Chapter 143 ….
“…….”
“Anyway, the conclusion we reached was this: based on the assumption that you happened to meet the right conditions and returned first. Your soul’s connection to your body was unusually weak, remember? The paralysis symptoms were especially severe—that was the proof. At the time we didn’t know it was because you weren’t in your own descendant’s body, but we figured that out only after you came back….”
She pressed her fingers firmly against her eyes as she explained.
“With that assumption, we formed a hypothesis and ran experiments. First, Pascal reverse-engineered the possession magic that had anchored our souls inside our descendants’ bodies—even modifying their bodies for us—and deliberately damaged it. We weakened the soul-body connection as much as possible. Then, just like you did, we detonated the star and jumped into the explosion.”
“You—did something that insane? If it failed, you’d just die like dogs!”
“No, not die like dogs—an extremely safe experiment, actually. If we just exploded and died, Gide would turn back time and stop it. None of us said it out loud, but we all knew.”
Rita felt dizzy and pressed her forehead. Olivia summarized in a dry tone:
“And tada—every Beacon miraculously returned.”
She spread her arms dramatically and tilted her head.
“That’s the truth behind our ‘inevitable return.’ And after that… you know what happened.”
“……”
“We don’t know why each of us took different times to return. Judging from how the ones with more severe paralysis took longer, it seems the closeness between soul and host body played a role….”
Olivia crossed her arms and tapped her lips.
“And the four-year gap between when we returned and when you did? Probably also because of differences between the bodies we possessed… but there’s no way to verify it. Just a hypothesis.”
“……”
“I’m sorry we didn’t tell you right away. You were confused and disoriented after just returning—we didn’t think dumping this on you immediately was a good idea.”
“…It’s fine. I understand. It’s something anyone would hesitate to talk about.”
Rita bowed her head.
Her stomach churned. She’d braced herself, but the flood of shocking truths left her unsure how to absorb any of it.
It didn’t feel real.
Really?
All of this happened, and Gide had smiled in front of her as if nothing had happened—as if he were the same as always?
Covering her face, she muttered:
“Gide… does he still have that ability?”
“No. Our suspicious, secretive beloved squad leader answered that much.”
Olivia clicked her tongue.
“It was at our first meeting after everyone returned. Gide said he can’t perform ‘tricks’ like he did in the Ash Era anymore, so we should take care of things ourselves.”
“Tricks…”
“When we asked him to explain clearly what those tricks were, he just laughed and said we could guess most of it already.”
Olivia’s voice dropped into a growl.
“Honestly, that bastard isn’t sane. He went crazy a long time ago—he just pretends to be normal.”
“……”
“And the reason he went crazy is obviously you.”
Rita stopped breathing.
Gide… wasn’t sane? Went mad?
Yet just this morning, he had sat beside her, shoulder to shoulder, taking out a music box… clutching a box of cream puffs with embarrassing awkwardness.
He looked completely fine.
Exactly like the man she knew.
So then…
What are you hiding, Gide?
She kept seeing the image of him coughing up blood inside the greenhouse. The person she knew better than anyone—the one who felt so warm just hours ago—suddenly felt unbearably distant.
Because of me?
All those impossible things had happened. And he never showed it. Never said anything.
Rita stared blankly at the floor, hand on her forehead.
…He didn’t intend to hide everything forever, right? He told me to hear the details from Oli. So he did plan to tell me someday.
Just like Olivia only explained it today—some things were simply too hard to say until the right moment came.
It had only been three months since she returned.
Barely over a month since she reunited with the Beacons.
She was still adjusting—maybe they thought it was too early for such a conversation.
If I ask him—if I ask Gide what happened… he’ll answer, right? There were never secrets between us.
The fact that he kept the truth from their teammates was shocking—but she could force herself to accept it.
As squad leader and vice leader, she and Gide often handled matters privately without telling the others.
But if he wouldn’t even be honest with her…
No. He wouldn’t do that. I’ll ask. I’ll ask, before assuming anything.
She stopped her spiraling thoughts.
Not until she talked to Gide—not until she heard him—nothing should be judged. No suspicion. No assumptions. Nothing.
Then… what I need to think about now is…
After a long silence, she whispered:
“Oli. The source of those tricks—the power Gide used. He must have gotten it from Pascal. It’s related to the star, right?”
“Obviously. Just remembering how we returned—because we jumped into that explosion—makes it clear. That damn ball of light has some authority over time. A power that can rewrite even the past.”
“And that same star was the source of magical contamination. So even now—somewhere in this era—”
“It definitely exists.”
“Probably in Pascal’s possession?”
“Most likely.”
Olivia answered with a crooked smile.
“Though it seems he can’t use his tricks yet. Our dear squad leader told us another thing. Until magical contamination spreads in this era, he can’t use it.”
“Magical contamination.”
“Right.”
Olivia nodded.
“Apparently magical contamination is tied to time manipulation. So until the disaster begins, we don’t have to consider his tricks. That’s lucky—but the flip side is once contamination appears, it means he’s started using them.”
She sighed again, leaning her chin on her hand.
“But we don’t know his goal. We don’t even know who he is. Gide said he saw his face when he killed him, but besides that—no name, no identity. And honestly, even that face might be fake. A man who remodeled children’s bodies wouldn’t hesitate to remodel his own.”
“…We need to catch his trail somehow.”
“Yeah, that’s the problem. We only confirmed he really returned to this era because Ethan witnessed him. And judging from that bastard’s reaction, getting near him will be hell.”
She swore under her breath.
“So for now, Hannah’s ‘Gift’ plan still has the best chance of success.”
“But Oli—last night, he saw Hannah become a Contract Holder. He heard the terms.”
“Yeah, that’s a problem… but maybe not a fatal one. We’ll discuss it in the salon and let you know.”
Olivia checked the time, stretched like a jellyfish, and stood.
“So you—need to rest. Your leg rehab isn’t finished, you wrecked yourself all night, and your family got hurt. And the mimic…”
Olivia abruptly stopped and looked closely at Rita’s face.
Rita smiled.
“I’m fine.”
“……”
“I killed it myself this time too. I’m okay. Really.”
“…I’ll modify Grace as fast as I can.”
“Don’t overwork yourself. If you collapse after telling me to rest, I won’t forgive you.”
“I’m not a scatterbrained idiot like you, so relax and take care of your own body.”
“Oh please, I’ve seen you skip meals because you’re too focused on work. Don’t act righteous. You need to eat properly.”
“That won’t be a problem. Unlike the Ash Era, there’s no escaping meals here. My maids think I’ll die if I miss even one.”
“They’re good people.”
Rita smiled faintly.
“Oh—and take Hannah to Beacon Garden today. We need to discuss the plan, and it’s time to introduce her to the Tritoma Special Knights. She should be allowed to know everything now.”
“Because she chose you as her master? Well, that’s one good piece of news. I’ll bring her.”
Soon after, Hannah came running at Rita’s call, startled and nervous, but followed Olivia with excited determination.
Left alone in the reception room, Rita sat motionless for a long time. Then she slowly stood, careful not to strain her legs, and returned to her room.
Beside the ivory music box the duchess had gifted her, sat a wooden music box and a ribboned container. She untied the ribbon and opened it.
Inside, kept cool by the magic circle at the bottom, were the cream puffs—half remaining from what she and Gide had shared at dawn.
“The shape’s pretty bad, but they taste decent, right?”
He had said that with a small, embarrassed grin.
His bright face, his light, easy voice.
“He went crazy long ago—he just pretends to be normal.”
Rita picked up a cream puff and put it in her mouth.
The soft sweetness eased the bitterness on her tongue.
As expected… she thought she might be falling for it.
