An uproar spread across the whole of the continent.
âHey, did you hear the news?â
âOf course! There canât be anyone in this bar who isnât talking about it right now!â
The man could not contain his excitement as he immediately emptied his glass after sitting down. His party murmured in shock.
âI thought the world was over; how can an Oracle be overturned like this.â
âBut the disaster is over, isnât that good?â
A few days ago, that is. The Vishna religion, which was hastily making preparations for the impending catastrophe, sent down a huge oracle.
That is the disaster that was supposed to cause a significant loss vanish.
In actuality, the Oracleâs precise contents differed slightly from those that are known to the general public. Thanks to the sacrifice of some righteous person, the root of the disaster has disappeared, so it is okay not to be anxious anymore.
But they were unsure of the identity of the ârighteous person.â Despite the possibility of becoming a savior of mankind beyond warriors, the ârighteous personâ did not appear on its own.
The fact that disasters naturally disappeared caught peopleâs attention.
âBut itâs such a waste; if it were me, I would have given away my identity to get the billions of money.â
âShould I just pretend to be a warrior and steal the money and fame?â
âLook at this guy. Can you prove it?â
âYouâre right.â
A sudden, loud laugh followed. It was a happy laugh without even a hint of worry or anxiety.
The traveler, who was sipping in silence beside them, stood up after quickly finishing the glassâs contents.
Tak~
âCheck please.â
Because the sound of putting the glass down was quite loud, the eyes of the party who were chatting briefly turned to the traveler.
The traveler soon left the bar, though, and their attention was drawn to âpeace.â
âItâs gotten pretty cool.â
Itâs already been six months since she returned. The autumnal season was already coming to an end.
Adelia walked slowly through the lively street while gazing up at the sky. The hood, which was tightly pressing her head, came off.
âItâs peaceful.â
Adelia was traveling across the continent. She received a sizeable sum of money in exchange for leaving the family like she did before she turned back time, so there were no financial issues.
Sometimes she was worried about her safety, but even though everything was over, Vishnaâs power had not yet disappeared.
âOf course, Iâm feeling like my power is dwindling these days.â
Adelia was aware that this power would eventually vanish entirely.
She was wandering aimlessly down the street when she suddenly noticed a couple. Itâs obvious that theyâre shy about each other because they just met. They look into each otherâs eyes as they struggle mightily not to let this moment pass them by.
Adelia realized why they stood out only later. The man had black hair. Black hair that reminds her of someone. Ivan, of course, has more perfectly black-colored hair than that man.
âWhat am I thinking?â
After a brief pause, Adele grinned and averted her gaze. She particularly missed them in situations like this.
âBy now, Emily must be growing up peacefully with her family.â
Rohen was alive and well. At least the childâs family wouldnât have had such a terrible outcome if the disaster hadnât occurred in the first place.
âI wonder how the citizens of the Grand Duchy are doing.â
Melinda and Lensley. Since they survived, they most likely improved as a knight.
And Demalo, too.
She didnât want him to be entangled in the shadows of the past any longer. Adelia believed that he gave his life in order to save her out of guilt. The guilt of failing to protect her daughter. The guilt of fleeing without protecting Adelia Sorne, who is around her daughterâs age.
Adelia wanted him to get out of that feeling. If she visits him one day, she doesnât want him to feel that way while looking at her.
âFrom now on, he has to live his life.â
As she thought of the face of the person she wished to see the most, Adelia grinned bitterly. They wouldnât even recognize her, let alone remember her, but she couldnât easily fight this emotion.
She often feels regret in situations like this.
If only she had been more open about her emotions and noticed their feelings earlier⦠Would this bitterness be less?
âWell⦠Iâmâ¦.â
âOh, Miss. I have a slightly different opinion.â
Adeliaâs shoulders trembled at the voice from the side, and she slowly, carefully turned her head.
âItâs been a while, I guess. No, itâs our first time seeing each other.â¦. Yes, itâs a great honor to meet you, Savior of mankind.â
He has a sly smile and a tone that makes it seem as if he sees through everything.
Adelia, in her bewildered voice, called the name of the one who had stopped her.
âYohan Kerbanâ¦â¦.â
âI canât believe you know my name. This is an honor. Well⦠You came back from the future, so you might have known me.â
Adelia frowned at Yohan, disguised as a merchant on the deck, and his disciple, Benko.
The two were fanning the skewers hard and very passionate, too.
What the hell are you doing?
âThe wise man of the ivory tower and his disciplesâ¦â¦ Youâve become a perfect merchant.â
âThe disaster disappeared, and the world will not end. We want to enjoy our normal daily lives, too.â
Adelia glanced at Benko. Unlike Yohan, Benko doesnât seem to want to.
âBy the way⦠how did you still not forget the memory of âthenâ?â
Yohan smiled at Adeliaâs question.
âWell⦠Rather than remembering it, it would be right to say that I know it as a recorder. Of course, some of the memories of that time line are twisted because of the contract I have with God.â
At that moment Adelia was deeply disappointed. Yohan knew her only because he was in a special position.
Adelia smiled bitterly and nodded.
ââ¦â¦I see.â
âItâs too early to be disappointed!â
Adelia was startled by Yohanâs sudden shout and looked around her. No matter how noisy the festival was, when the owner of the skewer shop shouted like this, eyes will naturally focused on them.
âPlease be quietâ¦â¦.â
Adelia begged Yohan, feeling a fever on her face. Benko, who was grilling skewers next to him, seemed to have already given up.
âI know after living so persistently for so long, but relationships are more sticky than you think. Itâs not easy to cut it off.â
ââ¦â¦I see.â
Adelia answered soullessly. Yohan noticed that she was not fully accepting his words. That she was running away from fear, too.
But Yohan didnât rush her. He just put on a soft smile that didnât match his appearance, and went on with his words leisurely.
âWhatâs wrong? If the memories are gone, you can make them again, and maybe someday his memories will come back?â
ââ¦â¦.â
âJust do what your heart desires. Youâll see.â
Adelia was silent.
As he said, it was enough to recreate memories that had disappeared. Nevertheless, the reason why sheâs still like this is because sheâs not ready yet.
If she faces him and sees that sheâs the only one who has memories of the past..â¦.
âIt might hurt.â
At that time, a kid ran to the stand and ordered skewers.
âMister! Two seasoned skewers please!â
Adelia heard the boyâs clear voice and broke out of her thoughts.
âIâve got to go.â
âAh! Have some courage!â
Adelia wandered aimlessly through the streets again, leaving Yohanâs cry behind.
Finally, her steps reached the teleport hall.
âCan I go to the Grand Duchy of Hamilton right now?â
***
Adelia stared blankly at the familiar scene. The place didnât change at all.
âWinter has already begun here.â
A cold wind passed through Adeliaâs thin robe. Adelia walked absentmindedly without even adjusting her robe.
Far away, she saw a familiar image of the Grand Duchy. Adelia had a hunch that Ivan would be there.
âHow do I face him? What should I say first when we face each other?â
No matter how hard she thought about it, she couldnât get an answer.
As she was distracted, Adelia didnât even notice the two carriages approaching.
âHey! Get out of the way!â
ââ¦â¦!â
Adelia took a breath and hurried out of the way. The carriage, which had turned sharply, had come to a sudden halt.
âWhere did you leave your mind?â
The coachman, who was forced to pull up the carriage carrying the noble man, became angry.
âItâs hard to get involved with the aristocracy.â
She gazed at the carriage, which at first glance did not seem ordinary, even though there was no pattern engraved on it.
âSorry, I have bad hearingâ¦â¦.â
âDo you think apologizing is enough? If I get fired for thisââ
âThatâs enough.â
The coachmanâs voice, which had been raging, suddenly stopped.
The coachman bowed deeply toward the man who got out of the carriage in panic.
Adelia could not take any action against the flustered horseman. In the rush of time, she felt as though her time had stopped.
âIvanâ¦â
Adelia closed her eyes, swallowing the manâs name inside. She couldnât bear to see his face. After falling for Yohanâs words and coming all the way here, she wanted to run away now.
Whi-ing
When a sharp wind blows, Adeliaâs hood falls behind. Naturally, her long silvery hair appeared. As soon as she twisted her body to raise the peeled hood again, Adelia was able to meet the eyes of the person she had been longing for.
She was reflected in his golden eyes.
At that moment Adelia realized. That he doesnât remember her at all.
Adelia chose to run away. But Ivanâs urgent touch prevented her from escaping.
âWait a minute!â
Looking at her loverâs hand, which seemed to hold her tightly and not let go, Adelia couldnât help but feel complicated feelings.
âYou look familiarâ¦â¦. Have I ever met you somewhere?â
How should I answer this question?
Why did I suddenly remember Yohanâs words?
âFate is stronger than you think and itâs not easy to break it.â
Donât be afraid. Thatâs what Yohan told her. Since he is a sage, wouldnât it be good to take a little bit of his word for now?
Adelia smiled with deep sorrow.
Ivan felt his heart pounding at the smile. For a moment he was confused by incomprehensible feelings. Ivan soon felt even more confused by her answer.
âIâm an ordinary traveler who wants to get a job as an assistant to the Grand Duke.â