Leandro didn't want to accept it; or rather, he couldn't accept it. If the save point was updated, Rem would remain dead.
Rem dead? In a story where the protagonist can go back as many times as necessary to save his friends' lives? That didn't make sense.
Therefore, Leandro decided he would not accept it and used his authority again. He died, returned, and found himself in the same situation. What did he do then? Did he give up? Of course not.
He died again. And again, and again, and again... His mind no longer functioned as it should; his emotions had completely blinded him. There was no way he could go on without Rem.
However, it didn't matter how many times he died. Each time, RBD sent him back to the same point. Finally, Leandro went from denial to anger.
"Satella... SATELLA!" His voice filled the Sanctuary. "LET ME SAVE HER! SATELLAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
But the witch didn't answer his plea. In the first place, she was the one who had changed the save point. If she did that, it was precisely because she didn't intend to let Leandro go back.
This realization made Leandro's blood boil. An explosion of miasma erupted from his body due to his excessive use of RBD.
"YOU BITCH! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! DON'T FUCK WITH ME!"
Fury had taken hold of the dark-haired man. The miasma condensed into a dark fog that enveloped him completely, filling his mind with destructive impulses.
Nothing mattered anymore. If the world turned its back on him, Leandro would tear it to pieces with his power.
The dark-haired man tried to summon his sword; however, two pairs of arms tightly surrounded him at that moment.
"Stop, Leandro! You need to calm down!"
"Look at me, it's me! I'm right here!"
Emilia and Betty hugged him at the same time, trying to restrain him and bring him to his senses.
"LET ME GO!"
Activating his authority, he easily freed himself, sending the distraught girls flying. Anger clouded his judgment, but he still had enough awareness to recognize his loved ones. That's why his eyes filled with tears when he realized what he had done.
"Rem... Captain..." Garfiel gritted his teeth at the sight of his friend. The half-human's injuries had prevented him from protecting the blue-haired maid, and now he could do nothing to help Leandro either. He felt deeply bitter and powerless about the whole situation, to the point where he began to cry. "Damn it!"
Roswaal couldn't understand Leandro's emotional breakdown. Wasn't he supposed to have already reset the world? What was he waiting for? Why did he start screaming like a madman?
"Perhaps...?"
The sorcerer concluded that, for some reason, Leandro could no longer undo what had happened. Roswaal had made a serious miscalculation, and thus his plan was potentially doomed to failure.
"Oh, no."
He needed to get his bearings. Taking advantage of the general distraction, the sorcerer ran toward the spot where Ram dropped the Gospel when she went to pick up her sister's body.
The book was open to the section containing the final prophecies. To Roswaal's surprise, the text stopped at the last part he read, and there was nothing more: his future was blank.
"Hahaha..."
Roswaal put his hands to his head and began to laugh. He thought about all the effort and sacrifice he had made over the past four hundred years. For a long time, he had believed he could manipulate fate and use it to his advantage, but at the last moment, his long-awaited perfect future had slipped through his fingers.
"Master... What should I do?"
At that moment, a figure flashed past him. It was Ryuzu Shima, who had not been present during the battle.
"AAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Leandro was trapped in a trance. No matter how hard he tried to fight the corrupting effect of the miasma, his mind was being eroded by it.
Then Shima arrived and stood in front of him.
"I can't let you break." She said in a voice that sounded different. "Unlike that nasty bitch, I'm not impartial."
With a fleeting and somewhat elegant movement, Shima touched Leandro's belly and the miasma that was suffocating him disappeared in an instant.
As a result, Leandro fainted. Luckily for him, Shima reacted by catching his body and gently placing him on the ground.
"I would hate for anything bad to happen to you." She whispered in his ear, as if he could hear her. "You're the only one who can satisfy my curiosity."
After that, she walked away, allowing Emilia and Betty to approach the dark-haired man and help him. In the stress of the situation, almost no one paid much attention to Shima's unusual behavior and actions.
"..."
Roswaal did, and exchanged a glance with her, but it only lasted a second, because the loli turned her back on him to go to Garfiel.
"That presence... It resembled-"
The sorcerer's thoughts were interrupted by a powerful blow that landed on his face, sending him tumbling several meters across the ground.
A succession of footsteps crunched through the snow as the attacker approached Roswaal again, as if it couldn't wait to have him in its hands.
When the magician raised his head to look at his attacker, he couldn't suppress a wry smile.
"Who would have thought... After all, it seems you're going to get your revenge."
"No... This isn't about my clan. You took away what mattered most to me in the world."
Ram sounded deceptively calm, as if she were acting in cold blood, but her eyes did not lie: the fire of anger burned in those pink irises.
"Why? Why did you do it?!" She exploded, punching him repeatedly in the face. "Why did you kill my sister?!"
Tears welled up in Ram's furious eyes, but she showed no signs of softening: on the contrary, her sadness only fueled the violence of her outburst.
"I believed in you! I swore loyalty to you and stood by your side for years! Did none of that matter to you in the slightest?!"
"..."
He had nothing to say. The truth wouldn't be pleasant for Ram, and an excuse would only anger her more, if that were even possible. In any case, Roswaal decided that no answer would be worth it.
"Of course not... All you care about is that shitty book! All you want is to bring that damn witch back to life! Everything else is irrelevant!"
"..."
Once again, Roswaal chose silence. He stared at Ram, maintaining eye contact throughout: it was the least he could do after causing her so much pain. That way, she would see that he wasn't sorry for anything and could do whatever she wanted without feeling guilty.
Suddenly, Ram stopped hitting him.
"The worst part is that I always knew. I knew, but I refused to accept it because I loved you." Her voice weakened for a moment, then regained its strength. "I was blind all this time, and it cost my sister her life."
Gradually, Ram brought her trembling hands to Roswaal's neck, wrapping them around it.
"I fulfilled my part of the deal. Now it's your turn."
Just as Ram said, she had helped Roswaal with his plans. Now that those plans were ruined, he would have to relinquish his body and leave it in Ram's hands, as stipulated in their contract.
That is why Roswaal did not resist when Ram began to strangle him: his will to persist was crushed by the certainty that fate had abandoned him.
Betty did nothing to help him. In this version of the story, she didn't know he was the original Roswaal, who had been Echidna's apprentice. No, even if she had known, she still wouldn't have intervened.
Even Emilia, kind as she was, decided that the sorcerer was reaping what he had sown. Besides, she greatly respected contracts and promises in general, so even if she wanted to stop Ram, her principles would prevent her.
"..."
In his final moments, Roswaal felt immense frustration. Four centuries of waiting for such an abrupt end, without even having been able to see his beloved master one last time... A single pair of tears escaped his expressionless eyes.
Finally, Roswaal's organs failed from lack of oxygen, and his heart stopped beating, confirming his death. Realizing this, Ram sighed and collapsed to the side: the depletion of her mana had pushed her to her limit.
"I'm sorry, Rem. I've been a terrible sister."
***
"That was a very passionate ending, don't you think?"
Seated on an edge of the ice wall, Pandora commented on the scene with a hooded figure standing beside her.
"It wasn't so bad. In the end, that traitor got what she deserved."
"The maid? Ah, I see... It bothers you that she fell in love with him."
The hooded figure grunted under his breath, feeling provoked by the witch's mocking tone.
"I was just disappointed in her." He shrugged. "Now I know she wasn't worth it. I should never have saved her back then."
"Hmm." Pandora swung her legs playfully. "And what do you think about your beloved half-elf? Can you say the same about her?"
Pandora's question struck another nerve with her companion, who clenched his fists tightly, containing the anger that those words aroused.
"Don't you dare drag her into this. She's too innocent to understand what's going on. Even if... even if she falls for that bastard, I'll forgive her. Besides, I'm sure she'll come running back to me when the time comes."
"Wow, are you suggesting you can reclaim your place? That's quite a show of confidence, considering your rival's exploits."
"Oh, come on." He chuckled ironically. "It's just a cheap knock-off, and I'm the original. There's no way I can lose to him."
Pandora smiled with delight and applauded the arrogance shown by the man.
"Those words perfectly suit the sin you represent. Yes, you are definitely worthy of this role, Archbishop of Pride. I can't wait to see how this duel between Sage candidates will end."
At that moment, a strong gust of wind blew back, blowing the Archbishop of Pride's hood back. His face was revealed, showing disheveled black hair and sharp eyes that gleamed with malice.
He quickly retrieved the hood and pulled it back over his head. Before leaving, he glanced down one last time, specifically at the unconscious dark-haired man.
"I will definitely beat you. When that happens, this world will remember my name."
***
The deaths of Rem and Roswaal were a devastating blow to Emilia's faction. As a lord in charge of a territory and the backer of Emilia's campaign, Roswaal's absence was keenly felt. Rem's passing, on the other hand, emotionally shattered some of the most important members.
Had it been old Emilia who suffered this tragedy, the candidacy project would have been doomed. But this wasn't the same half-elf who clung to others for emotional stability. Emilia held her head high and assumed the leadership that was rightfully hers, taking the initiative in the midst of the crisis.
Under her leadership, the losses were managed quite satisfactorily: the demi-humans finally left the Kremaldy Forest, and the villagers of Arlam were able to return to their homes. However, the biggest challenge was explaining the situation to everyone. Emilia knew she couldn't simply tell the truth: that Roswaal was insane and trying to resurrect a witch; that this obsession led him to kill Rem, and that Ram killed him for it.
Not only would it be difficult to believe, it could also be counterproductive, since many people still distrusted Emilia and were looking for any excuse to defame her, to destroy her socially. If that news became public, people would invent rumors and end up blaming her. Ultimately, it was decided to keep the news of Roswaal's death a secret.
However, there came a point when Emilia was forced to tell the truth, though not entirely. This was when she and her group headed to the Miload mansion in search of lodging: since Roswaal's mansion had been destroyed, they needed somewhere to stay temporarily. Thinking of a place suitable for so many people, Emilia remembered her stay at her friend Anne's house and decided to go there.
The little girl was happy to see her friend Emily, although she was quite surprised by the entourage following behind her. After showing her in and offering her tea and snacks, Annerose proceeded to ask the inevitable question: what was the purpose of the visit?
Then Emilia put on her best poker face and began to recount the events at the Sanctuary. Of course, this account was a modified version of the real events. The story Emilia told was an elaborate fabrication concocted by several members of the faction to make it sound as believable as possible.
"Was my uncle Roswaal eaten by the Great Rabbit?" Annerose was stunned.
Emilia felt her chest clench with pain at having lied to her friend like that, but she had to go along with it for the sake of the plan. As she continued speaking, she inwardly vowed to apologize to Annerose as soon as she could tell her the truth.
"That's right... We searched everywhere for him, but we didn't know where he was. After defeating the Great Rabbit, we found his clothes lying on the floor in the room that concealed the barrier's core."
"Just like that, Lord Roswaal is gone?" Butler Clind reacted with severe skepticism, adjusting his glasses as he refuted Emilia's statement. "It's not feasible: he should have been able to survive an encounter with that creature, even if he was forced to flee. Absurd."
"Unfortunately, Roswaal had no mana reserves when this happened." Emilia shook her head, dismissing Clind's argument. "It was because he wanted to conjure some powerful magic. Apparently, he tried to use the magic crystal that powered the barrier as a catalyst to cast his spell. The rabbits must have caught him when he was weak. Ram said he was probably trying to revive the witch who rests in the Sanctuary."
Annerose was even more surprised, but Clind only frowned more. He didn't believe Roswaal, the meticulous person he was, would have made such mistakes; besides, everything conveniently fell into place to make it look like a mere accident. However, the butler couldn't refute the story; even when he pressed Emilia, she didn't become flustered or defensive.
Clind saw it in her soul: she had a different feeling, stronger and more determined than before.
"She's matured a lot in a very short time... Intriguing.
Furthermore, the group of people she had brought looked at her with respect and trust, except for those who seemed to be in their own world. Among these exceptions, Clind noticed a young man with dark hair who dressed extravagantly.
As the conversation continued, the butler of the Miload house stopped paying attention to the dialogue between his mistress and the visitor, for he was seeing something incredible.
"He... has a broken soul. Unbelievable."
There was a strange magic woven like threads around the dark-haired man's soul. Clind noticed that pieces were missing, as if it were an incomplete puzzle. Something like this couldn't be natural.
"I also sense a witch factor within him... That means..."
While Clind was drawing conclusions, Leandro noticed him staring and held his gaze intensely, as if silently challenging him.
At the end of the conversation, Annerose generously offered Emilia and her group a place in the mansion. While the half-elf accepted the offer, she insisted that she and the rest of the faction would work to be of service and, in the process, begin raising money to afford a new home, or failing that, to repair the other mansion.
Finally, Clind showed the guests to their new rooms. He was quite surprised to see Frederica's younger brother there, especially with such a docile demeanor. As the butler recalled, Garfiel had been an aggressive and unstable brat who refused to leave the Sanctuary. Beside him was a woman who looked like a child, but whose elderly soul seemed very familiar to him, not to mention the fact that she was slightly out of sync with her body.
He didn't recognize the gray-haired, blue-eyed man, who seemed quite calm, almost to the point of being naive, but Clind wasn't fooled by appearances. Although it didn't seem like it, Otto was quite cautious and easily noticed the analytical gaze passing over him, but he pretended not to notice it.
Clind also noticed a maid who appeared to be Frederica's apprentice: a girl with orange hair, quite attractive by the butler's standards. Beside her stood another girl of the same age, with blue hair tied in a braid, but she wasn't as dignified. Clind noticed that she dressed similarly to the mature, dark-haired woman who stood apart from the rest of the group.
Then there was her , the Great Spirit. Clind knew who she was, and that's why he was so surprised to see her clinging to the dark-haired boy's hand.
Another thing that intrigued Clind was how Otto and Garfiel seemed to follow Leandro, walking beside him and occasionally glancing at him, as if they wanted to ask him something. During the introductions, Emilia told a bit of his story, explaining how she met him and the feats he had accomplished. When she mentioned the fight with the White Whale and the Archbishops, Clind began to understand him better.
"Lord Roswaal must have been interested in him because of his supposed predictive abilities. He also seems to be the type of person others listen to, though he keeps a low profile. Interesting."
After a while, almost all the members of the faction were in their respective rooms, beginning to settle in. Leandro and Betty were the last to be shown to their quarters, having a rather awkward walk during which they didn't exchange a single word with Clind.
"It's here." The butler said, pausing and pointing to a door. "If our esteemed guests require anything, they need only ask any of the nearby servants. I will now take my leave."
Leandro stared at the man until his figure disappeared around a corner of the hallway, then he sighed, relaxing the tension in his body.
"Fucking moron." He muttered.
"Did you say something?" Betty couldn't hear him because of the volume of his voice.
"Nothing important." He said, opening the door. "Let's go in."
Without pausing to look at anything in the room, Leandro went straight to the bed, where he plopped down heavily.
"This damn trip has left me exhausted." He said, his face pressed against the pillow. "I need to get some sleep..."
"Do you mind if I join you?" A sweet and charming voice asked.
Leandro sat up abruptly, recognizing the owner of the voice even before seeing her.
"Pandora!"