, Vernas smiled tenderly and wiped them away. When she finally closed her eyes and let the tears flow, he cupped her cheeks with both hands and kissed her forehead.
“You can cry as much as you want, Resena. I think I understand how difficult it was for you. You worked so hard. You tried so much. I’m truly sorry that the foolish Eldis kept experiencing tragedies and dragged you into it as well.”
“Vernas….. Vernas…!”
“I now clearly understand what your goal is. I understand why you continuously protected Saint Lorona from dying, and why you watched over her relationship with Lord Ian. If Eldis and Lorona had ended up together, many people would have had to perish under Sernaus’s light due to her spirit of sacrifice.”
Resena nodded while crying.
Vernas caressed her cheeks, comforting her.
“And I think I understand why the deity chose you as the axis to turn back time. The deity must have known that your disposition would change. Moreover, knowing that someone as clever as you would do your best to prevent the world’s destruction in whatever way possible, that’s why such a choice was made.”
“Hiccup, Vernas…..”
“Haa….. But regardless, Eldis was truly foolish. To take Saint Lorona as his lover while completely forgetting her spirit of sacrifice….. Without your advice, he would have made the same foolish choice again.”
After wiping Resena’s tear-stained face with a handkerchief, he gently stroked her hair with an affectionate expression.
“Tell me, Resena. The reason you accepted Eldis also included the meaning that he should no longer cause the world’s destruction, right? The fact that he feels less like a man to you, isn’t it because there’s a sense of duty mixed in to protect those around him?”
Resena nodded.
The feeling of needing to protect Eldis from sinking into a swamp of unhappiness was similar to caring for a child. Of course, when on dates with Eldis, she didn’t think that way… But when separated from him, she sometimes felt anxious that without her, he might unknowingly be touching the edge of misfortune.
“So, the only ones who know about this are Saint Lorona and Renard? And the reason you haven’t told Alken, who participated in the delegation with you, is because you’ve had fewer meetings with him?”
“Yes. As for Alken….. I was planning to tell him after some more time had passed.”
“….Hmm. It would indeed be better to tell Alken a bit later. The Alken I know has a good enough personality to accept anything, but you need to build more intimacy before he can accept the fact that you’re a regressor without difficulty.”
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