Let’s Make Saving a Habit - Chapter 102

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 102
As Duchess Papiope was attacked by a monster and plummeted downward, she barely managed to twist her body away from the worst of it.
Splash!
Fortunately, she fell toward the River, and the current swiftly carried her downstream.
She managed to grab a long, overhanging branch and pull herself onto the bank.
The Duchess coughed violently, expelling water from her lungs.
“Cough! Damn it. My ability won’t activate…?”
To make matters worse, she realized that the ground beneath her feet wasn’t solid land at all—it was a Cave.
Beyond the cave’s entrance, a fierce current of the River raged, and venturing out carelessly would sweep her away again.
“I can’t decide if being trapped in this cave without my ability is fortunate or unfortunate.”
Though the Duchess had trained in swordplay, she had no confidence in traversing the Monster Habitat without her ability to match her physical prowess.
“Ugh…”
She pressed her hand against her lower chest.
A sharp pain radiated from that spot.
“It seems my Core has been damaged.”
Her ability had stopped responding ever since the monster’s ambush.
The attack had struck precisely where her Core—the foundation of her ability—was located.
She continued trying to draw upon her power, but nothing answered her call.
“How long will it remain unusable…?”
Furrowing her brow, she found her thoughts drifting to Lucian, who had called out to her in desperation.
Had she taken just a moment longer to think, she might have remembered the winged monster as well.
But panic had clouded her mind entirely.
“I hope Lucian and all the Red Knights made it through safely…”
She stared at the raging current, her lips trembling with anxiety.
“Cough!”
Her wet body began to shiver uncontrollably in the cold.
Only then did the Duchess realize how frigid she had become.
Had she seen a mirror, her lips would surely have been blue.
She ventured deeper into the Cave, stripped off her clothes down to her undergarments, and wrung out the water.
She spread them across a rock to dry.
Remaining in wet clothes seemed far worse than waiting for them to dry.
“Cough!”
The Duchess continued coughing relentlessly.
The cave’s chill brought a constant, biting wind.
Trembling violently, she huddled into the corner where the wind couldn’t reach her.
Curling up helped somewhat.
Yet even as she did, her thoughts remained fixed on Lucian, her mind spiraling through countless possibilities.
Surely he hadn’t been devoured by the monster.
If he were stranded like herself, rescue would come eventually, given time.
“I wish Tania could have foreseen this situation for me.”
No, that method too would be robbing Tania of her lifespan.
In the first place, Lucian wasn’t being sent separately because the Red Knights were accompanying him.
Ultimately, it was I who approved all of it as the commander.
It was essentially all my fault.
A crushing weight of guilt pressed down upon the Duchess’s chest.
More than the body wounded by monster attacks, more than the body trembling from the cold….
The fact that she couldn’t go rescue Lucian tormented her most deeply.

✦ ✦ ✦
Meanwhile, Lucian safely escaped the heart of the Monster Habitat with the aid of the Golden Silver Mercenary Company.
He summoned two more ravens and this time sent letters detailing his situation to both the Duchess and the Duke’s Mansion.
The letters contained word that he had overcome the dangerous situation with the Golden Silver Mercenary Company’s assistance and, having overexerted himself, would return to the Duke’s Mansion with them.
However, the Duchess never received Lucian’s letter.
Unable to find the Duchess inside the Cave, the raven eventually returned to Lucian.
The undelivered letter came with it.

✦ ✦ ✦
Following Duke Papiope’s orders, the Blue Knights immediately returned to the Duke’s Mansion.
Upon hearing the contents of Lucian’s letter, they realized something had gone terribly wrong.
Had the Duchess successfully reunited with Lucian, that fact would surely be mentioned in the letter.
But nowhere did it say the Duchess had joined him.
With both the Duchess and Lucian absent from the Duke’s Mansion, the highest authority present was Tania.
The Blue Knight Commander immediately reported this to Tania.
But it was Aiden, standing at Tania’s side, who erupted in chaos.
Aiden seized the Blue Knight Commander by the collar, his eyes wild with fury.
“Then the Duchess is alone in the middle of the Monster Habitat right now?”
“P-please calm yourself, Aiden. The Duchess is a powerful Ability User, so she will surely be safe.”
“How can you guarantee that?”
“First, we should assemble a search party right now to find the Duchess….”
Aiden ignored those words and fixed his gaze upon Tania.
“Tania, I’m stepping away for a moment. Don’t you dare leave the Duke’s Mansion—stay here.”
With those words, Aiden turned sharply and rushed away.
“Father…?”
Tania had little difficulty deducing that he had rushed off to find the Duchess.
But how could Aiden, who wasn’t even an Ability User, possibly find the Duchess in that vast Monster Habitat?
“Ugh, I don’t understand how things came to this.”
Tania washed her face with her hands and prepared to shift her perspective once more.
It had been fine to give the Golden Silver Mercenary Company a hint so they could help Lucian, who was in danger.
But she hadn’t anticipated that this chain reaction would result in the Duchess going missing.
Before shifting her perspective, the Duchess would encounter the injured Lucian, defeat the monsters, and return to the Duke’s Mansion.
However, upon reading the letter Lucian sent, it appeared that he had escaped that place with the Golden Silver Mercenary Company and failed to encounter Duchess Papiope this time.
In truth, there were two reasons why I allowed Lucian to fall into danger despite turning back the timeline.
To have the Golden Silver Mercenary Company earn the merit of saving Lucian and the Red Knights’ lives.
To teach Lucian, who knew no fear of the world, a valuable lesson.
However, I never imagined things would unfold this way.
I immediately prepared to turn back the timeline.
Then something flashed through my mind.
What if Duchess Papiope hadn’t been gravely injured or attacked by monsters…?
Perhaps this could instead become an opportunity for Aiden and Duchess Papiope to confirm their feelings for each other.
Rather than rewinding the day, I chose to save the current timeline instead.
[Overwriting Checkpoint 1 with the current timeline.]
I grasped the pendant that summoned Elysion and recited the incantation.
A magical circle materialized beneath my feet, and Elysion was summoned.
Though startled by the sudden summoning while in the midst of slaughtering monsters, he immediately checked whether I was safe.
“Tania, are you alright? Has something happened?”
Witnessing Elysion prioritize my safety despite being summoned so abruptly, I felt deeply moved.
However, realizing this was not the time for comfort, I got straight to the point.
“Sion, our mother has gone missing. Would you be willing to help me find her?”
“The Duchess?”
Elysion tilted his head slowly, as if bewildered.
“…I can help, but couldn’t you just use your own ability?”
“Ah, well… I can’t locate where the Duchess is, even with foresight.”
“That’s not it.”
Couldn’t you just turn back time like you did yesterday?
Elysion couldn’t bring himself to voice the question that came to mind and simply rolled his eyes.
Eventually, he shrugged and decided to see what I wanted.
“I just need to find the Duchess, right?”
“Is there a way?”
Then Elysion’s confident expression lifted the corners of his mouth.
“I can go right now. Just in case, I placed a separate tracking spell on the Duchess and Lucian.”
In truth, after Lucian was gravely injured and time was turned back by me.
Elysion realized that I had taken some kind of measure.
However, not knowing what measure I had taken, he felt inwardly anxious.
Setting aside the possibility of time turning back again, my shocked expression when Lucian was gravely injured kept weighing on his mind.
So midway through, I placed a tracking spell to check if Lucian was alright. I placed one on the Duchess as well, just in case.
But I never imagined it would be used like this.
“I never knew you cared so much about our family. I’m truly grateful, Sion.”
Genuinely moved, I embraced him with tears glistening in my eyes.
It was at that moment when Elysion, receiving my embrace, was internally letting out a silent cry of joy.
“…But Sion, you didn’t place that tracking spell on Raspi, did you?”
Ah. Caught red-handed.
Elysion averted his gaze slightly and grumbled.
“He’ll manage to survive on his own.”

✦ ✦ ✦
[Recalling Viewpoint 1.]
After using Elysion’s magical ability to locate Duchess Papiope, I immediately returned to the moment when Father had rushed out.
I chased after him at once, calling out loudly.
“Father, wait a moment!”
Then he, who seemed as though he would never turn back, suddenly halted his sprint and looked at me.
“What is it?”
“How were you planning to find Mother in those vast Mountains?”
“….”
Having barely caught up to him, I gasped out the approximate location of Duchess Papiope near his ear.
“How did you even….”
Rather than answer Father’s question, I smiled brightly and said.
“Father, please save our mother.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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