IBMLA 35

Chapter – 35

“Ho ho! Hahahaha! I never thought I’d live long enough to see something like this!”

“Y-Yes…?”

“As expected of my daughter. This is exactly why I took you in as my child, Rachel!”

Rachel blinked, utterly confused.

After laughing for a long while, Lylus waved his hand, erasing the cards and torn fragments that lingered in the air. Then he clasped his hands together as if in prayer and gazed into the future.

Two futures appeared in Lylus’s mind. Unlike a few days ago, the future in which Rachel took her own life looked small and twisted, while the bright, happy future shone large and strong.

The original future is disappearing. And to think that Ennis refuses to show the originally destined future… I’ve never heard of a case like this, not even from High Saint Titiyennis.

Rachel truly was a special case. There had never been an example of two futures appearing simultaneously. As her future split in two, the futures of those around her split as well. Graham, who was deeply tied to her fate, was one such example.

However, as Rachel acted and made choices, the future gradually tilted toward one side. What had once been mere possibilities grew vivid, erasing the original future.

The prophetic power used by the clergy merely allowed them to see a predetermined future through Ennis’s power. No matter how hard one tried, it was impossible to change what was already set. That was why High Saint Titiyennis never took action even after seeing the future.

When Lylus first heard about Rachel and looked into her future, it had been the opposite. The original future was strong, and the later one was weak. He had been utterly shocked then.

Driven by the thought that he had to do something, he had dropped everything and rushed over.

And yet, before Lylus could do anything at all, the future had changed.

Rachel had accomplished it herself.

“‘Admirable’ doesn’t even begin to cover it. ‘Great’ might be closer. She’s doing what even an emperor or a high saint cannot.”

Lylus smiled at Rachel, who was nervously watching his reaction.

“Rachel.”

“Yes… I’m sorry.”

“Lady Ennis said that you are a special person.”

“M-Me?”

“She says there’s no need to show you the originally destined future.”

“Ah…”

“It may sound a bit rough, but it doesn’t mean anything especially dangerous.”

“I see.”

Rachel let out a sigh of relief. With lightning striking and cards being torn apart, she had thought she was being punished by the heavens.

If the ‘originally destined future’ means the future from the original novel… then maybe there’s no need to show it because I changed the original Rachel’s fate after possessing her?

If that was the case, it was a relief. It meant the future was changing smoothly, just as she’d worked for. A future where Rachel didn’t commit suicide and Graham didn’t become a murderer—what more could she ask for?

Feeling rewarded for her efforts, Rachel smiled brightly.

“Lady Ennis is quite… intense, isn’t she?”

“Indeed. Do you think I’d be her left hand for nothing? If she liked gentle things, she wouldn’t have made someone like me a cleric.”

“Hahaha. I suppose that’s true.”

Watching Rachel laugh, Lylus spoke again.

“Don’t doubt the path you’re walking. You were born with a rare destiny. Unlike ordinary people who merely live out what they’re given, you can change the future as much as you want through your choices.”

To Rachel, there could be no more hopeful words than that.

Coming from the left hand of Ennis, the goddess of foresight, they carried even greater weight.

It also helped that Lylus—despite his light and playful demeanor—was not the kind of man who lied or spoke empty, roundabout words.

“Choose what you want, and act on it. Lady Ennis doesn’t grant prayers, but from time to time, she bestows good fortune upon those who take action.”

“Thank you for giving me courage. I won’t waver.”

“Good girl.”

She was in her mid-twenties—not exactly the age to be praised as “good”—but Rachel enjoyed it without complaint.

The sky was high and clear that afternoon.

A few days later…

Sian had been holed up in his office for days on end, showing no sign of coming out. He had always been busy, but lately he truly hadn’t had a moment to breathe.

All because of Rachel.

Nick, who was assisting him, spoke up.

“As I mentioned before, reclaiming the territory and the castle will be the easiest part. I spoke with the current owner—he said he’d be willing to sell at any time if the price is generous.”

Sian nodded. It was exactly as he had expected.

“They’ve only owned the territory and castle for five years. They’re probably not attached yet. And since Theodore sold it at a dirt-cheap price… buying low and selling high after five years would be a perfect deal for them.”

“Exactly. The problem is the grave. We’ve been asking around, but it’s hard to find. We have no idea where they were buried. We searched through all the records left in Theodore’s estate, but found nothing.”

That bastard Theodore.

Sian ground his teeth inwardly.

For some time now, Sian and Nick had been searching for traces left behind by Rachel’s deceased parents. It was the result of long deliberation over a special gift for her.

They used the excuse that they were looking for something Rachel might like, on behalf of Atreyu. Neither Nick nor Sian ever mentioned that they’d been thinking about a gift even before the crown prince asked.

I just want to see her smile sincerely.

Rachel had shown little interest even in cufflinks adorned with a rare pink diamond. It was obvious she wouldn’t be easily moved by ordinary gifts. If anything, he’d be lucky if she didn’t feel burdened by them.

So what would make her happy?

He wanted to give her something no one else could give—something Rachel couldn’t refuse.

After much thought, he found the answer. He wanted to return to her the castle her parents had lived in, the territory they had ruled, and to find the graves and traces they had left behind.

Things that were visible, like the castle and territory, were easy to recover. Paying a premium was enough.

The real problem was finding the location of her parents’ graves and uncovering the cause of the accident.

Investigating the cause of an accident from five years ago was difficult enough—but he hadn’t expected finding their graves to be this hard.

After the funeral, Theodore had simply pocketed the condolence money and neglected everything else. He hadn’t told anyone where the burial site was.

I once pitied him for being falsely accused of plotting a rebellion, but now I don’t even feel that. If it weren’t for Rachel, I’d tell Sigar where he’s hiding and have his head taken off immediately.

Nick waited for Sian’s anger to subside before cautiously asking,

“What should we do?”

“Let’s handle what we can deal with immediately. As for the graves, I’ll approach Theodore myself later and get the information out of him.”

“Understood. Fortunately, there’s been progress on investigating the cause of the accident. We found the craftsman who made the carriage the Fram family was using at the time.”

“That’s more than I expected.”

“He’s retired now, and his children have taken over the business. He’s living somewhere in the countryside. I’ll find him soon and report back.”

“Just in case, investigate the workshop his children are running as well. It might be a place that produces low-quality carriages.”

“I’ll see to it.”

“For now, we should finish acquiring the castle and territory. We’ll need a large sum. Has there been any word from the merchant guild about Stefan’s materials?”

Stefan Iacobs, a duke and the empress’s nephew, was also Sian’s closest friend. He had an exceptional sense for money and would have served as the empire’s financial head if Sian were emperor.

Now, as the head of the Iacobs family’s merchant guild, he secretly ran Sian’s assets and multiplied his funds. That was why Sian’s coffers never ran dry, despite his limited movements between the palace and his estate.

Nick nodded.

“He was away on trade, but he’s on his way back to the capital now. He loves wandering so much that even his own staff have trouble tracking him—but we were lucky.”

“Good. As soon as Stefan arrives, divert funds from the guild for the purchase of the castle and territory. We don’t know when we’ll hand them over to Rachel, so prepare separate funds for maintenance as well.”

“Leave it to me.”

It was a reliable answer.

After nodding, Sian finished his paperwork. If he worked too late, Dolorasa would be upset, so he decided to leave the rest for tomorrow.

Just as he tidied his desk and wrapped things up, someone knocked on the office door.

“Your Grace. You have a visitor.”

“…A visitor? At this hour?”

Outside, night had already fallen, with the moon and stars glittering in the sky. It was rare for a guest to arrive at the grand duke’s estate at a time when there was no dinner or ball.

Still, he couldn’t simply turn them away. It might be some nuisance scheme cooked up by Sigar to find fault with him.

After checking his appearance in the mirror and straightening his clothes and hair, Sian left his office.

When he reached the hall with the estate’s main doors, he sensed something unusual and let out a bitter smile.

He can never win, yet he challenges me every time. That’s one of the things I like about him.

As Sian stood in the center of the hall, a sharp sword flew toward his head.

The blade came down swiftly and powerfully from above—but it didn’t even graze him. Sian twisted his body slightly, letting the sword slide past.

The one who had swung the sword clicked his tongue.

“Tch. I almost had you.”

“Not at all. I told you—you need to learn how to hide your hostility first.”

“Insolent bastard.”

Sian merely shrugged instead of responding. He’d heard those words countless times over the past twenty years.

Instead, he casually reached a hand into the darkness.

“It’s been a while, Stefan. You arrived sooner than I expected.”

“I had to. The great duke who’s never once asked me for money suddenly says he needs it. I was so curious about the reason that I rode without sleeping.”

Stefan emerged from the shadows, pulling off his black cloak and revealing himself.