The world of gray dissolved, and time resumed its march.
The surrounding din rushed back—my father’s roar, the bishop’s frantic stammering, and Celestia’s palpable anxiety.
Instinctively, my eyes sought out hair as red as a roaring fire.
Reiji Wolf. The hero chosen by Fate.
As I stepped down from the dais, the commotion intensified. To those watching, it must have looked as though I had accepted the grim prophecy of my future.
But that wasn't it at all.
I was simply curious about what would come next—the prophecy that would be bestowed upon Reiji.
Amidst the bizarre, heavy atmosphere, Reiji timidly approached the altar. Before long, the oracle delivered its verdict.
"Thou art the Savior."
The Chamber of Prophecy erupted in a fervor. A Savior appearing immediately after a Great Sinner—the sheer contrast of it made the crowd catch its breath.
However, I was the only one who knew the truth. In this current world, there was no future where he truly earned that title.
"Ugh—!?"
An image suddenly flickered to life inside my mind.
It was the Master Eye—the "blessing" Fate had branded into me.
In the vision, Reiji and I stood facing one another, blades drawn. Why were we dueling?
—A wretch like you, the Savior?! Preposterous! I shall test your worth myself!
—The Savior thing doesn't matter... I just won't lose to you, of all people!
I see. It seemed that in the proper world, I was supposed to be incensed by Reiji’s prophecy and pick a fight with him.
In the vision, the two of us exchanged blows. At first, I held the advantage. But midway through, Reiji’s sword began to glow with a divine radiance.
The Holy Sword. It was the proof of a Savior, a blade imbued with the power of a god. Gripping that sacred steel, Reiji glared at the villainous noble.
—I-Impossible?! That light... what is it?!
—Take thiiiiis!
Reiji’s Holy Sword unleashed a wave of light. Claude was swallowed by the blast and sent flying.
The vision faded.
So that was what was meant to happen in the proper world.
And you want me to do that?
Tell me, Fate. Are you saying that to save the world, I have to keep doing things like this?
No... wait.
The god said Reiji had grown weak because of my influence. But if by some miracle—a one-in-a-billion chance—that wasn't the case, couldn't I just keep living as I have been?
It was worth confirming.
Don't get the wrong idea, Fate... I haven't become your puppet just yet. I simply want to see for myself whether Reiji is truly weaker than he should be.
"...Hmph."
I snorted and stepped into Reiji’s path. Mimicking what I had seen through the Master Eye, I began to hurl insults at him.
"T-To think a wretch like you could be the Savior... how... utterly inconceivable."
God, that was wooden.
The silence that followed was deafening. The mood was completely ruined. Was there any way to salvage this?
"................Claude?"
Reiji looked at me with genuine concern. There wasn't a hint of hostility in his eyes—only pure, unadulterated worry.
"S-Shut up! Don't you dare speak my name so familiarly, you peasant!"
"What’s wrong with you all of a sudden? Are you just stressed out because of that weird prophecy?"
...This was no good. At this rate, I couldn't do anything.
Even if I forced a duel now, I wouldn't be able to gauge Reiji's true strength. To compare him to his proper self, I had to make him truly angry.
...Just once, I would have to perform in earnest.
Acting the part of a villain should be easy for me. After all, the original "me" was evil incarnate. I just had to remember who I was over a year ago. I just had to recreate that monster.
"—I told you to shut up!"
My voice thundered through the Chamber of Prophecy, silencing the crowd. Before the astonished Reiji, I snatched a sword from the belt of a nearby guard and leveled the point at his throat.
"You, the Savior? Don't make me laugh! With that pathetic level of strength, you couldn't protect a single thing!"
"Claude...?"
"Prove it! If you can't even strike me down, then you're nothing but a fraud!"
The light in Reiji's eyes shifted. Faced with my drawn blade, he grabbed a sword from another guard. The man tried to resist, but one sharp glare from me made him freeze in his tracks. This was the first time I felt grateful for my status as a duke's heir.
"I don't care about being a Savior... but you've got a hell of a lot of nerve talking down to me like that!"
Good. That was the spark I needed. Now, let’s see what you’re made of!
I lunged at him. I didn't hold back; I swung with the intent to kill.
"Oooooooh!"
"Aaaaaaaah!"
Reiji blocked my strike, immediately pivoting into a spinning slash. I parried his horizontal blow and countered with a sharp riposte.
The ring of steel echoed through the hall as sparks flew. We locked blades, glaring at one another from inches away. Reiji was serious. He was fighting me with everything he had.
And yet...
...He was light.
The arms holding back my sword were trembling. His posture was unsteady, and his stance lacked a solid foundation. It wasn't just a lack of technique; he lacked raw physical power—the kind of basic strength that can only be forged through years of grueling, daily training.
I lacked that foundation too, of course. Having lived a life of sloth until a year ago, it was to be expected. But I had received elite tutoring since childhood, and swordsmanship was part of that curriculum. Even if my physical limits were low, I had been taught the art of the blade as a noble's duty.
Reiji... are you really going to lose to someone who only treats the sword as a hobby?
Oh... god, no.
This wasn't working. The Reiji standing before me and the hero from the future didn't connect at all. There was no path from here to there!
"Dammit all!"
In a burst of pure frustration, I swung my sword with all my might.
With a sharp clang, Reiji’s sword flew from his hand and clattered across the floor. Disarmed, he stood there, paralyzed with shock.
The match was over. Reiji had lost.
And with him, my naive, optimistic hopes had been crushed.
It was no use. The current Reiji was incomparably weaker than the one I saw through the Master Eye. He didn't even have his Holy Sword.
And it was because I had acknowledged him. Because I had been kind.
Because of me, Reiji never learned what it meant to be angry. He never sharpened his fangs to tear apart an unfair reality. A wolf without fangs is nothing more than a dog—a submissive cur that will never defy its master, Fate.
I was the one who did this to him.
"Lord Claude...?"
I heard Celestia’s trembling voice. When I turned, I saw her face—an expression painted in fear and profound sorrow.
Yes, that was the look. That was the gaze that belonged to the man who would be a stepping stone.
My heart felt like it was being ripped out of my chest. Bile rose in the back of my throat. I wanted to run to her, pull her into my arms, and tell her it was all a lie. I wanted to scream that I would be a good man, that I loved them all.
But I couldn't.
For them to live, I had to be the villain. No matter what I had to sacrifice. No... specifically so that nothing would be sacrificed.
...Fine. Bring it on.
The world needs a stepping stone. It needs a platform to launch Reiji Wolf into heroism. And if I am the only one who can fill that role—
Then I'll do it. I'll be his stepping stone.
But I won't be just any obstacle. I will be a proud stepping stone!
I wasn't yielding to destiny. I was choosing this of my own free will.
The Reiji who became a hero in the future was a man who embodied justice so perfectly it made me ache with envy. He was so magnificent that I felt like I didn't need to be a good person anymore, as long as he was there.
I want to meet that Reiji. I want to entrust everything I love to the man he is meant to become.
I won't cry. I won't mourn.
Because this is my choice. It has nothing to do with the world or the gods. This is for me.
"Hahaha... ha."
Laugh. That’s right, laugh!
I'm doing exactly what I want to do! I'm living my best life!
So laugh like you mean it!
"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha—!"
Watch me, Fate. I’m going to live my life with this smile on my face until the very end.
I will be the proudest stepping stone in history!