With this, my next course of action became clear. Having learned about Miru's identity, I needed to return to Tempus and hear the real truth. Although I had some understanding of the situation from Miru's story, it was still vague, like only seeing the tip of an iceberg. A clearer explanation was necessary.
"Miru..." I said, comforting her as she continued to shed sorrowful tears.
"Really, you've done so well, and I'm sorry... for causing my daughter such hardship in the future... I'm such a helpless father."
Honestly, I still felt uneasy about accepting her as my daughter, but seeing her cry so bitterly, I couldn't help but respond sympathetically.
"No... it's okay... You were a wonderful parent... and it's okay that you left in the future... there must have been a reason...!!" Despite my self-blame, Miru, the real victim, defended and clung to me strongly.
"So... even now, if you listen to me... if you can stay safe in the present, I'll be okay!"
Her face, a blend of sorrow, hope, and determination, looked up at me pleadingly.
"Dad, please don't leave this time...?"
Her eyes, childlike and earnest, made it impossible for me to refuse her request.
"Alright... I'll try," I promised, and finally, a smile began to bloom on her face, like sunshine after a long rain. Her face, still marred by the traces of her long sorrow, didn't look pitiable but rather admirable.
"Miru... I'll also look for the reason why the future me left. So, don't cry anymore."
I stroked her head again, soothingly. Her reaction was reminiscent of a kitten seeking affection from its parent.
With this resolve, I was determined to uncover the reasons behind my future self's actions and, hopefully, alter the course of the tragic future Miru had come from. "What are you planning to do now, Dad?"
"First, I need to return to Tempus to hear the story. As a central figure in this event, she should know the full situation."
With the evening approaching and the time becoming inconvenient, I decided it was best to visit Tempus the next morning.
"Then, I'll give you this!" Suddenly, Miru handed me something and smiled brightly.
"Tempus gave this to me when I first arrived here. If you ever need to visit her tower urgently, use this. It's something you need right now!" She handed me a white stone, elegantly carved and exuding a sense of extraordinariness.
"Just infuse it with magic, and you can go to Tempus's tower immediately!"
The item was incredibly useful. The journey from here to the Howling Plains would take considerable time, and there couldn't have been a more appropriate item for the situation.
"Are you sure it's okay to give this to me? What about you?"
"I'll be fine! What you're doing is more important, Dad!"
Her benevolence was almost unbelievable for someone who was supposedly my daughter. I was truly proud of her.
"Then, I won't refuse and will use it. Thank you, Miru."
Delighted with the gift, I absentmindedly ruffled her hair.
"Hehe...!"
She grinned at my touch, a stark contrast to her previous demeanor, and snuggled up to me.
"Then, Dad..."
After a while, Miru gently pulled away from me, turning her back to the vast sunset and smiling softly.
"Go ahead! And I'm relieved. As expected... the dad I know is so kind... Go!"
"Okay!" I nodded vigorously, accepting her compliment, and infused the white stone with magic. White lights began to swirl around me.
"Huh?"
Soon, my vision was enveloped in whiteness, and a comforting sensation enveloped me.
"Welcome, child. I've been waiting for you."
When my sight returned, I found myself in the presence of Tempus, who was sitting right in front of me. In the mysterious library, different from the sunset-drenched plains I was just in, Tempus spoke, "Everything has unfolded as I foresaw, perhaps faster than expected... but the fact that I must reveal the truth to you remains unchanged." The clink of her teacup on the saucer resonated unusually in my ears, sending a shiver down my spine.
"Tempus —" I began.
"Drop the formalities. You aren't truly thinking that way, are you?" she interjected, her eyes bore a weariness as if she knew everything — whether she read my mind or saw something beyond time.
Unable to let my guard down, I demanded, "Tempus, I want the whole truth. What happened in the future, and why did you send Miru?"
"Ah, better," she said with a hint of satisfaction. "You want to know about a future you cannot fathom?" She closed her book, placed her teacup on it, and finally looked me squarely in the eyes.
"As Miru told you, in the future, you defeat me but spare my life out of mercy. Then you marry seven women and father children," she continued, revealing a truth that was looming over me.
"And then, for some unknown reason, you disappear. At first, even I couldn't understand why, but now it's clear. It's the law of this world."
"Law?" I asked, puzzled.
"Time and fate... they move for the world's sake. They ensure this world, as vast and confined as it is, survives through a minimum design."
Her abstract explanation was hard to grasp, but something sparked in my mind.
"The design aims to maximize the happiness of as many great beings as possible... that's the world's law, as I understand it."
"Watch this," she said, scattering a handful of white powder into the air. Amid the swirling white mist conjured by Tempus, haunting visions began to appear. "Harold, where are you..." echoed the pained voices of young women, tormented in a world shrouded in darkness. "Please come back... A world without you is unbearable..." Their cries of anguish filled the air, each one mourning my disappearance.
Shock rendered me speechless as I witnessed the devastation my absence had caused. Feelings of discomfort and unease surged within me. "Goddess, it's because of you Harold disappeared!" "Die, dragon, for taking my husband away!" The scenes that unfolded next were even more harrowing. Mir and Eleonora, in a fury for unknown reasons, were locked in a deadly clash, their hatred for each other palpable. Their battle ravaged the land, carving mountains and drying up seas.
"Watch this as well," Tempus's voice echoed through the space, and a new series of visions began to unfold. Eleonora, drowning in loneliness and despair; Erina, stripped and sold in a slave market in a foreign land; Morione, lying cold and lifeless with her entrails spilled out; Mir, consumed by darkness, loathing herself. The images were too much for my brain to process, and I found myself violently ill, unable to contain my revulsion.
"Is this what happiness looks like to you?" Tempus asked with a meaningful smirk after showing me these irreversible truths. I was speechless, trying to understand the gravity of the situation.
"That's the future without you, and a past where you never existed," she explained. A chilling realization dawned on me, sending shivers down my spine as the implications of her words sank in. "This is why you exist now... for the happiness of the many women in your life," Tempus elucidated. Although hard to believe, the truth was now clear. "In a future where you disappear, they don't realize you've gone to another world. Without a way to find you, the world descends into destruction and misery."
"And a past where you never existed might have led to a better future, but it would still result in their unhappiness, independent of their will."
"That's why your presence now is vital. Your existence promises the best possible future, and even if you disappear, they can find you, preventing the realization of unhappiness."
I remembered how, initially, if I hadn't been there, Erina would have suffered at the hands of bandits. Morione said she would be doomed without me, and Mir confessed she would have been consumed by darkness if I wasn't there.
"In other futures, your absence led to misery, but now, even if you leave for another world, Eleonora and Mir can find you. This time, their methods are clear. Perhaps the future Miru came from was one where I followed the game's path, leaving this world and abandoning them to face tragedy."
"But now, it's different. Even if I flee to reality, I would be quickly found. Mir has somehow discovered and accessed my real world, and Eleonora has descended to find me. Unlike other futures, they now have a clear way to find me."
"World's providence planned all this. Your arrival here and the promise of a happy future were all determined by the world's design. Every experience you've had might not have been mere coincidence. Even the smallest events were necessary steps to reach this moment. The tragedies of other timelines occurred because these events didn't happen there."
"Morione's love, Miru's arrival, your union with an ancient goddess, and even your sister coming into this world – all these events were absent in other timelines, leading to tragedy."
It seemed Tempus was right. The future Miru came from was one where I adhered strictly to the game's storyline, eventually leaving for the real world, leaving behind a world in despair. "Still, there's no need to worry now. If you just change your attitude, a life filled with happiness awaits you." Tempus' words perplexed me. Change my attitude?
"You seem uncomfortable with the affection of these women. Why not accept it? Considering what's coming, preparing now isn’t a bad idea."
"And now, the number of women in love with you has increased. You now have ten wives, don't you?"
Me, love them?
"See, you're resisting, aren't you? Child, it's a future you can't prevent now, so accept it. Having many women who truly love you is something many men would envy. Don’t deceive them."
"There's no reason to refuse now, right? You've been wandering because your initial goal to return to your world is fading. It's time to confront your inner self."
I couldn't argue. I had felt burdened by their feelings because I wanted to return to reality. But now, I can travel between this world and reality, blurring that goal.
"Even if I say this now, it's already determined and can't be changed... Just progress gradually. I'm only giving advice that might help."
But what was this predetermined, happy future Tempus kept mentioning?
"And the future as it stands now, can you tell me about it?"
"Well, I can’t. It's my whimsy. It wouldn’t be fun to spoil the excitement of what's to come."
Tempus chuckled, a mix of mockery and sympathy in his eyes. The thought of what lay ahead filled me with dread.
"If you really want to know, come back tomorrow. And don't eat anything your sister offers you tonight."
With these cryptic words, Tempus ended our conversation, seemingly sending me back. "Just a moment?! Why shouldn’t I ― " Before I could even ask the question, my meeting with Tempus abruptly concluded, leaving me with a lingering sense of unease.
I realized something odd. Tempus mentioned that I had ten wives, but there's a discrepancy. Excluding Yura, I knew of only nine potential romantic partners. So, who's the additional one?
"Brother...?" Suddenly, amidst the shifting backdrop, a familiar voice reached my ears.