R4STWH - Chapter 133

Chapter 133

Though I hurriedly tried to gather what had leaked out, some memories related to that voice had already seeped in.

'What was that just now...?'

Even as I hastily sealed the pouch of memories, I felt confused.

Elias had said before that I never existed in his other worldlines.

So our first meeting should have been at Ermitar's dwelling, and yet...

'You have to stay with me. Understand?'

Could it be my younger self calling him 'butterfly'?

[Is it done?]

Neo's impatient question snapped me out of my daze as I stood there blankly.

"Yes."

[No problems?]

When I nodded, Neo clapped his hands once.

[Good then. The conditions are met, so the contract is now established.]

My consciousness grew hazy as voices overlapped like dozens speaking at once.

Then...

"Ilesha...?"

Along with the sensation of being suddenly pulled up to the surface, I began to regain feeling in my body.

"Are you awake?"

The low, gentle voice with perfect resonance was, of course, Elias's. However...

"...!"

I opened my eyes wide in shock as I took in the situation.

There were so many semi-transparent windows floating around that it made me dizzy, and my body was overflowing with energy as if I had taken a long rest.

'Mana shouldn't be recovering this quickly...'

Like most dreams, I hadn't thought much time had passed.

I expected barely an hour had gone by, but something... something was strange.

Buildings surrounded us, and there was an acrid, burning smell in the air.

This definitely wasn't the lakeside where we fell asleep or the forest where the battle took place.

Given the swaying that had just stopped, it seemed Elias had been carrying me while running before coming to a halt.

"Elias, where are we?"

He carefully set me down as I squirmed.

"You met with Neo, right?"

"Yes."

While maintaining eye contact, he gently brushed my hair.

"A full day passed while you were asleep."

"...What?"

I was so dumbfounded I gaped.

"Neo's specialty is handling time... Seems he played quite a trick."

"What a scammer!"

Well, it wasn't exactly a scam, but I felt cheated nonetheless.

How could this be? If that much time was going to pass in reality, he should have said something.

I see why he was so confident when I was grilling him for information, answering every question with unusual kindness. This must have been his plan all along.

'No wonder he seemed so sure of himself!'

Knowing it was pointless to blame and curse Neo now, I quickly asked what I needed to know.

"Where were you heading just now? Should we talk while walking if it's urgent?"

"Yes. Let's go rescue the Saintess first."

"Huh...? She was kidnapped?"

Even in my shock, I started running while holding his hand.

"What in the world happened while I was out..."

Come to think of it, I thought I saw the Saintess mentioned several times in those semi-transparent windows I'd hastily dismissed.

"When we were clearing out monsters again while crossing the gate, waiting for you to wake up..."

Somehow, another SS-rank monster had appeared.

As previously arranged, while Elias and Baeksa drew the creature's attention, the Saintess, Crow, Clea, and the knights attempted to escape through the gate they had emerged from.

Fortunately, they all managed to get through without major casualties, and Elias and Baeksa followed shortly after, abandoning the monster. They couldn't defeat an SS-rank monster with just the two of them.

They thought they could catch their breath on the other side, but everything had gone wrong.

The Saintess, Crow, and Clea had been kidnapped by Princess Selena.

'Yumi took all of them?'

While it was a relief she hadn't killed them, I couldn't understand why specifically those three... or maybe I could.

'She must think I'll come to save them.'

While I'm not sure how Clea got caught up in this, the Saintess and Crow had shared meals with me, so Yumi must have noticed we were close.

'Hostages... oh my...'

It felt surreal.

'She's really playing the villain...'

"I came to the location Princess Selena provided after considering what choice you'd make. I didn't think you'd want to abandon them."

"Yeah... we have to save them. We can't leave them."

Even if it was a trap, there was no choice.

Qualification Verification (3)

You who have chosen to side with world E-17ACEM! World E-17ACEM desperately needs your help. Rescue the key figures from your former comrade's hands to raise your reputation and obtain various rewards.

Rescue the Amern Order's Saintess (0/1)

Success Rewards: Maximum Goodwill with Amern Order+, Access to Order's Sacred Treasure Storage, Influence Level Increase in World E-17ACEM (Current: 6/10 levels)

Failure Penalty: Decreased Goodwill with Amern Order, Influence Level Decrease in World E-17ACEM.

Would you like to accept this quest? YES / NO

'I can feel this world's god's urgency and desperation.'

It seems they've been sending quests continuously since the Saintess was kidnapped, with increasingly elaborate text and rewards being added until they're even offering sacred treasures.

Besides not being able to ignore the qualification verification quest, I would have to face Yumi eventually... we'll need to settle things once and for all.

Actually, even without those reasons, how could I abandon that little chick? She must be sobbing pitifully right about now.

By the way, where are we?

I've been to quite a few places while clearing dungeons, but this place seems completely unfamiliar, suggesting it's my first time in this city.

Noticing my wandering gaze, Elias spoke up first.

"This is the Protia domain."

Protia... that was Clea's family name.

"...Oh?"

Then somewhere around here, Elias's mother must be...

Could Yumi have taken his mother hostage too? I really hope not.

Even though she abandoned Elias, she's still his mother.

From what I heard from Gerent, noble women of this era seem to have to follow the family head's will regardless of their own desires.

In other words, there might have been unavoidable circumstances.

Of course, if Elias decides not to forgive her, I'll respect his decision, but shouldn't there at least be a process of meeting and talking first?

It would be troublesome if she's already lost her life or is being threatened.

'Is Elias okay?'

As I carefully observed his expression, he smiled slightly and said,

"If you're worried about my mother, don't be."

"Um...?"

"I mean there's no need to try to save her. She's nothing to do with me."

...His response actually made me more concerned.

Before regaining his memories from other worldlines, Elias hadn't been this indifferent about his mother.

He had said she did her best in her own way by leaving Helen, his beloved maid, by her young son's side...

Now, he showed not a trace of longing or affection, not even resentment or hatred.

He spoke of her as casually as one might mention roadside weeds or rocks.

'Our Elias... what should I do...'

This change isn't good. Not because of his mother or others, but because it's harmful to Elias himself.

While I would be very satisfied and happy if Elias loved only me and gave his heart to no one else, I knew that wasn't right.

I knew well the process of emotions becoming dull until they eventually wear away completely, having experienced it myself.

'Though it's not something I can really help with... I should still do what I can.'

Quietly adding that to the bottom of my priority list, I adjusted my grip on his hand.

So our fingers could interlock more tightly, without any gaps.

VerseVoyage