Ian, who had been moved to the treatment facility, opened his eyes in a hospital room.
With so much information flooding his mind, he was overwhelmed with a desire to rest, but the respite he craved wasn’t to be found.
“…I’ve mentioned this countless times, but I think you’re pushing yourself too hard.”
“Sorry.”
“I understand it was inevitable, having faced Satan….”
As she wrapped a bandage around Ian’s wrist, Eri closed her eyes, swallowing her frustration.
Her meaning was simple: even if he had to fight, wouldn’t it be better to wait for others and launch a coordinated assault?
Of course, it wasn’t that she didn’t understand his immediate plunge into battle.
If he had delayed even a little, Kyan might have returned as a corpse, and Satan would have finished recovering.
Ian knew this had been the best course of action.
But for Eri, who cherished him, it was not an easy sight to witness.
“I just wish you’d think a bit more about your own well-being.”
After all, weren’t there others around who could have helped him?
Most of the personnel indeed needed to focus on treating and transporting the injured, but both the Imperial Knights and Edenria had promised full support.
With a single request, manpower could have been allocated to assist in the battle.
Even Ariel, the hero, had joined the search operation, so he could have called her too.
Yet he left all of them behind, charging in alone without support, only to return covered in wounds. It was no wonder Eri was upset.
Ian, too, found himself at a loss for words.
‘It’s true…if I had asked for help, I could have fought Satan with support. Even if it wasn’t much, it would’ve made a difference.’
As much as he wanted to argue, her words were undeniable.
If others had simply drawn Satan’s attention, the battle would have been easier, and Celia wouldn’t have had to throw herself in harm’s way to protect him.
‘Right…Celia!’
Recalling the previous battle, the image of Celia throwing herself into the fray to shield him flashed in his mind.
“Eri? What about Celia? She’s not…dead, is she?”
His sudden grip on her arm startled Eri, but she calmed herself and gently laid him back on the bed.
“Don’t worry too much. She’s still alive.”
“Still alive?”
“I heard that the Squad Commander’s treatment was effective. Normally, with a wound that severe, she wouldn’t have survived, but thankfully, her life was saved.”
The Super Regeneration he’d managed to impart before collapsing had worked. With a sigh, Ian released the breath he’d been holding.
Although his divine powers had nearly run dry, he’d used them on impulse, desperate to save her. It seemed he’d managed to play a significant role in saving Celia.
‘…So she’s alive.’
Knowing that Celia Wignoron was still alive gave Ian a deep sense of relief.
If he hadn’t checked the records, he might have dismissed her death as “tragic” or thought, “Ariel will be sad.”
But knowing the truth changed everything.
Thinking of all she’d done, he felt nothing but gratitude that she was still alive.
‘She even used a branding stone to stay away from me and gave me an attribute….’
How many opportunities had the dark attribute provided Ian in his life?
Meeting Neltalion, obtaining Rebrion, and every subsequent step he took were all influenced significantly by this attribute.
‘Now, both Neltalion and Rebrion are… indispensable to me.’
Without them, he would’ve likely failed again.
He might have given up, convinced of his lack of chances, and spiraled into despair, becoming a shell of his former self.
‘And yet, I nearly lost Celia, who prevented such a future…’
If she’d disappeared before he regained his memory, he couldn’t even imagine what he would’ve done.
Perhaps… he might have bent time once again.
To Ian, Celia Wignoron was someone he would relive even a hellish life to protect, so it was only natural to feel reassured that she was alive.
“Lia and I kept worrying that the Squad Commander might not make it, and yet…as soon as you wake up, you’re asking about her?”
“If that’s how it sounded…I’m sorry.”
“I didn’t say it for an apology. I just wanted you to know that we’re worried about you too.”
Seeing her turn her head slightly, Ian couldn’t help but smile.
‘At moments like this, a simple apology seems fitting.’
How worried must she have been?
Despite promising not to overdo it, he’d saved Ariel just a few days ago after twelve hours of sword-fighting in the magic tower, only to fight Satan alone afterward.
Even during his battles against the Demon Kings, hadn’t Ian often insisted on facing them solo?
Though they might not be at his level, they weren’t completely powerless. It was only natural for them to feel anxious when they couldn’t even provide a small amount of help.
‘Now that I think about it…I wonder if I’m treating Eri and Lia the way I treat Ariel.’
Since she’s a hero, he was careful to protect her from danger.
But with Eri and Lia, it was different.
‘They may resent that they can’t fight alongside me, wondering why they’re kept out of battles.’
They might think they’re useless, that Ian fights alone because they can’t contribute.
But the real reason he hadn’t given them chances to prove themselves…was because they were too precious to him.
He simply didn’t want to lose them. When all was over and peace finally arrived, he wanted to share a future with them, so he did everything he could to keep them away from danger.
‘…Perhaps it was my stubbornness.’
However, he knew he couldn’t keep going on like that anymore.
He felt that deeply while fighting Satan. If Kyan hadn’t risked his life to overcome the first phase and if Celia hadn’t supported him, he might have been the one to die at Satan’s hands.
Having felt the threat to his life in the fight against Satan, Ian realized that Lucifer was even stronger than the demon they had faced.
According to Belphegor’s plan, the Demon God would soon die, and the divine powers would pass into Lucifer’s hands.
“If that happens… I’ll have no choice but to reach out to Eri and Lia. No, it wouldn’t just be them; I’d have to ask others as well.”
Until now, it had been a fight he faced alone, but the battle against Lucifer would require the strength of everyone.
‘If I can just deal with that bastard… I can finally put an end to this damn cycle.’
Thinking about the future that lay beyond the bloody battles, Ian took Eri’s hand.
In that moment, no words were necessary between them.
As he felt the warmth of their clasped hands, Eri could only smile softly.
***
‘I never expected there to be such a secret between us.’
With his injuries completely healed thanks to rapid regeneration, Ian headed to Celia’s hospital room.
The priests who had just finished treating her offered their respect to Ian while conveying that Celia’s condition was critical.
‘They said the abdominal bleeding was severe, and without the holy water that Glendia provided, she would have lost her life.’
What was holy water? Aside from the legendary potion known as the Elixir, there was nothing else comparable to it in terms of healing.
Even with rapid regeneration and holy water applied, the fact that she was on the brink of death indicated the seriousness of her injuries.
‘That’s why she hasn’t opened her eyes until now.’
Despite using rapid regeneration continuously since entering the room, there were no signs of her awakening.
Her body had recovered, but since her divine powers hadn’t fully returned, Ian stopped using rapid regeneration and held Celia’s hand.
‘If I had known this would happen… I should have refused the necklace instead.’
If he had even had a Memorial Link with Celia… perhaps this wouldn’t have happened.
It might have been a slim chance of only 10%, but wasn’t it better to hope for even a slight possibility?
When she had offered him the gift, wouldn’t it have been better to turn it down?
While this was a hindsight view, now that he knew the past through the records, such thoughts kept resurfacing.
‘No… I can’t regret something that has already happened.’
After a while of contemplation, Ian shook his head.
What good would it do to think about something that couldn’t be changed? He wasn’t going to regress again.
For now, Celia was still alive. That was all that mattered.
‘She said back then that the necklace would protect me from now on, even if she didn’t mean it literally… either way, I received help.’
As he pulled out the necklace Celia had given him, he let out a faint laugh at that moment.
‘Huh? Why is there light…?’
The moment the insignificant necklace emitted an unknown light, he felt a surge of curiosity.
Why was this happening all of a sudden?
In a moment of hope, he scrutinized the necklace closely.
[You can activate Ian’s Memorial Link using the Christmas Rose necklace! Would you like to proceed?]
‘My Memorial Link?’
This unexpected occurrence took him by surprise.
Activating a Memorial Link? Did that mean Ian would be able to share items with Celia?
‘What does that even mean…?’
It felt absurd, yet at the same time, it began to make sense.
After all, according to the information gleaned from the records, Celia was indeed an important person to Ian.
Since a Memorial Link is an event triggered by an item imbued with precious memories, it wasn’t impossible for a necklace containing memories of her to activate such a link.
‘I’ll use it.’
[Activating Ian Volkanov’s Memorial Link. You have acquired the special skill ‘Connection to the Past’. All debuff effects associated with the important character ‘Celia Wignoron’ will be removed, and memories of the specified round will be recalled.]
“Hah…”
As the activation took place and the explanation poured in, Ian clicked his tongue in disbelief.
‘Removing debuffs means… it’s highly likely that it will negate the effects of the branding stone Celia used. According to the records, she had used it on Ariel during her childhood.’
Recalling memories of the specified round meant…
‘So, the memory of the moment she used the branding stone will be imposed on the current Celia?’
As much as he wanted to wake her up immediately and check, she showed no signs of awakening, leaving him unable to verify.
However, one thing was certain.
‘If I’m right about this… I have even more reason to take down Lucifer.’
He had to prevent a repeat of failure that led to regression.
To do that, he had to prepare more thoroughly.
‘First and foremost, I need to ensure Ariel can withstand the battle against him.’
With no time for training, he couldn’t afford to waste any moments. But that was fine. There were ways to help his sister grow beyond just training.
With a calm expression, Ian checked the device.
[This is a message from Viscount Shulkin. The head of the family has awakened, so please come back to the family promptly once your tasks are complete.]
‘It’s time to clear out the items in the family treasure…’
