How a Villain Defies Destiny Chapter 168

When I gently patted the shoulder of Selene, who could not easily stop crying, she finally composed her emotions and, after hesitating, asked back.

 

“May I… stay by Lord Endymion’s side?”

 

“Of course. If Selene is all right with it, that’s enough.”

 

When I declared it in a voice full of conviction without the slightest hesitation, the darkness that had been cast over her face gradually brightened.

 

“…Thank you for saying that.”

 

Seeing her reply while holding a faint smile, I newly realized that this place was reality.

 

Not a protagonist from a fictional story who met a happy ending and lived a peaceful life, but an ordinary person one might see around, someone who worried, wavered, and took difficult steps one by one to resolve the matters that had come before their eyes.

 

While I was absorbed in such private thoughts…

 

“If it succeeds…”

 

She, who had completely gathered her emotions before I knew it, opened her mouth with a much calmer air.

 

“This time I will definitely convey my honest feelings to Lord Endymion.”

 

“…Y-yeah. I’ll cheer you on.”

 

I almost threw out a tackle telling her not to say things that sounded like death flags, yet I barely held it back and offered encouragement.

 

‘Well… nothing will happen. This is reality, after all.’

 

Having finished rationalizing inwardly like that, I wrapped up the counseling with Selene and waved my hand toward Fenrir.

 

[Is it over?]

 

When I nodded vigorously to send the signal, Fenrir, who understood perfectly, immediately released the magic.

 

“Selene, I’m really starting now?”

 

“Yes!”

 

She wiped her tear-soaked face with her sleeve and answered resolutely. Before beginning to absorb the divine power in earnest, I fell into brief contemplation.

 

‘Since I don’t know whether it will work or not, should I give her a heads-up not to get too tense?’

 

When I first proposed this method Selene had been more skeptical, so even if it failed she did not seem likely to be disappointed, yet from the current her hope and expectation were overflowing, so I worried that she might be disappointed if it failed.

 

‘But saying something that dampens the spirits of someone who has only just recovered their energy is also a bit…’

 

While I was experiencing internal conflict, I suddenly felt a hand tugging at my clothes. When I turned my head, Yves, who was pressing his lips tightly together with furrowed brows, entered my field of vision.

 

“Lord Yves, what’s the matter?”

 

“…”

 

He seemed to have something to say, yet the lips firmly sealed in a straight line would not readily open.

 

Still, thanks to the long time we had spent together, I could roughly grasp what he was thinking.

 

“You’re worried about me, right?”

 

“…”

 

Judging by the way the wrinkles between his brows deepened, it seemed I had hit the mark.

 

“It’s all right. I’m only absorbing divine power.”

 

“…”

 

I deliberately spoke in a light tone to ease his concern, yet the silver eyes looking down at me sharpened in an instant.

 

I could quickly guess the reason.

 

It was because of the time I had lost consciousness for a week while absorbing Huluppu’s divine power.

 

‘But that wasn’t my fault, was it?’

 

Of course I could not tell the one worrying about me that I had not known I would collapse like that either, or that unpredictable things happen in life so he should not take it to heart too much, so I simply listed excuses to reassure him.

 

“Last time I did lose consciousness, but anyway I woke up safely without any particular abnormalities.”

 

“I… no matter what happens, I will wait by your side.”

 

Seeing Yves make the vow with a solemn expression while tightly gripping my clothes, I suddenly grew anxious.

 

It was because after Selene even he was planting strange flags.

 

‘Surely nothing… will happen, right?’

 

I deliberately brushed away the uneasy feelings and answered calmly.

 

“I’m the same. No matter what happens to me, I believe Lord Yves will definitely protect my side.”

 

After smiling brightly toward him, I overlapped my hand on the back of Selene’s hand.

 

“Anyway, I’ll start now.”

 

When I focused my mind, Selene’s divine power soon began to flow into me. Having already done it several times, it was not particularly difficult.

 

The divine power poured out like a broken valve, yet there was no burdensome feeling.

 

Probably, just as Kephri had explained before, it was flowing straight through the god’s mark.

 

One surprising point was that Selene’s divine power was refilling by the same amount I absorbed.

 

‘I was half-doubtful, but this is unexpected.’

 

In truth I had not thought that the method Kephri taught would be able to stop the regressions in one go. Because Nanna was the god who governed time.

 

As long as we were on the surface we could not escape his surveillance.

 

That much could be known just from the fact that Huluppu had deliberately summoned us into his consciousness space.

 

That was why I had regarded the conversation I exchanged with Kephri in the Zagros Mountains as something Nanna would naturally know as well.

 

Having doubts whether he, who knew our plan, would quietly take the hit, I had kept in mind the possibility of a long-term battle.

 

In contrast to those worries, right now Nanna was continuously pouring divine power into Selene.

 

As if he had not seen through our intentions.

 

‘Perhaps Lord Kephri’s domain is a place even gods cannot carelessly touch.’

 

After all, even Huluppu’s unique ability had not worked. While I was analyzing the situation in my head, Selene suddenly staggered.

 

I had not noticed because I was lost in thought, but now that I looked her complexion had turned pale.

 

‘Is she unable to handle the divine power pouring out excessively?’

 

Judging that her body was overloaded, I tried to pause the absorption for a moment, yet at that time a familiar voice dug into my mind.

 

[You must not stop.]

 

It was Kephri.

 

Surprised by the appearance of an unexpected figure, I tried to ask what on earth was going on, yet he struck first.

 

[I can read your thoughts, so do not speak.]

 

‘Why?’

 

[Because Nanna will hear.]

 

‘Is it bad if he hears?’

 

[That fellow still does not know your scheme. The fact that he is pouring divine power into that child right now is the proof.]

 

Apparently the hypotheses I had built in my head until just now were roughly correct.

 

‘More than that, where is Lord Kephri right now?’

 

[Home.]

 

‘What?’

 

[While touching the god’s mark engraved on you, I also planted my magic power.]

 

After briefly answering how he could speak to me from a distant place, he then gave supplementary explanations about the things I was curious about.

 

That even absolute gods had limits in watching over the surface.

 

That although Nanna was connected to Selene, he could not accurately see through exchanges that occurred between the consciousnesses of living beings or magic through magic power.

 

And that because he did not know the method Kephri had proposed, he judged the current situation as insignificant and had not severed the connection with Selene.

 

‘But is there a reason we absolutely have to hide it?’

 

[Because if it’s Nanna, I somehow feel he is hiding a trump card.]

 

Kephri had roughly inferred Selene’s unique ability by combining the information the goddess Astarte had sent and my memories, yet he said that would not be everything.

 

‘That’s only Lord Kephri’s conjecture, right?’

 

[Yes. I still have no certainty. It’s just that among the conditions of that child’s unique ability there are also ones related to me, so I thought there might also be something prepared for when everything goes wrong.]

 

‘Have you predicted what that trump card might be as well?’

 

[There are a few.]

 

Not one, but several.

 

Nanna’s meticulousness was enough to give me chills.

 

[The most likely is probably a complete reset.]

 

A question mark floated in my head. Because I could not easily gauge what on earth he meant by resetting.

 

‘It’s not like resetting game data…’

 

I had no particular intention of conveying it to Kephri, yet the thought that rose unintentionally seemed to have been transmitted to him as well, for an indifferent reply returned.

 

[It would be similar.]

 

Yet the story that followed was shocking. Because it was truly no different from a game reset.

 

It was turning time back to before the oracle was issued.

 

Since it was before Selene’s god’s mark had appeared, she would also forget all the memories until now, he said.

 

‘Is that possible?’

 

[It will put quite a burden on Nanna, but it is not difficult.]

 

‘But you said being able to turn time only applies to the surface. There are already gods who have noticed Lord Nanna’s suspicious actions, so even if he turns time back, wouldn’t it be meaningless?’

 

I had been told that the heavens and the underworld had no time, so Nanna’s influence did not reach them.

 

Therefore, even if the living beings on the surface who knew of Nanna’s atrocities disappeared, the gods’ memories could not be erased, so wouldn’t repeating an experiment like this be impossible?