Chapter 2

“Oh my! Almighty Lucius, thank you.”

I had no time to leisurely listen to the nanny’s prayers. That momentary luxury had vanished in an instant.

“Send everyone out.”

I forced the nanny, who insisted on staying by my side, and everyone else out of the room. Only then was I finally alone.

“Why?”

The protagonist’s story hadn’t even started yet.

The Holy Sword was still stuck in the rock, and the protagonist was still an orphan, abused by the head of the orphanage and ostracized by his peers.

Then the world shouldn’t have ended so meaninglessly…!

“Why, why, why!!”

Each time I screamed in despair, I could taste blood in my throat.

Flailing around with a body that still barely moved only made my whole body ache.

As I wiped my mouth while panting, I saw wet blood smeared across my fingers.

“Damn it.”

I collapsed onto the bed and tightly shut my eyes.

There had to be a reason for this. No, there must be.

And… that reason probably had something to do with me.

A possessor who had been dropped into this world. Perhaps the only variable.

“Urgh…!”

That thought alone made bile rise in my throat.

As I looked at the sheets stained yellow from vomit, I felt more miserable than ever.

“Haa….”

The world had already ended twice because of me.

The worst possible reincarnation loop.

And repeating this a third time would be pure madness.

That’s why I had to build a proper hypothesis from those two apocalypses—and act only once I was sure.

“First, the time period.”

There had been a total of fifteen days between the first destruction and the second.

“Second… the timing of death.”

In the first apocalypse, I died instantly.

But in the second, I survived for a short while.

I still died in the end, but it was a clear difference—and I knew the reason.

It was because Father… had protected me with his magic.

Just recalling Father’s horribly disfigured body made my stomach churn again.

“Is there any other difference?”

At least as a fossil-tier player of this game, I couldn’t think of any.

Then what were the common factors?

“The Academy.”

The main stage of the protagonist’s story—Lapis Academy.

I had made the decision not to go to the Academy.

Sending the letter must have taken time, and Father probably made his decision after receiving it.

“Am I overanalyzing this?”

Still, the thought that this was the answer stuck in my head like an obsession.

As if some absolute force was trying to engrave it into my mind.

“Huu….”

Could the Academy really be the cause?

I didn’t even dare try to test the hypothesis. I didn’t want the world to end again.

Especially not if it was because of me.

And besides, I had promised Father—if I had a third life, I would survive.

“Alright, let’s try going to the Academy once.”

If the world ends again in fifteen days, I’ll need to form a new hypothesis anyway.

“Until then, I’ll focus on rehabilitation.”

I’m probably the only person in this world who’s had to do rehab twice.

But I had no choice but to trust my theory and act accordingly.

***

“Young master, you should rest a little.”

“I’m fine.”

Still not enough.

The moment I tried to push myself, my body wobbled and I collapsed on the spot.

Yeah, better rest quietly.

I gulped down the apple juice Emily handed me.

Freshly squeezed, the juice was cool enough to wash away my sweat.

“Your body won’t recover overnight. Please don’t rush. I hope you take your time to regain your health.”

For the past fifteen days, I had thrown myself into rehab and physical training like a madman.

Now, I could move around fairly decently, like an ordinary person.

Still lacking, but manageable.

“I need to transfer to the Academy as soon as possible.”

The thought of Father’s death crossed my mind.

That horrific scene lingered like a dark shadow over me.

Even if I wanted to rest, just thinking of that made it impossible.

“You’re transferring to the Academy?!”

Emily jumped in surprise, clearly not expecting it.

Was it really that shocking?

In the Empire, only students who graduated from the Academy could inherit a noble title.

And since I was the only son of the Lisitoel Count family, I had to enroll eventually.

“So that’s why you were rushing your rehab!”

“Well, yeah.”

At any rate, I couldn’t enroll in the Academy while still confined to a wheelchair.

My body wasn’t completely normal, but I could at least move it to some extent now.

While preparing for the transfer, I should be able to finish rehab too.

After wiping off my sweat and returning to my room, I found the stationery and pen I had requested.

I briefly fiddled with the luxurious paper before writing my letter.

“This should be enough.”

I wrote that I wished to fulfill my duty as the Count’s son and wanted to transfer to the Academy as soon as possible, asking for the necessary documents.

“I’ll probably enroll around the same time as the protagonist.”

There was already an article about a new wielder of the Holy Sword.

The protagonist would likely enroll soon too.

“For now, I just need to avoid the protagonist.”

It’s ironic.

I want to avoid the protagonist, but also transfer to the Academy as fast as possible.

But even now, whenever I closed my eyes, I could still see the rain of meteors falling from the sky.

And what followed was always Father’s death.

“Looks like I won’t be sleeping tonight.”

My dead father, and me—helplessly accepting death.

I just wanted to escape this endlessly looping nightmare.

***

“Young master!”

I jolted upright at Emily’s call, having dozed off at my desk.

“You’ll hurt your body if you sleep like that!”

Stretching lightly, I replied to her scolding.

“I was studying late.”

In truth, I was too troubled to sleep.

Honestly, it felt more like browsing setting books or X-Muwiki than actual studying.

Sensing Emily’s disapproving gaze, I changed the subject.

“The mansion seems a bit noisy today.”

Outside the window, people looked unusually busy.

“Master has returned!”

Father’s back already?

Caught off guard, I shot up from my seat.

“Really!”

I knew Father loved Theo.

Even so, I had written the letter to request enrollment because I still felt awkward facing him.

‘Because I essentially stole his son’s body.’

It wasn’t something I wanted.

But I couldn’t deny that I felt some discomfort in deceiving him.

It was different now—I couldn’t just think of him as a game character anymore.

“Young master, are you alright? You don’t look well.”

Emily stared at me, concerned I might be sick. Her gaze felt burdensome all of a sudden.

“I’m just really nervous.”

I squeezed out the excuse as best I could.

“Master returned at first light after receiving your letter. You really don’t have to be so tense.”

How diligent.

Ugh, I really wasn’t ready to face him.

Still, I had no choice.

Even if I didn’t feel prepared, seeing him in person might bring me peace of mind.

Walking toward Father on my own two feet this time felt oddly strange.

I knocked on the door, and when he called me in, I opened it.

Though I had gone over what to say countless times before meeting him again, the same line escaped my lips.

“Greetings, Father.”

Why the hell did I say that?!

Surely there was a better greeting I could’ve used?

Regret hit me too late, but I decided not to dwell on it.

As I bowed, his reply was as stiff as ever.

“You really… opened your eyes.”

We were repeating a similar conversation.

But unlike last time, I could now sense the affection hidden in his voice.

“Are you feeling any discomfort?”

“None, sir.”

A bit of awkwardness passed before Father, after hesitating, got to the point.

“You want to transfer into Lapis Academy immediately?”

“Yes.”

“Is there… a need to rush?”

His slightly furrowed brow, the faint wrinkles near his eyes, and his pensive gaze—

They all revealed his unspoken concern.

“I wish to follow in your footsteps, Father.”

“There’s no need to rush that either.”

Could I really delay it…? My resolve wavered.

Then, an image flashed beneath my eyelids—

Father’s horrible death.

I steadied my breath and looked straight at him.

His gaze still rested fully on me.

That worried look, that careful attention—it gave me courage.

“I’ll finish rehab within the week.

The doctor said I was progressing quickly.

I want to transfer to the Academy right away.”

I didn’t have some grand resolve or anything.

I just didn’t want the world to end again.

“If that’s your wish… I don’t have much to say. Do as you like.”

Though his face darkened slightly with a small sigh, just like they say—no parent can win against their child.

Father gave in.

But his approval only made me more anxious.

What if my theory was wrong?

What if something other than the Academy was the cause of the world’s destruction?

What if there was some unknown variable?

As my thoughts spiraled, I turned to the window.

“Theo?”

Maybe he found it odd that I was staring blankly out the window instead of at him—Father called to me curiously.

I kept looking at the sky for several long minutes.

Only once I was certain did I finally turn to face him.

To face Father, still whole and alive.

“Yes, Father.”

The sky that had once turned red was, as always, blue.

No meteors were falling.

“Have you eaten?

I think it wouldn’t be so bad to eat together.”

“Sure.”

Was he worried I might decline?

The faint anxiety in his expression melted away like snow beneath the sun.

The hesitation in his voice, the soft curve of his lips, the deep affection he couldn’t hide—

None of it was a dream.

This was reality.

The world had not ended.

Transferring to the Academy had been the correct answer!!!

There might come a day when I’d need to find the next right answer again…

But for now, it was okay to celebrate this victory.

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