This is the truth—Lynn's skill proficiency wasn't enough to accurately pinpoint the exact day Roselle launched himself to the moon. There could be a deviation of a year or so, which wouldn't matter for most things, but when it comes to rescuing Roselle, it was highly unlikely. After all, time travel could only last for a few months at most.
"Secondly, your biggest issue is that you were marked by the Mother Goddess of Depravity from the beginning. Even if I go back to the time when you launched yourself to the moon and stop it, there's no guarantee you won't encounter Corruption again because of something else later on..." Lynn continued.
This was a lie. Lynn knew very well that changing the past wouldn't cause a butterfly effect. Instead, it would directly manifest in the future, affecting the person involved.
In other words, if he truly went back to the time when Roselle launched himself to the moon and forcibly stopped it, it was highly likely that the Corruption affecting the current Roselle would disappear instantly. This would create a Schrödinger's situation—Roselle in the past would still be Corrupted, and everything he did would remain unchanged, but the current Roselle could free himself from the Corruption.
It sounded unbelievable, but that's just how the altered history under Lynn's control worked!
"Then why don't you solve the problem at the source?" Roselle frowned and suggested, "If I just avoid going to that island and don't contact Mr. Door, I won't get involved with the Mother Goddess of Depravity. Wouldn't that solve everything?"
"You're right, I thought the same," Lynn nodded, looking at Roselle seriously. "So, would you mind if I, alongside Klein, play the role of the 'Black-hearted Ring Grandpa'?"
Yes, this was Lynn's real objective in fooling Roselle. He certainly didn't mind going to rescue Roselle once he mastered the skill of time travel. But before that, he wanted to travel back to the early days of Roselle's journey and righteously play the role of the Black-hearted Ring Grandpa.'
Of course, saving Roselle was a priority, but who says you can't have some fun while doing it?
Moreover, this would make rescuing Roselle easier—by the time Roselle reached Sequence 2 and was somewhat Corrupted, he might not listen to two strangers telling him not to go to the moon. But he'd definitely listen to his 'Ring Grandpa.'
And if Roselle didn't listen to even his 'Black-hearted Ring Grandpa,' Lynn could only hope that the Sequence 2 Knowledge Magister was tough enough to handle a beating.
"Ahem..." Klein couldn't help but cough lightly at this point, clearly guessing what mischief Lynn was up to.
"What on earth is a 'Black-hearted Ring Grandpa'?" Roselle's expression darkened as he asked irritably.
"It's the type of ring grandpa who's not very reliable," Lynn said earnestly, "One who occasionally torments you or makes things difficult for you."
Roselle: …
"Lynn, do you have a deep grudge against me?" Roselle asked, his expression serious.
"Who said I didn't?" Lynn gave him a puzzled look. "Because of the literary works you plagiarized, do you know how many nights I stayed up writing papers?"
"For that?" Roselle looked incredulous.
"Why else?" Lynn shrugged before suddenly flashing a bright smile. "Okay, just kidding. I wouldn't be a Black-hearted Ring Grandpa."
Hearing this, Roselle subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. But before he could fully relax, Lynn spoke again.
"Of course, I'd be a good teacher," Lynn said, looking at Roselle with a smile. "Don't worry. Even though you're a complete scoundrel, I won't give up on you. I'll make sure you turn over a new leaf, become a decent person, and stop messing around in your personal life. In your free time, you should focus on writing, and during work hours, you should concentrate on inventions."
"I'm sure your daughter will thank me for it."
Roselle opened his mouth. Looking at the bright, smiling young man in front of him, he suddenly felt a wave of darkness wash over him. After a long pause, he squeezed out, "Well, thank you, I guess."
"No need to thank me. It's my duty," Lynn calmly accepted Roselle's "thanks," seemingly unaware of the gritted teeth behind the words.
"Ahem..." Klein coughed again, unable to help himself. He lightly poked Lynn's shoulder and whispered, "Isn't that a bit too much?"
"Is it?" Lynn touched his chin, glancing between Klein and Roselle before finally saying, "Firstly, in terms of personal morals, Roselle is a complete scoundrel. That's not wrong, is it?"
Klein hesitated but nodded.
It was hard to argue. In terms of personal life, calling Roselle a scoundrel was completely accurate.
Even Roselle himself wouldn't deny it.
"And because of his scoundrel behavior, his family fell apart—his wife was heartbroken, and his children turned against him. That's also true, right?" Lynn continued.
Once again, Klein hesitated but nodded.
That was also accurate. Roselle's late-life estrangement from his family was related to his madness, but it would be wrong to say it had nothing to do with his chaotic personal life.
"And lastly, Roselle spent so much time at parties and events that he had much less time to invent things. That's true too, right?" Lynn pressed on.
"Uh..." Klein hesitated, recalling the Roselle Diaries he'd read—filled with scandalous details and only a few rare mentions of inventions. He nodded again.
"So, my intention to help Roselle turn over a new leaf, rebuild his family ties, and achieve greater success in his work—is there anything wrong with that?" Lynn asked, justifiably confident.
Klein: ...
Even though something felt off, it was hard to argue against.
"Of course there's something wrong! If life is all about work, what's the point of living?" Roselle finally voiced his dissatisfaction, looking at Lynn as if he were a devil. "I finally understand why you're the 'Humanity.' You're much scarier than that other guy."
The Angel of Secrets might force him to relive humiliating moments, but this guy wanted to destroy his entire life's pleasures at the root!
"Why are you so agitated? Oh, right, you haven't had your past altered yet..." Lynn glanced at Roselle in confusion before showing an enlightened expression and saying:
"Did the Angel of Secrets not tell you? When He, or rather, when we change the past, we don't erase the person's memories. Instead, they just gain an additional set of memories..."
Since Lynn had openly merged with the Angel of Secrets and shared part of His memories, he spoke without guilt.
"Hmm?" Roselle blinked in confusion.
"In other words, even if your younger self were forced into abstinence and cut off from a life of indulgence, you'd just gain memories of that life," Lynn explained with a bright smile. "But your former, more scandalous life wouldn't disappear."
(End of Chapter)
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