Chapter 86: - The Lord Is With Us (7)

༺ The Lord Is With Us (7) ༻

“Yo-you bastard! Even if you’re from the future, you still stole my friend’s body!”

Ian had become possessed after receiving the letter from the future and had gone down a completely new path.

Naturally, the path this Ian had taken was different.

The proof of that lay in Ian’s amnesia. If they had been similar, they would have shared memories.

Considering that, Leto had essentially lost his friend’s essence. It wasn’t strange that he felt angry.

Leto clenched his fist, prompting Ian to take a step back, evading the blow.

Leto grunted in frustration and followed up with a second punch.

‘Ian’ caught Leto’s fist.

A bitter smile tugged at the corners of Ian’s mouth. It was the only face that could even be called an expression.

“Don’t worry, I can’t stay long... I’m just doing what I have to do.”

Ian’s explanation did little to relieve Leto’s frustration. As Leto’s green eyes met with Ian’s, his intent to use a scroll became increasingly apparent.

It was then.

Leto felt a wind brushing past him as his view changed. ‘Ian’ had forcibly turned Leto’s body around before pinning him against the wall.

Leto’s arms were restrained behind his back, causing him to groan from the pain without even processing what had occurred.

With bloodshot eyes, a growl of animosity escaped his lips.

“What you have to do...? Do you have any idea how much Ian suffered because of your actions......? How many times does he have to go along with your antics......!”

“If he doesn’t, we will all die.”Diiscover new stories at nove/lbin(.)c/om

His voice remained flat and completely devoid of emotion.

Leto regained his composure immediately as he sensed the deep remorse in the man’s voice.

As if a bucket of cold water had been thrown at him, he could only stare blankly into the man’s golden eyes.

The man’s gaze remained unwavering. As far as Leto could tell, the man was telling the truth.

Several times, his lips parted before closing.

Even while forcibly pressed against the wall, Leto managed to ask a question.

“...Just what the hell happened to yo-?”

“Leto.”

With a grave expression, the man offered some heartfelt advice.

“Don’t try to know too much. The world won’t allow it, and you might end up hurt.”

That was all.

As if he believed Leto had calmed down, he released him and swiftly turned around without hesitation.

Leto was briefly speechless as he stretched his body.

A tangled web of theories began to form in his mind.

Everyone would die? Why? And if the world didn’t allow him to know, then how come Ian knew about it?

A myriad of questions entwined in his thoughts, forming an uncertainty. With the meager clues he had been given so far, it seemed impossible to solve them.

Thus, there was only one solution—To gather as much information as possible.

“......Why did you come back?”

The man’s stride halted.

As the man’s golden eyes flickered to him, Leto repeated his question, concerned that the man would change his mind and leave.

“To travel back from the future to the past is a miracle that even the most skilled mages have yet to accomplish. It must have required immense effort. Why did you go to such lengths and why is it that you’re the one who came back?”

The man pondered for a moment, his eyes darting from side to side before focusing back

Still devoid of emotion, he gave his answer.

“Because... I ‘failed’.”

It was yet another term that he didn’t know the meaning of. Leto’s head throb.

Soon after, ‘Ian’ walked out of the alleyway.

Unable to guess his destination, Leto couldn’t help but shout in panic.

The thought saddened me, realizing it was a potential future I might have to face.

I was scared that if I didn’t follow the letter’s instructions, that future would become a reality.

Still, simply discovering this was a great accomplishment. Considering that the number of possible futures was practically infinite, it wasn’t surprising that the letters had different senders.

It didn’t matter that there were multiple senders because they were merely distant possibilities.

What mattered to me were the letters’ contents.

If I followed the instructions inside each letter to the best of my abilities, I realized I could also learn about my future lovers.

I looked at my best friend with admiration in my eyes. He looked proud of himself.

“I’m impressed, Leto. That helped a lot.”

“Heh, I am pretty smart. You should buy me a drink.”

If that was all he wanted, I would gladly buy him any amount of alcohol. Trust filled my gaze as I looked at Leto.

With high expectations, I asked him about my next course of action.

“So, what should I do now?”

Patting my shoulder, Leto smiled wryly.

“That’s for you to figure out.”

“......?”

I stared blankly at Leto, a hint of betrayal hidden in my gaze.

“What can I do? I don’t even know the contents of your letter.”

I was about to retort but stopped.

Leto was right. Forming a plan required information, and only I could read the contents of the letters.

Right now, my main focus was on the practicum.

Still, I couldn’t help but think about the information ‘Ian’ had requested from the Saintess. If he had needed it so badly, perhaps the orphanage was connected to the future.

Since I didn’t have any information, it made sense to follow the leads he had received.

After silently observing me, Leto cleared his throat.

“Now that I think about it, ‘Ian’ said that he was going to see Senior Delphine, right?”

I heard that she hadn’t been seen since the Hunting Festival.

There was someone else I could talk to. Someone who had initially suggested the possibility that the letter originated from the future.

That person was Emma.

Two options weighed on my mind.

Delphine Yurdina, a woman of captivating beauty.

And Emma, my friend with a warm, friendly smile.

It seemed wise to meet both of them and recruit them as members for my practicum.

I also thought I should pay a visit to Senior Elsie.

I immediately started mapping out a route in my head.

I didn’t have much time. I only had a week left to assemble my group before the registration period closed.

Within that time, I had to gather both information and power.

The stench of blood grew more potent with each passing e minute.

**

That evening, I sought out Senior Delphine at the Aedalus Pavilion, but the news I received from the servants was as I had expected.

“Ms. Yurdina is in the Church’s intensive care unit.......”

I crossed my arms, tapping my fingers against my forearm.

That sounded about right. However, I had hoped her injury wasn’t severe enough to warrant a trip to the ICU.

A sigh escaped my lips as I realized I had no idea how Senior Delphine would react upon seeing me.

I shook my head and lamented, voicing my complaint to my future self.

What an impatient human being. If only he had even half of my peace-loving heart.

It was truly a pity.