CHAPTER 512: IF STORY - ROSWYN ACCEPT THE FLOWER (1)

0% “The second world’s end... is yet another bad ending.”

The Magic Tower Master, who had been watching the endless repetition of tragedy, murmured coldly as she raised her hand.

-  Crackle...

“As expected, the second world was nothing more than a stalling tactic.”

With a casual wave of her hand, the second world vanished instantly.

“Even so, what is your intent in showing me such worlds?”

“........”

“Did you think you could stir pity in me?”

Now possessing two-thirds of the world’s authority, the Magic Tower Master pressed forward, breaking through the barriers that had previously hindered her.

“If such feeble emotions could make me give up, I wouldn’t have come this far.”

“........”

“So just stop this pointless resistance.”

Closing the distance between herself and the World’s Law, the Magic Tower Master smirked confidently.

“Now, proceed with the trial of the final world—“

But before she could finish her demand, the entity in Glare’s form curved its lips into a knowing smile and spoke.

“...You still misunderstand something.”

“I warned you—empty bravado will no longer work.”

At the composed yet weighty tone, the Magic Tower Master’s expression twisted into a frown.

“Enough of this nonsense, just start the final world—“

“Before that, why don’t you look behind you?”

Something about the words made the Magic Tower Master instinctively turn her head—only for her face to contort in realization as she hastily raised her staff.

“...When did this—!?”

What she had thought to be erased—the first world—had grown large enough to fill her vision.

— I finally understand now.

“What!? When did this happen!?”

— This didn’t happen just once. It has repeated again and again.

In that world, Clana finally woke up, sitting up in her bed with her hands neatly folded in prayer.

— First, it was you. Then, it was Ferloche. Sometimes, it was the Demon King. And in the end, even the diary itself.

A golden aura began to radiate from her body.

— It kept returning, over and over again.

Even the Magic Tower Master, observing from outside the world, recognized that this was an anomaly of an incredible scale.

The energy emanating from Clana’s prayer was too peculiar to be ignored.

“I never showed you these worlds to invoke your sympathy.”

The Magic Tower Master stood frozen, watching, as the voice of the World’s Law continued behind her.

“It was all simply to buy time for this very moment.”

“Damn it...!”

Finally realizing why the World’s Law had stalled for so long, the Magic Tower Master desperately reached out toward the first world.

— I don’t know why I’ve gained this power at this moment.

But Clana’s prayer, too, was nearing its conclusion.

— But now that I know the truth, I have to turn it back.

“S-Stop...!”

— A world without you is not a happy ending.

The golden light pouring from Clana soon filled the entire first world.

— But I refuse to let this cycle repeat endlessly.

And when that light overflowed beyond the world’s boundaries—

— Then it’s only right to give a chance to the one who was never chosen before.

Opening her eyes, Clana let out a faint smile as she spoke her final words.

— Please take care of Frey.

And then—

— Crackle...!

A golden streak of light shot from the first world toward the third.

“NOOO...!”

The Magic Tower Master lunged forward, trying to block it.

But before her hand could reach the light—

- *Shhhhhh—!*A brilliant radiance engulfed everything, signaling the beginning of the third world.

.

.

.

.

.

“...Ugh.”

“Roswyn?”

As my head bobbed up and down, I suddenly snapped back to my senses, only to see his face right in front of me.

“Are you okay? Do you feel sick?”

“...Mm, ahem. It’s nothing.”

Well, it made sense that I was dozing off.

Of all people, I was entertaining him.

I never expected that as soon as the information guild opened its doors early in the morning, he would be the one to walk in.

“So, what brings you here today?”

“I was just passing by... and suddenly, I really wanted to see you.”

“Ah...”

Forcing a smile, I asked why he had come, and of course, the same predictable answer came back.

“Aren’t you busy with preparations for the academy admission?”

“That’s not as important as you.”

“Oh my, how lovely.”

I spoke the words, but inwardly, my patience was wearing thin.

This wasn’t the time to be dealing with him.

I had mountains of work to get through, and in just a few minutes, I had an extremely important client—

“Hey, hold on a second, Roswyn.”

As I struggled to maintain my faltering expression, Frey, who had been watching me with a bright smile, suddenly fumbled through his pockets.

“Oh dear, what are you trying to give me this time?”

Though I asked, my patience had already reached its limit.

I already knew exactly what he was about to hand me.

“Ta-da!”

“...Wow.”

As expected, he pulled out yet another flower.

How could he be this oblivious?

Of all the gifts he could give, why—why—did it always have to be flowers?

“What do you think? I went through a lot to get this one.”

“Is that so.”

Responding absentmindedly to his excited words, I listened as he eagerly started explaining about the flower.

“Yeah, they say this shade is so rare that it only appears once in ten thousand years.”

“Hmm...”

It was true that this flower was slightly different from the ones before.

No other flower had such a strange, deep ruby-red hue.

But after years of receiving flowers over and over again, they had all become the same to me.

“Hey, I love you, Roswyn.”

“...What?”

As I reached out absentmindedly for the flower, Frey suddenly spoke in a serious tone.

“I really, really love you.”

“..........”

“I’d do anything for you.”

The last remnants of my patience finally snapped.

“So please, just for one day. No, just once—“

- Sigh.

Did he really think I wouldn’t see through his obvious intentions?

“You’ve come all this way, Frey. That must have been exhausting.”

“Huh? H-Huh?”

He just wanted to act innocent, whisper sweet nothings in my ear, and then spend a night indulging himself.

“But I’m a little busy right now.”

Every man who approached me was the same.

They were either after my beauty or my wealth.

I had been dealing with their kind since I was a child, and I had long since learned to shut them all out.

I had tolerated Frey for this long only because he had yet to show his true colors.

But this was the limit.

“So now, if you’ll just—“

For the first time, I turned to him with a cold expression and was about to firmly ask him to leave when—

- *Thump...!*“...Hrk!?”

Suddenly, a sharp pain struck my heart, and I let out a choked gasp, collapsing onto my desk.

“R-Roswyn!”

“Ugh...”

Why was this happening all of a sudden?

Did something go wrong with the sleeping pills I took yesterday?

Or was it just an illness brought on by stress from dealing with Frey?

“Are you okay...?”

“Ah, yes, I’m fine—“

Struggling to steady my erratic heartbeat, I tried to catch my breath when suddenly, a warmth enveloped my hand.

“...Huh?”

Frey was holding my hand, his face pale with worry.

“...........”

A heavy silence settled between us.

“S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

I found myself dazed by a strange sensation that wrapped around my entire body, and Frey, startled by his own actions, quickly let go of my hand and apologized.

“...You, you’re not feeling well, are you? Then I guess I shouldn’t keep holding on.”

“T-That’s...”

“W-Well, I should get going, then.”

Then, without waiting for a response, Frey got up from his seat.

“...Roswyn.”

Just as he was about to step out the door, he hesitated and glanced back at me.

“If anything happens, promise me you’ll tell me, okay?”

“...........”

“You will, right?”

Leaving those words behind, he gazed at me with sincere eyes for a few moments before quietly stepping out.

“...Y-Yeah.”

By the time I instinctively responded—

- *Click.*The door had already closed behind him.

.

.

.

.

.

A few minutes after Frey left the room.

“...What was that look?”

Resting her chin in her hand, lost in thought, Roswyn muttered in a low voice.

“As if he was genuinely worried about me...”

That brief moment when her heart suddenly pounded.

It had only been for an instant, but in that moment, Frey’s worried expression and his unconscious attempt to protect her—

Even someone as oblivious as Roswyn could sense the sincerity behind it.

“What the hell is this...”

Normally, she would have scoffed, dismissed it as nothing more than an act, and erased the memory from her mind.

“.........”

But for some reason, ever since that moment—when her heart skipped before she could even touch the flower Frey had brought—her emotions had been in turmoil, unlike usual.

“...Now that I think about it, how many times has Frey visited my guild?”

Answering that question wasn’t difficult.

“This many...?”

From the moment she first met him ten years ago to today, the day before his entrance into the academy—

His visits were meticulously recorded in the guestbook.

“...I had no idea.”

It was easier to count the days he hadn’t come.

He had visited this often, all to tell her he loved her.

“Hmm...”

Setting the guestbook aside, Roswyn fell back into thought.

Has anyone else ever done this much for me?

Her parents had always treated her as nothing more than a tool to maintain their power.

Her subordinates—aside from the one secretary who had been with her since childhood—were merely bound to her by reluctant loyalty, purely transactional.

And the men who had whispered words of love to her?

Whenever she rejected them a few times, they would always reveal their true nature and attempt to take her by force.

That was why she had long since grown accustomed to revealing her noble status and mercilessly destroying those who tried.

But Frey... was different.

No matter how many times—hundreds, thousands—she rejected him, he had never stopped showering her with his one-sided love.

“...Ahem.”

Realizing this now, Roswyn let out a quiet cough and lowered her head.

“...Did he really like me that much?”

A faint blush spread across her cheeks before she even realized it.

“What an idiot... Does he really think that if he confesses over and over again, I—I’d just give in?”

Muttering to herself, she twirled a strand of her hair between her fingers.

“...But why flowers? Flowers? How tactless.”

Her gaze landed on the ruby-colored rose Frey had left behind.

“If anything, he could’ve gotten me perfume or jewelry...”

Pouting slightly, she grumbled under her breath.

“.........”

Then, suddenly, a strange, suffocating tightness settled in her chest.

“...What.”

She frowned, pressing a hand against her chest.

How much time had passed like that?

“Well, since he did put in the effort...”

Slowly, she reached for the flower in front of her.

“...I guess just this once, I’ll accept it.”

Just as her fingers touched the ruby-colored rose—

- *CRACKLE!*“KYAAAH!?”

Golden sparks erupted from the flower, a blinding light flooding the dimly lit room.

- *Shhhh...*“What the—?!”

Frozen in shock, Roswyn barely registered the panicked servants rushing into the room.

Achievement Unlocked

Even If The World Hates Him

“...Huh?”

Ignoring the servants, she stared blankly at the golden, translucent text that appeared before her.

Helper System Activated

To you, the only one who cherished the Hero when all others despised him, a small miracle has been granted.

This system is passed down through the Sunset lineage, as per the contract from a thousand years ago...

“What... is this...?”

Golden letters shimmered in the air, greeting her silently.