The Man’s 101st Bad Ending

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The reason the imperial family opposed the subjugation of the south was not only because everyone held opposing views, but also because there was something in the south that should not be disturbed.

Development was fine, but subjugation was not.

Although Miragen’s reason for opposing the subjugation was slightly different, there was something only the Crown Prince and the Emperor knew.

That was precisely what was marked on this map. Miragen probably thought it was simply a place where different races lived.

But in fact, there was a separate reason for marking the places where the different races lived.

‘Because the relics are there.’

Originally, most of the continent was owned by the empire.

Now, after going through decline, it only occupied the northern part of the continent, but the relics that had been hidden throughout the empire in the past still existed.

The Moonstone that started my regression was also one of them, and the Temple of the Moon that Adriana had mentioned was also a part of such relics.

Miragen was unaware of this fact.

Whether the Crown Prince or the Emperor had hidden it, or whether the Crown Prince had secretly found out, I didn’t know.

But it was certain that she did not know of the existence of the relics at this point.

However, the reason she considered this a basis for opposing the subjugation was that the different races were distributed in quite a large area.

“Even if they dispatch the imperial army with this much, it would be difficult. That’s why you showed this to me, right? To oppose it with this.”

“That’s one reason, but I also wanted to show you that I’m on the side of the imperial family.”

“Is there a reason for that?”

“To show that the Taylors will change in the future.”

When I smiled slightly, Miragen stared at me blankly.

There was no puzzlement like before.

Rather, she seemed to be searching for what my ulterior motive was, what I truly desired.

Of course, these words were sincere. The Taylors until now had been the Taylors of my father and Yuria.

But I couldn’t say it would continue to be like that in the future.

Since I had made up my mind to become the family head, I had to take the position of family head before striking the Crown Prince.

So I chose to approach the princess in this way.

It was a kind of expedient method using what I had obtained in the previous run, but there was no more effective way than this.

Before Miragen could grasp my intention, I opened my mouth first.

“I’m thinking of becoming the family head.”

“…It doesn’t sound like you’re joking.”

“Because it’s not a joke. I will take away the position of Young Lady held by Yuria Taylor, and the one to inherit the Taylors will be me.”

Miragen seemed surprised by my quite assertive attitude.

She would be curious about the basis for me saying this.

To do something with just the map I had given her, the position of Young Lady that Yuria had solidified was too firm.

However, there was no tree that would not fall when cut down.

No matter how enormous an old tree was that it seemed to pierce the sky, if struck endlessly, wouldn’t it eventually fall?

The means to pull down Yuria from the position of Young Lady? I had plenty of them.

However, I had no intention of using them.

Even if I directly attacked and pulled her down, the probability of Yuria’s heart crumbling was low.

“It doesn’t seem like you can become the Young Master of the Taylors just by giving this one map to the imperial family.”

“I have ties with the north.”

Adele Igrit, although it was not yet a confirmed matter, it was certain that I had a connection with her.

Miragen’s eyes narrowed as she understood what I meant.

The word “north” was another way to refer to the Grand Duchess, and just having ties with her was something that could not be ignored in terms of influence.

When I showed her the handkerchief Adele had given me before, Miragen laughed hollowly and held her forehead.

I had to return it, but there would be no problem using it now.

And she knew I was quite close with the saint.

Although I couldn’t call us close friends, we were about to become close friends soon.

Adriana, the saint of the Sun Church that dominated 90% of the empire, and I had a friendship with Adele, the guardian of the north.

On top of that, my position was already the eldest son of the only ducal family, the Taylors.

Although my current position was unstable, could it be said to remain so in the future?

“And soon, I will also have ties with the imperial family.”

Tapping the map and pushing it forward, Miragen laughed and accepted the map.

The ownership of the map wasn’t very important anyway.

Since I had put it in my mind, how to utilize it would be her role.

It was certain that it would flow to the Crown Prince, so I would soon receive contact from him.

That was how the connection with the imperial family was formed.

At this point, who was more suitable to be the head of the Taylors than me?

At least from the imperial family’s perspective, they would want me, who was friendly to their side unlike the current family head or Young Lady, to become the family head.

Could they refuse?

These words of mine saying I would become the family head, could they really dismiss it as a joke even now?

As I looked at Miragen with that intention, she sighed deeply after wiping her face for a moment.

As if completely defeated, she raised both hands wide open and smiled brightly.

“Alright. I’ll acknowledge it. It seems much better for the imperial family if you become the family head. So what you need is our support, right?”

“I don’t need it right away. I will slowly start moving from next spring after finishing all my winter schedule.”

“…Okay, I never imagined I would hear such words today. Do you know what I thought when you said you wanted to meet me?”

“What did you think?”

“I thought the Taylors would pressure me again, and it would just give me a headache, so I was going to grab Adriana and talk to her all day. But now…”

After gazing at me intently for a moment, unlike before, she added with a seductive smile.

“I wouldn’t mind making you my lover. What do you think, are you interested?”

“Unfortunately, I have to decline that. It hasn’t been long since I broke off my engagement.”

“So you’re saying not now.”

Then Miragen nodded, saying she knew it would be like that.

However, I felt that kind of talk would continue.

Given her personality, there was no possibility of her saying such things as a joke.

She got up from her seat and strode over to me, jabbing something into my chest.

After examining it for a moment, I soon realized what it was and laughed.

A small artifact that allowed us to contact each other, I knew it was quite expensive.

I wondered if it was okay for her to give me something like this.

“Contact me. Even if it’s not about this kind of talk, I’ll listen to your idle chatter since it’s you.”

Miragen said, lightly winking one eye.

Even as I shrugged my shoulders at those words, my mind was filled with thoughts about the achievements I had made today.

Although interpreting this goodwill would be a matter for later, one thing was certain.

My plan to approach the imperial family had achieved quite a splendid result.

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As I was about to leave the Moon Tower, I looked for Adriana and learned that she was on the rooftop.

Even if I was leaving, I should at least say goodbye, shouldn’t I?

Climbing the spiral staircase again and heading to the rooftop where the sky was wide open, there was a woman blankly gazing at the sky.

A white cloth fluttered in the cool breeze.

The pure white robe she had worn when we met last time, I gazed at the golden hair dancing above it for a moment and carefully opened my mouth.

“The wind is cold.”

It was already late autumn, with the traces of summer slowly disappearing.

When I asked, as the saint’s clothing was quite thin, Adriana turned her head towards me and smiled slightly.

“It was you, Lord Taylor. I heard a sound coming from below and wondered who it was.”

“Thanks to you, I finished talking with Her Highness the Princess well. I should express my gratitude.”

“No, originally you would have met in that garden, but I insisted on calling you to the Moon Tower.”

She said that, and her gaze turned back to where the moon was.

Was there a reason for her to keep looking at the moon she couldn’t see?

Around the time I had such a question, Adriana moved her lips.

“Is the moon still white?”

“…Are you suddenly asking that?”

“The last moon I remember was white. Always rising so large, a bright white that filled my eyes.”

Come to think of it, Adriana had not been a saint since birth.

When she reached a certain age, the church that realized her existence designated Adriana as a saint.

And even God chose Adriana, so blessings poured in from all over the empire at the existence of a saint born after a very long time.

So she would remember.

The last moonlight she had seen with her own eyes must have been the last moment she saw the world.

After pondering what to answer, I eventually looked at the moon with her and replied.

“It will probably remain white. Since it was white when the empire was born, it will likely be that color until we die.”

“You’re kind. Usually, people don’t answer. Miragen would have answered. But people tend to treat me too specially.”

“Because you are special.”

“Lord Taylor doesn’t seem to consider me that special. You even teased me last time.”

If she meant last time, was it when she screamed in surprise?

I had no intention of teasing her.

I was just a bit surprised that a woman called a saint would make such a sound, that was all.

It did make my attitude towards Adriana a bit more relaxed.

It made me think of her not simply as a noble saint, but as a woman of that age.

“I had no intention of teasing you. You may not believe me, though.”

“I’ll believe you just this once. If you do it again next time…”

“Next time?”

“…I don’t know. I don’t particularly want to punish Lord Taylor.”

Adriana, who laughed softly, took her gaze off the sky and looked at me.

The faint moonlight shone, making her face look a bit pale.

She had a gentle smile, but did I imagine that she still looked a bit sorrowful?

After gazing at me quietly for a while, Adriana soon opened her mouth softly.

“I said I can see things even if I can’t see with my eyes, right?”

“Yes, I heard that earlier.”

“Do you know what I see when I look at Lord Taylor?”

After pondering for a moment, I answered that I didn’t know, and Adriana slowly moved her steps towards me.

The top of the Moon Tower was not very wide.

Just a few steps and we would be completely close to each other, so she was soon right in front of me.

A distance where we would bump into each other if she took one more step, but she didn’t touch me.

As if she knew I was in front of her.

“I don’t see anything. As if you’re a dead person.”

A voice that trembled gently, as if creating ripples, was heard.

Even as her hand touched me and brushed over my chest, there was a faint uneasiness on Adriana’s face.

Adriana’s hand touched my body.

As if trying to confirm that I was still here, I watched her arm continue to move.

“…It’s strange, a person can’t disappear in an instant. Whenever I see Lord Taylor, I have that thought. Because I can’t see anything, if I can’t hear your voice, I wonder if you’ve disappeared somewhere. Do you now know why I always say let’s meet again later when we part ways?”

“I think I understand a little now.”

-I hope you won’t be injured the next time we meet.

-See you next time. I don’t know where we’ll see each other, but I have a feeling.

Come to think of it, Adriana always added that she would see me next time.

I had thought it was just a polite remark to add at the time, but in fact, there was a deeper reason.

The reason she couldn’t see anything in me was surely because of the regression.

Perhaps it was because I had lost the attachment to life that a person should naturally possess, becoming empty like a dead person.

Adriana, who had removed her hand that was touching me, mumbled softly when I didn’t say anything.

“I believe you’ll still be in front of me.”

“You can believe that. If I were to leave, I would tell you.”

Then, as if she was a bit relieved, Adriana, who had moved a little farther away from me, looked in the direction of my face.

She was looking a bit higher because she couldn’t see, but it was clear that she wanted to make eye contact with me.

Unlike a moment ago when she was pale, Adriana’s cheeks were slightly flushed red.

Waiting to see what she would say, when a long time passed again, her mouth opened.

“When we meet next time… at that time.”

“Yes, go ahead and say it.”

“At that time, please call me Adriana.”

Adriana was her name.

What was the true intention of the woman who asked me to call her by her name?

But no matter how much I thought about it, her true intention was simply pure.

Just asking me to call her by her name, if we meet next time.

The intention of wanting to become friends.

I faced the eyes that could see nothing, yet saw more than anything else.

Unable to tell a lie to those transparent eyes, I answered readily with a smile.

“I will do so.”

Perhaps if we meet next time, I may no longer be able to call her a saint.

The smile in return had a brighter light than anything else.

Although today was a day when the moon was barely visible, I faced the most brilliant light.

None other than in the Moon Tower.

It was quite a good harvest.

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