Regressor, Possessor, Reincarnator

Allen looked at the white book in front of him with a stunned face.

“What is this?”

Unlike the black book that he’d been able to use since first encountering it, why did it suddenly work after so many months of uselessness?

「Three steps to the right. Two steps back. A shock wave reaching up to 400 meters within eight seconds.」

Despite Allen’s suspicious gaze, the white book displayed the same page, giving no additional answer.

「Eight seconds.」

⟬Allen?⟭

As if she could not see what had been written in the white book, Vestla urged Allen.

⟬What do you want to do?⟭

「Seven seconds.」

“No… w-wait.”

Staying as cool as possible, Allen squinted. He didn't have time to worry now. He had to think as hard as he could.

「Six seconds.」

‘What is ◯◯? Is it the same thing I read about last time?’

Was it the reason why the white book reacted so suddenly?

「Five seconds.」

‘What's the deal? Is it the witch? Something about the corpses? Vestla? Or even the situation itself?’

What was the meaning of this unknown help—appearing at such a random time?

「Four seconds.」

⟬Hurry up and decide!⟭

‘What does the white book want?’

No, the goal of the person who brought him back…

⟬Allen!⟭

「Three seconds.」

Allen finally moved.

Three steps to the right.

‘Using this, I can get away.’

Even without Vestla’s new, secret ability.

It’d take a little bit longer, but now, this situation wasn’t inescapable.

‘So…’

「Two seconds.」

Two steps back.

What did these directions mean?

‘I'll figure it out.’

「One second.」

Pang!

As Allen twisted his hand, threads spun around over his head, flying into the air—exactly 400 meters above Allen’s head.

⟬What are you do—!⟭

And at the very moment the shock wave scratched the air and reached its target…

「Zero seconds.」

Clink!

[—ing! …Huh?]

With that delicate sound, the world broke down.

Allen’s shock wave had ‘accidentally’ broken the central axis in the air, destroying the barrier itself. Seeing this, Allen’s eyes settled.

Before they even knew it, Allen and Vestla were back somewhere in the forest.

Vestla turned the tip of her sword, looked around, and began to make a fuss.

⟬Wow… I don't know how, but you did it! What a relief! Hurray! Why didn't you do that from the beginning if you always knew there was a way?⟭

Allen looked at the white book with a bitter smile.

“…Well, I wish I’d known the whole time that there was a way.”

⟬Ah, I suppose, all’s well that ends well.⟭

The white book,

「After destroying the barrier’s axis, they are released from their trap.」

「Their escape consumes a lot of mana, but due to the grand amount of mana generated by the core of a dragon, it is all able to be recovered immediately…」

As if nothing had happened, it had turned back into nothing but a book of blank pages.

Just like always.

* * *

Naruck, the third-degree witch, turned red and vomited blood. The old body trembled at the painful magical reaction—but rather than focusing on that, she was curious about something else.

‘How did he find the central axis of the barrier?’

Three days ago, she had noticed that someone was watching this place, and immediately prepared for an attack. As she had expected, that challenger appeared today. She was a little intimidated by his power, but succeeded in locking him in the trap she had prepared.

From there, she planned on locking him up, draining his life force, and killing him.

‘How did he find it?’

Naruck immediately stopped thinking about how she’d deal with Allen. Seeing his power through the eyes of her minions, she knew it wasn’t worth trying to deal with.

It was fortunate that she had widened the distance between them before the barrier was completely broken, or else they would have encountered her the second the central axis of the barrier collapsed.

‘I have to run away, right now.’

She immediately smashed the altar in the center of her magic circle and hurriedly packed the red jewel she’d made by drawing on the life force of the forest.

‘Please, please don't let it be too late.’

She regretted letting her body get so old, so fragile. But, fuck it, she ran straight to her pre-built escape route.

The moment she took her first step…

“Where are you off to?”

She heard the voice she wished not to hear. 

“…So, you’re the challenger that broke into my barrier.”

“Yes, and you’re the witch who's been spreading curses through my land.”

“…By chance, is there a certain person you want dead?”

Allen smirked at her answer.

“Why, you want me to try to kill someone else, instead?”

“Sure, I have many talents. For example…”

Allen's feet began to stir, but in an instant, thick roots came up from the ground onto his legs, wrapping themselves around him.

"…Killing a little boy like nobody’s business!"

The roots covered his whole body and began to squeeze, trying to crush his body. Allen calmly stared at it, taking it all in.

The witch spoke as if she had already won—with an ugly smile plastered on her wrinkled face.

“There’s no use. Just in case, these vines were woven by the roots and fibers of a hundred trees, so no matter how strong you are…”

Crunch.

"No matter how strong I am?"

"Oh, how…”

The witch uttered to herself in disbelief. Allen immediately began to take action, convinced that she’d run out of cards.

"I wanted to check, just in case, but it seems you're out of tricks."

Allen turned, tearing the roots, which should’ve been able to crush steel, as if they were paper.

"Now, hold on a second! Iiit was just a mistake! I’m quite usefu—”

"No."

Thud.

"Witches aren’t to be trusted."

The witch's body, now split in half, fell sideways. In between the halves, blood poured out like a waterfall, creating a small pond of blood.

Allen cut the witch's throat once more using Vestla, and stabbed her through her heart for safe measure. The body, now split into four pieces, convulsed for the last time, almost like it was asking for forgiveness.

Allen shook the dirt off his body and sent out a small shock wave to vaporize the dirt, and confirmed the presence of the magic circle he’d seen when using [Heaven’s Eye].

“Was she gathering the life force using this…?”

Did the broken altar serve as the medium, while the magic circle painted with blood stored the life force? Because he didn’t know much about the ritual magic system, he wasn’t sure.

As Allen inspected the magic circle, Vestla—who was also investigating—yelled:

⟬Take a look at this!⟭

Allen raised his head, as she skillfully flew towards him with a purse draped around her blade.

“What’s this?”

⟬It's one of the witch's things! Couldn’t it hold a treasure or something?⟭

As she fussed at him to open it quickly, Allen stretched out his senses to see if there was anything wrong with it and opened the purse. Inside, a single red jewel glowed a bloody color.

⟬Do you know what this is?⟭

“…A life stone. It’s a top-shelf item. Is she raking in all the life force here to send to the Heavenly Forest through this…?”

She must have put a lot of effort into it. Allen took it. He didn’t know where he’d use it yet, but he knew there were many predicaments in which it could be helpful.

“Now, let us head back. Or else we might have to walk back to the city.”

⟬It wouldn’t matter to me. I’m flying anyway, aren’t I?⟭

“…Well, it does to me.”

Having to run to the city because he had no ride once was enough for him.

“Hurry up.”

⟬Yes, yes, alright.⟭

* * *

“Sir Julius, thank you so much!”

“That’s our Sir Julius. There’s a reason he earned his fame.”

“Thanks to you, sir, I was able to protect my precious belongings.”

Julius had made sure that the auction house hadn’t been broken into, thus receiving their thanks.

“It was nothing. I had to protect my own belongings, too, of course.”

Today, the final day of the auction—consisting of ancient artifacts carried from the estate—was scheduled to take place.

If the thieves hadn't broken in at the end, he'd have already taken his profit and gone back to where they were staying.

“Sir Julius, are you okay?”

As he shook off the blood from his sword and looked behind him, he saw a beautiful woman with a pure face approach him with worried eyes.

"Irene— No, I should call you Mrs. Irene now, shouldn’t I?"

"No, no! Please, call me Irene when it’s just us."

She shook her head, her purple hair fluttering with a sorry feeling.

“Really?”

Julius looked at her—smiling happily—and used his [Iridescent Eye].

‘Yellow mixed with light orange.’

Irene Blest.

On his way to the kingdom, he ran into her as she was being threatened by an assassin, and promptly saved her. Hearing her history of unfair treatment, he then succeeded in helping her defeat those who opposed her and reinstating her as successor.

Since then, she promised to grant him anything he wished for in return, thus letting Julius and his companions stay in his mansion.

‘For this kind of talent, it's worth the risk.’

She wasn’t even in the original .

She had the potential to be a major ally if he took her to the Academy.

“Well…”

Irene blushed shyly and carefully opened her mouth.

“We didn’t have dinner together…”

“No, he had a previous engagement with me.”

Irene's face turned cold as she turned her head in the direction of the voice, finding a woman wearing a cartoon-like suit of armor walking towards them.

“…My warmest greetings, Third Princess.”

* * *

* * * 

“I asked you not to address me so rigidly—call me Helena.”

As Irene greeted her with an emotionless voice, Helena placed her hand on Julius’s shoulder with a slight smirk.

“And to you too, Julius.”

“It’s been quite a while, princess.”

“Yes, it’s been a few days since I saw you ‘there.’”

Julius smiled awkwardly and avoided her gaze.

‘I didn't expect to be involved with one of the original ’s main heroes.’

That had happened at the black market too.

While he was at the black market—where Laina had joined him in secret—a power clash occurred suddenly, and he joined forces with Helena to escape, who was also there.

‘She did help me out, but…’

It was fine if the crazy princess thought of him as a friend. Getting to know her would be beneficial to him when he returned to the Academy.

‘And…’

There didn’t exist a man who could resist a beautiful woman’s approach.

“Yes, that was the last time I saw you.”

“Then you didn't forget the promise you made there, did you? Didn’t I ask you to share a meal?”

“But…”

Julius turned his head slightly, seeing Irene staring at Helena with astonished eyes.

“…Couldn’t Irene join us?”

“Hmm… I wished to enjoy this. But if it's according to your request, then I suppose it can’t be helped—I’ll allow it.”

“Thank you.”

Irene suppressed her emotions, bowed her head, and with a reluctant tone, said:

“Thank you for granting your permission, Princess.”

“You should perhaps thank Julius instead.”

“…Yes.”

Irene gritted her teeth. She had to put up with it—no matter how much anger the princess inspired in her, no matter how much the princess’s interference annoyed her, and no matter how possessive she was.

‘Say it nonchalantly.’

“Thank you, Julius.”

Her black eyes glowed hollowly.

* * *

“Carnell, what happened to the plan?”

“The plan went smoothly, as always. A sacrifice escaped the curse in the middle… Well, luck always runs out at some point.”

“And what about the whole ‘dead witch’ thing?”

“News of the curse must have accidentally reached the ear of some noble who stopped by the city.”

Carnell shrugged and examined the ceremonial altar, which they had been carefully constructing for several years now. The altar had a bizarre appearance. The magic circle painted around it emitted an angry red smoke, and the thinly attached veins pulsed like they were alive.

Dozens of dark sorcerers who constantly surrounded it—chanting together, hand in hand—sustained the ceremony.

“No, there shouldn’t be any issues. It has already been cured twice in the same area. If we get caught here—”

"Stop, stop. Marlock, you're so paranoid. From a common-sense standpoint, who’d even imagine trying to do what we are?”

As Carnell spoke—wiping the blood off his lips—Marlock agreed, silently recalling their previous fortune.

“…You’re right. But… one of the higher-up families may begin to notice something.”

“Have you forgotten where we are?”

Carnell asked, smiling as if he really didn't know.

“The Reinharts’…”

“That’s right, Marlock. So it's impossible. But, if you're still nervous, bring a sacrifice. If you think you’ll be caught if your sacrifice is a human, then get something else—got it?” 

“If it’s the only way then… alright.”

Marlock pulled out a sword that had been stuck in the ground, lowering the visor of his black helmet.

“Be careful, now. There's not much time left until the end.”

“…I’ll heed your advice. Ah.”

Marlock, who was about to get up, opened his mouth as if he remembered something he had forgotten for a while.

“A few days ago, members from a majority of our branches reported that they felt they were being watched. What do you make of this?”

“Hmm…”

He rolled his eyes and said, in a matter-of-fact tone:

“[Heaven’s Eye].”

“What?”

“The thing that people from all of our branches felt were the eyes observing all of the same thing at once… It couldn’t be anything other than the disappeared Wonder.”

“I-I see.”

“But we don't have to worry. Headquarters will be taking action soon anyway. Do you understand?”

“I get it.”

He slung his sword over his shoulder.

“Catch as many as you can.”

“I’ll try.”

Carnell took a bite out of the heart in his hand as he watched Marlock slowly disappear into the fog.

“Kek, how long will it be until the time comes?”

He got up from his seat.

There was still much to do. Even if there wasn’t much time left until the completion of the ritual, everything they’d prepared for years could collapse if any problems occurred in the meantime.

Carnell hummed as he moved.

“Hmhmm~”

Little did they know, the beginning of a new era was on the horizon.