Ch.268268. What Are You Hiding? (2)

Regator, an alligator-type monster with a tail covered in sharp spiny scales instead of normal ones, which it uses like a mace.

One of these massive alligators had come down to the backwater town of Sirah and was wreaking havoc.

“Run away─!!”

The villagers scattered in panic without exception, and though a few young people stood in its way, they were just ordinary folks who would be helplessly overwhelmed if they charged recklessly at the ferocious alligator.

Fortunately, the villagers had set up wooden barricades in advance and, while quickly retreating, started fires in various places to prevent the Regator from moving freely.

Using this strategy, they managed to buy time until…

“Over there!”

“A Regator, huh.”

There were no casualties. Not until a man and woman arrived, having sensed the situation and rushed over immediately.

Thud!

“It won’t be able to move while I’m holding it. Hurry, now’s our chance.”

“Right. I’m counting on you, Junon!”

The Regator swung its spiny tail-mace at a guard, and someone could have been injured, but he wasn’t about to let anyone get hurt.

“This consumes a lot of mana, but… I have no choice.”

Junon drew in a deep breath and tensed his entire body. He grabbed the Regator’s tail with both hands like a handle as it tried to force its way in, and slammed it into a building that was on the verge of collapse.

But this was only buying time. The beast would soon break through the debris and show itself again.

Nevertheless, this gave Junon enough time.

“Renias. Are you ready?”

“All set. But the Regator might intercept soon, so I won’t be able to finish it in one go…”

The Regator was much stronger than it looked, classified as a B-rank Elite grade specimen.

Ordinary magic couldn’t penetrate those scales to inflict damage. Even though stronger specimens were known to dislike fire, their resistance to magic made it impossible to defeat them with flame magic alone.

The scales resistant to magic and the mana circuits embedded in the Regator’s powerful body—the creature could neutralize fire magic by firing water-attribute mana clusters, and it emitted mana from its body to create resistance to flame and electricity. That’s why average mages couldn’t handle it.

The same went for vanguards who had sufficiently increased their reinforcement magic proficiency. Without properly weakening it with debuff or control magic, they couldn’t land effective hits. They might even witness those jaws opening wide at close range.

That’s why Regators were classified as Elite grade. The iron rule was to have at least three people.

This was because they needed to bring offensive wizards or defensive wizards to weaken the monster’s power, or buffers to enhance their allies’ strength.

“Attack when I give the signal. Don’t strike first before then, understood?”

“Yes!”

But Renias trusted Junon. His confidence meant he had already completed the calculations in his mind.

Even as the Regator broke through the building debris, took position, and prepared to fire something similar to an Aqua Shot…

Screech—!

Break it. Crush it.

Even if she could clearly see something flying toward her, she wouldn’t blink, waiting until he gave the word.

Splash!

A water mass that had been flying directly at her face vanished without a trace.

“Renias, now!”

And the moment had come.

He had maneuvered to the Regator’s front, exposing its weak point—the scaleless belly—so debuff magic to penetrate the scales was no longer necessary.

Watching the villagers cheer at the charred monster, Renias should have happily linked arms with Junon, but…

‘As I thought… Brother spoke as if he knew the Regator was coming.’

The method of buying time by lighting fires and narrowing escape routes—that was knowledge Renias herself had only learned during an expedition to the Moras Wetlands. If a Regator appeared at a vulnerable point in the unit, holding out until reinforcements arrived was the best strategy.

Let’s say Junon could have learned this method. But what about the guarantee that a Regator would appear here?

For a Regator to reach Sirah, it would have to cross the Great Moras Wetlands to the north and then the Irob River, but this climate wasn’t suitable for alligators. It meant there was no reason for them to leave the favorable wetland environment and come all the way here.

Yet Junon had taught the villagers how to respond to a Regator.

Come to think of it, it was the same with the Stumps. Even if they could come down to the Irob basin, could those Stump groups that descended upon the village really be considered a coincidence?

‘No.’

Renias’s answer was ‘no.’

—We survived thanks to you!

“Not at all. You all prepared well.”

—But you’re the one who taught us how. Haha.

She knew he had a secret, as he was surrounded by villagers showering him with praise.

‘Then is this related to Brother Junon’s secret? If so…’

Renias was torn about whether she should resolve this question or not.

***

It had been several days already.

Since the Stumps appeared, monster attacks had been unusually frequent.

Originally, Sirah wasn’t a place where monster invasions were commonly reported, except around the Irob basin.

But Renias, who had been living with Junon, found her recent suspicions growing.

‘I can’t let this go without asking anymore.’

It was the newspaper he held every day. He said it was to check how the world was going, but was that really true?

Those newspapers only covered how events had unfolded since the Mirpark blockade turned into a siege battle. There must be many types of newspapers, so why did he only read those?

The imperial army had fully mobilized, so there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. Yet she kept finding her eyes drawn to them.

And coincidences only happen once or twice. Stumps might appear occasionally? The Regator was just a chance encounter on the day they went shopping? Even assuming that, this wasn’t right.

The days they stayed home were truly peaceful, but how did monsters appear every single time they went out?

Yes. She should ask him now.

She should ask her brother who was reading the newspaper right now… but.

“Miss. What’s your relationship with that young man?”

“W-What?”

“Come on. Everyone knows. They say you two go around together every day.”

“That’s not all. The daily necessities they buy aren’t for one person, but for two.”

“Oh my! Living together?! Are you dating?”

“Must be. If someone lives alone, they’d only produce garbage for one person. But theirs consistently comes out doubled.”

“N-No, that’s…”

“A young man and woman living in the same house~?”

“Should we start calling you a bride soon? Hahaha.”

Surrounded by the neighborhood women, Renias missed her opportunity.

As the sun began to set, evening came once again. After dealing with monsters that appeared near the village, they always had to establish countermeasures, which meant work and more work.

As a result, moving around during the day and returning home at night had become their routine.

Finally having time alone with Junon, Renias, holding a fruit basket given by the villagers, voiced her question.

“It won’t rain today… will it?”

“Why suddenly ask about rain?”

“Well, you didn’t bring an umbrella.”

“…”

Junon vaguely sensed what Renias was getting at.

Weather forecasts couldn’t be known without advanced scientific facilities that measure humidity with electricity, yet he had insisted she take an umbrella recently, claiming it would rain. And it actually did rain that day.

“I wonder who could predict rainfall. So… when you told me to take an umbrella, was that a forecast?”

The countermeasures were the same. Like weather forecasts.

Monsters that shouldn’t appear in Sirah suddenly showed up, and because they had visibly prepared, they were able to significantly reduce the damage.

“…How long have you felt this way?”

“Since the day you bought me summer clothes.”

That was the day the Regator appeared. This meant Renias had been holding back for at least four days.

“Is it related to… that secret you mentioned at the hospital?”

“Yes.”

He had thought she was perceptive in strange ways, but he hadn’t expected her to dig in so sharply.

“Can’t you tell me? Your secret.”

“…”

Renias looked dejected and didn’t press further.

But Junon continued the conversation.

“If you ask how I know, I can’t answer. But it’s absolutely true that I had this information.”

“Brother…?”

“Even if you call it a lie, I won’t make excuses. I might have been deceiving you from the beginning.”

“…We don’t call things like this lies. It’s okay…”

“No. From the very first moment I met you. I might have been using you.”

It was a poor excuse.

How could he explain that he had lived another life?

Though he trusted Renias deeply, this was something he felt he couldn’t reveal.

So he made these excuses, one after another. To hide just one truth.

Nevertheless, Renias set down the fruit basket, spread her arms, and smiled brightly.

“If you hug me first, I’ll forgive you for deceiving me.”

“Just for that…?”

“Hey, I didn’t say that’s all.”

“I suppose not. What else?”

Junon quickly embraced Renias.

“Hehe. Pat my head too?”

*Pat pat*

“And rub my back a little.”

*Rub rub*

“Mmm! Energy fully recharged. I feel all better now. Just two more things and we’re good.”

It seemed strange that her mood could improve with just this.

But Renias genuinely looked fine.

“Are you… really okay with this? I might have been using you.”

“You might think so, but I don’t feel used by you. Because when you comforted me, that was genuine, wasn’t it?”

With a smile that could make anyone happy, she tightened her arms around his waist and said:

“And if you had lied, I would have noticed right away. I’m actually pretty good at detecting that sort of thing.”

An undeniable reason.

In reality, Renias was very perceptive about lies, which was why Junon had tried to deflect.

“The rest is… I want you to rely on me a bit. Don’t suffer alone anymore.”

She didn’t want to know the truth.

But she also didn’t consider what she faced to be a lie.

What an absurd consideration. She, Renias, was…

An angel.

‘Yes. I can tell Renias at least…’

To her, who had endured for four days knowing these countermeasures were intentional, Junon revealed:

“Soon, twice as many monsters as this will appear.”

He shared the knowledge that only he, as a regressor, possessed.