Let’s Make Saving a Habit - Chapter 75

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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 75
“Did you really think I’d just let you brush past this so carelessly?”
“Tania, I’m being sincere, and you’re hurting my feelings by saying that.”
Watching Elysion exaggerate by drooping his eyebrows, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Pfft. Alright, alright, stop making that face.”
“Does that mean you’ll accept me?”
“What are you talking about? Why would I take you?”
I unwound the ribbon he had wrapped around his face and tossed it out the window.
“The birthday gift was just something I mentioned in passing… I’m already grateful enough that you came rushing here in the middle of the night to wish me a happy birthday.”
When Elysion said he was the gift, I had put on a serious face…
But truthfully, the fact that he came to find me and wished me a happy birthday was the gift itself.
I still don’t know how he found out it was my birthday.
Did he overhear the servants at Duke Papiope’s Mansion talking about it?
Or perhaps Aiden told him. Either way, that’s not particularly important, so I’ll move on.
“Sion, in that sense, I’ve already given something in return to everyone who gave me gifts today.”
“A return gift?”
“Yes. Since you gave me a special gift, I’ll just give you this.”
“…What is it?”
I smiled mischievously to catch him off guard, then suddenly pressed my lips against his cheek.
*Smack.*
Elysion froze in place, staring at me with an expression of disbelief.
After stealing the lips of adult Elysion, I had now claimed the cheek of child Elysion—my conscience pricked me slightly…
But I decided to brazenly move forward anyway.
“This is my return gift.”
Thank you, Elysion.
You were the greatest gift I received today.
Side Story: Elysion’s Daily Life
Elysion, a mage, spent most of his days devoted to magical research.
Even now, he was modifying a magical circle suspended in mid-air, pushing forward with his studies.
However, there was something rather peculiar—there was only an empty desk in front of Elysion.
“Ah, if I modify this part this way, it should work…”
While other mages had the habit of recording all their research notes, Elysion was the opposite.
He rarely wrote anything down on paper.
Instead, he memorized everything in its entirety.
It was a method only possible because his memory was extraordinarily exceptional.
In fact, Elysion hadn’t always lacked the habit of recording his research from the start.
Even if he remembered everything, it felt more reassuring to keep written records.
But after experiencing his carefully recorded notes disappear multiple times due to Tania’s time regression, he simply gave up on keeping records.
As Elysion was in the midst of his research, he suddenly felt an unusual sensation rising within him.
Out of habit, he glanced at the clock.
At some point, I noticed the clock hand pointing elsewhere.
“This time it wound back about two minutes.”
Elysion immediately ceased his research and reclined against the chair’s backrest, settling into rest.
It had become an ingrained habit whenever time rewound because of me.
“I wonder how many times she’ll rewind it this round….”
When time rewound by mere seconds or a few minutes, the probability of it happening multiple times consecutively was quite high.
When rewinding several hours, the ability usage typically concluded within three attempts at most.
When rewinding a day or two, the probability of time rewinding again became extraordinarily low.
Roughly below five percent.
The longer the timespan she rewound, the less Tania herself seemed to want to rewind it again.
In other words, since she’d just rewound a few minutes, the probability of repetition was high.
He lay comfortably, speculating on what Tania might have rewound time for this time.
“Did she finish the carrot cake like last time and rewind because she wanted more?”
Imagining Tania with her cheeks stuffed full of cake like a squirrel, munching contentedly, I couldn’t help but smile.
When I first realized she’d rewound time for something so trivial, I was utterly dumbfounded.
But watching her eat the refilled carrot cake with such a happy expression changed my perspective.
As long as Tania was happy, wasn’t that what mattered?
Elysion didn’t realize it himself, but it was a terribly deep love.
Whenever time rewound, and whenever the probability of it rewinding again was high.
He’d made it a habit to do nothing.
If he’d been conversing with someone, he would simply listen to their words without speaking afterward….
His thoughts wandered elsewhere.
If he’d been eating, he’d just go hungry rather than bother eating again.
On rare occasions, after finishing his daily tasks and lying contentedly in bed, he’d find himself back at that morning.
“To be honest… it would be a lie to say it didn’t irritate me.”
No matter how much her ability had allowed me to find hope in that hellish place and gain entry to the Talent Cultivation Institute.
Being human, the irregular and unpredictable time reversals often proved frustrating.
Yet on the other hand, I understood Tania’s situation.
The more powerful an Ability User’s gift, the more constraints and severe side effects typically accompanied it….
But with Tania, there seemed to be no particular penalty or side effects.
So whenever something went slightly wrong or a situation displeased her, she’d rewind time.
Give a person great power and authority, and you can discern their true nature.
In that sense, Elysion believed Tania was relatively virtuous, despite her ability misuse.
If she harbored ill intent, she could do whatever she wished.
She might have even conquered the entire continent.
Yet what she did with her time reversals was merely trivial matters—earning money, eating delicious things multiple times.
“That’s why I liked her even more.”
Though she indulged her desires, malice was nowhere to be found.
In fact, before meeting Tania, I’d often deactivated my ability.
The repetitive reversals had grown tedious.
However, after confirming the existence of one who could turn back time.
Elysion had never once deactivated his ability.
It was simply too entertaining to watch what Tania would do whenever she rewound time.
At some point, he found himself hating the fact that there existed a part of her life he could not remember—hating it more than the repetition of the same events as time kept rewinding.
It was an odd obsession, but that was how he felt.
He could only find peace knowing that he, too, remembered the world she remembered.
With his eyes closed, Elysion recalled those countless times he had sought her out to grow closer to her.
A grand mansion in the Capital, lavish enough to rival any noble’s estate.
When Elysion arrived at Tania’s house, the Butler guided him to the Reception Room where he waited for her to appear.
How long had he waited?
The door clicked open, and Tania entered the Reception Room with careful steps.
Without even a greeting, she immediately asked why he had come.
“Elysion… why have you come to see me, my lord?”
In truth, there were several excuses he could have offered for his visit.
That he wished to be connected through an Achievement, perhaps.
Or that he sought her assistance—she who was rumored to possess foresight (though she herself claimed to have no ability whatsoever).
But instead of resorting to such pretenses, he spoke with honest sincerity.
“Simply. I wanted to become close with you.”
“Why? Did you fall for me at first sight?”
The moment the words left her mouth, Tania seemed to realize how absurd they sounded, and her face flushed crimson.
Then, her eyes darting about, she rewound time.
The Reception Room door clicked open once more.
This time, with a proper greeting.
“Good day to you, my lord.”
“Yes, it’s good to see you. Since we met at the banquet yesterday, we can skip the introductions.”
“Then, might I ask why you have come to visit me, Lord Elysion…?”
Her tone had become considerably more cautious.
Yet upon closer inspection, traces of the time rewind still lingered—her earlobes were faintly flushed.
Elysion’s lips twitched at the sight.
Ah, how adorable. Utterly adorable.
This was precisely why he had to keep his ability constantly activated.
In truth, on this day, Elysion had intended to reveal everything to Tania.
That his Ability was “Nullification”—that when she rewound time, his time rewound alongside hers.
That thanks to this time ability, he had been able to save his own life in the past.
He had planned to confess it all, then encourage her to exercise restraint with her ability, and become close to her on good terms.
But the sight of her feeling embarrassed after rewinding time by herself was far too endearing.
If she discovered that his ability was unaffected by hers, he would never see that expression again.
So he decided to reveal the truth only after they had grown somewhat closer.
They say humans are creatures of habit.
By now, he had even grown accustomed to time rewinding.
It was bearable because Tania didn’t rewind time as frequently as she did when she was actively earning money.
Of course, later when we became close friends, I missed the timing and never got around to telling him….
In any case, Elysion at that moment suppressed the laughter threatening to burst forth and barely managed to open his mouth.
“Just. I wanted to become friends with you.”
“Why…?”
“Well. Do reasons matter when you want to become friends?”
“That may be true, but when someone of your standing—with such excellent abilities and handsome looks—approaches me like this, I might misunderstand or get the wrong idea.”
“What kind of misunderstanding?”
As Elysion tilted his head with a languid expression and smiled, Tania pressed her forehead.
“Seriously, do you know you’re so devastatingly handsome it’s bad for my heart? You’re attacking me mercilessly.”
“What?”
For a moment, I doubted my own ears.
Tania seemed to have already decided it was too late, so she began pouring out everything she had to say.
“Listen, Young Master. I know you’ll forget this anyway, but I really wanted to tell you.”
Before Elysion could respond, her words tumbled out rapidly.
“Young Master, you really look like an angel descended from heaven. Do you know that? I want to check if you have wings on your back.”
“Uh…?”
Faced with this sudden barrage of compliments, Elysion couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
He had never anticipated Tania would come at him like this.
“You’re so annoyingly handsome. I thought about it yesterday at the banquet too—just how happy must the person who marries you be?”
“Uh… Thank you for the compliment.”
Though he answered awkwardly, Tania poured out her words as if his response was entirely irrelevant to her.
“Ugh! Why do you appear before me and tempt me like this? I don’t even have time to become close with anyone.”
She roughly swept back her pale pink hair and regarded him with a provocative gaze.
“So please, don’t go around telling people you want to become friends with them. How many women has this face made cry? Seriously.”
“No, I’ve never…!”
It was unfair.
I swear, I’ve never paid attention to anyone but Tania.
Tania was everything to me.
Yet, unaware of Elysion’s true feelings, that strange sensation returned as time rewound.
Elysion, watching his wristwatch and memorizing the flow of conversation down to the second.
He suppressed his flushed face and spoke the exact same words he had uttered at that moment.
“Well. Do reasons matter when you want to become friends?”
“That’s not it, but….”
Compared to how she had rattled on moments ago, her timid response now made him want to laugh.
“More importantly, why not speak comfortably? If we’re to become friends, that would be better.”
“I couldn’t possibly speak informally to the Young Master of Papiope.”
Yet she had done so just moments ago.
At this point, Elysion became intensely curious.
Would Tania continue to show this dual nature even after becoming completely close with him?
If I had known you’d be this delightful, I should have met you sooner.
Elysion swallowed his regret over the days that had passed and chose to focus on the present moment.
He brought up a story that would resonate with Tania’s own experiences.
“I’m also an orphan from a commoner background, so you kept catching my eye. That’s why I wanted to grow closer—would you mind if we spoke more casually with each other?”
With a radiant smile that left her no choice but to consent.
And indeed, that’s exactly what happened.
The moment Tania saw Elysion’s dazzling smile, she was utterly captivated and surrendered, agreeing to speak with him informally.
But Elysion didn’t know then—that opening Tania’s heart would take far more time than he expected.
Side Story: Elysion’s Daily Life fin

✦ ✦ ✦
Time passed swiftly at Duke Papiope’s Mansion.
When the scorching summer faded and the harvest season arrived.
The Emperor increased grain imports from other nations to prepare for the coming catastrophe.
Duchess Papiope also succeeded in purchasing enough grain to sustain her territory’s people for a year through tireless efforts.
By making purchases in multiple installments under different names rather than all at once, the market never caught wind of anything suspicious.
Of course, the Ageratum Merchant Company, which had become my partner, also successfully sold the land containing mana stones at the highest price and made massive grain purchases.
Thus winter, spring, and summer passed.
Finally, when autumn arrived after a full year had elapsed.
The great famine began.
It wasn’t that the crops failed immediately as autumn arrived.
In spring, no rain fell, and the water needed to nurture the crops ran dry.
In summer, record-breaking heat waves and typhoons swept away every crop.
In autumn, an unexpected cold snap struck due to early frost.
Combined with various pests and a massive plague of locusts.
Since no season allowed for proper harvests, food prices skyrocketed without limit.
Bang—!
“Duke Papiope! Isn’t your second daughter supposed to be a foresight Ability User?”
Viviana Papiope answered the question with a bored expression.
“That’s right. My daughter’s ability is an unprecedented foresight power.”
“Then you knew this disaster would happen and did nothing?”
“Now that I think about it, I was under the impression that the Papiope Territory imports all its grain. Yet strangely, there’s no sign of hardship.”
“I heard the Duke’s Household has been distributing food to the people of Papiope Territory…!”
Protests from nobles came pouring in from all directions, but Viviana Papiope paid them no mind.
She only wanted to end the noble assembly quickly, go home, and shower Tania—who had foreseen this entire catastrophe—with kisses.
Eventually, someone raised their voice in response to Viviana’s uncooperative attitude.
“Duke Papiope, at least offer some explanation!”
“An explanation? For what?”
“Wh-what did you just say…?”
“If I had announced last year that this year would bring famine, food prices would have skyrocketed starting last year, wouldn’t they?”
“If the Emperor knew about this, he wouldn’t let you off easily.”
“Of course, His Majesty already knows. Isn’t he the sun that upholds the Empire? Would I dare hide such a fact from the sun itself?”
The conference hall fell silent in an instant upon learning that the Emperor had known about the severe crop failure this year.
Viviana Papiope lifted the corners of her lips and smiled knowingly.
“When His Majesty said last year that he would double grain imports, most of the people here opposed it fiercely…”
“Hmph!”
“And yet I’ve become the primary culprit for raising food prices. How amusing.”
Having said so, Viviana Papiope rose from her seat as if she had nothing more to say.
“Think about it carefully. If my daughter hadn’t possessed her foresight ability, how much more terrible would things have become here?”
Click, click.
The Duchess, who had been leaving the conference hall without hesitation, suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned around.
“Ah, we have some grain left over from what we purchased last year in our territory. If anyone needs it, feel free to contact us anytime.”
She narrowed her eyes like a fox, half-closing them in a cunning smile, and slipped out of the conference hall.
A competition began among them to see who could reach Duke Papiope first and play the pitiful victim best.

✦ ✦ ✦
Papiope Capital Mansion.
A maid cleaning the window frame glanced around cautiously, then nudged another maid beside her and opened her mouth.
“Lin, do you know about that?”
“About what?”
Lin, who had grown bored from the repetitive labor, perked up her ears at her fellow maid Camilla’s words.
“You know that flower ring on the Duchess’s office desk?”
“Oh, the ring kept in that glass case?”
“Yeah. The Duchess treasures it specially.”
“Right. It’s just a flower ring, but she even cast preservation magic on it, so I wondered if there was some special story behind it.”
Since it had been nearly a year since the Duchess placed the flower ring on her office desk, the cleaning maids had all seen it at least once.
Maid Camilla lowered her voice and spoke in a suggestive tone.
“But apparently, someone was found who has an identical one.”
“Gasp! The Duchess’s secret lover?”
“Shh, shh! Nothing’s confirmed yet, so keep this to yourself.”
Keep this to yourself.
It was a magical phrase equivalent to announcing to the world that everyone would soon know.
But Lin nodded as if to assure her, her voice becoming noticeably quieter, just as Camilla had requested.
“Of course. I won’t tell anyone.”
“You know the commander of the Black Knight Order who serves as the New Maid’s escort knight, right?”
“Gasp. Don’t tell me it’s Aiden?”
Lin dropped the feather duster she was holding in shock.
Aiden had become incredibly popular among the female servants of Duke Papiope’s Household.
Beyond his handsome appearance, he was taciturn yet unexpectedly kind and considerate to everyone.
And since he was unmarried, there was no way he wouldn’t be popular.

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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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