DBOFS 90

Chapter 90

That must truly be what a guide’s guiding feels like.

Jade slowly closed her eyes, recalling the guiding from two days ago.

“The biggest problem is the mana circuit.”

True to his reputation as the world’s official strongest guide, Adrian could tell just by placing his hand on Harris’s wrist what problem he was suffering from and how it had arisen.

“This is mostly a problem faced by ability users who are psychologically and physically unstable during the first awakening, when their powers are just manifesting.”

“There’s quite a bit of contamination,” Adrian muttered, frowning.

“On top of that, Harris Godwin has had his mana suppressed for a long time. There’s no way his mana circuit wouldn’t be tangled.”

“I see…”

I nodded blankly, overwhelmed by Adrian’s aura.

“With circuits in this state, proper mana circulation is impossible. That’s why ordinary guides couldn’t fix it.”

Right. Harris’s problem, once again, traced back to that root of all evil—Norman Godwin!

“Then, maybe…?”

It’s not difficult for you either, right?

When I glanced up timidly, Adrian let out a half-laugh, as if incredulous.

“Just because you lost your memory doesn’t mean I’ll treat you like an idiot.”

“No, you misunderstand. There’s no guiding that the genius Adrian can’t do…”

“Flattery won’t get you anywhere.”

Adrian rolled up his sleeves, clearly taking pride in himself.

“I’ll show you my skills after a long time.”

‘Ohhh!’

I admired him inwardly.

In this world, a guide could calm rampaging ability users by purifying and healing their corrupted powers using the power of “guiding.”

“Mostly through touch, of course.”

There was also wave guiding, but touch guiding was more effective. The larger and more varied the contact area, the stronger the effect.

But Adrian said,

“Hell no, I’d rather bite my tongue and die than do that.”

“No, don’t die!”

At my panicked expression, Adrian widened his eyes slightly in surprise.

“…I just said that. I’m not really dying.”

Instinctively, I realized: that was a slightly embarrassed face.

‘Ah.’

Only then did I understand. Just as I felt awkward calling Adrian “oppa,” he couldn’t fully recognize me as a younger sibling after I lost my memory.

Yet he still listened to my request and worried over me.

“…”

I instinctively reached for something near my chest, but froze.

The stone I used to fidget with when anxious was gone. That stone had become a person—Adrian.

I realized I relied on him far more than I had thought.

Not just the human he became, but also the stone that he once was.

‘…It feels strange.’

Honestly, I didn’t entirely believe what Adrian said.

Partly because I didn’t feel emotionally inclined, but also because it didn’t seem like he was telling me nothing but the truth.

‘It felt subtly manipulative.’

That feeling hadn’t disappeared. My distrust and caution remained.

Still, no matter what, I couldn’t deny that Adrian truly cared for me and was somewhat concerned for my well-being.

“I’m not going to die that easily.”

In the awkward silence, Adrian murmured casually.

“I’m not the type to die for fun like some insane killer.”

“…Do you mean Duke Eindelta?”

“Yeah, I remember up to there—Wait, you didn’t meet that bastard too?!”

“Ah, no.”

I shook my head quickly.

Even though he had stalked and spied on me openly, I hadn’t met him face-to-face yet!

‘If I told him the whole truth, he’d probably scold me like crazy.’

Just hearing the name Duke Eindelta, Adrian’s face twisted in displeasure.

“Yeah, that bastard… it’s best not to get involved with him.”

If you’re already involved, is it “worse”?

Before I could even ask, Adrian attempted guiding on Harris, and I quietly crouched beside them to wait.

Healing and purification, mostly via wave guiding, took a long time. After a full two days of continuous guiding,

“…It’s almost done—cough, cough!”

“O-oppa?!”

Adrian coughed up blood, his face pale to the point of being blue.

“Almost finished… urgh!”

“Enough, don’t speak!”

It finally occurred to me: Adrian was the protagonist of The S-Rank Rebirth Life of a Terminal Genius.

In other words, being trapped in a stone had prevented the symptoms from worsening, but he was still terminal.

‘The disease isn’t cured yet…!’

I rose to support him, but my legs cramped from crouching too long—

“-Agh!”

I fell to the ground.

Looking up, I noticed Adrian’s feet gradually becoming transparent, as if disappearing.

“W-what…!”

“…I used my power, so of course.”

Adrian, still coughing up blood, smiled wryly.

“Did you really think you could use that fluke to replicate the Tower Master’s magic?”

“I believed, so I tried!”

At that moment, I recalled the scene where Adrian crushed the Time Stone.

“…Could it be the Time Stone was defective?!”

Adrian only smiled strangely, saying nothing. He just held up three fingers.

“I kept my promise, Jade.”

So you must keep your promise too.

It seemed his slightly parted lips said that, but before the words reached my ears, Adrian disappeared.

‘And then he became a stone again.’

Jade sighed, fiddling with Adrian (the stone).

It seemed the Time Stone had temporarily restored Adrian, but a fundamental solution was impossible.

As soon as he exhausted his energy through guiding, he reverted to a stone.

‘Why is that?’

Of course, she knew the Time Stone wasn’t omnipotent—it appeared in Si Cheon Gui.

Adrian, having learned he could use the Time Stone to return, wished to go back to before his family was murdered and he was kidnapped.

‘But in the end, Adrian woke up after being kidnapped.’

Later, Adrian learned after extensive investigation: no matter how powerful an S-Rank rebirth item is, events the world’s will refuses to allow cannot be changed.

‘The so-called Invariant Point.’

Unfortunately, Adrian’s invariant point was the moment he could only helplessly watch his family get murdered and be kidnapped himself.

‘Then is my invariant point the moment Adrian becomes a stone?’

Coincidentally, that was also when the fake sedative—me—began posing as the true guide.

Is this really a coincidence?

If not, what does this world want from me?

In a beautiful greenhouse, a delicate young man with brown hair sat among blooming flowers.

“I lost.”

Click—the chess piece on the table fell as he spoke.

Declaring defeat, the elegant young man smiled without a trace of frustration.

“All forces sent to Godwin have died.”

His pink irises were charming and gentle, and his voice soft and melodic.

Yet his words carried no such gentleness.

“The Tower Master also reported the deaths of the sent mages. Total defeat.”

The man who spoke as if it were nothing was Elward Demacra Ramsus, crown prince of the Ramsus Empire.

He was also the one who repeatedly meddled with Layerga and Godwin while targeting the Layerga family’s Dimiard.

Despite all his attempts and failures, Elward’s face showed no sign of defeat.

“…Wasn’t this expected?”

A dark-skinned woman, like a desert nomad, said from across the table.

“Yes, it was expected.”

Elward lightly smiled in agreement.

“However, I have a question.”

“…”

“If your ‘prophecy’ is correct, the Marchioness of Layerga should be dead, and Dimiard Layerga should be semi-invalid and on the verge of suicide…”

The woman remained silent, but Elward softly whispered, unconcerned.

“Yet both are alive.”

Though not entirely unscathed.

The Marchioness, Princess Irene, was effectively in danger of being deposed by Godwin.

Although the Marchioness’s father negotiated with the late Godwin Duke to save her, her status and influence in Godwin were irreparably damaged.

‘Irene has endured enough shock.’

Her supporters had turned against her since her prime.

“Strange, isn’t it?”

Of course, he didn’t know.

The Princess’s value had fallen since losing to Norman Godwin, and all that remained was her role as a bridge between Layerga and Godwin, and as the mother of Dimiard Layerga.

‘More precisely, someone who could inflict psychological damage on Dimiard Layerga.’

Dimiard Layerga would always commit suicide after Princess Irene’s death.

That was Dimiard Layerga’s invariant point, the best outcome unless he acquired the Dimiard.

It was too dangerous to let it fall into the wrong hands.

‘I tried to obtain it…’

And failed. Elward sighed in regret.

Yet the real problem wasn’t the failure itself.

“Both survived safely.”

The failure was that Princess Irene’s death didn’t trigger Dimiard Layerga’s suicide.

“…I apologize, Your Highness.”

The prophet bowed, trembling under the table.

“It’s alright. Mistakes happen.”

Elward still looked calm and warm.

Yet his knights forced the desert nomads, brought with the prophet, to kneel and raised their swords.

And then…

“Ahhhh!”

“Saintess! Please, spare me—!”

The scream ended in blood.

The beautiful greenhouse was dyed red. The prophet, unable to remain calm at the death of her kin, cried out as if vomiting blood.

“…The invariant point has changed!”