Regressor, Possessor, Reincarnator

Blame wore a rather perplexed expression.

He weighed in his mind the dangers of intervening in the aristocracy's quarrels and the benefits of covering up this incident, as well as the damage that could occur in the event of going toe-to-toe with Allen.

He knew quite a lot of information, so he was able to calculate the results of this analysis immediately.

‘Based on the information reported to us, with just his combat power alone, he may be able to attain a position as a member of the Top Eight in the future…’

Allen wasn’t so strong that Blame couldn’t take him if he requested support. However, considering his surroundings, he concluded that it was a fight that he shouldn’t instigate.

Not unless the conflict was an inevitable one.

'The other side has also been working on this for quite some time.'

Accepting Allen's request was the right choice here. Having finalized his judgment, Blame bowed his head.

“Typically, we don’t interfere in aristocratic quarrels. However, we'll have to make an exception in this situation. I accept your request."

The request Allen had made was not an unreasonable one at all.

Allen was doubtful whether Blame would be able to meet a demand more risky than the one he’d already requested, and he already didn’t trust the Psyche member much.

Asking for this information was also, he thought, the best bargain he could make given the situation.

"As for the delivery of the information… I'll send someone to you once the investigation is complete. Once again, I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

Blame picked up the skinny, limp body to carry and bowed politely.

"With that, I’ll be taking my leave."

Poof!

With that remark, he disappeared in an instant.

'I was right not to get in his way.'

Two-way spatial transportation, not one-way. And surely, while using the correct and exact coordinates… Allen internally realized that he had made the right choice.

In the midst of the corpses of the remaining bandits and the faint wafting scent of blood, Allen turned his head in the direction where he felt a gaze lying upon him.

"…Sir, I do believe I need a proper explanation."

There, Eliana, who had overheard his conversation with Blame, approached with a suspicious look.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop… I don't think it has anything to do with my situation. But you'll tell me everything, right?”

She said with a smile, but her eyes were full of vigor, which did not seem to bode well.

Allen sighed.

'I guess there was no point in making her faint.’

Allen nodded his head, looking even more exhausted by the futility of the situation.

"…I will."

But only ‘everything’ he had to tell her.

* * *

Two weeks had passed since Allen returned to the Academy.

Life at the Academy had gradually regained its usual vitality.

There were still some people who couldn't forget their deceased peers, but they were small in number, and most of the students were largely unphased.

They understood this incident was within the normal realm of possibility at the Academy.

Many people died each year.

While such a large number of casualties marked an exceptional event, it was also not unheard of in the history of the Academy.

Thus, the Academy went back to business as usual, as if nothing remarkable had ever occurred. The Academy's professors healed from their injuries, and the students returned to their studies. 

The vacancy in the student population remained, but it would soon be filled yet again.

After all, the Academy held an entrance examination every six months.

Meanwhile, it was announced that Allen had become a disciple of the Beast King. The news of the member of the Top Eight taking on a student—something which hadn’t occurred in years—sent the Academy into a frenzy.

During that time, Julius also seemed to have made his own move. Many talked of him rescuing a girl from her bullies, and punishing and getting the perpetrators expelled.

It seemed to be the work of an upperclassmen rather than a freshman.

Allen didn't think much of his actions. He only got the impression that Julius had gotten himself into something again.

However, the events of Allen's daily life did not change.

He took classes as listed in his academic schedule, and in the evenings, he trained with the Beast King. He continued practicing his swordsmanship with Vestla and made sure to stop by the library at least once a day. He never missed volunteering on the weekends, and he only showed everyone sincerity and kindness.

In this way, Allen pushed himself, as if he felt some dire need to push forward and away from something.

* * *

* * *

On one weekend morning in the midst of this busy routine, Allen was enjoying tea time, basking in the scent of the tea.

"…Hmm, the scent is much richer than last time. How did you do that?"

"It's because I've practiced and improved on my dexterity since I started studying alchemy, like you recommended."

"Is that so? So with alchemy, you can change the taste of tea like this?"

Alchemists could implement their skills in various jobs, such as brewing, potion development, and tea leaf modification, but could just a few weeks of learning give one the skills to improve the depth of taste?

When Allen expressed his doubts, she replied in a hesitant tone. "It's… Well, I've added more special ingredients."

"What ingredients are they?"

"…Fairy dust."

She blushed shyly for some reason as she said this.

‘Where did she get fairy dust from?’

Allen thought over the ingredient he had never heard of before for a moment, but stopped once he found that nothing came to mind. It must’ve just been an ingredient of alchemists, of which he had no real knowledge.

"If you have enough to spare, please keep using it. The tea is even better with a richer scent.”

"…Uh, it's…”

"Is it a difficult material to get? Or is it expensive?”

"Oh, no. Well… alright. I'll keep preparing it with the tea."

Allen gave an affirmative nod, then quietly threw questions at the woman opposite him.

"So, Princess Eliana. How long are you planning on staying?"

Eliana, who was sitting across from him and nibbling away at a snack little by little, quietly lowered said snack as she made eye contact with Allen. Then, she opened her mouth calmly, with an expression that suggested his confrontation didn’t bother her one bit.

"…Isn’t teatime better with more people?”

"No, I like to drink and think alone."

"My grandfather would quite like it if you got along with me,"

"I thought you said you weren't interested?"

When Allen responded instantaneously, she shut her mouth and glared at him.

"…I made up with my grandfather. Though, there wasn't much to reconcile.”

Two weeks had passed since Eliana's weak constitution had been completely cured, a fact that the Beast King had also revealed to Allen.

He’d only spoken as many words as were necessary to get the message across, but Allen could tell that he was quite satisfied on the inside.

That was why Linbelle wasn’t there.

"Then why did you come all the way here to train with Linbelle? Isn’t your body good to go now?”

The Beast King offered to teach Linbelle since she’d been taking care of Eliana. Thus, she sparred with him every weekend and was counseled on what she lacked. That said, she was not his disciple—she was only receiving his teachings. It was up to her to improve her skills, but it was clear that if Allen believed in her talent, she would grow.

But why was she here when she should have been training and working on her magic?

"Before, I thought you would aim for a spot in the Top Eight if you could only improve your skills. Is that different from before?"

"That's…" She sighed and replied with a complex expression. "Sigh… Yes, that's right."

Her gray ears sunk, as her formerly confident attitude dissipated.

"…I worked really hard at first. I watched my skills improve as I trained, so I couldn't help but be motivated."

"And?"

“Well, you know, maybe it's because the blood of a member of the Top Eight runs through my veins, but I don’t have the typical magical or aural limits associated with those of mixed races,  and I already have the confidence to beat most mercenaries, but…”

Before she got better, she could make excuses. She couldn't meet his grandfather's expectations because she was weak. It wasn't her fault that she couldn’t do anything with her mana or her aura. However, thanks to Allen’s intervention, she came to a realization after her constitution recovered.

"I just hated it. It's getting harder and harder to train, and moving my body so much doesn’t really suit me.”

Even if she was healthy, she wasn’t interested in battle.

"The engineering I'm learning now is much more interesting to me.”

Training wasn't engineering.

She had a lot of fun, carrying out projects while forcing herself to stay up all night despite her weak body. When she developed a new invention, she couldn't wait to test it.

"But I'm not saying I'm going to quit training… I mean, it’s just that my priorities have changed now."

He didn't see the same drive in her eyes as he had before.

It was only in the face of unprecedented helplessness that she escaped the shadows of her past and her feelings of inferiority.

Expression unchanged, Allen opened his mouth to respond to her, who candidly confided her feelings to him.

"Like I told you when we first met. I wanted to meet you because I was interested in your engineering talent.” 

She had no choice but to fall into it—he knew that with her temperament, she would never be suited to battle.

But Allen didn't care about all that. He’d planned out their interactions only considering one thing.

What had initially attracted him to her was that she could be used as a stepping stone to connect himself to the Beast King. However, her own talent played a role in it as well.

‘She could go on to change the narrative on demi-humans in the future.’

He couldn’t remember how many years it would take, or exactly when she was to publish her work. But that was not what he cared about. 

All he needed to know was that she had created such an invention.

"Do… Do you mean the same thing as you did before?" she asked with a serious look. Her yellow pupils sharpened on him, as if they would not miss any of Allen's movements.

"What do you mean?”

"That you had a deal with the Circulators to cure me."

Allen swallowed, choosing his words carefully.

When she had overheard his conversation with the Psyche member and asked for clarification, Allen cleverly maneuvered the topic onto explaining that he had contacted the Circulators—that he had made a deal with a higher-up in the Circulators to ensure her treatment.

The conversation about all the apostle stuff just so happened to occur at the place where the new apostle of the Circulators was located.

He also explained that the reason she fainted was because she rejected their pagan doctrine so strongly that she couldn’t maintain consciousness during their ceremony.

When she apologized for being so stubbornly close-minded to their practices, accepting and forgiving Allen's behavior as rationally as possible.

Whatever the process he’d taken getting there, Allen had fixed her lifelong weak constitution.

"I mean… the same words mean the same thing, right?”

Even if she had no contact with the Beast King, he visited her because of her outstanding talent. Dealing with the Circulators to treat her helped to strengthen the link he had with the Beast King. It was safe to say that they were both on the same page.

Eliana was lost in thought, as if she were thinking about a lifetime of trouble. After a moment, she opened her mouth with a determined expression.

"If that’s what you really mean, then alright. I've never had anyone put so much effort into me before. But I get it now.’

She took a deep breath and revealed her determination

"Call me when you're ready, and I'll go straight to your estate."

"…Really?”

He hadn’t even brought it up yet, and she already agreed to work with him?

"Yes, you also showed me this same sincerity, so I can’t help but reciprocate it, right?”

Her eyes were as steady as always.

An expression of determination—unwilling to reverse a decision already made.

A smile crossed Allen’s face as he thought of their bright future, though he was contemplating an issue in his head.

With the Sindri siblings' high-quality blacksmithing skills and Eliana's top-notch engineering skills. Not to mention Soned's commercial capabilities, Acanders’s manpower, and the religious persuasion that came with his apostolic position in Circulation.

‘And adding in the connections that I already made and will continue to make at the Academy…’

His future wouldn’t hold conflicts that were quite as simple as they were now.

"Well, I look forward to working with you."

"Likewise. I look forward to working with you, too."

The two of them smiled brightly.

Without knowing that they both had different ideas of the future in their minds.

* * *

Elpis, the city home to the Academy, was not a place where suspicious people could typically roam. 

The occasional accidents, attacks, and spy-infiltrations that occurred several times a year, however, were only possible because of the chairman.

No one could truly say that they had slipped past her prying eyes.

The chairman's abilities were comparable to a decently-sized army, which would make even the Beast King reluctant to deal with her. 

In that case, then what if someone as powerful as a member of the Top Eight were to try to invade?

If the intruder was uniquely superior in terms of stealth and assassination, would she be able to notice?

"…Hm, it's been a long time since I've been here.”

The beams atop a lighthouse did not shine upon what lay beneath the tower itself.

The Queen of Darkness snuck into the city without anyone noticing.

It was something that no one, not even the chairman, knew of. Since the world now knew of her existence, she needed space to rest, gather information, and heal her wounds.

Just as she was about to disappear, she saw movement.

"Acanders, since we’ve arrived so late in the evening, let's tell him that we arrived today and plan to meet with him tomorrow.”

"Good idea. It’ll give us some time to let off steam. Soned, which inn is better…”

"In my experience…”

In what appeared to be a small group of merchants, she could make out the movement of a hound running away after biting its own owner's neck, albeit quite clumsily.

"…Oh, there’s somebody here?"

She changed her plans.

Rather than acting alone, hiding under the shadow of a group of others would be much more comfortable.

If she could observe their movements, she’d find her target soon enough.

The shadow stealthily melted into their vicinity.

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