Selian found herself plunged into deep contemplation once again as she embarked on a new cycle of events.
There was no way she could simply ignore someone in distress; to the point where she’d even risk her own life to protect her friends.
Being kind isn’t bad, but for Selian, it was clear that Alicia’s willingness to even throw away her own life was a behavior that she absolutely couldn’t condone.
How much had she been helped by her? How much effort had she put into rescuing Alicia?
At the very least, in the world where Selian was alive, Alicia also needed to stay alive. That was Selian’s happiness and the most valuable life she could lead.
For this reason, Selian made a firm decision first. Even if it meant breaking the promise of their past life, she wouldn’t let Alicia accompany her on the journey to eradicate the Demon King this time.
Certainly, given that this was a path Selian had already tread once, it would undoubtedly go much more smoothly. The dangers to her life would also significantly decrease.
But despite everything, it was still dangerous. Even with slight variations from her previous life, the cunning Demons would surely attempt all sorts of traps and attacks she hadn’t experienced before.
Therefore, she excluded Alicia. Alicia merely needed to stay in the safest place on the continent and wait for the war to end.
The capital of the Empire seemed sufficient. Since it was where the Emperor resided, it could be deemed the safest city on the continent.
True, it was possible that the Emperor, who possessed keen insight, might discern Alicia’s identity and take an interest in her, but even if that were the case, it would be an exaggeration. As far as her identity went, she was merely an ex-assassin, nothing particularly noteworthy. Perhaps he’d find her interesting for a brief moment, but he certainly wouldn’t pay much attention to her.
Additionally, as a precaution against unforeseen circumstances, Selian decided to keep the Master-Slave Mark scroll, which she had burned instantly in her previous life, tucked away this time.
If Alicia were to once again impulsively try to sacrifice herself, Selian would use the Master-Slave Mark scroll, even if it meant being disliked by her, to save her life by force.
Thus, Selian carefully hid an intact Master-Slave Mark scroll in her room.
The final part of her plan revolved around Alicia’s Academy life.
In her previous life, thanks to Selian privately sponsoring Alicia through her family, Alicia had been able to live comfortably. Selian had no complaints about this. In fact, she was happy to see Alicia live without discomfort.
However, one could never predict when Alicia might act impulsively. For instance, if a Demon suddenly fell from the sky, how could anyone know whether or not Alicia’s life might be endangered?
Though Selian would try to stay with Alicia as much as possible, given that both of them had their individual lives and duties, it would be impossible to avoid separate actions entirely.
So, Selian resolved to minimize the time spent apart from Alicia. Even though it might cause her distress, Selian considered this a necessary choice for her safety.
Therefore, unlike in her previous life, Selian wouldn’t financially sponsor Alicia this time but instead would take her along, encouraging her to spend money, increasing the number of interactions.
By ending her support from the Assassin’s Guild and the family sponsorship that existed in her previous life, she created a situation where Alicia would have to share a double room instead of living in a single.
That way, even if there were unavoidable personal matters, Selian believed she could spend the majority of her time with Alicia.
But as they say, things don’t always go as planned.
Alicia had begun some kind of part-time job. Worse yet, it seemed she referred to her employer as “Master.”
‘A title I’ve never even heard of…! No, not that… what sort of pervert…!’
It was unlikely that Selian entertained such thoughts. Probably.
Regardless of Selian’s genuine intentions, her plan had hit a snag.
Thus, Selian exerted more effort to tighten Alicia’s financial leash.
Thankfully, upon further investigation, Selian discovered that “Master” was simply an accidental slip of the tongue due to confusion, and her actual title was closer to “Boss.” Furthermore, this so-called boss was no more than a 16-year-old girl.
Presia Gatina.
Upon reflection, Selian recognized the name from her previous lives. Though she had heard of her a few times before.
At the Academy, she was considered an absent-minded professor from the Department of Magic who skipped work to fool around.
However, during the war against the Demons, she emerged as an Archmage who protected the land from the Demon invasion despite her young age.
Although her evaluations were polarized, she had little direct connection to Selian’s own life.
How had such a frivolous professor ended up hiring part-time workers?
It had to be Alicia’s influence. Though Selian couldn’t pinpoint the specifics, she was aware that severing Alicia’s financial aid had played a key role in this.
Thus, for a moment, Selian wondered if perhaps she ought to return to her previous plan of enabling Alicia to live comfortably and whether she was doing something wrong to her friend. Yet, her resolve re-solidified upon witnessing Alicia hospitalized after being attacked by a Demon during her part-time work.
Demons were indeed dangerous creatures, and Alicia needed her protection.
In light of the unexpected developments, Selian discreetly stepped up her groundwork to keep an eye on Alicia.
Then came the summer break.
While it was a bit disappointing that Alicia visited other friends before her, Selian considered herself fortunate since it was ultimately her turn last.
Recalling her past life’s memories, Selian realized there were no significant events planned for Alicia during the summer break.
So, being the last, all she had to do was prolong Alicia’s stay at her estate. That way, they’d have even more time alone together.
And to reminisce about their past adventures, Selian even arranged for them to camp outdoors.
Though it was surprising that Yuli had launched an unexpected preemptive attack, it no longer mattered since Yuli’s turn had already passed.
That way, their summer vacation with Alicia could have been truly perfect.
Had it not been for the Emperor’s summons.
The two were suddenly called before him. Although Selian, who had repeatedly lived through previous lives, recognized the disguised Emperor during an earlier outing with Alicia to the city, Alicia had never noticed.
However, despite pretending to be aloof, Selian wasn’t overly concerned because Alicia lacked any significant traits that would attract the Emperor’s interest. Yet, here he was summoning them unexpectedly.
As it turned out, like before, the Emperor had noticed her reincarnation abilities, his piercing insight able to see through everything.
Even more alarmingly, the Emperor’s insight seemed to delve deep into Selian’s hidden intentions, identifying her primary goal of protecting Alicia over eliminating the Demon King.
Thus, Selian was understandably surprised when the Emperor proposed a wager.
Why, if the Emperor clearly saw through her inner thoughts, would he insist that she and Alicia would join the expedition to exterminate the Demon King?
But her surprise was brief. Selian boldly countered. That would never happen.
—
Time flowed and the second semester began. Although she hadn’t managed to keep Alicia in a shared double dorm room, they ultimately ended up living together.
While there had been some unexpected situations during the semester, nothing had seriously endangered Alicia’s life, except for the Demon attack during the first semester.
As Selian began to relax a little, another deviation from her past lives occurred.
The Saint unexpectedly headed to the capital. Selian had no clue why.
The important matter, however, was that Selian and Alicia had been tasked with her escort.
Selian was already determined to assist Mariel due to a debt she felt she owed her, but Alicia’s involvement was unsettling on several counts.
There was the question of Alicia’s safety, compounded by the surprising revelation that Alicia and Mariel had previously met.
Women kept surrounding Alicia. While ordinarily, that wouldn’t be too concerning, for some reason, every woman who came into contact with Alicia fell deeply in love with her—not just admiration but actual romantic feelings.
Anne’s sudden interest over the summer added to the list. Even though Marierl hadn’t shown any signs of infatuation yet, that could change any moment.
Though slightly guilty towards Mariel, Selian unconsciously became more curt with her.
However, before she could dwell on this guilt further, minions and Demons attacked their carriage.
Though Selian would be able to handle them if only she could increase her powers, she had yet to be chosen as the Hero again and thus lacked the support from the Holy Sword.
Attempting to push herself too hard at this stage carried the risk of unforeseen side effects.
Thus, as the situation became increasingly dire, she debated whether she should try to increase her powers despite the risks.
But at that moment, a scene unfolded—an event Selian had never once considered despite experiencing countless unexpected scenarios throughout her fifth lifetime.
The Holy Sword, which appeared when a Hero awoke.
It wasn’t coming toward her but instead descended toward Alicia.
As Selian stretched out her hand in vain, the sword evaded her, finally settling in Alicia’s grasp.
In this life, the Hero was not Selian, but Alicia.
—
Thus, the story reaches the present.
The sudden invasion of Pelches by the Demon King’s Army, and the emergence of Eden—a formidable enemy never seen in her previous lives.
Though Selian had hoped to avoid it, Alicia had awakened as the true Hero, remembering everything.
In fact, it was an inevitability when Alicia had been chosen as the Hero. No matter how much Selian tried to delay or prevent Alicia from wielding the Holy Sword, it would eventually happen.
Selian had always worried—would Alicia feel guilty for stabbing her in their past lives?
Would the tender-hearted Alicia collapse under the weight of such guilt and end up doing something irrational?
But Selian had the justification to address Alicia. With a righteous appeal, she declared to Alicia that she harbored no feelings of resentment toward her for what had happened.
Instead, she pointed out that Alicia had already sacrificed her own life to save Selian before.
Did her heartfelt plea reach Alicia?
Indeed, when Alicia heard this, she paused for a moment, quietly standing still without pushing Selian away.
However, just as Selian believed she had successfully persuaded Alicia, the dreaded words she’d dreaded hearing came out of Alicia’s mouth:
“Really… I’m sorry…”
Alicia’s voice carried a heavy burden of guilt that Selian couldn’t possibly understand—a guilt that was beyond her comprehension.
