Regressor, Possessor, Reincarnator

The streets at dusk carried a lively atmosphere that couldn’t be found there during the day. Students mourned their breakups and shook off their lingering sadness as best they could, while sorcerers with robes half unfastened walked along after completing a day of research. Behind them, their assistants dragged their feet, expressions hollow.

Allen walked against the backdrop of this now-familiar scenery. His shadow stretched low over the neat, gray tile of the pavement. Through the crowd of shadows he passed, blending in almost as if he were hiding himself.

He heard countless tales on his way to Maria.

"Oh my god, I'm taking intro to spirit studies, and there’s this one crazy elf there…"

"You see it too, yeah? Our aquatic magic professor's face looks just like a frog…”

"A freshman in the supplementary class beat an upperclassman in the intermediate class?”

Which professor was annoying, who looked like a frog. Who fought who, and which one won.

"Come to think of it, did you know that someone beat the intermediate ruins simulation record?”

"Oh, really? Who?"

"Hehe, you know, the famous one."

"Oh… I guess he must’ve tried crazy hard to break it, yeah…?”

From the menial gossip of the day to more commonplace knowledge, various stories circulated along with the wind.

Then, he heard a familiar name.

“—lius.”

As he focused his ears, one voice stuck out clearly through all the other noise.

"Did you say Julius? Wasn’t he way too harsh on him?”

A graceful, courteous tone—it must have been one of the aristocratic students.

"That's right. As an aristocrat, it's only proper to accept the challenge. But… you have to adjust your actions to suit the nature of the duel."

"He really overdid it. It seems that his opponent recovered safely… but wow. He must really have no dignity…”

Smirk.

Allen allowed himself to lose focus and hastened his slow steps.

‘There's no way no one would complain.’

You can’t ever please everyone.

The rivalry with Benjamin made Julius's name well known, but his reputation was divided along two extremes.

'It would be impossible to spread rumors like I did back in our own territories.’

He couldn’t get away with that here.

Allen put aside his reservations about that situation and remembered Maria, whom he’d been meeting on a regular basis now for weeks.

A woman with a typically blunt stoicism, interrupted by the occasional slight expression.

She was known as the descendant of the First Warrior, but confirming whether she was actually of his bloodline was impossible.

However, considering that the Holy Sword responded to her, it was likely to be true.

If the Holy Sword reacted to Allen because of external reasons, it likely reacted to her because of the traces of the First Warrior’s divine power.

Allen wasn't sure if it was related to her blood or something else genetic, either.

After all, in his past life, she was not the master of the Holy Sword.

"The master of the Holy Sword, one of the Five Wonders of the First Warrior,”

That title belonged to the man who was a former demon and the main character of the original : Heisel.

* * *

He passed through a narrow path, until the shadow of the wall fell overhead. As the noise drifted away, he felt like he’d entered another world.

Allen cut through the alley, drenched in an orange-stained sunlight.

As he walked slowly, thinking about this and that, a stiff voice greeted him. It lacked any of the hardships well-known by the desolate surroundings.

"Hello."

When he turned his head, she was there, in the alley where they had first met… sitting in the corner, staring at the cat.

It was pitiful to see her body squished together as tightly as possible in an attempt to relax her partner.

Allen watched her and uttered, "…Is there a reason why you like cats so much?"

The cat, wary of her, rushed straight into Allen's arms as he approached. He felt its weight in his arm.

Meow.

"…No, there isn't."

Her response was a little slow.

‘Is it personal?’

They’d already met in that alley more than ten times, yet despite this, he never felt as though the distance between them shrank at all.

‘She still hasn’t told me anything about herself.’

Allen had no idea what her actions meant.

She deliberately tried to keep her distance. That was the conclusion he came to after meeting with her for weeks. Whether such actions were conscious or unconscious, he realized that it would be almost impossible to get any closer to her without some sort of impetus.

"Well then."

As usual, she approached carefully after rising from her squashed position, while Allen kept the cat in his arms.

Pat. Pat.

"Now he's pretty used to it."

"Mhm."

"It's already been a month since we first met."

The cat now turned around as if it were bothered, but did not react violently. They had progressed leaps and bounds compared to their starting point.

Maria’s lips turned up slightly, seeming pleased by the reaction, but the little smile disappeared right away.

"It's hot even though it's early in the evening now. Well, we are in the middle of the desert, so I guess it’s only natural…” With a slightly calm and heated tone, he admitted, "I'm not used to it.”

She tilted her head to look at Allen.

"Our land is on the western side of the Kingdom of Liberé. The western end of the western continent. I’m right by the blue Michellant Mountains all year round, and near the Great Elf Forest, too.”

Maria's pure white eyes filled with a hint of interest.

"In the autumn, the plains all turn yellow, and the rainbow of autumn leaves color the mountain behind them. Do you know what a Thanksgiving festival is like?"

Popular songs sung by farmers cheerfully filled the city with a shared beat, and the incoming merchants bargained with each other for spots to market themselves.

"But what about winter? I don’t have the first clue what it’s like to enjoy the white, snow-covered scenery.”

She hadn’t said a word, but before she realized it, she was deeply invested in Allen's words.

Allen went on, cutting himself off when he thought the time was right, and then began to meander toward broaching the question in his mind.

"But you look like you’re doing just fine… Are you used to the heat?”

Inellia couldn’t find 'anything' about her.

Hometown, family relationships, schooling, or standard of living, nevermind how she could’ve been traced back to the First Warrior.

Maria had appeared out of thin air, bearing the title of ‘descendant of the First Warrior’.

“……”

She didn't say anything.

Just as Allen wondered at her silence, she spoke, "I'm used to the heat."

"Then you must be from the south or the middle of the continent?”

"Do you need to know?”

The atmosphere changed.

"…Not really."

"Allen, you said you were an aristocrat."

Her expression was a little more intense than usual and the speed at which she spoke was faster as well.

Keeping an eye on her somewhat atypical mood, Allen replied, "That's right."

"I heard that aristocrats are particularly sensitive to their own privacy.”

"Yes, you are right."

"So am I.”

Maria's voice had returned to normal. Allen realized that he had messed up. 

He usually had some tact. 

'…I knew she was hiding her story, but I didn't expect her to have such a pointed reaction to something so benign.’

Was there something there?

Allen admitted his mistake. "…Please excuse me. I apologize."

"It's all right."

"…Thank you. As an apology, I'll show you a place I’ve been going to lately. The tea there smells quite delicious."

When Allen booked their next appointment out of habit, she accepted it without displaying too much doubt.

"Mhm."

Allen blinked at Maria, who had returned to her original state, and said, "Well…?"

"What?"

"Did something happen today?"

Her pupils rapidly contracted, but returned to their normal diameter in no time.

"…No?"

Seeing her denial, Allen began to fit together the pieces of the puzzle, recalling how she seemed more on-edge than normal.

"By any chance, did it have to do with that thing about the ruins simulation…?”

“Ah."

That was it.

She clenched her hand for a split second.

Hiiissss.

The cat hurriedly began to struggle.

She immediately realized her mistake and relaxed her grip, but the cat, which had lost several strands of fur as a result, quickly turned the corner and disappeared.

"Oh…"

"Gosh, I guess something is just off today.”

"It's because of you.”

When Maria squinted her eyes at him, Allen stepped back gracefully.

"I didn't do anything." Maria stared at him. "But really, do you want to tell me what happened?"

"…I don't know."

After thinking for a moment, she shook her head. Whatever she’d thought of wasn't enough, so she turned around and began to walk.

"That’s alright," he said.

"I'm going."

Allen stepped back.

‘If I force her to cross the line, I’ll ruin our current relationship.’

Allen was satisfied with her momentary hesitation.

Because it meant that he’d found something—a soft spot.

'I was coming on too strong just now.’

In the end, there was no other choice but to let the chips fall where they may and passively look for more opportunities.

Allen loudly called out to her retreating figure. "By the way, the dormitory is the other way.”

Maria froze, her ears turning red. Then, she turned around and headed toward the dormitory, as if the last few steps had never happened in the first place.

"…Thank you," she said in a small voice.

"Don't mention it."

* * *

* * *

Once the freshmen had adapted to life at the Academy, the day finally came.

It was time for the students to choose their own subjects.

Thus far, the freshmen had been divided into only two classes: a supplementary class and a general class. However, at the end of the month's evaluation, they would be divided into supplementary, lower, intermediate, upper, and advanced classes.

Allen was, of course, assigned to the advanced class.

He’d choose the subjects he wanted and take classes in that path.

Even though some classmates were grouped together, they wouldn’t take the same subject.

The potential to be in the same class as their seniors gave younger students a sense of superiority. It was the sort of structure where they had no choice but to jump into endless competition to prove themselves.

'It's still awkward for now, but they’ll all realize soon.’

The freshmen were talking to the friends they’d made in their early stages of life at the Academy.

"What class are you going to take?"

"I've been taking regular knight classes, so I'm probably going to try for a close-combat class."

"Anything else? Did your family tell you to do anything in particular? Oh, wait. You're a commoner. Do they do that?"

"No, yeah, they do."

"What?"

"I have to take basic spirits. My father recently bought a slave elf to be his new wife."

"…An elf as a slave?"

However, unlike at the beginning when students divided themselves by race and status, they were pretty inclusive now.

Allen was almost impressed.

'It's certainly a clever trick.’

Under the guise of assessing their skills during the first week, the freshmen had competed with upperclassmen to cultivate a sense of homogeneity and cooperation between them, the lowest in the ranks. Those of noble blood, including the Vice President of their student body, continued to sympathize with the idea.

With the inclusion of a few additional stressors, it wasn’t long before students learned that they could get along without excluding each other.

One of the reasons that may have been a contributing factor was that most of those who entered the school were rather talented.

However, what was surprising was that Allen had made a difference in encouraging the intermingling between those of different statuses and ethnicities.

'Those who were unlikely to come together sorted themselves out in the early stages, so this kind of mixing now isn’t strange.’

Allen finished choosing his classes as these thoughts ran through his head. He would be taking them for the next year, so he planned them out in advance.

The eight subjects that he’d chosen were as follows:

- Understanding Space - Honors

- Multilateralism of Souls

- Summoner Contracts (with Drill)

- Introduction to Multidimensional Studies

- Introduction to Natural Barriers

- Orchestra (I)

- Practical Dungeon Training 1

- Monster Ecology 1

Adding on Practical Dungeon Training and Monster Ecology as his mandatory subjects, he’d chosen his schedule.

Although he could’ve taken up to ten subjects, Allen had to consider the time he needed to practice swordplay.

'I can keep learning swordsmanship from Vestla.’

For him, it was enough to aim for improving his magic—that was his original purpose in coming to the Academy, anyway.

The amount of mana he possessed at the moment wasn’t comparable to what he had in his previous life, and yet his current rate of growth was stagnant. 

For the sake of the future, this situation needed to be quickly remedied.

"After you’ve filled out the form as you were instructed, your application for classes will be completed once you tear the sheet.”

Almost as soon as the professor at the desk finished speaking, the sound of tearing paper filled the classroom. The torn papers flickered blue and slowly faded into the air.

‘What type of magic even is that?’

Spacial reclassification, teleportation, dissolution…

It wouldn’t be wrong to view the ideas he’d come to settle upon as magic performed by a rank 7 sorcerer.

In full admiration for the hidden potential in those at the Academy, Allen tore his paper.

Crackle.

The paper vanished into the air.

"And to explain a little more about merits… it's the city’s main currency.”

They were used in the shopping district on the streets of Elpis, or in renting or exchanging items from the Academy.

"You can get merits through various means. There are some details on the back of the pamphlet that you should’ve gotten, so you can find some methods there.” 

Exploring ruins, carrying out research, saving people, or killing a certain number of monsters.

"You can use them in many places. More about that is on the back of the pamphlet as well, so read it well."

Allen cast his gaze away.

Heisel yawned, appearing fully uninterested, and Maria was expressionless, as always.

"You can even pay for private lessons from Gaillon or Jaqnelle, so please take advantage of this situation."

When his speech had concluded, the students murmured with surprised tones.

"Wow, private lessons with the Top Eight?"

"…I'll have to do that."

"Hm, should I get some work with my family’s soldiers? Or find a mercenary to shadow…”

"I need to find out more right now. I need to take this opportunity to stand out to the Top Eight…”

Some talked excitedly to their peers sitting beside them, some were in awe of the irreplaceable opportunity, and others still were carefully calculating where their money could be most beneficial.

The classroom quickly grew noisy.

The commoners, too, talked among their peers with flushed faces, as if dreaming of the futures they could build for themselves.

Unlike them, however, Allen was not swept away by the professor's words.

There was an unimaginable difference between what they were expecting and the reality of the currency.

‘One coaching session costs 10,000 merits.’

A low-level monster earned half a merit. Exploring ruins was 10 to 100 merits, depending on the difficulty. Each life saved was 5 merits, but with additional bonuses based on their status.

It cost 3,000 merits to access and exchange goods within the Academy’s warehouse. He couldn’t imagine how much work he’d have to put in to get to take lessons with the Top Eight.

'I can't just spend a lifetime building up merits, and I still have to take my classes through the Academy…’

It would be almost impossible to measure.

Several other students sighed, as if they, too, had realized this.

"Alright, cut it out. Well then, I’lll let you all go… Oh, and I almost forgot.”

The professor, who had swiftly calmed down the disturbance in the classroom, flicked his fingers.

Poof.

A piece of paper appeared in front of each student.

"As you can see there, the entire freshman class will go for a dungeon practice-raid in two weeks."

Allen took a moment to scan through his memory for what would happen in the dungeon practice, but gave up when nothing came to mind.

'There are more important things to pay mind to.’

Such as an event that would take place shortly.

“We’ll separate you into groups, and a second-year student will be assigned to lead each batch of freshmen. Also, you can also earn merits there, so please come prepared."

Soon the school would be attacked by an intruder.

‘It's relevant to my own surroundings, so I should be on the lookout.’

He couldn’t help but care about his subordinate's business.

He had to pay more attention to what he knew would occur based on his past life, before his regression.

“That’s all.”

As the professor's words came to a close, the bell rang, and the class ended.

Allen rose.

He knew it was going to happen soon, so he had to move fast.

As soon as he left the classroom, someone called his name.

"Allen, over here."

Before he turned his head toward the voice, another voice called out to him.

"Allen." The owner’s tone of voice was stiff. "I don't think I’ll be able to see you at night again for a while.”

"Why didn't you answer me when I called you… what?”

Rachael's footsteps, headed toward Maria's voice, suddenly stopped.

"Something has come up." Maria's expression remained unchanged. "So, see you again in a few days."

"…’Again?’"

"And let’s change the location. I'm tired of the alley.”

“‘Alley’? ‘Tired’?”

Rachael picked out strangely specific words from her declarations.

"Wait…"

Allen realized that she had misunderstood.

"Bye."

However, Maria left the classroom, leaving her words behind before Allen had the chance to correct them.

"Ah…"

Allen sighed.

Having witnessed the scene, Rachael ran straight to him, grabbed his collar, and yanked it.

Allen was gently attracted to her touch.

"Allen, explain. Now."

"…I'll explain everything, wait…”

⟬You’re so popular, huh? You’re happy, huh? You playboy!⟭

‘Would you please shut your mouth.’

⟬What mouth? I’m a sword. Be nicer to me,⟭ Vestla cried excitedly, as if fascinated by the spectacle.

Allen lowered his head, holding back his inner desire to spit out the multitude of curses running through his mind.

Rachael's eyes, lakes of blue, transparently reflected her feelings.

"Tell me the truth, what is she to you?"