The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

None of it made any sense.

Up until now, I’d never doubted my own ability.

In the beginning—back when I’d first arrived in this world, I’d questioned it somewhat. I’d wondered if my power had limits, or if there was some unknown restriction on the number of uses, or if each use slowly ate away at some part of myself.

But in the ten years since, I’d never felt that my power chipped away at me.

People get tired from moving, they feel sleepy when they don’t sleep, thirsty when they don’t drink, and hungry when they don’t eat.

Yet my ability seemed to exist on a different plane altogether. Rewinding time reset everything: exhaustion faded, thirst and hunger vanished, and my body reverted to a state of comfort. Only my memories persisted.

But how was that continuity possible?

I didn’t even remember how I’d left the dungeon. At some point, Claire or Alice had tried talking to me several times. The Emperor had walked ahead, saying nothing, while Leo was visibly shaken, frozen in place.

Bella wasn’t in my line of sight. She was probably walking at the very back of the group.

Did Alice or Claire support me at some point? Or was I simply holding onto my torn collar, tracing the frayed edges of the fabric?

Up until now, I hadn’t truly considered the implications of time rewinding. In my head, I was simply moving through time. Like rewinding a clock, I would reset to a previous moment and exist as myself in the space and time I returned to.

...Or had I truly been myself?

My memories persisted, unchanged, while the world reset.

It was unsettling to only question this after ten years of relying on my power. The very ability I’d once trusted without question now filled me with an inexplicable unease.

In the distance, I could see the moonlight. Oddly enough, it hadn’t entered the dungeon itself; only the glow from the relic had illuminated the corridors. From inside the pitch-dark room, the sliver of the moon at the exit looked like a frame of light against a black backdrop.

I stared at that light for a moment, lost in thought, and then—

I rewound time.

---

It was an impulsive move.

Perhaps it was driven by impatience.

In line with my nature, rewinding felt instinctive.

The Emperor seemed to be catching on to my ability, with his suspicions about the figure we’d encountered lingering. If I wasn’t careful, he’d figure it out and expose my power, not just to him but to everyone around me.

So, as always, I tried to erase the mistake by rewinding time.

This time, I’d unmask the figure, guard my words around the Emperor, and make sure to escape that grasp.

But I couldn’t.

"—Sylvia!"

Once more, I gasped for air. The sensation of falling through that shattered space, tumbling into the void, was as jarring as the first time. My body hit the ground, and I felt a peculiar weightlessness, like being pulled from a vacuum into the world again, my lungs struggling for air.

No, it wasn’t just unpleasant—it was unbearable. Experiencing it a second time made it feel even worse, as if my mind was piecing together just how disturbing the experience was.

And it seemed I couldn’t remain calm this time, either.

I couldn’t go back. Some kind of wall seemed to stand between me and the figure I’d faced.

This time, the wall didn’t break.

The impact left me shaking, and I took several deep breaths, trying to fill my empty lungs. My hand reached up to my collar, feeling the torn fabric.

The rough, shredded edges were still there.

I looked up at where the figure had been standing, but there was nothing there.

"Where did they go?"

"...They disappeared," Alice replied.

"And the relic... it seems they took it with them," Claire added.

I had no words. Just moments ago, I’d tried to ask about the fight, inadvertently revealing my power to the Emperor.

"Hmm."

In the game, the Emperor had been portrayed as someone not easily fooled.

Keeping silent wouldn’t prevent him from discovering my secrets.

He had simply observed me cautiously until now, biding his time.

"Father!" Alice cried out as the Emperor raised his sword, pointing it toward my neck. Claire instinctively reached for her weapon but pulled her hand back, startled.

However, the Emperor didn’t seem intent on actually harming me.

If he’d meant to, I knew he could have cut me down without a second thought, just as he’d effortlessly severed the hand that had pointed a gun at Alice.

The thick blade moved with surprising precision, touching the torn edge of my collar. He traced the frayed fibers with his fingers.

"It’s not something that would just tear like this. Did someone rip it off?" Alice gasped, seemingly only now realizing the significance of the tear. Claire, too, seemed taken aback. Leo, on the other hand, was still dazed, as if unsure of what had happened. And Bella, watching from a distance in her mask, remained unreadable.

"It’s not just your collar—you have bruises all over your body. From impact, perhaps?" The Emperor’s mouth curved into a slight, unsettling smile, as if he found the situation amusing, despite its disturbing implications.

Because of that expression, he frightened me.

"Impact," he repeated, withdrawing the sword from my neck. "You, Sylvia Pangriffon?" 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"..."

The Emperor leaned in slightly, lowering his voice as if he were sharing a secret.

"Have we had this conversation... ‘before’?"

The "before" he spoke of was clearly from my perspective.

I was certain of it.

There was no escaping this future.

---

The rest proceeded as it had before.

The Emperor seemed to have deduced much about my power. I wasn’t sure how deep his understanding went—whether he’d grasped the mechanics better than I had—but I felt a palpable sense of danger.

Alice, Claire, and Leo remained silent. They stole occasional glances in my direction, as if looking for some clue to what had happened.

And Bella... was humming a tune, her voice light and lilting.

"All of you should get some rest now," the Emperor said.

Despite the loss of a relic, he didn’t appear disappointed. In fact, he looked rather pleased.

"It was a lovely evening walk, but it seems you’re all quite worn out. I hope the rest of your journey is enjoyable."

With that, the Emperor turned and left us behind, though his gaze lingered on me until he was completely out of sight.

I remained silent to the end.

---

"I won’t ask you anything right now," Alice said with a serious expression.

I found myself back in my room. Northwood’s guest rooms were spacious, with elegant decor similar to Alice’s. But instead of the sitting area, I was seated on the edge of the bed, with Alice and Claire standing beside me, as if guarding me. Leo was absent—perhaps because he’d decided not to enter a lady’s room, as he often would.

But that wasn’t what mattered.

"We don’t know what happened, but..." Alice and Claire exchanged a look before turning back to me.

Alice spoke first.

"Right now, you look... exhausted. So, for now..."

They’d never seen me like this before.

They might have seen me tired in the past, from trudging through the dark dungeon, trekking through snowy forests, or navigating the sewers. Those were all tiring tasks, and they wouldn’t assume I had limitless stamina.

But suddenly collapsing, as if I’d been through an ordeal alone, with bruises all over... was strange.

"Just rest for now," Claire finished Alice’s words for her.

"...We’ll continue this conversation tomorrow."

"..."

Worry filled both their faces.

They didn’t press me, didn’t demand an explanation, or insist that I reveal my power.

Their consideration touched me.

"Understood."

For now, I gratefully accepted their kindness.