Chapter 125: I am Winter (3)
Cain slowly opened his eyes.
In the midst of the universe, where a faint light flickered, a single room floated.
Whoosh— Whoosh—
Broken picture frames drifted around the room, alone in the universe.
【Help me when you wake up.】
At the sound of the low voice, Cain turned his head.
It was ‘Spring’, in the form of his previous timeline self.
“We’re here again.”
He had come here even after fighting Primundi. He knew that ‘Spring’ had taken on the form of ‘Lord East Cain’.
Back then, it was like a vast exhibition hall, but now it was completely different.
【It means you’ve changed that much.】
‘Spring’, who easily read Cain’s mind, grabbed the pieces of the floating frame with rough hands.
Creak—
He tried to put the broken frame together somehow, but when it didn’t fit, he threw it in one place and moved on to find another piece.
As it was a place without weight, he flew through the air as if swimming.
【You broke it because you were going to catch Glumiêm, so put it together.】
He knew what the picture frames in this place were.
Himself, archived with his present recorded.
And a place where the future will be recorded.
“……Right.”
Cain looked around.
Broken picture frame fragments floated around like autumn leaves falling in the wind.
‘Winter wasn’t wrong.’
This must have been what it meant to have used up so much already. And as before, ‘Spring’ was restoring the future that Cain had sacrificed.
Thud.
As he tried to get up, Cain felt a strange sensation on his fingertips.
It was a very small picture frame, the size of two palms.
It was full of scratches, as if made by a clumsy person, but it sparkled as if it had been made most recently among the ones here.
“This is—”
Cain couldn’t finish his sentence.
The picture contained in the small frame was the Northern Elf Forest where he had just fought.
As if they had taken a group photo, the faces of the people Cain had last heard with ‘Heart of Shadow’ were inside.
‘Spring’, who had brought a piece of the picture frame that was going out into space, smirked.
【That’s the new future you’ve created.】
“I made the future?”
There had been a message like that among the messages that appeared when he displayed his true self-sacrifice, Credo.
That something that had always been consumed had been created.
‘Spring’ reached out.
Cain held out the picture frame.
He took the picture frame with both hands as if handling something precious and hung it in the middle of the room.
【I told you before. The future belongs to those who walk. You walked well and created your own future.】
Old, small but precious.
Cain liked the small one more than any other large and colorful picture frame.
【That doesn’t mean the future you spent is restored. Hurry up and put the frame together.】
Cain couldn’t take his eyes off the small picture frame, but he had no choice but to move at ‘Spring’s’ urging.
The pieces of the picture frame were all cold, as if they had just been taken out of winter.
Cain, who was trying to put them together, pointed to the pieces that were half reduced.
“Some of them don’t fit at all.”
Half of them were barely combined to make the original picture frame shape, but the rest were missing important parts.
Spring then smiled wryly, with the expression of Cain when he was all grown up.
【It has become the material for a new future.】
There are many things in the world that cannot be reversed.
The future is one of them.
Even with the ridiculous power of 〈Sacred Treasures of the Four Seasons〉, there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
Swoosh—
As Spring, who was an adult, became younger every time he put the frame together, what cannot be reversed cannot be reversed.
【And this is only possible when you sacrifice ‘the future’…….】
‘Spring’s’ low murmur.
Cain turned his head and ‘Spring’ closed his mouth. He had the expression of someone who had said something he shouldn’t have.
“Is there anything else?”
【It’s up to you to find out. I’ll just wait.】
“That’s ominous.”
【It can’t be helped. Do your job first before you think about that.】
“My job?”
Cain tilted his head.
Then ‘Spring’ snapped his fingers and a quest window appeared in front of Cain.
+
『Annihilator of Destruction Ⅲ+』
‘Cain Ethelred’ has created a new future. His future, created by breaking through the infinitely close to 0 probability every time, is brilliant.
As the world changes, so do the quests.
However, just because it has changed brilliantly doesn’t always mean it’s good. Only those who live in the moment know what will happen.
Current World Line Fixation: 23%
Clear Conditions: Oleciren’s awakening, premonition of eternity, death. ━> survival.
Success: World Line Fixation increase, peace of Airian, survival.
Failure: Return canceled.
+
It was a window that hadn’t appeared for a while.
The good thing was that the old annoying ‘death’ was gone, but the bad thing was that it had changed to ‘survival’.
Cain’s face hardened.
‘Spring’ pointed to the broken picture frames.
【It can’t be helped. Because of what you did.】
“I never intended to avoid it. I’m just going to do my best to live as it comes.”
Cain’s pledge.
‘Spring’ readily nodded.
【That’s more like it. But listen.】
His face slowly hardened.
In his hand was a piece of the largest picture frame in this place.
He didn’t know what the contents were, but it must have been something big.
【What would happen if the world changed by about 23%?】
“……?”
【There are four seasons, so wouldn’t there be at least one more Demon King?】
“……!”
Cain’s eyes widened.
Rumble—
As if ‘Spring’ had said something he shouldn’t have, the world began to shake violently. It felt like this space itself was rejecting Cain from being here any longer.
‘Spring’ continued speaking, unconcerned.
【Why does the Holy See kill not only the witch but everyone around her?】
“You…….”
Slowly everything blurred.
As if rising to the surface from underwater, as if regaining consciousness from a deep sleep, as he moved away from ‘Spring’, he smiled and left one last word.
【Samhain has also awakened, so tell ‘Winter’ to calm down a bit. Tell him to tone down those scary ‘kind words’ a little.】
🔹🔹🔹
Spring was just around the corner.
Spring in the Airian Kingdom, which had always been suppressed and oppressed by the Northern Elf Forest, was fast approaching.
“Are you alright?”
A warm spring breeze blew.
“He will wake up soon.”
Warm words and cold words intertwined.
Cain slowly opened his eyes.
He saw the face of Oleciren with her black eyes and a woman with soft silver hair and sparkling blue eyes.
It was a face he had never seen before, but it was familiar.
“Caterina Fiorelli……?”
How could he forget her face, famous as a saint in the previous timeline?
It was the face that appeared in the newspaper every time, so it was stuck in his mind.
She was looking down at him, her face exactly as it would have been when she was a child.
“For now, the external wounds have all healed. But the inside is so different from the other knights that I couldn’t touch it.”
“Thank you.”
Cain struggled to get up.
It was a fairly large tent.
Saintess Caterina, Princess and Witch Oleciren, and himself, just the three of them.
‘But the combination…….’
The three people who shouldn’t be together were in one place.
“…….”
An awkward silence fell.
Oleciren stared at Cain with her black eyes, stained with witch’s power, as if poking him.
A sign to say something.
“It is the principle of the Holy See to kill all witches and those near them.”
The Saintess said abruptly, looking at them.
Cain shrugged.
“I guess there’s no denying she’s a witch.”
Oleciren had done things that a wizard could never get away with.
Moreover, the moment she summoned the lava giant at the end, the witch’s wave, though faint, clearly arose.
There was no way the Saintess, who was nearby, wouldn’t have noticed.
“But it seems she hasn’t awakened yet.”
A chilling glint flashed in Caterina’s blue eyes. A look that wanted to kill Oleciren right away, but was desperately holding back.
“So she’s not a witch because she’s not awakened?”
“……That’s right.”
“I don’t like sparing her life, but it doesn’t go against the principles of the Holy See.”
Caterina closed her eyes for a moment.
She struggled to suppress the emotions that welled up from the faith and belief she had built up over the years, then opened her mouth.
“Witches awaken by undergoing the trials of Primundi. But it seems she is not.”
“That’s right. Instead, she killed Primundi.”
“So there was a reason why it was marked that way in Lalangde Zodiac that day.”
She opened her eyes and opened the iron box she had placed on her lap.
Wooong—
A golden shortsword.
The tip of the blade was cut off by a finger’s width.
“The holy sword, ‘Summer’.”
“…….”
Cain closed his mouth.
━Would you like to hold it?
The joke that the hero Abel threw at him ten years ago, when he came to see him, came to mind.
It was quite strange that the holy sword from that time was here without an owner.
“Lord Count Edmund was able to use it temporarily.”
It only lent its power for a very short time, when it was really needed.
“But the holy sword blocked the way of Lord Count, who was going to save you.”
Tap—
The Saintess pointed above her head.
He hadn’t noticed because it was so natural, but there was the Holy Crown, ‘Autumn’, which Cain had worn once.
“The Holy Crown also prevented Lord Count Edmund from going.”
‘Spring’ and ‘Winter’ were with Cain.
It was the moment when the four 〈Sacred Treasures of the Four Seasons〉 were gathered in one place.
However, when no other message popped up, Cain tilted his head inwardly.
‘I thought that if the four of them gathered again, I would regress.’
Even if he wore the Holy Crown and held the holy sword again, he had a hunch that 『Four Seasons』 wouldn’t appear now.
It was as if ‘Spring’ had disappeared into the depths for that purpose.
Caterina raised her head and made a proposal to Cain.
“I will overlook the witch’s existence. I will also overlook the future sins you will commit.”
“In exchange for holding the holy sword?”
“Yes.”
Oleciren bit her lower lip tightly. It was something that had already been agreed upon before Cain woke up, but it was hard to see it happen before her eyes.
She didn’t know what would happen to Cain if he held the holy sword, which was said to burn its owner if held by someone unworthy.
So she tried to refute it.
“Didn’t the Holy See turn a blind eye to Glumiêm all this time because they judged it to be a loss?”
Oleciren’s words.
She continued, as if she had made up her mind.
“And we have now destroyed the elves’ forest and killed Glumiêm. Do you think the Holy See can still afford to invade?”
“Yes.”
The Saintess replied curtly.
“I will make the decision.”
“…….”
“I am the Saintess. I am the first attendant to the left of ‘light’. It will be done. And Your Highness may not know this, but I am being very patient right now.”
The sight of the hero, Abel, dying was still vivid.
The emotions of ‘Saintess Caterina’ who was there at that time flowed into her now.
Nevertheless, the Saintess, having witnessed Cain’s noble sacrifice, endured it and opened her mouth.
“So take it. Prove it with the holy sword. Then I will overlook it.”
The Saintess placed the box containing the holy sword, ‘Summer’, on Cain’s bed. Oleciren grabbed Cain’s right arm and said.
“You don’t have to take it. It’s better to fight together like this than to be burned to death.”
“It’s okay.”
As spring drew to a close.
Cain reached out his left hand and grabbed the holy sword.
[‘Summer’ rejects you.]
Fwaaaah—!
“Ugh.”
Suddenly, golden flames flared up, engulfing Cain’s left arm as if to burn him.
Even Cain groaned at the intense heat, as if all the heat of hell had been gathered.
At that moment.
[‘Winter’ looks at ‘Summer’.]
[‘Summer’ looks away.]
[‘Winter’ says kind words.]
Sizzle—
The flames died down.
Cain blinked.
‘What did it say?’
[‘Summer’ turns its head.]
[When ‘Winter’ speaks kindly…….]
[‘Summer’ hastily grants you temporary permission.]
He raised his left arm.
The broken piece flew in and attached itself to the end. The restored golden shortsword, ‘Summer’, gleamed in Cain’s hand.
Both the Saintess and the Princess were left speechless at the sight.
‘Kind words, huh…….’
Cain smiled inwardly, thinking of ‘Winter’s’ kind words rather than the mystery of the holy sword.
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