CHAPTER 136………………………………
Arjen opened her eyes to the harsh desert sandstorm. She was glad she had brought a hood in advance.
Before the motion sickness from teleportation could even subside, a young man who had been waiting caught up and spoke.
“Miss Arjen Marcedes, right? Please follow me. Ian is waiting.”
Only then did Arjen narrow her eyes and look around.
A delayed exclamation slipped out.
“Wow, this is amazing.”
She had heard that an old abandoned house had been converted, but the barracks stretched endlessly.
Dozens of well-trained mages were walking along neat streets, chatting with each other.
“And you are…?”
“I’m in charge of supplies. I’m Sheir.”
His tone was stiff and formal, but she let it be. She knew the situation required caution toward outsiders.
This was the “real” resistance force, led by Meria. They had enough manpower to march on the imperial stronghold if commanded.
Sheir, still formal, led her to the tallest building nearby.
He opened the door to a room with a long table in the center, like a conference room, and said stiffly,
“Please sit and wait. He will be here soon.”
Without giving her a chance to ask anything further, he left the room abruptly.
“So cold,” she thought.
Anyway, she was about to meet Ian soon. The strange tension made her mouth dry, especially since she was now aware of her own feelings.
Her throat was already scratchy from the sandstorm. Luckily, a water bottle and a glass were on the wide table.
Just as she began pouring water into the glass, the door slammed open, and a tall woman’s voice followed.
“So…! No other explanation?”
As soon as Arjen heard it, she realized it was about her and instinctively hid behind the table.
“When the time comes, you’ll understand, Mirina.”
She immediately recognized Ian’s voice.
Arjen instantly regretted hiding.
“Why did I hide? What could I possibly lose?”
As she tried to stand, the woman’s next words stopped her.
“Is he… really that important to you?”
Her voice trembled slightly, emotions transparently showing through.
Arjen held her breath, waiting for a reply. At the same time, she was curious how Ian would answer.
“He is…”
A laugh echoed from Ian’s throat.
After a moment, he spoke slowly:
“He is my soul.”
Mirina didn’t respond. She seemed unable to find words.
A long silence settled. The heavy emotion made it hard to breathe.
Then, a shadow fell over her head.
Arjen looked up at the man.
“Did you hide just to hear this?”
Ian smiled gently.
A smile slipped from Arjen’s lips before she could even think about feeling tricked.
She reached out her hand. He lifted her up and whispered softly:
“I’ve missed you.”
The scene ended the moment Ian spotted Arjen.
“Sorry. I didn’t realize you were listening.”
Mirina apologized with a gloomy expression.
“You didn’t realize I was listening?”
Ian laughed and urged her to apologize again, and Mirina awkwardly bowed once more.
Arjen accepted the brief apology. She didn’t want to make things more complicated.
“I’ll come see you later. Go ahead.”
At Ian’s words, Mirina left without a word.
The huge conference room was now left with only Arjen and Ian.
“Sorry. Everyone’s a little on edge right now.”
“Understandable. I heard it was a resistance force, but I didn’t expect it to be this big. Meria is hiding here?”
Ian smiled, pointing to the chair across from him, then perched on the window sill.
“She’s fine. I’ll introduce you later.”
Arjen recalled the original story. There, Ian collaborated with Meria to assassinate the crown prince and the emperor, then took the throne himself.
“So… this time, like in the first run, the emperor and crown prince will…?”
At her cautious question, Ian didn’t flinch and replied matter-of-factly:
“Yes. The emperor will be dealt with soon. This time, the imperial court discovered things faster than in the previous run, so we had to move quicker than originally planned.”
He spoke as calmly as if discussing tonight’s dinner.
Arjen widened her eyes.
“…How?”
When she asked in a flustered voice, Ian fiddled with his hair and began explaining.
“You heard from Priston that the Tower Lord is regaining his prophetic powers through Yuna, right?”
Arjen nodded.
Ian continued calmly:
“In the future he saw, a soldier killed the emperor. The enraged emperor tried to detain the soldier… but the soldier escaped at the right moment.”
“What?”
Arjen covered her mouth in shock. It didn’t feel real.
“From long experience, the Tower Lord’s visions can both help and harm the royal family. This case is one of the latter.”
“What do you mean?”
“The sequence is ambiguous. In this run, it’s unclear whether the soldier betrays first or if the emperor’s trust in the soldier breaks first.”
If the Tower Lord hadn’t shared his vision with the emperor, and the emperor hadn’t tried to capture the soldier immediately, maybe the soldier wouldn’t have betrayed him.
Ian had pinpointed this.
“This was actually part of my plan. Arjen shook the soldier’s resolve and led her to the western desert… I thought if I stimulated the Tower a little, we could get the snowball rolling.”
“…”
“So I deliberately assisted the Tower to advance the research quickly. Fortunately, the results were good. Angelina’s prestige, which I planted, rose as well. The Tower is in chaos, and now we just wait for it to self-destruct.”
Arjen marveled at the repeating patterns of life.
“When will we go to the western desert?”
“After joining the soldier. Teleportation won’t work, so it will take some time.”
Ian frowned slightly.
“I actually searched the western desert with her in a previous run. No matter what we did, we couldn’t find that temple.”
“…”
“But now that you’re here, it should be different.”
He gazed out the window, speaking calmly.
She recalled what Yuna had told her:
“There won’t be another run in this world.”
She felt that something would finally be revealed at the end of this western desert journey.
Arjen opened her mouth to tell Ian this, but at that moment, the door burst open.
“Arjen, you came all the way here yourself!”
Meria’s voice was lively, just as before.
But when her figure appeared in the doorway, Arjen could hardly believe her eyes.
Her long hair was cut short, and she wore a shirt and pants. A completely boyish appearance.
Meria immediately stretched out both hands to cup Arjen’s cheeks.
“My lifesaver, I’ve missed you so much.”
Arjen stared at her in bewilderment.
Meria noticed the awkward air and withdrew her hands.
“Ah, sorry.”
“Not wearing a dress anymore?”
“Meria Watson is already dead. No need for formalities here.”
True. Meria looked down at her and smiled confidently.
“I asked Sheir to assign you a room. It’s a short time, but be comfortable.”
“Thank you for your kindness.”
“Please, you don’t have to be so formal.”
“You’ll feel uncomfortable, Arjen. Take it easy.”
Ian’s smiling warning made Meria step back.
“Ah, right. Okay.”
“…”
“Really, take care while you’re here. You said you have business in the western desert? With the soldier?”
Meria’s crooked eyes tightened slightly.
‘I guess Ian told her everything.’
The soldier had killed Meria’s brother and nearly herself. Yet, he had to be used for now.
Arjen briefly apologized.
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine. Sometimes you have to give up for the greater good.”
She smiled as if nothing had happened.
Yet the hatred Meria had shown in front of the crown prince couldn’t be so easily contained by a single sentence.
‘Is Meria really okay?’
As Meria walked to the bookshelf, Arjen glanced at Ian.
He knew far more about Meria than she did.
Ian noticed her gaze, smiled kindly, and leaned slightly toward her.
“Everything will be fine, right?” she whispered into his ear.
Ian looked away for a moment, then finally replied,
“Meria knows where the line is. Don’t worry too much.”
