Ch.13Chapter 13: Conclusion (2)

When I responded with a brief stare to the short question asking for my name, without giving a positive or negative answer, Laplace’s voice reached me, gradually fading away.

【Don’t want to tell me?】

I pondered for a moment.

But soon I realized that revealing my name wasn’t something worth hesitating over.

“Cal Ranos. Descendant of Ranos, the eternal nemesis of you Mains.”

I stated my brief name while emphasizing “Ranos.”

Once I made my decision, there was no hesitation.

Even if he had crossed over from a timeline after I had become a monster due to the unwanted blessing of the Demon God Desire that I consumed.

Very few remembered me in my living form after I became a monster in my second life.

Moreover, only a select few, including Shizu who now lived in a past future, had ever called that version of me “Cal.”

The minions under the Demon God who turned me into a monster called me by an entirely different name.

Ater Pertorqueo (Black Distortion) was what they called me.

And while the Demon God Desire did have a familiar way of addressing me…

‘Let’s not go there.’

It wasn’t a title I wanted to recall.

Anyway, I was confident that he couldn’t possibly know me, since not only my name but even my true appearance had been completely concealed by the pitch-black armor that the Demon God had forced upon me to bind me. That’s why I easily gave him my name.

【….】

After hearing my name, Laplace’s piercing gaze dimmed slightly within his gradually fading presence.

【…Hmm?】

Then, frowning slightly—noticeable even through his helmet—he showed a strange, dubious reaction.

What’s this?

Does this bastard somehow know me from the previous timeline?

Just as I was beginning to regret revealing my name…

【Ranos… how fitting.】

Surprisingly, his words seemed to acknowledge defeat.

【Before I defined myself as invincible and indomitable, it was a woman of Ranos who handed me my first defeat. And now, after all this time, it’s another Ranos who makes me unable to call myself invincible anymore…】

A woman, he says.

He must be referring to my ancestor who first etched the name Ranos into history.

While I found his disrespectful way of addressing my ancestor quite offensive,

I felt relieved that upon hearing my name, he only reminisced about the legacy of the great hero Lumen Ranos, not recognizing me as the Guardian of the Demon Realm.

I was about to let out a sigh of relief when…

【You resemble her.】

His nostalgic words continued without pause.

“What do you mean?”

I couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

The person he claimed I resembled was undoubtedly my family’s founder, Lumen Ranos.

But I was the most anomalous existence in the entire family history among those bearing the Ranos name. I couldn’t help but feel confused when Laplace looked at me and recalled my ancestor.

So despite my instinctive aversion to speaking with a Main, I voiced my brief question about his nostalgic comment.

【Kuhehe.】

Looking at me with a soft laugh, Laplace said:

【The red hair is similar, and now that I think about it, that swordsmanship that cut through me in my armor is also alike. Perhaps this too is fate…】

What came out of his mouth was a shocking statement that completely contradicted what I knew… no, the entire family tradition.

#

Red hair?

The “woman” he mentioned must undoubtedly refer to my family’s ancestor, Lumen Ranos.

Lumen Ranos, who took up a sword against the Demon Gods who spread malice across this land in their attempt to establish a new order that excluded humanity.

Even before being called a great hero, she was a legendary adventurer who left behind countless tales of adventure, living as a wandering female knight who rejected the prestige of her renowned family that had produced generations of famous knights—a noble house whose name is no longer known today.

From the legendary tale of slaying the cruel red-scaled dragon Fafnir, who frequently tormented humans and other races in the Dragonsclaw Mountains, with a single strike,

To the heroic saga of receiving a holy sword blessed by divine beings who admired her unwavering hope and courage in facing the malicious Demon Gods threatening humanity, and using that sword and her abilities to seal away the Demon Gods.

Among the many physical characteristics attributed to my ancestor Lumen Ranos in countless stories:

Her exceptional beauty that remained untarnished despite living a harsh life on blood-soaked battlefields, and her silver hair, which was invariably described as “like moonlight melted and soaked in.”

Particularly, her hair color was a physical trait inherited almost without exception by members of the main Ranos family who carried her bloodline most strongly through the ages.

Despite being born as a child of my father, who was considered one of the greatest family heads in history, I failed to inherit this physical characteristic, making me an extremely anomalous existence throughout our family history.

And now, to hear that my ancestor’s hair was red?

This was clearly false.

Having determined his words to be lies, I frowned and spoke.

“Ranos is a family where one is born with silver hair, regardless of what blood they mix with.”

I expressed my doubt with a serious face, but…

【Ah… I see it’s only remembered as silver these days. Kuhehe.】

“…”

I was momentarily speechless at Laplace’s casual laughter and nonchalant response.

【You seem confused.】

His slightly mocking voice clearly conveyed the impertinence of someone revealing an unknown fact in a teasing manner.

【I suppose it’s not surprising, since even within the demon realm that has endured over a thousand years, extremely few know that woman’s hair was once red.】

Despite the impertinence in his voice as he flaunted his age, there was an undeniable sincerity that couldn’t be concealed.

“Laplace, Main who was active even a thousand years ago. What do you know about the name Ranos?”

I immediately asked to resolve my doubts.

I thought I might hear stories about family traditions lost over time, but…

Swish swish

As Laplace’s presence faded until only a faint silhouette remained, his body, along with the heavy armor he wore, suddenly disappeared as if being sucked into a bloody pentagram that appeared above his head.

“Huh?”

Surprised by his sudden disappearance, I unconsciously let out a stupid sound.

【If you meet and defeat me again, I’ll tell you more memories from a thousand years ago.】

A voice that seemed to tease and provoke me came from between the blood-red five-pointed star.

【Until next time, Cal Ranos, who made me unable to call myself invincible anymore.】

With those words, Laplace spoke no more.

Perhaps due to the disappointment of missing information I could have learned?

Sssss

I instinctively reached out toward the bloody pentagram that was distorting and about to disappear with its ominous red light and eerie sound.

Thud

“Dangerous…!”

My hand couldn’t extend further as Shizu quickly approached to protect me from the pentagram’s malice.

Though she had been silently listening to my conversation with Laplace, as everything was ending, she intervened to prevent me from being exposed to any potential danger.

While I felt some regret, I could clearly sense her concern for my exhausted state, so I withdrew my hand without insisting further.

Whoosh

The bloody pentagram disappeared as if its menacing presence from earlier had been a lie.

Murmur murmur

From the audience seats came a moderate volume of murmuring, appropriate for the number of people present.

It was evidence that time, which had been forcibly stopped, had resumed its normal course.

This happened because the arcane art of time-space control that temporarily hijacked Augustine’s body and pushed his potential to the limit—the frozen time—could no longer be maintained after Laplace’s disappearance.

Everything had returned to normal.

The matter had concluded without anyone dying or getting injured, except for the training ground being destroyed by abnormal power.

It was over.

The terrorist attempt to steal Shizu’s life—a hero not yet fully ripened—and the holy sword had ended in failure.

“Phew…”

Confirming that everything was over, I could breathe a peaceful sigh despite the growing commotion of people shocked by the suddenly devastated training ground in the blink of an eye.

“Thank goodness…”

I had no words other than relief.

My first day after traveling back in time.

Though hectic, I could evaluate it as quite satisfactory.

And for good reason.

Starting from the same point as my old memory of losing consciousness after being hit squarely on the head by Shizu’s sword,

I didn’t explode with feelings of inferiority toward her.

I expressed great gratitude for her small kindness, removing any guilt she might have felt for hurting me.

Though I initially felt dissatisfied at returning to one of the most miserable moments of my life through some unknown means of time travel, I quickly set that aside and vowed to live for Shizu’s happiness, followed by an awakening that came to me like a gift.

And I successfully prevented the intervention of Laplace, a minion of the Demon God Renum who descended to interfere with the timeline for their advantage—something that didn’t happen in the previous timeline.

‘That’s too much to happen in just one day.’

I almost let out a bitter smile realizing I had experienced what could have been spread over several days, but

Soon, seeing Shizu embracing my shoulders with both hands and looking at me with concern,

The bitter smile on my lips changed to a gentle curve.

At the same time, wanting to know if she was seriously injured, I asked her a question before fatigue completely overtook my mind.

“Shizu.”

“Yes?”

“Are you okay? That hit you took from the Main earlier, on your side?”

“…Y-yes!”

Though I only asked about her physical condition, her cheerful response to my question gave me complete reassurance.

That reassurance was as sweet as an order for my battle-weary body and mind to rest.

“Then… I’m going to close my eyes for a bit.”

“…Cal?”

“Just say you did everything and I did nothing… that should smooth things over. Well then…”

After hearing Shizu’s puzzled voice in response to my statement about resting, I gave some brief advice about what would happen next, then lay down on the training ground floor, closing my eyes to take the rest I had been holding back.

I felt momentarily irresponsible, but I couldn’t go on.

The fatigue induced by the backlash of the super-regeneration ability I had recklessly used upon first awakening had grown uncontrollable.

As I closed my eyes, I briefly thought:

I expected to see the ceiling of the infirmary when I opened my eyes again.

But,

I don’t know how much time had passed, but when I woke up, what entered my vision wasn’t the infirmary ceiling but the ceiling of my room.

“…You’re awake?”

Similar to when I opened my eyes in the infirmary hours earlier, I found myself looking into Shizu’s concerned eyes.

‘Is this a dream?’

That somewhat dumbfounded thought came as a bonus.