“Let’s calmly organize our thoughts. So, this is the Urentum from over a year ago. The Urentum where I stayed with Hannah.”
I had a way to confirm if my thoughts were correct. After ensuring both women were completely out of sight, I moved with Valerie.
I was heading to the place where I had stayed in Urentum, the location of the lodge on Louisette Street.
When Karl, the head of the imperial investigation team, came to arrest me as a ‘suspect in the murder of the Duke of Schwaben,’ my lodge, which belonged to Count Jeo, had completely collapsed due to an explosion.
If my assumption was right, and this was indeed Urentum from a year ago, then the lodge should still exist. If it was there, my thoughts would be validated; if not, my reasoning would be proven wrong.
“Indeed…”
The lodge was there. The forest where I first opened my eyes with Valerie was broadly spread behind the lodge.
It was a dense forest that I had only looked at from the window because it was too overgrown, and I had never entered it.
“That means I really have flown to a time and place over a year ago…”
It seemed all the magic stones from the cave had been used. To traverse such distance and time, an enormous amount of magic stones would be required.
“So where did Franz go?”
I had cast a spell on both Franz and myself to return us. Yet, I had transcended both time and space to return to a year ago, and Franz was not here.
So, where could Franz have gone? Had he also returned to the place a year ago?
“I seem to recall being told not to encounter one’s past self.”
After learning that I had even kissed Karl while traveling back in time, I studied a lot about magic related to ‘time.’
For parts I wanted to know more about or didn’t fully understand through reading, I even asked Minister Linke for direct answers.
One of the most intriguing points I learned from Linke was that there are a few rules one must strictly adhere to when using magic to go back in time.
Among those, the absolute rule is not to encounter one’s past self.
That’s why Valerie’s form, coming from the future while I was with her when she was pregnant, gradually faded.
If we hadn’t properly understood Valerie’s condition and had been together during childbirth… it could have resulted in a horrific situation I don’t even want to think about.
They say even Linke doesn’t know exactly what happens when timeless souls see each other.
Both could disappear, or just one might vanish. Even if one survives, the aftermath could be horrific.
“It’s like meeting a doppelganger and dying.”
I was instinctively wise to avoid the sight of my past self walking with Hannah a year ago. If I had stood there thoughtlessly and encountered my former self…
“Ugh, terrifying.”
But the next issue was the problem. I had no idea where Franz had gone, but if he had indeed flown here with me, I couldn’t just stand here helplessly.
‘A tremendous amount that even foolish frogs, who lived their lives in the palace, would never get to see, was stored in Urentum. My mother had prepared it long ago.’
Franz’s words came to mind. He had spoken recklessly, thinking he could brag about me and my mother, mistakenly believing he could restore my mother’s honor with such words.
What a fool for boasting information that could harm me. In a way, Franz was a consistent character.
He was a narcissist prone to self-delusion—excessively greedy yet lacking the wisdom to support his desires. That kind of character.
“So, you mean to say… a massive quantity of magical stones is stored here?”
The amount of magical stones held in the royal treasury was certainly not insignificant. Criminals might go a lifetime without seeing even a palm-sized stone.
The royal treasury, filled with stones the size of gold bars, was accessible to anyone in the royal family.
If there was a quantity so enormous that even royals couldn’t witness it, it truly means an astounding number.
‘Prepared a long time ago.’
“Are you saying Marina secretly stored magical stones in Urentum long ago?”
Franz had clearly said “a long time ago.” When I first met Marina, her body was contorted, resembling a monster, and it had likely taken years for her to get to that state.
If she had been instructed to secretly store magical stones long ago, then she must have started that work at least before her body deteriorated.
She wouldn’t have undertaken such a massive task in poor health. Of course, Franz’s “a long time ago” was certainly not just 1 or 2 years ago.
“Then there should be magical stones here now.”
After a year, the amount needed for Franz to move to LaHart would still be here. If I find those magical stones and return things to how they were, everything will be resolved.
“Before meeting Franz, and… before encountering my past self from a year ago.”
I need to find the magical stone. My heart raced. Still, I was relieved to have found a way back. Now, I just needed to figure out how to implement the solution.
“Babua, Bya-byaya.”
The butterfly that had flown over the grass came back again. The previously quiet Valerie started waving her hands and screaming again.
“Oh no. Valerie, shh!”
I pressed my finger to my lips, trying to signal for silence, but it was futile. There was no way a 13-month-old child could understand such words.
“Kyah, kyah. Bya!”
Contrary to my feelings, Valerie increased her volume. With her growing voice, my anxiety deepened.
“It seems impossible to quietly search for the magical stone while taking care of Valerie.”
If only someone would watch the child for a moment, it would be easier. Who would willingly take care of Valerie while hiding from people’s gaze in the past of Urentum?
And how could I know if anyone here was trustworthy? I let out a sigh.
‘This is Miss Valerie, daughter of Lady Louisette. We have come to escort her as the promised deadline approaches.’
A white paper flashed in my mind, fleeting through. It was the note that had been in the basket when I first met Valerie in Urentum.
“Detective Alfonso’s office…”
In the Urentum of a year ago, someone I could trust to take care of Valerie without my past self finding out.
“That’s right, Detective Alfonso!”
I had found such a person.
As I praised myself for remembering him, I adjusted my hold on Valerie, who was flailing while trying to catch the butterfly, and started walking. The path to the detective’s office was easy to recall.
First, I would drop Valerie off for a moment and search for the magical stone. Once I found it, I would bring Valerie back and recite the spell to return to how things were, leading to a happy ending.
A completely fulfilled happy ending! As my urgency grew, I quickened my pace.
***
“Excuse me? What can I do for you?”
Alfonso Detective Agency. This was my second visit here.
“You want me to take care of the child?”
Alfonso, the detective with brown hair and a relatively small stature for a man, looked back and forth between me and Valerie with a bewildered expression.
“It will only be for a moment. I won’t keep her long.”
“Well, that is…”
“I’ll pay you generously. This should be more than enough.”
He removed a bracelet and placed it on the desk. I didn’t know the exact price, but he said it was crafted with gold and embedded with rubies, so it must be quite valuable.
It felt very, very generous for just a few hours of watching a child.
“No, it’s not about the cost…”
“Why? Is it insufficient? Then how about this?”
He then took off a necklace. It had a large diamond in the center, surrounded beautifully by sapphires, far more valuable than the bracelet.
“Oh my, I can’t even sell something like this. Jewelers in Urentum wouldn’t handle such precious gems.”
The detective waved his hand. So what was the issue? If the value was lacking, I could understand, but hesitating because the value was overwhelming was something I’d never seen before.
“Well, the thing is, my brother is the actual owner here. He’s on a business trip for a few days.”
“What? So you’re saying you’re not Detective Alfonso?”
The thought that he might not be the Alfonso I knew naturally made me add “sir” at the end.
“He looks just like him, doesn’t he? Detective Alfonso?”
“The Detective Alfonso on the sign is my grandfather. My twin brother inherited it, but anyway, I’m not a detective, ma’am.”
“Alright, I understand you’re not a detective, but please take care of the child.”
“Well, that is…”
“Anyone who isn’t a detective can take care of a child, right?”
“Still, ma’am. These days, due to the protocols related to the ‘infant abduction case’ originating from the royal family, it’s a little…”
Ah. Now that I think about it, the Alfonso detective from a year ago mentioned the ‘infant abduction case’ when he first took Valerie, confirming our parent-child relationship.
