Chapter 100: The Last Dance

“Tomorrow, I’m scheduled for execution.”

Serena spoke calmly.

Even as an imperial princess, she could not escape the consequences of rebellion.

“I just wanted to hear your voice one last time. That’s it. You can leave now.”

Of course, Ascal could tell it was a lie.

Because…

He was feeling incredibly drowsy.

“Wait, hold on. I told you not to come.”

Ignoring Serena’s words, Ascal approached the prison cell.

“I’m not in great shape either.”

His hair had lost its shine, his face was dry and lifeless.

Serena, who had been bowing her head, finally looked up.

“…You look better than I expected, you liar. Lying again, aren’t you?”

“Lying again? …Oh.”

He remembered.

Ascal glanced at Serena’s ears.

…There were no earrings on either ear.

But one of her ears was torn, as if something had been forcibly ripped off.

“I’m sorry. I forgot.”

“Honesty suits you. It’s fine now.”

The snowflake earrings.

He had promised to return them.

But he had forgotten after the sudden attack by the ancient dragon.

“I’m truly sorry.”

“I said it’s fine. Now, go.”

Serena refused to continue the conversation.

In the end, Ascal had no choice but to turn back.

****

The next day.

The leader of the rebellion, the second imperial princess, Serena Barba, was executed.

***

For a time, the empire was in turmoil, but people quickly returned to their daily lives.

Underneath that fragile peace lay the sacrifices and efforts of countless officials and nobles.

Among them, Ascal and Bernstein were now serving as the prime minister and chancellor, respectively, enduring backbreaking work.

In the imperial palace, they even shared the same office.

“Please… just kill me now…”

“Is this life? Or is it death? What defines a person?”

***

Every day, they submitted letters of resignation, only for them to be rejected.

Kain Barba, now the emperor, entered the office.

“Good news. If you finish today’s work, you’ll finally get some sleep.”

“How long?”

“Three hours.”

“Oh! Three whole hours of sleep…”

Ascal was moved. Then, he immediately realized something was wrong.

‘Wait, how did it come to this?’

After defeating the ancient dragon, he was supposed to retire.

But naturally, he was tricked by Kain.

-“Given the current state of affairs, we’re short on hands. Just endure until the nation stabilizes.”

Kain had lured him in, as smoothly as flowing water.

‘This isn’t a life.’

Ascal glanced at the shoes Kain was wearing.

They were dirty, covered in grass and mud, suggesting he had been outside.

“Did you go hunting?”

Kain smiled.

“Your horse, Fer, is amazing.”

Since Ascal couldn’t go outside, Kain had been using Fer instead.

But they had agreed he’d only borrow Fer three times.

“Please return Fer to me…”

“Haha, don’t you think Fer considers me his owner now?”

“No… This can’t be…”

“With such capable subordinates like you, I even have time to enjoy hunting. Well then, keep up the hard work!”

Kain left the office.

Ascal stared out the window, hopelessly.

He wanted to jump.

How was this any different from the time he lived as Yulia’s captive in her dream world?

“Well, at least the empire is peaceful. Here, have some coffee. I put plenty of sugar in it.”

There was one difference.

The tyrant Yulia now smiled sweetly as she brought coffee to Ascal and Bernstein, her hair tied back.

“When do you think we can finally retire, Lia?”

“Hmm… Considering the current workload and the empire’s future stability…”

After some thought, Lia replied,

“About fifty years from now, I’d say.”

“Goodbye, cruel world.”

Ascal immediately leapt out the window.

Crash—!

He felt no damage.

“…It doesn’t even hurt.”

The Body of a Swordmaster Is Needlessly Sturdy

The servants cleaning nearby glanced at Ascal and spoke.

“He jumped out again today.”

“It’s such a familiar sight by now…”

Returning to the office, Ascal waited for nightfall.

When the moment came, he attempted yet another escape.

“This makes it the 34th time, my son. Now, draw your sword.”

Waiting for him was none other than his father, Arthur Debrue.

Having become a Swordmaster after the battle with the ancient dragon, Arthur was now far more formidable than before.

“Could you at least fight me one-on-one?”

“Why should I?”

Of course, it wasn’t even a one-on-one fight.

Elite members of the Imperial Special Forces appeared at Arthur’s side.

“Let’s go, boys! Capture the prime minister!”

“Uoooooh!”

Life was utterly miserable.

****

The sky and the breeze felt refreshing.

Having reclaimed Fer from Kane, Ascal soared through the air.

If he didn’t relieve his stress like this, he felt he might go insane.

‘Now I can even see the Sacred Tree from here…’

The Sacred Tree, which had grown to an absurd size, was now one of the empire’s most iconic symbols.

Today, Ascal decided to fly toward it.

Below, he could see the Evaluation Department building.

A wave of memories washed over him.

Those days at the Evaluation Department were better, he thought.

“Let’s fly a bit higher, Fer.”

Ascal climbed higher, ascending to the waist of the Sacred Tree, where its leaves came into view.

As he wandered, various thoughts crossed his mind.

For instance, what if he had returned Serena’s earrings before going to face the ancient dragon?

‘It’s already in the past. It’s not like I can go back in time.’

–I will grant your wish.

“?”

At that moment, lightning struck.

The bolt hit both Ascal and Fer, causing them to shudder violently.

‘I… I can handle this.’

Startled, Fer began to panic and flew at an incredible speed.

“Wait, hold on!”

The speed was extraordinary.

It kept accelerating.

“At this rate, we’ll surpass the speed of light!”

The golden pegasus broke the light barrier.

Ascal passed out.

​****

​

Ascal Woke Up.

For a while, Ascal couldn’t gather his thoughts. Dismounting from Fer, he looked around.

It was the familiar streets of the empire’s capital.

But something caught his eye—crowds of people bustling about.

“Snowflake Festival skewers! Everyone, grab one! Buy two, get one free!”

Snowflake Festival?

‘Have I really traveled back in time?’

Ascal looked up at the sky.

The ancient dragon hadn’t appeared yet.

‘If that’s the case, I can still get to Serena.’

It was still broad daylight.

Mounting Fer once more, Ascal quickly flew toward the abandoned building where the Moonlight Troupe used to gather.

Descending swiftly, he found her—just as he hoped.

There she was: Serena.

“Princess Serena.”

Serena turned to look at him.

“…Darling, you really came?”

The scenario he had only imagined was now happening in real life.

All he had to do now was return her earrings.

But…

Ascal’s expression hardened as he rummaged through his pockets.

‘Of course, the earrings aren’t here…’

There was no choice.

Ascal bowed his head.

“My apologies. I lost the earrings. But I’ll get you a similar pair.”

“…You lost them? It can’t be helped. But I’m truly thankful you came.”

Serena smiled brightly.

“And please, come with me to the Windwall Plains.”

Ascal explained the matter of the ancient dragon to Serena.

“Of course, darling.”

Ascal secretly clenched his fist.

‘Great. Everything’s going according to plan.’

****

Back to the Future

Ascal returned to the future on Fer.

The empire was in flames.

“What? Why. Again. Why again?”

He needed to assess the situation.

Flying into the imperial palace on Fer, Ascal froze the moment he saw the figure seated on the throne.

Wearing the imperial crown was none other than Yulia Barba.

She was idly rolling a chess piece between her fingers.

“Li… Lia.”

“There you are, Ascal. I was looking for you.”

He needed to run.

He needed to run.

He needed to run.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

Barely, by the skin of his teeth, Ascal managed to escape.

‘Back to the time before the dragon…’

Serena Didn’t Receive the Earrings

When Ascal went to the Windwall Plains without giving Serena her earrings, Yulia turned into a tyrant.

‘This time, I’ll buy an expensive pair of earrings, no matter what.’

Ascal visited a shop reserved for nobles and selected the most expensive earrings he could find, presenting them to Serena.

“…I’m happy, darling.”

He then headed to the Windwall Plains with her again before returning to the future.

‘This time, everything will be perfect.’

****

The Empire Was in Flames

“Wow, I can’t do this anymore. Who’s behind it this time?”

Flying into the imperial palace on Fer, Ascal was met with a shocking sight.

Seated on the throne was…

‘The crown prince? Why?!’

It was Kain Barba, the crown prince.

“Welcome, my loyal prime minister. I was just feeling a bit bored.”

“What is going on here? How did you become emperor, and why is the empire burning?”

Kain lazily picked at his ear and smirked.

“Oh, that? I burned it.”

“…Pardon?”

“I was bored.”

The crown prince—no, he was never truly “normal” to begin with—had become something far worse.

This wasn’t just tyranny; this was tyranny taken to absurd extremes.

What kind of twisted bloodline did this imperial family have?

Ascal gave up on understanding.

Mounting Fer once more, he returned to the past.

****

“Let’s Not Fight the Dragon.”

“Why don’t we just leave the dragon alone?”

“Didn’t you say this was our chance?”

“On second thought, there’s no way a dragon that’s tasted defeat would attack the empire again.”

Ascal persuaded his party.

Though skeptical, they eventually agreed due to Ascal’s insistence.

After explaining the situation to Serena once again, he returned to the future.

‘This time, everything should be fine, right? Please tell me the dragon hasn’t become emperor now.’

The empire wasn’t burning.

Instead, strange gears and mechanisms turned on every building, and massive golems roamed the streets.

“What in the world is this now?”

Hurrying to the palace, Ascal entered the throne room.

Seated on the throne was…

“Welcome, my dear friend. I, the Machine Emperor Bernstein, have been expecting you.”

“…Oh, for f—”

Bernstein’s mustache gleamed under the mechanical light.

Cursing under his breath, Ascal immediately turned Fer around and flew back to the past.

​****

​

Ascal Tried Giving Serena Flowers Instead

When Ascal gave Serena flowers instead of earrings, the empire abruptly became a republic.

Deciding to give up entirely, he stayed home, only to witness an allied invasion that sparked a great war.

Seeking advice from Yulia, she suggested that her becoming a tyrant might be the best option, prompting Ascal to immediately flee.

****

Dozens, Even Hundreds of Retries

Despite retrying dozens, even hundreds of times, the future kept shifting in bizarre directions.

The golden hue of Fer coat was fading with each attempt.

Ascal instinctively knew that his chances were running out.

‘Should I just let things play out as they originally did?’

No.

By now, it had become a matter of stubborn pride.

Returning to the past once more, Ascal decided to try something different this time.

****

A New Approach

“So, that’s how things have turned out, Serena. Frankly, I’m too tired to even speak politely. What do you think I should do?”

“…This is utterly ridiculous,” Serena said, placing her hands on her hips in exasperation.

After pondering for a moment, she finally spoke.

“There’s one thing you haven’t tried, right? Why don’t you give me the earring?”

“No matter how hard I searched, I couldn’t find it anywhere.”

Indeed, no matter how many times Ascal tried, he could never locate Serena’s missing earring.

“It’s right here.”

Serena casually tapped the earring dangling from her ear with her finger.

“…”

Taking out one of her earrings, Serena held it out to Ascal.

“Here, take it.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Yeah. But I have one request.”

“Tell me.”

Serena clasped her hands together as she spoke.

“When you give that earring to the Serena you meet, tell her you love her. If you do, she’ll become the happiest Serena in any world.”

“…Even if it’s a lie?”

“That’s okay. Because I have confidence.”

Serena smiled brightly.

“I’m going to make you fall for me. So deeply that you won’t ever be able to escape. You’d better prepare yourself!”

With those words, Serena bid Ascal farewell.

****

The Final Attempt

Taking the single earring, Ascal returned to the beginning.

His hair had grown long, his beard unkempt, and his clothes were filthy with sweat, but there was no time to care about such things.

It was nighttime.

‘I can’t return to the daytime anymore.’

This was likely his final chance.

Time was running out.

Ascal hurried to where Serena was.

​****

​

The Dimly Lit Building

In the distance, Serena could be seen.

Under the soft glow of moonlight, she was performing.

For some reason, Ascal didn’t feel drowsy this time.

“Your acting has improved.”

Serena turned toward him, startled.

Ascal approached, holding out the earring.

And then—

****

Face-to-Face with the Ancient Dragon

Before him loomed the ancient dragon.

This time, there was no way to return to the future.

Ascal had to face the consequences of his final decision.

Suddenly, Lightbane began to glow.

「Calculating user’s achievements. Current ranking: Unquestionably #1 among humanoid lifeforms on the continent. Additionally, ranked #1 on The Greatest of All Time leaderboard. Would you like to ascend?」

The dragon spoke.

“I, Karnax, the Origin Dragon, surrender.”

Why?

****

The weight of countless retries, sacrifices, and choices culminated in this singular moment.

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

 

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