The Vermont estate that afternoon appeared no different from any other day.
The maids were going about their tasks.
The coachmen were tending to the stables.
The chef was busy preparing meals—all in the midst of a seemingly normal day.
“Oh, what do we do? Aslan and Lady Sylvia still haven’t returned…!”
“Ugh! They clearly said they’d be back soon!”
Charlotte and Julia were pacing back and forth, unsure of what to do.
Although they’d been asked to pretend everything was fine—as if the head of the household was merely out on a brief errand—their anxiety was unbearable now that Aslan and Sylvia were truly gone.
Had they gone somewhere clearly dangerous, like a cursed region, they wouldn’t have been this uneasy.
But not even knowing how dangerous the place was only amplified their dread.
Would they return safely?
No, was it even possible for them to come back?
There was no certainty about anything.
‘Why did he throw himself into such uncertain danger…?’
Julia muttered a resentful thought under her breath before biting her lip.
Why had Aslan ventured into such peril?
The answer was simple.
It was for Sylvia.
‘On the surface, he pretends not to care much, but in truth, he treasures her deeply…’
Always docking her pay.
Speaking curtly to her.
Constantly bickering whenever possible—so much so that Julia thought they didn’t get along.
And yet, he was willing to risk his life to heal Sylvia’s injuries.
Surely, it wasn’t for some trivial reason, like fearing an increase in paperwork if he lost a capable subordinate.
Julia felt a small, faint pang of envy for Sylvia, whom Aslan seemed to cherish enough to stake his life.
“Guys, calm down a bit.”
It was then that a voice came, accompanied by a comforting touch on Charlotte and Julia’s shoulders.
Ah, right! Yuri was here!
Before leaving, Aslan had entrusted all his contingency plans to Yuri.
So long as they listened to Yuri, everything would be fine.
If Yuri wasn’t panicking, there was no need for them to panic either, right?
“P-Please… C-calm down… okay? Let’s just calm down…”
“…”
“…”
Or so they thought.
Yuri’s limbs were trembling, and her voice was thick with unease.
She looked even more stricken with anxiety than Charlotte and Julia.
“Should I, um, go deliver this document to Lady Irene now…?”
“No. How long has it been since he left? It’s too early for that.”
“W-Well, it’s been—been a whole hour! An entire hour without any news!”
“…”
“…”
Watching Yuri shake uncontrollably, Charlotte and Julia found themselves unexpectedly calming down.
Who would’ve thought Yuri was more anxious than they were?
Realizing that at least one of them needed to stay composed, they began to settle down.
“He told us only to deliver that if he doesn’t return after a year…”
“H-How can I wait an entire year? I can’t do it!”
“Let’s just eat something and try to calm dow—”
“He’s back!!! Aslan Vermont must be back! I just heard the sound of a carriage!”
“…!?”
At that moment, Yuri perked up her ears and dashed toward the front door.
Charlotte and Julia followed close behind, their hearts filled with cautious hope.
“Huh?”
But as they reached the front door and spotted the carriage, their bodies froze.
The door to a dazzlingly ornate carriage opened, and stepping out was none other than Empress Vanessa herself.
“Your Majesty!? What brings you here?”
“That’s what I’d like to ask. Something seemed off, so I came to check.”
Vanessa surveyed the Vermont estate with a puzzled expression.
Her Spirit’s Eye had detected a massive spatial distortion in the direction of the Vermont territory, prompting her to rush over, only to find everything seemingly calm.
“Well, um, you see…”
Charlotte, Julia, and Yuri exchanged nervous glances, unsure what to do.
They’d been instructed not to reveal the details to outsiders…
But with the Empress herself standing here, they couldn’t bring themselves to lie.
Eventually, they confessed the truth.
Sylvia had torn open a dimensional rift and ventured inside with Aslan.
“To the past… I see…”
Vanessa removed her tinted glasses with a meaningful smile.
Feeling justified for bringing it along, she retrieved something from her pocket and began fiddling with it.
“I wonder if they arrived safely…”
“Ugh, I’m so worried…”
“Don’t worry. It seems Count Vermont has successfully reached the past, though he may be struggling a bit to get his bearings.”
“Really!?”
Hearing Vanessa’s reassurance, the girls’ faces lit up with relief.
Grinding her teeth, Vanessa let out a bitter smile.
When that man returned, she’d have quite a lot to say to him.
***
“Candidate Hero No. 3, Sylvia. Commencing the mission now.”
The young Sylvia declared this into the void, her voice directed at no one in particular.
She strode forward, completely undaunted by the colossal mana storm raging ahead.
From behind a boulder, the older Sylvia’s pupils quaked violently as she watched.
“Sylvia, just to confirm… Did you know back then that was a mana storm and stepping into it would tear your body apart?”
“N-No… I had no idea… Not even in my dreams…”
The older Sylvia shuddered.
Even brief exposure to the storm had reverted her body to a younger state and dulled her ability to sense mana.
If she’d simply walked into it, mistaking it for an ordinary storm, she would’ve met a horrifying death—her body disintegrated beyond recognition.
Unaware of the truth, the young Sylvia steadfastly marched toward the storm.
Unable to bear it any longer, Aslan tried to stand up, only to be pulled back by Sylvia, who grabbed his wrist.
“What are you doing? Are you planning to let your past self die? This isn’t some parallel world. If she dies, you die too.”
“We don’t need to intervene. There was someone else who stopped me back then.”
“Who?”
“A man wearing clothes bearing the Vermont family crest… and a swordsman he had hired…”
Sylvia trailed off as her gaze swept over Aslan and herself. She fell silent, her mind racing.
A man wearing the Vermont family crest.
A swordsman in his employ.
The image from her memory overlapped uncannily with their current selves. She was left speechless.
“That’s us, Sylvia.”
“No, it can’t be. Back then, I was subdued, branded, and taken to the Vermont family as part of Count Vermont’s scheme. He wanted to use my strength as one of the Hero Candidates…”
“Look around you, Sylvia. There’s no one else here. No one is coming. The one who saved your past self was none other than you. Accept it already.”
“…”
Aslan grabbed Sylvia’s face in both hands, forcing her to meet his gaze.
If they meddled with the past, it would cause massive disruptions in the present.
She had feared that. Feared that one misstep could destroy everything she had built with the family head—everything they shared.
And now, she was faced with the truth: she had to stop her past self.
Only she could do it.
It had to be her, here and now.
Meeting Aslan’s steady gaze, Sylvia’s trembling slowly subsided.
“…Fine. Let’s stop her.”
Sylvia took a deep breath, steadied herself, and stood up.
Aslan smiled and rose with her.
At that moment, the young Sylvia turned abruptly, startled.
“You there! Who are you? Identify yourselves!”
“Does that girl have eyes in the back of her head?”
“What should we do?”
“Let’s try the peaceful approach first. Let’s reason with her.”
Young Sylvia stood on high alert, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword as she lowered her stance.
Sylvia and Aslan stepped out from behind the rock, their faces concealed by masks.
“The mission is canceled, Weapon… uh, what was your number again?”
“Number 3.”
“Right, Number 3. Return to the fortress city and request a knight escort position from the Vermont family. That’s your next mission.”
“I will verify the command code. Please provide it.”
“…”
“You are not my commanding officer. Are you an enemy?”
“…Great.”
Young Sylvia’s hostile eyes gleamed as she unsheathed her sword.
Sylvia, the older one, sensed conflict was unavoidable.
But Aslan stepped forward, undeterred.
“Your final mission is to kill yourself! If you go to complete the mission, you’ll die!”
“I will not fall for enemy deception!”
“It’s not deception! That’s a mana storm! If you step into it, your body will be torn apart!”
“Even if that is true, it doesn’t matter! My top priority is completing the mission!”
“She’s impossible to reason with…”
The young Sylvia shifted her footing, preparing to charge.
Aslan sighed, stepping back behind Sylvia.
She’s completely stubborn.
She won’t listen, and she’s insanely aggressive…
How did you turn out like this?
Realizing they had no choice but to use force, Sylvia reached for her sword.
But the moment Aslan leaned closer to whisper something, the weapon’s hilt caught in his mouth.
“Gah—ack!”
“Huh? Uh?”
The sword’s hilt was stuck in Aslan’s mouth, and it wouldn’t budge, no matter how hard Sylvia tugged.
The harder she pulled, the louder Aslan’s groans became, but the sword refused to come loose.
“You’re hindering my mission! I will execute you as an enemy!”
“Oh, for crying out loud!”
Meanwhile, young Sylvia dashed toward them at full speed.
Sylvia, the older one, was nearly in tears.
Why now, of all times, did everything have to go wrong?
