The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

It was already several years ago that I thought that.

“......”

“......”

Inside the rattling train, the person sitting across from Alice was not the one Alice remembered.

Her blue hair, reaching down to her shoulders, had a dreamlike quality. Unlike Alice’s memory, the ends of her untied hair curled into waves, so if she hadn’t looked like she usually did, she could have easily been mistaken for someone from a noble family.

No, she was from a noble family, after all.

When she was very young, she grew up on the streets, and later, she spent some time in an orphanage that sold people like objects. She escaped after killing the director, but her bloodline ran through the royal family.

In fact, even more than Alice, the rightful heir.

“Did you always do this kind of thing?”

“What kind of thing?”

Suddenly, Claire spoke, and Alice fixed her eyes on Claire, who had been glancing around, and responded.

Claire looked at her with an expression of annoyance.

“Interfering with everything the Emperor himself commanded and forcing your way in to do the same.”

“......”

It was something she had done before.

When she had been feeling jealous and inferior to Sylvia, she had tried to follow everything Sylvia did. Every time, Sylvia completed tasks more perfectly than Alice could ever manage, which only made Alice feel more inferior.

Ironically, the first real conversation Alice had had with Sylvia in a long while was on this train. Alice had always felt awkward being around Sylvia. But this time, there were two even more awkward figures on the train, so Alice had no choice but to choose to sit in front of Sylvia.

And the conversation they had in that train made a huge impact on Alice.

“I guess you did.”

Claire snorted and looked out the window.

“You seemed so close, I thought you must’ve been best friends since you were little.”

Alice had no reply to that comment.

“But this time, there was no choice. I met Charlotte for the first time here.”

“......Well, I guess that can’t be helped.”

With a sigh, Claire wiped her face.

“I really thought we’d be able to stay together.”

“......”

“Ah, I know. You’re telling me to be extra careful, right? Not to bring this up unless I absolutely have to.”

Luckily, Lucas and Jayden were immersed in their own competition, so they didn’t react to this side of the conversation.

Until now, neither Claire nor Alice had said anything about Claire’s bloodline.

Moreover, the person Lucas had chosen this time was not Sylvia, who had no Fangryphon blood, but Claire, who truly had the Emperor’s bloodline, which made it even more dangerous. If things went wrong, the world might move exactly as the Emperor had planned.

“But you said it yourself. ‘It won’t go like that.’”

Since coming to this world, Alice had met Sylvia only twice.

Sylvia, who had become ‘Sylvia Grace’ instead of ‘Sylvia Fangryphon,’ was working very hard at the balls held at the palace.

While Claire had become a ‘Grace’ because of her swordsmanship, it seemed Sylvia had caught the Emperor’s eye with her particular knowledge. As a result, she was living a life very different from the one Claire had lived when she focused solely on swordsmanship as a child. While Claire was one of the inheritors of the Grace-style swordsmanship, ‘Sylvia Grace’ looked every bit the young lady from a noble family.

Unlike the Alice, Claire, and Sylvia who remembered the past, Sylvia’s partner at the ball, Leo, seemed not to remember either of them.

This meant that those who were not involved with the relics or the goddess’s plan could not properly remember the world.

“That might not be the case.”

At the Grace estate, Sylvia, having changed her manner of speaking, said that. It made sense since they were at a ball. No matter how close she was to the princess, the daughter of a baron couldn’t speak informally.

But Claire looked uncomfortable seeing Sylvia like that.

“The introduction to the story was different. The past where I was beaten in the carriage, that was actually an impossible past. I had already escaped before that, by rewinding time, so technically, I should never have even met that man.”

Her tone seemed a little softer. Unlike her previous military-like tone, Sylvia’s earnest explanation now made her sound every bit the baron’s daughter. In some ways, even more than Claire.

Seeing Sylvia with her long black hair down, wearing a dark blue dress and acting so naturally, Alice couldn’t help but wonder if she was still the same person.

...But even during such an important conversation, Alice wasn’t oblivious enough to point that out.

She tried hard to suppress a smile.

“So, the past we’re experiencing now might not actually be the ‘past.’ After all, the goddess wouldn’t have liked what I was doing, and the relic we were holding at that time wasn’t the completed version. Also, part of my power ended up transferring to Claire, and I’m not sure what changes that caused yet.”

“Are you saying we’re in some kind of illusion?”

“It’s probably not a simple illusion. But at the same time, the goddess must have some intention. If time wasn’t reversed but instead the situation was shifted and then replayed, creating that situation might also be the goddess’s power.”

“...So, does that mean you could become more dangerous in the future?”

Claire asked seriously. Alice, who had briefly lost focus, snapped back to attention at those words.

“That’s what I’m saying. So we need to be prepared too.”

“How?”

Alice asked.

“Well...”

Sylvia thought for a moment and then spoke. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

“It’s best if we find the relics in advance.”

“But you just said this might be an illusion?”

At Claire’s words, Sylvia narrowed her brow slightly and, as if organizing her thoughts, spoke slowly.

“Even if it is an illusion, if the space feels just like reality, it’s not a place we can just dismiss as ‘just an illusion.’ It’s likely that this world isn’t very different from the one we lived in. Since the goddess couldn’t have recreated everything from start to finish, it’s more likely that she either created this space based on the world we lived in or temporarily altered it.”

Sylvia lightly moved the glass in her hand. The drink inside shimmered. That didn’t seem like something that could be imagined and created out of nothing.

“Anyway, the goddess always intended to fix everything from the start. The world might be broken for a while as she removes the impurities, but it’s not a problem.”

“......”

“Besides, honestly...”

Sylvia briefly furrowed her brow before shaking her head.

“No, I’m not sure yet. I’ll let you know once I’m certain.”

That was the end of what happened during Alice’s second meeting with Sylvia.

Since it had been recreated according to the goddess’s will, Sylvia’s opinion was that it wouldn’t follow the Emperor’s plan.

“That doesn’t mean we can ignore everything.”

“...True. You’ve been working hard yourself.”

In response to Alice’s words, Claire answered with a sigh.

After I came back, time passed quickly.

No, it passed really quickly.

This isn’t a metaphor. It felt like, at times, memories were disappearing, like the frames of the scenes were unnaturally cutting off. I felt like the story was progressing uncontrollably, regardless of my will.

My will was still being reflected. After making some plans, I could at least tell whether they succeeded or failed.

But when I wasn’t paying attention, when I thought something was unimportant, when I was spacing out, time passed so quickly that it was incomprehensible.

Someone was rushing like crazy.

And I felt like I knew who that rushing person was.

After seeing those two for the last time, so much time had passed that it was already time to enter the academy. At least, I didn’t feel like “years” had passed.

Had Claire and Alice realized this too?

“Sister—”

In a corridor full of people, a familiar voice called out from a distance.

Unlike before, Claire was already sure that I was her ‘sister.’

But before Claire could greet me happily and approach, there was someone else, equally eager to rush toward me.

“Sister!”

“Ugh.”

Claire couldn’t even hide her surprise at Leo’s voice.

“Leo.”

I quietly responded to Leo, and Claire froze in place.

Hmm, she looked like she had seen something creepy.