Chapter 20 A Price Must Be Paid

:::[Adam's POV]:::

As soon as I landed on the ground safely, thanks to the help of the mysterious woman's power, my tiredness caught up to me, and I instantly collapsed from extreme fatigue, mentally and physically.

I lost awareness of what was happening around me and my body fell into a dormant state.

Everything was silent, and I felt a little bit relaxed for some reason.

Still, there was something that bothered me. I wasn't aware of the outside world but some words were stuck and resounded in my head even though I couldn't remember who said them.

It was as if some part of my memories were blurry, but there was some information that popped inside of my head as they were always part of me, making the whole situation a little bit confusing.

'Well, the answer must be somewhere and I just need some time to look for them.' I thought, looking back at what I was told to do.

Honestly, I didn't like the sound of it. 'Seriously, me? I must save the universe? But why? How can I bear the fate of countless people on my shoulders? How can I even save them when I struggle to take care of myself? And in the first place, why the universe would be destroyed if I fail?' I pondered.

I still couldn't understand, but this time, I was somehow convinced that I need to move forward despite my doubts.

I was frustrated and even a little upset by the words that were stuck in my head.

There were many things that I felt like I would never comprehend about this world, about the reason why I got reincarnated, and about my destiny if I continued to think and act like I always did.

I understood that I wouldn't find the answers to my question if I stayed in my comfort zone.

I needed to move forward and tackle what this world had in store for me. I needed to get stronger and find the path that I needed to follow in this world.

'Is this the true purpose of this second chance?' I thought. 'It sounds a bit too grandiose, but now that I know how it feels to be close to the gate of death, I don't really want to experience it for a second time.'

I needed to find answers by myself, and I needed to learn the truth about everything. However, I needed more power. This time, I must take things seriously so what happened would never occur again.

I didn't know how or why, but I understood that I needed to reach the next level of my existence if I wanted to protect myself and the things I cared about.

'It would be pathetic if the hero dies before he could even save the damsel in distress, wouldn't it? It sounds cringe though when I put it that way.' I thought, but it was true I needed to make this power mine. After all, it was the ultimate authority, so if I didn't push myself to the limit and unleash my full potential, I would be dumber than those heroes that I made fun of.

I couldn't explain it with words and there was nothing recorded in my memory, but I knew that the words that resonated in my head were words that I shouldn't ignore, and I strongly believed that these were meant to guide me even though they hurt my feelings.

There were more than just words for me, maybe because I never had a father to scold me and always avoided some kind of heart-to-heart talk with someone.

These words were like the key that opened the door leading me out of my comfort zone and stepping into the real world.

With them, I could somehow feel that a crisis that this universe had never experienced before was already occurring and no one could stop it from happening.

'It's just a feeling, an impression but I can't shake it off... Well, might as well be prepared for everything rather than being taken by surprise every single time. I was lucky today, but if I am not thoroughly prepared next time, it might cost me something that I can never replace.'

This universe was now my world too and I finally understood the true meaning behind that.

Everything that was going to happen concerned me, and maybe, this was the price I needed to pay for my second chance.

'It's still hard to accept a reality like this even though fifteen years had passed. For some reason, deep inside, I always continued to think that this could be a seem and I began to relax and enjoy it. Still, it seems like I need to be ready to face this new reality and come out of my comfort zone for the first time in a very long time.' I thought, and I knew that I still had a long way to go, but after I woke up, I was reborn again for the third time.

*****

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:::[Third person POV]:::

While Adam was unconscious again, something extremely strange occurred on the planet under the jurisdiction of Lord Kepalta.

"What was I doing here again?" Someone gasped and he wasn't the only one, because a lot of people fell into a brief state of confusion.

There was a gap in their memory so they couldn't remember everything that happened during the minotaur's invasion.

It seemed like forgot about what Pride did or the existence of Judgement, but that seemed too unnatural, so after a while, a noble suddenly cheered and pointed at Liu and clapped their hands.

It if their brain tried to feel the gap in their memory by creating a logical explanation for the scene in front of them. After all, it was only the result that remained.

"Thank you, miss Liu!!!"

Then, more and more people shouted at the top of their lungs.

"That lady saved us all!"

"That's the Frost Queen Liu, she is like a Goddess!"

"Yeah, she is the one who killed the minotaur and eliminated the other monsters!"

People began to gather around the plaza again and looked up at Liu as if she was their Goddess.

They completely forgot about Adam, Pride, or Justice and the weird phenomena that he caused.

However, Julius was concerned about his family and asked someone to take care of Adam and Marie.

"Someone, please carry Adam and Marie to a more comfortable room where they can recuperate!" He ordered, and some soldiers and maids carried Adam and Marie to their rooms. Then he followed them closely, holding Marie's hand, and headed back to the Royal castle too.

As for the Frost Queen Liu, she was looking at Adam with curious eyes, and the baby in her hand also reached her hand toward Adam.

'Why is this child so interested in this boy? He didn't appear to be that special. Still, how did he manage to end up in mid-air?' Liu thought as she looked at Adam being carried away.

And Liu wasn't the only one who thought so, because after seeing Adam who was powerlessly being carried away, and Julius's face looking at him, people began to have various thoughts about him.

Some felt sorry for Adam.

"To think that that poor boy's coming to age ceremony would turn into a disaster."

But the other nobles began to criticize Adam's performance during his speech as if they had already forgotten what situation they were in and continued to chatter among themselves as they walked away.

Their discussion was mostly centered around Liu and how could they earn her favor, but they didn't miss the chance to include Adam's performance in their discussion, knowing that he was supposed to be some kind of genius.

"Still, I remember it clearly, the son of Julius was nothing outstanding even before the invasion. He couldn't even utter a word during his speech. He still has a long way to go. He is just a kid after all, " A noble said.

They even forgot Adam's name, and they could remember only the fact that he froze during his speech and then passed out nervously like a coward.

Rumors about Adam being a coward and spinless spread around, and even the people from the Empire had second thoughts concerning his admission to the Holy Academy.

"The boy didn't show any sign of possessing the power of the seed of primordial authority, at least for now," Gracia said in an indifferent tone as she looked at him being carried away, and she thought that Adam should have at least showed his potential when his mother's life was threatened. "I don't see any reason to stay here any further, since the hunter team will take care of the portal. Let's head back tomorrow."

"Yeah, you are right, but Lord Raizel is curious about him, so he still needs to come to the Empire either way. What happens after that is not my problem." Gordon answered Gracia even though she wasn't particularly talking to him. He even followed Gracia and Marcel like some sort of big shot.

'',

The other remaining monsters were also all dead, and no one could remember how exactly Liu did it, but people were sure that she was the one who annihilated these monsters.

No one even considered the possibility of Adam being involved in this act, which was in a way a good thing, and people only remembered the dragons and Liu's overwhelming power.

They could even see the portal which was being sealed by Liu's power in the center of the plaza, and so they were convinced that Liu saved the day which was in a way true.

Not many people cared about Adam's condition, and the atmosphere changed from a gloomy one to something that looked like believers worshipping their Goddess.

*****

As for Liu, she had a very particular reason for coming to the planet where Adam lived.

She was looking for some answers, or more precisely, she followed her intuition when the baby that she was holding threw a tantrum and pointed towards this particular planet.

However, now the baby was pointing at Adam which left Liu puzzled.

'This boy doesn't have anything special about him at all. Why does this baby want to see him? Is there something that I missed? I should probably do some investigation and observe this boy for a while because I can not disappoint my father. If this boy is someone special, and I miss this opportunity, then I will evoke his wrath,' Liu thought to herself.

She was tasked to perform a top-secret mission that would certainly increase her faction's influence within the Empire.

Only a few people within the Fenrirus family knew about this mission and some people from the Holy Church, and her father told her that the things that Lou was searching for could as well change the fate of the world, and her family could stand at the top of this new world. 'They are already here,' her father said.

Liu wasn't interested in all of that world domination plan, but she respected her father and couldn't go against his orders, and she knew what happened when her father became angry.

'I will not fail...' Liu steeled her resolve.

She landed on the ground and approached Delio who looked like the most important person in the area since Julius had already left with his family.

"Would it be possible for me to stay on this planet for a certain amount of time?" Liu asked, fixing Delio with her cold but glamorous blue eyes.

"M-miss Liu, of course! You can stay here as long as you want!" Delhi was nervous, and it showed in his voice. After all, the woman in from of him was a 'femme fatale' that could make any men drool.

Liu's long eyelashes flickered a bit, and her hair fluttered like beautiful black waves as she stood in from of Delio. The baby in her hand was also extremely cute and had a mysterious atmosphere about her.

Then, Delio called a maid over quickly and gave her some instructions. "Hey, you! Please bring Miss Liu to the most luxurious room of the Royal castle and make sure that she enjoys her time here."

"Certainly." The maid nodded her head and looked at Liu then said: "Miss Liu, please follow me. I will bring you to your room."

"Okay," Liu replied curtly and followed the maid.

No one dared to interrupt them and only watched Liu, who they considered a Goddess, walking away until she couldn't be seen anymore.

After that, chatters started again, and people began to get noisy, mostly those who were charmed by Liu without her trying to appear like how they perceived her to be.

"Did you see that? The way she talked…" A bystander commented.

"Her voice is so magnificent." A soldier said, his face full of ecstasy.

"Do you see her face though? I don't know anyone who can be compared to her. She has the face of a Goddess!"

And so on…

As for the other nobles, Lords, and their families, they returned to their rooms and prepared to leave right away.