episode_0046

“Tell me again. Who did you meet…?”

“My mentor. My beloved mentor has returned to this world.”

The witch doubted her own ears.

…What?

Who has returned?

Diabel, always serious. Even when the witch joked around, he never once indulged her.

She couldn’t lie about something concerning her mentor, Ves, of all people.

“Wait… Are you saying your mentor, V, has returned?”

“That’s right. It’s still hard for me to believe.”

“W-What! No, more importantly, where is he now!”

For the first time, the witch, who always remained composed, showed signs of excitement as she abruptly stood up from her seat.

Even Diabel, who had observed her for a long time, found her behavior unfamiliar.

“C-Calm down. You came to talk about the mentor.”

“Y-Yes… That’s right.”

The witch sat back down, visibly flustered.

News that the man she had missed for thousands of years had returned.

Despite her matured mind, she couldn’t help but feel excited involuntarily.

“Alright. Did you meet him in person? Or how did you find out?”

The witch closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and asked Diabel.

“I… met him. Yes. I suppose you could say that.”

“…?”

Diabel’s response seemed somewhat hesitant. It was a reaction entirely unlike her.

It was only then that the witch noticed something strange.

If he had indeed returned and met Diabel, it wouldn’t make sense for Diabel to come here alone.

He wouldn’t leave that guy, V, behind.

Even if he came here, he would have come together.

V wouldn’t come looking for me either.

“What happened? Explain.”

The witch asked firmly.

“It was… an invasion as part of the ‘organization,’ and the conflict with Ves that ensued,” the witch sighed as she recounted.

“So, you didn’t recognize him at all?”

“That’s… correct.”

“But you’re sure it’s him?”

“I’m certain.”

Unlike before, Diabel’s response exuded unwavering conviction.

“I can feel it in my soul. The target of my pact. The reincarnation of my mentor.”

“So, he’s been reincarnated…”

The field of demon pacts and constraints was not one even the Grand Witch herself was well-versed in, but Diabel, who had fought with the world because of that guy, wouldn’t be confused.

So, is it really him?

Has Diabel reincarnated just like that guy?

Something that hadn’t happened for thousands of years suddenly occurring in such a short period… Is there something going on?

“Just a moment. How old is he?”

“Age… you mean? Probably one year younger than this body, Diabel’s age.”

One year younger than Diabel…

That means he was born in this world almost twenty years ago.

“When I used transcendental magic before to scan the world, he wasn’t here, right?”

It doesn’t make sense. If he was old enough to enroll in the academy, we wouldn’t have missed him.

“That’s right. The mentor must have existed in this world at that time too, but we couldn’t find him. Perhaps he didn’t recall his past life’s memories, which is why we couldn’t find him.”

Because he couldn’t recall his past life, we couldn’t find him.

The concepts of past lives and reincarnation are not within the realm of knowledge granted to us mortals.

Therefore, even in the extensive database accumulated by the ancient witches over the centuries, information on reincarnation cannot be found.

Is it because he couldn’t retrieve memories of his past life that we couldn’t find him?

“This complicates things.”

Facing Diabel in the midst of attacking the Academy, he found himself hostile towards him.

In his past life, even as a mercenary rolling through life, he never abandoned his steadfast belief, likely to prevent the world’s destruction.

Opposing Diabel was not unusual.

However, failing to recognize his own disciple, who had tried to save him at the cost of her own life, was incomprehensible.

Despite being from a previous life, had he not properly regained his memories?

“Grandmother, what should I do?”

Diabel’s eyes shook intensely as he looked at the witch.

Once an adversary of the world and currently the leader of the ‘organization,’ she was raised by Vessis without experiencing proper parental love from a young age.

Therefore, Diabel had never truly engaged with others.

All human relationships built by Diabel Yeongae after his reincarnation were possible due to his power of erosion.

In such a situation, witnessing his mentor, who was akin to the reason for his existence, opposing him made fleeing understandable.

“In reality, if I were to face him in such a situation, I might have reacted like him…”

The witch momentarily lost her composure upon hearing news about Vessis for the first time.

She didn’t believe she could handle meeting the reincarnated Vessis with a clear mind.

Poof

The witch vanished into smoke and reappeared next to Diabel the next moment.

“Calm down, Diabel.”

The witch grabbed Diabel’s trembling arm.

“If he regains his memory, he wouldn’t be hostile towards you.”

“Grandmother…”

“Don’t worry. In fact, things have become easier.”

Diabel sought to break the constraints of his own oath.

And the witch aimed to destroy the world to free herself from the shackles of being a Grand Witch.

However, with Vessis, who both had died, returning to this world, there was no longer a reason to bring about the world’s destruction.

“Rather than destroying the world, it would be much easier to help him regain his past memories.”

“Regain his memories?”

“Yes. I haven’t experienced it myself, so I don’t know how reincarnation works exactly, but he won’t recall his past life’s memories entirely intact. You also didn’t possess your past life’s memories from birth; you became aware of them as you grew up.”

“That’s true…”

“In that case, he surely hasn’t fully remembered his past life. There’s no way he wouldn’t recognize you.”

“So then…”

“Yes. Now, our task is not ‘destruction’ but helping him retrieve his memories.”

As Diabel listened to the witch’s story, his trembling subsided.

The cute lad.

Perhaps a bit vexing.

He spent more time with Diabel than the lad did, so wasn’t he more like the father figure compared to Diabel?

Not showing such reactions to me.

The witch mistakenly believed that Diabel’s feelings towards Vessis were not romantic but rather directed towards parents, due to her confusion.

“However, there is one issue.”

“An issue?”

“While fleeing, I’ve become a terrorist, the main perpetrator of the Academy attack. However, the mentor is currently a student at the Academy.”

“Ah… I see.”

Attacking students within the Academy, an unprecedented assault involving mind control.

The principal witnessed the scene, and a key officer under Diabel’s influence broke free from that erosion, so it was only a matter of time before her role as the culprit became known.

Given Diabel’s status, he couldn’t return to the Academy.

To prevent such problems, it was an “organization” that was meant to keep things in check and maintain secrecy, but unfortunate circumstances piled up, leading to a difficult situation.

However,

“It’s okay. I’ll take care of it.”

Being a mother, she should be able to handle such matters.

Ooooh

As the witch gestured a few times, the barrier covering the surroundings opened.

It was a barrier so advanced that even the archmages who could leap over walls wouldn’t dare to touch it.

The Academy… huh.

“Hmph. Greenhouse plants like the Academy are all fake.”

“What? You want me to teach at the Academy? Do I look like someone who would teach those fledglings?”

The guy who despised knights and mages from the Academy in his past life is now a student at the Academy.

Meeting him, anticipating when he regains his memories.

How will he react if teased as a greenhouse plant upon seeing him?

The witch was eager to see that reaction.

“Let’s go. To the Academy.”

For thousands of years, the witch had been in seclusion.

Even the dragons claiming to be guardians of the intermediate realm fear the grand witch who has risen.