"Why were you chosen?"
"My ex-wife… well, my former wife chose me. I didn't know."
There was so much information flooding in at once that Liana staggered momentarily.
Unconsciously, she tightly grabbed Marlin who was beside her.
"Ugh!"
"…!"
Startled by the brief groan, Liana quickly let go. No sound came out, but she mouthed an apology.
Even amidst this, the conversation between Isaac and the giant continued.
"You too have unintentionally come to bear a heavy burden."
"Just so you know, I've kept it a secret. From my ex-wife, that is."
"I do not even know who your wife is, human."
"…That was a useless thing to say."
Though the two continued their conversation, Liana could no longer follow their words.
In her ears, Isaac's earlier words kept echoing like a refrain:
[This is my second life.]
It was a truth too hard to believe — yet surprisingly, Liana didn't find it difficult to accept internally.
'The sudden change in Isaac…'
Around their fourth wedding anniversary, Isaac had clearly changed.
His assertive behavior had only been the beginning.
He, who had clung to Helmut's sword, let go of it.
Then, having accumulated incredible knowledge about swords, he spoke with the authority of a sage.
Moreover, after leaving for the Wall of Malidan, he began to make a name for himself far and wide through his exploits.
[What's regression, sis?]
'Ah…'
And then, Sharen's completely random question.
At the time, Liana had thought Sharen was simply lacking in vocabulary.
She'd chalked it up to the side effects of relying too much on Helmut's sword teachings.
But it wasn't that simple.
Sharen had known.
Liana's body began to tremble.
Even now, she still had dreams.
[Liana.]
The night of their 4th anniversary.
A night filled with excitement and anticipation.
The night she was finally allowed to share a bed with Isaac and have a child.
[Let's divorce.]
The day Isaac declared he was leaving.
She had known she was at fault, but was still shocked by Isaac's sudden change in attitude.
She spent the night crying in despair.
'If I've committed a sin I'm unaware of…'
A chill of fear spread inside her.
Though she was no longer the Liana of back then, what if Isaac bore a wound she didn't know about—
And what if she was the one who had caused it?
After all, wouldn't that scar still remain inside him?
'At last…'
She had thought they were finally starting to move forward.
That their broken relationship might finally begin to mend, even just a little.
Was it possible?
Really?
Her legs gave out, and Liana sank to her knees.
The guilt she feared she might have to bear felt far greater than she had imagined.
She could no longer stand.
***
"..."
The giant's eyes, staring at Isaac, trembled ever so slightly.
One thing Isaac noticed during their conversation was that — surprisingly — the giant was quite capable of holding a conversation.
Not only that, but despite his ironclad exterior, the flow of his dialogue was rather soft.
"Do you trust me, just like that?"
When Isaac asked, the giant replied in a weighty tone:
"There's no reason to lie."
"..."
"And by looking at the burden you carry, I can tell. It's not something a mere human could bear."
Could the giant see something? Or was it the wisdom of a being who had lived through endless years?
Isaac couldn't know, but just the fact that the giant believed in him felt like a step forward.
"May I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
Isaac's tone had become respectful.
The giant spoke as if addressing someone beneath him, and Isaac didn't resist.
After all, this was a being he couldn't defeat anyway.
Lowering his head was no difficulty for Isaac.
"What were the transcendent race like in the world you saw?"
"..."
What did he mean?
Isaac paused to think.
Earlier, when the topic of the transcendents came up, the giant's reaction had stuck with him.
[…They perished?]
A reaction of disbelief at the idea that the transcendents had won, and humanity had been destroyed.
It didn't quite match the image of a giant who sided with the transcendents and hated humanity.
So Isaac decided to take a chance on this.
"They annihilated humanity. Only those who became their so-called 'patrons' were kept alive—as slaves. No one else was spared."
"...!"
The giant wore an expression of disbelief. This was clearly a future far different from what he had envisioned.
Isaac, however, found himself puzzled.
To the Transcendents, genocide had been second nature.
Their hatred for humans knew no end. They were nothing short of calamities.
What kind of future had the giant hoped for by aiding such beings?
Under Isaac's questioning gaze, the giant spoke with a heavy tone.
"I hate humanity. But I never wished for their extinction. If we were to do that, would we not be the same as the Silver Clock?"
The giant's hatred toward the Silver Clock knew no bounds.
He usually maintained a calm demeanor, but the moment the Silver Clock was mentioned, he would erupt in fury like wildfire.
"I made a promise with Helik. To protect the art of sorcery from humans. I know how one human's discovery of sorcery destroyed our world."
"..."
"But hearing what you've said… I can see things are not as simple."
The giant's expression darkened.
He looked as though he didn't know what to do anymore.
"The Transcendents can no longer survive in the Abyss. They need new land."
At the giant's somber words, Isaac flared up.
"That doesn't mean they can just take our land! I understand the Silver Clock destroyed your homeland, but that's not a burden we should have to bear."
"When the original king ruled in the beginning, this was a consequence brought forth by humans. Humanity is responsible. Too much blood and karma has been spilled over time to simply claim ignorance."
"..."
The Silver Clock. The questions surrounding her only deepened.
At times, she seemed like a guiding star he chased. A savior who had rescued them.
But to the Transcendents and the giants, she was a sinner beyond forgiveness.
"She destroyed their world with sorcery."
That much was clear.
Helik's cries toward the silver star still echoed in Isaac's ears.
"May I speak with her?"
At Isaac's proposal, the giant's eyes narrowed slightly. It was clearly unexpected. He asked, uncertainly,
"What could change through conversation? She's a determined woman. Even now, she watches us from the stars, ever on guard. Don't you see?"
"...Then what other way is there? Are you going to tear through dimensions and massacre humanity? Like the future I experienced?"
The giant remained silent.
Was there another way?
Despite his appearance, the giant harbored a surprisingly gentle heart and a desire for peace.
Though he sided with the Transcendents, the fact that he didn't wish for human extinction said as much.
"I hated the Transcendents. I still do. That hasn't changed and never will. I know what they did to me."
"..."
"But having come here a second time… I don't think we should repeat the same outcome. Labeling them as evil and killing them all won't solve it. It seems… they had their reasons too."
There was certainly a chasm between the two sides.
But were both sides entirely innocent? That didn't seem likely.
"The Silver Clock turned your homeland into the Abyss. And the Transcendents, seeking survival, invaded our land. Would it be fair to say that's what happened?"
The giant nodded at Isaac's summary.
He seemed to not want their struggle to devolve into meaningless slaughter.
"I'll speak with my companions. Please wait a moment."
The giant gave no response.
But the fact that the dimensional rift he had opened wasn't growing any larger—that alone was enough of an answer.
***
As Isaac stepped out of the cave, he let out a heavy sigh.
Was a peaceful resolution truly possible?
Could they even hope to reach that, when hatred ran so deep on both sides?
Isaac wasn't sure, but he felt this conversation had just become a significant first step—
A meaningful stride between worlds and races.
Previously, there had only been two options:
One side perishes.
Now, it felt like a new path had opened up between them.
Whether it was the right one, Isaac didn't yet know.
But he decided to take that step.
'But if that's the case… what happens to Liana's vassal transformation—'
Since he still needed to kill Blood Demon, this complicated things.
Just then—
"W-Wait!"
"Hm?"
Just as Isaac was about to leave the abandoned mine, he was stopped by Marlin, blocking his path.
"What is it? What's wrong?"
Marlin's face was pale.
She was never full of life to begin with, but now she looked even worse.
When Isaac asked what was wrong, Marlin only glanced around nervously, like she didn't know what to say.
But her eyes kept flickering toward one particular spot—as though trying to protect something.
Seeing that, Isaac quickly strode toward it.
"Ah!"
Marlin let out a pained gasp.
Behind the rocks near the entrance—
There knelt Liana, crying silently.
"Lia…?"
Why was she like this?
She was saying something, but the Silence magic blocked all sound.
Still, Isaac—sharp as he was—could easily guess the reason behind her reaction.
'She found out.'
She had learned the truth—that he had returned from the future.