Daelan Ciro had no idea that his actions were already causing ripples in another world.
But even if he knew… he wouldn't react much. After all, Popularity Points were something he could always find ways to boost as long as he was alive.
The reason he left… was because he spotted that yellow silhouette on the street.
In these four hundred years, Daelan felt he hadn't wronged many people. Except for that young lady of the "Spina di Rosula," Navia.
Looking at the girl with bright yellow curls, Daelan called out softly, "Navia? What are you doing here?"
Hearing that familiar voice, Navia whipped around, her eyes softening with relief upon seeing Daelan sitting before her.
"It's you, Mr. Daelan."
"I just heard the famous Traveler was coming, so I came to take a look."
"My intuition tells me they might help me solve some tricky problems."
Listening to her unusually calm tone, a smile spread across Daelan's face.
"Navia's grown up, hasn't she… so much calmer than before."
"Are you trying to comfort me…?"
Those azure eyes turned to Daelan at some point, the sorrow and pain hidden in their depths clear to him.
Daelan sighed softly and said, "Navia… I'm not here as the 'advisor' right now. I'm here as a friend of Mr. Callas, as an elder."
"Navia, I believe more than anyone that Mr. Callas didn't… do those things."
"But even if I wanted to stop it all from happening, I'd need 'evidence.'"
With that, Daelan sighed again.
"As I explained to you back then, Mr. Callas chose to face the duel directly because he knew the rat hiding in the shadows wasn't easy to catch."
"He wanted to protect you, so he gave up defending himself."
"Think about it, Navia."
"In these three years… have you found any evidence that could directly overturn the trial's verdict?"
Navia lowered her head slightly, falling silent, while Silver, standing nearby, said with concern, "Milady…"
Looking at the silent "Yellow Rose" before him, Daelan sighed once more.
"Leave it all to time. Trust your father, trust yourself, and… trust me."
"One day, everything owed to you… will return a thousandfold."
With that, Daelan stood and left without another word, leaving Navia alone at the roadside table.
"Mr. Daelan…"
…
Though Daelan's position was "advisor," which at first glance had little to do with trials, that didn't mean he wasn't involved in the process.
At every public trial, he sat behind Furina with a small notebook, listening to the verdicts and detailed cross-examinations, searching for loopholes in Fontaine's laws.
Through this alone, he and Neuvillette revised and added numerous laws to reduce wrongful convictions due to unclear legislation.
But to be fair, as one of Fontaine's three key figures, "Advisor" Daelan naturally had the authority and prestige to intervene in the trial process.
However… no matter how great the power or prestige, it needed a "just cause."
As a transmigrator, Daelan's most vivid memories of Fontaine weren't just Furina's five-hundred-year performance. There was also Navia, standing before Neuvillette, her eyes brimming with tears.
The "Unjust Callas" and the "Serial Disappearances of Young Women" remained thorns in his heart. He desperately wanted to strangle that beast named Vacher—later Marcel—in its cradle.
But when he learned of a leader in the "Abyss Order" known as the "Prince," he abandoned the idea. The reasoning was simple: the "Prince's" existence implied the arrival of a "Princess."
To Daelan, this world's history was a fixed worldline. Once disrupted… no one could predict the consequences.
To put it bluntly, if he altered history, there was a significant chance that Focalors' five-hundred-year plan would collapse. That wasn't something he wanted to see.
And for Fontaine to break the prophecy… the "Serial Disappearances of Young Women" and the "Unjust Callas" case, along with the "Primordial Energy of Retribution" they generated, were essential.
He couldn't casually rewrite history.
But that was only one aspect, a minor reason. To be honest, someone like Daelan, once set on a path, couldn't be swayed by eight horses. These reasons alone weren't enough to make him give up.
What truly stopped him… was a rejection from the world itself.
When Vacher became an adventurer and set out to explore, Daelan had instructed the Melusines of the Maison Gardiennage to keep an eye on him.
During his rare moments of rest, he investigated everything related to Vacher, trying to find a weakness to drag him to court.
But as if the world were against him, he could never meet Vacher. The Melusines would lose track of him or fail to gather useful information for various reasons.
At that point, Daelan completely abandoned the idea of altering the worldline. He understood that this wasn't mere coincidence but a rejection from the world.
All Daelan could do… was be a bystander. A bystander who could make Navia's pain a little less unbearable, a bystander who could support her in continuing her pursuit.
…
Back in his office, Daelan sat at his desk, his eyes quietly gazing at the sky outside the window.
"Sigh…"
After a long silence, Daelan released all his unspoken words in a single sigh.
"It's almost over, Navia. Hold on a little longer…"
Daelan murmured, then shifted his gaze to a panel that had appeared beside him at some point.
[Task: "Complete a conversation with Navia" has been completed. Rewards are being issued, please wait…]
[Reward: Deferred Popularity x800]
[Special Note: Due to the unchanged character banner order, the deferred Popularity from Arlecchino's character PV has changed. Calculating, please wait…]
[Current Popularity Points: 2000, with 2200 Deferred Popularity awaiting settlement]
Looking at the panel, Daelan sighed softly.
"I hope by then… I can make that story a bit more complete, right…?"
[Detected establishment of an additional relationship. Popularity Exchange Plan has been updated. Please review promptly.]
[Additionally, real-world footage has been saved. Please review promptly.]
Daelan frowned slightly as the panel, which had just vanished, reappeared.
"Hm? What's going on?"