Vol. 3 - Chapter 144 - Katariona Goes to the Past Before Her Time Travel (Part 2)
I could easily imagine that the country would be safe and sound after my execution, as Chris had condemned them.
However, I was curious to know what happened to the crown prince and Charlotte after that, so I asked Ron-sama if I could remain in this timeline for a little longer.
"Then, how about we travel a little further into the future? It will take some time for them to be punished. In the meantime, our stay in this timeline will be problematic."
You see, at this point in time, I am a person who does not exist.
I am a person who is supposed to be dead, and if I meet my uncle and Chris, the future of this time line may be changed.
"Even we, the gods, cannot interfere too much. And yet, the fool Leon screamed so loudly, "What if they find out? What are you going to do if they notice?"
Ron-sama's face turned into that of a dragon.
He glared at Leon with his reptilian eyes.
It seems that when Ron-sama's emotions get the better of him, he turns into a part dragon.
"Hmph! If Sylphy had been in this situation, she would have done the same thing I did."
Leon turned his head away, his mouth curved into a grimace.
"Sylphy is not dumb enough to be captured by humans, but if she were in the same situation as Yurie, I would take Sylphy back, even by force, and blow up that whole country."
He is more extreme than Leon.
That would certainly change history, but I guess it doesn't matter to Ron-sama.
"Anyway, just refrain from changing the timeline," he said.
Ron-sama, who was a dragon only in the face, returned to his human form. He seemed to have calmed down.
"I know."
When I heard Leon's shout, I was very happy.
Upon learning that the last voice I heard was Leon's, I felt as if I were going to ascend to heaven, even though it was inappropriate to do so.
Then, shortly after my execution and going back in time, I met Leon.
As if it was fate, I thought.
I glanced at Leon next to me and smiled.
"What's the matter? Rio."
"Nothing. I'm glad I met Leon."
"I see. I am also glad to have met Rio."
While Leon and I were smiling at each other, Ron-sama said, "I want to meet Sylphy, too. Should we go home?" I heard him mumbling.
It was about a month later that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Charlotte were tried.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who had been disinherited and removed from the royal family, and Charlotte, who was no longer a noblewoman, were tried as mere commoners by the Court of the Magic Academy.
The reason why it was not a general court, but a court of the Magic Academy was because Charlotte is the owner of Light Magic and the court was wary of her skills.
It was obvious from Charlotte's behavior that her skill was that of " Enchantment. However, it is a skill that no one can appraise.
Perhaps, it was impossible to figure out what Charlotte's skill was in this timeline.
And there is no way to know that the "light magic" she possessed was actually stolen.
So it was assumed that she seduced the crown prince with her unknown "enchantment" skill.
But what is really frightening is that she was trying to assassinate His Majesty the King and Her Royal Highness the Queen.
His Majesty the King owns the magical tool of "magic inhibition" because of his position. That is why Charlotte's skill did not work.
And Her Royal Highness the Queen is of the same sex so her skills were ineffective, and she had seen through Charlotte's true nature.
The two of them did not approve of the annulment of the engagement between His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and myself, and they were opposed to welcoming Charlotte into the royal family.
When Charlotte learned of this, she plotted to kill the two of them.
When I was condemned at the graduation party, the King and Queen were on a journey to the Eschen Empire, but on their way back, they were apparently attacked by someone and went missing.
By the time the search party found them, both of them were in a very weakened and dangerous state.
This meant that when I wrote a petition to His Majesty the King from my prison cell begging for my family's rescue, they were not there.
The attackers of the King and Queen were mercenary ruffians hired by Baron Campbell, but they were all captured, and their confession was enough to put Baron Campbell behind bars.
Baron Campbell, who had plotted to assassinate the king, the head of state, was immediately condemned to death after his capture.
Charlotte, who had instigated the assassination via her father, was also condemned to death.
"The whole assassination attempt was my father's own idea! I didn't know about it! Besides, I am a precious user of Light Magic! Don't you think it's a loss for our country!"
Charlotte, however, refused to admit her guilt until the very end. The judge coldly delivered his ruling to Charlotte.
"Unfortunately, the evidence is too complete. Charlotte Campbell! Inducing murder is the same crime as murder. The attempted murder of the King and Queen and the death of the Marquis de Grandeur and his family for a crime they did not commit are heinous crimes! Therefore, I sentence you to death! In three days' time, you shall be publicly executed on the decapitation table. That is final!"
"How can that be!? I refuse! I don't want to die by decapitation! Rick! Rick! Help!"
Charlotte cried out to the Crown Prince for help, but he was not here.
The Crown Prince was to be tried in a different courtroom.
The judge gave Charlotte a quick glance, and his face turned stern.
"The Marquis de Grandeur and her family, who were sent to the decapitation table, must have felt the same way as you do. But their end was truly noble, worthy of an aristocrat. Take the defendant to jail!"
"NOooooo!"
Charlotte's screams echoed through the courtroom as she was dragged away.
I donned a disguise along with Leon and observed Charlotte's trial from beginning to end.
The Crown Prince's trial was being held at the same time in another courtroom, where Ron-sama had gone to observe and would tell me the results later.
When asked which trial I wanted to observe, I chose Charlotte without hesitation.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, freed from Charlotte's skills, has probably regained his former intelligence. And he must have regretted his sins.
So I somehow knew the outcome.
When I met up with Ron-sama outside the courtroom and was told the result of the Crown Prince's trial, I thought to myself, "Oh, so that's what happened."
It was true that the Crown Prince had committed a crime, but he had been blinded by the skills of that girl. They said there were extenuating circumstances. But he requested death.
He chose a proud death rather than a life of shame. It is typical of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who is a proud man.
As a former member of the royal family, he was sentenced to death by poisoning in an undisclosed manner.
"The crimes of the Marquis de Grandeur were annulled by the Tribunal of Nobles. Are you satisfied now? Yurie."
If the re-establishment is achieved, one of my cousins from the Dukes of Paulford will be the heir.
"I am satisfied that our family's honor has been restored. But ......"
Charlotte, who had wronged me, did not, ultimately, never understood the gravity of her crimes, and refused to admit her guilt until the very end.
"Not a single word of apology."
Leon uttered in a chagrin-filled tone.
"An apology won't bring me or my family back to life. And I don't expect that from her."
At first, I thought that I would feel better after seeing Charlotte judged.
But I don't feel any better.
If I had to describe how I feel now, I would say.
I feel empty.
That's right. Nothing but emptiness remained.
Why is that?
I don't know either.
"......I see."
"Shall we return to the original timeline?"
After that, neither Leon nor Ron-sama said anything.
◇◇◇
I rode on Ron-sama in his dragon form like I did when I came, and with Leon on my lap, I followed the belt of reincarnation toward the present timeline.
"Rio. Did you find any hints?"
How did you feel when you looked back in time? Leon didn't ask.
Leon is very kind and attentive.
"I didn't get any hints on how to nullify Charlotte's magic, but I did find out the connection behind the trading company run by the Baron Campbell family. I'll talk to my uncle about it when I get back."
Although there is no proof that the connection is the same as before the time return, Baron Campbell was planning to invite someone to the "Rosette Garden" last time he was there.
If he wanted to entertain a foreign guest, he could have invited him to his home or reserved a restaurant for him.
But it had to be that day, and he wanted to go to the trouble of renting the whole place out.
There must be something in it.
"That sounds good to me. Ron. Fly to the Duke of Paulford's."
"Oh, come on. Yurie said it's the middle of the night over there. Or should I just wake them all up?"
"Good idea. Shall we?"
The gods are talking nonsense.
"No! Not until dawn. ......"
As I was about to rebuke them, the belt of reincarnation suddenly loomed in front of me.
"Look out!"
Fortunately, I was able to fling Leon at Ron-sama's head before the belt of reincarnation cut my body in two.
"Rio!"
"Yurie! Darn it! The belt's trajectory has changed!"
That was the last thing I heard the two of them yelling below me, before my consciousness went dark.
I am swept away by ...... the current.
I was being swept away in a torrent of light.
I have felt this sensation before.
It was .......
It was about the time I got the memory of my soul when I was Marion-san.
But it did not stop there.
The light that took the form of Marion-san smiled and urged me to "go on."
It was telling me to go further.
Go to the past before the time when I was Marion-san, ...... .
What lay ahead?
After passing through a long torrent of light, there I was.
There was the me of my first life.
—--
TL: Wow…..That was a lot. I wonder how many lives Rio’s soul has gone through? And I”m really curious as to what the very first life was like during the beginning of the earth I presume? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and happy reading!