Chương 26: Chapter 25

After the emotions he had kept buried for years had finally poured out of him, Ronin gradually regained his composure. Only then did he realize that, throughout the entire time he had clung to his grandmother, she had simply remained there, gently patting his back without uttering a single complaint. A wave of embarrassment washed over him. He quickly released her, stood up, and took a step back before bowing slightly.

"My apologies, Grandmother." Beatrice merely smiled.

"There is nothing to apologize for." Even so, Ronin quietly straightened his robes, forcing himself back into the dignified bearing expected of the Crown Prince. The room fell into an awkward silence as neither of them spoke, until Beatrice finally sighed and broke it herself.

"Would you care to explain what happened?" Ronin opened his mouth. Then he hesitated. His eyes drifted toward the attendants standing throughout the room. Seeing the direction of his gaze, Beatrice understood immediately.

"You may all leave." The attendants bowed before quietly withdrawing, the doors closing behind them until only the grandmother and grandson remained.

"It is only the two of us now," Beatrice said softly.

"Tell me. What caused all of this?" Ronin took a deep breath. Then he began speaking. He spoke of another life. Of becoming emperor. Of the Hero's Party. Of the calamities. Of regrets that had followed him until his final breath. He spoke for what felt like several minutes, pouring out everything he had carried alone for years. When he finally finished, the room remained completely silent. Only then did Ronin notice something strange.

Beatrice was staring at him with an unfocused expression, almost as though she had been lost in thought the entire time. A few seconds later, she blinked.

"... Are you unable to say it?" Ronin frowned. He had been speaking. He knew he had been speaking. Yet somehow... Not a single word had reached her. He silently filed the discovery away. Whatever force had brought him back was apparently unwilling to allow him to reveal the future so easily. If that was the case... He would simply have to find another way. Changing the subject, Ronin looked toward his grandmother.

"Grandmother... may I ask how you survived?" Beatrice looked slightly surprised by the sudden shift in conversation, though she chose not to press him any further.

"When you are ready to tell me, you will." She leaned back slightly before continuing.

"I was rescued by a rather unusual young man."

"A young man?" She nodded.

"He was quite capable. He carried me away while avoiding every member of the assassin organization pursuing me, then found a safe location before insisting that we exchange our clothing." Ronin listened carefully.

"He gave you his clothes?"

"Yes." Her expression became slightly amused.

"It was rather improper, though under the circumstances I could hardly fault him. He did not appear to recognize who I was."

"And then?"

"I turned around to change." Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"When I looked back... He had become me."

"... What?" Ronin's brows immediately knitted together.

"A perfect copy." She slowly folded her fan.

"My height. My face. Even my hairstyle had been recreated perfectly. Had I not watched it happen myself, I would have believed I was looking into a mirror." Ronin fell silent.

"A copying ability..."

"So I suspected."

"Were you able to determine what triggered it?"

"The clothing appeared to be the catalyst. Once he wore my robes, the transformation was complete." The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Ronin leaned back slightly. If someone with such an extraordinary ability had existed during his previous life... Why had he never heard of them? That made no sense. Unless... They had died before ever becoming known. Yet that explanation also failed to account for one simple fact. His grandmother had died in his previous life.

This person had changed history itself.

"Do you know his name?"

"I do not." Beatrice smiled faintly.

"But I did have someone sketch his appearance." She lightly tapped the armrest. An attendant entered carrying a carefully preserved scroll before placing it upon the table. Ronin slowly unrolled it. A young man stared back at him. His face was unfamiliar. Completely unfamiliar.

"What troubles you?" Beatrice asked. Ronin continued studying the portrait.

"If someone this capable truly existed..." His voice trailed off.

"... then why was he never known?"

"I asked myself something similar." Another gesture from Beatrice brought forward a thin collection of documents from the servant.

"This contains everything we have managed to gather." Ronin accepted the folder. It was surprisingly thin. Which meant there truly wasn't much. Opening the first page, he immediately noticed the earliest report. First confirmed appearance: approximately three months ago. His eyes narrowed. Three months. Before that, there was nothing. No childhood, no family, not even a single earlier sighting. It was as though the person had simply appeared. He continued reading. Visited Master Hemmingway's newspaper stand.

Ronin froze.

"... Master Hemmingway?" His expression changed.

"He is alive?" Beatrice looked surprised.

"Of course." Ronin lowered the report. In his previous life... Master Hemmingway had eventually taken his own life. Ronin had always believed he still had time to intervene. Instead, he had waited too long. Hearing the old man was still alive once again stirred complicated emotions within him.

"He appears to be doing rather well," Beatrice continued.

"Apparently he has begun an entirely new business venture." Ronin silently nodded before returning to the report. The next few entries only made the mystery stranger. According to several witnesses, the young man had entered what appeared to be a solid wall. Another claimed there had been a hidden doorway. Yet another insisted there was an ordinary house behind it that everyone had somehow overlooked. Ronin rubbed his forehead.

"... What?" He turned another page. The reports concerning his grandmother's rescue were even worse. One witness insisted the young man had vanished into a clothing boutique. Another swore no one had left. A third confidently claimed that only a little girl had exited the building. Ronin stared at the statements.

"... A little girl?" He read the testimony again. The witness had specifically noted that the child had been eating a lollipop while happily walking away with no adults in sight. No suspicious individuals. Just a child. He looked toward Beatrice.

"... Did your investigators verify these statements?"

"As much as possible."

"And?"

"They all insist they are telling the truth." Ronin slowly closed the folder. For the first time since returning to the past... He genuinely had no explanation. None of the reports agreed with one another. Yet none of them appeared fabricated. After a long silence, Beatrice spoke again.

"There is one consistent detail." Ronin looked up.

"The individual currently goes by the name Nina."

"Nina?" His brows rose.

"I thought you said your rescuer was a young man."

"I did."

"So why is the name..." Beatrice simply smiled behind her fan.

"That is one of the many mysteries." Ronin sighed. This entire investigation seemed determined to make less sense the more he learned. Beatrice slid another document toward him.

"This concerns the person's current occupation." Ronin opened it. His expression slowly became stranger with every line. Business Name: Can't Make It, But I Can. He blinked.

"... What?" According to the report, the business accepted commissions from people unable to attend events or complete errands themselves. The base price was ten silver coins, though customers frequently offered more to secure earlier appointments, while those who booked several days in advance retained priority regardless of later offers. Ronin read the explanation twice.

"... That is... unexpectedly reasonable."

"It appears to be surprisingly successful," Beatrice replied. He closed the report. The business was ordinary. The pricing was sensible. Everything about it was practical. Which somehow made the owner even more suspicious. Someone capable of changing appearance so flawlessly... Someone who had appeared from nowhere... Someone who had altered history itself... Was running an errand business. Ronin did not know whether to laugh or become more cautious. Finally, he looked toward his grandmother.

"I would like to observe this person."

"I suspected as much." Beatrice stood, smoothing the wrinkles from her robes.

"I already have someone who genuinely requires their services. Consider it a small test before you meet them." She walked toward the door before pausing.

"Get some rest, Ronin." Once she had left, silence returned to the room. Ronin remained seated, staring at the portrait resting beside the scattered witness statements. The same person, once a young man, then an old woman and now a little girl. Someone with no past who should not have existed, yet had already changed history. He gently tapped the edge of the portrait.

"I do not know who you are," he murmured quietly, "but if you intend to threaten this Empire, my people, or those precious to me, I will not overlook it simply because you once saved my grandmother." His gaze hardened.

"I only hope..."

"... that you are merely an unexpected butterfly, and not the beginning of something far more dangerous."