Regressor, Possessor, Reincarnator

“…No, you should’ve just told me that if it wasn’t like that.”

Rachael looked away, ashamed of her earlier actions.

"You didn't give me a chance to talk."

When Allen replied back with a dumbfounded expression, she pretended to be unfazed. "Well, I-I mean, it was a situation where a-anyone would’ve misunderstood, right?”

She ignored her stuttering.

"I would have sworn on mana, too.”

"Well, that's that, but…”

Allen had rushed out of the classroom with her just as they had begun to attract attention.

'She wasn't that loud. There must’ve only been a few people who heard it.’

There was nothing more tiring than being the center of love rumors.

After Rachael realized that Allen and Maria were not in the sort of relationship she had been imagining, she and Allen spoke in less pointed words.

"The person in question is Maria Caritas, a supposed descendant of the First Warrior. However, she is in no sort of relationship with your current partner in conversation.”

"…So it seems."

After Allen had escaped to a place that was decently deserted, he stopped walking, having thought of something.

She stopped along with him.

"Don’t you trust me?"

"O-of course I do!"

"Seriously?"

"…Yes."

⟬She sure looks pretty uncomfortable saying that.⟭

Seeing Rachael’s eyes swinging quickly from side to side, Allen agreed internally with Vestla.

"Well, let's stop talking about that… Oh! You know I'm going to a dungeon practice-raid in two weeks, right? You have to do that too, right?"

She changed the subject as if the thought had just suddenly occurred to her.

Allen obediently followed along. "You’re coming?"

“Yes. Remember that super huge vibration from a little bit ago? When the white book had a reaction?”

"Yes."

"I heard that the vibration was due to the emergence of a super huge ruins site—a megaruins."

A megaruins.

'What does that have to do with the white book…?’

Was it related to the being that had given him access to it? Or with the person to whom its inscribed name belonged?

The timing was too perfect to see it as a coincidence.

Either way, this was a good opportunity. He had to go to the dungeon, so he could approach the matter without forcing it.

"So, this dungeon practice-raid will be conducted with the entire freshman class. We won’t have to divide up at all.”

Allen nodded.

"And when we go, some of the second-years will serve as leaders for the freshmen… and one of them is me."

"I see.”

The second years would get a chance to lead the freshmen, and the freshmen would see some of the practical experience that the second years had attained. 

"It'll be a good opportunity to gain experience. However, it means that there could be injuries…”

"Don't worry about that. We’ll bring basic protective artifacts and first aid equipment."

"That’s good."

It was only for the purpose of gaining experience, so there wasn’t need to prepare too much.

"Then, is there anything else I need to do to prepare before then?"

"Yes, you need to have explored some local ruins before… and apart from that, there’s nothing else.”

She seemed quite relieved when she had succeeded in totally changing the subject.

"Oh, that’s right. Allen, have you met any students your family is sponsoring yet?"

"Sponsored students?"

"Yes."

Allen knew that the Reinhart family was sponsoring several students, but he didn't know who they were.

"No… I don't know them. It's my father’s decision."

The reason behind sponsoring students was simple.

'It's to funnel them into employment in our own territory.’

Richer families supported poorer students at the Academy until their graduation. And then, the sponsored commoners went to work for the family that sponsored them.

"I've met him, I think—a senior in the same club as me. He's really good…”

Thus, she relayed a few stories, seeming to think it would fully bridge the gap in their relationship that had been put on pause for a few days.

"Oh, Allen, did you hear?”

She looked around and lowered her voice as if to share something surreptitious.

"The Beast King Gaillon’s grandchild has matriculated in the new class of students, too.” 

She spoke as if it were a secret, but Allen had already known.

'She doesn’t have to be so nervous about just talking.’

No matter what Allen thought, though, she flung out her words at a rapid pace.

"I don't know if they’re a boy or a girl… Of course, they must be a demi-human since they’re the grandson of the Beast King, right? Ah, I’m so nervous, even though we’re probably not even on the same side of campus right now.”

She seemed more excited by the rumor itself than by having a conversation about it with Allen.

'Well, as far as I'm concerned, they’re probably more of a human being than a typical demi-human.’

To the point that they would be indistinguishable from a purebred human.

"Of course, it's only the beginning of the semester, so they must be intentionally keeping their skills on the down-low. But I think there's a chance that they'll stand out in this dungeon practice-raid…”

Allen smiled bitterly at her prediction.

‘Of course Rachael thinks she would be a warrior because she’s the granddaughter of the Beast King.’

Unfortunately, she was not a warrior.

Because of her thin blood, it was difficult for her to use aura, the only ability of demi-humans, and she wasn’t particularly talented in the use of magic. Her personality wasn’t especially violent, either; in fact, she was the total opposite.

‘I hope Linbelle is doing well.’

Allen briefly looked toward the training center, a slight walk from the main building.

"Allen, what is it? What are you doing? Hm?”

"No, I don't think that they’ll necessarily be warriors, even if they are the grandchildren of the Beast King. Maybe they came to the school unexpectedly?”

"The grandchild of one of the Top Eight?” Rachael covered her mouth and smiled with her eyes, then affirmed in a ridiculous tone, "So you do have a cute side.”

"Stop that. Maybe for all the other Eight, but the Beast King? The one who went through such an ordeal? Would he really let his grandchild get stuck in his same position? That’s absolutely impossible.”

Allen didn't say anything more. If he hadn’t had his regression, he would have reacted the same way.

"Wouldn’t it be more plausible for them to be hiding their skills in the supplementary class like Julius?”

"…You think so?"

"Yes. Oh, come to think of it, do you know why Julius is suddenly hanging out with Cathleen?"

She monitored Allen's expression, as if trying to read his face, and went on.

"You know what happened with Julius and Cathleen… What's the point in sticking around after getting dumped like that?”

Rachael's expression was full of discontent.

Regardless of her new mood, Allen felt that things were going smoothly.

'Did Catherine safely make contact with him?'

He must’ve taken a liking to her again after she led him to the actual store owner of Valholl.

It’d be really good for Allen if she could become a bigger part of Julius’s life…

'Since her competition is pretty into Julius, how difficult of a task will that be?’

He’d rather play a role in coordinating the relationship than have to be in her position, doing it himself.

"What do you think? Do you know anything?"

"…Well, not really."

"Hmm, is that so?"

After talking about and worrying over Cathleen for a while, Rachael left Allen, saying she had to go to class.

‘I should hear something from Linbelle's side soon, and I’ve established a relationship with Elijah…’

He’d also built the foundation of a friendship with Maria.

However, since hadn’t seen Heisel in a few weeks, Allen decided that he needed to take other measures.

Heisel seemed to have gotten a lot closer to Julius lately.

'At least we can use the gray book to see how that relationship is developing, or what he’s after right now.’

It was clear that he had more secrets than he was letting on.

'Then what I have to think about now is…’

Allen stayed a little longer after she left, then returned to the dormitory.

* * *

* * *

"Sir, I've heard from the Minima tribe."

"The Minima tribe? From Alexius?"

"Yes."

As soon as Allen entered his room, Inellia handed him a letter.

"He reached out later than I’d expected.”

He thought Alexius would contact him right after the entrance ceremony.

What was written in the letter was simple.

It's time to keep that promise.

The fact that it contained only what was necessary without any fancy rhetoric or any long-winded adulation spoke a little to the author’s character.

"Did you get anything else besides the letter?"

“They said they would tell you the location of the megaruins again in the near future.”

"Anything else?"

"From what I've dug up on my own… it is probable that the direction they are heading is related to that big rumbling incident a little while ago… I'll investigate a little more and sort it out for you."

It was about that megaruins again…

‘Is this really a coincidence?’

It was too early to be sure, so he decided that he’d better pay attention.

You never know.

The location of the Academy’s dungeon practice-raid might coincidentally overlap with the place the Minami tribe wanted him to go.

He felt that it was necessary to prepare for anything, seeing as the black book didn’t describe any special event related to this.

"Anything else? Did you happen to find anything at the auction house…?”

"Nothing."

"What a shame."

Allen gathered his patience. Getting upset now wouldn’t change anything. The important thing was to not miss the opportunity once it eventually came… someday.

"I'm headed out again. Keep up the good work.”

"Yes, sir."

"And I'll rethink the alchemy situation we were talking about last time."

Inellia nodded, her answer seemingly unchanged.

"Then, that's all that I had."

Soon after, the Academy would be attacked with the aid of an internal collaborator.

What they were after was the escaped heretic saintess.

A woman had kidnapped the Heavenly Seadragon and was secretly hiding her identity, disguised as a student in the supplementary class.

There were also a few others supplying weapons to the raiders who attacked the Academy out of revenge.

'Or, at least, that’s how it’s supposed to go.’

It wasn’t something he’d experienced in his life before the regression.

‘Although it’s not something I personally experienced, it was present in the black book. But it doesn’t matter.’

The Sindri siblings.

He confirmed on his last visit that they had a connection with the heretics that attacked the Academy: the Circulators.

This—in addition to the fact that it was written in the original work—proved the validity of a potential attack to him.

'I’ll make contact with the Circulators through them.’

After that, he would attempt to strike a deal with them—a bit of a risky gamble.

The saint was to be one of Julius's women, so Julius would have no choice but to encounter the group every once in a while.

'Maybe they’ll be a card I could take advantage of.’

It may fail.

However, if it were to succeed…

Allen stretched, cutting off the idea before it fully formed in his mind.

Nothing had been properly set in place yet.

He didn't want to get excited for no reason.

He walked a little faster.

The road to the industrial district seemed a little bit longer today.

* * *

There was a secret spot in Elpis, surrounded by pillars and splendidly embossed patterns of antique white marble. The solemn atmosphere exuded by the architecture made him feel the need to act more delicately, taking care to exhale even the smallest breath with care.

And at the center, with sunlight pouring in a direct path from the sky, sat Maria.

Her eyes were closed and unmoving, and her white face and matching white hair glimmered in the sunlight.

A huge tree was painted on the floor where she sat, composed of ten circles with an image of a snake coiling around it.

She sat in the tenth circle, painted to represent its roots.

For a moment, a brilliant golden light shone over her body. The circle in which she was sitting released a steady glow as it stretched out to the ninth circle. That circle, too, began to glow, stretching up through the eighth and seventh circle, as well. The golden mana began to fade to white as it went through the circle, and at the moment it was finally about to turn completely white, it shook.

The shaking light pulsed for a moment before suddenly dying down. 

"How distracting."

A gentle voice broke the silence. The sound of cheerful footsteps that accompanied it caught his attention. A beautiful woman came before them.

"It was a problem not only today, but yesterday and the day before as well. It’s been shaking for the past month,” Anastasia, the chairman of the Galshdin Academy, said in a calm voice.

Maria did not answer, but Anastasia did not mind.

"Is it because you lost your position as the top of the class?"

Anastasia took a step closer.

"Or because you failed to activate the powers of the Holy Sword? I heard you've been having trouble with the ruin simulations as well.”

Another step.

"Or… Is it because of the one there beside you, who you’ve been meeting every night?"

Maria looked up. She watched Anastasia without even a flicker of emotion. Anastasia smiled as they faced each other.

Anastasia knew.

She had worked hard to figure it out—what emotions lay beyond that expressionless face.

What exactly it was she was trying so hard to hide.

“That’s not how you go about generating the tree. You must flow upward, or break each shell individually.”

She began to smile.

"To act in accordance with the title of 'Descendants of the First Warrior', you must be strong. Moreso than anyone else. If you stay as you are… that wouldn’t really work out, would it?”

"I know."

Silent up to that moment, Maria then responded. Anastasia smiled broadly at her words.

"As long as you’re aware. You know, this would never have happened had fate had its way…”

Even if things hadn’t gone to plan, it was still the universe’s plan. Even if the words written in prophecy were nullified the second things went astray, that was the true course of fate.

It was fate’s doing that whatever happened happened, and what should happen would happen. At some point, however, the plan had gone off course.

"…Even if we're trying to follow the proper path, we cannot know when it is that fate will run entirely off track.” 

So before that path was completely lost, it was necessary to follow the intended flow.

"For my sake… and for yours as well."

She took a moment to remember. A time when they had imagined that the world would stay like that forever. A time of worship and solidarity in their belief that the universe would guide all. 

But that era was over.

It had been buried in history.

"Well, still, there must be some darkness to allow the light to shine.”

She smiled gracefully as she covered her mouth.

In order to fulfill the dream she’d been working toward since she woke up again, Maria had to grow further.

More than she had already.

So much more that she could do anything she wanted.

That was why the opportunity ahead was so particularly appealing.

"Stand out in this dungeon practice-raid."

She turned her back on Maria. There was a certain sternness in what she said.

"I couldn't check it out as I was unable to leave the area of the Holy Sword… but an ancient monster is likely to be there.”

Her steps were fading away.

"It will be too much for the students to deal with, so after a few have suffered some damage… take care of it."

"…Mhm."

"I've taken care of everything on my end, so don’t disturb me."

Maria nodded her head.

Anastasia moved in response to her answer, turning her head only to see Maria, as if she had forgotten to share one more word.

"Because you are ‘our’ only hope."

Dozens of indistinct voices—of men and women of all ages—combined in her reminder. 

Sharing her message with such a bizarre voice, she looked at Maria with a benevolent face, as if her voice was no different from her norm.

"So please do your best."

Maria had nothing to say.

The tapping of Anastasia’s heels echoed as she walked away.