Days, two days, a week… a month.

The time without Ascan gradually extended.

It felt powerless.

I tried every possible method to find Ascan, but in a situation where I couldn’t even catch a clue, I couldn’t help but realize my own weakness.

“Is waiting all I can do?”

I had asked Olland for help, used the power of the Brellof family, and… Currently, that was the best I could do, but the reality of having nothing else disappointed me.

I couldn’t just hope for someone else to find Ascan like this.

“It can’t go on like this.”

Initially, it was just for my survival. I tried to prevent the war with the Kalua Empire to avoid my death route, but now, I couldn’t think so simply.

Perhaps, when I first entered this world, I did it with a somewhat light heart.

I knew many characters existing in this world, and I could deduce hidden secrets and the future events of others.

So, I might have unknowingly become arrogant, thinking I could change the future as I wanted.

However, contrary to my intentions, the original story was gradually changing. Realizing that someone else might lose their life because of me, my mind suddenly cleared.

This wasn’t a game where you could start over if the story went astray.

Now, I was just a person living here.

The past couldn’t come back, and a lot could change depending on my choices, just like Tanasia in the original and the current me were walking completely different paths.

What should I say? When I realized the very obvious truth, I was suddenly frightened.

“If Ascan is really in trouble… what should I do?”

Now, I vividly understood that the story did not unfold as it did in the novel “The Beloved Saint.”

In the original, Ascan became a healthy adult, but now, it was uncertain how the story would unfold.

If Ascan died…

I could never see him again.

As my thoughts reached there, pain surged as if my heart was tightly squeezed, and unknowingly, I clenched the area around my chest.

“…I can’t allow that. I won’t let it happen.”

No matter what happens, even if it takes a long time, I had to find Ascan.

I had no intention of giving up until I saw his body with my own eyes.

If I ever met Ascan again, I wanted to become strong enough that no one could threaten our lives.

I would make sure no one dared to kidnap me like the Ranzeit Empire, to the point of not allowing the Kalua Empire to take Ascan away.

I needed to become strong.

Only then could I protect my loved ones without being trampled upon.

Initially, it was solely for survival, but now, my thoughts had changed.

No matter what dangers came my way, I needed the strength to protect myself and my precious people.
I became deeply engrossed in magic engineering research that I had neglected for a while. It was to create my own weapon that no one could dare to overlook.

As I was immersed in my work, the sound of knocking on the laboratory door caught my attention. When I turned my head, Varnen was standing by the door, looking at me.

“What’s going on?”

After not speaking for a long time, my voice came out hoarse.

Varnen looked at me with a somewhat perplexed expression, then, unexpectedly, spoke in a firm voice.

“I’ve heard about what happened during this time. Am I too late?”

“No, it’s unrelated to the master.”

“How can you say it’s unrelated to your apprentice’s matters? Even the dealings with the Igtion Upper are something I approved, so you can’t say there’s no responsibility.”

“That was an unexpected betrayal. Even if it was Igtion Upper, they might have done the same even if it was somewhere else.”

In a way, perhaps because of the dealings with Igtion Upper, Dekain noticed first and rushed over, saving my life.

The crucial thing was that I didn’t have the power to protect the newly developed magic stone completely according to my will. To do that, I needed power that no one could surpass, not just something specified in the contract.

Varnen sighed quietly.

“Tanasia, it’s not your fault.”

“I know.”

“No, you don’t understand. It’s not your fault.”

It’s not my fault? While my mistake might not be the cause, this whole situation happened solely because of me.

I understood that Varnen was trying to comfort me, but those words didn’t resonate with me at all at the moment.

I turned away from Varnen and said in a more subdued voice.

“If you came to say such things, please leave. I’m busy.”

“Wait. I have something to show you that might help you.”

Before I could say anything, Varnen entered the laboratory briskly. He placed a magic engineering weapon he brought on the table.

With a puzzled expression, I asked, “Why a magic engineering weapon all of a sudden?”

“I’ve been working on it since you went on your journey, and I recently completed it. I was inspired by seeing a new magic stone and dared to challenge what I had only thought of theoretically.”

Varnen pulled out a small knife from his pocket without hesitation. And without hesitation, he cut his own finger.

Without understanding, I could only watch his actions silently.