Albeike’s actions had always been clearly purposeful. Her teenage form might not have made it obvious, but including her two appearances in this child form, it was all too deliberate and coincidental.
Albeike had been watching him and possessed a significant amount of specialized, precious intelligence.
Albeike was by no means ordinary. Glyn had no memory of this character from his past life, even though she was clearly special and connected to him.
This was highly unusual.
“Am I appearing at an inconvenient time? Or… do you need some psychological counseling?” Albeike asked tentatively. After a brief moment of thought, she could guess that Glyn’s sorrow was because of Dolores.
After all, in this country, only Dolores could cause him this kind of heartbreak.
But how could there be a conflict between them? That was what puzzled Albeike the most.
Even without the System, Dolores would have loved him. With the System, that love should have only accelerated.
In Albeike’s previous conversation with Dolores, although the girl had regained memories of the past, Dolores hadn’t suspected that Glyn was the problem. At least, that was how it seemed from Dolores’s own words.
“Are you trying to comfort me? Tenderness? A hug? Or do you think I would like a woman with a figure as flat as yours?”
Glyn’s response was blunt, but Albeike only clicked her tongue.
‘The nerve of him.’
Was Dolores’s figure that good? Not necessarily. Her height had remained the same for over fifty years, yet Glyn had loved her regardless of her inability to grow taller. If Glyn claimed he liked Dolores because she was a “growth stock,” he was merely deceiving himself.
However, Albeike didn’t plan to expose that truth here. Instead, she continued, “I have a favor to ask of you, so I don’t want to see you depressed or sad. Otherwise, I won’t get what I want.”
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll capture you right now?” Glyn looked at Albeike with an unreadable expression.
If the System hadn’t flagged Albeike’s current appearance as a disguise, he really might have considered taking action. But now, he was more curious to see what else Albeike could perform in front of him.
“I’m worried, but I believe you’re a good person—”
“I can help you. My needs don’t conflict with yours… If possible, I also want you to become stronger.”
Albeike interlaced her fingers like an expectant little girl, a faint smile on her face.
“I came to check on your situation. It looks like you solved the dragon disaster quite well and obtained a **[Legendary Symbol]**. Very impressive!—”
Albeike sat down beside Glyn. With the size difference between the man and the child, the scene looked like a father and daughter.
“Where do you plan to go next? The Vass Kingdom? The Holy Kingdom… or perhaps, the Border Sea?”
Glyn glanced at her and tested the waters. “You should already know where I’m going next.”
“Let me guess. In a few days, news of the defeat of the Rand Kingdom’s Eastern Expedition Army might arrive. The Evil Disaster in the north will affect the defense line of the Northern Abyss, while the Lords in the south who wish to defect will prepare to rebel in the chaos.”
“The Rand Kingdom will lose its eastern army, its northern defense line will teeter on the brink of collapse, the south will fall into the turmoil of the Lords, and the royal capital is heavily damaged… Meanwhile, there are special disasters in the west.”
“Perhaps the King will summon you and ask you to deal with the western disasters. Until then, you shouldn’t have time to leave the Rand Kingdom, nor… would there be any reason to, right?”
“This is all just my guess. How much of it do you think is true?”
She called it a guess, but it sounded exactly like a recital of facts that were destined to happen. It matched Glyn’s memories almost perfectly, making her even more suspicious.
At that moment, Albeike noticed an item Glyn was holding. It looked like a golden cup inlaid with red gemstones.
“Do you recognize this?” Glyn asked.
“The Blood Chalice of Compassion. It’s an item with a history even older than the Dragon Summoning Flute, dating back to the Age of Myth… Brother Glyn, the treasures you carry are truly surprising.”
To get closer to him, Albeike even resorted to calling him “Brother.”
Albeike was certain she wasn’t mistaken. The fact that the Blood Chalice of Compassion was in Glyn’s hands meant that his progression with Dolores had already reached and surpassed the **[Trust]** stage.
The progress was far beyond Albeike’s expectations.
After **[Trust]** came **[Love]** and **[Incomparable]**. In addition to obtaining exclusive items, one could successively obtain the three corresponding memories of **[Punishment]**, **[Repentance]**, and **[Retrospection]**.
These items and memories were of vital importance.
“Do you know its function?” Glyn asked her.
Glyn knew some of its effects. Even without the System, Dolores had obtained this item in his past life. However, since Albeike had already revealed so much, one more piece of information wouldn’t hurt. She continued to explain.
“Fill it with the user’s blood. If the one they love drinks it, it becomes a healing potion. Otherwise, it is a deadly poison. It is a… healing item with extremely strict conditions.”
Albeike’s words triggered a fragment of Glyn’s memory. But thinking back to Dolores’s words from earlier, he suddenly tossed it to Albeike.
“Eh? Hey! Why are you throwing it at me!”
A flustered Albeike caught the chalice, her attention immediately drawn to its shimmering gold exterior. Not even considering its value as an artifact, its golden appearance alone screamed “expensive.”
However, it shouldn’t be in her hands.
“I’ve told you its effects. The one holding this should be you or Dolores, not me.”
Albeike held the cup out, but Glyn didn’t take it back immediately.
“What are you worried about? Did you have a fight with her? Letting your emotions get the better of you is no reason to shove such a precious item onto me.”
“I don’t have anyone I love. Do you want me to feed you my blood using this? That would probably kill you! Someday, you will meet someone who loves you, or someone you love.”
“Whether it’s in your hands or theirs, it’s better there than in mine.”
Having said that, Albeike returned the Blood Chalice of Compassion to Glyn’s hand.
“If one day you can’t save the person you love because of this moment of stubbornness, you’ll regret it for a long time…”
Appearing swayed by Albeike’s words, Glyn’s finger brushed the surface of the chalice as a thousand thoughts raced through his mind. Perhaps talking to someone really did relieve some stress.
Albeike’s child-like form might have been part of the reason. It made Glyn unconsciously control his state, not wanting to show too much vulnerability. In this loli form, Albeike seemed more talkative than her teenage self, and her small stature felt more comforting.
“I underestimated you. You really did comfort me…”
“So~ can you tell me exactly what happened? Maybe I can give you some advice, or help you out a bit?” Albeike asked with wide, curious eyes.
Albeike truly could help Glyn because she already knew Dolores. There were questions Glyn couldn’t ask Dolores right now, but Albeike could.
After hesitating for a moment, Glyn told Albeike about Dolores saying she hated him. He hoped that Albeike might be able to find the reason behind Dolores’s words during their future conversations.
But.
After hearing the story, Albeike was no less shocked than Glyn.
What did he mean, Dolores said she hated Glyn? What did he mean, she had always hated him?
Was that right?
No, no, no. That shouldn’t be.
Even if Dolores had completely regained her memories of the past, she would never say she hated Glyn. Because the reason Dolores backstabbed Glyn wasn’t that she didn’t love him…
It made no sense at all.
Furthermore, considering Glyn could produce the Blood Chalice of Compassion at this stage, Dolores’s affection in the System had to be at least at the **[Trust]** level.
But remembering Glyn’s heartbroken appearance when she first saw him, Albeike felt he was telling the truth.
Albeike realized that what was happening to Dolores was definitely not simple. She had to personally observe Dolores again to find the anomalies and the answers.
***
At the same time.
Dolores, who had cried and still bore tear stains on her face, picked up a pen. She found a notebook and clumsily began to write in it as if it were a diary.
She had realized something.
She was no longer angry or resentful that the “love” attached by the **[System]** was being modified. Instead, she had begun to feel guilty because her words had hurt Glyn and made him sad.
She couldn’t seem to understand why she had told Glyn that she “hated” him…
Dolores knew her time was running out. This change was irreversible.
But.
Just as she had thought not long ago.
She wanted to write a diary that perhaps only she could understand. She had to record the things she wanted to leave behind before she completely forgot how to resist.
She had a feeling.
She was going to die.
But it was her heart that was dying, not her body…
And she felt the end was not far away…