ocean-life Chapter 98 - Another Possibility (6)
Chapter 98 - Another Possibility (6)
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
Chapter 98 - Another Possibility (6)
Though I spoke confidently...
The chance of me meeting Merlin directly during a memory playback was actually quite slim.
Neither she nor I could control the exact moment I would inhabit Kyle’s body.
All I could do was rely on luck or wait for the right moment to encounter her by coincidence.
But even then, it would be pointless if Merlin didn’t trust me.
After all, it wasn’t efficient for Merlin to spend her entire life by Kyle’s side just to meet someone she’d only just encountered.
Fortunately, at least one thing was certain.
Whenever a round ended and a new playback began, I would possess Kyle’s body on a fixed date.
March 11.
Merlin had surely heard it as well.
The date I told her to remember.
Tick tock.
Regardless, I was once again viewing a new round.
I looked out the window.
The lush green gardens, drenched in spring foliage.
The familiar scenery of the Winfred Ducal Estate.
“March 11.”
The date was also perfect.
Exactly the day I’d planned.
Merlin Trivia.
I wondered if she would remember my words.
On March 11, would she come to find Kyle again?
Lying on the bed, I stared at the familiar ceiling.
And then—
“Young Master.”
The voice of the old butler sounded from outside the door, and I sat up quickly.
“A woman named Merlin Trivia has come to see you, sir.”
I suppressed the smile that threatened to creep up.
With a composed tone, I gave the order.
“Show her in.”
“Yes, sir.”
Thankfully.
Merlin had remembered what I’d said.
****
Merlin Trivia.
With a serious expression, she approached me.
“....”
Her green eyes swept over me, slowly scanning me from head to toe.
I looked back at her with my usual impassive expression.
It was a silent tug of war, each of us concealing our true thoughts.
After a moment—
“Merlin.”
At her name, her eyes narrowed.
I spoke to her.
“March 11.”
“...!”
Her eyes widened, as if they might tear.
“Good, you remembered.”
“Ah...”
Unfamiliar emotions flickered across her face, one after another.
“...Is it true?”
“What is?”
“What you said, that I could leave—was that true?”
Her questions came out in a rush, as if she had endured an entire round just for this moment.
“Yes.”
“...!”@@@@
“But it won’t happen right away.”
“What?”
Her face darkened at my reply.
But I had no choice.
I couldn’t tell her lies that would soon be exposed.
“Then... when will I be able to leave?”
When, indeed.
That, too, was uncertain.
To leave this world, she would need to meet me and cross dimensions, but that future event was already a “fixed occurrence” that had taken place.
“Merlin, do you know how many times you’ve repeated this life?”
“I don’t know. At some point, I stopped bothering to count.”
“Then there’s no other option. We’ll have to wait indefinitely.”
“...Are you kidding?”
Only I remembered her death.
In this round, she hadn’t chosen to destroy the world.
She simply lived an ordinary life and met an ordinary end.
Afterward, I continued to view the memories.
Merlin kept dying, returning, and dying again in endless succession.
In the next round, and the round after that, the regression continued, round after round.
But Merlin, knowing that I was watching, didn’t desperately try to survive, nor did she choose a meaningless death.
On some days, she vented her anger.
On others, she wept.
On yet others, she screamed as if driven mad.
At times she resigned herself, and other times she chose death again.
But she never forgot to come looking for me.
March 11.
The date each new round began.
She never missed it, not once.
“This is awful. Why do nobles eat this kind of food?”
“I agree.”
On the days we met, she would ruthlessly criticize the food of this world.
“Gomoku? What’s that?”
“Listen carefully, I’ll explain.”
Sometimes we’d sit across from each other and play Gomoku.
“So, this world is fake?”
“Is it a shock?”
“Not really. Somehow, nothing here seemed quite normal anyway.”
We would also have serious conversations.
“Does your world have gods?”
“I wouldn’t know. I’m not religious.”
“Maybe that’s why you got transmigrated here?”
“What?”
“Just kidding.”
And sometimes, we’d share idle chatter.
“If I go to your world, would I be able to adjust?”
“It’d be a bit tough.”
“...Then you could help me, couldn’t you?”
“Well, with your face, you might actually adapt pretty quickly.”
“...”
Lying in the mansion’s garden, Merlin’s face flushed red.
It amused me, and I let out a small laugh.
Then one day—
Merlin said to me.
“Thank you.”
Those words carried her genuine feelings.
Having spoken her true thoughts, she smiled softly.
— Playback concluded.
The playback ended.
I raised my head blankly, staring into space.
— Progress: 61%
There were still countless rounds left to view.
But even so, watching Merlin’s gradual transformation was surprisingly enjoyable.
— Would you like to replay the memories?
I gave a small nod.
Just as I was about to start a new round—
— External interference detected.
A new notification appeared, and the world began to shake.
The pitch-black space was starting to flood with bright flashes.
— [Item: Lethe’s Tears] effect is now ending.
What?
Wait a moment.
There are still so many rounds left to view.
If the playback ends now, what will happen to Merlin, who remains over there?
— Promise me.
I had promised.
— That you’ll keep watching me.
That I’d keep watching over her.
— Thank you.
I can’t leave now.
“No...!”
Blinding light exploded, forcing my eyes shut.
And with that—
I lost consciousness once again.
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]