I had more or less finished my conversation with Alice, but the real problem was that there were plenty of other people around who could make just as uneasy.
Even if they didn’t rember every detail of the tiline I had rewound—or rather, even if they didn’t consciously recall it—this situation alone was enough to make things unbearably awkward.
That’s right. I had been so focused on dealing with the imdiate crisis that I hadn’t thought about what would co next.
But really, who in that situation would have had the ti to think ahead? Even the Emperor had charged in without a second thought, and I had been the one forced to confront him—completely unprepared. How could I have afforded to consider the consequences?
With the fake Alice lying before us, Alice herself had entered a somber mood. I took a few steps back and scanned my surroundings.
That alone was enough to realize that nearly everyone around had their eyes on .
Not that I was literally surrounded. It was more of a psychological sensation. Physically, everyone kept a bit of distance—it wasn’t a solid wall, at least not in the literal sense.
I quickly started calculating.
First, I narrowed down the people who had followed here but wouldn’t make for uncomfortable conversation partners. The Sword Saint, Jennifer, and Carolyn seed like safe options. Both Jennifer and Carolyn were on fairly good terms with , and neither had ever suffered because of my abilities. The Sword Saint, in particular, seed to be enjoying the situation, while Jennifer looked deeply lost in thought.
And then there was Carolyn—my horoom teacher. Normally, a student-teacher relationship would feel sowhat restrictive, but in this case, it was perfect. At least it gave a plausible excuse to check in with her later.
If I started a conversation with her, I might be able to keep it going for quite a while. And who would bother interrupting a student talking to their teacher?
That settled it. I resolved to head straight for the group of ntors and instructors.
I made the decision.
That was all I did.
In other words, I failed to follow through.
"…Fangryphon."
Hmm. That was a title I almost never heard.
Officially, my full na was Sylvia Fangryphon. And yes, when I signed docunts, I properly included Fangryphon in my signature.
But no one ever actually called Fangryphon.
Not even acquaintances from before we beca friends. Not even faculty mbers seeing for the first ti. No one felt the need to refer to as Miss Fangryphon or Lady Fangryphon.
There was an enormous, intangible barrier against it.
Translating it into English, Fangryphon would be my last na, my family na… but more importantly, it was part of my na.
And yet, using Fangryphon alone as an address carried a weight that was simply too heavy.
I have no idea if people in England actually use titles like Miss Windsor, but in this world, I was addressed by my na far more often than by my family na. Most people called Princess Sylvia or Princess Alice. And even that only happened when we needed to be distinguished from one another—otherwise, a single Your Highness was enough.
My friends obviously just called by my first na. And since Alice and I were often together, calling either of us Fangryphon would only cause confusion. More importantly, Fangryphon wasn’t just the imperial family’s surna—it was also the na of the empire’s first Emperor. That made it even more awkward to say out loud.
But the fact that soone had chosen to call Fangryphon right now ant that the na held particular significance in whatever conversation was about to unfold.
The re sound of their voice made my stomach churn as if I were about to roll over in agony, and now they were using that na? The fact that I wasn’t already writhing on the floor was, in itself, a comndable feat.
Not that I felt particularly proud of it.
Moving with the stiffness of a broken wind-up doll, I slowly turned my head—only to find Sophia clutching my sleeve.
Her expression was… indescribable.
What kind of face would a devout believer make after witnessing the death of their god? Would they weep uncontrollably, like soone who had just lost their holand? That would’ve been easier to deal with. Instead, Sophia’s eyes looked utterly dry, as if all emotion had been drained from them.
Not just dry—empty, like staring into a barren well. Eyes that should have always held a glistening trace of moisture were now hollow, and the sight of them only strengthened my already overwhelming urge to run away.
But running wouldn’t solve anything. The person standing before wasn’t a character in a story; she was real.
"…Just calling by my na would be enough."
Even though I knew it was an inappropriate response to the situation, I still said it—because I needed to put a stop to that Fangryphon nonsense, at the very least.
"…"
Sophia's eyes moved.
She was still sitting in that bread-baking pose, staring up at the Gryphon looming over . I watched her and seriously wondered how I was supposed to clear up this misunderstanding.
That Gryphon wasn’t under my control. Just like when it brought here, it would probably leave the mont it decided its work was done. Besides, Fangryphon wasn’t the na of a single Gryphon—it referred to an entire flock.
I doubted there were many people in modern tis who had actually ridden a Gryphon, but that still didn’t an calling Fangryphon made any sense.
Sophia didn’t seem particularly interested in arguing that point.
"…Will the goddess never return?"
…A pointless argunt would have been preferable.
"…"
I carefully chose my words.
Back in middle school, there was a kid in my class who wanted to beco a pastor. One day, I asked him, “So, are you planning to sleep with married won too?” When he told his father was a pastor, I shot back with, “Then I guess your father does too.” I got punched in the face for that.
Religious people tend to be sensitive about these things.
"It’s true that I took asures to prevent that from happening."
I decided to just state the facts.
Sophia… At the start, she had been portrayed as a fanatical psychopath, but as the story progressed and she beca more entangled with the protagonist, she gradually cleaned up. I had always found it frustrating how she was so neatly redeed in just one installnt, but looking back, it actually made sense.
She had been raised under the Holy Nation’s influence from childhood, learning to accept their teachings as absolute truth. And then, out of nowhere, a force of pure evil erged to oppose the goddess—of course, she would have been thrilled.
But before she could face that great evil firsthand, Sophia t Leo. Then she t .
As a result, she beca soone quite different from the character in the original story.
This Sophia wasn’t the Sophia from the novel. She was my friend. So rather than telling so half-baked lie, it was better to just be honest.
"You…"
Sophia was also choosing her words carefully.
"You… What exactly are you? What kind of connection do you have to the goddess?"
She probably already had her suspicions. There were things she had heard directly from as well.
…That’s right. I had promised.
I had told her I would explain everything once it was all over.
"I was sent by that entity you call a goddess."
I spoke plainly.
I was well aware of the eyes on . Not just from my own companions, but even from the imperial knights who had been bound and were now glancing in my direction.
But what was the point of hiding anything at this stage?
I had already ridden on the back of a Gryphon.
"I was also soone ant to be used as part of the goddess’s plan."
"Then why did you betray the goddess at the last mont?"
Sophia’s words might have sounded accusatory at first, but her voice was so level, so devoid of emotion, that there was no real sense of bla. It felt more like she was just stating facts, trying to confirm sothing rather than expressing resentnt.
"…"
I closed my mouth for a mont.
How was I supposed to explain this?
When I first arrived in this world, I crafted a personality for myself. It was all to insert myself into the protagonist’s party. I’d say that was a success. After all, I did beco a part of their group.
I opposed the Emperor to ensure a happy ending where everyone survived. That was also a success. In the end, no one died.
But the reason I overturned the goddess’s plans…
…was because I wanted to be part of that happy ending, too.
…
Was this really a happy ending?
I gazed silently at the believer who had lost her god.
Would Sophia be able to understand my answer?
It didn’t matter. I had promised to answer.
"Because I wanted to be with all of you."
So I told her.
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