Regressor, Possessor, Reincarnator

Julius headed to the drawing room when he got word that there was a merchant there to see him.

"Sir, is there some fun event going on today? You look to be in a good mood."

"Oh, Laina." Julius smiled at her, following him like always. "I think I’m going to be able to buy some decent goods at a reasonable price."

"…Is that so?"

"Yes, and this is all thanks to my reputation. Once people get famous, good things really do start coming to them, huh.”

Laina wondered if there had been an order sent from above.

‘I thought nothing was supposed to happen for a while.’

All she had to do was look after Julius until he went to the Academy.

"Congratulations."

"If there's anything good for sale, I'll share it with you.”

Julius entered the drawing room with a confident face.

Click!

In the drawing room, a young merchant jumped to his feet with surprise.

"H-hello! Nice to meet you!"

It seemed as if he had only just begun to learn the trade.

Laina was suspicious of his appearance—far too young in the face to be considered a top-notch merchant—but kept quiet as she sat behind Julius.

For the most part, those who’d tried to pull one over Julius hadn’t met good ends.

Time would tell if he, too, would meet a similar fate.

"Yes, nice to meet you. I’m Julius Reinhart.”

"Yes, yes, I know. I've heard much about your reputation!"

Julius chatted a little longer rather than making a deal right away, perhaps because he liked the way the merchant’s flattery made him feel.

“Well… I’m sure you have access to plenty of other suitable clients, so why did you choose to  come deal with me?”

He had an elder brother and a father that the merchant could’ve chosen instead.

"Cough, cough. What? Well, um… Would you like to take a look at what I have to offer?”

He couldn’t stop himself from bursting out into laughter for much longer.

"Alright."

As soon as those words left his lips, the merchant took out the various items that he had prepared in advance.

"Yes, first off, this item is a potion called Carren’s Beam of Light. It changes the body’s mana composition.”

"Wow… So then, what would you say to…”

Thus, Julius was able to obtain the helpful potion at a price much lower than the market value.

When the deal was over, Julius smiled and began, "Yes, well, if you continue to acquire such items… I'll continue to keep an eye out for you.”

Julius needed conditions to be set up where he could buy high-quality goods, and the merchant needed a reliable supporter to protect him.

"Thank you so much!"

"Likewise."

When Julius showed signs of getting up with his newly acquired items, the young merchant politely reached out his hand.

"Please take good care of us in the future, too!"

Karik, the young merchant, beamed at him.

"Yes. I look forward to working with you."

Julius returned his smile with a wide one of his own, left unaware.

* * *

Time was like a raging wave.

When news of the incident first spread, people showed great interest in the order of succession. A chimera sorcerer who captured people. Bandits invading the festival. Witches spreading curses. And now, even dark sorcerers infiltrating the Heavenly Forest. No matter how normal the incidents may have been, the events preceding one after the other and the aptitude that the Reinhart family displayed in solving them were bound to draw attention.

However, as time passed, people became accustomed to the news and the changes that came with them.

The Reinharts were attempting to restore their relationship with the elves, and they had begun to inquire after becoming more engaged in trade with the surrounding territories.

As the time to leave the manor approached, Allen processed what had been obtained from the Heavenly Forest.

"Hmm… Was this the only thing you found?”

There were several maps in front of him, traces of fire burned across its surface.

"Yes. Just as you said, sir, I looked around a few more places… All the remaining hiding places had already been cleared out."

Shortly after the giant was killed, Allen had ordered Inellia to investigate some of the hiding places listed in the black book.

If things had gone as they had before his regression, they could have gotten information about who was behind it all.

‘I didn’t expect the dark sorcerers to do this.’

He thought he’d been careful about the butterfly effect. He thought he’d prepared enough so he could use the changed future to his advantage.

But that had just been an illusion.

Allen's present, which he had accidentally changed little by little, had in turn changed the future he knew, causing enough of an effect that the dark sorcerers decided instead to sacrifice themselves in order to trigger the god’s trials.

And in the process, they also wiped away all trace of themselves.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you."

Inellia looked somber, thinking she hadn’t been useful.

"No, it can’t be helped. Their behavior was different than expected."

Not getting the information was upsetting, but he’d had a vague suspicion that it would turn out that way.

In the end, they hadn’t gotten any intelligence they could use, not even from the site from which the giant appeared to have escaped.

"Even so…"

"I’ll say it again, it's not your fault…"

⟬What are you doing? Tell her that it’s all okay by giving her a little pat! That’d be even better than a real hug!⟭ Vestla cried in a teasing tone. 

“…so there’s no reason to feel as though you should take responsibility.”

Allen ignored Vestla's words ringing in his head.

⟬Oh! You're ignoring me again! Just trust me. Tell her she’s a suuuper talented, beautiful genius!⟭

‘You are absolutely insufferable…’ Allen looked at Vestla with an annoyed expression.

⟬What! Am I wrong? Hurry up and tell her she’s pretty!⟭

Rejecting whatever she said, he turned his back on her, half-ignoring her words as she repeated them several times.

"…I see."

Even with his consolation, Inellia’s expression remained cloudy with discontent.

⟬Look! Trust me.⟭

Allen glared at the distracting sound.

‘Sooner or later, I'll have to learn how to talk back to her in my head.’

He figured his patience would run out at this rate.

* * *

* * *

Allen suddenly realized that she had come alone and changed the subject, asking a question, "What is Linbelle doing right now?"

"Oh, Linbelle is…”

Inellia answered with an ambiguous smile.

"…She headed to the kitchen to make a dessert for you."

"Again?"

Allen looked fed up.

"Yes, I'll tell her to stop if you're uncomfortable."

"…No, it's fine. It's not like I don’t enjoy the food or anything.”

Linbelle had changed. He couldn't pinpoint what exactly it was about her, but it was easy to identify the biggest change.

Knock, knock.

"Sir, I'm coming in."

She wasn’t in a hurry anymore.

"Alright."

It was so different from how impatient she used to be. So much so that Allen was nearly certain she’d gained something significant from the trial the god had given her.

'I think something happened during her trial…’

But the thing was, even she didn’t know what it was.

It was because the god had been overwhelmed when the trials were triggered. Usually, each of them would have remembered the events of their trials.

Perhaps it was due to just how well developed the god’s abilities were. The trial had been triggered for hundreds of people at once. However, even Linbelle, who was believed to have passed her trial, could not avoid the aftermath of the ordeal.

“Give it a taste, sir.”

Having been permitted to enter the office, Linbelle arrived with the prepared tea and refreshments, setting them on the desk with an experienced touch.

“Alright."

The peaceful scent of woodlands and nature sent a wave of refreshment as she approached.

‘Is this smell… woodsy? White sandalwood?’

"You started using perfume."

"Yes! Miss Eliza recommended it."

"I see… Then did Mother choose this scent for you?"

"No, I chose it myself.”

"It smells good."

She answered with a big smile. "Thank you, sir."

It was the same kind of smell that appeared in his dreams. Dreams where Allen thought he’d seen her making tea skillfully, unlike before.

It seemed clear that there was a reason why her attitude had changed so much.

However, claiming that she couldn’t remember much herself, she had no choice but to give up on explaining her personal development. 

"It seems like there's something lying just under the surface, but…’

She also didn't know anything about Julius, so he was able to dismiss that.

"Sir?"

He turned his head toward her voice. Linbelle was facing him with sparkling eyes.

Allen couldn't ignore her surely meaningful gaze and picked up a cookie with a bitter face.

"…It's delicious again today.”

A flavor that seemed to have been specially tailored to his taste. The tea was to his liking as well.

It almost felt as though she’d been with him for years.

Meanwhile, Inellia seemed shocked by Linbelle’s new cooking skills, arguably better than her own.

"I'm glad you liked it.”

"As I said before, you don't have to do this."

She smiled softly, as if she had an opinion on his remark, replying firmly, "I am your maid, sir."

"If that’s what you… Do as you please."

"Yes, sir!"

Allen didn’t quite know how to handle her change in attitude, but he didn't say much.

‘It's better than before.’

A month had passed.

Allen called in Acadners to ask for a few things as he prepared to leave.

"Finish up getting the organization ready over the next half-year, and then have everything prepared by the time I arrive at the Academy.”

"When you say ‘the Academy’, do you mean that place in the Galshdin Desert?"

"Yes." Allen nodded and handed him the papers that compiled all the information on Baron Fern's whereabouts.

However, he did not tell him about the forces that helped Julius nor his suspicious appearance.

'He wouldn't believe it anyway.’

Having him discover the information on his own would be more effective than just telling him directly. 

Acanders looked a little doubtful about whether he could receive information so easily.

'…I thought he'd give me some light information at best.’

For years, he tried to build others’ trust and gather clues little by little. So he didn't expect to be handed over what appeared to be the whole of the information from the outset.

"I don't think it's my place to say this, but… Do you really trust me that much? What if I were to betray you…?”

All the more so because he didn't think he'd give him all of the available information about his father in the first place.

Allen shook his head, as if he had nothing to say.

"I don't trust you. But I do trust your desperation. Didn't you say you wanted to find your father?"

Acanders bowed his head, looking torn. "…Thank you."

Soned and Karik were also instructed to send information regularly on top of a few other requests.

After dealing with issues big and small, Allen had completed his preparations.

"If something dangerous happens, it's okay to come back."

"I'll keep that in mind."

It was time to leave.

"…Don't do anything reckless," Eliza said to Allen, who was looking toward Julius as he greeted Gaielle. "I don't know what you're thinking, but… Don't do anything too dangerous."

"Alright."

He would be careful—making a plan before acting.

She sighed, wondering if she could find signs of regret on his face. "…You'll be fine all on your own."

Allen nodded silently at her words.

"Now, go. Isn’t your brother waiting for you?”

Julius shouted from behind her.

"Allen! Welcome!"

The buds, dormant during the winter, sprang up, and even the cold wind had transformed itself with the changing season, filling the air with the fresh life of spring. 

"Okay, don't rush me."

It was time to head to the Academy.

* * *

「He had to matriculate into Galshdin Academy.

That was the conclusion he came to after realizing that Julius had been possessed by the protagonist from a .」

Fwip.

「It was a logical plan.

Following some slight character growth in the beginning of their story, the Academy was to be the setting for the full-fledged story to begin.」

「After arriving at the Academy, he found it to be quite splendid.

A place filled with all of the present knowledge of mankind.

A place overflowing with relics and new knowledge sourced from the ruins of the Great Desert.」

Fwip.

「There was much there that could be compared to that of modern times, as elves and dwarves, and beasts and humans all came together to create its unique atmosphere…」

「Well, it was only natural.

The purpose of that setting was to foster the next generation of warriors who would succeed the First Warrior and lend themselves to his original purpose.

Although that purpose had lost its clarity over time, its obscurity had not changed that talented people from each country flocked to…」

Thump.

Allen closed the black book.

The next line was blurry, and the succeeding words illegible.

That would change, becoming more clear over time, but he’d ascertained enough information for the time being.

‘Galshdin Academy.’

Allen didn't know much about it.

At most, he knew that the place had been built on top of the Holy Sword used by the First Warrior, and that the Holy Sword had yet to find its next owner. That, and the fact that two of the Top Eight always resided there.

Further information was difficult to confirm because of the variety of circulating rumors, making it hard to be sure of anything.

But one thing was certain.

‘I could find a way to get my little brother back there.’

He had hopes for things like the Great Library, which was open to the students of the Academy, and the auction house, which was said to have just about everything pass through its doors.

As Allen planned out in his head what he had to do at the Academy, Vestla's voice rang out through his thoughts.

⟬Tell me a funny story! What about one about defeating a dragon? I can talk back, too, since it’d be pretty boring otherwise! Isn’t it so nice how we help each other out?⟭

Allen sighed.

"…Can't I enjoy a little bit of contemplation?”

The Great Desert.

It had already been a month since he’d left his family.

⟬Personally, I've had enough of that already! Let’s have a conversation!⟭

Allen and his party were heading to the nearest city to the Academy.

The Reinhart family was located on the west side of the continent, so it took a long time to reach the Great Desert, located in its central region.

"Sir, are you really talking to the sword?”

Linbelle had seen it occur several times, but the more she saw it, the more amazed she became.

Inellia didn't say anything about it, but she, too, believed it was strange. Whenever she saw the sword floating in the air on its own, she focused in with her ears, peeping into their conversation. 

⟬Have you never seen a sword speak? I guess it is pretty cool, isn’t it?⟭

"What are you saying now?”

⟬Ah! You’re so frustrating! Hey, hurry up. Tell me a story!⟭

Allen's head was throbbing.