Dawn broke, though not completely. Outside the hotel window, thunder clashed with lightning. Even though it was early morning, grim, overcast clouds still shrouded the sky in darkness. The storm roared, and rainwater smashed against the window glass, transforming into winding streams as it rushed down.

Although it was morning by the clock, it was an exceptionally tiring moment for both Shiayar and Enola. Shiayar had just returned from a fierce battle within an Echo of History and then abruptly heard the shocking news that history itself had been tampered with. Enola, meanwhile, had stayed up all night watching over him, not closing her eyes once.

Silvia, however, felt no fatigue. With her Throne Level rank, merely retracing a small segment of time and past history was a piece of cake; she remained spirited and lively.

However, the Cangyin Witch gazed yearningly at the soft bed in the room for a long time, wanting to speak up on several occasions. But in the end, she sighed lightly at the sight of Shiayar's weary face and opened another room next to Shiayar and Enola's.

After all, my true self has been liberated, and I can always stay by Brother Shiayar's side from now on. There are long days ahead, and there will be plenty of opportunities. I tolerated being a cat-shaped third wheel for so long; this little while longer won't make a difference.

...

SPLASH, SPLASH.

The sound of running water came from the bathroom; Ennie was showering.

When pretense becomes real... does the real also become pretense?

Shiayar sat on the edge of the bed, wearing a loose nightgown. He wiped his still slightly damp hair, pondering everything about the altered history.

In my mind, the title "Kingdom's Bane" still radiates a faint golden glow, leaving me somewhat mesmerized. A full two hundred Sands of Time. Even for me, this is an unprecedentedly massive gain. According to the prices in the Sands of Time Mall, two hundred Sands of Time are enough to exchange for the "Twin Souls Ring"—an Extraordinary tool of purple Rarity that increases the number of Soul Pacts one can have. Alternatively, it could create four or five brand-new transcendent Skills and raise them all to the Extraordinary Sainthood level of proficiency. And the feedback from the Sands of Time within my sea of spirit alone has already propelled me to the 6-Ring stage. It seems my efforts in the Echo of History of Escarnia—all the things I had done and the reputation I had farmed—have not been in vain.

However, as he recalled Silvia's explanation, an undeniable sense of guilt rose in Shiayar's heart.

He didn't regret entering the Echo of History of the Ancient Dukedom Azure Garden. Everything he had done there, he could say with a clear conscience, was beyond reproach.

Shiayar couldn't stay with Silvia forever. And the Silvia of that time was indeed too inexperienced and naive.

If he hadn't used Moon Reading to rewrite Silvia's memories, instilling in her a hatred-fueled will to live, that naive young duchess would never have survived on her own during the chaotic era of the Calamity Land.

But this time, the Echo of History in Escarnia was different.

He had initially believed that everything within that Echo of History involved only the deceased of a bygone era. He assumed that regardless of his actions, events would ultimately revert to the true course of history. He thought he was merely playing a part in a grand performance. Once the drama concluded, he expected nothing to change, aside from the name 'Cain' being added as a historical figure to the St. Roland Academy's history textbooks.

But this time, he was mistaken.

The emotions experienced within the play, the people existing outside of it—the boundary separating the two had never been truly clear-cut.

"To achieve the Throne, one must leave one's own mark in past history."

So, Isadella must have sought the Sacred Sword's help to travel back in time, descending upon Escarnia a thousand years ago as the Knight King. Her purpose was to leave her mark on history, thereby breaking through to Throne Level. With her capabilities and strength, even without my help, she would eventually have completed the Knight King's conquest and achieved unification. It might have taken a few more years of struggle and cost more soldiers, but she would have succeeded. Once her goal was achieved, she could have returned to the correct historical timeline and smoothly ascended to the Throne.

But—

Shiayar fell silent.

Whether he had intended it or not, his presence had undeniably set the Second Princess's fate on a completely different trajectory. She had become an enemy of the correct history, forging a new branch in the river of time through her own power. Even with the protection of the Sacred Sword, it was a road of near-certain death.

This made Shiayar somewhat regretful.

Regardless, he had held a rather favorable impression of the Second Princess. Not only had she generously sponsored him with considerable resources before the final battle concerning the Ancient Dukedom Azure Garden, but during the Borgia family banquet, Isadella had also intervened. She had taken action despite the risk that it could cause the unsealing of the Sacred Sword—which was on the verge of completion—to fail. Indeed, without her presence there, Guderian would not have died so easily.

In fact, in Shiayar's heart, he had already come to regard Isadella as a friend.

Yet now, recent events forced him to question the very rightness of his decision to enter an Echo of History.

Do I truly have the right to enter an Echo of History and, as an outsider, interfere with the lives of others?