The World Has Become Kinder to Her

“Hello, Loti.”

Lotus turned around and locked eyes with Frederick. His face looked haggard, likely from lying down for so long, but his silver eyes, shining like the moon, held a calm demeanor.

“Did I scare you?” 

“Somewhat, yes.”

In truth, Lotus had planned to yell at Frederick as soon as he woke up, demanding to know why he had collapsed after so casually handing her the mana stone bracelet. She had wanted to ask how he expected her to react to such a sudden burden. But as she looked into his silver eyes again, all those thoughts disappeared. She was simply glad to see him awake.

“I’m sorry. I think I set the bracelet’s shield sensitivity too low. I thought if I set it too high, it would react to anyone who brushed past you.”

“Are you feeling better now?” 

“Of course! I’m even healthier than I was before.”

As Frederick casually chatted with Lotus, Manores sighed and cast a levitation spell on Hession, who had been approaching them. Hession’s body floated into the air.

“He won’t stay suspended for long,” Manores said.

Because they were in the Estelle Marquisate, specifically Lotus’s bedroom, Manores couldn’t use powerful elemental spells or spells that might disrupt the surroundings. He had to keep his magic restrained, even the levitation spell he cast was weaker than usual. Stronger knights could often break through physical restraints or magic fairly quickly.

“It’s alright. He’s coming,” Frederick said cryptically.

Before Lotus and Manores could ask what Frederick meant, a man entered Lotus’s bedroom without making a sound. With a single, precise strike, he knocked Hession unconscious, doing so without causing any disturbance. It was as if he had simply swatted away an ant.

“Sorry for being late, Lotus.”

Lotus, Frederick, and Manores all noticed the bloodstains on Kenneth’s clothes. Clearly, he had encountered some resistance on his way here, yet despite that, he had made it just in time.

Lotus quietly shook her head. “No, you arrived at the perfect moment.”

Kenneth knelt beside Hession and removed something from his uniform. It was a brooch made from a processed peridot.

“Is that the cause of the problem?” Frederick asked, approaching Kenneth with a smile, as if to reassure Lotus.

The brooch, made of a gemstone typically associated with happiness and harmony, now radiated a sinister energy that incited discord and anger.

Frederick’s lips twisted into a smirk. “Wow, that bastard’s just as vile as Theodore. He probably chose this gemstone deliberately.”

“Keep it as a sample,” Kenneth said.

Frederick placed a small barrier around the brooch and tucked it into his personal subspace. Watching Frederick use magic as usual reassured Lotus. It seemed he had fully recovered.

As the tension left her body, Lotus felt her legs give way, and she collapsed onto the floor.

“Lotus!”

“Loti!”

“Are you alright?” Manores, the closest to her, cast a healing spell as he asked. The tightness in her neck eased considerably.

“Yes, thank you. And thank you both as well,” Lotus said, grateful for their help.

Though she had many questions, she decided to deal with the immediate situation first.

“Manores, is Frederick really alright now?”

“Yes, even if you threw him into a nest of monsters, he’d come out unscathed.”

“In that case, Frederick, could you check on Jane’s condition?”

“She’s unconscious,” Frederick remarked.

“That’s a small relief. If you’re feeling well enough, please cast a healing spell on Jane and also make her memory of this event a little hazy.”

Erasing memories was a difficult and time-consuming spell, but simply blurring someone’s memory was a much quicker process.

Frederick’s eyebrow twitched slightly, realizing why Lotus was asking this of him. However, he nodded without protest.

“Alright,” Frederick agreed reluctantly.

“How is my brother’s condition?” Lotus asked.

“He’s merely unconscious. Now that the item influencing his mind has been removed, he should be fine,” Kenneth responded in his low, steady voice, which was reassuring.

“Frederick, can you blur my brother’s memories as well?” Lotus asked.

“Why? Even if he was being controlled, what he did to you won’t just disappear,” Frederick retorted.

“I don’t want him to feel burdened by actions that weren’t his own will,” Lotus explained.

“Hession is a highly skilled knight. Even if I blur his memories, he’ll regain them quickly.”

“But for a little while, it’ll be fine, right? Especially with your abilities,” Lotus insisted.

Frederick was reluctant, but he couldn’t refuse Lotus’s persistent request. After blurring the memories of both Hession and Jane and moving them to their respective rooms, Lotus finally felt at ease.

Later that night, a small meeting took place in her bedroom.

“This is ridiculous. Waking up only to deal with this mess? I swear, I want to rip that bastard to pieces,” Frederick grumbled, pouting. This wasn’t how he had imagined his reunion with Lotus after revealing himself as a regressor. 

In his mind, when he awoke, Lotus would be by his bedside, worried for him. Their eyes would meet, and maybe, just maybe, there would be a passionate kiss—if not that, at least a romantic moment.

‘I was hoping for something a bit more romantic,’ he thought bitterly.

Gaap was truly the root of all evil. To land a solid hit against that demon, Frederick needed to regain his former mastery of water magic. During the week he had pushed himself to his limit and collapsed, he had managed to break through one of his own barriers, but using water magic remained a separate issue.

“You looked really cool when you showed up at that critical moment, Frederick. I’m glad you’re awake,” Lotus said.

“Really?” Frederick’s ears might as well have flapped with joy.

“Yes. But how did you manage to show up at just the right time?”

“I sensed it when the mana stone bracelet’s shield was about to activate. That’s what helped me wake up.”

Lotus glanced down at the bracelet on her wrist. The bracelet, which Frederick had somewhat forcefully given her, had undoubtedly protected her today.

Frederick, too, felt a strange sense of satisfaction. Unlike in the past, the gift he had given Lotus had proven to be useful.

“Lord Frederick, did you make that bracelet because someone was targeting the young lady? And was it the same person who created the item that interfered with Sir Hession’s mind?” Manores asked, his calm but clear voice cutting through the room.

Frederick hesitated, unable to answer immediately. The color drained from his face, which had only recently regained its color. In his previous life, Manores had gotten involved in the fight against Gaap because of Frederick. Although the world knew him as a talented mage, Manores was far more skilled than people realized. He had fought alongside Frederick, Kenneth, and Theodore, only to die in a near-suicidal manner by triggering an internal mana explosion to combat Gaap.

Frederick didn’t want to see Manores make that same sacrifice again. It would be better if Manores remained unaware of the larger conflict.

“This isn’t your concern. Just pretend you don’t know. You’re good at that, right?” Frederick replied sharply, hoping that in this life, Manores would simply stay as a distant, aloof scholar, safe from the dangers of the past.

“You saying that only makes me more certain of my theory, Lord Frederick,” Manores said, pushing his glasses up as he pressed the issue further.

Frederick’s eyes widened in shock. Could it be that another person like Theodore existed? Considering Manores’s status and abilities in the past, it wasn’t entirely impossible, but Frederick hadn’t expected him to figure out the truth so quickly.

“No, it’s not— What are you talking about?”

“If this had nothing to do with me, you would have dragged me into it long ago, pestering me with your problems. I can deduce that much from watching your behavior until now,” Manores replied smoothly.

“Hey! You make it sound like I bother you with trivial things all the time!”

“Didn’t you know? It’s regretful enough to make me grind my teeth,” Manores shot back, indeed grinding his teeth in frustration as he continued.

“But since the situation is far more serious than that, you’ve been hesitant to involve me. Still, it doesn’t matter. I only care about knowing the truth. Whatever I decide to do once I know it is for me to determine. It won’t matter what you want, Lord Frederick.”

Manores’s sharp brown eyes gleamed behind his glasses, showing his unyielding determination. He was like bamboo: upright and unbreakable.

“Do you not feel the same, my lady?” Manores asked, his voice calm but piercing, as though he could see through her fears.

Sometimes she wanted to remain ignorant, to pretend she knew nothing. But hearing Manores’s words, which seemed to read her thoughts, Lotus bit her lip. Yes, running away wouldn’t solve anything. She felt a surge of courage, inspired by Manores’s unwavering resolve.

“You’re right. So, Frederick, contact Theodore. Tell him to keep his promise. He’ll understand what that means.”

Frederick had promised to invite everyone to the estate once he woke up. Now, the time had come to fulfill that promise.

“…Alright, I’ll do that.”

“It seems that person holds the key to my curiosity. I’ve gained useful information, my lady,” Manores remarked with a faint smile.

“No need to thank me.”

Lotus then turned to Kenneth. “Is the culprit behind this incident someone from a realm I can’t comprehend?”

Kenneth furrowed his brow slightly, as if deep in thought, before answering cautiously.

“From what I can tell, you already hold most of the important information, Lotus. But I’m not sure how much you know, so I have to be careful. My answer could affect the path you choose.”

“Then I won’t ask any more today. I want to understand everything perfectly, anyway.”

They would soon hear back from Theodore. All she had to do now was wait.

“You don’t need to be afraid. This time, I will protect you,” Kenneth whispered softly, as if sensing her unease.

“I feel the same, Loti. So, don’t worry,” Frederick added with a wink.

“This time?” Lotus thought. That phrase made it sound like they had failed to protect her in the past. 

There were many factors that had tormented her, but in the end, her suicide had been her own choice. The word “protect” tugged at her heart, but with the empire’s finest swordsman and the future head of the Mage Tower promising to guard her, perhaps she could allow herself to feel a little braver. Lotus tried to muster a faint smile.

***

*Tap tap.*

Everyone had left, and Lotus was alone in her bedroom. She wasn’t surprised when someone knocked on her window, as if she had been expecting it.

[Open up♡]

The magical text floated gently across the windowpane. The heart at the end was completely unnecessary.

Lotus sighed and opened the window. Frederick, as if waiting for her invitation, immediately slipped inside.

“Hup!”

He lunged at her like an overgrown puppy, nearly knocking her over. His arms, now warm with normal body heat, wrapped tightly around her.

“Loti. Loti. Loti.” 

Frederick murmured her nickname over and over, his voice filled with a longing that had been unbearable. It was a small relief to finally say it aloud.

“You have no idea how I feel right now, Loti.”

“Could you… stop using that nickname?”

She had written it in her letter, thinking she would never see him again. To a woman unaccustomed to affection, being called by a nickname felt as embarrassing as listening to a serenade.

“No. Think of it as punishment for leaving the past me so heartlessly.”

“…Were you hurt that much?”

Lotus’s voice trembled as she asked the question, both wanting and not wanting to hear the answer.