Magic Academy's Bastard Instructor-Chapter 279: With You Once More

——I can go back and save Charlotte.

That was the promise she had made to him.

It was also one of the reasons she had returned in the first place. Yet as the moment drew closer, Karina began to doubt herself.

What if saving Charlotte undermined everything she had already done?

What if altering this course of reality only led them toward another disastrous ending?

What then?

Would she experiment?

The very thought made her hesitate.

Karina was already burning through her own existence with the countless times she had turned back the clock.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that she had interfered in nearly every near-death experience Vanitas had ever faced.

And it would not be an exaggeration to say that Vanitas Astrea would have died a long time ago if Karina Maeril had not been supporting him behind the scenes.

It was an odd truth that was difficult even for her to accept.

Yet there was one thing Karina had become certain of.

She was reliving a paradox.

Perhaps this had been the purpose of her existence all along.

Perhaps Karina Maeril had always been meant to stand behind the Professor and save him from every death flag that hindered his path.

It was a hypothesis she had formed several returns ago.

But the more the years went by for her, she had kept proving herself correct time and time again.

"If it’s for the Professor..."

If it was for his happiness, if it meant creating a timeline where he no longer had to suffer, then Karina was willing to gamble with her own life.

So when the day finally came, and Vanitas departed for the Astrea Domain in Axenburg with the others, leaving Charlotte and Arwen behind at the Astrea Estate in the capital, Karina made her move.

Time paused just enough for her to move freely through the estate’s halls, reducing her presence to seem as if she were invisible.

"I wonder if I was here that day..."

If that were the case, then was there truly no other way? Was the paradoxical existence known as Karina Maeril destined to let Charlotte die every single time?

"No. There has to be a way..."

She refused to accept anything else.

And so, when Lance Ableton arrived that day and trespassed into the Astrea Estate, the outcome changed before the event could even begin.

Lance Ableton, the Scholar of Wisdom and one of the Great Powers, had never even managed to reveal himself to Charlotte and Arwen before Karina intervened.

"Who are you—"

Karina dealt with him before he could even draw another breath, silencing him before so much as a strangled gasp could escape his throat.

"I... fulfilled my promise..."

She had done it.

Karina had finally accomplished what once seemed inevitable. She had saved Charlotte from the death that was meant to claim her. The realization filled her chest with a surge of joy.

After all, this had been one of her deepest regrets.

If she had been in Aetherion that day, Karina was certain things would have unfolded differently. Knowing Vanitas Astrea’s personality, he would most likely have ordered her to remain behind with Charlotte and Arwen rather than accompany him.

And perhaps... the outcome would have changed.

The following week, Vanitas Astrea returned.

There was a heaviness about him that Karina could not quite understand.

But at the very least, he had not returned to a ruined mansion and a dead sister.

And that alone was enough.

This was it.

Karina was certain she had made the right decision. From that point onward, Vanitas’s career only continued to rise. His reputation spread throughout Aetherion, maybe even the continent, as the greatest genius of the era.

Karina’s years of effort had not gone to waste.

It was truly... a happy ending.

"...."

...Until it wasn’t.

Rooooar——

When dawn arrived and hope returned, when Karina finally believed she had found peace, destruction answered in its place.

The sky turned into a sea of inky purple. Darkness swallowed the heavens and spread across the entire continent. What had begun as an ordinary morning transformed into a catastrophe beyond comprehension.

Wings stretched across the sky, vast enough to shadow the land itself. No one had the words to describe what they were witnessing.

"Araxys..."

The Black Dragon had returned.

Araxys had resurrected.

In the years Karina had followed Vanitas like a shadow, she had made sure to keep close watch on the cult’s movements. She monitored their gatherings and traced their activities whenever she could. And if possible, she intervened as much as she could.

Karina was certain she had crippled a lot of their forces.

So what was this?

When had they gathered the resources necessary to summon Araxys?

And more importantly...

How were the Great Powers already dead?

"...."

Karina had believed they would at least be able to put up a fight. She thought they would be capable of standing against the Black Dragon long enough to slow it down.

Even the Archmage Soliette should have been able to resist it.

After all, stopping Araxys had been her sole mission.

Yet in a single moment, they were gone. Not even skin and bones were left.

And Vanitas Astrea...

"P-Professor!"

He was not strong enough to stand against Araxys.

In the original timeline, Vanitas had at least risen to a level where he could be considered among the Great Powers. He had been powerful enough to contend with the monsters of the world.

But here... he was not.

At that moment, clarity crashed over Karina like a tidal wave.

"I..."

It was all because Charlotte had survived.

Because Charlotte lived, Vanitas Astrea had never been forced to chase power with desperation.

Because Charlotte lived, he had never burned the continent in pursuit of strength.

The world had never turned its pitchforks toward him.

Because Charlotte lived, the continent had remained relatively peaceful.

And because of that peace, humanity had grown complacent.

Just like that, Karina realized she had wasted another three years of her already limited life.

And just like that, she returned to that very day.

"I-It hurts..."

Her fists were clenched so tightly her nails dug into her palms. Her teeth ground against each other as she forced herself to stand still.

"Oppa!"

Karina heard the voice clearly.

"Please... help me..."

Yet this time, she did nothing, as she let Charlotte Astrea be subjected to horrific torture.

"Someone..."

* * *

Karina looked down at her hands.

When she had first begun this journey, she had still been in her mid-twenties. But now the passage of years had become impossible to ignore.

Her fingers were wrinkled. Not from exhaustion, but from age.

She could feel it in the way her back slowly bent forward if she did not correct her posture. Karina did everything she could to maintain herself. She kept her nutrition balanced and made sure her body remained healthy enough to endure the years ahead.

Yet she understood that no matter how many times she turned back time, she could never restore her body to its former condition.

Even so, Karina continued forward.

She carried that resolve with her until the very end of her life.

"...."

After Charlotte’s death, everything fell into place exactly as it had before.

Consumed by despair, Vanitas declared that he would burn the continent to the ground. That was the story the world believed. That was the image he allowed them to see.

But Karina knew better.

She understood that it was all a facade.

People often said that a man with nothing left to lose was the most terrifying kind of person.

But what about a man who had nothing left to lose and still chose to rebuild the world from its ruins?

To destroy the world and build it anew. That had been Vanitas’s true objective all along.

And Karina understood that better than anyone.

Deep in her heart, she knew how much pain he must have been carrying. How heavy that resolve must have been for him to bear alone.

Yet she could not stand beside him.

Because she had not earned that right.

That was why she felt grateful toward Margaret.

Margaret had become his anchor when no one else could. She was one of the few who never doubted him. Even when the entire world had turned its back on Vanitas, Margaret remained by his side like a rock that refused to yield.

"Ah..."

So it was finally that time.

The Bundesritter’s vessel, Eisenreich.

To Karina, the sight of it felt deeply nostalgic. For a brief moment, she just stood there and stared, almost forgetting how long her journey had been.

Only then did the realization return to her.

This was where everything had begun.

On this very ship.

It had been meant to carry them toward the operation against the Iron Lotus. That single voyage had marked the true beginning of everything that followed.

Yet Karina could barely remember the details of that day anymore.

It had been so long ago. She had lived through too many returns and endured too many years. The memories had blurred together to the point that even recalling the beginning of her journey had become difficult.

For Karina, tomorrow had long since lost its meaning. Her tomorrows often became yesterday, and sometimes her yesterdays turned into tomorrow.

Time no longer flowed for her the way it did for everyone else.

She could already feel her frequencies withering away. The countless returns had destroyed them beyond repair. What once felt natural now came with unbearable pain.

She could no longer freeze time the way she once did.

Even forcing it for a brief moment burned through her existence all at once. Whenever she pushed herself that far, her body collapsed afterward. Sometimes she could not even stand for an entire day.

But perhaps this was where it all ended.

Karina had an inkling that this might be the final destination of her journey.

For everyone else, this moment was nothing more than another operation.

But for her, the path leading here had stretched across decades.

"Professor..."

Karina lifted her gaze.

In the distance, the Iron Lotus loomed over the horizon. At the very front of the ship stood Vanitas Astrea, facing the frozen sea ahead. And beside him was Roman Neuschwan.

Karina no longer thought of him as her uncle. In truth, she barely remembered him at all. Whatever ties she once had with the Neuschwan family had long since faded.

And she wanted no attachments to them anymore.

———!

Not long after, the operation began.

The ocean froze over in an instant. The Eisenreich trembled as the sudden change rippled across the waters. At the forefront of it all stood Vanitas Astrea, directing the operation.

At first, everything proceeded exactly as planned.

But Karina knew better.

Even someone who appeared almost omniscient could make mistakes, and Vanitas Astrea’s strategy was not without flaws.

"Professor!"

One of the Iron Lotus’s massive petals descended toward the ship. The Eisenreich was moving, but not nearly fast enough. Even with the petal’s slow descent, the vessel would not escape its path in time.

"Ah..."

Karina did not realize what had happened at first.

But time had already stopped.

In her desperation, she had frozen it once again. Everything had halted, from the falling petal to the waves beneath the ship.

Even her younger self, standing somewhere aboard the Eisenreich, had been caught in the frozen world.

"Ha..."

Karina laughed.

"Haha..."

And she laughed again.

"Hahaha..."

The sound echoed in the silent world as she continued laughing.

It was absurd.

To think she had only realized it now. On that day long ago, when time had first frozen during this moment, it had never been her younger self who had done it.

It had been her.

The Karina standing here now. The older Karina who had returned after countless years.

Of course it was.

Back then, she had never been powerful enough to freeze time in the first place.

Karina slowly reached out.

With a quick motion of her fingers, she released Vanitas Astrea and her younger self from the frozen world. The moment she did, she felt the frequencies within her flicker.

Her skin turned faint and transparent.

And for a brief moment, Karina quite literally faded from existence.

When her senses returned, the deck had changed.

The only person left standing on the ship was Vanitas Astrea.

Her younger self was nowhere to be seen.

Karina did not need to assess the situation to understand what had happened. That naive girl had already been sent away along the path she once walked.

It did not matter anymore.

Right now, only one thing mattered.

Vanitas.

Him, and him alone.

As Karina stood there, she could feel the kindling flame of her lifespan slowly dying out.

"Who are—"

"Professor."

Karina spoke before he could finish.

A faint smile formed on her wrinkled face.

"...Karina?"

Despite everything, Vanitas Astrea had recognized her.

"What happened to you. You look—"

Karina staggered before he could finish.

The strength had already left her body. Her legs gave way beneath her, yet before she could completely fall, Vanitas caught her.

His arms steadied her trembling frame as he pulled her close. Concern filled his expression, and for the first time, she saw panic across his face.

That look alone made everything worth it.

"I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise. I couldn’t save Charlotte."

"What are you—"

The words stopped midway.

In that moment, Vanitas understood what she meant. Of course he did. It had been the last thing she told him before he was thrown out of the past, after all.

"Karina..."

"But you know, Professor. I learned something very interesting."

Karina lifted her gaze toward him. Vanitas held her carefully.

"I’ve always been with you all this time."

"...."

"Did I earn the right to stand beside you?"

"...."

"Did I... did I do well, Professor?"

’Did I do well keeping you alive all this time?’

But she swallowed those words before they could leave her lips.

She could not burden him with that. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Professor, did I..."

Her shoulders trembled as the words struggled to come out. Tears slowly streamed down her face. Vanitas looked at her with confusion and concern, yet he did not loosen his hold.

He continued to support her weight as if afraid she might collapse the moment he let go.

"Did I make you proud?"

Even though her words made little sense without the years she could no longer explain, Vanitas answered her despite that.

"Yes. You’ve done well all this time, Assistant Professor Maeril."

Karina smiled warmly.

"Professor..."

She lifted her hand toward him.

Her fingers were already fading, dissolving like the final flames of a dying fire.

"See you tomorrow."

And for the first time in her long journey, tomorrow did not become yesterday for Karina.

*

*

[AN]

End of Volume 5.