Chương 36: The Only One Who Remembered

I was starting to lose track of what this Vice-Captain of the Knights is even talking about anymore. True, I had died once. Okay, fine, a few times, if you count all the resets from yesterday. But besides me and Halunar, nobody else was supposed to know about that, right? Henry continued speaking. Now, even that usually as expressionless as a stone monolith face of his began to show a flicker of bewilderment.

"If you truly are an emissary of the Goddes, then the Goddess should have kept you alive every single time. But indeed, every time you don't die, something strange happens. Yesterday, the loop occurred repeatedly..." My brain short-circuited for several seconds the moment I heard that keyword. What did he just say? The loop? I didn't mishear him, did I?

"Wait! Hold on, hold on. You just said 'the loop'? What do you mean by that?" Henry locked eyes with me.

"You remember the loops too?"

"I... No, I mean, what exactly is this 'loop' you're talking about? What did you feel yesterday?"

"Yesterday repeated itself numerous times; I remember all of them. Not only that, but I remember every other time as well."

"Every other time... meaning...?"

"Every time the Conquest fails, everything resets to the beginning. Are you aware of this, Emissary of Goddess?" The knight's gaze turned as cold as a blade, piercing straight through my mind. He remembered. Every single one of Halunar's resets, he remembered them all. That useless Goddess! She told me no human could retain memories of the resets! Has she seriously not noticed this massive "bug" walking around in broad daylight?

"Does that mean... you also clearly remember the time I died at the Demon King's castle?"

"I do. That was the furthest the party ever progressed. Every time after that... So, you truly do remember." Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. We sat in silence, staring at each other for a long time. It felt as though there were a thousand things to say, yet nothing could be uttered. According to the usual logic of web novels, this should have been the moment we shook hands in tears and shared a passionate embrace.

One man soloing the memories of hundreds of time loops, and another solitary soul from a distant world—shouldn't finding each other make us the ultimate brothers-in-arms? In truth, I had so many questions for Henry. If he truly remembered every single reset, his understanding of our current predicament had to be far superior to mine. And yet, I didn't trust him. I suspected he felt the same about me. Our time as "comrades" had been too brief, and more importantly, it hadn't ended on good terms.

After a long, awkward stretch, I cleared my throat and spoke.

"Well... since you know I'm not lying, can you get me out of here? Also, the little girl I sent to find you..."

"The sister of the one posing as the Princess? I've already arranged a place for her to stay."

"Right, about her older sister…"

"I've already found a way to send word."

"Oh..."

"I'm going to go speak with the Clerics now. Wait here; you'll be released soon."

"Wait!"

"... Is there a problem?"

"Could you tell them to bring breakfast while you're at it? I'm starving to death. And a pair of gloves. It'll be a trouble if too many people see this Mark."

"..." With that, Henry departed. I sighed and slumped over the table. I had been so naive to think this Isekai run would be easier than the first! Barely a month had passed, and a mountain of unforeseen variables had already piled up. This deal with Halunar was a total scam! The first Isekai life might have been a bit humiliating, but things were simple. There was no "Fake Hero," no hostages to rescue, no knowledge of a brutal slave system, and certainly no one else who had lived through a hundred time loops.

From here on out, it's going to be nearly impossible to calculate my moves. Whatever, I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it —I've lost track of how many times I've thought that. A short while later, Church staff appeared and untied my hands. They brought a lavish breakfast of bread and meat stew. Henry McCaley returned shortly after.

"They've agreed to release you on the condition that you keep the secret of the basement beneath the Cathedral. If this leaks, I'll be held responsible, and you'll be rearrested on charges of defaming the Church." I asked him while chewing on a piece of bread, "You knew about the mana slaves too, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"And you're just... fine with leaving it like that?"

"... This is the Church's business. I cannot interfere too deeply." Of course. No matter how many loops he's experienced, Henry is still a man living in a medieval society with a matching mindset. I can't exactly preach to him about the inhumanity of slavery and expect him to force the world to change overnight. But as a victim who has experienced its brutality firsthand, I have every reason to refuse to accept that such a loathsome place should even exist.

If given the chance, I will tear that place to pieces and make the Church suffer damages worthy of what they did to me. I didn't donate a gallon of my own blood just to let it slide. But that is a matter for the future; for now, I must focus on the present.

"You didn't tell them I was an emissary of the Goddess?"

"They wouldn't believe it. Even I'm not entirely sure about that claim." Fair enough. I wasn't holding my breath for that empty title to accomplish much anyway. At the end of the day, I'm too weak and have too little power. I need to get stronger before I can worry about anything else. I swallowed the last of the bread and stood up.

"Alright, take me back to the Academy."