Ch#189
At first, she didn't believe it.
She thought her mind had gone half-mad from dying and coming back to life.
'It doesn't make sense otherwise!'
But the memories only grew clearer and more vivid in her head.
Libia's hand trembled as she pointed her sword, biting her lip.
Even in this moment, visions of her past self flashed rapidly through her mind.
'Did you see? Did you see the young miss smiling!'
Astie had been a gift to Trebaga.
Not just because she was Tese tan's daughter, but because Astie was simply that lovable of a child.
'How can she smile so beautifully? She's the complete opposite of the leader.'
When they first brought Astie, the atmosphere in Trebaga hadn't been good.
She didn't know the reason, but Tese tan at the time had been sinking deeper into a quagmire.
His words grew fewer, and he had no enthusiasm even for sieges.
He barely ate or slept.
He seemed to be planning to disband the mercenary group.
Or more precisely, he looked like he had lost all will for life itself.
But then one day.
Tese tan returned with a child in his arms.
That was Astie, and from that day, she became Trebaga's treasure.
'Damn it, I went to the market... but they didn't have any.'
'What?! Then what do we do!'
'What do you mean? We'll just have to make do with this.'
'Hey, you done talking?! We have twenty-seven members, and only twenty-six gifts for the young miss's birthday? That doesn't make sense! Get one more, the most expensive and best one in town!'
Tie was like sunshine itself.
She smiled brightly at everyone, and just being near her melted away fatigue like snow.
The executives—Libia, Aleric, and Victor—grew especially close to Tie.
'When will our young miss start walking~?'
'What are you expecting from someone who can't even hold her head up yet? Libia.'
'Victor, shut it. Our young miss is a genius, she might just get up and walk one day!'
She thought they would be happy.
Sieges were just the usual routine, and Astie was growing up healthily.
Above all, Tese tan's change after having a daughter astonished everyone.
The man who suffered from insomnia now slept so deeply next to Tie that he wouldn't notice the members passing by.
And not just that?
He even started saying warm words uncharacteristic of him and cracking silly jokes...
"It was so good."
Veins bulged on Libia's jaw.
"The leader bought a house and land. Said he'd retire and live happily with the young miss!"
At the time, Tese tan hurried the sieges.
Unlike before, it wasn't for money.
Tese tan wanted to clear out a safe haven for him and Astie.
That's why he chose the Eldrin Plains.
The Eldrin region sat atop vast open plains.
With wide visibility, they could quickly spot Mana Stone formations, and it was relatively safe from monster attacks.
The problem was the few mid-sized Mana Stones in the canyons below the plains that hadn't been sieged yet.
"You disgusting... monster bastard."
Libia snarled at Lucarion.
When they first went to scout those Mana Stones, they had no idea what lurked behind.
Registered as mid-sized, they figured they'd just cut down a few manageable monsters and be done.
But no.
"You were different from the ordinary ones. You had intelligence. You knew everything, and yet you still... killed my comrades...."
Hot tears welled in Libia's eyes.
That day had been similar to today.
The Face of Ruin started suddenly, cornering Trebaga.
Lucarion, standing before her, had trapped the members in his web and killed them one by one.
It was even more horrifying because he took the form of a young human boy.
The monsters obeying Lucarion's commands could only be described as chilling.
"You killed Victor, Aleric too...."
Libia gripped her sword tighter.
"And me. And after that, what did you do to the leader and the young miss!"
Tears streamed down Libia's cheeks.
Perhaps because she'd experienced it twice?
The moment her heart had stopped felt vividly alive again.
Lucarion was an unbeatable existence.
Even Tese tan, the strongest mercenary of the era, couldn't defeat him at full power.
He was on another level from regular monsters.
It felt like facing a lord reigning over all monsters.
After the members were annihilated.
As she handed Astie, cradled in her arms, to Tese tan, she had only one plea.
If there was a god in the world, please let those two escape this hell.
She, who had lived gutting monster innards her whole life, deserved such an end, but the young miss didn't.
What wrong had a baby who had just been born committed?
It was a prayer that would never receive an answer.
But.
"Answer me, right now! What did you do!"
Having been healed by Astie, and with those memories suddenly flooding back, she now knew.
"Why is the young miss here right now?"
By Libia's calculations, Tie shouldn't exist here.
How could a child not yet born exist in the world?
And.
"Why does the leader... not know anything?"
Tears flowed down her rigid cheeks.
Beyond Tese tan, who had ignored Astie, the image of herself over the past few weeks overlapped.
"Why didn't I recognize the young miss either!"
She had grown a lot, but it was definitely Astie.
Once the fragments of memory returned, it was a face impossible not to recognize.
And yet....
'Aunt Libia, good morning!'
'Auntie, Tie likes you.'
'Auntie! Auntie!'
She had turned away the child approaching with such an innocent face so many times.
Because she hadn't known it was Astie.
"I'm going to tear you apart."
Libia ground her teeth and took a step toward Lucarion.
Right now, nothing else came to mind.
Even then, Lucarion had that same face.
With the face of an innocent boy, his red eyes gleaming as he killed every member one by one.
"I'll have my revenge, give back the young miss! Bring her back right now—!"
As Libia screamed and staggered greatly, Aleric hurriedly supported her.
Libia dropped her sword while stumbling.
She glared at the fallen sword in frustration, then finally collapsed to the ground and began sobbing.
Lucarion froze in place.
'...My doing?'
What exactly did she mean was his doing?
He had scoured the world's records but found nothing about himself.
He also didn't know what had happened before he fell asleep in the black stone—no, the Bed of Rest.
Lucarion unwittingly ground his teeth.
His first memory was Astie's laughter.
The sounds of Astie laughing, crying, and babbling inside the Bed of Rest.
As his complicated gaze trembled.
"Right now. What the hell are you talking about."
Basto, who had been silent, stepped forward.
He glanced at Libia and Lucarion once each, then furrowed his brow.
"Who the hell is this 'young miss' you're talking about? Don't tell me...."
Veil had gone silent from some point, holding his breath as if he had no time to speak while mulling over their words.
"...I."
Lucarion lowered his head.
He feared pursuit.
Even with incomplete memories, the feeling that someone was chasing him always tormented him.
So he had to hide, and the only way to protect Tie, who shouldn't be here, was to keep everything secret.
But.
If, as Libia said, he was the culprit behind all this?
If everything truly started from his hands.
Lucarion's tightly shut lips parted.
"We crossed... the timeline."
Libia, who had been crying, froze.
The others held their breath, staring at Lucarion.
Lucarion raised his head.
He recalled the day it all began.
The day in the other world, when Tese tan returned from the ruins.
* * *
At the same time.
"Hey, look over there. What the hell is that?"
Two college students who had been watching a fantasy series movie at the theater stopped in their tracks on the way back.
"Look at that guy's clothes. Crazy, wait, is he bleeding?"
"Gasp, dude. There's a kid next to him too."
At the words, someone lying on the park grass snapped their eyes open.
Confused green eyes slowly scanned the surroundings.
An unusually bright night sky.
Towering buildings, structures, and city lights everywhere.
Tie opened her mouth in disbelief.
"Korea...?"
