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The Reincarnated Thirty-Something Woman’s Otherworldly Reform Life

[The Guardians Afterwards]

Translated by: ME

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*****

A quiet room with no sound.

Even the faint sound of breathing seemed likely to echo loudly, so Claude unconsciously held his breath.

Was he deep in thought, or was he suffering? Seeing his father hanging his head, Claude was at a loss for words.

And above all, he thought of his niece's sorrowful eyes as she left with a stiff face, concerned for them even while hurting herself.

(...I can't leave a child with a face like that alone...!)

Making an excuse to himself in his heart, he clenched his fist slightly, turned on his heel without saying anything to his father, and left.

He had been surprised by his niece's actions over the past five months, but the content she narrated afterward, which seemed impossible to believe, went beyond the realm of surprise; his mind felt as if it were refusing to understand.

(Different world... that couldn't be described within the category of a different country or environment.)

A completely different place, a completely different era. A completely different country, completely different... likely different values and social aspects as well.

He couldn't imagine it.

(Is she saying she crossed space-time... crossed the world itself? ...Is such a thing possible?)

There was no way he could believe it.

However.

(...What kind of terror must that be?)

Honestly, for Claude, whether Magnolia had another person's consciousness or not didn't significantly change his perception of her, nor his attitude toward her.

If it were an illness or some kind of mental or physical abnormality, it would be a serious matter requiring treatment.

Of course, it gave him a headache that she started saying things beyond comprehension.

And it was inevitable that he would sigh at the fact that she had thrust something so outrageous at him.

To him, 「Magnolia」 was neither more nor less than the Magnolia in front of him.

Even though she was his niece, the lack of a blood connection might have been somewhere in his mind, even if he didn't intend to be conscious of it.

Perhaps... precisely because they were not blood relatives, he saw and thought of her not as 「Niece Magnolia」, but purely as the existence 「Magnolia」.

Even if told that the original her and the current her were different things, different existences, he could only say, 「Is that so?」 Although it was extremely hard to believe and bizarre.

In the first place, he knew nothing of the original Magnolia.

To him, 「Magnolia」 was a tiny, tiny girl who was surprisingly quick-witted despite her size, lisped, was a bit cheeky, reckless to a fault, hard-working and adorable, couldn't be let down around yet was careless, and turned things upside down in outrageous directions.

Even if told that wasn't her, he could only say that to him, it was.

Even if explained that what he didn't know had been switched before he recognized it, he wouldn't feel he had lost anything.

He only knew and understood the existence that was in front of his eyes now.

He laughed bitterly at his completely disjointed thoughts.

It was no use piling up circular thoughts.

Claude shook his head and hurried to Magnolia's room.

「Magnolia, are you there?」

—There was no response to his knock.

Opening the door hesitantly, there was no one in the room.

「......」

He thought about where Magnolia would go.

「The library?」

No sooner had he muttered it than he hurriedly turned around.

Ignoring the surprised looks of the servants he passed, he ran down the hallway.

Servas was drained of strength, as if exhausted.

It was like the aftermath of a great battle.

Although he didn't have a brilliant mind like his sons, Servas couldn't understand what Magnolia was saying at all.

—No, he understood the words she was trying to say.

However, he couldn't understand the meaning at all.

(What does it mean...?)

He didn't know why, but he knew he was in shock.

And he also knew that this absurd story, which was largely unbelievable, was the truth.

Humans are creatures that lie. No matter how much you trust someone, there are things you can't avoid.

For self-preservation, for greed, to protect something precious.

To outwit an opponent, for mere pleasure. Sometimes due to a bitter decision. Sometimes unconsciously.

Truly for various reasons.

On the battlefield, a momentary difference in judgment can save or destroy oneself and many others.

Servas was blessed with rare physical and mental abilities, but he was also blessed with an instinctive ability to sense truth and falsehood.

He didn't really know if it was an inherent ability or one acquired through many battles. He couldn't explain it logically; perhaps it should be called a sixth sense...

He didn't know how many times he had been saved by the vague intuition of 「I think so.」

(Magnolia isn't lying—at least, her eyes showed she believed it from the bottom of her heart.)

And more than the shock he received, he felt unbearably sorry for Magnolia, feeling like cursing the God he didn't believe in much for this unreasonableness.

(Why try to burden such a small child with only harsh fates? ...What did that girl do!)

A powerful hand scratched his head roughly.

Magnolia might not be Magnolia?

Did that mean she was a mixed existence? Even she herself didn't know for sure—

No matter what Magnolia she was, wasn't she Magnolia?

If she changed, then shouldn't he love that whole package?

Just because he couldn't understand a part of it, could he cut it all off?

When you don't understand, prioritize your feelings.

What you cannot yield. What is precious. What leaves few regrets.

The more desperate the situation, the more choices follow.

And often, it's precisely at such times that a wrong choice is irrevocable.

(Servas, what is it that you want to protect?)

Claude hesitated for a moment, but made up his mind and quietly opened the library door.

Suppressing his impatience, he walked slowly toward the back.

Deep in the back of the room, at the large executive desk, was the figure of Magnolia spreading out a map.

He breathed a sigh of relief at finally finding the small figure, but at the same time, seeing the map at her hand, a sense of frustration grew.

Sensing a human presence, Magnolia looked up.

「...Big Bwother Claude...」

Saying so, her mouth curved into a frown, and large tears spilled from her big round eyes.

「...Wha!」

Claude stiffened at the sudden tears, but he hurriedly approached with long strides, extended his arms, forcibly pulled her from the chair where she was kneeling, and pressed Magnolia's small face, head and all, against his chest.

「Buh!!」

Her forehead and nose struck his hard, trained chest, and Magnolia made a squashed sound.

「What are you crying for!」

「Becaush...!」

Claude asked as if angry.

With her face still pressed against his chest, Magnolia's tears wouldn't stop, wetting her cheeks more and more.

Words didn't come out; her large breaths and endless tears made Claude's chest warm and damp.

Desperately suppressing her sobs, breathing heavily with her shoulders, Magnolia asked.

「...Is it not dishgusting? Beshides, beshides I am...」

「You are Magnolia. Are you not?」

Interrupting Magnolia's words, Claude asked back.

She lifted her face from his loosened arms.

—Her small, tight lips trembled, and tears spilled one after another without a sound.

「...What a terrible face.」

Giving a thin, troubled smile, he sat in the chair Magnolia had been sitting in, placed his small niece on his lap, and gently pressed a handkerchief he took out against her cheeks and eyes.

「~~~~, Fueeeh.」

The hand holding the handkerchief was so gentle that it made her cry even more.

No matter how much he wiped, overflowing tears occasionally grazed and wet Claude's fingers.

(...Until now, she couldn't cry...)

「To me, Magnolia is you. Adult or child. Knowledge or no knowledge.」

Peering into her reddened eyes, he whispered as if to persuade both himself and Magnolia.

He wished he could comfort her better.

No more words came from Claude's mouth; he tightened his thin lips and continued to apply the handkerchief.

「...Is it okay for me to be here?」

「Where do you intend to go other than here?」

(What a soft-hearted person.)

As she cried, just as she was about to smile wryly.

There was a tremendous rumbling of the earth. The glass windows shook finely, and the floor creaked repeatedly as if receiving something heavy.

「「......」」

The moment Magnolia wondered what was happening, there was a sound like the library door being kicked open, and a large mass leaped out in front of her eyes.

It was Servas.

Her grandfather, looking as if he were about to die, saw his tear-stained granddaughter, snatched her from his son-in-law, and hugged her tight.

「Gue...!!?」

(...I-I'm gonna die...!)

「Forgive me, Magnoliaaa! I was so distracted by the shock and pity that I couldn't hug you immediately, forgive meee!!」

Hearing his groan of heartfelt regret, Ah, this person too, she thought.

「Gwandfather!」

「Magnoliaaaaa!!」

「...Guh-fuu!」

To Lily, who was frozen in amazement behind him still holding the tea set, Claude smiled wryly and said.

「Sorry right after you got back, but please bring a wet towel and cold water. Her eyes will swell.」

「...! Yes!!」

Relieved that things seemed to have settled down nicely even though she didn't quite understand, Lily immediately started running.

「...Father, if you squeeze any harder, Magnolia will be crushed.」

Claude intervened with a sigh.

Being hugged tightly, she really felt like she was about to be crushed.

Even while being nearly crushed, Magnolia broke into a smile.

Human existence is always fleeting. Life and death are right next door.

Is it reality or illusion? Is it truth or doubt, or is it falsehood?

The boundaries are sometimes ambiguous and elusive.

A certain heartbeat and breathing. A soft voice and a powerful gaze.

Yes, 「Magnolia」 is certainly here now.

Hers. Theirs. The three of them each thought so.

*****

S3's note: Sorry, can't help myself.

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