Chapter 15
Bang.
“Kyaaa!”
Rosent screamed in terror at the deafening explosion.
The monster, agitated by the noise, began to breathe even more heavily and violently.
‘Why… why are they holding a tournament in such a dangerous place in the first place?!’
Even as her body trembled uncontrollably, Rosent cursed the Emperor, probably resting comfortably back at the campsite.
Was he careless? Or just indifferent because it wasn’t his problem?
Who on earth had suggested this place for a hunting tournament?
If she could ever make it back alive, she would definitely make that person pay.
Dragging her frozen legs, Rosent hid behind a tree.
She had never lived a life wielding a sword, and never before had she regretted it this much.
If she had at least learned magic, she wouldn’t be hiding like this.
‘Why… why am I so powerless?’
This helplessness was utterly horrifying and devastating.
Bang.
Bang.
Suddenly, the monster crashed violently into another tree nearby.
Her whole body felt like it was about to shatter from fear and panic.
Please… someone, anyone… save me.
Rosent silently began to call out the names of those she loved.
Father… Annie…
And then she let out a choked sob, her throat tightening.
She still had so many things left to do. She couldn’t die here.
‘Noah…’
Covering her mouth with both hands, Rosent desperately tried to quiet her breathing.
Even her fingertips were trembling now.
Would she even be able to make it back alive?
Before that, how was she supposed to deal with that monster alone? Where was the Imperial Knights?
No… would she even survive long enough for them to arrive?
“Ugh…”
A shiver ran down her spine, and tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.
Her instincts screamed at her.
Somehow… she was going to…
‘Die here…’
No, she would die.
Bang.
At that moment, the situation answered her fears with yet another loud crash.
Please, someone… hear this noise and realize something was wrong. Don’t just dismiss it as the other contestants fighting.
Rosent squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears.
But then—
“……!”
Something grabbed her hand.
No—more precisely—something was pulling her along.
Did the hungry monster finally sink its teeth into her hand?
“Ugh… kya…!”
Startled, Rosent opened her tightly shut eyes and looked ahead.
But what greeted her wasn’t the monster’s savagery, nor its ragged breathing.
“Pull yourself together.”
It was a low, gentle voice—someone else’s.
“You must not allow yourself to be hypnotized by the monster’s magic.”
Long, flowing light brown hair.
Deep, enchanting crimson eyes.
Fair skin and elegant, mesmerizing features.
She recognized this face.
No—she knew it all too well.
It was a familiar face.
“Lo…”
Ah.
Rosent bit her lip, stopping herself mid-call.
‘Locus.’
It was him.
Rosent widened her eyes, taking in the scene again.
Light brown hair, red eyes.
Sharp, beautiful features.
It was exactly how Locus was described in the novel.
Her favorite character—the one she had wanted to meet so badly.
But why?
Why wasn’t her heart fluttering with excitement?
Thump.
Instead, her heart raced from pure instinctual fear.
‘That can’t be…’
Was she losing her mind? Hallucinating before death?
She shook her head internally and stayed silent.
But the resemblance… this face was unmistakably Locus.
In fact, if Noah were to grow up, he would probably look exactly like this.
No—Noah was Locus in the original story.
But still…
‘How…?’
How was this possible?
Locus had already come to her in the form of Noah.
And he should only be around ten years old right now.
But the person standing before her now… no, this Noah—this Locus—was…
The teenage version from the original story.
The one right before his death—the most dangerous period of his life.
The more she looked, the more certain she became.
No, she was certain.
‘This is Locus.’
“Ugh…”
Rosent let out a small groan of confusion.
The certainty made the situation even more confusing.
What kind of contradictory situation was this?
How on earth had Noah turned into Locus?
Magic? Sorcery?
Or… was the Noah she knew never Noah to begin with?
“……”
Rosent exhaled shakily, trying to clear her head.
Meanwhile…
From Noah’s point of view, the crimson hue he had longed for filled his vision.
Her pale skin was ghostly white from fear, and her usually neat pink hair was a tangled mess.
The strong, confident Rosent he knew was barely visible now.
But Noah didn’t care about that.
All that mattered was that he could meet her again in this moment—something more precious than anything.
Noah whispered softly.
“Are you hurt?”
“Ah…”
Rosent let out a trembling breath instead of answering, squeezing her eyes shut.
The crimson in her eyes disappeared, leaving only soft pink.
“……”
Noah found himself captivated by that color.
Just for a fleeting moment…
It felt like a gentle spring bloom had blossomed in her.
He reached out, carefully taking her hand.
The hand that used to be smaller than hers now fully enveloped hers.
It felt strangely bittersweet.
And that unnamed feeling made him act.
In the next instant—
“……!”
He tightened his grip and pulled her toward him.
The warmth from her hand filled his arms.
Startled, Rosent couldn’t even scream and simply fell into his embrace.
His fingers slid through her tangled pink hair.
Thump-thump.
He felt her faint heartbeat through her skin.
She was alive.
Truly alive.
“…Thank goodness.”
He hadn’t been too late. He hadn’t had to read about her in the newspaper headlines.
Relief.
Gratitude.
All these emotions surged through him.
She was alive—here, in his arms.
Nothing could feel more real than this.
A fresh, unfamiliar warmth began to stir deep within Noah.
But then—
Crunch.
A savage chewing sound broke between them.
“Ugh… hng…”
Startled, Rosent flinched, holding her breath.
Only then did Noah realize it wasn’t over yet.
Right. First, he had to get her to safety.
“It’s dangerous. Hold on tighter.”
“But…”
“Trust me.”
At his whisper, Rosent flinched again.
Hesitating for a moment, she tightly grabbed onto the hem of his shirt.
Her silent permission.
“……”
Noah adjusted his grip around her.
Then, with his free hand, he touched the corner of her eye.
“Hng…”
Rosent let out a small, tense gasp.
And when she opened her eyes again—she found herself in a completely different place.
Alone.
Noah had teleported only her to safety.
“What the…?”
Feeling the sudden emptiness in her arms, Rosent gasped softly.
Then, instinctively, she hurriedly looked around.
Dense trees.
A faint light shining through them.
And finally—the sweet scent lingering in the air.
Ah… Was that tea from a nearby tent?
As her trembling eyelids fluttered shut—
“Lady Rosent! Lady Rosent!”
“My lady…!”
Voices calling out for her echoed from afar.
‘Ah… it’s real.’
She survived.
She didn’t die to the monster.
Rosent staggered from overwhelming relief.
And perhaps as a result of that relief—
Her body gave out, and she sank to the ground.
“There she is! Lady Rosent!”
The voices drew nearer.
A refreshing scent approached her nose.
Feeling the touch of someone grabbing her, Rosent finally let her eyes drift closed.
Now, she really couldn’t see anything anymore.
Bang.
Noah skillfully swung his arm.
A crimson spear materialized from thin air and plunged into the ground.
With a loud crash, the monster began to retreat.
Noah didn’t miss the chance.
Using magic after so long… it filled him with a rush of exhilaration.
Had he been bottling this up for too long in a child’s body?
This growth… it felt so sweet.
“……!”
Finally, after one last burst of power—
“Ah.”
Noah winced as a sharp pain pricked at his fingertips.
His body was starting to feel the toll of consecutive magic use.
If only he had a sword, he could have fought with more precision.
Battling with just magic… definitely more exhausting.
“Tch.”
Clicking his tongue, Noah shook off the trembling in his hand.
But honestly, the fatigue came more from the time magic than this battle.
Within just three days, this had been the best solution he could find.
He recalled a scene from the past:
‘Did the Lady really go missing?’
Just like the newspaper would have said—today, Rosent was supposed to disappear from the world.
The hunting tournament would have been canceled.
And he… he had been the only variable in that fate.
To make full use of this moment…
‘I had no choice but to change again.’
He had tampered with time one more time.
Truthfully, he had been confident.
He had already succeeded once before with time magic—and even fully regressed.
Why wouldn’t it work this time?
Though… he had succeeded too well, ending up stuck in a child’s body with child-level magic reserves.
For the past three days, he had to carefully gather what little mana he had.
“Ugh.”
Noah let out a small groan and lowered his arm.
His tall, powerful body.
His abundant mana.
Both would disappear again soon.
A shame.
Once back… he’d have to play the quiet, cute little brother again.
Smiling foolishly when his hair was ruffled.
Taking naps under the warm sunlight next to Rosent.
Just imagining it…
‘Not bad…’
The thought filled him with energy.
To look forward to time with someone like this…
It had been so long since he felt this way.
“……I need to get back quickly.”
By now, Rosent must be wondering where ‘Noah’ was.
Noah began to tidy up, gripping the spear floating in the air.
And at that moment—
Thud.
The spear pierced through the monster’s neck without hesitation.
A clean, flawless strike.
If anyone had seen Noah just then…
They would have called him beautiful.
Even though the monster’s thick, sticky blood seeped into the ground, Noah didn’t care.
He only wanted to get back to Rosent.
‘Wait…’
Should he collect the monster’s body first?
Humming softly, Noah approached the corpse.
The monster’s heart, eyes, and skin—excellent magic materials.
Such rare resources were hard to come by at the Agrinda estate…
Besides, he saved Rosent, succeeded with time magic, and now had experimental materials.
‘Today’s harvest… quite impressive.’
Stab.
Calling back his fading spear, Noah pierced the monster’s belly.
But then—
Rustle.
A noise from behind.
Something moving in the bushes.
“……!”
Sensing it instantly, Noah stood up.
And there stood the unexpected figure.
Grayish-blue eyes.
Pale skin in contrast.
A face burned into his memory.
Noah knew who it was.
It was Eastern.
“Who’s there?”
Eastern slowly approached.
“As I recall, no young nobles were assigned to this area…”
But something was off.
Eastern’s usual soft demeanor was gone.
His voice now held a clear tension.
‘Of all people…’
To run into him now, when his energy was nearly drained.
No chance to run away either.
Noah internally grimaced.
This situation…
Eastern suddenly drew his sword from his hip.
Taking an aggressive stance, he spoke again.
“You… Who are you?”
His voice was laced with obvious hostility.
