The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

Wait, hold on a second.

I said ‘from the very beginning,’ not ‘from the next after the beginning.’

Even from my perspective, after coming to this world, memories that were quite old were unfolding before my eyes.

When I shout ‘again!’ my ability activates, and it’s not time travel as someone else. It’s me rewinding time, not traveling as another person.

Since I briefly saw the goddess’s thoughts, ‘that kind’ of time travel is impossible.

So, the situation unfolding before my eyes right now can be described as ‘the situation I am really in right now.’

A gentleman with monocles, a mustache, and broad shoulders.

Though he was wearing a silk hat and a fine coat, I honestly don’t think he could be called a ‘gentleman,’ either by his appearance or by his actions.

His clenched fist rises up.

The pain I first experienced after coming to this world strikes again—

Thunk.

“Hmm?”

But just before that fist could hit my face, I heard a sound coming from the carriage window.

The man’s face turned toward the window. Though his other hand was still pressing down on me tightly, making it hard to move, at least this time, my face wouldn’t be smashed by a single punch like before.

Thunk!

A louder sound of impact came, and the carriage window shook. I could hear someone shouting from outside. It was a voice that was now faint in my memory, one I didn’t really want to recall.

“Bitch!”

I’m pretty sure that’s what they shouted.

Then, I heard the sound of something shattering.

It was a familiar sound. Of course, I’ve broken countless windows in my life, but there’s a big difference between the sound of breaking a normal window and breaking a lamp. A lamp is made of both glass and metal.

The dull sound of the lamp’s metal part hitting the ground, the sound of glass breaking, and at the same time, a sound of something sloshing on the floor, followed by the sound of fire crackling.

And screams.

Yeah, Claire was outside at this time.

The blue flames reflected in the man’s monocle, looking out the window.

The man immediately stood up and began pounding on the wall near the coachman’s seat with his fist.

It seemed like the coachman understood without needing any words. The sound of the whip cracking followed, and the horse let out a whinny.

The carriage began moving forward.

“Big sister!”

A voice called from outside. Could it have been Claire shouting?

But despite that voice, the carriage sped up even faster.

No matter how skilled Claire was, she was still a child right now.

She didn’t have the ability to catch up with the carriage—

Well, whether she did or not didn’t really matter.

“Again!”

*

My ability worked.

I didn’t have time to think about how messed up this world had become.

Because the part where I rewound time had brought me back to just before I was about to get hit.

I saw the man raising his fist—

I gritted my teeth and moved my legs.

He seemed momentarily taken aback, as if he didn’t expect me to react so fiercely.

But he quickly raised his hand. He was just a child, after all. When a grown man presses down on a child’s body with his leg, the child can’t resist.

He gripped my neck tightly with one hand, making it hard to breathe.

But it was okay. I knew that if I had a chance, I could make it work.

If I have one chance, I essentially have countless chances.

Again.

*

Thud!

The foot that could move just once accurately hit the man’s groin.

The man’s face turned pale instantly.

Yeah, I knew. I used to be a man in my past life, so I know how fucking painful it is when you get hit there.

That was exactly why I kicked him there.

I felt the pressure release from the hand that was pinning me down, and I moved my foot again. The man’s hand completely left me, and I barely managed to sit up.

Then, I lunged at him, throwing a punch with all my strength.

Crack! The monocle in his eye shattered. Some shards of glass got embedded in my own fist, but the man’s face was in far worse condition.

It was inevitable when the glass was just wedged onto his face without any support.

“You bitch!”

At that exact moment, I heard a voice from outside the carriage, followed by a clang, the sound of a lamp breaking.

After a scream tore through the air, the carriage door rattled.

While the man was holding his eyes, I quickly grabbed the door handle and opened the carriage door.

“Big sister!”

And finally, I saw Claire’s face— 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

“Ah.”

At the same time, my neck was grabbed from behind. The man must have had a terrifying expression on his face.

But before I could even respond, someone else reacted.

“Again!”

Claire shouted.

Thud.

*

Thud!

“Ugh!”

A rock flew into the man’s face. The moment the door opened, Claire’s stone hit his hand, which was covering his eyes, with perfect accuracy.

“Big sister, hurry!”

Claire extended her hand to me.

Claire didn’t look so good. Although there were no major wounds, her clothes were covered in dust, as if she had rolled on the ground.

At least, she hadn’t been burned while breaking the lamp, so that was a relief.

I quickly grabbed Claire’s hand and stepped outside.

Then, Claire pulled me along, running.

“These trash...”

Really, these trash people sure talk a lot.

I thought, hearing the angry shouts of the man behind us.

The man, who had tried to maintain his polite demeanor while getting beaten, seemed frustrated by being hit by a child.

“The children?”

“Of course, we’re taking them all with us. Just like you did, big sister.”

Claire said, tugging my arm.

... I didn’t fully understand the situation, but it seemed to be unfolding in a way similar to what I had aimed for.

The goddess’s power remained, but it had also transferred to Claire. It might be because of the relic’s power. Claire had the potential for that.

But even then—

I heard the sound of hooves from behind.

It seemed like they had given up on chasing us after seeing the body of the orphanage director burning ahead. Maybe they thought it would be troublesome if they got any further involved?

At least, the orphanage itself wasn’t burning.

“This time, I’ll lead.”

Claire, smiling brightly, spoke. She was the Claire I remembered from her younger days, but strangely, she also resembled the brave Claire from just a moment ago.

*

“......”

“Princess?”

The voice of the guard addressing Alice was filled with tension.

The young princess, still too young to be called a ‘girl,’ had come here after throwing a tantrum.

How she knew about this ‘dangerous area,’ and more specifically, how she knew about the ‘orphanage’ in this area, was something even the guard didn’t understand.

There were several carriages surrounding the one the princess was riding in, along with mounted knights.

A child not yet ten years old, casually giving orders to those below her, had never happened before. Of course, a report had been sent to the Emperor. He seemed quite intrigued and approved the situation.

What exactly did this young princess know, and why was she here?

“It seems there was a fire last night. The orphanage director mishandled a lamp...”

“Is the orphanage safe?”

“Yes, the building is intact, but it seems that the children inside have disappeared overnight.”

The guard reported matter-of-factly, without speculation.

“I see.”

Princess Alice Fangryphon briefly closed her mouth, lost in thought.

“Alright. The investigation is complete. Let’s return to the palace. Thank you for your help.”

“It was my duty, Your Highness.”

The guard bowed, still a bit stunned by the young princess’s command.

*

I saw a bright light coming from between Sylvia and Claire.

And when I finally regained my senses, the first thing I realized was the position of my gaze.

It was much lower than the view Alice remembered.

I looked at my hands. They were soft and small. My arms, my legs, were much shorter than Alice had remembered.

And then, after seeing myself in the mirror, I realized.

Time had been rewound.

*

“......”

Then, why could Alice still remember that moment?

The eyes of Alice in the mirror narrowed. Staring at herself in the mirror, she suddenly realized.

Inside that mechanical device.

Alice herself was inside.

Whether that was the real or fake Alice, and how that situation came to be, Alice wasn’t sure, but she could at least be certain that the being inside the device was the ‘masked woman.’

And when that masked woman was present, even after time had reversed, Alice had not lost her memories.

Her heart raced wildly.

How many people truly live without regrets? Alice had committed many regrettable acts in her youth.

Especially, she had treated Sylvia, who had been kind to her without any conditions, so coldly for too long.

She had shown that attitude for years, so it was no wonder Sylvia had grown distant, but Sylvia had continued to show her the same attitude, never changing.

It was thanks to Sylvia that Alice was able to regain her composure.

So, if she met Sylvia again now...

Would she be able to make up for the mistakes of her younger self?