* * *

“No, what in the world is going on?”

Shulva’s mouth fell open as she rode in the carriage.

“Something’s clearly wrong.”

The Holy Land of Arhad came into view in the distance.

There were no residential houses near Arhad. And yet, the few people who were nearby were visibly evacuating.

“Heading to Arhad? I wouldn’t, not right now.”

A passerby advised Shulva as she briefly stepped out of the carriage.

“The Holy Knights have locked it down. There’s floods, landslides—total chaos in there.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Shulva gave a small nod, her expression unmoved.

Then she turned to Caliban, who was fidgeting nervously inside the carriage.

“It seems that’s where it’s happening. It’s a complete disaster.”

“What? Are we even allowed to go in there?”

“Of course not. We don’t have a shred of combat ability.”

Shulva spoke calmly and firmly.

“If this could be solved with money or bribes, I’d go help... but this isn’t that kind of situation. Count, it would be best if we stayed out of sight nearby. We don’t want to get captured and become deadweight as hostages.”

“Then why the hell did we come all the way out here?! Huh?”

“Because waiting at home was too stressful for you, Count. Once everything’s over, we can make a grand entrance and give some hugs as if we contributed.”

She climbed back into the carriage and looked at Caliban, who was visibly anxious.

“We must believe, Count.”

“...What?”

“Everything will be fine. I believe in all of them.”

At that moment—

Another carriage came racing up behind them.

“Hm?”

Shulva furrowed her brow and tilted her head.

“That one is...”

“What now?!”

Caliban barked.

Shulva shrugged.

“A Sinesse carriage.”

At the word “Sinesse,” Caliban flinched.

It was a name that still weighed heavily on him, even after all this time. It wasn’t even him who had been lavishly indulged by that household—it had been his wife.

Still, Caliban could only hope the person in that carriage wasn’t Abraham.

He didn’t even know what the rest of the Sinesse family looked like... and knowing Abraham, it was possible the others weren’t even aware of the Noart connection...

“Hoo...”

Shulva muttered as she leaned out the window to watch.

“Looks like it’s Marquis Abraham Sinesse himself. What a mess this is.”

* * *

When I opened my eyes again—

I was floating in a formless space.

I no longer felt any pain, and there was no more blood at my lips. Even my dirt-stained clothes were now clean.

“...What is this?”

Everywhere, balloon-like shapes floated gently through the air.

Each balloon had wishes written on it in ancient script.

“Please bring back the one I love.” “I want to undo this catastrophe.” “I regret saying harsh words to someone precious...” Things like that.

“What is this...”

I blinked in a daze.

Nothing like this had happened the last time I turned back time.

Then—

<Now it is time for you to make your wish.>

A solemn, deep voice rang out.

I whipped around.

<This is a separate dimension where one can control the Sacred Relic of Time.>

It was Fire, looking directly at me as he spoke.

<Here, you must make your wish—and choose—in order to turn back time.>

“...Whoa. Fire... You speak really well?”

<It is a subspace, is it not?>

Fire smiled benevolently.

He always barked or spoke in short phrases—only now did I truly feel the presence of an ancient Divine Beast who had lived for millennia.

“But... why are you here?”

<I lent my strength.>

Fire spoke gently.

<I contributed what little divine power I could.>

“...Huh?”

<Your divine power alone seemed insufficient to control the Sacred Relic of Time.>

Ah.

That must’ve been why I felt his soft fur at the end.

<I came too.>

Before I knew it, Athena also appeared.

<I gave my divine power as well.>

Then Cashie sprang forward.

Ray and Linna had been arriving earlier—so their Divine Beasts must’ve joined in, lending their power too.

<Me too...>

Liri peeked out from above Fire’s head.

<Our combined divine power may be meager now...>

Suddenly, tears welled up in my eyes.

<But with even just this, we barely managed to bring you here.>

I could picture it clearly.

Me clutching the Sacred Relic of Time with fading power... and then, one by one, the Divine Beasts gathering around me.

Fire had been the first to press his paw to my body and give me strength.

Then Athena. Then Cashie. Then Liri...

It was because of their desperate effort to lend me their divine power that I didn’t die—and made it here, to this dimension.

Just barely, with enough power to control the Sacred Relic of Time.

And thanks to that, not only me, but all four of them had entered this space.

<Now it’s time to make your wish, Master.>

Fire spoke solemnly.

<You must command time.>

“Hmm... there weren’t all these steps before...”

I narrowed my eyes and looked around.

Last time, I’d just clung to it and wished desperately, and it worked.

Still, I couldn’t afford to dwell on the past.

I murmured softly.

“If I turn back time again...”

What’s past is past. Now is now.

“...I’ll save my brother. I’ll save Zahid...”

I found myself absentmindedly speaking while stroking Liri, who lay cradled in my arms.

“...And then I’ll disappear.”

It was something I’d thought for a long time.

And the moment I said it aloud, tears began to fall silently.

“If I had known I was the High Priest’s daughter... I never would’ve gotten close to any of them in the first place.”

Back then, I hadn’t known.

I hadn’t known I was Aietar’s daughter. I’d thought that as long as I saved just the /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ two of them, that would be enough.

I thought I could live peacefully afterward.

“I don’t want to watch those people get hurt because of me.”

I’d ended up here and survived by giving it everything I had—but if I truly got another chance to go back...

“Like all the Dyfenril ancestors who lived in this duchy... I want Zahid to one day marry, have children, and raise them with love...”

Just that.

So Zahid could live that kind of life.

Without ever getting entangled with someone like me. Just peacefully, with a normal woman, living a normal happiness.

“So... to that point in time...”

I wiped away my tears and whispered.

“I want to return to before I ever got attached to my brother, to Zahid, to all of them...”

And that’s when it happened.

Suddenly, a huge number of balloons came flying toward me.

Each was written in ancient script.

“I want to go back to before I got attached to the one I love.”

I stared in disbelief, jaw slack.

I remembered the words I’d once seen at the Sinesse Marquisate.

“Countless wishes, transcending time and space, accumulate within the Sacred Relic of Time.”

Back then, I’d just thought, That’s different from what I did, and brushed it off.

“Even if you supply enough divine power, if a wish is duplicated among those stored within, the Sacred Relic may grant that instead. Be careful. Wow, this is so scammy... Sorry, that last bit was just me adding commentary. Oh, and this too.”

I stared at the countless balloons in a panic.

Then... all of these were... identical wishes made by other people to the Sacred Relic over time?

<Among them is your wish...>

Fire explained.

<Now you must choose.>

“This is—this is completely scammy, isn’t it?!”

So this was the infamous “duplication” phenomenon I’d read about at the Sinesse estate!

You didn’t have to be a genius to know how unlikely it was that the Sacred Relic would pick my balloon from this pile.

“What the... I mean, seriously...”

<Unfortunately, you don’t have much time left here.>

Fire’s tone was solemn.

<You have to choose.>

If I picked the wrong balloon, some dead person’s wish might be granted, and time might rewind to a completely unrelated point.

In that case, I wouldn’t even be the one turning back time—it would be them.

“This is absurd. How am I supposed to know which one is mine?! If I pick someone else’s, I’m just doing a favor for some total stranger! What if that person was a heinous villain?!”

<That’s fair. Most people who stake their lives on pouring divine power into the Sacred Relic aren’t exactly stable...>

“That’s not me. I’m totally normal.”

<...>

And as I just stood there, helpless, staring at the endless balloons—

“I knew you’d do this.”

Suddenly, someone grabbed my wrist.

Startled, I turned—and there he was, eyes blazing with fury.

Zahid.