Chapter 363. The Fourth Ending Spoiler (1)
‘Left arm. Paralysis symptoms.’
Lloyd suddenly remembered.
The ending spoiler.
The scenes he had witnessed.
The grand finale of the scenario unfolding now.
He had seen numerous clues through that final moment.
Among them was the figure of the queen.
‘The left arm. The left arm that was originally cut off during the attempted regicide in *The Iron-Blooded Knight*. Thanks to me, it remained intact… but ultimately, due to the restoration of fate phenomenon, it became useless. It wasn’t cut off, but it was paralyzed, making it impossible to use.’
Recalling this sent chills down his spine.
The image of the queen turning towards him just now.
The brief, unnatural movement of her left arm.
That movement remained etched on his retina, lingering in his vision.
A sense of foreboding gripped his throat.
‘Why? Why now?’
He couldn’t understand.
There should still be about two years left before the restoration of fate phenomenon begins.
The start time he saw in the recent ending spoiler clearly indicated that.
‘Could it have been brought forward?’
It might be possible, he thought.
On the other hand, he felt resistance to the idea.
‘Let’s check first.’
Lloyd calmed himself.
It was still unknown.
He might be making a fuss over nothing.
So rather than overreacting without confirmation, he decided to first accurately assess the situation.
As this thought ended, Lloyd quickly composed his briefly shaken expression.
He bowed his head calmly, paying his respects to the queen.
Soon, the queen’s reply came.
“Hah. You always do this.”
“Pardon?”
“Every time you seek me, your timing is strangely impeccable. I can’t understand it.”
“My apologies, Your Majesty.”
“Apologies?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“What are you apologizing for?”
“…”
“Tut. I was merely grumbling. I finished the morning’s affairs earlier than usual, hoping for a brief respite before lunch, and here you are, interrupting my beautiful, precious, happy rest.”
“…”
“But I understand. You must have a very, very, really important and urgent matter to disturb such a precious rest. Isn’t that so?”
“…”
“Why do you remain silent?”
“Th-that’s… I am truly sorry, Your Majesty.”
Lloyd pretended to be as restless as usual, reacting nervously.
He tried to avoid making any unnecessary noise, hoping she wouldn’t ask for a duel.
“The reason I came to see Your Majesty is…”
“The reason?”
“Out of concern for Your Majesty, I hurried to request an audience.”
“You? Concerned about me?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“It doesn’t seem that way.”
“It’s the truth, Your Majesty.”
“Hmm, have you done something wrong without my knowledge?”
“No, Your Majesty.”
“Committed crimes like murder, robbery, arson, fraud, embezzlement?”
“None of those, Your Majesty.”
“Or do you need more money?”
“That’s truly not the case, Your Majesty.”
“The more you deny, the more it seems true.”
“Please trust me, Your Majesty.”
“How can I trust you?”
“…”
A playful smile faintly appeared on the queen’s lips.
“Have you ever come to see me without a gainful purpose? Hmm, I don’t think so.”
“But, Your Majesty, I once carried Your Majesty in my arms when you were gravely ill…”
“Ran, did you?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“And how much wealth did you extract from me for that?”
“Your Majesty’s health, happiness, and long life are beyond comparison to money.”
“So you want me to believe in your sincerity because you protected my health, happiness, and long life?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Lloyd bowed deeply.
Meanwhile, he observed Queen Alicia’s demeanor.
She seemed in good spirits.
But as for her left arm?
There was no movement, making it difficult to determine if anything was wrong.
Eventually, Lloyd chose a direct approach.
“Actually, to speak honestly, I am worried about Your Majesty’s left arm.”
“…”
The queen’s smile momentarily froze.
Lloyd continued.
“During our recent sparring, I noticed something. It feels presumptuous to say, but when Your Majesty pressed me with practice swords, the movement of your left arm seemed slightly unnatural, albeit very subtly.”
“…”
“So I have been worrying over the past few days, wondering if Your Majesty’s left arm is truly fine, and if there is anything I can do to help.”
“Hmm, that’s quite interesting.”
She asked straightforwardly.
Queen Alicia chuckled.
As if questioning why he was making such a fuss, she replied simply.
“I twisted it.”
“…Pardon?”
“Recently, I’ve been pushing myself to reach a higher state. So I increased my training. It seems I overdid it. I twisted my shoulder and elbow simultaneously.”
“But, Your Majesty, the movement of your left arm…”
“Lloyd Frontera.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Is there something different about me today?”
“…Pardon?”
“I’m asking if there is something different about me today compared to usual.”
“…”
Lloyd flinched.
What did she mean by that question?
He was inquiring about her left arm’s abnormality.
The slightly unnatural movement wasn’t something caused by a twisted shoulder or elbow.
He wanted to ask more about it.
To reveal the truth and understand the situation.
But Queen Alicia abruptly and randomly changed the subject, asking an unrelated question.
‘What’s going on?’
Though he didn’t know why, he felt pressured to answer.
‘Do I look different today?’ felt like a sudden attack.
Lloyd shook his head internally.
‘I need to find an answer quickly and then ask about the left arm again.’
He needed to regain control of the conversation.
To do so, he first had to answer the queen’s question.
Lloyd strained his eyes.
Recalling childhood memories of searching for hidden or wrong objects in pictures, he scrutinized her closely.
Thanks to that, he found the answer easily.
“Um, uh…”
“Still haven’t found it?”
“No, I’ve found it.”
“What is it?”
“Um, forgive me for saying this, but you look about ten years younger today.”
“Do I?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
It wasn’t flattery.
It was the truth.
He could also easily guess why.
‘You’re not wearing makeup. Completely bare-faced.’
Come to think of it, he had never seen the queen without makeup before.
Never. This was the first time.
“Indeed. I would look younger than usual. That’s natural. I have been making efforts to look older.”
The queen sat on the office sofa.
She crossed her legs.
While massaging her left forearm.
She drew a mysterious smile.
“Perhaps you’re not aware, but I was originally a daughter from a distant branch of the royal family.”
“…”
He knew that.
But why was she bringing it up now?
Lloyd felt puzzled.
But he had no time to voice his question.
“Of course, I was given a very low succession rank. I had many competitors. I was also younger than them. I spent my late teens not knowing when I might fall off a cliff with one wrong step. But I had one weapon my competitors didn’t.”
Queen Alicia’s words continued like a monologue.
“Outstanding talent in swordsmanship? No. My real weapon was something else. Because I was from a distant branch. Because I was born and raised far from the capital. Very few people knew me in detail. I utilized that weapon fully.”
“Could it be…”
“Yes. I lied about my age. Being young could be a weakness in such a situation. Even when I finally surpassed all competitors and seized the throne. At twenty-one, I disguised myself as thirty during the coronation.”
“Ah.”
“Even after that, it was the same. Wearing a crown didn’t mean everyone would easily obey. I had to show the authority befitting a monarch. If not, I didn’t know when I might be caught in a weakness.”
“…”
Lloyd remained silent.
He began to understand the meaning of the queen’s self-mocking smile.
‘So that’s why you deliberately wore makeup to look older. Then your actual age… is still older than mine, but not by much.’
Well, she was still the queen, his elder sister figure.
While he was thinking this, the queen continued.
“So very few people know this secret of mine. Former Captain Cherney, who betrayed me, and the current chamberlain are the only ones. Now, it’s your turn.”
“Then why are you telling me this secret…?”
“Do you not understand my intention?”
The queen crossed her legs again.
Her head lifted arrogantly.
She spoke with the gaze of a born ruler, like a queen bee.
“A secret can sometimes be a weakness or a weapon.”
“…”
“Is this sufficient to answer your question?”
“Yes, it is sufficient.”
“Good. I’m glad you understand.”
“Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty.”
Lloyd bowed deeply.
It was indeed sufficient.
Now he understood the queen’s intentions.
‘A secret can be a weakness or a weapon. It means she wants me to keep the queen’s left arm a secret.’
In other words, there was indeed something wrong with the queen’s left arm.
It wasn’t simply an injury from excessive training.
‘The queen knows it too. It’s not just an injury. I don’t know the cause, but she’s aware that something is wrong with her left arm. And it’s getting worse. She knows everything.’
Thinking about it, it made sense.
Queen Alicia was a Sword Master.
She was like a world-class athlete in modern terms.
She could sense changes in her condition more keenly than anyone else.
If intermittent paralysis started in one of her arms, she would certainly find it strange.
‘But she wants to keep it a secret. Pretend not to notice. Because once it’s known, it’ll become a weakness. That’s why she’s enduring without starting any significant treatment.’
Now he understood a bit.
It was hard to deny.
‘The queen’s left arm is definitely in trouble. Which means the restoration of fate phenomenon…’
May have already begun.
He didn’t know why it started two years early.
But if the restoration of fate phenomenon had indeed begun?
‘I need to make a plan.’
His heart pounded unconsciously.
From then on, he couldn’t remember what kind of conversation he had with the queen, how he greeted her, and how he left.
When he regained his senses, he was outside the royal palace.
Heading back to his lodging.
All the while, one thought dominated his mind.
‘I need to use the ending spoiler and check.’
The most certain way was to use the ending spoiler.
To see how the current scenario had changed, what kind of altered ending awaited.
‘Please.’
He hoped the queen.
The Frontera couple.
Julian and Serazade.
And all the people connected to him.
Wouldn’t face a tragic ending.
With a desperate heart, he returned to his lodging.
And in the slow, agonizing passage of time tinged with anxiety, he waited for nightfall.
Finally, when the moon rose and the sound of insects tickled his ears.
He sang a lullaby to Javier as if waiting for this moment.
After confirming Javier was sound asleep.
He quietly moved.
Went to the drawing room.
Opened the skill window.
[Skill: Ending Spoiler]
[Skill Attribute: Absolute Authority]
[Required CP: 160 (4th Round)]
[By consuming a certain amount of CP, you can glimpse a part of the ending scene of the current story’s grand finale. It may be a happy ending or a sad ending.]
The familiar skill guide text appeared.
Lloyd took a deep breath.
‘Let’s do it.’
He selected ‘Execute’ at the bottom of the skill window.
[Do you want to use the skill: Ending Spoiler?]
[CP Consumption: 160 (4th Round)]
[Current CP: 1,648]
[YES / NO]
‘Of course, YES.’
Ding dong.
[Skill: Ending Spoiler activated.]
[160 CP consumed.]
[Current CP: 1,488]
The skill activation message appeared.
The reaction was immediate.
Zzzzz…!
Time around him rapidly slowed.
Finally, it came to a complete stop.
The air in the drawing room of the guest residence.
The clouds drifting in the night sky outside the window.
Everything was nailed in place within time.
Then the space in front of him wavered.
Pzzzt!
A round, blue passage opened.
‘Phew.’
This moment always made him nervous.
Especially this time.
He felt much more anxious than excited about what kind of ending he would witness.
‘I need to gather as many clues as possible.’
The start of the ending spoiler seemed to have moved forward by two years.
He needed to find out what caused the advance.
What would happen between now and the ending.
He needed to see, hear, and collect as much as he could.
With a firm resolve, Lloyd stepped forward.
He entered the passage.
His vision was flooded with light.
Paaah…!
His sight disappeared momentarily like a power outage.
As if he closed his eyes tightly and then opened them.
The blurry vision gradually cleared.
The surroundings became visible.
And soon, Lloyd had to widen his eyes at the scene before him.
‘What is this? What on earth…’
