Regressor, Possessor, Reincarnator

“Are you saying you know something?”

As Allen spoke in a confident tone, he felt the eyes of everyone sitting inside turning towards him. He answered without delay.

“The situation at hand is related to the dark sorcerers.”

“How do you know that? No, wait…”

Gaielle’s eyes were filled to the brim with interest.

The Knight Commander finally opened his eyes without a word, and Gardell began to smile. Various emotions filled each of them: excitement, doubt, surprise.

The situation was, without a doubt, under Allen’s control.

“Yes, when I went to Bergen the other day, I happened to hear of it from a merchant-group leader.”

The truth was, Soned didn’t know anything—but it didn’t matter whether he did.

All he had to do now was look good.

“He told me he learned that dark sorcerers had begun to pop up near the Heavenly Forest.”

Tell them what happened in the past.

“And, as a result, the security of the Heavenly Forest was greatly tightened.”

“No, wait… Alright, did you say you heard this from a merchant-group leader? Is your contact in a position in which they may communicate with the elves?”

After considering it all for a moment, he realized that Allen had a point and nodded.

“Yes, this is what I think: perhaps, the elves hadn’t intended to ask our family for help at all.”

“You have a point. Even our people know that we’re on bad terms.”

“And if it were a formal request, we wouldn’t have only received one messenger. They must have had some sort of covert mission.”

“Wait, that means…”

Gaielle slowly murmured to himself after hearing Allen’s words.

“The elf who asked for help wasn’t sent alone…?”

“Yes. Or, it could be that there’s something blocking them, strong enough to make it difficult to send out a number of messengers—it may have only been possible to get out alone.”

Taking in all of Allen’s insight, Gardell thought of Eliza.

‘Is he really her son?’

Gardell couldn't believe Allen had analyzed this far from the fact that an injured elf had appeared.

Of course, Allen couldn’t have done so without the information he’d received from the merchant-group leader, but even the fact that he had that connection was reminiscent of her.

“Yes, then it makes sense.”

“Obviously, that’s all just my guess. But…”

Allen closed his eyes and recalled the feeling of affinity he felt in the Spring of Spirits to materialize a spirit.

Whoosh.

“There’s evidence of more.”

A swarm of rainbow-colored spheres appeared around him.

“Is that… a spirit?"

Gaielle’s stone-cold expression cracked for the first time.

Allen looked at the figure with a feeling of inner contentedness and opened his mouth. “Yes, but I haven’t signed a contract yet.”

“How did you…”

He was well aware of Allen’s talent. Sure, he didn’t know how to be sensitive or amiable, but to have an affinity for spirits…

“The last time I hit a milestone in my magic training, there appeared to be a slight change in my body.”

Gaielle looked unconvinced by Allen’s explanation but nodded anyway, still wanting to know more about the spirit present.

“Incredible… What does this have to do with what you said before?”

“I haven’t signed a contract, but I can still hear what this spirit says to some extent.”

Allen looked at Gaielle’s expression, but the emotionless face had returned.

“Dark sorcerers, battles, retreats, defeats, fires, monsters and… a heavenly forest? Gods? I can’t understand all of this.”

Allen allowed the spirit to go as he made eye contact with his father.

“In short, it is certain that there are elves in danger, and we can take advantage of that to encourage a significant turning point in our relationship with them.”

No one interrupted him while he spoke.

“Even if that doesn’t come about, the fact that there are dark sorcerers near our territory is a good enough reason for us to subjugate them. And…”

Because there was no one here who would argue against his logical argument nor the basis of his argument.

“Even if we don’t gain anything significant in return, we have to go.”

Signaling the end of his argument, Allen shared his final point.

“If we can regain our influence on the territorial boundaries with the elves, that alone will mark the beginning of our family’s revival from a public perspective.”

‘Of course, if I can’t show a different side of myself after this, that will be the end.’ 

However, considering the achievements that Julius and Allen would make in the future, that wouldn’t happen.

‘It’s about saving the world.’

With a cynical smile, Allen glanced at the man who’d become the future ‘hero’. Julius stared blankly back at Allen.

At the finale of his speech, the inside of the conference room turned static.

Gaielle closed his eyes, organizing his thoughts for a moment, and nodded slowly.

“Yes, if you know your enemy and you can use that to your advantage… then it’s worth a try.”

Combining the given clues—the elves’ attitudes, the presence of the dark sorcerer, and the present state of the Heavenly Forests—Gaielle seemed to have already predicted the enemy’s strength.

“Well then, I’ll send you half of our knights and 300 ordinary soldiers. So, Allen, you may go with Julius to help you…”

“W-wait!”

Just as the meeting was about to end without a hitch, Julius shouted belatedly.

Gaielle’s turned his curious gaze towards Julius.

‘To let it end without interrupting?’

Of course he couldn't do that.

It’d be a great opportunity to make an impression…!

‘If I just follow Quest’s instructions, things continuing on as they are now would be advantageous…’

If he did that, he’d be no better than a sidekick.

Julius didn’t want anything like that.

‘Because I…’

He’d chosen the ‘hero’.

“Are you saying that this is how you’ll decide? Without considering any opposing propositions…?”

There was a hint of embarrassment in the poor bastard’s eyes.

‘Why did the Quest tell me to step up?’

To stand up for the elves despite there being no opposition from his family?

However, it was too late—Father, who’d originally been opposed, now agreed with Allen’s arguments—and the Knight Commander and Gardell weren’t arguing, either. Things were going just as Allen had planned.

Gaielle opened his mouth with a puzzled face.

“Do you oppose sending aid, Julius?”

Allen stayed silent, still in disbelief that Julius made such a ruckus right before they closed the meeting.

‘Could it have anything to do with that…?’

When Gaielle secretly made eye contact with Laina, she bowed her head as if she didn’t understand, either.

“…No, it’s just, it must be dangerous, so I thought it would be better to rethink it one more time.”

Julius was about to go insane with embarrassment.

‘Why would it tell me to support them against the opposition of the family?’

Obviously, that was what the Quest Window had said.

Didn’t it ask him to restore their relationship with the elves, and to take it even further by saving a god on the verge of ruin?

Julius also planned to find the hidden boss from the original story with the intention of contacting him.

‘But why?’

Why was the plot progressing without him even having time to express the opinions that someone else had scripted out for him?

“Did you not listen to Allen’s argument? Dark sorcerers have appeared in the Heavenly Forest.”

“We don't know how strong our enemy is.”

But without having to insist on supporting the elves, the meeting had already gone on without any resistance, and without putting in even a single good word, it was about to end.

“It is not difficult to grasp the importance of the Heavenly Forest, our relationship with the elves, and the background of our enemy, which has been identified to be dark sorcerers.”

“We wouldn’t be without the support of the elves there, so I think it’d be sufficient if we all worked together.” 

Having his argument disputed, Julius forced out a rebuttal. “Even so, how can you guarantee that there won’t be a stronger enemy than we expect? For example, if a band of pagans gets involved…”

Would they really just appear?

Allen asked with a hesitant look, as if he knew there was absolutely no chance, “Julius… Do you not trust your brother?”

When Allen acted calmly yet disappointed, Julius clenched his teeth and shook his head.

“…No, I trust you and your information. But if that were to happen…”

As he spoke, the Knight Commander, who’d been silent up until this moment, spoke in a deep, low voice. “Our knights are not so weak.”

“But—”

“I’ll see to the battle myself, so you have nothing to worry about. Do you not trust me, sir?”

“I…”

The Knight Commander’s strong, unwavering eyes turned to Julius.

“Basil, the Knight Commander, is a real talent in the west. It’ll be okay, Sir Julius.”

Following him, even Gardell, the head butler, responded appropriately—and Julius, who was trying to raise an some sort of objection, had no choice but to reply, with a single twitch from his lip. “…I-I suppose I am overreacting.”

Seeing that the situation was now over, Gaielle shared his conclusion that he was unable to earlier.

“Now that it has been decided to send our support, I understand that 300 soldiers and half of the knights, including the Knight Commander, shall participate, along with Allen and Julius.”

“Alright.”

“Julius, do you have anything else to add?” 

Allen looked at Julius with a discontented face and stifled a laugh.

“…No.”

“Then…”

Gaielle recited briefly.

“Go on.”

That signaled the conclusion of their emergency conference.

* * *

* * * 

After the meeting, they immediately prepared to go to battle.

Allen watched the soldiers as they readied themselves in an orderly manner at the outdoor training ground. As they did, drivers hustled about and inspected their equipment.

Allen frowned for a moment when he saw them.

“…Tsk.”

He had set aside his expectations of them since their silence about Julius’s ideals—he could only hope to receive the same loyalty someday. He looked at them for a moment, disappointed, before turning his head away.

Then, he saw it—at a place a short distance away from the other knights.

“Think about it. It may be beneficial for you to come under my wing.”

“Sir, I have no intention of supporting anyone else.”

“That's not what I meant. I’m discriminated against because you’re here…”

Julius was talking to a person there. No, it would be more accurate to say that Julius was just being pushy, rather than having any sort of conversation.

Allen watched the female knight, who had a neat appearance and black hair.

“Camilla Carter.”

The female knight who had given Linbelle a basic education, and a knight of the Family’s Order.

And…

‘The only commoner in the Order.’

Her father was one of the manor’s coachmen.

She happened to catch the eye of a former Knight Commander, who noticed her talent, and was able to join the knights…

‘She’s being bullied.’

She wasn’t being insulted or beaten, but she was being ostracized by the other knights. Had she ended up under Julius’s wing in her previous life?

‘I can’t recall.’

At some point, her participation in Julius’s journey had ceased, so Allen knew little about her.

Because the number of Julius’s men who disappeared in such a way were countless.

“No, I’ve changed. Don’t you know what my reputation is like these days?”

“I do know. But… I’m sorry.”

Allen took some time to consider recruiting her, but gave up soon after.

‘Not now.’

Her present role in Julius’s story was limited to her recruitment, and the right time to bring her under his command was still a long way off.

‘I don’t need to get into that quite yet.’

The situation had to simmer for a little longer. Just like the other one, which was already beginning to look ripe for the picking.

‘…I hope she does as well as I expect.’

Allen didn’t approach them—not so that he could create a certain future, but because he’d be able to use them one day.

After another 30 minutes had passed like that, the soldier shouted.

“Sir! All knights! The preparations are complete.”

When Allen turned his head, the Knight Commander had already finished preparing and was riding a horse.

“Hop on!”

Allen smiled kindly and climbed on his horse.

“Sorry for being late.”

The midday sun was still warming the ground, and the soldiers who’d finished their preparations felt the discipline coursing through their veins.

The Knight Commander shouted out.

“Then, let’s go!”

“To battle!”

After the knights chanted, the troops began to leave the manor.

‘This is just the beginning.’

Allen’s eyes turned to the Heavenly Forest beyond the mountains.

The time had come to find a clue about his brother.