After conquering the tower, we returned to the lodging where we had originally stayed.

The plan was to rest our battle-weary bodies before heading back to the academy.

And on the first night after conquering the tower, a grand festival unfolded in the city centred around the Tower of Tarlos.

The city’s residents gathered in the central square with assorted drinks and foods, dancing and toasting together.

As the heroes of this festival, our party chose to enjoy a smaller banquet in the dining room of our lodging rather than in the square.

“Ken Feinstein! Ken Feinstein!”

“Your voices are too low, you rascals━!!”

“Oooooh━!!”

If we had joined the festivities in the square with the already boisterous atmosphere celebrating the tower's conquering party as heroes, we would have lost our minds.

However, that didn't mean the lodging’s dining room was any quieter.

In fact, it might have been noisier here, packed with adventurers more than city residents.

I had a feeling I might’ve made the wrong decision.

“And just when it seemed like it was all over!! Ken burst out from the stele and fought off the pouring monsters!!”

“Oooooh━!!”

For the record, the person passionately narrating our adventure tales, with embellishments, was the inebriated Emily.

Caught up in the enthusiastic voices and the heated atmosphere, Emily, having had quite a bit to drink, was gleefully recounting my heroic deeds to everyone.

Somehow, it felt a bit exaggerated.

“Hehehe, Ken, are you eating enough? Try this too…”

“Ken, this too, this is delicious. Here, have a quick taste.”

Raphne and Mary, equally drunk and not wanting to fall behind Emily, had been urging me to eat a lot of food as well.

Raphne clearly intended to fatten me up, while Mary seemed to be in some sort of competition with Raphne.

"Mmph, munch munch."

There I was, at the centre of the raucous gathering, accepting the food they were offering me.

‘...This atmosphere feels uncomfortable.’

It's not that I dislike banquets.

I enjoy a lively atmosphere and I don't mind getting drunk.

But the reason I felt uneasy here was....

“Ha ha ha━! Ken! Who would have thought a gem was hidden within that mass of flesh!”

“Ha━! That's right! But judging by Ken’s achievements, such looks make sense!”

“How about it? I know a lovely adventurer I could introduce you to… Ouch?!”

“Excuse me, what did you just say?”

“S-Sorry! Let go, let go! I’m sorry!!”

“Raphne, hiccup, break his arm...”

“Understood.”

“Aaaagh━!”

Like this, people kept sticking to me, calling my name repeatedly and treating me like a hero.

Honestly, the strategy to conquer the tower wasn't achieved by me alone, so this treatment didn't sit well with me.

I wished they acknowledged my companions a bit more.

I glanced at my party members, Siegfried and Adrian.

Surrounded by other adventurers, they were also chatting away.

Curious about what they were discussing, I leaned in slightly to listen.

As expected, they were talking about me, just like the other adventurers and Emily.

I wasn't sure which moment Adrian was explaining, but the adventurers listening cheered at his added details.

‘I really just want to go in and rest.’

Maybe this was even harder to endure than Emily's past harassment. I lowered my gaze and took a sip from my glass.

The next morning, after spending a night at the inn, we quickly left the city at dawn.

“Haah~ But looking back, it was really fun!”

“That's true. There were many dangerous moments, but no one got hurt.”

“Emily, shouldn’t you save those stories for when we return to the academy?”

“What’s the big deal, hehe. All that’s left now is to go back.”

As we walked along the road, breathing in the cool morning air, the three women chatted away.

As Emily said, now all we had to do was return.

Having achieved our initial goal of conquering the tower, the journey back was light-hearted.

When we first set out, the anxiety about potential dangers and doubts about succeeding had made the journey quite hard.

But the way back to the academy was simply retracing our steps.

We enjoyed the trip with ease happily.

Riding in the carriage, we admired the scenery and, at night, lit a fire and shared cheerful conversations.

Roasting the meat we hunted along the way and sharing stories brought out bursts of laughter.

Despite the peace, one thing constantly lingered in my mind.

‘...Reality changes...'

The main objective of this journey and the only item that could save Raphne.

[Trial's Emblem], the legendary artefact that can alter the past.

I rolled the artefact over my hand in front of the softly glowing campfire.

The system's explanation included a warning.

Changing the past will also change the present.

While it seems obvious, I couldn't help but be concerned that they felt the need to explicitly state it.

‘Does that mean I have to use it with utmost caution?’

There's something called the Grandfather Paradox.

A classic story about time paradoxes.

If I were to travel back in time and kill my grandfather, I wouldn't be born, which means I couldn't have travelled back in time.

In other words, my grandfather couldn't die.

That's the general idea of the paradox.

If I apply that logic to this artefact and change the past so my grandfather dies.

Then, I wouldn't exist in the present either.

‘...My goal is for Raphne not to be the Child of Prophecy.’

What I desire is for the prophecy itself to disappear.

If the prophecy still exists, but the past is changed so it's not revealed that Raphne is the one.

There would still be the lingering anxiety that the truth might be uncovered in the future.

That's why it must be uprooted from the start.

However, there's something that bothers me here.

‘I don't know the extent of the history that has taken place because of the Child of Prophecy...’

Now, the Child of Prophecy has practically become the guiding principle of the Demon King's Army's actions.

History has been shaped by the Demon King acting with this as his main objective.

If we make it so that the concept of the Child of Prophecy never existed.

In the altered present.

What will happen to us?

"Ken, is it okay if I stay beside you?"

While I was absentmindedly staring at the campfire, Raphne, who had been lying down, approached me.

"You should sleep tight tonight, Raphne. It's not our watch."

"Actually, I can't seem to fall asleep."

As she said this, she pressed herself close to me and draped the blanket she was using over my shoulders.

"Hehe, it's warm."

Smiling contentedly, she leaned her head on my shoulder.

Her pleasant scent reached me, and warmth spread through the blanket.

I raised my arm to wrap it around Raphne's shoulder.

"……."

"What's, what's wrong?"

Raphne stared at me blankly, her cheeks flushed. Wondering if placing my hand on her shoulder was a problem, I asked her in confusion.

In response, Raphne looked up at me shyly.

"Ken, you're oddly proactive today."

"...It's just because it's cold."

"Then I wish it were even colder. Hehe."

With that, she wrapped her arms around my waist and pressed her body close to mine.

I felt the softness of her body in many ways, but I tried to focus on the campfire and consciously ignored it.

"Ken… What's bothering you?”

Raphne broke the silence as we spent a quiet moment together.

“…Raphne.”

“Yes?”

“If... if the world changes in a way we don't want as a result of fixing everything. Would you still be okay with that?”

Raphne knows why I started this journey.

When I decided to conquer the Tower of Tarlos and explained the trip to her, I told her everything about the Child of Prophecy.

So, she should roughly understand the meaning behind my words.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Raphne smiled softly and answered.

“I think I’d be okay.”

“…Why?”

“Because no matter what kind of world it is, I would still like you, Ken.”

At her words, I turned my gaze from the campfire to look at her.

Blushing shyly, she averted her eyes but then glanced back at me.

“And... Ken, you promised.”

She then turned to look straight at me again.

“That if you could take responsibility, you would.”

She finished speaking and, embarrassed, giggled “Ehehe” and laid her body over my lap.

I gently stroked her head.

It was a promise I made to her back at the tower.

The reason why I firmly decided on this journey.

The promise that if her prophecy disappears and the reason for the war is eliminated, thus nullifying my potential death, I would not hold back.

I looked down at Raphne lying on my lap and smiled contentedly.

Then I smiled faintly as well.

Her answer cleared my foggy mind, giving me certainty about my future actions.

While the promise with me is probably the most important to Raphne, my reason for risking my life to conquer the tower was because I wanted Raphne to be happy.

If that means dealing with the risk of changing history, then I'll face it with a smile.

No matter what past, present, or future may come.

I would keep running toward my survival and her happiness consistently.

As the time spent worrying passed, our journey swiftly came to an end.

Returning along the familiar travel route was seamless, and we passed through the Border City without issues.

Being more accustomed to travel and camping, our group's pace was much quicker than before.

As a result, our return trip took nearly half the time of our journey there.

“We’ve arrived!”

Seeing the familiar cityscape from the moving carriage, we returned to what could be called our home, the Academy.

We quickly headed to Raphne's Tower upon arriving at the Academy.

As we still had one last task to complete.

Reaching the top, to Raphne's room, we gathered around and stared at a certain object at the centre.

"Is it finally starting?"

Siegfried murmured as he looked at the artefact in my hand.

Since we didn't know how changing the past might affect this moment, we all gathered together to use the artefact.

Looking at my gathered companions, I spoke sincerely.

"Thank you all so much. It's thanks to you that we've come this far."

My comrades, making eye contact with me, responded with smiles.

Although they had nothing to gain, they fought by my side, risking their lives just because I asked them to.

I will never forget this gratitude.

After expressing my thanks, I looked at the artefact in my hand.

"Well then... let's begin."

Everyone, having prepared themselves, watched the artefact with tense expressions.

No one had ever experienced changing the past before.

Then, following the System's instructions, I channelled my mana into the artefact.

It didn't take much mana before it started.

"Something's happening..."

Emily's voice spoke as she watched the glowing artefact, and I focused on what appeared before my eyes.

[System: Do you wish to use the 'Trial's Emblem' to change the past?]

The System's message kindly asked for confirmation, and I nodded affirmatively.

[System: Once changed, the past cannot be undone. Do you wish to proceed?]

Faced with this second confirmation, I hesitated for a moment.

But then, I met Raphne's gaze next to me, and she gave me a gentle smile.

With renewed determination, I responded to the message.

"Change the past so that the prophecy about the Demon King's Army never existed."

[System: Request accepted. Please wait as it may take some time.]

That was the last message before the light emanating from the artefact grew larger and soon enveloped the entire room.

...

“Ugh...”

The light was blinding.

As I rubbed my eyes, the light gradually subsided, and I opened them.

What I saw was a familiar ceiling.

"...What?"

I was lying down.

To be precise, I was lying on a bed.

The bed in my room at the academy dormitory.

Realising this, I got up from the bed.

"...Did the past change?"

I was wearing the pyjamas I always wore to bed.

However, there was no longer any familiar belly fat when I looked down.

I was still slim with a light body.

"My appearance didn't change either…"

Looking in the mirror, my face was the same. I was still Ken Feinstein.

Well, changing the past wouldn't alter my appearance, so I nodded in understanding.

Checking the time, it was morning.

It was the same time as when we returned from the journey and used the artefact at the Tower.

And normally, it was time to head to the academy.

‘So the location changed, after all.’

I was definitely at Raphne's Tower just moments ago.

That was the same for the others too.

But after using the artefact and being enveloped in light, I woke up in my dorm room.

If it wasn't teleportation, then there is only one thing to consider.

'...Due to the changed past, the Ken of this time would be in his dorm room instead of Raphne's Tower.'

That alone was evidence that the past had changed.

Of course, I still needed to double-check whether the past changed exactly the way I wanted.

Anyway, the artefact worked properly.

"…Raphne."

And then Raphne came to mind.

The person directly involved in altering the past.

I immediately grabbed my uniform from the closet and left the dormitory.

I considered running straight to the Tower, but it was already cutting it close to class time.

If it was Raphne, I would likely find her in the academy's classroom.

She would likely come to the classroom to see me as well.

So, I headed to the main building of the academy.

Hurriedly putting on my shoes, I stepped out of my room. Walking the familiar path from the dormitory to the academy, everything seemed the same.

‘…It's peaceful.’

There was nothing unusual about the route to school.

Even though I had changed the past, the sky wasn't suddenly dark or the academy wasn't under the rule of some tyrant—no cliché events had occurred.

The academy was the same as ever.

‘...No, there are some changes.’

As I walked down the path with no one around, I noticed a slight difference as more students started gathering.

But the cause wasn't because the past had changed.

“...Who is that?”

“Did you see? Did you see? Isn't he incredibly handsome?”

“A transfer student? But this school doesn't accept transfer students...”

“Wow… What grade is he in? There wasn't anyone like that in third grade.”

The whispered voices were clearly directed at me.

Increasing gazes.

For some reason, as more students arrived, the number of eyes on me also grew.

Attention that I had never experienced before losing weight.

The girls mostly met my eyes, blushing and whispering to their friends beside them.

The boys, on seeing me, stared at my face in astonishment.

‘…I preferred things before I lost weight.’

Uncomfortable with the attention, I walked to school as quickly as possible.

━Creak.

As I opened the back door and entered the familiar classroom, all eyes turned to see who had come in.

At first, they just seemed to be checking for a familiar classmate.

But upon seeing me, their expressions turned to surprise.

And as expected, that look soon turned into whispering.

“…Who is that?”

“They’re not in our grade, right? I've never seen them before…”

Most of what I heard was, ‘Who is that? I don’t recognize that face.’

It was only natural.

Even I was taken aback every time I looked in the mirror at this unfamiliar face.

But since I couldn't just stand outside the classroom, I moved to my usual spot and sat down.

That was my assigned desk.

“Why is he sitting in Ken's seat?”

“Come to think of it, Ken hasn’t been at school lately, has he?”

“Did he quit?”

“Oh! Then he's the new transfer student in the vacant spot!

...Wow, he's so handsome.”

“Should we ask his name? Anna, why don't you go?”

“No way! My makeup isn’t great today!”

Feeling embarrassed by the whispers I could hear, I lowered my head and hoped time would pass quickly.

Once everyone realises who I am, those kinds of comments will stop.

'Ah… I wish they would get here soon.'

In this awkward space, I looked out the window, waiting for someone familiar to talk to. It seems I was the first of my group to arrive, so there were no familiar faces yet.

But if I wait a little bit, someone will come to me. Then, during the conversation, my name will be mentioned, and everyone will know who I am.

There's no need for me to go up to the front of the class and announce, ‘I am Ken Feinstein!!’

So I waited, staring into space for a moment.

━Da-da-da-da-da!

Footsteps running down the hallway reached the classroom.

The sound grew closer.

And then,

━Creak, bang!

“Ken━!!”

The front door of the classroom burst open, and a familiar voice echoed through the room.

Startled, I immediately recognized the owner of that voice and looked to the front of the classroom.

Standing there and staring at me was Raphne.

‘…Raphne!’

I subtly raised my hand and waved at the familiar face.

But Raphne just stared back at me.

‘…What's going on?’

Normally, she would have run to me with a big smile the instant our eyes met.

‘…Oh, right, I’ve lost weight.’

Since it's her first time seeing me at the academy, she might be surprised by the unfamiliar sight.

Normally, it would be the fat and unattractive Ken sitting here.

After a moment, Raphne, who had been standing at the front door, began walking toward me.

Her vibe was somehow different from usual.

If the usual Raphne approached me like a golden retriever, today she felt more like a Siberian husky… No, more like a fierce Doberman.

As she entered the classroom, the whispers redirected their focus.

“…Raphne's here again.”

“It’s been quiet without Ken, but did she come to check today?”

“But Ken isn’t here today either.”

“Well, who cares. She’ll leave once she confirms Ken’s absence.”

Quiet murmurs filled the room.

The whispers were low enough not to reach the subject of their conversation, Raphne.

But I could hear everything clearly.

The problem is, I couldn’t understand what they were talking about.

"...Hello? ...Raphne."

She approached with firm steps and soon stood in front of me. Sensing something different about her today, I greeted her with a gentle smile.

She crossed her arms and looked down at me.

With a face full of discontent, she stared intently at me, then finally spoke.

"Who are you?"

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