Regressor, Possessor, Reincarnator

Being all together for the past month, there was a limit to how much he could talk to Vestla, so he finally told them that she was an Ego Sword.

They were surprised at first, but after seeing the way she floated along in the air, they accepted it. Vestla, surprisingly, didn’t even put up a fight about the reveal.

But the problem remained. They still couldn’t have a conversation altogether.

Vestla's voice could not be heard by anyone else.

Therefore, in order to communicate, they had no choice but to rely on Allen, the only one who could talk to all parties involved.

"…I'll figure out a way for everyone to communicate after we get to the Academy, so I'll just put up with it for now."

⟬It’s a plan!⟭

"Right…"

Her prattling personality made Allen, who preferred to be more stoic, very exhausted.

Utterly. Exhausted.

He discovered more and more about himself as they continued on toward their destination.

They had already passed along through three or four small countries, allowing them to see exotic ecosystems not found in the west.

"Wow, sir!! These are edible mushrooms, right?”

"Linbelle, put that down. It's a poisonous mushroom. Wash your hands clean."

"Ah… I see…”

Nothing too eventful happened apart from that one near-mistake made midway through their journey.

The temperature rose far higher as they headed inland.

Unlike home, where the spring breeze was quite cold, the weather got hotter and hotter as they headed toward the Great Galshdin Desert, and their thick clothes dwindled to thinner and thinner layers.

"Brother, should we take a rest and stay here for a few days…?”

“We should.”

On their way to the Academy, Julius would disappear then return every few days…

"Look, Brother. I found a rare herb over there."

…and when he’d come back, he always returned holding something valuable in his hands. Or he’d go off with Byron and Anya for a time.

And—of course—Laina, his personal maid.

Allen smiled with a touch of subtlety, not preventing Julius from carrying on with what he was doing.

"You have good luck."

"Yes, I guess I am pretty lucky. Hahaha!"

As his actions changed the future, Allen knew that 'Quest Rewards' and clues to obtain other fun items that were not recorded in the black book would appear.

Though, it wasn’t like the value of the things he was finding were that significant.

'I need to loosen up a bit.'

After all, he had used his own information from that very system to siphon the reward from Julius at Mount Nicaea just the other day. He needed to leave it be for the time being.

If Allen were to take away all of his rewards, Julius would surely lose faith in the 'System' eventually. Though seeing how much of Julius's actions were influenced—directly or indirectly—by the ‘System,’ it would be difficult for him to fully lose trust in it. 

His behavior should lie within predictable bounds.

Thus, after packing up from their break, the party had a fairly comfortable journey.

And after another month had passed…

"…Finally."

⟬Wow! We're finally here!⟭

They arrived in Kairan, the City of Adventure, one of several cities where they could enter the Great Desert in which the Academy was located.

There were various magical sites located throughout the continent, from a small poisonous swamp to the Plains of Nastrond, home to eternal warfare. The speculations surrounding the significance behind these sites were diverse, but implicitly speaking, it was simple.

Magical sites were places unfit for human beings to inhabit, or in principle, areas that could not be pioneered by humans, whether due to artificial or natural reasons.

‘That's why dark sorcerers who use artificially crafted magic treat them as free to claim.’

The Great Desert was one of those sites.

It wasn’t just any magical site, but an incredibly large one, spanning the central region of the continent. With the terrain’s barren landscape and the monsters which appeared from every angle, just crossing it was seen as an achievement. 

⟬Why was the Academy built in such a place?⟭

"There are many reasons, but to tell you one that’s more widely known…”

The Holy Sword.

The reason why the Academy had been built there was because it was where the First Warrior’s Holy Sword had been found.

⟬Well then, why can’t they just move the Holy Sword? Why did they need to build something there?⟭

There was a simple explanation for that, too.

“Because they couldn’t move it.”

⟬What?⟭

Those who first discovered the sword had also planned to move it. However, such a thing could only be done by the master of the sword, and thus, the Holy Sword would not budge.

⟬Even so, they didn’t need to build the Academy right on top of it, did they?⟭

"That's a good point… Maybe it was a sign of the times.”

Now may be the time to make that judgment, but it wasn’t back then.

⟬A sign of the times?⟭

“Yeah.”

After the Great Fall, the devastated world called out for a hero, and the only hero worthy of that title was the First Warrior.

However, that hero suddenly disappeared shortly thereafter.

When the Holy Sword was discovered, the world could only have seen it as a symbol of hope.

⟬That's why they built the Academy? They couldn’t take it with them, so they just built an entire academy?⟭

"That's right."

It was a reasonable solution for the conundrum, and that was due to one of the abilities of the Holy Sword: the Sanctuary, which prevented monsters from entering a certain area.

In addition, countless people flocked to the Great Desert after it was revealed that there was an enormous number of ruins to be discovered there.

Adventurers, mercenaries, merchants, nobles, and knights. Many moved to the Great Desert for their own gain, and it was not long before the Academy was established under the plausible pretext of raising a hero for the new era.

However, as the city expanded, the number of areas protected by the Sanctuary decreased.

Therefore, they had no choice but to look elsewhere.

"Wow, sir! Look at this!"

That's how the city was created here.

A city that was minimally affected by the magic of the site, but that also provided access to enter the desert adjacent to the Great Desert.

"There are so many relics!"

Kairan, the city of adventure, was one of the cities that was formed in that way.

"…I've only heard stories, but seeing it now, it really is stunning."

Allen was looking around Kairan's shopping district with Linbelle and Inellia.

Julius left Byron and Anya at the inn, saying he had something to do, and disappeared with Laina alone.

Allen couldn't take his eyes off the exotic sight of the city. It was his first time seeing it, in both his previous and present life.

"Hey, did you hear the news? Tim's mercenaries say they got a new relic.”

"What? What are they up to now?"

Men with faces of lizards conversed.

There were giant lizard people, golems carrying cargo, cyborg beastmen, bargaining elves, and even children with shells for skin.

Races of all kinds filled the streets, as did numerous relics that he had never seen before.

"What the fuck did you just say?"

When he looked to the side, he saw a mercenary bargaining with a merchant.

"Haven’t you heard? It's a recent discovery! A water bottle that automatically fills itself up with water."

"Is there really something like that?"

He spoke with fluid pronunciation, a little different from in the Kingdom of Liberé to the west.

The difference in accent and dialect was evident.

"The sorcerer said that it collects water from the air or something… So are you going to buy it or not?”

"Two gold coins is a little much…”

When the mercenary showed signs of hesitation, Allen smoothly intervened. "If you're not going to buy it, can I?"

The merchant saw his clothing as well as Inellia sitting next to him, and immediately cast his sights from the mercenary and bent toward Allen.

"Yes, yes, you can! Of course, sir.”

"Then I'll buy it." Allen held out the gold without even attempting to bargain.

"Oh, thank you, sir!" The merchant opened his mouth wide and accepted the gold coin.

The mercenary smacked his lips and began, "But…"

As he accepted the relics from the merchant, Allen said, "Were there always so few guides to the Academy?"

Guides were required to get to the Academy in the Great Desert.

Upon entering the city, Allen and his party visited the Adventurer's Guild, but were told that there were no guides available at the moment.

"Guides?"

Inevitably, the party was forced to stay in the city.

"Yes."

At his words, the merchant glanced at his new partner, lowering his eyes again.

"I guess you're not from here".

"Yes."

"Then you may not know. There's a reason…”

As the merchant dragged out his words in hesitation, Allen smirked and bought a few more items. He then smiled, now happy to explain.

* * *

* * * 

"Thank you! Come again!"

⟬‘Come again!’ You're such a crook!⟭

Allen slowly exited the shopping district, calming down the fuming Vestla.

⟬It was information that you would have figured out if you just walked around a little bit!⟭

The explanation he’d received was something he never would’ve conjured up on his own.

‘Because of a sandstorm…’

Sandstorms struck periodically in the Great Desert, and a few days ago, signs of a new storm arose.

Unless there was a truly dire need, the guides did not travel during sandstorms.

This event was unexpected seeing as in their past life, Julius had already made it to the city by then, putting the issue entirely off his radar.

⟬What are you going to do? You can't be late, can you?⟭

"You’re right."

The Academy's entrance examination could only be taken every six months. Missing this opportunity now meant wasting half a year.

"If it’s not working out right now, I suppose we have no choice but to pay extra money to get one."

It wouldn’t be a small sum, but they’d have no choice if they wanted to arrive in a timely fashion.

‘…I guess I really can’t tell the future, like anybody else.’

Allen reminded himself that the future he knew that was written in the black book was part of the old future.

As the party was going back to the Adventurer's Guild, Linbelle asked him in apparent sudden realization, "Oh! Wait, we're all different races, but we all speak the same language.”

Did she only just realize that now?

"Why not ask an elf?”

"That's… hehe.”

Well, he hadn’t been in the mood to care about that at the time.

Allen explained, recalling her unstable appearance. "It’s because of the Ancient Empire."

"The Ancient Empire?"

Inellia listened in carefully as well to see whether it was something that would hold her curiosity.

"Yes."

From the language and characters they used today to the architecture and fundamental principles of law, traces of the Ancient Empire could be found in various parts of their modern life.

“Of course, time has passed, and many things have been altered depending on the historical nature of the language.”

Words were abbreviated and new concepts emerged. Those words with obsolete uses went extinct, while others came to have entirely different meanings.

"…I'm sure Laura, the head maid, told you at least this much.”

As Allen gave her a strange look, Linbelle turned her head in embarrassment and pointed the other way.

"Oh, oh, sir! Look over there! What are they?”

Allen turned his head gently, finding a group consisting of those of different races walking by.

No, looking at the group from an angle of heterogeneity, they looked unusual—entirely different, even. The men were wrapped in white cloth, with huge scorpion tails protruding from their hips. The women, on the other hand, were covered in black cloth, with two pairs of spider legs coming from holes in the backs of the clothing.

‘Oh, could that be…?’

Allen remembered hearing about the two tribes that resided only in the Great Desert as well as their unusual abilities.

「There are two tribes in the Great Desert, one of which can act as a guide.」

He acted quickly after remembering that crucial information he’d skimmed through in the black book.

⟬Where are you going?⟭

“Sir!”

They’d found their way to get to the Academy.

* * *

Julius reflected on the order of events he had read in the original as he headed to the slums. Fortunately, it was easy to recall. He hadn’t forgotten the more important parts of the story, even after a few months without it. 

Behind him, only Laina followed.

"Hmm… Is it here?"

He puzzledly looked at the old sign with butterfly patterns on it.

Even though he could remember the major story beats, he wasn’t totally sure about the details.

"Still…"

He had to check. It was a Quest.

When he opened up the Quest Window, several Sub-Quests appeared as well.

「A sandstorm is raging! Find a way to get to the Academy before the entrance exam! Time limit: 13:12:55.

Reward: Increase in Wind affinity」

「Kill Deswuom, the ‘Ruler of the Desert’, and prove yourself (0/1)! Time limit: 172:59:02.

Reward: 1 B-Tier Skill card」

「Eliminate the traffickers and bandits tormenting travelers and keep the peace (0/20)! Time limit: 34:07:26.

Reward: 3 random sword skill draws」

The rewards were decent. He had to complete these over the next few months to get them.

‘I need a way to get to the Academy while clearing the Quests.’ Killing two birds with one stone.

Squeeeak.

As he pushed open the wooden door, the rusty hinge screamed, announcing his presence.

Surprisingly, the inside of the bar was clean. He had expected a stench of vomit mixed with other rather unpleasant smells.

When he turned his head, an old man was there, unbothered and wiping down glasses at the bar.

Julius strode in front of him and sat down. As he sat, the bartender asked, "What would you like to order, sir?"

"Give me a glass of honey beer if you have one, and to go with it… butterflies dipped in snake venom."

He paused, taking in Julius’s words before slowly speaking again. "…I'm sorry, but we don’t have food like that here."

"No, you guys do have that kind of food. Right? Or, I guess, do you have blueapple pie instead?"

Julius was quite confident when he said that.

‘The main character did this in the , right?’

He was certain that there were many scenes where the main character had used those phrases several times to take advantage of the information organization, Psyche, which spanned across the central region of the continent.

He forgot what the main character had done to get this information, but it didn't matter.

‘Don't I just need to know the password, anyway?’

While he was focused on his own jubilant mood, the bartender gently grabbed the handle of the dagger from his waistline.

'Saying ‘a butterfly dipped in a snake venom’ means that I’m a member of the same organization.’

But he didn’t mention a flavor to distinguish himself. 

"Can’t you get me some?”

The ‘blueapple pie’ was a sign that something bad had happened.

"Or what about a poisonous apple? Then, what about hilltop frog hind legs or Dark Garden flower bud soup?"

‘Poisonous apple’ meant that something had been discovered that shouldn’t have been revealed.

‘Hilltop frog hind legs’ meant that a direct order from the boss had been issued.

‘He said the ‘Dark Garden flower bud soup’.’

Then, that meant…

"I know everything, so just hurry up and bring it! Or bring one of your superiors!"

That person had arrived.

"Can't you hurry up?"

His eyes flashed to Julius.

Information had never been leaked before. The guild recorded all the customer's information, so it was possible to keep track.

‘Is he even a member of the same organization?

That wasn’t it either.

Did he know the code to get inside?

It was either one of two things.

Someone betrayed them, or one of their customers leaked the code.

And if that wasn’t the case…

"Why is it so different from what I read?"

Just as the bartender was about to move, his eyes and Laina's eyes collided.

He hesitated.

"Ha, I'm here to buy some information. Do you understand now?"

He checked the pattern in her eyes, opened his eyes wide, and smiled kindly as if he understood the situation.

"Aha, I see now. I ask for your understanding for taking so long to reply. It's been quite a while.”

Julius smiled contentedly at his answer.

"It's a shame that the password doesn't work… Alright. Then, I want to get some information.”

"I can help you."

As he took them inside the bar, Julius asked curiously, "But can you leave the bar empty? How can you make sure nobody steals anything?"

"That's not a problem. He’s already here."

When Julius looked back again, a middle-aged man with a calm face came in and sat at the bar.

Julius smiled happily as the scene overlapped with what he’d read in the .

"Really? Then let's go. Someone is waiting on me."

"Please come this way."

They headed to the basement of the bar.

A white light flashed from the ceiling, lighting up the hallway.

"Why does the light keep blinking? You guys don't have money?”

"Haha, it's because it has been quite a while since it's been repaired. I’ll have it fixed by the next time you visit.”

He’d make sure of it.