By Zephyria 
“Noah!”
“……?”
What on earth just happened? For a moment, everything went dark. Then, my vision blurred…, and I saw a hallucination of the System’s pop-up windows, which had been closed for a long time, floating up, and then I suddenly woke up with Adrian’s voice calling me.
I opened my eyes wide and looked around. The Grachio’s secret room looked as good as new, before it was blown up. Jonas Grachio was even grabbing my collar. Adrian, who seemed to have just arrived, was approaching me with a stiff expression.
“How dare you lay your impudent hands on him.”
“Y-Your Royal Highness Crown Prince…!”
…I’ve heard this before. Did time go back? The last scene I remember is Allen’s silent face looking down at me without a word when I asked if he could save Nicole. No way. No, really?
My heart was pounding strangely. It wasn’t because of anxiety. If Allen really turned back time… If the System’s pop-up window, which was dimly visible in my vision, was real… It only meant that even the Ancient God’s Relic, which I thought was my last resort, couldn’t protect me from Allen’s tyranny, but I didn’t want to think about that right now.
If I raise my head and look at that wall.
“……Ah.”
She’s alive. Still, Nicole was still alive. I could see Nicole’s body, which had lost consciousness, breathing slowly. That was enough. Even if I were to be eaten alive, body and soul, by Allen, who was disguised as the System, and lose forever, it was fine. As long as Nicole was alive and well right now…, really, really.
My eyes became strangely hot and my vision blurred. Tears streamed down without me being able to hold them back. Adrian thought I was crying because I was relieved to see him, and whispered desperately that it was okay, don’t worry, but I couldn’t hear him.
Adrian quickly came closer as before and roughly pulled Jonas Grachio away from me. Taking advantage of the gap when he pushed Jonas Grachio away, I moved almost crawling. The Potions that Adrian had poured on me were gone, and my body was aching all over, but even that pain was welcome.
“Hic, Nicole, Nicoole, sob sob sob…”
Once the faucet was turned on, it didn’t know how to turn off. Hot tears dripped endlessly onto Nicole’s pale face, who had lost consciousness. It almost looked like Nicole was crying because of my tears.
“It’s my fault, don’t die, hic, I’m sorry, Nicole, sob, don’t die, I don’t want you to die, no…”
I should have done this before. I shouldn’t have been relieved by using the remaining Potions on Nicole while being mindful of Adrian. I should have protected her first, as important as she was, but I didn’t. That’s why Nicole died.
“Noah…”
Adrian, who had handed Grachio over to his subordinates, slowly approached me and tried to lift me up, who was almost lying on top of Nicole’s body. I desperately shook my head and resisted, saying no. I, who rarely threw a tantrum and resisted in front of him, was crying and wailing like a child, so Adrian seemed to give up in the end. He poured Potions over me and Nicole, who were stuck together like one body.
“Judging from the external wounds alone, anyone would think that you are in a more critical condition…, it seems that the servant took a great risk for you?”
I didn’t answer. Right now, I didn’t have the energy to react to anyone’s words other than Nicole’s, whether it was Adrian or anyone else. I felt like I could only feel relieved if Nicole opened her eyes again and said Master, just one word. I needed proof that this wasn’t a dream, confirmation that Nicole really didn’t die, so much.
“Ugh…”
It was only when Adrian’s Potions were almost empty that a faint groan leaked from Nicole’s mouth. Nicole’s brow furrowed, her eyelashes fluttered, and the moment they opened again. I watched without breathing, with a reverent and desperate heart.
“M-Master…?”
Finally. My little one had returned to my side. Without getting tired, my tear glands burst once again.
“Ah, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is here…, I’m glad. Master, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere…”
Ah, I’m going crazy. She doesn’t even know what she went through because of me, and she’s blinking innocently… The first thing she asks as soon as she comes to her senses… really…
“Are you really stupid? You should check your own body first! Why, why me first, sob, what am I…, why did you because of me…”
I’m so sorry. There was no other way to express it. Even that expression didn’t reflect even a thousandth or ten thousandth of my feelings.
“Oh my, why are you crying so much? Did the world collapse or something? But since your voice is energetic, it seems that our Master is fine. I’m relieved with just that.”
Even if the world didn’t collapse for Nicole, my world collapsed once. It wasn’t enough that it collapsed, it felt like it was shattering into pieces. Thanks to this experience, I knew so terribly well what it felt like to have my heart break.
“If you cry too much, your head will hurt, don’t cry, okay? Look, I’m fine.”
“Nicole…”
I wriggled into Nicole’s arms, who was even smaller than me. Even while listening to Nicole’s heartbeat, which was beating bravely, the sobs didn’t stop. Nicole smiled helplessly and patted my back repeatedly.
“Well. Even if Master continues to be so affectionate with his servant, shouldn’t His Royal Highness the Crown Prince tell us what to do with this damn bastard?”
It was around that time that Lennox’s words, which were the same as before but only with a sly tone, were heard. I didn’t even think of raising my head to greet Lennox, and just clutched Nicole’s clothes even more desperately. I won’t fall off no matter what. Then, Nicole will be safe until the end.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, won’t you even show me your face?”
“Hey, Sorcerer.”
“Oh my… How can I even dare to see you when I’m afraid of the Imperial Family.”
“Refrain from unnecessary words. Take him away for now. There are many things to find out.”
“Yes, yes, I’ll follow your orders.”
While Adrian and Lennox were having a trivial conversation, Jonas Grachio’s voice, You bastards!, suddenly interrupted like an uninvited guest.
“Do you think I’ll be caught so easily! Haha, even if I go, I’ll take one more person with me!”
In the end, it was the same flow as before. With a loud bang, the floor and ceiling of the secret room all flew away, and hot flames spread out in front of me like hell.
But I wasn’t afraid at all.
“Huh? Why are you shaking so much, Master. It’s okay. Just think you had a bad dream. Now, let’s go back to the mansion together… Take a warm bath and get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow morning, I’ll beg Mom to make onion soup. You like it, right?”
It was because Nicole, who had entered under Lennox’s strong barrier that had spread out to my side, patted my trembling back like an adult and whispered peacefully.
“Yeah, let’s do that. Let’s sleep in until the sun is high in the sky, and then have a late breakfast with Nanny.”
And that will surely be… the warmest and most peaceful breakfast in the world.
Tears continued to flow. They were tears of happiness.
* * *
‘Yeah, let’s do that. Let’s sleep in until the sun is high in the sky, and then have a late breakfast with Nanny.’
In the dark curtain, only the white face wet with tears was shining brightly. The joy and hope on that face were what the god had given back. The god admired that face with satisfaction for the first time in a while.
It was a function that he had hardly used recently because it was much more vivid to see his lover by immediately sharing the Avatar’s vision than peeking through the dimensions in this way, but he couldn’t help it. The Avatar, which bore the risk of instability, would have to focus on recovery for the time being.
The god’s main body, which had been maintaining the human form somehow even under the base of the unconscious, was also quite damaged. He also used a considerable amount of Karma and energy, which had been close to infinite.
“But it won’t work, Noah.”
I can’t set you free with death. The god smiled contentedly and muttered quietly. It was the utmost, only, love. Only from his point of view.