When the plot-skips players into the game world

After satisfying Cardinal Belisarius, Aiwass suddenly understood these Cardinal Archbishops.

——So you all actually have opinions in your hearts, but just keep them bottled up and don't bring them up?

Not sure if it's that you don't want to say them, or you don't dare…

But since there are demands, that's a good thing — it's always better to have demands, no matter how difficult, than to not know what they are.

Although Aiwass wasn't part of the product department in his previous life, he understood how constantly changing demands could easily anger people. If a demand keeps getting revised, the most likely reason is they don't actually know what they want, so they just threw something out to be revised later. Essentially, it's like asking someone, "What would you like to eat?" and they respond with, "Anything."

After all, the dish called "anything" is always the hardest one to make.

"Oh, right, Cardinal Favna."

Aiwass recalled the pitiful Little Rhine — this child had been relentlessly studying, without pause, ever since Avalon was founded, all the way to the present day. And it wasn't the kind of studying that involved rote memorization, but rather, daily beatings.

…Because Dragons are the people of adaptation, they can automatically adapt to their external environment and grow stronger rapidly through life-and-death crises. In this era of peace, crises are hard to come by, so Cardinal Favna started manufacturing artificial crises to forcibly provoke evolution.

This, however, isn't necessarily wrong, since the future world indeed promises drastic changes. From this perspective, Cardinal Favna could be considered foresighted.

But the problem lay in the fact that she wasn't acting based on her own judgment when she did this.

She was doing it to fulfill Helquinn's "last wish," which was to train Rhine to become the strongest warrior in the world — although Helquinn himself didn't even realize the ramifications of this.

When he said such words at the time, it was entirely because he understood Favna enough to know she was a bit obsessed, even somewhat mad.

Helquinn knew there was little chance he would return alive from the journey, and worried Favna might commit suicide out of grief. So he wanted to give her something to focus on, while reminding her she still had their child.

It was also a heartfelt blessing for the child's future… similar to saying, "I hope our kid grows up to be a great scientist" or "Hopefully, our child can become a high-ranking official someday."

After Helquinn's sacrifice, Cardinal Favna indeed didn't commit suicide.

Good news: At least the person didn't die; she lived on and raised the child well. Bad news: She took it as unbendable truth and insisted on fulfilling the purpose no matter what — to the point even His Holiness couldn't convince her otherwise.

This kind of situation… better let Helquinn handle it himself.

Fortunately, when Aiwass fused with Aleister, Helquinn, whom Aleister had brought to Avalon, followed and was transferred automatically.

As soon as Aiwass saw Cardinal Favna, her hair covering one eye and a gloomy aura emanating from her whole body, turning her head toward him, he smiled brightly and said, "I brought you an old friend."

"…Friend?"

Favna's low, hoarse voice emerged.

Her voice resembled the first sentence someone might utter after pulling an all-nighter and speaking at dawn — dry and indifferent, as though the person hadn't slept but still sounded as if they had just awoken, carrying a weary air.

In fact, this was indeed true.

It was said that Cardinal Favna hadn't slept in ages.

As a Dragon, she had alternative methods to replenish mana beyond dreaming. Not to mention, prayers and the Fire Rite Skill alone could replenish mana and heal injuries. As for why she didn't sleep…

…Perhaps she simply didn't want to dream.

To a Dragon with a long lifespan, falling in love with someone, then watching them die… every dream afterward becomes torment.

After finishing the meeting with the bishops, Aiwass had already dispelled the Sin Beast transformation. Thus, he had long restored his ability to wield the power of transcendence.

Then Aiwass pulled out a card and called, "Helquinn!"

"…What?"

Cardinal Favna froze upon hearing this, then suddenly widened her eyes. "Helquinn…?!"

In the next instant, a silver storm surged up behind Aiwass.

"——I answer the summon."

A clear voice rang out.

Within the storm, azure lightning crackled and danced. A semi-transparent figure emerged from within.

It was Helquinn, appearing without a helmet or his Dusk Transformation, the same Pure White-as-snow, resplendent-as-sunlight, silver-armored hero of old.

Brilliant golden short hair, bright turquoise-glaze-hued eyes.

As soon as he appeared, he barely glanced around the room before his gaze fixated intently on Favna's figure.

In that instant, the surroundings fell into silence.

Neither Aiwass nor the other Cardinal Archbishops said a word as they watched this scene unfold.

Favna, however, reached out a hand to cover her mouth, silently staring at Helquinn. Every time her eyes blinked, they were momentarily shrouded in transparent mist.

Helquinn's expression became exceptionally complicated.

He scratched his forehead, seemingly uneasy, shrugged his shoulders, and adjusted the armor on his body — though he was a spiritual entity and wouldn't actually feel discomfort.

Seeing his reaction, Favna suddenly realized something, and tears finally welled up in her eyes.

She knew — this was indeed the real, flesh-and-blood Helquinn she once knew.

The great His Holiness had resurrected her husband who had been dead for hundreds of years!

For the remains of the dead, their physical forms are stripped of the Four Domains; for their souls, the Six Domains. Helquinn's corpse had been cooked and eaten by the Giants, leaving only the possibility of residual spirit. Such a fragmented soul would lack even self-awareness, let alone clear emotion.

But the Helquinn before her, though undead in form…

Was unmistakably lucid in consciousness, with unclouded clarity — nothing resembling a typical undead!

Even The Wild Hunt couldn't achieve such complete consciousness!

It felt almost as if the living had entered a dream, forming an intact spiritual essence!

"Is this… a miracle?"

Favna's cold and somber voice softened abruptly, her tone blurred and choked with quiet sobs.

Their bond wasn't merely one of several-century-long marriage. They had spent years together that far exceeded anyone else — even their parents, mentors, or other family and friends.

Since they were young and weak, the two had faced formidable foes together as loyal companions. They were childhood sweethearts, comrades-in-arms, brothers, lovers, spouses… and trusted confidants.

They shared countless life-and-death crises, their precious memories like pearls and friendship as enduring as diamonds.

Had Favna not been pregnant at the time, they would have undoubtedly chosen to face death together without hesitation — Favna often wondered if she had gone with him back then, perhaps Helquinn wouldn't have died.

Even the Giant King couldn't handle Helquinn without resorting to tricks. With Helquinn having a swift ally capable of high mobility, combat, healing, and augmentative abilities like Favna, their combined power would have surpassed the sum of their individual strengths multiple times over.

Perhaps… that would've been an outright transformation.

Or perhaps… they'd have been slaughtered by Supreme Heaven itself.

But either way, it would've been better than being alone.

"I'm sorry, Favna…"

Helquinn's slightly ethereal voice sounded.

The moment he saw Favna cry, his previous awkwardness vanished, and he rushed forward in long strides.

He placed his hand on Favna's back, hesitating to grip it tightly yet loosening again before finally pulling her into a firm embrace.

As she felt the cold, solid sensation of his touch, Favna shuddered as if struck by lightning.

For a moment, she didn't dare to hug Helquinn back. She feared he might be nothing more than an untouchable illusion. If she reached to hold Helquinn, only for her hands to pass through incorporeal shadow and air… Favna couldn't imagine how shattered she'd be.

Yet now, as she realized she could genuinely touch Helquinn, unrestrained exhilaration and sorrow overwhelmed her.

She wrapped her arms around the spiritual form of Helquinn, burying her face in his chest. Her sturdy dragon horns repeatedly knocked against Helquinn's breastplate like battering rams, producing crisp and tangible metallic clangs.

Favna wept and wailed with the despair and fervency of a young maiden.

Watching this scene, Aiwass finally exhaled deeply.

Somewhat regretful, yet ultimately fulfilled.

——I've brought you Helquinn.

It was all thanks to the Lord of Scalefeather…and the warrior's legacy Aiwass carried back, enabling Helquinn to transform from an Earth-bound undead into a Wind-aligned Warrior Spirit, regaining his consciousness and awareness.

Otherwise, if Favna had embraced a Helquinn who retained only rudimentary consciousness and fragmentary memories, brimming still with resentment… that sorrowful cry, Aiwass wasn't sure if he could withstand it.

"This is wonderful."

Aiwass murmured softly, watching the scene unfold.

He realized once again what changes his altered future had wrought.

He had reshaped the future, witnessing the smiles of many, seeing countless tragedies dissolve before they could take form…

——and knew he was walking the right path.