DSFL | Chapter 99

~Chapter 99~ 

‘Honestly, I was worried that Onyx might just cover this whole thing up…’

But it turns out I didn’t need to worry.

[As I mentioned earlier, the Cardiff Social Club is no longer associated with Elai Glaster. Based on the documents you gave me, his noble title will be revoked. As a representative of the gods, we must address everything he has done.
You came to help Cardiff, yet we caused you trouble, and I truly regret that. I hope you can forgive us with your kind heart.

P.S. If you have any questions, no matter how small, about this matter or anything else, please don’t hesitate to contact me.]

…This seems like a pretty good resolution, right?

I began writing a reply to Onyx. I didn’t know all the details, but he had received special permission from the High Priest to enter the Dremokan Forest.

‘I have to meet Ailins.’

So I added a note saying I wanted to go with him.

Ever since the World Tree grew, the forest’s boundaries became even stricter. It was already hard for Roygin family members to enter, but now it was on a whole other level.

After finishing the letter, I took a deep breath and glanced at Cedric.

“Is your hand okay?”

“It’s nothing to worry about.”

He said that, but I couldn’t stop staring. Noticing my gaze, Cedric awkwardly hid his hand. He clearly didn’t enjoy this kind of attention, so I changed the subject.

“Anyway, should I give this to Grandpa?”

I held up one of Cedric’s old academy letters. His eyes widened.

“Where did you get that…?!”

“Leon gave it to me.”

“That guy…”

Cedric let out a deep sigh, looking conflicted.

“Forget it. No need to give it to him.”

“But you put a lot of effort into writing it. Shouldn’t it be returned to the person it was meant for?”

“It wasn’t for him.”

Wait—so the letter wasn’t for Grandpa?

“Just… do what you want with it.”

“…”

As I stared at him blankly, Cedric seemed to be deep in thought.

“By the way, do you want your marriage proposal back?”

“You’re not still bothered by what Elai said, are you?”

…Don’t tell me that was the correct guess.

“There’s no need to pay attention to him. He’s not worth it.”

“Hah. I’ve never been bothered. I always make the right choices.”

Cedric denied it immediately.

Ah. So I was wrong?

He rubbed his forehead and sighed deeply.

“Do you have plans tomorrow?”

“No.”

Instead of answering, he handed me a note.

[798-1 Montana Street]

“Go there.”

“Who’s waiting for me?”

“Someone who says he owes you a favor.”

The explanation was vague—but easy to guess.

It could only be Leon.

But… I thought Cedric didn’t like me meeting Leon.

He must have really changed—he even gave me Leon’s address.

That was progress.

I scratched my head, then narrowed my eyes.

It bothered me that Cedric brought up Leon right after talking about the marriage proposal.

And it was odd that Cedric wanted us to meet.

Call it a gut feeling—but instincts are usually right.

“Just curious… Did Leon tell you something?”

“About what?”

“Um… about the proposal earlier…”

I trailed off, suddenly unsure if I was assuming too much.

“I can’t read that guy’s mind.”

“Haha, true.”

“But Grandpa did consider him as a potential match for you. So I don’t think he’s a bad choice.”

Right—Grandpa once joked about whether Leon would make a good husband.

I had laughed it off at the time, but maybe he was serious.

Honestly, I think he’d be a good match too.

Leon was kind—and more than I deserved. I was sure we’d have a smooth marriage.

He was practically the perfect groom.

No more pretending to be family. We could become real family.

“I’ll think about it positively.”

Cedric stood up, ending the conversation. His eyes briefly lingered on the letter.

“You told me to do what I wanted with it…”

…That was just his way of admitting he wrote it to me, wasn’t it?

I looked at the letter in my hands and smirked.

“I’ll read this the next time he annoys me.”

Everything was going smoothly now.

But if things went too well, I knew misfortune might follow.

***

“Arkan.”

I cleared my throat and called for the little guide. He appeared quickly.

He had stepped away for a bit, saying he had to finish some tasks he’d delayed while spending time with me.

Fortunately, he returned just in time.

[I waited so long, wishing a lady would notice the dust falling on my head!]

“I didn’t hear anything.”

[Of course not! I was thinking it to myself!]

I gently brushed off the dust on the picture frame.

“I’ve been thinking—when you talked about a ‘library,’ did you mean a passage to another world?”

[Exactly! That’s what I always believed it was!]

[That’s why I said I wanted to guide a special lady like you toward that path!]

I remembered Atkins’ note:

“There’s a monster living in the timeline.”

He seemed friendly, but the word “monster” didn’t sound all that comforting.

And Peril had said it too—

He thought I might’ve crossed a timeline.

If that were true, then wouldn’t I eventually run into that monster?

[You suddenly look scary… You’re not going to abandon me, are you?]

“I wasn’t thinking that. I was just worried about that ‘monster’ living in the timeline.”

[Ah… Human language is tricky. We guides have never called him anything that awful.]

[He’s the one who oversees time and makes sure the worlds don’t interfere with each other. It’s a very annoying job.]

Well, if that’s the case, maybe I don’t need to worry.

“So, what do I do next?”

[I’ve been waiting for you to ask that!]

[Milady, have you heard of ‘The One Who Peered into Fate’?]

Of course I have…

That’s me.

Though… there’s someone else who fits that title too.

The adventurer Atkins.

But he’s impossible to find right now.

[Actually, to peer into fate, you need one special thing: an object from another world.]

I paused and touched the key tucked inside my clothes.

[Ah, a perfect example! Some people are lucky enough to pick up such an item by chance. I admire those people deeply.]

…So this key didn’t come from my original world?

My mind was spinning.

While I stood frozen in thought, Arkan continued writing calmly.

[However, some who peer into fate become cursed with misfortune. So sad, really!]

“You’re not… saying I need to find them, right…?”

[Ding ding ding~! Correct!]

“W-what?! How am I supposed to do that? I don’t even have any clues!”

[I don’t know either. But if you can recover the item they’re holding, the path will definitely open!]

Ugh. I seriously feel like throwing it away.

[Of course I’ll help you!!!]

As my expression froze in horror, Arkan panicked and scribbled quickly.

[I do know they’re somewhere in the Empire. And also…]

“…”

[Heh… heh.]

I was so shocked I couldn’t even respond. I let out a long sigh, my head aching.

“If I think simply, all I need to do is find someone who’s read the original story.”

But I’d never met anyone like that before.

As I searched my memories, one voice came to mind:

“…My father once told me. I’m destined to become the most noble woman in the Empire.”

Now that I think about it, Idette said that before.

“But to make that happen, we must recover what we’ve lost.”

Her becoming Empress—

That’s not something you could predict without reading the original story.