The Man’s 101st Bad Ending

Translator: FusionX

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I always thought that spending a day in the Moon Tower was extremely boring.

Even if I couldn’t see ahead, there were many things I could do.

For example, if I could go out often, it would have been a little better.

A life of not being able to go out freely and spending time only in prayer.

Unless she had grown up as a saint since birth,

Adriana, who had become a saint at a young age, was gradually feeling bored with these things.

No matter how much she got used to it, it would be a lie to say she didn’t feel bored with this repetitive life.

A faint sigh escaped from Adriana’s mouth as she prayed with her hands clasped.

What was the reason she couldn’t focus on prayer recently?

She already knew, but whenever she thought of that name, it seemed like her mind became more complicated.

For one person to live dozens of lives, was such a thing possible in common sense?

Robert Taylor, a name that she could now utter somewhat naturally, Adriana’s brows furrowed.

What she had seen was only a fragment.

But even those fragments exceeded 10 times, so she couldn’t even guess how many lives he had lived.

Reading memories was always like looking at a monochrome world.

Reading the story of the one with Robert’s voice, reading the momentary black and white memories.

But the end of these connected memories was always heading towards death.

Probably at the hands of his sister Yuria, if her memory was correct.

There were cases where Miragen or the Grand Duchess who protected the North appeared in Robert’s memories.

But the fact that she wasn’t there… maybe she had only read the memories where she didn’t exist.

More than that, what bothered her was the point that one person had memories of multiple lives.

…There was no relic she knew of that could enable regression.

And without contact with the church, the power of relics couldn’t be used.

Since there was no way to explain a person experiencing the same time period multiple times as something other than regression,

Adriana thought Robert’s regression was somewhat certain.

’12 times.’

Robert’s appearance as he died, which she had seen.

In those memories, Robert died in various ways.

He died with his neck hanging from the gallows, and he died from poison given by a woman who appeared to be Yuria Taylor.

What she keenly observed during that process was Robert’s attitude.

Like someone who had died many times, his calm appearance in the face of death was rather grotesque.

No one is unafraid of death.

No matter how heroic a person is, it is human nature to try to survive miserably in the face of death.

How could he be so composed?

But there was one time when Robert wavered in the face of death.

– You’ve finally come to kill me. For a very long time… I’ve been waiting.

– Waiting for someone you’re seeing for the first time since you were born, do you think saying that will make me spare your life?

– Was this life peaceful for you?

The memory Adriana saw was very fragmentary.

Miragen, holding a sword against Robert, whose body was covered in wounds and scars.

The scene of countless knights’ corpses scattered about, and only Miragen surviving and looking at Robert kneeling.

That expression was expressionless.

With anger mixed with wonder at losing all her knights and at him saying he had been watching her for a long time.

Even Adriana herself was seeing that face for the first time, but the expression of the man who looked like Robert was even stranger.

He was just smiling softly at Miragen as if he truly wished for death.

There were several large wounds where bones could be seen, seeing him gasping for breath as if he would die at any moment, she felt strangely suffocated.

– What on earth are you talking about? Isn’t this the first time you’ve seen me?

– … I’m glad you’re unharmed. That you’re still alive, that you’re healthy until this time. I really think I’m fortunate.

The incomprehensible words continued.

A memory that only belonged to Robert, which Miragen and herself couldn’t understand.

Adriana realized that it was one of the memories she hadn’t seen.

Then were Robert and Miragen in a special relationship?

But if Robert didn’t tell her, she couldn’t know anything.

Now she was just making assumptions,

and even that had many flaws to say it was accurate.

Miragen, who had been listening to Robert’s words silently, raised her sword and swung it like that.

It was an expression that said it wasn’t even worth listening to anymore.

But Robert was still smiling.

Until the moment the sword slashed his neck and he arrived at death’s door, he was just smiling, saying everything was fortunate.

“… What kind of memories does he have?”

How could he smile like that until the moment of death?

And what kind of relationship did he have with Miragen to harbor such complicated emotions?

It was something she couldn’t easily understand with her current self.

If they went to the south together this time, she thought she would be able to grasp that clue.

The relics hidden in the south, if they were relics she had studied before, they would be able to explain Robert’s regression.

So her mind was complicated.

It was because she was bothered by the inexplicable memories Robert Taylor possessed and his empty heart.

Come to think of it, he had said he was still in the North.

Around the time Adriana, who recalled the communication she had with Miragen a few days ago, slowly rose from her seat.

“Your Holiness, there is a message from the imperial palace.”

Hearing the paladin’s voice from behind, she pondered for a moment and realized it was Miragen.

It was a bit early to contact her, did something urgent happen?

As she followed the paladin to the room like that, a humming vibration sound was heard from the crystal ball.

“Miragen? Did something urgent happen?”

– … Ah, you received it.

It was a darker voice than usual.

Even without seeing her face, it seemed like her gloomy expression was visible even outside the crystal ball.

She wondered what on earth had happened to make her like this, but at Miragen’s next words, Adriana’s shoulders trembled.

– It seems Lord Taylor has something he wants to say to you, he contacted me. I wondered what it was. Does he not know I’m not a crystal ball?

“To, to me?”

– Yes, anyway, I’ll connect you, so receive it right away. I won’t take Lord Taylor’s calls anymore. Don’t forget to tell him that.

“… Oh, okay.”

He had something he wanted to say to her.

For a moment, the fact about regression came to mind, but there was no way he would talk to her about such a thing.

If he had, he would have already told Miragen.

But Miragen also seemed unaware of such a thing,

so Adriana, who realized it was about a different matter, slowly composed her voice.

…She had just been thinking about Robert,

what a coincidence that a call came.

Shaking her body with a strangely nervous feeling, she then calmly exhaled.

Once, twice.

It was at that moment that a voice was heard to Adriana, who was regaining her appearance as a saint.

– Adriana, it’s been a while.

“Eek!”

His voice that was heard at an unexpected moment was enough to make even Adriana’s closed eyes open.

This situation where she screamed in surprise… hadn’t she already experienced it once?

Robert, who chuckled softly, quietly opened his mouth.

– It’s been a while since you’ve been so surprised.

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I had no intention of teasing her, but Adriana seemed to think I would tease her about being surprised.

She said she wasn’t surprised at all, and that she had just bitten her tongue because his voice came so suddenly.

Come to think of it, wouldn’t that be considered being surprised?

I think Adriana showing such a side is even better, but she must be conscious of the name of a saint in her own way.

Around the time the memory of her earlier scream faded, Adriana let out a fake cough and cautiously opened her mouth.

– By the way, what did you want to contact me for? I heard you were still in the North.

“Actually, I’m already in the central region. To be precise, should I say the capital?”

– If it’s the capital… quite some time has passed since you left the North.

“It’s because I have something to ask you. It would be more accurate to say it’s permission.”

Adriana, who was puzzled by the word “permission,” soon continued as if she guessed what I was trying to say.

It wouldn’t be too difficult to guess, since if I came to the capital at this time, it would probably be one thing.

– If you’re thinking of meeting Miragen, you don’t need my permission. You can meet her at the imperial palace, not the Moon Tower.

“Why would I go to the imperial palace? And if it’s Her Highness, I’ve already seen her too much in the North.”

– … Ah. Come to think of it, that’s right.

Why can’t she think of the reason I want to meet her?

It seemed her thoughts were heading in a slightly different direction, so I thought it would be better to say it a bit more directly.

I had to be with Adriana anyway unless I was going back to the ducal residence.

“I’m coming to see you now.”

– What…?

“The reason I returned quickly from the North and the reason I came all the way to the capital was to see you in person. Isn’t it the New Year now? Since we have to go to the south together, shouldn’t we meet once before that?”

Adriana didn’t answer my question right away, as if pondering for a moment.

After a moment of silence like that, a slightly flustered voice was heard in my ear.

Did she get surprised by something?

A chuckle escaped at her slightly raised voice.

– Oh, oh! That’s right. I was going to talk to you about the south anyway, are you thinking of coming in person?

“That’s why I was trying to get permission. There’s a lot to do in the south, isn’t there?”

Retrieving the relics, and going to the Temple of the Moon.

On top of that, I had to finish investigating Theresa and the Four Dragons.

Would it be possible in a month?

The reason I started preparing as much as possible in advance was to shorten this preparation period even a little.

– There’s no need to receive permission. If you want, we can meet now, will you come to the Moon Tower right away?

“I will. Then let’s save the rest of the conversation for later.”

– But um… there was something I was going to say.

Adriana, who hesitated for a moment, pondered for a long time and then spoke softly.

It was a very small voice, barely captured by the artifact.

– Robe- Robe… Robert.

What was contained in her kind voice was my name.

The words she had said before that it was difficult to call my name flashed through my mind.

It seemed she still had difficulty calling my name, but the sight of her struggling to say it seemed to be portrayed before my eyes.

If her white cheeks turned red and she said that in front of me, what expression would I make?

– I can call you by your name now too. You also call me Adriana.

“We already decided to do that, didn’t we?”

– I think the meaning is a bit different now. In a way, we could even say we’re close friends, couldn’t we?

Close friends.

When I laughed softly at those words, Adriana continued.

– Then shall we see each other in a bit?

She seemed a bit embarrassed.

As if it was really difficult for her to say my name, a small sigh was clearly heard in my ear.

I didn’t know what it meant for her to call my name, but I thought it would gradually get better.

I never thought I would become close enough with the Saint to call each other by name, but if I ended this life in failure again, it seemed there would be many things to regret in many ways.

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