A Regressor's Bucket List

【What an interesting combination.】

“……”

Along with the chillingly muttered voice, Loxy’s choked gasps could be heard.

Gahk—

【A wanted, has-been Baron, one crazy Succubus… and an extinct vampire race.】

“……”

【And on top of that, a new Hero candidate.】

Though his tone was full of playfulness.

To those listening, there was no voice more chilling.

Because among the Titled Demons of the Demon King's Allied Forces—a group said to have gathered only the best of the best from all the strange beings in the world—this man was the most unpredictable and the most capricious.

【It’s been a while, hasn’t it? J.J.】

“…Why are you here, Isaac.”

【Well now. Do I really have to tell you that?】

“……”

【Rather, I’m the one who wants to ask. How did you manage to hide so thoroughly?】

Aside from our first encounter, Jerry’s eyes, which had never once wavered, were now shaking.

It wasn't strange.

Even the flow of mana in my body, which had remained steadfast before Shuten’s immense demonic power, had been violently fluctuating from the moment I faced this man.

Ssk-

【…Oh? What’s this?】

“Keuk-!”

The young man with white hair and white clothes was holding Loxy up by her neck.

He looked at me and smiled as if amused.

【Keke- This new junior of mine is quite different. I was curious when I heard those bastards from The Order had chosen a new ‘Chosen One’.】

“……”

【Well. To talk about something like a ‘Demon King Hunt’, you’d need to have at least this much capability.】

As I looked directly at his characteristic, crazed smile, the reality of the current situation became a little clearer.

‘…Dammit.’

I thought things were going too well.

…An incident had occurred.

A major incident, at that, one that was completely impossible to handle.

He was someone I absolutely should not have met at this point in time.

So much so that I would have to change the entire plan I had originally conceived.

No.

Even setting aside the deviation from the plan, my immediate survival in front of this man was uncertain.

He was a person of such an unpredictable nature that even with my Regression, my knowledge from before couldn't offer any significant help.

【Junior, by any chance, do you know who I am?】

It was a difficult question to answer rashly, but I couldn't feign ignorance or put on a clumsy act in front of him.

Because the moment his interest waned would likely be the moment my head was separated from my neck.

“…Isaac.”

Isaac, the Count of Chaos.

Also known as Isaac the Betrayer.

And.

By his most familiar name.

“…Einstein.”

Thud-

After hearing my answer, ‘Isaac Einstein’ let go of Loxy’s neck and turned his body.

【Well, well.】

“……”

【It’s been a really long time since I’ve heard that name.】

Smile-

【Keke- You’re fun, Junior. I like you a lot.】

* * *

Einstein.

If you asked people living in the 21st century to name a scientist they knew, nine out of ten would say his name, a testament to his popularity.

A genius scientist who had a profound impact on the scientific community by publishing the 'Theory of Relativity,' a pillar of modern physics.

Anyone who mentioned his name would likely recall the comical photo of an old man with white hair sticking his tongue out.

But in truth, the person in that photo was not the true protagonist of the name ‘Einstein’.

He was just ‘Albert,’ his assistant, who stole ‘Isaac Einstein’s’ research records and paraded them around as his own.

【…I had a real headache back then. Because of that old assistant bastard.】

“……”

【He copied my hair, my clothes. And even my name.】

In fact, his debut itself was something that defied common sense.

A 25-year-old mediocrity who had failed the entrance exam for the German Federal Polytechnic rose to stardom overnight by publishing four papers in a single year—the kind of papers that top physicists of the time would be lucky to publish once in their lifetime.

The physics community lauded this unbelievable event as the ‘Miracle Year,’ packaging it as the brilliant debut of the 21st century’s greatest genius physicist, Albert Einstein.

In reality, this was just one facet of a modern scientific community riddled with falsehoods.

‘…Imitation Rumor.’

While not widely known to the public, there was a rumor that circulated discreetly among the upper echelons of the scientific community.

That there was a transcendent boy genius who hid himself in the shadows, away from public attention, conducting all sorts of legal and illegal experimental research and producing hundreds of research findings a year.

And that most of the scientists who published papers under their own names in the modern scientific world were merely presenting the research of that shadow genius on his behalf.

It was such an absurd rumor that anyone who heard it would scoff, ‘Bullshit, how is that even possible?’

To get straight to the point.

That rumor was true.

The ‘Theory of Relativity’ and ‘Quantum Mechanics,’ which divided the schools of modern physics and were called its two great pillars, both came from the mind of a single person.

…That is to say.

From the mind of this ‘real genius’ standing before my eyes.

Ssk-

“…For you to come here on your own two feet. You must have a death wish.”

As Shuten picked up his mace and muttered, Einstein’s sneer fell upon him.

Pfft-

【And you think you can kill me?】

“……”

【Don’t get too cocky. I’m the one who’s letting you live, when I could have killed you long ago.】

“……”

【You’re not a cunning type like that J.J. over there. Did you really think I let you be because I didn’t know you were here?】

Shuten might have been expected to seethe with anger at the blatant mockery, but he didn't move rashly.

In terms of seniority within the Demon King's Army, Shuten, who had served the Demon King since the early days of the Demon King's Allied Forces, was far ahead.

But as long as he was within the confines of the Demon King's Allied Forces, it was impossible to overcome the difference in rank.

Baron and Count.

Moreover, if Shuten was called the ‘Demon King’s Hunting Dog,’ the other was the strategist of the Demon King's Allied Forces, who had been delegated some direct authority by the Demon King and was called the ‘Demon King’s Limbs.’

It was a funny way to put it, but in terms of status, he was on a completely different level than a ‘mere Baron.’

【I kept you around because you seemed like a useful pawn, but you shouldn’t overstep your bounds without knowing your place. No, you shouldn’t.】

“……”

It seemed he had been continuously observing Shuten’s movements.

‘…….’

In truth, that much was within my range of expectations.

As he himself said, if he had truly wanted to find him, a man of Einstein's caliber was not someone who would fail to find Shuten just because he ran away.

However, the problem here was that he had shown up ‘in person.’

Because there was a world of difference between a top-tier Count-level figure ‘observing’ and ‘visiting in person.’

Especially since Isaac was famous for being a homebody who rarely left his laboratory.

For me, this made his visit feel all the more significant.

Clap-

【Ah. By the way.】

Suddenly clapping his hands together, Einstein then bent down and pulled on Loxy’s wing.

Ssk-

【Is this also our junior’s handiwork?】

Nod-

【You picked her up in the Gateway Zone, right?】

I nodded my head instead of answering.

【…It’s strange. Those Succubus bitches might be rude, but they have their own principles. How on earth did you win her over?】

“……”

【No, more importantly. How in the world did you get her out of there? The Constellation folks and The Order bastards must have been raising hell…….】

Wobble, wobble-

Einstein, who had been pulling Loxy’s wing and shaking her back and forth to examine her, suddenly stopped and brought his head close to the back of Loxy’s right ear.

【…So this is it?】

Then, as if he had confirmed the ‘Ancient Priestess's Seal’ I had engraved, he beamed a huge smile and looked at me.

【Wow. Our junior never disappoints me. I’m happy. I’m thrilled.】

“……”

【Keke- I wonder how long it’s been since I’ve felt this kind of fun.】

…Every intelligent being that leads a life needs a driving force.

And each life has its own motivation.

For some, it might be a sense of conquest; for others, self-efficacy; and for yet others, a sense of accomplishment.

And in the case of this man, Einstein, it was ‘curiosity.’

『…What? You ask why I switched from The Order's Allied Forces to the Demon King's Army?』

『It’s obvious, isn’t it? With a transcendent substance like Mana, they kept nagging, saying you can’t do this because people will get hurt, you can’t do that because people will die, you can’t even handle monsters carelessly. At that rate, the Demon King's Army, which lets you use the dead as test subjects right away, is much better.』

…His reason for joining the Demon King's Army was the absurdly simple desire ‘to satisfy his own experimental urges.’

There was no need for further explanation as to how much this man lived for his curiosity.

‘…Will it work?’

…By the same token, my only way to survive this clear deathtrap was to use his curiosity.

A curiosity that would make him hesitant to kill me right away.

That was the goal I had to achieve.

【Junior.】

“……”

【What’s your identity? I hate to admit it, but I don’t think even I could pull something like this off right after arriving.】

“……”

【Seducing a Succubus stuffed into the Gateway Zone, finding this J.J. who was so good at hiding from me, and then finding a has-been Baron hiding in the Unexplored Lands to talk of a ‘Demon King Hunt’.】

Logically, it was an impossible feat.

Normally, a Hero candidate at this stage would be a fledgling who hadn't properly grasped not only the War against Demons but also the confrontational relationship between The Order and the Demon King that permeated the entire Upper Plane.

These were things that would be dismissed as impossible even for a seasoned, official Hero.

Talent aside, there was no way to explain such actions from a Hero candidate who had just arrived a few days ago.

But the cards were already on the table.

【You must have a backer, right?】

To him who asked about my identity, I upped the ante with my reply.

“I don’t. Something like a backer.”

【You don’t?】

Einstein’s head tilted to the side.

Then, soon after.

Pfft-

【Aah.】

“……”

【You have one but can’t tell me. Is that it?】

“…Well, that’s for the curious one to figure out for themselves.”

【Keke- That’s my junior. You’re fun. The more I see, the more I like you.】

With a laugh, Einstein swept back his white hair once, then suddenly snapped his fingers and muttered.

Snap-

【Then prove it.】

With his finger snap, strands of mana burst forth from the empty air.

They were cut into uniform lengths and soon twisted together to form a long chain.

‘…Mana Chain.’

The smoothly manifested mana chain moved without a moment's delay, wrapping around the fallen Loxy's neck.

Pulling the chain taut, Einstein looked at me and spoke.

【Whether you have the skills to talk about a ‘Demon King Hunt’ even without a backer.】

“……”

【I’ll see for myself and judge.】

Gahk—

A mouthful of blood burst from Loxy’s lips.

Shrug-

【This much is fine, right? I’m wasting my own time listening to you. If it turns out to be a lie, I’ll have to break at least one of the toys my junior worked so hard to make. Only then would it be worth my while.】

“……”

【Besides, I was her original owner.】

“……”

【Right?】

It wasn't exactly a threat.

Einstein truly thought of Loxy as nothing more and nothing less than a toy.

No, in the first place, that's how he categorized most living beings weaker than himself.

Toys that brought a moment of interest.

And trash that was uninteresting from the start, or whose novelty had worn off.

“…Fine.”

…It was the same for me.

Just because there wasn't a chain around my neck didn't mean my treatment was all that different from Loxy's.

From Einstein’s perspective.

I too was a toy that could be relegated to trash the moment his interest faded.

【Alright then.】

And so, I.

I had to assert the meaning of my existence to him.

I had to prove that I wasn't a toy to be played with for a moment and then discarded, but a playmate who could provide continuous interest.

【Then, reaaady—.】

That was the only path to survival I could see right now.

【Start!】

With Einstein’s signal to begin, a familiar and heavy gust of wind rushed in from behind.