"Now then, you have two options."
Allen raised his index and middle fingers and showed them to Charlotte.
Allen held up his index and middle fingers toward Charlotte, counting them off slowly as he continued.
"First, forget everything and live quietly."
"Forget everything..."
Charlotte slowly repeated the words, savoring them. Allen nodded firmly.
"Exactly. You've realized today that you can walk the streets proudly without a disguise. The bounty on your head is probably still valid, but... if a bounty hunter comes along, I'll eliminate them no matter what."
Just like now.
(Now, the real target is coming.)
While Charlotte was lost in thought, Allen casually looked around the store.
Five men were sitting at a table a little distance away.
All of them were beastmen, and at first glance they were enjoying their meal while chatting harmoniously. There was no hint of murderous intent. However, their movements were unmistakably those of someone who had been on the battlefield many times.
The guys who had attacked at the magic tool shop were not particularly skilled, even though Allen and his friends had taken them on. That was probably just an initial strike team. The people here were a cut above them.
(Well, not that I plan to lose. Still, I’m not in the mood to deal with them right now.)
His priority was already decided.
So Allen tapped the table three times, quietly.
It was the signal they had decided on beforehand. At that moment, a white shadow ran past Allen's table.
"Grrr! Grrrr!"
"Wh... What is this dog?"
It was a fluffy white puppy. It jumped out at the demi-humans' feet, barking innocently and frolicking. The men looked confused. Of course, someone like them could easily deal with a dog, but they probably didn’t want to make a scene. They hesitated, unsure of how to react.
"Oh my, I'm sorry."
“Huh?”
A woman approached.
A breathtaking beauty clad in a jet-black dress.
She brushed her voluminous flaxen hair back and smiled sweetly at them, drooping the corners of her eyes.
“That child belongs to me. Full of energy, I’m afraid… I sincerely apologize for the trouble.”
“Uh… Oh, no, it’s fine, right guys?”
“Y-Yeah. It probably just thought we were friends.”
The men were visibly smitten by her appearance. Her beauty seemed to transcend race. Looking around at the fascinated faces of everyone, the beautiful woman's smile deepened.
"Fufu... is that so? Well then... good night."
"Huh...!?"
In that moment, the men all collapsed at once.
The beautiful woman struck them with a chop of the hand at a speed too fast to see. A barrier was deployed at the same time, so not only the staff, but the other customers, even Charlotte, did not notice what had happened.
The beautiful woman, Gousetsu, easily picked up all the unconscious people and gave him a thumbs up.
Allen thanked them with just a glance.
(…I’ll make sure I never end up on their bad side.)
While he was making this decision, Gousetsu and Luu left the store in high spirits. This wiped out all the enemies here.
Relieved, Allen decided to continue his conversation with Charlotte.
“And now, the other choice.”
The alternative to quietly forgetting everything.
What was her other, different future?
“To settle everything once and for all. That’s what it comes down to.”
“...!”
Charlotte let out a faint gasp.
Her expression tensed further, prompting Allen to smile lightly.
“That said, this isn’t about revenge. Your first goal should be to clear your name. It’s to undo the false charges and prove your innocence.”
Even though the heat is starting to die down, Charlotte's name will remain recorded as a criminal for all eternity.
Recovering her honor is essential to avoid casting a dark shadow over her future life... or so Allen thought.
However, even as he spoke these details, Charlotte's face remained stiff.
She stared at her hands, clenched tightly on her lap, as if forgetting to blink.
Allen watched this and let out a mental sigh.
(Well, of course she’s scared… She’d be facing everything that’s terrified her until now.)
The people in Charlotte's family who had oppressed her for so many years.
The second prince of the Kingdom of Niels, who framed her with false charges.
If she wanted to restore her name, she’d have to confront those culprits directly.
Allen and Gōsetsu couldn’t just do it for her.
It's meaningless unless Charlotte overcomes it herself.
That’s why Allen didn’t want to pressure her. He shrugged exaggeratedly and joked.
"Still, a fun revenge drama takes time and effort. If you're not interested, then I don't mind――"
“...I…”
Charlotte finally spoke, interrupting Allen's words.
She slowly raised her face, and although it was still stiff, a small change could be seen.
“I… I’ve been running away all this time. I wasn’t enduring anything. I was just scared to fight… and kept running.”
Her voice was trembling as she spoke calmly.
But still she looked straight at Allen. And in her eyes burned a warm, strong light, like the little flame of magic she had conjured earlier.
"I want to change myself. So I won't run away anymore. Even if I'm scared, in pain, and my heart aches... I absolutely don't want to run away."
"Well then."
"Yes. I'll try my best."
With a deep breath, Charlotte voiced her resolve.
Thanks to her, Allen forgot to say anything for a while.
(I knew she’d grown stronger, but… this is beyond what I imagined.)
Charlotte continued to speak, as if she had burst a dam, perhaps in reaction to having remained silent.
“Also… my little sister… I want to see her again.”
“Ah, your half-sister. If I remember correctly, her name is..."
“Natalia. I was always told to address her with honorifics at home.”
Charlotte gave a wry smile, as if troubled.
The only girl who supported Charlotte at her parents' house was Natalia.
Though she’d mentioned her before, this was the first time she’d said out loud that she wanted to see her again.
"I think I've caused a lot of trouble to my sister by becoming like this. So I want to prove my innocence... and apologize properly for all the trouble I've caused her. And if possible... I want to be like a normal sister... I've always thought that..."
“You will.”
Charlotte’s voice began to crack.
Letting go of emotions she had long kept inside, the tears spilled from her large eyes.
Allen gently wiped them away and grasped her hand firmly.
"I'll lend you my strength too. So don't worry about anything. Everything will be fine."
"Allen-san..."
Charlotte’s face twisted with emotion.
At this point, more tears were about to overflow... but then she suddenly realized something and furrowed her brows anxiously.
"Um, well, I'm happy about your feelings, but please don't go overboard, okay?"
“Hmm… I suppose we should define our limits. First, how much law-breaking is allowed?”
"There's no limit or anything! You can't do anything bad! No!"
With that firm outburst, Charlotte had banished all tears from her face.
At that point, it was hard to say who was older between the two.
(Hmm, maybe one day... she'll be strong enough to have me under her thumb?)
That thought, strangely enough, brought Allen a sense of joy, a glimpse of a bright future he could look forward to.