Chapter 241: A Night of Restlessness
Rest spent a restless night at the inn, burdened by various thoughts that plagued him throughout the day. After his bath, he returned to his guest room, finding himself with nothing in particular to do. He turned off the lights and settled into bed, half-hoping that Celestine might come to visit him. However, no one came to see him, and he soon fell asleep without much delay.
(Celestine… what on earth were you thinking…?)
In the darkness, Rest pondered over Celestine’s words. It seemed unlikely that she had any ulterior motives. Although Celestine was a true noble lady, she was also a remarkably sincere woman. When it came to something as significant as marriage, she wouldn’t resort to lies or deception.
(So, she really is considering marrying me seriously… and she has the consent of Viola and Primula as well… Is that really true?)
It dawned on him, perhaps belatedly, that he had truly become a nobleman. Engaged to the Rosemary Sisters and on the verge of entering a polygamous relationship, it was indeed surprising that he would find himself in a political marriage.
(Once again, this is truly an Other World… The culture shock is overwhelming…)
Despite the myriad of worries swirling in his mind, Rest found that the joy he felt was far greater. In his previous life, he had been working part-time to pay for his education, grappling with family issues that left him no room to date. Yet here he was, having reincarnated into another world, and after a series of twists and turns, he had become a nobleman. He had adorable fiancées like Viola and Primula, and on top of that, Celestine, the perfect lady, had expressed her desire to marry him. It was so blissful that he began to doubt whether this was all just a dream.
(I’m glad I was summoned to this Other World… No, really. I’m definitely happier than I ever was in Japan…)
As Rest reflected on his situation, the face of the woman he had spoken to earlier that day suddenly came to mind.
(I found happiness in this Other World… but Shoko and the Queen Dowager are not in the same position…)
Queen Dowager Frederica Aiwood… Shoko Sanada longed for her homeland to the point of envisioning it as a mirage. She had lost her family and fiancées in this world and must have cursed the fate that had led her to be reincarnated here.
(That’s why she fell prey to some strange group of delusional individuals… the ones trying to destroy this world, um… was it ‘Takufir Kahein’?)
Takufir Kahein. A separate organization of Reincarnators, distinct from the Council of Sages. According to Shoko, they harbored hatred for the god responsible for their reincarnation into this world and sought revenge by attempting to annihilate it.
(They must have had strong ties to their original world or reasons to resent this one…)
They were likely individuals who had failed in their reincarnation.
In the realms of manga and light novels, many protagonists who reincarnate into another world get to relive their lives and enjoy newfound happiness. However, reality seemed to be far more complicated. There were those who, like Rest, had not become protagonists and had not achieved success or happiness after their reincarnation. Perhaps Takufir Kahein was a gathering of such failures.
(Truth be told, if I hadn’t met Viola and Primula, I might have ended up resenting my family…)
If he had never crossed paths with Viola and Primula, if they hadn’t fallen in love with him, if he hadn’t been born to a good mother or met a respectable Priest, it was entirely possible that Rest could have ended up hating the world due to a few minor misfortunes.
(Speaking of which… was Gascoin from the Council of Sages warning me to keep me from joining them…?)
If Takufir Kahein was indeed bent on destroying the world, they would inevitably come into conflict with Rest, who had formed important bonds in this world. It was possible that they would face each other as enemies in the future.
“Yawn…”
As he continued to think, drowsiness began to overtake him. Rest surrendered to the fatigue, allowing his thoughts to drift away as he succumbed to the embrace of sleep.