After everyone watched Lord Yuto deal with the three slimes blocking their path, they didn't encounter any more monsters.
After all, every living being has the instinct to seek good fortune and avoid disaster. With a killing god like Lord Yuto present... it was unlikely any monsters would dare to bother them.
—Mr. Slime, you wouldn't want to be sliced into pieces and thrown on the ground like trash, would you?
With no monsters blocking their way, Yuto and the others quickly arrived in front of a blue tent on a small hillside.
Paimon blinked slightly at the extremely simple dwelling, then lowered her voice and asked Lumine beside her:
"What kind of situation would make Weil Mang abandon his companions and live alone in such a dilapidated... place that can't even be called a house?"
In response, Lumine gently shook her head, signaling Paimon not to be impatient.
If nothing unexpected happened... they would soon know the truth of it all.
While Lumine and Paimon were whispering, Lauvik walked a little closer to the tent and then spoke:
"Weil Mang? Are you there?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a dark figure began to squirm within the unlit, dilapidated dwelling, and then a man in red emerged, looking at the crowd before him with some surprise.
"Hmm? It's you..."
He scanned the people in front of him as he spoke, and it wasn't until he saw Yuto and Lady Furina standing at the very edge of the group that a hint of surprise finally appeared on his otherwise lifeless expression.
"Why are Lord Yuto and Lady Furina here too?"
Dirfi looked at Lauvik and Polo, who both seemed reluctant to speak, sighed softly, and then said:
"I'll explain. You're the only one left."
As she spoke, she gently broke free from the yellow-clad woman's support and began to explain the entire sequence of events to Weil Mang.
After listening to Dirfi's account, Weil Mang frowned slightly and continued to speak in the same calm, lifeless voice:
"So... you think that by knowing the truth about Group leader's incident, you can write an ending that satisfies everyone?"
Lauvik gently shook his head and corrected him:
"To be precise, not entirely, because the role and space you play... we've reserved them for you."
"Both The Daughter of Water and The Prophecy by Mr. Claude have a role for you, so we hope you can come back and continue performing with us."
Hearing this, Weil Mang lowered his head slightly, pondered for a long time, and then said:
"Let's not talk about whether I'll participate later; let's talk about the 'truth' you've always wanted to know..."
"The reason I've kept silent about the truth is primarily because The Daughter of Water is incredibly important, so I wanted to hide the truth until after the performance."
"—Otherwise, who knows if we'll even have the chance to be on stage together."
As Weil Mang spoke, he turned his back, trying his best to hide his current facial expression from his former companions.
He knew very well that he was unforgivable, so he had been intentionally distancing himself from his companions.
Of course, he wanted to continue performing, but... if he told the truth, would they still be companions?
This question hung over Lauvik's heart like a Sword of Damocles, which contributed to his current... evasive state.
Polo frowned slightly as he looked at the hesitant and sorrowful back, then continued:
"Based on what you just said... I can only assume Aurett's accident is related to you."
"But if you don't say it, the matter will never be resolved, and we will never reach a consensus!"
"You're avoiding it, Weil Mang!"
Polo's words hit home, as if they directly struck Weil Mang's heart. He first let out a muffled groan, then shook his head.
"I don't want to say anything."
Seeing his unyielding attitude, Polo took a deep breath, then quickly walked behind him, trying his best to speak calmly:
"Listen, Weil Mang, I once thought it was particularly shameful that I harbored affection for Aurett; I never mentioned it to anyone."
"But now I am still willing to tell you, precisely because I am ready to face everything, and ready to give everything."
"The Daughter of Water would be incomplete without Aurett's emotions—"
Before Polo could finish, Weil Mang sighed softly, interrupting him.
..."Alas, that's why everyone says you're not clever."
"You should all know that the troupe's operation doesn't rely on ticket sales, but entirely on voluntary donations from the audience... This money simply isn't enough."
"We have to work odd jobs in addition to performing, but the troupe's operating situation is still not optimistic."
"One day after a performance, a mysterious person found me and said they wanted to sponsor us, but on the condition that we completely obey them."
"He also showed me their scripts, which contained vulgar content that couldn't even be called Fontaine Opera or musicals."
"But I couldn't make the decision alone; I could only go discuss it with Group leader."
"And she also said she would handle it and told me not to tell you guys."
As Weil Mang spoke, he paced back and forth on the grass. It was clear that he was anxious and nervous at this moment.
—It was as if he was contemplating whether or not to utter those last few words.
"In the end... that mysterious person directly found her and demanded to have a good talk with her, otherwise they would make us pay the price."
"To protect us, Group leader... went to find that mysterious person alone."
Hearing this, Yuto sighed softly, then said:
"So it is..."
Yuto shook his head, his thoughts returning to more than twenty years ago.
Because he knew the plot in advance, after he established himself as Assistant Administrator, he issued a series of decrees to restrict addictive substances from entering the market.
And this action changed the original plot content that should have occurred.
In his memory, Aurett should have been targeted by 'lesse' traffickers, and because she couldn't afford the high compensation and wanted to protect the other members of the troupe, Aurett became a 'test subject'.
However, in this timeline, the regulation of 'lesse' was very strict, and it was impossible for it to be openly displayed, which is why the 'reason' changed.
"Is this... predetermined fate...?"
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