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Chapter 55
“That’s the Fountain of Stars.”
A vision flickered in Silia’s mind — Illode, with his head plunged into some underground spring, absorbing immense magical power.
This was that very place.
Even though they were underground, faintly glowing particles drifted through the air, illuminating the space just enough to see.
So that’s why. Because Illode had been here before — it feels oddly familiar to me too.
But the fountain itself was bone dry. The spot where water had once gushed forth was now nothing but a cracked pit.
Krondele, who had been watching Silia’s subtle frown, spoke calmly.
“Tell me… when you’re ready.”
“What?”
It was practically the same thing she had told him earlier.
“You’ve got a secret too, don’t you?” he said quietly.
“…”
“You told me to talk when I felt ready. So… when you feel the same, tell me.”
Silia gave a faint, crooked smile.
“We’ll see.”
Would she ever really be able to tell anyone what she’d gone through? Probably not — they’d think she’d lost her mind.
She shrugged it off. That wasn’t what mattered now anyway.
Krondele, glancing at the softly glowing walls, murmured, “I’ve seen something like this before… in an old book about magic.”
Following where he pointed, she saw faintly etched patterns — magical sigils, perhaps. Silia studied them closely and replied evenly,
“They’re not from any recent style.”
“Right? They’re ancient. The kind they used long ago.”
Krondele sounded almost impressed.
“They say ancient ruins are hidden all across the kingdom. This might be one of them.”
Silia stepped deeper toward the fountain, to the hole where water should have flowed.
“Be careful,” Krondele said, reaching for her arm.
“Don’t,” she said with a wry tone. “You’re not exactly one to warn others about danger, you reckless brat.”
“The recklessness is… calculated,” he said, smiling faintly. “Makes people less likely to see me as a threat.”
“Funny,” she muttered. “You sure didn’t look too calculating when you jumped into the treasure vault.”
“That was different. We were still getting to know each other back then.”
“Don’t cross the line, Krondele.”
“Line? Between us?” he teased.
“Relax. I don’t die that easily.”
With that, Silia reached her hand into the hole. She could feel something inside.
Thunk.
Her fingers closed around something cold and metallic — a long fragment of metal.
Krondele’s eyes widened with curiosity. “Wait, is that…?”
Instead of answering, Silia drew out Feriot, the sword that had hung silent at her side all this time. She brought the metal shard to its hilt.
“…Why is this here?”
It was the missing half — the broken fragment of Feriot.
Clang.
Silia instinctively channeled magic through her hand. The two pieces trembled violently and fused together, sparks rippling through the air.
Vwooom.
“…You’ve returned.”
The sword spoke. The long-silent Feriot stirred awake.
But the moment Silia grasped the now-whole blade—
Darkness swallowed everything.
Even Krondele vanished.
“Krondele?”
“It’s tangled.”
“…?”
When she turned, he was gone. And in his place—
Stood him.
Black hair. Silver eyes identical to her own, devoid of emotion.
No embroidered cloak, no gleaming armor — just simple clothing.
“So, you’ve come in person to get punched this time?” Silia said dryly, raising her sword.
Illode smiled faintly. “No. I came to offer some advice and a warning. I was the one who gave you that power, after all.”
“Advice? You can take your damn power back!”
Her grip tightened on the sword.
“…I can’t.”
“What?”
Her rage made her vision flash white. Illode continued, calm as ever.
“Instead, I’m telling you — stop here. End this round.”
Silia froze. What kind of bullshit is this?
“You’ve already done far more than I ever did,” he said softly. “In my second run, all I managed was to drink from this spring. In the third, I only obtained Feriot. I never gathered allies. But you? You’ve done all that and even improved on it. You’re advancing far faster than I expected.”
“So what? Are you jealous? You dumped this on me, remember?”
Illode smiled faintly. “Not jealous. Concerned.”
“Concerned?”
“This world’s tangled up — worse than before. Partly my fault. Monsters are appearing earlier, disasters are multiplying. Things that existed in one life don’t in the next, and vice versa — like the academy beasts, the treasure vault, the Tower incidents…”
“Stop babbling nonsense and just take your damn power back.”
“I can’t,” he repeated. “There are too many variables now. Too much chaos. The benefit of regression is predictability — but this world has lost even that.”
Silia glared at him. “So what do you want me to do about it?”
“Start over,” he said simply. “Return to a timeline where things still make sense.”
“…”
“Let this world die. You can save them next time. Or better yet…”
His voice turned cold and glassy, detached.
“…Just quit altogether. Leave this world behind. You have enough power to live comfortably anywhere.”
“…”
His tone carried deep fatigue now.
“Think only of yourself. Stop wasting your effort on hopeless causes that will fail no matter how many times you try.”
“…You really are garbage.”
Silia’s voice was low, dripping with contempt.
“That’s exactly why everything you touch falls apart — because all you do is run away.”
“You’re not doing this because you want to either,” he said quietly.
“Damn right, you lunatic. You forced it on me. But you know what?”
Her eyes sharpened — the eyes of someone who had witnessed countless deaths.
“If it were me…”
If she had been in his place — she would never have abandoned them.
She would never have left those who had fought and died believing in a savior.
She would never have dismissed their efforts as failures before they were even done.
Her fists clenched.
“Who the hell are you to call this a failure, huh, you bastard?”
Would handing the power back to him even change anything? Would he just run again?
Her fury burned hotter, flowing through the sword in her grip.
This life hadn’t been given to her just to hear this.
Illode answered with that same emotionless calm. “I understand. I wanted to do better too, once.”
“You dare say that?”
His body began to fade, little by little.
“See? I’m running out of time faster than expected. Too many anomalies.”
“Running again, huh?”
“Yes. I have no choice. It’s my decision. I told you — you don’t have to forgive me.”
Illode Heinz blinked slowly, once.
“But think about it. Restart from a stable point… or walk away entirely.”
“You—”
“I’ll say it again: think only of yourself. Forget everyone else.”
“…Why?”
“That’s why I gave you that power.”
Utter nonsense.
He had dumped his fate onto her, and now had the gall to tell her to quit.
“…Why the hell should I listen to you?”
“Because it’s already too late to stop the Heart of the Earth.”
The words hit like ice.
Before she could think, Silia thrust her sword forward with all her might.
Crack—!
Illode’s body shattered like glass, scattering into the darkness.
His last whisper echoed faintly—
“Just run.”
The echo was deafening, impossible to block out.
“…No.”
No — she couldn’t.
Even knowing what was coming, she couldn’t abandon everything.
There were things she couldn’t let go of now — things she’d never had before.
She would never become like him.
“I’m not giving up like that bastard!”
Her shout tore through the darkness.
“I’ll do better than you ever did! You hear me? Better than some coward who calls it failure the moment things go wrong!”
Her rage flared into raw determination.
“I’m greedy as hell — you made me this way! You gave me a second life, and now I want to live it right!”
She had fought, struggled, and clawed her way here — all to make this life mean something.
“I want to live better this time, you damn bastard!”
A man who never cared, who told her to give up, had no right to talk about understanding.
He had no right to dismiss the lives she fought for.
“Watch me, you piece of shit!”
But Illode was gone.
Her scream echoed off the walls until dizziness overtook her. Then—
“…Silia!”
A distant voice, muffled like underwater.
Silia… Silia!
Her eyes snapped open. The ceiling came into view — and Krondele’s anxious face above her.
“You’re awake. Thank the stars — as soon as Feriot reformed, you collapsed…”
She was lying on his lap. A royal’s lap, no less. Quite the honor, if not for the situation.
“…This vibration—?”
At first she thought it was coming from Feriot, humming faintly in her hand.
But it was stronger than that — shaking their entire bodies. The whole cavern trembled, like the beginning of a collapse.
“If this place goes under…” Krondele began.
SKREEEEEEE!
A piercing scream ripped through the air as something enormous burst through the floor of the dry fountain—
—and the world around them began to fall apart.
