Chapter 744: Episode 744

The Holy Federation dispatched troops to retrieve Saintess Anna.

Whether by design or coincidence, this intel leaked to the Dark Alliance.

Necromancers and priests from both factions rushed to the orphanage, creating a powder keg of a situation. Fortunately, an all-out war did not break out.

Richard and Anna, both commander-level figures, stepped in to prevent a battle. Furthermore, since the orphanage was far from the Neutral Zone’s Sealed Tome excavation sites, the dispatched officers concluded there was no need to fight.

The dark spirits vanished as if they had never been there, and Richard and Anna returned to their respective camps. The Holy Federation, slightly more concerned with their public image among the locals, agreed to protect the orphanage’s children.

It seemed the situation had settled.

"Attack! Attack!"

"Bring down the Holy Federation’s fortress!"

The very next day, the war on the Bahila Front resumed.

With the stalemate dragging on, the Dark Alliance higher-ups demanded results, eager to secure even a slightly larger Sealed Tome excavation site than the Holy Federation.

However.

"Commander Yona! A faint crack has appeared in the enemy’s barrier! If we mobilize the Legion and push through, there’s a high chance...!"

"Forget it."

Ever since that day, Richard had been acting like a man who had lost his soul.

Even on the battlefield, he would just sit on a rock, staring blankly up at the sky with his mouth slightly agape.

"We can’t break through. Just launch a moderate strike and retreat."

Richard frequently halted offensives, claiming there was no need to force an inefficient attack. Complaints piled up among the hardline Ancient Undead and his Legion subordinates, but Richard ignored them all.

"Saintess! We have intelligence that injured necromancers are hiding in the city’s underground! Please authorize an artillery strike!"

"I cannot authorize that."

Anna was exactly the same.

"Holy artillery strikes will only increase casualties among innocent civilians."

"Then at least allow us to dispatch an infiltration team to the western front...!"

"Our forces will suffer heavy losses. Order a retreat."

Like Richard, she had lost all motivation to fight. Unable to watch any longer, Israphel spoke up.

"Anna! We have to push forward when we have the upper hand! We need to expand our excavation area for the Sealed Tomes, even just a little!"

At that, Anna let out a sad smile.

"The Dark Alliance’s defenses are ironclad. Even if we succeed in breaking through, I dread to think how much blood will be spilled."

"We can’t win a war if we fear sacrifices! You know that! What if a Sealed Tome is found in their Bahila sector? His Holiness the Pope will surely hold us account..."

"A Sealed Tome ’might’ be found in that sector," Anna replied calmly.

"How many people have lost their lives for that exact reason so far? The excavation of the area we currently occupy isn’t even finished yet. How much more blood must we spill over the mere assumption that a Sealed Tome ’might be found’?"

"Anna!"

"Halt all possible attacks. We will focus our efforts on excavating the Sealed Tomes while defending the territory we already hold."

Dismissing all the staff officers’ suggestions to switch to the offensive, including Israphel’s, Anna sat in her chair and stared out of the tent.

Even though she couldn’t see outside, she blankly gazed in a certain direction.

Israphel bit her lip hard.

’Anna...’

Having watched Anna for a long time, Israphel could tell.

Anna was suffering.

Whenever someone asked what was wrong, she would smile brightly and say everything was fine, but there was no life in her eyes. She refused to eat or drink, sitting blankly like a dying person.

Ever since that "Orphanage Incident."

’This isn’t my fault.’

Even if Lena was right, and the intel had leaked because Israphel reported Anna’s deviation to headquarters—wasn’t this actually for the best?

The man she had been meeting at the orphanage was a necromancer. Not just any necromancer, but the infamous Legion Commander Yona. Israphel was the one who had saved Anna before she could be deceived and led into an even more horrific situation.

Just as she thought, Anna only had her.

’Then why?’

Why was Anna smiling like a withered flower, and why couldn’t Israphel look her in the eye without feeling guilty?

Could it be...

No, that was impossible.

Israphel shook her head, scattering the blasphemous delusions from her mind, and walked off to devise a more effective and perfect attack plan that Anna would have no choice but to approve.

---

Four days later.

Deep in the night.

Simon and Lethe slipped out of their respective camps and met once again in the ruins.

"I’m glad you’re safe, Lethe," Simon said with a sigh of relief. Lethe looked a little haggard.

"Well, there was some interrogation from the others, but Teacher Anna protected me thoroughly, so I was permitted to stay."

"Yeah."

Following the Orphanage Incident, a strict order forbidding the abandonment of posts had been issued within the Holy Federation.

During the 100-Year War, as the stalemate dragged on, soldiers frequently snuck out, especially in the Neutral Zone where the battle for the Sealed Tomes was taking place. However, this incident had completely shut that down.

Lethe was essentially risking her life to be here.

"What about the Dark Alliance?"

"It is the same here. A strict order against desertion has been issued."

"The situation has become complicated. I thought things were going a bit too smoothly."

According to what they had heard directly from Richard and Anna in Leshill before coming to the past, the two of them were supposed to discover each other’s identities after about six dates.

That reveal was supposed to happen when they accidentally provoked a nearby monster colony while out on a date in the suburbs.

The battle was so fierce that the two, who had been fighting with generic mana, were forced to summon jet-black aura and divinity to survive.

Upon realizing they were a necromancer and a priest, they fought briefly, accusing each other of deceit, but they soon had no choice but to form a temporary alliance as more monsters swarmed them.

Countless monsters. A necromancer and a priest standing back-to-back.

In the process of fighting together against a common enemy, their anger and misunderstandings gradually washed away, and a strange affection began to bloom.

Of course, after the battle ended, they parted ways after firmly establishing their stances—declaring that they were now enemies and there would be no mercy if they met on the battlefield. However, the very fact that they resolved it through conversation rather than fighting to the death was proof that a bond existed between them.

But now.

"In our current timeline, the two of them separated without experiencing those six dates."

Lethe lightly pounded the dirt with her fist.

"Let alone six times, they only had exactly one date after their first meeting! And even that was interrupted by those strange spirits!"

Simon sighed.

"I just hope that one date was as impactful as all six combined."

"More than anything, the fact that they didn’t experience the monster colony incident is a huge problem."

Simon agreed.

During the monster colony incident, a fierce battle had broken out before they could even process the shock of being enemies, forcing them to build a bond while fighting a common foe.

But this time, that process had been skipped.

They had parted ways in a state of pure shock right after confirming each other’s identities. They couldn’t confirm their feelings for each other, nor could they build a bond. They had even been caught at the scene by soldiers from their respective factions.

The two fell into deep thought. Then, Lethe suddenly spoke with a determined face.

"The Secret Society is the one who messed up the situation first! Since it has come to this, we should go all out too!"

"What are you planning?"

"We bring the two of them near that monster colony by any means necessary, even by force! How about we provoke the monsters and run away? The two of them will have to fight, and eventually, won’t things flow similarly to the past we know?"

"I actually had the exact same thought and checked if there were any monster colonies nearby." Simon shook his head. "The Dark Alliance already deemed them a potential risk factor and subjugated all the colonies."

"Damn it, it seems the Secret Society has already made their move."

The "Secret Society" from the future was not only thorough enough to eliminate minor variables in advance, but they also seemed to know Richard and Anna very well.

All Simon and Lethe knew about them was that they used a heterogeneous power called "dark spirits," and that they possessed intelligence networks in both the Dark Alliance and the Holy Federation, allowing them to exert a certain degree of influence.

"We’ve done all we can," Simon said. "Forcing the two of them to meet again right now is unrealistic, and even if they do meet, I think their feelings will only become more confused. Let’s monitor the situation a little longer for now."

Simon looked at the hourglass artifact around his neck. More than half the sand had already flowed down.

"We’ll probably be able to stay in the past until the ’Legion of Betrayal Incident.’ That will be our most crucial chance."

"You are surprisingly calm." Lethe crossed her arms. "Have you already forgotten what the Witch of Death said? That if those two do not end up together, your very existence might be erased when we return?"

"Of course I remember." Simon raised his head. "But I believe in their hearts."

Even though things had gone awry, he had faith that those two would eventually end up together somehow.

Simon held onto that vague belief.

"Fated love, huh." Lethe rested her chin on her hand. "I really hope such an unrealistic story actually comes true."

---

Since the Orphanage Incident, Richard had been living like a wreck.

Nothing satisfied him, and everything left him feeling empty. When others asked why he looked so miserable, Richard couldn’t give them an answer. He didn’t even know the reason himself.

He just felt like shit.

That was all there was to it.

Then one day, his peers called him out to grab a drink at night. As it happened, that nagging "Watcher" was out somewhere and nowhere to be seen.

An order forbidding desertion of military duties had been issued, but Richard wasn’t one to care. He grabbed his coat and followed his comrades out.

They arrived at the tavern they always frequented.

As always, he declared that the drinks were on him, rang the golden bell, and snatched the bards’ instruments to play them himself.

But it wasn’t fun. Not the cheers of the crowd, not the tipsy buzz of the alcohol, and not the women approaching to seduce him.

Everything felt hollow.

Even as he sat on the sofa, partying like a king with women on both arms, he felt absolutely nothing.

No.

In fact, it only made him feel worse.

The liquor bottle shattered violently against the floor.

Shards flew everywhere as the women screamed. The area descended into a mess, and the people who had been immersed in the party atmosphere stared at Richard in shock.

Richard pulled out a wad of cash, tossed it to the tavern owner, and walked out.

He figured he would never have a reason to come back here again.

He returned to the military barracks.

He never imagined the day would come when he’d return in the middle of a party. He threw off his coat and spread open the books piled up on one side.

- ’Secrets of the Sealed Tomes.’

- ’Principles and History of the Sealed Tomes.’

Then, he dragged over a tactical chalkboard, grabbed a piece of chalk, and scribbled furiously.

’How to Stop the War’

After writing those words with heavy force, Richard stared blankly at the board.

"Fuck."

He let out a scoff, swept his bangs back, and threw the chalk away.

The chalk smacked against the tent pole and snapped in half. Richard grabbed a bottle of rum, took a heavy swig, and then picked up a quill, scribbling wildly on a report.

’Report: Reasons Why This War Must End.’

He scratched his long hair and continued to write frantically in his drunken state.

’Why am I like this?’

’Why the hell am I like this?’

’Partying isn’t fun, and looking at women doesn’t excite me.’

’End the war?’

’Why am I suddenly doing this?’

’Fuck.’

Richard let his arms drop limply.

"Were you Yona?"

Richard abruptly stood up, flipped his desk, and kicked his chair.

He stared at the splintering wood and fluttering documents.

His stomach churned, and he still felt like absolute garbage.

"Why isn’t that Watcher bastard coming back?!" he roared. "So he can stop me from going out to drink again! Huh? Shouldn’t he be watching me properly? Ah, shit."

Exhausted by his own outburst, he slumped back down.

He felt like trash.

---

Deep in the night.

In an empty, deserted prayer room within the Holy Federation, absolute silence hung in the air.

Right there, Anna was kneeling in prayer.

Bathed in the moonlight shining through the window, she was reading down the verses of the scripture.

But no matter which verse she recited.

No matter what prayer she offered.

"Today isn’t everything. Keep challenging yourself like that."

That man’s face flickered in her mind.

Even when she shook her head vigorously and prayed again, it remained.

Her heart hurt too much. It was so bitter and unbearable that tears welled up. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and clasped her hands together again.

"What are you doing here, Teacher?"

At the voice from behind, Anna slowly turned her head.

Lethe was approaching with a gentle smile.

"Praying like this until dawn will ruin your health."

"...Lena."

Anna bowed her head deeply.

"Even with small and trivial things, little by little. Try becoming the master of your own life."

Having made up her mind, she met Lethe’s eyes with a determined expression.

"I have something I want to ask you."