Even if you succeed in jobless reincarnation and time magic, you must live life to the fullest.

Neither he nor Yars suffered any mistreatment.

Logically, everyone should be happy.

but.

Seeing the hesitant and uneasy look on Jars' face as Rudius led him into the room, Liz sensed that what was about to happen was going to be even more difficult for Jars to face.

That being said, Liz doesn't have time to worry about Ars now.

"So, you're Ars's girlfriend?"

What stage are you at right now?

Liz nervously swallowed as she looked at Alice, who was sitting in front of her with great fanfare, staring at her fiercely and asking questions.

So, so scary...

I really want to run away.

Side Story: The Tale of Ars (27)

While Liz was being relentlessly interrogated by Alice.

Inside the study of the mansion.

Ars sat stiffly and nervously before Rudius, as if he had committed a grave error.

In contrast, Rudius seemed much more relaxed.

“Don’t be so nervous, Jars, isn’t it all over now?” Rudius said with a smile.

"Yes……"

Even so, Yars still couldn't hide his unease.

The source of his unease was quite simple: he had been severely scolded by Alice at the Knights' Hall.

From a young age, Rudius told his family that it is of great importance to admit one's mistakes and correct them.

It's okay to make mistakes, as long as you realize them and correct them in the future, there's no problem.

however……

If you don't even know where you went wrong, then there's no point in talking about it.

“Dad, I don’t think I did anything wrong,” Yars said, frowning.

"Yeah."

Rudius made tea for himself and Jars and sat down at the desk.

Instead of directly resolving the doubt, he said, "So, from another perspective, can you summarize your actions in this incident yourself?"

"of course can."

Ars said without hesitation, "I saw someone plotting against Liz in the dark, so I hid in the shadows to protect her. When she was in danger, I took the initiative to help her out of the danger. I even took responsibility for her and prevented her from becoming a plaything of the nobles."

"I believe I did nothing wrong!"

"I can say that with confidence," Yars said.

"Yeah……"

Rudius smiled.

He shifted his posture, smiled, and asked, "Then let me ask you the other way around: do you really think you protected Liz well?"

"of course."

What would you do if your dad and mom didn't arrive in time?

"...I will die, but even so, I will protect Liz."

Ars hesitated for a moment, then said, "Even if they want to hurt Liz, as long as I'm alive, I won't allow it to happen, Dad. Isn't that what you taught me?"

Rudeus shook his head.

"As long as you're alive, you won't allow this to happen, so in other words, it doesn't matter once you're dead, right?"

"Eh?"

"What you just did may seem like you were risking your life to protect that child, but in the end? Did you really accomplish anything?"

Rudius stood up, walked behind Jars in his astonished gaze, and patted him on the shoulder.

“If we hadn’t arrived in time, you would have been killed, and the child, without your protection, would have been powerless to resist the nobles.”

"So in the end, you didn't protect anything at all."

“Yars, what you’re doing is supposedly to protect someone important, even at the cost of your life, but to put it bluntly… it’s nothing but self-indulgence.”

"To truly protect the people you care about, you need to genuinely think about how they can survive, rather than just doing things your own way."

Jars was speechless.

To think of ways for the other person to survive...

Yes.

This sounds simple, but I haven't actually done it myself.

Seeing Jars deep in thought, Rudius smiled knowingly.

He put down his teacup and said with a smile, "Yars, true determination to protect others means being willing to kneel and kowtow to them, even if it means using acting skills or lies. That's what it means to be truly committed."

"Your suicidal behavior is nothing short of self-indulgence in the eyes of both Alice and me."

Ars pursed his lips and lowered his head.

Are you even prepared to kneel down before them...?

indeed.

Throughout the process, I was preoccupied with protecting Liz and ensuring she was not harmed, and I did my best to do so.

But in the end, I realized I hadn't accomplished anything.

The idea of ​​begging for mercy or asking for forgiveness from the enemy in order to protect Liz was completely out of the question.

Thinking it over carefully, I realized that I killed Boris in a fit of rage.

It seems that things went completely wrong from there.

In other words.

Am I just indulging in self-admiration...?

He realized just how childish and ridiculous these actions, which he thought were cool, were.

They could have completely avoided this situation from the very beginning, but they insisted on playing the hero, which ultimately led to such an ugly result.

Does someone like me really have the right to act like Liz's savior?

Thinking of this, Yars subconsciously clenched his fist.

at this time.

A warm, large hand landed on his head.

"Dad?" Yars looked up slightly.

"Yars, there's no need to be disappointed."

Rudius smiled and said, "In any case, there's no doubt that you want to protect the people you like."

"Although life cannot be relived, as long as you realize your mistakes and correct them, you will not fall in the same place again in the future."

"dad……"

Ars stared blankly at Rudius, as if a weight had finally been lifted from his heart.

As expected of a father...

"Alright, now cheer up and go tell your girlfriend it's over," Rudius said, patting him on the shoulder.

"Ok!"

Yars roused himself.

As Rudeus said.

If you make a mistake, never stay in the same place and wallow in self-pity.

Life cannot be relived, but it's never too late to correct one's mistakes.

As long as we learn from our experiences and avoid falling in the same place again, then one day...

Even when walking on cliffs, one can remain as calm and composed as on flat ground.

……

"Oh, right, Jars, there's something else," Rudius suddenly called out to Jars.

"What is it, Dad?"

"Have you used that thing I gave you?"

"..."

For a moment, Yars didn't know how to answer.

Rudius smiled and said, "Don't be shy. It's just a casual chat between father and son. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

“…I used it.”

"Oh?"

"But it wasn't fully utilized."

"Um……?"

Under Rudius's questioning gaze, Jars blushed and recounted what had happened.

Just like Lala said, even if a girl offers herself to a bed, how can she possibly run away?