24.
The horned Marigold was bathed in blue moonlight.
Lancel watched as the creature slowly descended barefoot from the window frame, already anticipating what was about to unfold.
“Wait, Mary.”
He hastily blocked her shoulder as she moved to approach him.
“How are you here again? If you’re not busy, maybe we could… talk for a bit?”
In this space, Lancel felt strangely powerless. His body felt heavy, as if he were wading through the sea, and his limbs lacked their usual strength.
Even getting out of bed felt sluggish. Escaping the slowly approaching Marigold seemed nearly impossible.
‘A dream? No, this can’t be a dream…’
It was too vivid to dismiss as mere fantasy.
The early summer scent drifted through the window, tickling his nose. The breeze that brushed Marigold’s shoulder carried the fragrance of wildflowers.
Every detail of this space felt tangible, almost within reach.
The same room.
The same situation.
The same Marigold.
Lancel couldn’t contain his curiosity about this figure he had encountered again across multiple regressions. Even after dozens of loops, he had never experienced anything like this before.
“Marigold… right? You’re Mary, aren’t you? Ah, don’t get me wrong—I’m just genuinely curious. Wait! Hey! Not this! Ugh!”
But Marigold offered no response, simply gripping his body and lifting him effortlessly.
Despite Lancel’s superior height and weight, Marigold hoisted him up as if weight were no obstacle at all.
She slowly carried him back to the bed and gently laid him down. Marigold then silently lay down facing him, her body turned sideways.
‘…’
Bathed in moonlight, Marigold radiated an almost bewitching aura.
Her skin was so fair it seemed to shimmer, her complexion flawless, and her eyes glowed with a soft emerald light.
Marigold and Lancel stared intently at each other, wordlessly, for a long moment, as if etching each other’s presence onto their retinas.
“Mary…?”
Lancel unconsciously raised his hand and reached out to Marigold, lightly touching her cheek with his fingertips.
She closed her eyes and leaned into Lancel’s palm, as if savoring the warmth and sensation transmitted through his touch.
Marigold, with a single horn.
A reunion that transcended cycles.
A space that felt utterly impossible to be a mere dream.
“Why are you here, Mary? Answer me.”
At Lancel’s question, Marigold slowly opened her eyes.
Is she going to answer?
That hope was quickly dashed.
“Mmph!”
Her lips suddenly crashed down on Lancel’s, just as they always did.
‘Not this again!’
Once more, all that remained until the very end was the intense presence of Marigold, felt through the contact of their mouths.
.
.
.
Flick!
Lancel flicked a finger, striking Marigold on the forehead.
The dazed girl, who had been staring blankly into the sea breeze, winced at the sudden pain, tears welling in her eyes.
“Why did you hit me, Sir Lancel?”
“Just because.”
“…?”
“Don’t bully Mary, Lancel Dante!”
Marigold’s face was a picture of wounded innocence.
‘Still, you’re the one who’s in the wrong.’
“Holding a grudge just because I played a little prank while you were sleeping…”
“…?”
The archipelago gradually emerged from beyond the deck.
25.
“Where is he?!”
“He’s here!”
Baron Coral, with sweat beading his face, raced through the naval base.
“Lancel Dante!”
The door slammed open, and two familiar faces turned to Baron Coral in unison.
“Why is this guy still alive?!”
Baron Coral had been skeptical about the news of Lancel Dante and Marigold’s return. But seeing them sitting there, looking perfectly healthy and not even a bit thinner, he found himself fervently praying to the gods for the first time in ages.
“Why are you still alive?!”
“Is that how you greet us after all this time?”
“That’s great news! I almost ran to Viscount Dante and bowed my head to the ground!”
“You haven’t done that yet?”
“I was putting it off as long as possible, just in case. Mary! I’m glad you’re alive too!”
“Yes! But what about my promotion, Commander?”
“You’re already a Sergeant, aren’t you? Well, it’s been three years, so I’ll just keep you at that rank.”
“Two ranks promoted!”
Baron Coral’s thick palm ruffled both Lancel’s and Marigold’s hair simultaneously.
“I’m so glad you’re alive! Where on earth have you been all this time? It’s not like it was just a day or two—it was three whole years!”
“Nothing special. We were just stranded on a nameless island and ended up staying there.”
“Staying there?”
“No ships ever passed by, so we had no choice but to stay.”
“Oh dear.”
“Still, it was kind of fun.”
“What? Fun? Being stranded?”
“Yes.”
“That’s right! It was great! I want to do it again someday!”
“Adrift?”
“Yes!”
Baron Coral was visibly taken aback by Marigold’s earnest enthusiasm. Even Lancel seemed to agree with her.
A man and a woman stranded alone together on a deserted island…
Baron Coral hastily suppressed his imagination. Well, if they’re happy, that’s all that matters, right?
“Have they found Her Highness the Third Princess?”
“We thought we had her, but it was a false alarm. Still, we’ve learned who’s holding her.”
“Who…?”
“Blackbeard. A newly emerged pirate king in this region. We’ll be hunting him down from now on. Since you’re back, why not aim for some achievements again? Opportunities to become an Imperial hero don’t come often.”
Indeed.
Lancel stroked his clean-shaven jaw.
He had already dealt with all the pirates who remembered him during his journey here. Even if any had escaped, few would believe their words.
‘If there are any, I’ll deal with them when the time comes.’
Lancel nodded, his thoughts settled.
“I see.”
“Anyway, congratulations on being alive, Sir Lancel. I almost thought I’d needlessly ordered the Navy to turn a promising knight into fish food.”
“It’s not like this body hasn’t nearly become fish food before. What difference would it make if I died now?”
“Hmph, this man. You should cherish your life. What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Exactly, Sir Lancel. Since I gave you this life, you’d better cherish it.”
Marigold chimed in. Come to think of it, Lancel was only alive in this iteration because of her.
‘But how did she find me?’
Even after reconsidering, the coincidence was too perfect. Marigold being on the archipelago, finding him after he fell into the sea—it was all too convenient.
Since meeting her, so many unimaginable things had happened that he’d simply dismissed this coincidence with a shrug, thinking, “Well, these things happen.”
‘Fate…’
Who knows?
.
.
.
Sob… sob…
That evening, after a few cups of wine at the banquet, Lady Iceford began to weep uncontrollably.
“Why is she acting like this?”
“It’s nothing much. The Count of the Palace ordered Lady Iceford not to set foot off the island until Her Highness the Third Princess is found.”
“So she’s been left behind alone, even after the imperial army has withdrawn?”
“Exactly.”
Having left behind the splendor of the capital, Lady Iceford, now stranded on this island, wore an air of melancholy.
Finding Her Highness the Third Princess, whom Lancel had hidden so carefully, would likely remain an impossible task forever.
Her youthful days as one of the Empire’s three great beauties might well be spent entirely on this island.
“Hic, I’m such a pitiful woman. So, so pitiful. Hngh.”
Lady Iceford murmured to herself, surrounded by delicacies and expensive wines. Attendants hovered around her, fanning her and massaging her shoulders, showering her with lavish attention.
Yet, no matter the extravagance, Lady Iceford seemed unable to bear her confinement on this island, overwhelmed by self-pity.
“Such a clueless woman,” Lancel scoffed, a wry smile tugging at his lips.
‘Count Iceford clearly dotes on his daughter. With the Empire’s affairs taking a strange turn, he must have planned to shelter her here all along.’
Indeed.
Expecting a mere maid to retrieve Her Highness the Third Princess was an utterly unreasonable demand.
It was common sense to assume that anyone lost at sea was dead. Even if they were alive, finding them within a short period was nearly impossible.
After all, it had taken Lancel and Marigold three years to return to this place.
To entrust such a task to a mere woman like her? It was clearly a ploy by His Excellency the Count of the Palace, who needed an excuse to smuggle his daughter out of the Empire.
From now on, the Empire would collapse and split into over ten fragments, ushering in an era of endless war.
The only truly safe place was the archipelago.
Count Iceford had played his cards well too.
“Sob… I’m so pitiful. I’m like the tragic heroine in a play at the theater—a wretched, heartrending, and utterly miserable figure of doomed love…”
“……”
Soon, the starving citizens of the Empire, unable to even afford gruel, would have to witness this spectacle.
“Sir Lancel, you’re here.”
Suddenly, a small head burrowed into his side. It was Marigold.
She leaned close to his ear and whispered, “About Pia… I took her to the place you mentioned. She loved it even more than I expected.”
“Good work.”
Marigold whispered again, apparently having just returned from escorting the Third Princess.
“But when did you even build such a place? It’s too luxurious for a mere villa—I was shocked!”
“Well…” Lancel hesitated, searching for an answer.
“It’s just… a place I scouted out to visit when I want to relax in comfort.”
“Heh. As expected, nobles think differently. Ordinary people wouldn’t waste money on something like that.”
“Are you calling me extravagant?”
“Of course not. I didn’t say anything like that.”
“…For a noble, I’m remarkably uninterested in money.”
“Is that so?”
“It is.”
“I’ll believe you.”
“……”
A villa in the archipelago.
This secluded place was Lancel’s refuge whenever he craved solitude, a place where he could spend time alone, far from prying eyes.
Here, Lancel typically drifted through his days like a living corpse. This time, if not for Marigold, he would have done the same.
He had long since realized that living in a daze was preferable to taking his own life. It had become his default mode of existence.
Yes, for him, the time spent on the archipelago might as well have been a substitute for death.
If he hadn’t met Marigold, would he have spent most of his time there by now?
“Mary.”
“Yes, Sir Lancel?”
“Did you like the archipelago?”
“I’m happy anywhere as long as I’m with you, Sir Lancel.”
‘Is she flirting?’
“Haha.”
Marigold seemed pleased with her answer.
Of course, Lancel felt no flutter of excitement.
“How about you, Sir Lancel?”
“…Well…”
Lancel briefly imagined this iteration without Marigold.
What if he had miraculously survived without her help and reached the archipelago?
What if he had spent peaceful days there without any incidents or accidents?
As he pondered, a smile crept onto Lancel’s lips.
This vacation…
“It was pretty good.”
It wasn’t bad at all.
So much so that Lancel thought he might even miss this moment someday.
And so, ten years passed.
.
.
.
[Playtime: 10 years, 0 days]
—Marigold turned 25.
—No marriage partner.
—Several achievements.
▶Only one person: +300 points.
▷Only one person: +300 points.
▶Savior of the Princess: +100 points.
▷Navy Sergeant Major: +50 points.
—Total achievement: 2000 points.
—“Succession of Memories” x1 has been earned.
—Points remaining until the next “Succession of Memories” is unlocked: 500/1500 points.
[Bonus Ending 5: Ruler of the Deep Sea Marigold and Phantom Island]
—This ending was added to the “Album of Memories.”
—Album opening.
.
.
.
The life they began together brought Marigold boundless happiness.
By day, at the Navy base; by night, at the villa; and on holidays, in the streets of the archipelago.
Marigold’s life now lacked nothing. Her only wish was for days like these to continue forever.
But their peaceful routine shattered when one member of their family passed away.
“Don’t grieve. Until we meet again.”
The two remaining members spent their days in sorrow.
Like that, the years passed.
Finally, Marigold overcame her grief and rose again.
Amidst the looming threat that once again descended upon them, she steeled her resolve.
“This island, where I was with you, is the only legacy I have left. I won’t let anyone ruin it.”
To protect the grave of the departed, the villa, and the one person who remained by her side.
“This is all I know how to do.”
Taming whales.
Marigold’s island gradually became surrounded by the whales she had tamed.
From one whale to two, from two to four, from four to eight… Starting with whales, she expanded to octopuses and sharks.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Tens of thousands.
“Well done, Marigold. You are now the master of this archipelago. Sink all the ships of the traitors.”
No creature could approach this land now.
Both pirate ships and imperial vessels crumbled before the barrier created by Marigold.
One day, the suckers of a kraken, another day the tail of a great whale, and yet another day the teeth of a shark completely halt the invasion of strange entities approaching the archipelago.
Finally, the war came to an end.
In this continent where peace has arrived, the legend of the Ruler of the Deep Sea spread far and wide.
“We worship you, mistress of the Phantom Island, ruler of the archipelago.”
Her existence became a known myth, passed down through generations, forever.
[Bonus Ending 5: Ruler of the Deep Marigold and the Phantom Island – FIN.]
※ Lawless Penalty: 15 Karma points.
—Would you like to use “Memory Succession”?
“Nothing ever ends normally with you, Marigold,” Lancel muttered, clutching his throbbing head.
Marigold’s extraordinary actions were enough to make him dizzy, but the real shock was his own death.
‘Why do I keep dying?’
His deaths couldn’t be random. He wasn’t dying because he wanted to. There had to be a reason.
And now rebels have infiltrated the archipelago?
As far as Lancel remembered, the archipelago had always been a safe haven—at least for the ten years he’d been alive. He never imagined rebels would infiltrate it after those ten years.
Could his death be part of this chain of events?
He couldn’t be sure.
‘Anyway…’
Lancel focused on the words in the game’s system setting that said “Lawless Penalty.”
Fortunately Marigold’s karma hadn’t spiked to 200 points like last time; however, 15 points wasn’t exactly safe either.
‘What happens if she gets 15 karma points?’
Lancel paused, racking his memory.
At 10 points or higher, initial travel funds are stolen.
The funds given to Marigold… likely the ten silver coins she received.
“Stealing that little?”
Even stealing from a flea has its limits.
For a fallen noble lady who was thrown out into the world at just the age of ten, those ten silver coins were her only hope. Losing them was practically a death sentence.
It was already a miracle how Marigold had survived to the age of fifteen with so little.
‘And for someone to steal that?’
Lancel ground his teeth.
Whoever it was, he’d catch them and kill them.
‘No, she’ll be fine for now.’
Lancel pushed aside his worries.
Why?
‘Regressor Marigold.’
This was the iteration where she would return with memories of her past life.
Even starting with nothing, she’d be fine in this iteration.
* * *
Three years later.
Knock, knock.
“Hello.”
“Who is it?”
The mansion’s gatekeeper scrutinized the visitor from head to toe.
She was a woman with a braided ponytail, unusually tall for a woman, a long sword strapped to her waist, and a blue cloak draped over her shoulders.
“Is Sir Lancel Dante residing at this mansion?”
A radiant smile lit up her face.
“Sir, I would like to borrow your knight.”
[End of Navy Marigold]
[NEXT – Succession Cycle 2: Husband Lancel]
Finally
She’s finally putting a ring on that man