Starting a Reversal in Life From the Time of Release

13 – A World Where Women Make Big Things Happen (4)

After the woman in uniform put on the necklace for me, I suddenly understood everything.

Even though the sound was the same one I couldn’t understand.

” How is this possible…? “

” This artifact enables the necklace to understand speech. Are you feeling relieved now? “

” Yes… thank you. “

In a bewildered voice, I expressed my gratitude, and the woman seemed to be happy as she smiled.

It was amazing that even here, there were artifacts filled with special magic effects.

” By the way, I should introduce myself. I am Mary Elizabeth, the second daughter of the emperor who rules over Gallia. “

Although there were some grandiose words, it wasn’t something I couldn’t understand.

In short, it meant that she was the second daughter of the emperor, an aristocrat, a princess.

I quickly bowed my head and greeted her while getting up from the corridor.

Thinking of her as Alberto’s daughter, it felt strangely familiar.

” Nice to meet you. My name is Yoo Si-hoo. Si-hoo is my first name. “

To avoid any misunderstandings about the culture of addressing names like in the Western world, I added a brief explanation.

The woman, the princess, politely bowed her head as she looked at me.

” It’s just as written in the letter. Thank you for safely bringing my father back. You must have had a hard time as a man, and I am truly grateful. “

” It’s okay. I ended up coming here by chance. “

I bowed my head towards the tightly stretched chest below.

It was strange that even though it was pulled downwards, there was no feeling of being hunched over.

I thought I would be called “Aba Mama” like in historical dramas, but it was just ordinary to call me “father.”

” I heard the general situation from the letter. You are from a distant ethnic group…? “

” Yes, that’s correct. “

From the perspective of this country, it was only natural to call a Korean person from an ethnic group.

He immediately considered the man weak, and in this world, it was even more so.

“You have safely brought my father all the way from that distant land… I have no idea how to repay you.”

“Repay? I am not here for repayment from Alb… the Duke. And just wearing this necklace would be enough repayment.”

It was said to be an artifact that helped understand spoken words, so there was no need to learn a foreign language with just this.

“Really… you are humble. You have no greed either.”

The princess exclaimed and sparkled her eyes.

It felt extremely burdensome to face her.

“Well then. Shall we change seats for now? It’s a bit awkward to continue talking in the corridor.”

She pointed to the door next to me and smiled.

“It’s not polite to keep eavesdropping when your mother is giving such an enthusiastic lecture.”

“Can you hear the sound from inside?”

The room had good soundproofing so barely any sound leaked out.

So one had to have very keen senses to eavesdrop…

“Yes. I am also practicing my mana even if it’s not perfect. I have somewhat sensitive senses.”

“I see… that’s how it is.”

Awakened individuals also manipulate mana, but the people here are also capable of handling mana.

Although there is a difference in the fact that not everyone who can handle mana is chosen like awakened individuals, the level they reach varies depending on their talent.

Recalling the story that Mr. Alberto told me, I nodded my head.

“I understand. Where would you like to go?”

“Let’s go to the reception room. Countess Leti said she prepared a separate seat for us.”

She casually turned her back and started walking.

I also followed her without thinking, and before I knew it, I entered a room on the second floor.

It was a splendid room that was less flashy than the room where Mr. Alberto stayed, but still a great room.

“First, I apologize in advance.”

The princess sat at the terrace table and the words came out intimidatingly.

“Yes? Apologize? Why?”

“Of course, it would be proper to treat guests well, but I have so many questions and I’m anxious. So… please forgive my rudeness of wanting to start with blunt questions.”

“Rudeness? No. You can certainly do that.”

It made me think that she was a very likable person as she felt sorry for something that could be considered natural.

She could have held onto me and fallen apart.

“Then… could you tell me how you have been living since Father went missing?”

Princess asked in a voice that sounded truly sorry.

It felt like nothing much to me, so I readily answered.

I hesitated for a moment on whether to mention the existence of another world, but I decided to be honest.

I haven’t met Albertho since the moment he fell to Korean ground.

However, I heard some stories, so I had a rough idea.

It was something that a person who only knows how to avoid things could not do.

Because he secretly hunted down demons and smuggled them.

The time he spent learning the Korean language.

The time he lived by slaughtering demons.

And even the time when a member of the same organization killed a hunter and framed him.

As I recited the rather lengthy story, my throat became a little dry.

When I first brought up the story,

“In the world…”

She sometimes looked surprised, sometimes choked up, and listened intently.

“Is it true that there is another world beyond the crack?”

Princess wiped away tears with her hand as she asked.

With surprise and pain subsided, her curiosity seemed to have arisen.

“Yes. I also came from there. And the crack I’m talking about here looks different. It’s like a large thin, round disc.”

“Such a thing exists in our empire, and even in the remote regions….”

She pondered for a moment, then lowered her hand.

“I guess we need more time to investigate this matter. There’s no use brooding over it right now. So, I would like to say thank you once again.”

She quickly organized her thoughts and showed great determination.

And even though she was a high-ranking person, she humbled herself enough to bow her head to me several times.

In many ways, I respected her.

“Well then, let’s stop here with this story…”

With her back straight, Princess faced me and asked.

She seemed to have found some relief now that she knew all the answers to her questions.

“Do you have any questions you’re curious about? I’ll answer anything.”

It was slightly embarrassing to be addressed by my name all of a sudden, but I quickly regained my composure and nodded.

The princess smiled even when I kept my mouth shut, without urging me, allowing me to calmly organize my thoughts.

“In fact… I wanted to bring Mr. Alberto home, but I have another purpose. It’s called a ‘crack’ here.”

“A crack?”

As the princess nodded, curious.

“Yes. I was wondering if you knew anything about the crack. For example, how it appeared and at what intervals.”

“Well… about the crack.”

Tap tap. The princess closed her mouth, tapping her finger on the table.

It seems that this country also has its own difficulties and there is no apparent solution.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so concerned.

“I am still researching about the crack.”

Finally, the princess placed her finger quietly on the table and opened her mouth.

“Researching?”

“Yes. Even in the mainland, we haven’t quite grasped the crack. But it doesn’t mean there haven’t been any results.”

Results. It was a word that sounded exciting.

It means that they have come up with some countermeasures against the gate.

“What kind of results?”

“For example, an obelisk that causes coordinate distortion. Have you seen it before? It’s a large pillar that stands in each territory.”

“Oh… that thing?”

I asked, thinking about the pillar that has sharp edges, reminiscent of a sword, which could be seen in the villa where the protagonist went to borrow words and in this port city.

“Yes, that. Thanks to it, there hasn’t been any occurrence of monsters coming out of cracks within the territory. However, cracks still occur within the range of distortion. My father was also caught in one of those cracks.”

She closed her eyes and furrowed her brows for a moment, perhaps due to painful memories.

Then, she slowly opened her eyes and started speaking again.

“I’m sorry. It reminded me of old memories for a moment…”

“You can take your time. I understand.”

“Thank you.”

The princess cleared her throat softly and adjusted her voice, then continued the conversation.

“Anyway, to go back to the topic… we haven’t been able to get rid of the cracks themselves. So, we send expedition forces periodically. We never know where hordes of monsters might be building their nests.”

In the desolate mountains, where nobody was around.

Wasteland.

Or a forest.

Monsters have established their nests and thrive, and though many people inhabit this land, their movements are constrained.

“So, it means that we haven’t found a fundamental solution yet. But what is this ‘Mage Tower’ you mentioned?”

“The Mage Tower? It’s an organization formed by the continent’s mages. We do have one in the Galia Empire, but they are not our people. They are scattered across the entire continent, including the Dakhia Empire.”

“So, are they a neutral faction?”

“You could say that. However, they can recruit mages from their tower and even compel them to serve various nations, sometimes willingly.”

She proudly spoke about the considerable number of mages in Galia. Bringing in people with abilities was a source of pride for them.

I don’t exactly know what mages are, but they might be similar to what we see in games or books.

“I see. Thank you for your answer.”

The people here, too, didn’t know much about the Gate but had prepared ways to minimize the damage. It seemed challenging for them to adapt to our world.

How to recruit mages capable of installing that enormous tower, and how much pain we might endure while bringing them into our world, were unknown. It was uncertain if it would be more efficient and safe than flipping the original system during the process.

Nonetheless, the fortunate part was that there were many people capable of researching the Gate.

The world I lived in had merely adapted to the Gate.

“Thank you for answering.”

“It’s no big deal. If you have more questions…”

The princess casually asked, casting a meaningful glance, and I replied, thinking that this was an excellent opportunity.

“I have a favor to ask. Please keep my origin as coming from another world a secret. Just refer to me as an immigrant.”

“That’s not a difficult request. I’ll do that. I’ll also convey that to my mother.”

“Thank you.”

I bowed my head with gratitude, and strangely, I felt a chill at the back of my neck, as if someone was watching me.