Bzzt! Lloyd strode into a bluish portal in one of the sitting rooms of the Magentano Palace, and then he disappeared. The world, which had halted for a second, then resumed its course. The clouds in the sky and the air in the sitting room started to move.The same was true for Javier's breathing and closed eyes as he pretended to sleep. Everything quietly began shifting, rising, and sparkling.
“...”
Javier softly arose from his dim bedroom and looked toward the direction of the sitting room. He could sense Lloyd's presence from there, but when he walked inside...
He is not here.
Javier searched the area but could not find Lloyd. However, he could hear his young master's gentle breathing and even swallowing his spit. Suddenly, he remembered a similar incident from when they were working on the massive waterways. He went to Lloyd's bedroom to get a report, but even though he sensed Lloyd's presence, the actual man could not be found. Javier checked behind the curtains, under the bed, and under the desk. Yet, even with his careful inspection, Lloyd was nowhere to be found.
“...”
Javier wondered how many secrets this fake Lloyd held to himself and what the latter was up to.
"He had a troubled expression on his face earlier."
Lloyd was fine when he left for the palace to say goodbye. However, his expression was completely different by the time he returned. Although it was not obvious, Javier was able to tell there was a change. The knight could detect even the smallest shift in his depraved young master's facial expression after all the years they spent by each other's side.
He was rattled and shaking. Tense.
At the same time, his young master looked determined and seemed to be hiding his nerves when singing the lullaby. Javier wanted to know what was making Lloyd so nervous, afraid, and anxious... And if he could be of any assistance.
That was why I did something I normally wouldn't.
Javier pretended to sleep, which was easy with his talents as a grandmaster. He tricked Lloyd by shutting his eyes tight until he detected a movement from him.
It is strange. I opened my eyes as soon as I felt his flow of mana. He disappeared during that split second.
Where had Master Lloyd gone? Was he all right? How could his presence be felt but not seen? And why was he groaning in pain like someone who had been hurt?
It is like he is having a nightmare.
With a sigh, Javier contemplated in the dark room, wondering whether he should wait for Lloyd or return to his pretend sleep and how he was going to help. It seemed the latter was in a predicament that he could not discuss with others. The night deepened as he thought over these worries.
♣
As the sun started to set in the world of the Ending Spoiler, Lloyd tried to squint his eyes to avoid the bright sunlight but failed to do so. His eyelids wouldn't move as he wanted them to. The trivial incident made him remember something.
Oh, right. I can't move my body right now.
It was always like this with the Ending Spoiler. He would see his future through the dying body of his future self and had no physical control over himself.
Tsk.
Despite the intensely bright light, Lloyd made an effort to investigate his surroundings.
"Master Lloyd, I am here," said a familiar voice. It belonged to Javier.
Lloyd then felt something silky over his shoulder. Clothes, perhaps? Lloyd could not move and felt drained. His stomach also churned with severe nausea as if he was having a dreadful hangover.
I am on my deathbed, after all.
This was the fourth ending spoiler, so even though Lloyd was watching his last moments play out in front of him, he was able to maintain his composure. This was the moment for careful observation rather than sentimentality, and every conversation and piece of information needed to be gathered. With that in mind, he observed what was happening and then heard a rustling noise next to him, which he assumed was Javier taking a seat.
"Javier." Lloyd felt his own mouth speak.
Javier replied at once. "Yes, Master Lloyd."
"I have something to say."
"Please tell me."
"It might take up quite a bit of your time."
"That is fine." Javier's voice, however, shook. Even though it was firm, there was a slight tremble at the end of his words.
"This Ending Spoiler is horrible, isn't it?" Future Lloyd chuckled.
"Master Lloyd?"
"Just keep listening. I don't have much time left to explain."
“...”
"It began right after the construction for the Pantara Railroad was finished. You probably sensed that there was a problem with the queen's left arm. Your suspicion was correct. Don't forget this."
Even though his speech was strained, Lloyd persisted in speaking as clearly as possible. His words seemed to be directed toward Javier and also like a monologue at the same time.
Wait a minute. Is he talking to me?
It appeared that way, and Lloyd tried to concentrate on what his future self was saying. "Her left arm will grow worse. It will happen more quickly than expected. I wish it was a simple case of paralysis. But it was worse in this version of the phenomenon. In just two months, her arm started to decay as if it was infected with some sort of disease."
What? Her arm would decay? Lloyd tensed at his gruesome words.
His future self continued, "So, she decided to cut it off since it wasn't getting better with any kind of treatment and leaving it alone could endanger her life. She clenched her teeth and cut it off by herself. Do you see where I'm going with this? You're right. The Knight of Blood and Iron. The assassination attempt. The outcome of the events was far too similar to what happened there."
What in the world...
Lloyd was taken aback since the future appeared to be worse than what he saw with the first version of the restoration of destiny.
And... it's closer to the original version of the Knight of Blood and Iron.
Lloyd's breathing slowed. He began listening to his future self's story with more focus.
Future Lloyd paused for a moment. Then he said, "After that, it's pretty similar. Her temper changes. The amputation must have been a great shock for her. Well, I suppose that would be the same for anyone and especially the case for the queen since she's a swordmaster. The loss of an arm was probably more devastating for her than most people. Anyway... She soon became suspicious of the people around her. I think she believed that her arm became paralyzed because someone was contaminating her food with small doses of poison. This led her to execute every servant in the palace. And as if that was not enough, she also executed every royal magician with them as well. Do you know why?"
Lloyd had no clue. But he had his guesses.
"You guessed it," said Future Lloyd. "She had doubts. She suspected that her arm was cursed rather than poisoned. And that is how every royal magician was sentenced to death. The House of Peers protested because most of their children worked in such jobs. Yes, that was the start of the civil war."
Lloyd imagined the events as he listened to the story. The queen had cast suspicion on everyone and then launched a bloody purge, just like in The Knight of Blood and Iron.
Then, a civil war broke out.
It appeared as though the same event had transpired in the future as the civil war had devastated half the land, burned down innumerable villages and farmland, and destroyed more than half of nobles.
"It was a huge war between two factions in support or opposition of the queen. You might be wondering which side our family chose. Of course, we sided with her. I made the decision after careful consideration and knew which team the goddess of victory would side with."
Lloyd thought that was much like him. He would have done the same thing.
"Of course, I didn't take part because I didn't want a pointless war. Let us say I was on the neutral side. Thankfully, she did not ask much of me. She must have been discreet. But she did something else that made things worse between us."
He wondered what she did. The answer made his blood run cold.
"Around the time the civil war ended, she waged war with another nation to control the atmosphere in the kingdom and solidify the nobles, and she invaded the southwest. The Benetto Kingdom."
He couldn't believe it. Chills ran down his spine.
"The trade route became an invasion route, and the kingdom fell in less than ten days, which is when I voiced my opposition. The route was not meant for invasion, but the price of my opposition was more costly than I thought. The title of Magentano Carry, meaning the one holding up the Magentano family.”
The title was withdrawn?
Magentano Carry was the first title Lloyd ever earned, granting him unconditional support and trust from the queen. He didn't need to hear more to know the events that followed after that title was withdrawn during her tyrannous reign.
"I'm assuming you must have sensed it by now. Yeah, the doubts began to focus on me, and the wall that protected her from seeing past my family's strength and power crumbled." Future Lloyd chuckled. "I was marked as a traitor, and the entire kingdom became my enemy. So what did I do? I fought back. There was no room for negotiation in the first place. And that resulted in a second civil war. Guess who came out on top?"
Lloyd knew who won. "You should know. Yes, we won. We subdued the palace 15 days ago," revealed Future Lloyd.
“...”
"And I planned to stop this whole nonsense afterward. But she had other plans for herself. She ended her own life."
“...”
"That was one development to the story, so I just watched how things would play out, how that ugly reality would continue its messy and dirty path, and that is when I learned that a person's life can be destroyed at lightning speed. Yesterday, I buried Count and Countess Frontera."
What could have happened? Lloyd wondered.
"While I was out fighting in the war, a noble in support of the queen sent someone over. They approached the count and countess while pretending to be on my side and had an urgent message to deliver. Then... the two were attacked before they even realized what was happening."
“...”
"Of course they had guards. I'm not so thoughtless as to leave my fiefdom unguarded, but that noble was a nomadic sword master traveling from one kingdom to the next."
“...”
"In any case, my entire body feels weak from all the bottles of drinks I had last night. My heart is tortured by how I was not able to tell them the truth and that I love them. My guilt is eating me alive. So, I went on a drinking binge for the first time in a while. That was when it came to me." Future Lloyd chuckled, and it allowed Lloyd to see why he was seeing this scene through the Ending Spoiler. "That's right. I'm sure you, Lloyd Frontera, know of the Ending Spoiler. My past self. You've realized this already, right? This is my message to you."
Yes, this was Lloyd's dying message, done in anticipation that his past self would utilize the Ending Spoiler, but something was off here.
I'm just smashed and feeling a little under the weather. How's this my dying moment?
The future Lloyd seemed agitated and disheartened due to the hangover. But not near death.
Then, why is he acting like he's going to die... It couldn't possibly be...
"Correct. The Ending Spoiler shows the final moment of my life. And death can come in many ways," Future Lloyd grinned in that instant.
It couldn't be, Lloyd thought to himself. But his fear was proven correct.
Future Lloyd turned his head for the first time and spoke to Javier. "Now, Javier."
"Do we really have to do this...?" mumbled Javier, who was visibly distressed.
"Yes. This is the only way to save me, my parents, and the queen."
"But-"
"Trust me."
Lloyd could see from Javier's expression that the two had a lengthy debate about this and that he had stubbornly argued again and again with the knight for him to follow his plan. Javier nodded, tearing up. "Yes... Young Master."
Javier stood up, blocking the sun with his back, his features shadowed and his blade the only object gleaming in the sunlight.
Swish. Javier raised his sword. The end of the sword's blade was trembling. "Is this the only option we have left?" He asked again, seemingly confirming Lloyd's answer for the last time, or perhaps, unable to let go of his lingering hope.
"Yes."
“...”
Javier bit his lips.
Future Lloyd smiled bitterly, and as an afterthought, "Oh, after some thinking, I concluded that someone hastened the speed of the restoration of destiny. And that is..."
Lloyd watched the blood spurt in the air as Javier's sword solemnly fell down and sliced through his body. He also heard the last words his future self said as his consciousness faded.
"Hell's King..."
Everything went dark.
