Spiral of Madness: Ascension of the Villainous Dragon Prince-Chapter 167: Saving Frostbane [2] — Victory, but at what cost?

"We’re... we’re finally done..." Louis sighed in relief and almost fell to the floor, but Mirai and his father caught him.

"Louis, you’ve pushed yourself too hard..." his father said with worry. "Please, let’s go rest..."

"Yeah!" Mirai nodded. "You need to rest..."

"But... there’s still more to do..." Louis muttered. He looked at his ruined kingdom—the capital his beloved mother had built. "If as the prince I am just slacking around while I leave my people suffering... can I really call myself their future ruler?"

He stood up again and walked forward. He wasn’t going to rest until his people were safe and until he could address everything that had happened.

They couldn’t stop him either. Whenever they tried, he barked angrily and shook his arms and hands, acting incredibly aggressive.

At this point, Louis didn’t just love Frostbane, it was his obsession, his heart, his life, his treasure, something he could not allow to be ruined or touched by vile hands.

Thus, from night to morning and then from morning to night, Louis worked alongside everyone else in the Kingdom.

He discovered that Selene and Melisa were alive. He had a small talk with them, deciding to adopt them as before and cordially inviting them to live in the castle with everyone else.

Afterward, he met with Anastasia, who was completely different now because Tisha was still alive. Although the one who had lost her mother in the previous timeline could likely never see her again, deep down he was glad he could spare this timeline’s Anastasia from such grief. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

As for Lady Agustina, he decided to visit her next week. The Gardener’s influence lingered in the corrupted areas, so that had to be dealt with.

After days of hard work, most of the city had been cleared of debris. Eighty percent of the buildings were rebuilt, and expansion projects were underway.

The losses weren’t as devastating as he had feared, but nearly two hundred civilians had perished, elderly, children, adults, mothers, and more.

It was a devastating blow regardless. Mass mourning spread through the Kingdom and its many districts. Everyone prayed to Benladra and the rest of the dragon gods for mercy upon the souls of the fallen.

Regarding the traitorous nobles, Louis and the Order of Frost Knights took care of them. They were imprisoned and awaited execution. There was no mercy or forgiveness... however, those who confessed and accepted their fate had their families spared.

Louis and Gustaf held a speech for the people, expressing heartfelt condolences for the losses. Louis used a speech similar to the one he had delivered in the previous regression when over four hundred had died against Soma.

Even though nobody important had died, to Louis these people were important too. It frustrated him deeply that they had been lost like this.

He was now strong enough to save the important ones, but could he one day become strong enough to save everyone?

Perhaps not. His ability to regress time had been altered—he wasn’t sure if it was permanent, but it seemed he could now return much earlier than before. In the past he had always started in the Dimensional Labyrinth.

Something had changed...

After finally resting for three days and three nights and waking up more refreshed, he had breakfast with his family and several friends. Tisha, Pekorine, and their daughter now lived in the castle most of the time, as Louis wanted them close.

While eating in silence, Louis pondered what had changed amid his sorrowful thoughts. "Could it be? It is... when I talked with my grandfather."

When Louis realized the truth, a kind of realization struck him. Was his grandfather so powerful that he could somehow manipulate Louis’s own Death Loop Ability? Or perhaps there were other aspects to it he didn’t know about, certain variables or factors he had never considered.

Regardless, it was incredible... and somewhat frustrating. He had no idea if it could happen again. Although it was nice not to return to the very beginning, this also meant that those who died before could never be saved again, no matter how many times he regressed to a different past.

All those children and elderly, those mothers and families lost in this catastrophe, would remain dead... and would continue dying over and over every time he died and created a new timeline where even more people would perish.

"..."

Louis didn’t feel devastated, but... he felt slightly annoyed. He sighed. His frustration rose, but he calmed down when he noticed Mirai’s kind eyes watching him.

"Louis? Are you okay?" she wondered. "You haven’t touched the pancakes I made for you..."

"Ah..." Louis looked down at the pancakes and nodded. "I guess I should."

He gently cut a piece with knife and fork. The pancakes were banana-flavored, topped with gentle soft whipped cream and chocolate sauce. The delicious combination of sweetness and fluffiness made him forget his worries, even if only for a small moment.

He smiled back at her. Their relationship was still a little nebulous since everything had ended—they had been too busy dealing with many things—but everyone could already sense they were more than just friends.

"I-Is it good?" Mirai wondered, fidgeting with her long hair.

"It is," Louis said warmly. "It’s delicious."

"Ahh! Really?!" Mirai smiled happily. "I did it! Catrise!"

"Hahah, yes, Lady Mirai, well done," Catrise nodded. It seemed she had taught Mirai how to make those pancakes.

Louis had many things on his mind, but for once he decided not to overthink it. He relaxed, enjoyed the breakfast Mirai had cooked for him with love, and let the day proceed ordinarily so his mind could rest.

"Thank you," Louis said. "It was good, Mirai."

"I’m so happy you liked it!" Mirai beamed, blushing and visibly agitated. "B-But you don’t want to eat more? Are you sure that’s enough?"

"It’s fine," Louis said. "I can consume Fantasium Cores if I get hungrier."

"Eh? Again with that, Master Louis?" Zorba asked, facepalming. "You should also eat a balanced diet...!"