Cursed Villainess' Obsession-Chapter 73

In other words, it involved cutting out the existing timeline and attaching a newly written history.

But if that were the case, then Raphaen's emotions and memories should have been completely erased.

Yet, if fragments of the past history remained within her, perhaps changing the past isn’t about cutting and pasting but about layering.

Instead of erasing the original history, we simply overlay a new history on top of it.

If that were true, then beneath the new history, the original existing history would still be intact.

Thus, the emotions from before the change remained in Raphaen.

The next challenge is how to draw out the buried memories from before the change.

‘But why do I still have memories…?’

While contemplating Raphaen’s memories, a sudden question struck me.

Even my physical condition was the same as when I lost weight at the Tower of Tarros.

I had decided to challenge the Tower of Tarros due to Raphaen’s prophecy… yet…

‘My status window is still unchanged.’

Even the skill levels and items I possessed were the same as I remembered.

“Is there really no one else to ask about this?”

I decided to confirm with the only one who might know related history well.

I gazed out the window.

The place I was currently in was my room in the boys' dormitory.

The sun had already set, and the moon hung high in the sky.

‘It shouldn’t be too noisy, right?’

With a hint of worry, I reached out my hand.

“Quick Creation….”

Soon, magic began to gather at my fingertips, conjuring numerous categories and weapon-making methods in my mind.

“Tirpioone.”

Kiiing!

As the light of magic burst forth, an antique longsword I was familiar with appeared in my hand.

[…Umm… Oh? Where is this? Ahhhh—! Master!]

Upon realizing I had summoned it, Tirpioone immediately extracted its spirit from the sword.

Pah!

“Waaah…!! You called me again…!! I’m so happy?!”

“Shh! Keep it down! We’re in the dormitory, and the noise will be heard next door!”

As I hastily covered its mouth, Tirpioone, who had been about to cling to me with tears, opened its eyes wide in surprise.

Upon hearing my words, it gently nodded.

Seeing that, I cautiously removed my hand.

But as soon as I did…

“Master!!”

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It clung to me, wrapping its arms around my neck.

“Uhee, uheehee. Haa, uhee, haa.”

“Okay, I’m happy to see you too, but can you let go of me?”

“Ugh, you’re so mean, Master! I’ve been waiting in that labyrinth for you to call me!”

Tirpioone’s voice, muffled near my shoulder, caused my heart to ache.

After all, I was the one who had tossed it into that labyrinth.

‘Should I just let it stay like this for a bit?’

I had received plenty of help from it. This level of cuteness was something I could indulge in.

After a moment, satisfied with the affection, Tirpioone soon gathered itself and sat facing me.

“Are we talking about our first meeting?”

“Yeah, do you remember when we first met?”

“Of course! How could I forget that moment~? Hehe.”

“So you did meet me? At the bottom of Tarros.”

“Of course! You came to find me sitting inside the house and spoke to me!”

“Then, what about the moment we parted?”

“Well, ugh! You cruelly threw me away…! But still, that toughness of yours was quite charming.”

Tirpioone shyly pinched its cheeks, blushing as it spoke.

Hearing this, I realized that the history of our meeting matched perfectly with my own memories.

“Then… what about defeating the Ancient Dragon Tarros?”

“That was when you summoned me and struck it down with a single blow!”

“What about the people who were there with us?”

“Are you talking about those who were with us?”

This was a crucial point.

With the history changed now, Raphaen, Emily, and even Mary had no recollection of our conquest of the Tower together.

Tirpioone, looking blankly at me for a moment, then exclaimed, “Ah!”

“I clearly remember the black-haired swordsman helping you, right? Just as the Ancient Dragon was about to breathe, he flew in to protect you!”

“…I see.”

I identified the discrepancies in the memory.

In this new history, it appeared I had only conquered the tower with Siegfreit.

‘…Well, if there were no helpers, it would have been impossible to open the shortcut.’

That meant in this world, Siegfreit single-handedly faced that monster rush, right?

Even if the numbers had decreased, that was still an incredible feat.

“Thanks, Tirpioone. You’ve been a great help.”

“Ehehe, I can do anything if it’s for you, Master!”

Then, Tirpioone subtly revealed her shoulder.

Suddenly, a sizeable cleavage appeared…

“If you want, I could give you my first right now…”

“Good work. Now rest well.”

“A-ack?! W-wait, Master?!”

Ignoring Tirpioone’s exclamation, I stored her away in my spatial pocket.

Soon, her once-rambunctious voice faded into silence.

As a spirit, if she disliked being in the pocket, she could simply return to the labyrinth.

“That aside… I only have Siegfreit, huh…”

Huh?

Wait a minute… But isn’t there someone missing?

“…Where’s Adrian?”

As I thought about it, I realized I hadn’t seen Adrian all day.

The next day, I headed to the academy earlier than anyone else.

The reason? Because of that darn prince.

‘Why haven’t I seen him…?’

With his striking blond hair and handsome face, he should naturally attract attention, especially being the center of our class.

If he had entered the classroom, it would be inevitable that I’d notice him.

By contrast, students I encountered on my way to the academy whispered when they saw me.

Now on my second day, I was somewhat adjusted to this but still found those stares overwhelming.

It was only natural for someone who would take the spotlight to be bothered by the presence of Adrian.

So, with my mind set on searching for him, I arrived early and took my seat, waiting for the other students to arrive.

“Ah, hi, …Ken.”

“Hmm? Oh, hi.”

More students began to enter the classroom as I waited, exchanging greetings with those who surrounded me.

“Wow, you came in early! Good morning.”

“Did you really lose weight? What did you do during your break?”

“Look at those arm muscles! What kind of exercise do you do?”

“You should’ve lost weight sooner; you were cute before, but you look amazing now!”

“Um, uh, yeah, but…”

People gradually clustered around me, and I felt overwhelmed.

‘…This is too different from before.’

The girls who were surrounding me had never spoken a word to me before I lost weight.

But today, they were particularly forward.

As more students gathered, the newcomers were even bolder in engaging with me.

This only made it more difficult to see if Adrian was coming.

Then, suddenly.

“Hey! What are you all doing?”

“Ah, Enzo! Hello.”

Someone squeezed their way through the crowd of girls.

It was a boy with orange hair, known for his earrings.

‘…Wait a minute.’

“Wow, Ken. You’ve really changed completely.”

He moved through the girls and smiled brightly at me, waving his hand.

This was the first time I was seeing him since my reincarnation.

But I recognized him.

‘This is the guy who had issues with Adrian and got expelled from the academy.’

Enzo Rottirix.

In the first semester of the first year.

When I had introduced Adrian’s character for the first time in Epiris Academy, Enzo had been used as a side character to demonstrate who Adrian was.

‘...He was a guy who was overly interested in girls and loved the spotlight.’

Now, surrounded by girls, he was the center of attention.

He pushed through the girls, and as he entered, he flashed a friendly smile.

“Hey, Ken. You really don’t look like the same person.”

“Eh? Yeah.”

As I looked at him, one thought struck me.

‘If he’s here, then….’

A familiar voice came from behind me.

Creak.

“Hey~.”

“Ah, hi, Emily. You’re early?”

Emily entered the classroom with a sleepy expression as I turned around.

I noticed her and promptly stood up, seeking to excuse myself from the crowd.

“Sorry, just a moment! I need to talk to someone. Haha.”

With that, I dashed past the surrounding students, including Enzo, and approached Emily.

“Emily!”

“Eh? …Huh?!”

I grabbed her arm and quickly exited the classroom with her.

Fortunately, she seemed surprised to see me but followed along without resistance.

I had anticipated she might push me away after I suddenly grabbed her arm.

“What’s up?”

After leading her out to the hallway, I turned to face her.

I could sense the weight of the moment as I prepared to ask my question.

“Emily, have you ever heard the name Adrian?”

“Eh? …Sorry, I’ve never heard of him.”

At her response, my worst fears were confirmed.

‘Adrian doesn’t exist at the academy.’

Why could this be?

There was no need to think too hard about it.

After all, the history had been altered.

The reason he had hidden his identity to come to the academy was due to Raphaen’s presence.

With Raphaen, the prophetic child that the Demon King sought, there was no longer a reason for Adrian to come.

‘…But what about Emily?’

Emily was the prophetic child of the kingdom.

With her existence that promised to bring forth a savior, did Adrian still have a reason to get involved?

The thought of the change in reality left me feeling a deep ache in my heart.

This was someone I had grown close to during my journey.

‘…No, no.’

I shook off the gloomy thoughts as I remembered my goal.

The goal was to restore Raphaen’s memories.

If that was possible, then I could also recover Emily’s, Mary’s, and even Adrian’s memories.

‘How to find him in the royal palace is something I’ll have to think about….’

As the thought of being able to reverse the changes settled in my heart, I smiled gently at Emily.

“Thanks, that was something I wanted to know. It really helped.”

“Uh, r-really?”

Seeing my expression, Emily smiled shyly, glancing up at me with cautious eyes.

Her cheeks flushed, and she glanced away, seemingly nervous.

“Um… since we’re alone now, I have something to say…”

“Yeah?”

With her fingers intertwined and her eyes darting around, Emily finally took a deep breath and spoke again.

“I thought about it a lot yesterday….”

As she hesitated, tears welled in her eyes.

“About… what I did to you. I’m really sorry…”

At that moment, she finally looked me in the eye.

It was a gaze filled with regret and longing, reminding me of our previous encounters.

The memories of her apology during the ten-day time loop event flashed in my mind.

“I’m so sorry, Ken. I really am.”

It was in that moment I realized her feelings still lingered.

She had truly been remorseful for her actions.

But now, the memories of torment overshadowed those emotions.

So she was gathering the courage to apologize once more.

Just as she was about to finish her heartfelt message…

“Is that him?”

A familiar voice came from behind us.

I turned around and met the gaze of a furious-looking Raphaen.

“Is that him? Is that the person you said you wanted to take responsibility for?!”