When the Merchant Guild Master opened up the note, he rubbed his eyes like he couldn’t quite believe it.
“…Did you know from the beginning that we’d be meeting like this?”
I just smiled and gave him an answer that didn’t quite match the question he’d asked.
“The nearer the future, the more precisely I can predict it.”
“Ha… I’m sorry for undervaluing your information earlier. Looks like you’re the one getting the short end of this deal. Makes me feel like a pretty lousy merchant.”
“You think I’m the one losing out here?”
A quiet laugh slipped out before I could stop it. It must’ve been the kind of weary smile no one would ever expect to see on a kid.
“I’m not losing out at all.”
Back in my previous point, I’d nearly killed myself gathering all kinds of information just so I could use it now.
And what I’d given the Merchant Guild Master was only one tiny piece out of the hundreds—no, thousands—of things I knew.
Just that single tidbit was enough to let me escape this hellish village in comfort, and even get my revenge on Missus Cecil for trying to kill me.
How could this possibly be called a losing bet?
✦ ✦ ✦
A few days later, after taking some time to rest up in the village, the merchant guild set off again toward the capital.
Missus Cecil didn’t waste the opportunity—she dragged me along and stuck us at the very back of the line.
That’s when it happened.
“Hey, you two!”
“Y-yes?”
The Merchant Guild Master pointed straight at us, making Missus Cecil look at him with an anxious face.
Sometimes merchant guilds would charge an escort fee to people who tried to tag along like this, so she was probably worried.
“I’ll let the child ride on a horse.”
“Oh…”
Relief washed over Missus Cecil’s face as she hesitated, trying to read the situation before edging closer. But the Merchant Guild Master’s brow immediately knotted.
“You’re an adult. You can walk.”
The look on the Merchant Guild Master’s face as he said that was utterly cold.
Bright red with embarrassment, Missus Cecil ended up shouting at him.
“W-who said anything about me riding? I wouldn’t let my child on your horse either!”
“This isn’t a road meant for kids, unlike adults. They’ll tire out quickly and fall behind.”
The Merchant Guild Master tilted his head slightly, as if something didn’t quite add up.
“If you were really her mother, of course you’d want her to have an easier trip. Trying to make her suffer just to protect your pride… that’s pretty suspicious.”
Knowing full well she and I weren’t actually mother and daughter, the Merchant Guild Master deliberately twisted the knife.
Missus Cecil could only hang her head, biting down hard on her lip.
“…Please, let me.”
Talk about an unexpected windfall.
I’d been the one to push for a spot on the wagon, but honestly, a horse was way better than a jolting, rattling cargo cart.
Not to mention, I liked the idea that Missus Cecil would have to walk.
I gave her a cheerful little wave that basically said, ‘Good luck on the road,’ then strolled right over to the Merchant Guild Master.
Without a word, he lifted me up effortlessly and set me on his horse.
“We’re moving out!”
Settled on top of the horse, I shamelessly leaned back against the Merchant Guild Master’s back. It was nice having something like a backrest.
Sure, being a kid came with a lot of restrictions. But perks like this weren’t so bad.
I had no idea how long we traveled like that.
Then I heard his low voice rumble above me.
“…You’re even smaller than I expected.”
“I’m still a kid, you know.”
“How old are you?”
“Seven.”
There was a faint note of surprise in the Merchant Guild Master’s voice when he answered.
“My son wasn’t this small when he was seven.”
“Well, I didn’t exactly grow up with plenty to eat, so of course I’m tiny.”
“…”
Ah, crap. That hadn’t been meant to clam him up.
I’d lived such a rough life that whenever I opened my mouth, sad little stories just fell out on their own.
A few seconds later.
Maybe he was trying to break the awkward mood, because he suddenly spoke up again.
“Our merchant guild is called Ageratum. If you don’t like the orphanage we drop you at, come find us. A smart kid like you would be welcome anytime.”
“You sure it’s not my being an Abiliter that’s tempting you?”
“Haha, well, there is that too.”
I crossed my arms with a little huff.
“Thanks for the offer. If everything else falls apart, I’ll consider it.”
Of course, there was absolutely no way everything was going to fall apart.
You know why those old Native American rain rituals supposedly had a 100% success rate?
Because they kept dancing until it rained.
I planned to keep using my ability to grind resets until my plan worked—no matter how many tries it took.
✦ ✦ ✦
We traveled for about two weeks, passing through a handful of villages before finally reaching Catalea, the Empire’s capital.
On the way there, I ended up getting pretty friendly not just with the Merchant Guild Master, but with several other members of the merchant guild too.
Of course, Missus Cecil didn’t just sit back and watch that happen.
If I so much as tried to chat with anyone from the guild, she would swoop in and drag me off immediately.
It seemed like she was worried I’d try to cozy up to the merchant guild and slip away from her grasp.
The moment we arrived in the capital, Missus Cecil roughly pulled me aside and led me away from the merchant group.
Since I’d already arranged everything with the Merchant Guild Master beforehand, I let her take me without a fuss.
“So, where are we headed now?”
“There’s no gambling hall in this city that would take in a kid like you, so I guess we’ll have to hit the racetrack and try to win some money.”
“And where are we going to sleep?”
“…Right. We’ll get an inn first.”
When I followed her without putting up any resistance, she actually seemed to relax a little, her expression loosening up.
But her grip on my wrist stayed just as tight as ever.
There was no way I could shake her off and make a run for it on my own. Clearly, I’d have to stick to the plan exactly.
Moving slowly, I glanced around and activated my ability.
[Overwriting Time Slot 2 with current point.]
Then I spoke up as if it had only just occurred to me.
“…It’s a shame I didn’t even get to say thank you to the Merchant Guild Master.”
“Huh? You’re the one who got the help, why would I—”
She was about to snap back, maybe tell me she could’ve crossed that demonic beast forest by herself, but shut her mouth again.
We’d only walked a little farther when I spotted the Merchant Guild Master approaching with a squad of city guards at his back.
The way one of the guards narrowed his eyes told me he was already suspicious about how I was being dragged along.
No way this was going to work if we tried to bluff it out.
I came to an abrupt stop, putting on a fed-up expression.
“What, I’ve gotta play the victim on cue too? Fine, I’m an amazing actress, so watch closely.”
“Tania, what on earth are you—”
I ignored Missus Cecil’s bewildered protest, fixed the positions of the nearby buildings in my memory, and then called up the point I’d saved earlier.
[Time Slot 2 Loaded.]
The brief gap between this point and the previous one made me hesitate for a second, and Missus Cecil shot me an irritated look.
“What are you doing? Keep moving.”
“Sorry. Just spaced out for a moment.”
I casually started walking again, eyes scanning for my cue.
And once we were close enough to those buildings I’d memorized, I forced tears into my eyes, then dropped dramatically to the ground.
“Please, don’t do this, Missus! I’m sorry, I’ll do anything—just don’t sell me!”
“W-what? What are you talking about—!”
Flustered, Missus Cecil scrambled to haul me back to my feet.
Right then, perfectly on cue, the Merchant Guild Master shouted out as he arrived with the guards.
“That’s the woman!”
In an instant, the city guards surrounded both of us.
I was easily pulled away from Missus Cecil and started wailing, clutching the hem of one guard’s trousers.
“S-she said she was going to sell me off! Because I’m an Abiliter—she said I’d fetch a high price…!”
I was so deep in the act that my voice came out hoarse and broken.
“Please, help me… I’m begging you…”
The soldier’s face turned grim at my desperate state. He knelt down to meet my eyes.
“Do you know this woman?”
“I-I’ve never seen her before. As soon as she found out I was an Abiliter, she tried to drag me off somewhere.”
When I let my body shake all over with fear, he slowly patted me on the back to calm me down.
“Where are your parents?”
I closed my eyes and shook my head.
He took in my threadbare clothes and skinny frame, then muttered under his breath so softly it was barely audible.
“Damn… someone preying on orphans…”
With a sunken look on his face, he asked me,
“Kid, do you know where she was trying to take you?”
“I heard her say something about an alley near the market by the central clock tower, a cigar shop or… something. I don’t really know the exact place…”
That cigar shop I mentioned was actually a spot that had been used for years to secretly trade Abiliters.
Well—since I’d gone back in time, I guess it’d actually be up and going right now.
No way would they ever suspect a little kid to have information like that.
Once they confirmed that location really was a black market for trafficking Abiliters, they’d obviously assume Missus Cecil would spill the beans under questioning—and keep pressing her for more details.
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