I changed carriages several times before finally returning to Alto.
Since the shop was closed, Fran was resting at home, and I sat at the table, sipping tea as I recounted everything that had happened while I was away.
How, after subjugating the cyclops, a griffon had suddenly appeared.
How, thanks to that, I ended up sticking it to Claria in a big way.
How, in a trading city, I had met a peddler with a tragic backstory and helped him carry out a revenge plot. There was no shortage of tales to tell.
“You ran into her twice by coincidence?”
Fran who had been listening with little reaction until then showed a noticeable change in expression when I mentioned Rosaria.
“Mhmm. There are plenty of other villages around, and even in the same city, it’s not easy to run into someone like that.”
Hadn’t she said the goddess guided her?
I didn’t really believe it, but it was pretty mysterious.
“Suspicious…”
“What is?”
“How did she know where you were?”
“I’m telling you, it was just a coincidence.”
Fran furrowed her brow and fell into thought.
“You said before she gave you a brooch, right?”
“Surprised you remembered that.”
I hadn’t thought she was paying attention.
Even though she always looked indifferent, I guess she had been listening closely to what I said.
“Where do you keep it?”
“In my pocket. She asked me to carry it around like a charm.”
“Let me see it for a second.”
When I took it out and handed it to her as she asked, Fran’s frown deepened.
“…Since when have you been carrying this around?”
“Ever since I got it.”
“I see.”
What was with that reaction?
I didn’t do anything wrong, did I…?
“There’s a tracking spell on it.”
Fran set the brooch down.
“Huh? A tracking spell?”
“She infused it with her own magical power so she could sense it.”
“Wait…humans can do that…?”
A living GPS?
Even with my decent knowledge of magic, this was the first I’d heard of such a thing.
“You’d need an extremely expensive and precise magical tool. Probably nothing a noble couldn’t afford.”
According to her, it wasn’t something a person could directly detect.
She didn’t explain the details, but apparently, even with the right tools, it wasn’t a trick just anyone could pull off.
It was a type of magic only someone like Rosaria, a candidate for sainthood, could use.
So that’s how she was able to follow me.
Thinking back, she had dodged the question when we were in the trade city.
And when we parted ways, she said something that hinted we’d meet again.
“She might even follow you here. Let’s burn it.”
“Wait, stop!”
Before Fran could touch it, I snatched the brooch away.
“Why are you stopping me?”
“I got this as thanks for saving her life. I promised I’d treasure it.”
“She just said that to cover up the fact that she wanted to follow you.”
“That’s not true! Sure, the magic’s weird, but she was genuinely grateful!”
We glared at each other.
“Don’t tell me… you’ve fallen for that healer?”
“What?”
Why was the conversation heading in that direction?
“Actually, it was Rosaria who fell for me.”
“Is that your delusion? Or did she actually say that herself?”
“She said she wanted me as her partner, so that’s probably what she meant.”
“Partner…”
She was someone so honest with her feelings that it was almost enviable.
Maybe that was why Canon who served at her side seemed to have a pretty hard time.
“What about you? Are you going to marry that healer?”
“Where’s that coming from now?”
“Pick one. Accept her or reject her.”
“I don’t have to decide right this second.”
“You need to decide whether to burn the brooch or not.”
So if I had no intention of being her lover, I was supposed to burn it?
What kind of extreme logic was that?
“I still don’t know Rosaria that well. I don’t want to jump to conclusions.”
This had nothing to do with feelings.
Even if someone else had given me the same thing, I still wouldn’t burn it lightly.
I could always confront her later about the tracking spell.
“Being this indecisive will only end up hurting her.”
“You’re not one to talk, are you? You’re still wearing the ring I gave you around your neck. Does that mean you accepted my confession?”
“Ugh…”
Fran was at a loss for words.
She fidgeted with the ring as if suddenly aware of it, then turned her eyes away.
“This is different. You gave it to me to settle your debt. It just didn’t sell, so I’ve still got it; that’s all.”
She really never let a single thing slide.
Though she had always been like that.
“Master, didn’t you say before that gifts shouldn’t be sold lightly?”
Levasthan who had been standing quietly in the corner suddenly chimed in.
“You stay out of this.”
“Why? It’s not like I’m making anything up!”
So Fran had said something like that.
It was surprising that this guy was actually being helpful for once.
“The brooch I got is the same. You can’t just carelessly get rid of a gift.”
When I said that, Fran made a sulky face.
“Do whatever you want.”
She threw the words out and turned her head away.
It ended up feeling like we had a fight.
All I wanted was to share a story from one of my adventures.
“What, that’s it?”
Levasthan grumbled like it was disappointing.
“You wanted more?”
“Of course! Keep fighting! Ignore me and keep your little lovers’ quarrel going!”
“It’s not like that.”
I put the brooch back into my pocket.
***
Claria lay collapsed on the floor of the lodging.
[The seventh regression has been completed.]
[A new timeline has been activated.]
Her body was fine, but her face had gone pale.
She clutched her throat and gagged.
“Urgh… uwehck…”
Her head, which had been severed from her body just moments ago, was now reattached.
She felt both relief at having come back to life and despair at being thrown once again to the start of this hellish loop.
“Please, just let me go… How long is this going to go on…?”
She had no idea when the return had begun.
She still didn’t know who had given her this ability or why, and she kept dying and coming back over and over.
“Why is it me…? Why!!!”
She slammed her fist against the floor.
Even as blood started to pool, she didn’t stop.
“How do I make this end…!”
At first, she had been relieved to be alive. But not anymore.
Death would have been a kinder end to her life.
This was torture.
A horrifying punishment that gave her hope she could change the future, only to shatter it to pieces.
Was this a curse from the gods?
She had been trembling in despair, trapped in an inescapable fate.
“I-I’m sorry…”
Farne stood at the door, looking flustered.
She had forgotten.
At this point in the timeline, Farne would have gone out and come back.
Claria wiped her eyes with her sleeve and rose to her feet.
“It’s okay. You came at just the right time. I was about to head out for dinner.”
Farne closed the door and stepped inside.
“If anything’s troubling you, please tell me. I don’t know if I can help, but still…”
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry too much.”
Claria gave her a bright smile.
“If you ever feel like talking, just come to me anytime.”
Farne didn’t seem to fully believe her words, but she didn’t push the matter.
“I just felt like getting some fresh air. I’m sorry to ask as soon as you got back, but… would you come with me?”
Claria glanced at the window, then suddenly spoke as if something had occurred to her.
“Of course. I don’t mind.”
“Then I’ll go change real quick.”
She appeared to have regained her composure, but Claria was still trembling slightly.
She had tried many things, but all in vain.
No matter how desperately she struggled.
Even if she ran away, only a miserable end awaited her.
The only one I can trust is Theo.
This thought gradually grew into a conviction.
The strength and wisdom he had that always protected her and those she cherished….even when the Demon King’s army invaded.
There was no one like him anywhere on the continent, including within the kingdom.
If there was any way to break free from the cycle of regression, she had to find a way to bring Theo back into the party.
If they met again next time.
She would approach him differently than she had before.
“Shall we go?”
Claria changed her clothes and left the inn.
***
After taking a few days to rest, I rolled the dice to decide my next destination.
I had to keep moving diligently.
After checking my luggage to make sure nothing was missing, I stepped outside and locked the front door.
“She doesn’t even come out to see me off anymore.”
A complaint slipped from my lips.
Even though the shop was open, it couldn’t be that busy.
Magical tools were expensive, so selling just a few each day was enough to call it a day.
That was also why Fran always closed early.
“I even went and got Dullahan’s blood for you… Cold-hearted girl.”
Feeling a bit hurt, I began walking.
As I walked along the brick-paved road, I looked up at the sky.
The weather was nice.
The sky was clear, and there were hardly any clouds.
It was the perfect day to set off on an adventure.
I had been walking for a few minutes when suddenly, a voice called out to me from behind.
“Hey, you petty thief! Where do you think you’re running off to? Don’t you dare run!”
Fran was running toward me.
She was holding Levasthan in one hand while shouting things that were sure to cause a misunderstanding among the passersby.
She panted for breath as her feet pounded the ground.
Ugh, she’s insanely slow.
Since she didn’t exercise, her stamina was pathetic.
By the time she reached me, she was completely exhausted.
Drenched in sweat, she struggled to catch her breath.
“Did you forget something or what?”
Fran was hunched over with her hands on her knees.
It seemed like she wanted to reply, but no words came out.
Only after quite a while did she finally manage to straighten up.
“…Let me come with you.”
“Come with me? Where to?”
“Anywhere. I can’t stand watching Claria run wild anymore.”
I had heard she’d made quite a scene in some village recently.
But it wasn’t anything new. So why now, all of a sudden?
“What about your shop?”
“I put up a notice saying I’m on vacation.”
“Sounds like you’ve made up your mind.”
There were two absolute rules.
Never make new connections while adventuring.
But Fran was an exception.
We’d known each other since before Claria started her regression.
Still, with her stamina running out after just a bit of running… I wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep up.
“I want to give that woman a taste of her own medicine.”
She gasped for breath, and her eyes burned with determination.
When Fran had that look in her eyes, there was no stopping her.
No matter what I said, she was going to do what she wanted.
I hadn’t planned on going back to the hero’s party, nor was I thinking about forming a new one… but, well, maybe it’d be fine.
“We’re going to be riding a supply wagon. Are you okay with that?”
“No, I’m going to charter something with a comfortable ride.”
“Do you think money grows out of the ground or something? Do you even know how much that costs?”
“This should more than cover it.”
Fran shook a pouch full of money in front of me.
At a glance, it looked like several times my entire fortune.
“Pick whatever ride you want.”
“Well, obviously.”
Having caught her breath, Fran adjusted her witch’s hat.
A party formed with questionable motives.
Some might call it petty, but we didn’t care about things like that.
“Let’s make sure we really teach her a lesson.”
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