The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent – 72
EP.72 Deal (6)
After that, I had succeeded six more times, refining the strategy each time. Of course, I had reset time completely and started from scratch multiple times, and if I included all the minor rewinds, the number would have been even higher.
But in the end, I succeeded. I managed to create a route that worked.
“I see.”
Jennifer murmured in response to my words.
“You’re planning to rewind this time as well, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
I replied quietly, my breath forming a small cloud of white mist in the cold air.
“Honestly, even knowing about your ability, it’s astonishing. It’s hard to believe. That one person could enter and take over such a fortress.”
“I merely caused confusion inside the fortress. If the Imperial forces hadn’t advanced when they did, even with my ability to rewind time, it would’ve been nearly impossible to succeed.”
No matter how many enemies there were, the narrow trenches limited the number of people who could see me at once. Plus, it was nighttime. If the lights became a problem, I could just shoot them out. A single grenade could knock out all the lighting in a section of the trench.
If I failed, I would just keep trying until I succeeded.
“……”
Jennifer remained silent for a while, lost in thought.
“When I first heard they were sending you, I couldn’t believe my ears.”
After maintaining her silence for a long time, she finally spoke. Her tone was hesitant, as though she were slowly unraveling a thought that had been buried deep in her mind, and I was somewhat surprised by her candor.
“Imagine how stunned I was when they told me our reinforcement was ‘one person.’ I may not be the commander here, but these were comrades I once fought alongside. And this was the land where I spent my childhood, right in front of my home. I understand that there are political reasons at play, but when I first received the letter, I was genuinely hopeful. I thought the political issues had finally been resolved, and we’d receive more reinforcements.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. But when I opened that fancy envelope, I was dumbfounded.”
“……”
“Do you know what my grandfather said when he heard the news?”
“No, I don’t.”
“He said, ‘The Emperor must have his reasons.'”
“……”
“I really thought we were being abandoned after all the loyalty we’d shown, that our entire territory was being forsaken.”
Jennifer chuckled as if she had heard a funny joke. But there was a hint of emptiness in her voice. Her laugh gradually grew weaker, almost as if the energy had drained out of it.
“Does the Emperor know about your ability?”
“No, he doesn’t.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes.”
He probably thinks I’m incredibly talented and capable. But he wouldn’t imagine I have the ability to reset the time. That would be beyond the realm of reasonable belief, practically a fantasy.
Moreover, the prevailing belief in this world was that “time cannot be reversed.” It wasn’t just a simple belief but rather tied to a magical rule of this world. Of course, seeing that I could actually turn back time, it made me wonder if the developers had hidden this feature to use it as a twist later in the story. It would also explain why, toward the end, characters suddenly started dying left and right, and why the player had to personally decide which characters would die. Considering it was a small studio, it didn’t seem feasible for them to create two completely different story routes with alternate endings and release a sequel within just a year.
If the ability to reset the time was part of the setting, then it would make sense that the protagonist, knowing this, could just rewind and save the characters while progressing through the story. And for this twist to work, none of the other characters could even suspect that it was possible.
“I see…”
Jennifer was silent for a while again.
“I could tell you’d already solved the situation when you came back. Once I knew you could turn back time, it became obvious.”
Jennifer glanced at me as she spoke.
“Just a moment ago, you only looked a little tired, but suddenly your expression turned deeply exhausted. If I hadn’t known about your ability, I would’ve assumed you were just realizing how difficult the upcoming mission would be.”
“Really?”
“Yes. To be honest, right now, your expression…”
Jennifer hesitated, which was unlike her, and then spoke again.
“It looks like someone who’s been to hell and back.”
“Is that so.”
I couldn’t think of much else to say in response.
“……”
“……”
We both stared at the distant bunker again.
“As you’ve probably heard, those mercenaries holed up in that place are truly vile. They’ve burned down several villages, raped women, and then hanged them at the village gates after everything was left in ruins. It’s hard to understand what drove them to such cruelty. If you need proof, I can show you.”
I had already heard this story before. I had even seen the evidence.
“But even so, they’re still human. Some might call them beasts, but any hunter would laugh at that notion. Sure, there are animals that toy with their prey, but nothing as deliberately cruel as humans. At least, that’s been my experience.”
Jennifer turned toward me, this time looking at me directly rather than casting occasional glances.
“Honestly, I’m probably not the one who should be saying this after dragging you this far, but…”
She hesitated for just a moment before continuing.
“Why don’t you just run away? If you’ve turned back time, all the lives you’ve taken can be undone. Or you could live a life completely detached from the Emperor. With your ability, you could live a normal life, couldn’t you?”
“……”
I kept staring at the distant bunker for a while before finally speaking.
“I’ve heard that suggestion before.”
“……”
Jennifer seemed at a loss for words after hearing my response.
“I see.”
We stood there in silence again, with Jennifer beside me, until this time, I spoke first.
“Still, thank you for saying it. Truly.”
“……”
Jennifer’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, and she asked,
“Have I said that before too?”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“This is the first time.”
“I see.”
Jennifer smiled at my words.
*
Did I even have the option to start over from the beginning?
Jennifer didn’t know much about my past. Not many people knew about my true past, the one where I played an incomprehensible “game” in my previous life, nor about the past where I lived as “Sylvia Black.” The few who did were Claire, the Baron and Baroness Grace who likely heard it from her, the Emperor who received reports, and Lucas who had been observing the orphanage.
All of these people would agree that, even if I reset the time for the first time, I would still end up in the same situation.
Lucas had been keeping an eye on the orphanage from the very beginning. No matter how many times I reset the time, I was still a child of less than ten years. Even if I ran fast or hid well, there was no escaping the gaze of someone as skilled as Lucas, and even if I tried to attack, I would never have won.
Where did the existence of “Sylvia Black” come from?
Perhaps, from nowhere at all.
Just an existence created at that moment for some purpose.
And the fact that I, who knew quite a bit about the future of this world in the form of a game, was placed in that body meant that whoever brought me here had a clear goal.
An entity that even anticipated my ability to turn back time.
“So, does that mean I can just do whatever I want?”
I muttered quietly, staring at the ceiling after waking up in the middle of the night.
Of course, there was no response.
Whether the entity above was a god or the goddess spoken of by the Goddess Church, it didn’t matter.
Well, silence is a form of freedom too. And silence can often be interpreted to one’s disadvantage.
“Alright.”
I decided to interpret that silence as I wished and stood up.
I was a bit tired. Of course I would be, considering what had just happened. My mind was fatigued, and my body, waking in the middle of the night, was screaming to return to sleep.
But there was no time. Claire would surely come to visit at 4 a.m.
I took a deep breath in.
I sat cross-legged and recalled my master’s teachings. I calmed my mind and worked to restore my body.
Honestly, by Earth’s standards, this was absurd. Without sleep, the body would normally just remain tired.
Thankfully, I was in a world where such techniques were possible, even with an ordinary body.
I exhaled, releasing my worries and distractions along with my breath. I allowed only what I wanted to do and needed to do to remain in my mind.
Then, I opened my eyes.
Good.
It was time to head out.
I had a debt to repay.