Left arm paralysis.
Lloyd's thoughts rushed back to the images he saw from the Ending Spoiler. He had seen how this narrative would end if nothing changed from here and gathered countless clues from the foresight. Queen Magentano was one of the people in it.
Her left arm is supposed to get cut off in the novel, but my intervention allowed her to remain unharmed. But the restoration of destiny interfered and made my efforts useless. Eventually, her arm became paralyzed and lost its function.
A chill ran up his spine. The unusual movement of her arm remained stuck in his mind. Lloyd couldn't forget what he saw. He felt a suffocating sense of unease.
But why? Why now?
It was incomprehensible. He should have a good two more years before the restoration of destiny began, according to the Ending Spoiler.
Is it happening earlier?
He thought that could be the case but also felt resistant to the possibility.
Let's get a confirmation first.
Lloyd steadied his heart. He could not make a big deal out of it yet, so he had to identify the issue as calmly and objectively as possible. With that, he fixed the expression on his face after losing control over it for a moment and calmly bowed to the queen.
"Ha. You are always like this," Queen Magentano remarked.
"Your Majesty?"
"It is extremely mysterious how every single one of your visits has such perfect timing."
"F-forgive me, Your Majesty."
"Forgive you?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," replied Lloyd.
"For what?"
“...”
"Tsk, I was simply muttering. I thought I could take a short break before lunch after finishing my morning business earlier than usual, but you intruded."
“...”
"However, I understand you. You must have a matter of grave, vital, and pressing reason to interrupt my precious and pleasurable break, yes?"
“...”
"Why are you not answering?"
"Forgive me, Your Majesty, um," Lloyd said hesitantly and awkwardly, begging secretly that she would not summon him to a duel. He added, "I asked an audience with Your Majesty because..."
"What is it?"
"I was worried about you."
A look of surprise came over her. "Me? You? Worried?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," said Lloyd gravely.
"Really?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"I do not think so," denied Queen Magentano.
"I am being genuine, Your Majesty."
"Hmm... Did you do something wrong behind my back?"
"Certainly not, Your Majesty."
"Murder, robbery, arson, fraud, embezzlement, etc..."
"Certainly not, Your Majesty," pressed Lloyd again.
"Do you need more money from me?"
"That is not the case, Your Majesty."
"Your denial only convinces me that I am right." By now, she was almost convinced that was the case.
"Please trust me, Your Majesty."
"How could I trust you?" A faint smile hung on the queen's face. "You have never come to visit unless you had a matter of business to discuss with me. Was there ever an exception to this? Hmm, not even once."
"However, do you not recall how I carried you on my back and-"
"Ran?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"And how much that cost me."
"Surely, your well-being, happiness, and longevity of life cannot be given a monetary value," assured Lloyd.
"Are you suggesting that I must trust you since you protected my well-being, happiness, and longevity of life?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Lloyd dropped his head down again and hastily sneaked a peek at her. She seemed joyful, but it was difficult to assess her left arm since it was not moving. Eventually, Lloyd decided to pull no punches. "The thing is, Your Majesty, if I may be honest, I am concerned about your left arm."
Her face froze for a second.
"I noticed this during our recent training session," Lloyd remarked. "Forgive me for bringing it up, but I noticed the awkward movements of your left arm. Although it was not very noticeable, there was something off."
“...”
"As such, I have been considering for the past few days if your left arm was okay and what I could do to help."
"Hmm... How interesting." Queen Magentano chuckled and gave a response that seemed to say that there was no need for any fuss. "I sprained it."
"Excuse me?"
"I overtrained myself to the point where I sprained my shoulder and elbow after realizing I could soar to a higher caliber. It must have been greed." Her voice was cool and calm.
"But the way your left arm moved-"
"Lloyd Frontera."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Do I look different today?"
"Your Majesty?"
"I am asking if you notice anything different in me today."
Lloyd winced with curiosity. He had intended to inquire more about the unusual motion of her left arm since it was clearly not caused by a sprain. He wanted to dig deeper and find out more about it, but she wasn't allowing it by throwing an off-topic question.
What's she doing?
He wasn't sure how to answer her. It was as if she suddenly became his girlfriend, who wanted to find out if he'd notice anything different in her.
I should just throw any answer and ask her about her left arm again.
In order to take the lead in the discussion, he realized he had to answer her. He clenched his eyes tightly, much as he did when he was a kid trying to distinguish between two identical drawings. "Um..." He then found it quickly.
"Did you not find it yet?" she hurried.
"No, Your Majesty! I found it."
"What is it?"
"Um, forgive me for saying this to you... But you look ten years younger than usual."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Lloyd said seriously, and he could figure out why she was so young.
She's not wearing any makeup. None.
It was Lloyd's first time ever to look at her without any makeup.
"I should appear to be younger than usual. Of course, yes. After all, I go through various procedures to make myself look older." She then sat on the couch, crossed her knees, and rubbed her left arm. Lloyd didn't understand what she meant when she chuckled. "It may be unknown to you, but I was a daughter of a collateral line far from the main bloodline of the royal family."
Lloyd was aware of that, but he was in the dark as to why she was bringing it up. Unfortunately, he was not given the opportunity to respond to her inquiry.
"Clearly, I fell far behind the line of succession. There were too many competitors, and I was much younger than them. A misstep would have sent me plunging off the edge. That was the life I led during my late adolescence. However, there was one advantage I had over my rivals." Her monologue continued. "Great swordsmanship? No. It was something else entirely. Growing up in a remote province, I was one of only a handful of people who knew my name, and I made the most of that weapon."
"Then, wait-"
"I lied about my age. Although I had defeated all my rivals for the throne, even something as trivial as my youthfulness could be used against me. So, I pretended I was 30 at the coronation ceremony when I was only 21 years old."
"Oh."
"The same thing happened afterward. I had to demonstrate the kind of authority that befit my throne lest anyone should accuse me of being unfit for my position because my crown did not compel obedience from the others."
Lloyd tightly sealed his lips. He could tell the meaning behind her smile.
Okay, that's why she's been caking her face with makeup to look older. Her actual age is... She's older than me but not too much.
Nonetheless, she was still older than Lloyd.
"Only a chosen few are granted access to this secret. Among them are the Great Lord Chamberlain, Sir Kyle, who betrayed me, and now you."
"Why are you telling this secret, Your Majesty?" asked Lloyd innocently.
When she crossed her other leg, she asked, "Do you not know what I am doing?" She then said, "Secrets can be both my weakness and my weapon." She stood tall and looked at him with the gaze of a queen.
Lloyd took in her words, thinking.
"Does that answer your question?"
Lloyd gulped. "Yes, Your Majesty."
"I see. I appreciate you for understanding me."
With a deep bow, Lloyd said, "I am overwhelmed with gratitude, Your Majesty." At this point, he understood what she meant.
In other words, she's requesting me to keep quiet about the condition of her left arm.
That suggested there was something wrong with her left arm, and it was not just a sprain from overtraining.
She, too, recognizes that this is not a simple injury. She knows something is wrong with her left arm, even if she is not sure what it is, and that it's becoming worse.
Lloyd reasoned that if anyone could feel the abnormality in her left arm, it was the queen herself. She was a swordmaster, so she must be sensitive to changes in her bodily condition. It would be strange if she didn't feel the paralyzing feeling on her arm.
But she's requesting me to ignore her arm since it would become her weakness the minute it's made public. That's why she's not even seeking basic treatment for it.
At this rate, Lloyd had to accept it.
Something's wrong with her arm. And that means...
Destiny was on the move, and while he had no understanding of why it was occurring two years faster, it was. And if that is the case...
I have to come up with a plan.
Lloyd's heart started to palpitate rapidly, and the world around him became so black and blurry that he could not recall how he bid farewell to the queen. Before he knew it, he was outside the palace, on his way home, with only one idea in his mind.
I must use and check with the Ending Spoiler.
The only way to be certain was to use the Ending Spoiler to see how the present situation was changed and concluded.
Please.
He turned to his lodging, direly hoping that no one connected to him would suffer an untimely death. He bided his time until nightfall, when the bugs began to cry and the moon began to shine. At last, Lloyd tucked Javier into bed with a lullaby and entered the sitting room. He then opened the skill window.
[Skill Name: Ending Spoiler]
[Skill Feature: Absolute Authority]
[Required CP: 160 (Fourth)]
[You can take a peek at the portion of the ending scene that will unfold in this story by spending some of the CP. It could be a happy or sad ending.]
The familiar skill windows cascaded in front of his eyes. He took a deep breath.
Let's do it.
Lloyd selected the activate button at the bottom of the skill window.
[Skill Name: Would you like to use the Ending Spoiler?]
[Required RP: 160 (Fourth)]
[Current CP: 1,648]
[YES / NO]
Of course, it's a yes.
Ding dong.
[Skill Name: Ending Spoiler has been activated.]
[You have used 160 CP.]
[Current CP: 1,488]
The skill activation message popped up in front of him.
Crackle...! The flow of time around him gradually slowed until it finally stopped. The air in the sitting room and the drifting clouds visible through the windows... Everything came to a standstill, and the space in front of Lloyd flickered. Bzzt!
A new, round passage opened.
Whew.
Lloyd was always rattled during these moments. That was especially the case this time. He felt much more apprehensive than excited.
I have to gather as many clues as possible.
He was determined to gather as much information as possible in order to understand the reason why the events in the ending spoiler were happening earlier and what would happen from now until the future he was shown. With a strong resolve, he advanced toward the gateway and entered it. Then, a brilliant flash of light blinded his eyes.
Fwoosh! His vision turned dark as if he had squinted his eyes. As his blurry vision became clear, he could slowly see pieces of his surroundings. Lloyd's eyes soon snapped open in shock.
What in the world is this?
