Arin’s spirited lecture on spirits had been going on for quite a while. Even Adelle, who had been enthusiastically chiming in as if it were all very amusing, was beginning to look a little tired.
Abel knew that when she got started—this enthusiast of spirits—it could go on endlessly, so he had been using the time to process paperwork.
After repeatedly showing off, the spirit itself seemed to be growing weary, yawning now and then.
Abel stamped the last paper of the budget management documents and set it aside. Just as he was about to take care of the final piece, he noticed her gaze directed at him.
Arin, who had been talking non-stop, also seemed to have picked up on that glance and fell silent.
‘Maybe I went a bit overboard there,’ she muttered quietly, scratching her cheek, which made Abel smile faintly.
Of course, Adelle hadn’t thrown that look for that reason.
‘Does she want to be left alone with me?’
After spending a few months together, reading her intent through her eyes had become fairly natural.
Abel gestured to Arin to step out for a while. She quietly took a look at Adelle and, as if she’d been waiting for it, nodded.
“I’ll step out first, Your Grace.”
With a precise salute, she opened the door and left the office.
The contrast between the chatterbox from before and her now formal demeanor was almost unbelievable.
Her clear distinction between work and personal interactions was admirable to a fault.
Adelle had been silently watching until the door opened and shut again.
When she confirmed that Arin had completely left, Adelle turned towards Abel.
“You seem to have something to say.”
“Yes.”
She solemnly nodded.
Adelle usually didn’t come directly to the office unless necessary.
Thus, her decision to visit meant it must be something important.
Abel moved the final paper aside and looked straight into Adelle’s eyes.
It was evident from her gaze that she had made a decision.
“I want to become stronger.”
Adelle declared this, clenching her fists tightly.
This wasn’t a flippant remark made in the heat of the moment. It was a conclusion drawn after days of reflecting on past events.
After nearly dying at the hands of the Emperor, she had realized something significant.
Until then, she had taken the ability to “regress” much too lightly, relying on it to make things easier.
She believed that as long as “regression” existed, no matter if it was poisoning or assassination, any death could be undone and erased.
She was convinced she could always turn back time and fix anything, no matter how powerless or helpless she was.
“Stupid me.”
Even when she possessed Adelle’s body and persuaded the family, the presence of the regression ability let her act without hesitation.
Through regression, she learned much about them and successfully persuaded them based on that knowledge.
Thanks to that, she gained allies like Lily.
The assassin sent by the Crown Prince was also dealt with easily using her regression ability.
Similarly, she sealed the contract with Abel using the same approach.
At the auction, Lily was protected against the mysterious knight due to regression.
Even in the library, where she risked her life to kill the Emperor, she succeeded by regression.
But when she faced true death in Ark, she finally realized one hard truth.
“I’m weak.”
Due to her weakness, she had no choice but to passively accept whatever came her way.
There was a time when assassins sent by the Crown Prince had not only endangered her but Lily as well.
In the library, she had to endure the agony of death to barely defeat the Emperor’s hand.
And…
She failed to save the old woman who had saved her in the village.
Blinded by the pride of being able to regress and thinking it would be enough to save the old woman, she underestimated her own weakness.
Had it not been for the contract with Abel, she would have surely died at the hands of the Emperor. If Abel hadn’t offered a new contract, she would have perished in that very moment.
“Grr…”
Unconsciously, she gritted her teeth.
Louis had warned her, “It would be better if you use regression moderately.” She shouldn’t rely on this ability blindly.
It was an issue before considering the cost of regression.
How complacent had she been, believing that it was fine as long as she could regress?
“Therefore, I must become stronger.”
In response to Adelle’s heartfelt declaration, Abel momentarily closed his eyes. He placed the pen he was holding onto the table and leaned back in his chair.
The weak and vulnerable image of her from their first meeting was nothing like this now.
The dull eyes that seemed lifeless, the trembling from fear, the sense of resignation—all of it was gone now.
Instead, her eyes radiated vitality.
Though there was still fear in her, the sense of despair that characterized her before was absent.
Her transformation was so dramatic that it made Abel smile without realizing it.
“I want to become stronger, you say…”
When he first saw Adelle, she had appeared as fragile as a young child, trying to climb a cliff with wounds on her body after falling into an abyss.
Even now, looking at her reminded him of a toddler by the water’s edge.
It evoked memories of his own childhood when he became heir to a noble family and had to tread a thorny path, knowing nothing.
Perhaps he felt this kinship because she, like him, was from the modern world. If not, he wouldn’t be this concerned about her.
“…But, it’s not the same as my past.”
Her answer was much better than what his younger self would have come up with. Back then, his answer would have been avoidance.
“Alright.”
Upon hearing his words, Adelle’s face lit up with joy.
Of course, it wasn’t all sunshine and roses.
Becoming strong doesn’t happen overnight. Only daily efforts could lead to strength, and likely, every day would be fraught with challenges.
“Are you prepared for the difficulties ahead?”
At Abel’s serious question, Adelle swallowed hard. He was right—it wouldn’t be easy.
Yet, it would be far better than sitting idly and complacently waiting. With a determined look, she nodded emphatically.
“Yes. Definitely.”
“Good.”
Then, what should Adelle do to become stronger?
Whenever he read The Wicked Girl Goes Back in Time in his past life, he often thought: If only Adelle became stronger, wouldn’t most episodes flow more smoothly?
But there was always one obstacle.
Adelle’s abysmal talent.
Her body was too weak to become a knight capable of wielding Aura. No matter how powerful the Aura, if the body containing it is weak, it loses its meaning.
The Crown Prince was a prime example. Drenched in luxury and wine, his lack of discipline led to failures even in the original story.
However, attempting physical training at this stage would likely be too late since it’s best to awaken Aura at a young age.
“Magicians…?”
It was the same story.
While she possessed a considerable amount of Mana, her most crucial talent—her sensitivity to Mana—was severely lacking.
During their re-contract, she hadn’t even felt a bit of dizziness from the pocket dimension he created.
Even the Adelle from the original story felt inferior about her own talents.
“But…”
Didn’t she claim to be a descendant of the elves?
That opened up an option. A new path that hadn’t crossed his mind before.
“Arin.”
Hearing the call, Arin briskly entered, opening the door with a loud creak. Adelle jumped slightly at her sudden reappearance.
“Did you call for me, Your Grace?”
After a slight bow, he assigned her a task.
“As a spirit knight, teach Adelle spirit magic.”
“Ah? But…”
Arin frowned, clearly concerned about something.
He understood her worry. Most spirits in this world had left for the Spirit Realm long ago and wouldn’t return.
Even Arin’s spirit spent most of its time in the Spirit Realm, given how devastated this world had become.
But, there was one thing given as a gift by Louis that changed everything.
He opened up a pocket dimension and took out an ornate music box.
A cylindrical wooden box, with an old-fashioned handle on the side, stood out.
As soon as Arin saw it, she seemed to grasp his intentions, releasing a brief gasp.
As a seasoned spiritist, she must have recognized what this music box was.
“Will you be able to do it?”
“Yes. It should be entirely possible.”
In response to Abel’s question, Arin nodded affirmatively.
“My deepest regards.”
“Your Grace can rest assured.”
She knelt on one knee, showing her dedication. Meanwhile, Adelle stood beside her, clearly still trying to piece things together.
“So… am I going to be a spiritist then?”
Abel nodded at her question.
A spiritist path that didn’t exist in the original story.
Had Louis not given that music box, had they not known Adelle was a descendant of the elves, and had young Arin not joined them earlier, this wouldn’t have been possible.
‘How fascinating.’
Seeing how altering events from the original story came together like this—it seemed that no one could predict the course of life after all.
