I Possessed the Villain’s Childhood Friend – Chapter 123

I slowly opened my mouth to answer Aike Akses’s question.

“That’s quite an absurd ending.”

“Right. The world can’t be divided into just black and white.”

“But there’s a story that’s missing, isn’t there?”

“…What’s that?”

Aike Akses looked at me with a blank expression, as if he didn’t understand anything.

“The story of Aike Akses in the original world.”

At my remark, Aike Akses let out a deep sigh.

“Yeah. I suppose you would notice.”

“I reincarnated into that body, yet there’s no story from the person himself. That’s just strange.”

On hearing that, Aike Akses nodded and continued speaking.

“I didn’t do anything in the original world.”

“…Nothing?”

“Yeah. I did nothing. I didn’t even participate in the battle against Avatarara.”

I could understand that.

After all, the actual battle in the original work consisted only of Sophia, Leon, and the upper knights surrounding them.

It was odd for a minor character like Aike to even be there.

But.

“…Why, then, didn’t you side with Reina? You promised to be her knight, Aike Akses. Shouldn’t you have protected her no matter what?”

The more I thought about that, the more my anger towards the real Aike Akses boiled.

“That’s true. But I… I forgot that promise.”

“Forgot? What do you mean…?”

“Even if it’s an important promise, it was just a conversation between seven-year-old kids. I couldn’t remember everything. In the end, the only purpose that remained was to become a knight with a talent I didn’t have. That’s not what I truly wanted.”

I wanted to be angrier, but I couldn’t find the words.

Aike Akses had a look of self-hatred on his face, as if he despised himself.

“In the end, I was able to recall that promise by listening to Reina’s last words. And I was filled with despair. Why did I turn my back on Reina? Knowing what kind of person she was, why couldn’t I trust her? I swore to be her knight and that I would be on her side no matter what, so why did I forget all of that?”

The way Aike Akses continued, teeth clenched, looked almost ghostly.

“I hated myself. I despised myself. And somehow, I wanted to change the past.”

“So you made me reincarnate into your past body?”

“To be precise, it was the god Eos who did that.”

“Eos, the god?”

The only religion in that world. The god worshipped by the Martires Order.

That god granted Aike Akses’s wish?

“…Since that day, I began to read countless books without missing a single day. From the basics of modern magic to the origins of ancient magic. There was only one reason. To find the magic that could take me back to the past. But.”

“There can’t be such magic.”

“Right. In the end, there was no magic that could interfere with time. That’s something that surpasses miracles. And one day, the god Eos appeared in my dream.”

★

“I know your wish. I know how desperate you are.”

“Then please…!”

“But that’s impossible. That time has already passed. That destiny is long gone.”

Aike fell into despair at Eos’s words.

If that was true, then why did he come to him?

To teach him the futility of unreachable hope?

“That’s not it. I’ve come to give you an opportunity to choose.”

“…An opportunity to choose?”

“Yeah. As I said, sending you back to the past is impossible. No, to be precise, it is possible, but Reina Rozelia would also die. Once a fate is set, it’s absolute—your effort cannot save Reina Rozelia.”

Upon hearing the god’s declaration that he couldn’t save Reina with his own strength, Aike clenched his teeth.

Even if he could attain a miracle to go back in time, he couldn’t save Reina.

So what was he supposed to do?

“But if you simply ask how to save Reina Rozelia, there is a possibility.”

And at the following words from Eos, Aike’s eyes widened as he looked ahead.

Though that statement only hinted at possibility and not certainty, that was enough for Aike.

“You came here to give me a choice, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Then I will.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to hear what it is?”

Eos asked, looking puzzled.

But Aike had made his determination from the moment he vowed to save Reina.

For her sake, he wouldn’t even spare his own life.

“Why did you oppose Reina’s execution until the end?”

“…I once asked Miss Sophia about that. She said:

‘While we had obvious differences in opinion and conflicted, that was all there was to it.’

‘I thought it was natural for me and Reina to oppose each other. I’m basically a bit of a laid-back person while Reina, knowing her position, couldn’t afford to be as carefree.’

‘I don’t hate Reina. On the contrary, I wanted to talk until the very end. If we had been able to have a genuine conversation, many things could have changed.’

‘Her coming to see me that day wasn’t to harm me, I’m sure of it.’”

It wasn’t Aike, who had known Reina since childhood, who truly understood her.

Rather, it was Sophia, who had opposed her, who understood Reina better than Aike did.

That realization came to Aike as an immense regret.

“…If you were to ask what kind of relationship Reina and I had, I wouldn’t know. Just childhood friends I’ve known since we were young. To put it simply, that’s all there is to it.”

At some point, they stopped properly communicating, and he had never felt any romantic feelings.

The promise made when they were young came flooding back when he heard Reina’s last words, but he had no idea if she remembered that promise.

However.

“I swore that no matter what happened, I would stand by Reina’s side and that I would never abandon her. I swore to become her knight.”

That fact, without a doubt, would never disappear.

“If I let this opportunity pass, I will regret it for the rest of my life. So no matter what it is, I will save Reina.”

“…Very well.”

Upon hearing Aike’s words, Eos nodded.

“I will teach you how.”

And with a soft smile, Aios agreed.

★

“‘She heals the wounded world’ is a work I wrote. To be precise, it’s an adapted diary of my past experiences.”

“That’s what you meant when you spoke of the original world?”

“Right. It’s a work that erases all future tragedies and creates a happy ending. But there’s another part to it.”

I realized the meaning even without Aike Akses specifying.

“Reina’s actions.”

“Correct. I exaggerated her actions so that others would see Reina more as the antagonist. If there’s someone who can change the fate of Reina dying, it would definitely be someone who can uncover the essence hidden within the lies.”

And that was the answer, Aike Akses said with a smile for the first time.

“Thank you. Because of you, Reina will surely be able to live with a smile.”

“…That’s like giving a dog a burnt pie.”

I mocked him with all my strength, but Aike Akses’s smile didn’t waver.

Did it mean that he was the true protagonist?

I felt unpleasant.

But.

“Now, it’s time to choose.”

At his next words, my thoughts halted for a moment.

“The first option is to continue living in the world you’re currently in. If you choose this, you will enjoy the greatest happiness in that world. What you’re being offered now is the start of that.”

“Wait a minute. What’s that…?”

“And the second option is to live as Aike Akses in the Astria Empire. If you choose this, regrettably, there won’t be any particular benefits. You might find yourself fighting, blushing, and thinking you should have lived in the original world instead.”

As those words ended, two doors appeared behind Aike Akses.

On the left door was the ceiling of the room I currently lived in, and on the right door was the ceiling of the Akses Duke House.

“…What happens if I choose the left door?”

“Well, you’d search for someone else who can save Reina.”

That seemed impossible, Aike Akses added.

And with that statement, I realized.

“…Are you already dead?”

“Correct.”

Aike Akses answered my question without hesitation.

“To change Reina’s fate, I sacrificed my soul. To put it in your world’s terms, it’s equivalent exchange. I can’t just spend time in the future you altered.”

“Were you just here to brag about the memories you spent for thirty years when I asked you about that?”

“While writing ‘She heals the wounded world,’ I realized I had a talent for storytelling. I thought it would be fun to fabricate non-existent memories.”

“Were you talking about how Reina could smile because of me?”

“You would surely return to the Astria Empire.”

That was his certain answer.

And that answer was indeed correct.

“Are you okay with that?”

At my question, Aike Akses smiled again.

“You once told Dean Ender that a world where hardworking people can’t be happy is a dreadful story. I simply agreed with that.”

“…I see.”

“On the contrary, what about you? You’ll be giving up all the luck and connections you would have in your original world. More importantly, when you return to the Empire, you will cease to exist in your original world.”

At Aike Akses’s words, many people came to mind.

Starting with the director of the labor agency and Uncle Hwang, as well as all the adults who cared for me.

Even now, there are doctors and nurses who occasionally check on my condition.

“I’m okay.”

Of course, it would be a lie to say I wouldn’t feel regret.

After all, the three years I spent with those people had become precious memories despite the occasional void.

But still, I would go back to that world.

“What they wanted was for me to be happy after all the hardships I faced.”

“…Right.”

With Aike Akses giving a reply identical to my former self, he waved his hand, causing the door showing my room’s ceiling to vanish.

“Let me tell you one thing. In that world, you have just defeated Dait Chernobog, and it has been two weeks since then. And Aike Akses still hasn’t awakened.”

When he asked if I had any more questions, I shook my head quietly and stepped forward.

“Goodbye, …And please take care of Reina, Aike Akses.”

Without needing to say it, I will make her smile for the rest of her life, you rascal.

You’re playing tricks, scaring people.

“…Still, thank you for giving me this opportunity.”

With those few words of gratitude, I stepped through the door.

The moment white light enveloped me, I was able to open my eyes.

★

“Huh?”

The ceiling of the main house came into view.

I sensed it wasn’t a dream.

Had my hair grown long in these two weeks? My reddish-brown hair slightly covered my eyes.

For some reason, I was wearing an Arcana uniform.

“…Really, I’m back.”

I rose from the bed and looked around. This was undoubtedly my room.

And then my gaze fell upon my desk, where a notebook filled with information to save Reina was open.

“…Why is this here?”

There were several sentences written in Reina’s handwriting.

-I didn’t know you worked so hard for me.

-Thank you so much.

-I hope you wake up soon. I have so much I want to tell you.

-Everyone is waiting for you, Aike.

And in the last line, it read…

-It’s already been two weeks. You’ll wake up for sure, right?

Two weeks.

Surely today is….

As I realized that, I threw open the door and dashed outside.

“Young Master?!”

“Sorry, Noelle! I’ll talk to you later!”

I had no certainty.

She might have already returned to Heros.

But my instinct screamed.

Reina is definitely waiting for me there.

“Reina!”

“Aike…?”

At my call, her platinum hair fluttered in the air.

Looking around, I found myself in a place where I could see all of Arcadia’s battlefield.

On that hill, where I had enjoyed the fireworks with Reina, she stood quietly, gazing at the sky.

“Reina….”

Reina’s amethyst eyes filled with surprise as she looked at me.

“Did I really wake up?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry. Did you wait long?”

My breath was ragged.

But I knew that it wasn’t just from exhaustion.

“I’m okay….”

“I missed you. I truly missed you.”

As I slowly embraced Reina, her warmth flowed through me.

That emptiness that hadn’t been filled for three years was certainly because of this.

Because I couldn’t see you.

Because I couldn’t talk to you.

Because I couldn’t feel your warmth.

“The world without you was too lonely and cold.”

“…Are you crying again?”

Even as I poured out words I couldn’t fully understand, Reina gently patted my back.

“Yeah. I’m just a coward without you.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“…I wish you would deny something like this.”

“Sorry. I just can’t lie.”

At that, I smiled, releasing the hug and wiping my tears before looking at Reina.

And for the first time.

“Reina.”

“Yeah?”

“I like you.”

I conveyed my feelings to her.

The words she had always said to me, I finally said back.

“Who’s that?”

“Me.”

“Who are you?”

“Reina, it’s you.”

“What about it?”

“I like you.”

“Is that so?”

The silver hairpin that I had given her sparkled, nestled above her right ear.

Seeing that, I took a breath and opened my mouth again.

“Reina, I love you.”

Reina’s amethyst eyes turned back to surprise.

“Right now, I just woke up, and I have nothing to offer.”

But I steadied my trembling heart and continued.

“Still, if it’s okay with you, in this shabby situation, with this weak me, if it’s acceptable….”

The unhidden sincerity I had always thought about.

“Will you marry me? I’m weak, and I want to keep walking with you from now on.”

Reina’s expression hardened at my words.

And after pinching her cheek for a moment, she asked me.

“This isn’t a dream, right?”

“If you think this is a dream, I’ll propose to you every day from today onwards until you can accept it as reality.”

“…No, it’s okay.”

A quiet droplet of water fell from Reina’s eyes.

Though the tears kept flowing, Reina didn’t seem to care at all.

“Aike.”

“Yeah?”

“I really, really like you.”

And as she said that with a smile, her beauty surpassed everything I had ever seen.

“From now on!”

The sight of Reina smiling was the most beautiful of all.

“I Reincarnated as the Antagonist’s Childhood Friend.” The End.