Chapter 5…
As I chuckled to myself, the soldiers exchanged glances and silently signaled one another.
Aunt Cecil glared at them and screamed.
“Let go! What did I do wrong?! You’ve got the wrong person!”
“Whether you’re guilty or not will be determined soon enough.”
After firmly restraining both of Aunt Cecil’s arms, the soldiers forcibly pulled her to her feet.
Even as she was being dragged away, she didn’t give up and continued her fake mother-daughter act.
“T-Tania! Why are you doing this to your mother? Are you upset because I didn’t buy you candy earlier? If that’s the case, I’m sorry. Hurry and tell them it’s not true, people will misunderstand!”
At that, the soldiers looked at me and the merchant leader as if asking whether it was true.
“This child is an orphan who grew up on the streets. Our merchant group sometimes gives her errands and pays her with food, so I know her well.”
“Y-Yes, what the uncle said is right.”
Pretending to tremble, I nodded along. The soldiers clicked their tongues as they looked at Aunt Cecil.
“Honestly, lying so blatantly when it’ll obviously be exposed. There’s no need to hear more. Let’s go!”
One of the soldiers tried to take me along as well, but the quick-witted merchant leader stepped in.
“The child looks very frightened. I’ll calm her down and bring her to the guard station myself.”
“Ah, would you? Thank you.”
Seeing me still trembling pitifully, the soldiers showed sympathetic expressions and left.
I lightly waved at Aunt Cecil as she was dragged away and muttered as if to myself,
“Nice meeting you, and let’s never see each other again.”
Feeling refreshed after sending her off, I looked at the merchant leader and gave him a thumbs-up.
“You’re more capable than I thought, mister. I didn’t expect you to come so quickly.”
“I was lucky. I ran into the soldiers on my way to call the guards. I just acted like it was a serious situation.”
He smirked and ruffled my hair.
“You’re the impressive one. Your improvisation was excellent. When you mentioned the central clock tower, it sounded so real that even I almost believed you.”
“Hm? That is where illegal ability-user trades happen.”
“….”
“Hehe. That way, they’ll throw her in prison as an accomplice.”
The merchant leader asked in a more cautious tone,
“…Can you even know things like that through your foresight ability?”
“Of course not. I just learned it naturally while living at the bottom.”
At my sudden tragic backstory, he patted my back with eyes full of sympathy.
“You must have gone through so much at such a young age…”
As he continued patting my back, he seemed to realize it was time to part ways and made one more offer.
“Tania, are you sure you don’t want to join our merchant group?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
“Tch, I see.”
Though he couldn’t hide his disappointment, he still showed consideration.
“If that’s truly how you feel, I’ll at least take you to the orphanage. That’s fine, right?”
“Ah… actually, before going to the orphanage, there’s somewhere I’d like to stop by. Could you take me there?”
Now that the small fry had been dealt with, it was time for the most important thing.
To reunite with Uncle Aiden, who had died… after five years.
✦ ✦ ✦
It didn’t take long to arrive near the house where Uncle Aiden and I had lived in the previous timeline.
I bowed my head in gratitude to the merchant leader who brought me here.
“Thank you for everything.”
“No need to thank me. I gained something out of this too. As you said, it was a fair deal.”
“Oh, speaking of deals… I told you before that I had two pieces of information, right? I’ll tell you the second one now.”
“It’s fine. I’ve already received more than enough.”
“You should still hear it.”
I raised one corner of my lips playfully.
“The first piece of information was that there would be a major crop failure next year, right?”
“…That’s right.”
“Well, the year after that, the Magic Tower will introduce a new farming method that drastically increases grain production. So sell everything you buy this year next year.”
“Hah.”
He let out a sigh and stroked his beard.
“So that’s why you said you’d tell me the second piece later.”
“Yes.”
A major crop failure doesn’t just affect that year.
Normally, it takes several years to recover. But this time was an extremely rare case.
If he had stockpiled grain, he would naturally wait for prices to rise further.
If he hadn’t helped me properly and I hadn’t given him the second piece of information…
Then, when a bumper harvest flooded the market the following year, he would have been forced to sell everything at a loss.
“The more I think about it, the more I regret not recruiting you.”
“Haha, who knows? We might meet again soon.”
I smiled brightly and said goodbye.
“It was a good deal. I wish your business success.”
✦ ✦ ✦
[Overwriting the current point with Point 2.]
After saving the current point, I stood in front of the door to Uncle Aiden’s house and took a small breath.
I knew he was alive at this point in time.
But maybe because it had been so long… I felt strangely nervous.
I wiped the sweat from my hands onto my clothes and carefully knocked.
After some time, the sound of a rusty door opening echoed, and someone appeared.
Creak—
I took in the man who stepped out as if engraving him into my memory.
His bronze skin suited his mercenary profession. His black hair looked roughly brushed back.
Sharp golden eyes like a beast’s, and a long vertical scar over his left eye.
He looked slightly younger than the last time I remembered.
The moment I saw his face, tears burst out, and I threw myself into his arms.
“I missed you.”
I could feel his body stiffen in surprise, but I didn’t stop.
“I really tried hard to live well with you. So this time… don’t leave me first.”
I can’t do this twice.
Not because returning to the past is hard—
But because I don’t think I can endure watching him die again.
So—
“This time, let’s get rid of anyone who threatens our peace and live together for a long, long time.”
With a faint smile, I hugged him tightly one last time.
The warmth I had missed spread through my skin, and relief bloomed within me.
“Dad.”
Uncle Aiden cherished me like a daughter, yet he absolutely hated being called “Dad.”
So whenever I felt like calling him that, I would blurt it out and rewind time before he could scold me.
Curious about his reaction, I lifted my head.
He was staring at me blankly, as if time had stopped.
A stranger suddenly hugged him and called him “Dad”—of course he was shocked.
Smiling through tears, I used my ability without hesitation.
I had already said everything I wanted to say.
[Loading Point 2.]
Creak.
As Uncle Aiden stepped out again, I forced a smile.
So that our first meeting would be remembered with a smile, not a distorted face.
“Hello, mister. Could I have a piece of bread?”
✦ ✦ ✦
After staring at me silently for a long time, he finally said,
“Wait here.”
Then he went inside.
After what felt like quite a while—long enough for me to wonder if he had forgotten I was outside—the door suddenly swung open.
“Come in.”
He seated me at the table and brought out steaming stew and white bread.
The quality of the ingredients was incomparable to what Aunt Cecil used to give me.
Thinking about eating his cooking again after so long, I smiled to myself and picked up a spoon.
He sat across from me, wearing an unreadable expression.
“…Name?”
“It’s Tania. And yours?”
“Aiden.”
Yes… Aiden.
It was a name I had missed dearly.
