Chapter 21: Shout to the Heavens

It was the memory of the beginning.
The memory of the moment when two young souls became as one—a pair of wings.

——Though it could hardly even be called a battle, tranquility had returned to the flower field, where now stood a man and an okama-golem.
The two surveyed the scene before them, stunned by what they saw.

"Damn… Did they do all this?"

"Most likely. Ahh, well… blood will tell, won’t it?"

"Now’s not the time for that. Shit, that idiot really went and did it… Though I guess things turned out alright in the end—was it Hakkou’s doing, or just dumb luck?"

Scattered across the flower field were about ten masked figures, all unconscious.
Judging by their builds—especially the swordsman among them—they were clearly skilled fighters.
By adventurer standards, they’d rank somewhere between A and B… capable enough to hold their own in an A-rank party, if only on the fringes. A real waste of talent.

"Both, I'd say. This boy carries your blood, and the girl carries Elena's, no?"

"Damn right. ...But hell, how the fuck are we gonna explain this to Drest?"

"Even our dear Drest won't be able to turn a blind eye to this mess. We'll just have to find a way to smooth things over."

Truth be told, the situation was a complete clusterfuck.

To the man and the okama-golem, Drest was practically family - the kind of friend who'd bail you out at 3 AM no questions asked.

But this? This was something else entirely.

There's limits to what even brothers-in-arms will forgive, and what "he" had pulled went so far beyond the pale it wasn't even funny.

And yet—

"Eh, screw it. Let’s just skip the whole mess."

"Ahh, fair enough."

Despite the gloomy future awaiting them, the man and the okama-golem couldn’t help but smile.
A soft, gentle smile.
After all—

"—Look at ‘em, sleeping like a couple of lovebirds."

At the heart of the flower field, a young boy and girl lay asleep.
Yousrid and Rinaria.
The two who had just staked their lives to defy fate—now lay side by side, facing each other, looking utterly at peace.

---

—What a mess, I thought as I watched.

Not long after Yous and I were dragged back from the flower field by his father, that bastard—no, Father—showed up.
And what did he do?

—He punched Yous. In a blind rage.

I almost shouted at him to stop—but Father’s murderous glare was so intense, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d killed me on the spot. Worse, Yous silently pleaded with me to stay out of it. So I held my tongue.
Yous’s father did the same, watching in silence.

"…Do you have any idea what you’ve done!?"

My father—Drestred Austroheim, a man with the face of a mafia boss and the most powerful noble in the kingdom—bellowed in fury.
It wasn’t unusual for Father to look like he’d just murdered someone, but today was different. His expression was downright terrifying. If he showed up in front of the royal family like this, they’d have every right to execute him on the spot.
Then again, given what Yous had done, he was the one who really had no right to complain.

But it wasn’t just his face. Father was a man feared as a master of deception and manipulation—his presence alone was enough to make most people crumble.
And yet, here he was, so consumed by rage that even standing straight seemed impossible.

…Personally? I hate Father.
Maybe that’s why his intimidation doesn’t work on me—I’ve always seen him as an enemy.
As for Yous’s father… well, if he really cut loose, he’d be scarier than Father. He’s in a league of his own.

And Yous—

"—I took Rinaria and tried to escape from this estate."

He met Father’s hostility head-on, admitting the truth without hesitation.
Father raised his fist again—but then, realizing it was just blind anger, lowered it.
If he’d actually swung, even I would’ve stepped in. Yous’s father, too.

"You abducted the daughter of a duke. Do you understand the weight of that?"

"Before she is a duke’s daughter, Rinaria is Rinaria. That was my judgment. And I also judged that she did not want this arranged marriage."

Yous spoke calmly, laying out his reasoning.
By all accounts, he was the one in the wrong.
Anyone would agree—Yous had committed a crime, and Father wasn’t unjustified in condemning him. Aside from that first punch, he hadn’t let personal feelings cloud his judgment.

But even so—

"I do not believe my judgment was mistaken in any way. Therefore, I will not apologize. If you wish to cut off my head, I accept it."

—Yous declared, unwavering.
Father’s face twisted in fury again, but he suppressed it and spoke.

"…What awakened in Rinaria is known as the ‘White Fortune Constitution.’"

"…………"

"Those who manifest this constitution borrow their own luck from the future—bestowing happiness upon those around them in exchange."

…From the future? What kind of insane power is that?
Later, I’d learn that abilities defying the natural order in this world are called "Alternatives."
Fancy word, huh? Most of the time, "Alternatives" refer to "Alternative Skills"—basically, super moves. No wonder it sounds cool.
But my constitution… wasn’t like that.

"As a result, those who manifest it die young. To save your life, Rinaria sacrificed hers! Do you understand what that means!?"

"…………!"

To be honest, even after hearing that, it didn’t fully sink in for me.

Die young? That wasn’t exactly a new experience for me. My first death had been an accident—so sudden I hadn’t even had time to be scared. But looking back, death was just death.

More importantly, I was a reincarnator. Even if I died now, maybe I’d just move on to another life.

Surprisingly, I didn’t feel much fear at the idea of my own death.

But Yous… Yous was different.

For a boy who had lived his one and only life so normally, those words were far too heavy.

His eyes widened, and he instinctively glanced at me—a reaction I’m sure no one in the room missed.

Father pressed on, relentless.

"By taking Rinaria away, you prevented her from falling into their hands. But in the end, most of her life was still stolen! What you’ve done is no different from what they intended!!"

"……!"

—That’s not true.

Sure, if you twisted the perspective, there was a similarity. The people scheming to use me for their own ends, and Yous, who had tried to take me away to escape it all.

If you only looked at the result, maybe their actions were the same.

But if that were the case, then Father’s duty should’ve been to eliminate Yous on the spot—to tear away this parasite clinging to me and discard him.

And yet, here he was, attacking Yous with biased words—was that really something to do to a child?

Even I—despite being a reincarnator with a mental age older than Yous—felt that way. Yous’s father, who had been silently observing, seemed to share the sentiment, opening his mouth to speak.

But before either of us could—

—Yous bowed his head.

Without hesitation, he dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead to the ground in a full prostration.

After a few seconds of silence, he spoke.

"I sincerely apologize. You are absolutely right, Lord Austroheim."

—What the hell was that?

Since when did a kid talk like that?

Yous’s father gaped in shock. Even Father froze mid-sentence.

And yet, Yous alone raised his head, meeting Father’s gaze as he continued.

…Is this really the same punk who acts like some rebellious rockstar?

No—maybe this was his rebellion.

"That being said… would you allow me to resolve Rinaria’s problem myself?"

The sheer audacity of those words was staggering.

It was so presumptuous that dismissing it outright wouldn’t have been unreasonable.

In fact, Father did open his mouth to do just that—

But Yous was faster.

"Before that, may I ask one thing? Is the death awaiting Rinaria due to natural lifespan… or illness?"

…Is this guy insane?!

He just cut off the damn duke mid-sentence! Not just any noble—a man whose very presence was suffocating, whose face alone could freeze blood.

While I and Father (ahem) were left speechless, Yous’s father was the first to regain his composure.

"Well… most deaths from the White Fortune Constitution’s borrowed luck are caused by accidents. In fact, Rinaria’s mother… Elenasia was the same."

"—ALF!!"

Father’s roar of fury was directed at Yous’s father—but the man didn’t even flinch, utterly unfazed.

That single sentence had been deliberate.

A lifeline.

And not just any lifeline—the exact words Yous needed.

To make that judgment in an instant… That’s why they call him a once-in-an-era hero, huh?

Father’s intimidation didn’t even register.

"Then it’s something that can be prevented by controlling her environment."

"If that were possible, we wouldn’t be in this mess to begi—!"

For the first time, Father’s face twisted with something other than anger—grief.

Yeah, I get it. But that’s your perspective, Father.

Right now, you should be listening to Yous.

"I’ll prove it can be done."

See?

There’s a real hero’s son standing right here.

You lose, Father.

"…………When a White Fortune bearer is separated from the person they’ve shared their fate with, misfortune strikes rapidly. To pull them apart… is no different from killing the White Fortune bearer yourself."

"Then I will claim a position worthy of Rinaria. Not just as an S-rank adventurer—no, more than that. I will become someone undeniable, someone who can stand before you once again."

Yous rose to his feet as he made his declaration.

"And at the same time, as an adventurer gathering allies, I will find a way to ensure Rinaria’s White Fortune Constitution doesn’t take her life."

I—

"That is my answer. The only solution I can offer you. And if—"

—I—

"—If this path does not satisfy you, then cut off my head right here, right now. That, I believe, would be the proper course of action for you."

"…………!"

—I—

"…No. If you kill the 'fated partner' of a White Fortune bearer… sooner or later, the bearer will die as well."

I could barely hear anything.

No—I was hearing it. The words were reaching my ears.

But.

But I couldn’t hear them.

Because—

Because the deafening roar of my own heartbeat was drowning everything out.

What is this? What is this? What is this?

What the hell is Yous even saying?

What is he thinking, throwing out words like that?

I don’t understand. We’re just friends, aren’t we?

Sure, we might be each other’s best friends.

But is that really something worth staking your life on?

And if it is—then why? Why would Yous go that far for me?

My heart won’t stop pounding.

If anything, it’s only getting louder, drowning out everything else.

I don’t know this feeling.

This isn’t something you’re supposed to feel for a friend.

Then… what do I see him as?

I don’t know. I don’t know, I don’t know—

Thump.

The sound of my heart, leaping in my chest.

And in that moment—

I finally recognized it.

Ah.

That emotion’s name was—

---

"Yousrid Platina—my betrothed."

—The hall echoed with my voice alone.

A declaration of victory—one that, in some way, overlapped with the grand speech Yous had once delivered to Father. I remembered it faintly, just a little.

—In the end, Father admitted defeat.

Yous and I were permitted to become adventurers, and the moment I turned fifteen, we left the estate behind.

The condition? We had to conceal my true identity.

To be honest, that bastard Father seemed convinced I’d slip up immediately, revealing myself and crawling back home.

Well, of course he’d think that.

A sheltered noble girl who’d barely set foot outside the estate—how could she possibly understand commoner life?

Even Yous and his father had their doubts.

But in reality, no such problems arose.

The biggest reason? My memories of a past life. They let me grasp the commoner’s world effortlessly.

But that wasn’t the only reason.

I wasn’t the only one keeping a secret.

After discussing it together, we decided to hide Yousrid’s true identity as well.

And with that—

I gained a powerful motivation.

Keeping my secret meant keeping his.

It wasn’t just for me. For Yous, I could push myself harder than I ever could alone.

Back then, I hadn’t realized it. But now, I understand.

I protected that secret for Yous.

And now—

—The fruit of that secrecy is about to be revealed.

Alfricht Platinum.

A once-in-an-era hero—and Yous’s father.

By hiding his connection to him, Yousrid Platina’s rise to S-rank was recognized as his own achievement.

Had the world known the truth, Yousrid wouldn’t be seen as the prodigy who carved his own path—but as Alfricht’s successor, the heir who climbed to S-rank on inherited talent.

At the very least, Father would’ve judged him that way.

So we gambled on it.

And now—

The real Yous stands here, acknowledged not as Alfricht’s shadow, but as his equal.

Not as the hero’s son who became an S-rank adventurer—

But as an S-rank adventurer who happens to be the hero’s son.

A reputation vast enough to shatter the walls of nobility—worthy of Duke’s daughter Rinaria.

Now, the final act, Father.

These five years you refused to see—

Yous and I have learned much in them.

And here, today—

I’ll force you to acknowledge it with your own words—

Drestred Austroheim!!