The World Has Become Kinder to Her

Though not quite at Kenneth’s level, Hession was still a knight of considerable skill.  

No ordinary sorcerer or mage would even be able to attempt controlling his mind.  

Whoever was capable of such a thing had to be an exceptionally talented mage or sorcerer—or possibly a god or demon, beings thought to have mastery over willpower.  

In the past, Lotus would never have considered gods or demons as viable suspects, but thanks to the books recommended by Theodore and her conversations with Manores, she had now placed them among her list of candidates.  

Couple that with Kenneth and Theodore’s openly hostile attitude toward Rikheus, as well as the strange reactions both Frederick’s shield and her heart had in his presence, and the answer seemed clearer.  

Of course, for such a conclusion, one had to accept certain premises: the belief that gods and demons existed, and that they could interfere with humans in the real world.  

‘If I assume a demon is toying with a human, the first ones that come to mind are Mephistopheles and Gaap. But according to legends and folklore, Mephistopheles would have preferred humans to be consumed by their own desires and self-destruct rather than be manipulated by outside forces.’

Lotus watched as Theodore’s purple eyes shimmered slightly. After rubbing his face dry with his hands, he spoke.  

“If you’ll allow me, I’d like to kiss those lovely lips of yours.”  

“What on earth leads you to that conclusion?”  

“I’m overwhelmed. If you knew how long it took me to deduce that from those fools without making a direct mention of it, you’d understand how I feel. To face off against beings referred to as gods and demons, you need to uncover their identities on your own. It was a necessary measure.”

Frederick, who had been quietly listening, now wore an expression of incredulity, feeling personally attacked.  

“Hey, try laying a finger on Loti. I could break this barrier in no time.”  

“You really do say the stupidest things. If you break this barrier at your whim, do you honestly believe Lotus would come out unscathed, regardless of what happens to me?”  

“Ugh…”

The bickering between Theodore and Frederick grew louder, but Lotus found herself unable to focus on their conversation.  

Since the Hall of Truth had opened, she had been acutely aware of a gaze fixed on her, and it was starting to seriously bother her.  

It was a concerned gaze, like that of someone watching a girl putting her head into the mouth of a lion.  

The quiet yet intense gaze of the man was setting all of Lotus’s senses on edge.

Theodore, who had been looking at Frederick with disdain, clicked his tongue as he noticed Kenneth staring at her.  

“Stop staring. You’re going to wear her out.”

Kenneth wasn’t the type to react to Theodore’s provocations the way Frederick did. If something didn’t seem worth acknowledging, he simply ignored it.  

He hadn’t looked at Theodore even once.  

In the end, it was Lotus who cautiously spoke up.  

“You don’t have to worry. Theodore’s magic is quite stable.”

Kenneth didn’t respond verbally, but gave a faint smile, which seemed to imply he intended to keep watching until the questioning was over.  

Both Lotus and Theodore only had one chance left to ask questions. Theodore spoke first.

“I heard about your death while returning from an errand in the region of Phaeton.”  

“…I see.”  

“I summoned a high-level water spirit at the Venus River where you died, but didn’t gain any particularly meaningful results. So, like Sir Kenneth, I investigated your life in my own way. Although I had gathered most of the information after we started interacting, I still didn’t know everything about you.”

  “Don’t act so proud about snooping around,” Lotus grumbled. She didn’t bother asking how he’d gone about the investigation since she could easily guess.  

At the time, Theodore had effectively been the true owner of the Faust Trading Company, one of the top ten trade conglomerates on the continent, and had already taken control of over half the information and assassination guilds in the capital’s underworld.  

If he used his trading company staff and guild members in his own way, gathering information was hardly a challenge.  

Of course, Lotus didn’t want to know all of this, but having gotten so deeply involved with Theodore, she had come to learn about it, whether she wanted to or not.  

Theodore let Lotus’s small complaint slide past one ear and continued speaking.  

“As I investigated the people who frequently interacted with you, those who showed interest in you, and lastly, the people you were interested in, a few individuals stood out. One of them was Rikheus Hycen,” he said.  

The sole heir to the Hycen Duchy, a considerable figure in his own right. Theodore had assigned some of the more skilled members of the information and assassination guilds to surveil and tail him.  

“But small incidents kept occurring, and there were constant interruptions. Given his background as the Hycen heir, I had expected as much. That’s why I deployed spirits as well.”  

Spirit summoners had all but vanished from this world, with only sparse records remaining.  

A man who could be called the continent’s only remaining spirit summoner had used spirits to monitor a single individual.  

“When even the spirits started being deceived, I had to rethink my approach. If we assumed Rikheus Hycen had surpassed human limits, like Prince Frederick or Sir Kenneth, or perhaps something beyond that, I had one option left,” he explained.  

“…Was that the summoning of the Spirit King?” Lotus asked.  

Theodore nodded.  

“You asked about my condition that day. I summoned Salia using an almost exploitative method. I substituted a lack of natural affinity with a heavy expenditure of mental energy. After summoning the Spirit King, I had very little mental strength left for any other spells, which is why I was so drained.”  

“Then isn’t using this spell dangerous as well?”  

“I’ve been preparing for this for a long time, so there’s no need to worry,” Theodore reassured her.  

Lotus found it a bit strange that Theodore was answering her questions so readily, but she chalked it up to an apology for his earlier impudence.  

“Anyway, while Salia and I were watching and tailing the Hycen heir, I witnessed him speaking with a certain individual and was able to gather significant information. Prince Frederick, Sir Kenneth, and I then confronted Gaap and used the Sands of Rebirth to return. But it seems you came back through a different means. If you didn’t wish to return to the past by making a deal with the mysterious voice, then why do you think you were able to return?”  

“Perhaps it’s connected to the owner of that unknown voice. If what I heard wasn’t just a dream, then the being capable of granting wishes must be a god or demon. In that case…” Lotus’s expression stiffened slightly.  

“It seems the terrifying conclusion is that more than one god or demon is entangled in my life.”  

“From what I know, there are three,” Theodore responded.  

Now only one question remained. Lotus let out a sigh before speaking.  

“I suppose it’s my turn to ask. Theodore, why haven’t you mentioned who the Hycen heir was meeting? You seem to know who it is. Is it because of some restriction?”  

“Instead of phrasing it like that, why don’t you ask me directly? Ask who that person is,” Theodore said.  

Why is he asking me to be so explicit? Lotus found it odd for a moment but figured that since it was Theodore, he must have his reasons.  

“Who was the person meeting with Rikheus Hycen, the one who provided you with significant information?” she asked clearly.

“That would be…”  

The moment Theodore focused on recalling the memory to answer her question, his mind suddenly went blank.

The world around him shook as if his vision was being torn apart. Every nerve in his body felt like it was contracting and expanding in waves. His once arrogant posture, legs crossed, crumbled.

“Theodore!”  

A voice, filled with panic, echoed through the air. But Theodore remained calm, fully aware of what was happening to him.  

He was overloaded. A clash between restrictions was occurring, creating this outcome.  

Theodore remembered parts of the conversation between Rikheus and the mysterious figure, but not the figure’s identity. Just like how certain restrictions prevented someone from understanding conversations if they didn’t realize the other party had regressed, a similar restriction was in place here. Theodore was certain he’d encountered a block tied to the identity of the person Rikheus had met.  

Like using poison to counter poison, Theodore thought of using one restriction to break the other.  

If the restriction had created this limit on his memory, he would force his way through it. The unique properties of the Hall of Truth were perfect for this.  

*If you want to live, remember.*

Theodore violently demanded his brain, his memory, to recall. *If I don’t remember, I’ll die.* His mind fought desperately for survival.  

The person who met Rikheus that day was an incarnation of Mars, the God of War and Destruction. His appearance was…  

It felt as if someone had taken his brain and ground it to pulp with a pestle.  

The pain and suffering were unlike anything he had ever experienced before—not even when he endured Gaap’s hellfire.  

─ *This information is not allowed to you.*  

─ *Dare not, remember!*  

An overwhelming will reverberated through his mind.  

For all his pride in his own willpower and resolve, in the face of this mountain-like presence, he felt no more significant than dust.  

The rampant knowledge and memories were shredding his brain to pieces.

As Theodore’s consciousness began to spiral into the abyss, a voice echoed like a lifeline.  

“Stay with me! Don’t lose consciousness!”  

A small hand tightly gripped his, the same hand he had despaired over losing so long ago.  

─ *I love you, Lotus.*  

The confession he had made for the first and last time at her small grave resurfaced in his mind. He could have destroyed Gaap for good then, but instead, he chose regression for a single reason: to see Lotus again.  

“I’m… fine. I can remember,” Theodore said, his voice barely more than a whisper, as faint as his fading consciousness. Lotus’s lips and shoulders trembled at the sight.  

When she realized something was wrong, she should have stopped. She wasn’t trusting Theodore blindly—she knew better than anyone how calculating and smart he was. She had thought, at least, he’d know how to protect his own life.  

But why hadn’t she considered that the regressed Theodore was different from the one she had known?  

“Did you set up the Hall of Truth just for this? To push yourself to the brink?” she asked, her voice shaking with anger.  

“I need to remember… for the plan… to be perfect,” Theodore muttered.  

“What good is a perfect plan if you’re risking your life for it?”  

No, Lotus was wrong.  

Though this was incredibly painful, he wouldn’t die. He wouldn’t have attempted this if he didn’t have something to fall back on.  

She might get angry, but in the end, she would have no choice but to help him.  

「Y-You insane contractor! Arrogant contractor!」