Ch.8Chapter 8: Development

#

Excel Bernstein.

That’s the name of the guy who’s currently resting his hand on my shoulder and speaking to me playfully.

He was a childhood friend who spent his early years with Shizu.

And as I mentioned earlier, this damned childhood friend of mine, who’s about my age, has already been designated as the heir to the Bernstein family, renowned for their spear techniques.

“What brings you out? I thought you’d still be holed up in the infirmary, sulking after getting knocked out by Lily.”

…He’s notorious for being a troublemaker with an unrivaled talent for sarcasm since the cradle.

His manner of speech doesn’t discriminate based on status or rank.

If someone shows their teeth to him first, he doesn’t hesitate to break their spirit by delivering even greater pain with a voice full of mischief.

His eloquence was so impressive that hardly anyone could beat him in a war of words.

His reputation for verbal prowess grew so enormous over time that people said his main weapon wasn’t the Bernstein spear technique but his sharp tongue.

And in this cradle, the one who suffered most from his verbal attacks was me in the previous timeline.

He was the one who tried to correct me when I, consumed by inferiority, said harsh things to Shizu, making her cry as she awakened incredible abilities before my eyes and took a huge step toward becoming a hero.

Back then, I would charge headlong at anyone who provoked me, regardless of whether I had the skills to back it up, and I fought with him many times because I couldn’t acknowledge my own faults when he confronted me.

Thanks to that, this guy who’s now patting my shoulder contributed greatly to my reputation as a mad dog rather than just a failing student during this period.

If I were still the immature, inferiority-complex-ridden version of myself, I might have bared my teeth like a mad dog and charged at him for what he just said.

But hearing his voice after so long, while carrying memories of a timeline only I remember, what I felt was—

-I’m truly glad to know you didn’t become a monster by choice.

Nothing but gladness and regret.

I recall his final moments from my previous life.

Those were his last words to me, smiling as he looked at me after I regained my senses—he who had risked his life to wake me when I lost control of my body, consumed by the overwhelming malice implanted by the Demon God during an unwanted resurrection that turned me into a monster burning the world.

-So this is all you could do in the end… I just hope Lily never finds out what you’re planning to do. Farewell…

As I recalled the anguished voice of my friend who, even while dying, was more concerned about my situation than his own life coming to an end—

The cheerful voice of this guy picking a light fight with me was actually welcome.

“…Hello? Where did the person who was listening go? Am I talking to myself here?”

So as he expressed confusion at not receiving my usual retort—

Instead of a sharp comeback—

“I was thinking in the infirmary for a bit.”

I responded to his light provocation with a much softer voice than usual.

“Oh… you actually thinking? That’s new.”

…Still, trying not to get swept up in his pace—

“Don’t interrupt and be quiet. Anyway, after doing some thinking, I realized that staying cooped up in there feeling depressed wouldn’t do me any good, so I came out to get some fresh air.”

I deflected with appropriate words what could have turned me into a pirate in a barrel, screaming and crying if poked wrong.

“Oh?”

Finding my response quite curious, Excel examined me with an intrigued expression.

“Hmm… You look like my childhood friend Karl Lanos, but you’re talking like a completely different person. It’s confusing.”

Facing his expression of interest and surprise, I calmly opened my mouth.

“There was something you once said to me.”

“I’ve said so many things, not just one or two. Tell me which one.”

“Inferiority is not fuel that drives me forward, but a mace that kills me.”

I needed to show that I was no longer a ghost possessed by inferiority.

“Excel.”

After calling my friend’s name with a more composed voice—

“You were right.”

I acknowledged that his sharp advice to my past self had been correct.

Though surprise flashed across his face at an attitude my past self would never have shown—

*Grin*

He, Excel, immediately curved his lips into a pleased smile and—

*Pat pat*

After patting my shoulder firmly with his thick hand—

“You punk. It makes me feel good that you finally understand what your big brother’s been saying.”

He showed off behavior unbecoming of a noble family’s son and joked around.

Though the hand patting my shoulder was heavy, I could feel a subtle tremor in his voice that was happy his friend had come to his senses, so I—

“Acting like you’re my big brother. My birthday comes before yours, you know?”

I responded appropriately with some flippancy before his voice could tremble more.

I judged that exchanging playful banter as usual suited us better than a voice rejoicing in a friend’s change.

“I’m still mentally older than someone who just declared he won’t be consumed by inferiority anymore. Show some respect, punk.”

But did I act too submissively?

I can see this guy’s suddenly getting high and mighty.

I should cut him down to size.

Fortunately, even though Excel has impressive eloquence and martial prowess that overwhelms me, I know a method that, when used occasionally, can render him completely immobile before me.

And I’m about to use that method now.

The usage is simple.

First—

*Ahem*

After lightly clearing my throat—

I bring my face close to his ear so only he can hear—

“What? Are you trying to pay respects to your big brother?”

To my friend who still hasn’t grasped the situation and continues to show pride, in a very small voice—

“…I’d rather go back to the main house and bow deeply to my sister than call a bed-wetter my big brother.”

This is how I bring up his dark history that only I know.

…This is absolutely not petty revenge for all the verbal abuse I’ve suffered from him.

“Hey… you…”

The words I delivered in a small voice only Excel could hear were extremely effective.

Though he didn’t shout, Excel glared at me with a face that was turning red, then roughly sat down beside me—

“Hey… can I sit here?”

“You should ask that before sitting down, not… well, it is your seat anyway, so go ahead.”

“…Right.”

Having taken a big hit from me, Excel seemed quite shocked, and his voice, though not severely, carried a gloomy tone as he sat down.

“Karl.”

“What?”

“That…”

“I know. I know. I’ll never tell my sister about it.”

“Thanks, friend… I’ve only got you.”

Nothing silences a noisy friend more effectively than bringing up their dark history.

Especially when you threaten to tell the person they have a crush on—the effect is even greater.

This is how my reunion with my long-unseen friend and rival continued, with us landing blows on each other.

#

Excel, seated in his designated spot next to me, stared intently at the arena where the finals would soon take place, saying nothing as if he wanted to focus on the upcoming match.

‘He’s going to burn a hole in the arena at this rate.’

The shock of taking a hit from me must have been significant, as Excel’s gaze toward the arena contained a strange resentment that made it extremely sharp.

Having given the disease, it’s now time to provide the medicine.

“Since I’m always eliminated in the first round, it’s normal for me, but how does it feel to watch the tournament from that designated seat for the first time in your academy life?”

I humbly lowered myself like this to appropriately boost Excel’s mood.

“Hmm.”

Pleased by my appropriately humble attitude, Excel cleared his throat once, relaxed his expression, and—

“Since it’s my first time, I don’t feel much. It’s just that occasionally days like this should happen when I’m used to making it to the end every time.”

He turned his gaze from the arena to me while delivering words that could be either humble or arrogant.

For reference—

The seat Excel is sitting in is indeed his rightful place.

In the previous timeline, he wouldn’t have sat in this seat during the tournament period until he left the cradle.

These VIP seats at the tournament are also arranged for the eliminated scions of noble families to observe the matches of others while engaging in cold self-reflection.

Starting from the first round, through numerous matches, the seats fill one by one.

By the time the semi-finals end and before the finals begin, all seats except one or two have owners.

This tournament is the same.

Shizu’s seat remains empty.

And now, Excel’s seat—which was considered most likely to remain without an owner until the end of the tournament besides Shizu’s—also has its owner.

‘Dan Augustine.’

Unlike the previous timeline, I turned my gaze to another empty seat that remained vacant along with Shizu’s until the end.

‘A battle mage specializing in both hand-to-hand combat and space-time control spells.’

I recalled details about the owner of the empty seat.

‘Though he was strong, his awakening was unstable at this time, so he shouldn’t have been a match for Excel.’

I’m uneasy.

The events I remember from the previous timeline are unfolding differently.

That’s why I needed to know anything I could.

“Excel, let me ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“In the semi-finals…”

*Flinch*

I hadn’t even asked in detail, but Excel’s shoulders trembled slightly.

It was an uncharacteristic reaction for someone who was the heir to one of the three great martial families supporting the Human Empire and who typically showed magnanimity about winning or losing.

“…Go ahead and ask.”

However, Excel quickly suppressed his agitation and prepared to answer my question.

I immediately asked to understand how this deviation from the previous timeline had occurred.

“I heard you lost by ring-out.”

“That’s right.”

“Do you remember how the ring-out happened?”

“Most of those gossiping in the stands earlier were saying I got taken out in one hit, but it wasn’t like that.”

“Not one hit?”

“I launched Myriad Lightning Flash thinking to end it quickly, but Dan dodged it all, then used a major technique and lightly pushed my body when I had an opening, sending me flying out of bounds…”

I see.

Not one hit.

Just ended with a single gesture.

“…Huh.”

Seeing my bewildered expression after hearing about this incomprehensible situation, Excel said—

“You don’t understand it either, right? I don’t understand it myself.”

He wore an unsatisfied expression suggesting he also couldn’t comprehend the semi-final results.

“…Maybe you used Single Lightning Flash instead of Myriad Lightning Flash?”

“On my honor, that’s absolutely not the case.”

“If you’re putting your honor on it, I believe you.”

Though it was just a brief explanation of the situation, I began to grasp something.

‘Dan, who awakened space-time control magic, later mastered a secret technique that completely stops time in a limited area.’

Frozen time.

The ultimate technique of space-time control magic that stops time for all living beings within a limited area except for the caster himself.

It’s an extremely risky technique that Dan Augustine used at the cost of his own life during the early stages of the Second Demon God Invasion to save his comrades who were in mortal danger from the approaching army of malice.

‘It’s different.’

Completely stopping time in a wide specific area—

And dodging consecutive spear strikes so fast they resemble flashes of light might seem related to space-time control, but—

‘From my perspective, it seems more like he enhanced his dynamic vision to the extreme through body strengthening techniques to dodge.’

But there’s another issue with that—

‘Dan was unskilled with fighting spirit utilization, so rather than using body strengthening techniques, he was the type to cast buffs for close combat.’

As my concerns deepened over these unanswerable questions—

-Thank you for your patience! The finals that will crown this tournament are about! To! Begin!!!

The calm atmosphere conducive to further thought was disrupted.

The primary cause was the booming voice of Professor Maximilian Chronos, the Flame Adjuster, the tournament’s announcer and officially ranked second among the cradle’s institutional officials.

-Wooooaaaahhhh!!

The thunderous cheers of the audience responding to Professor Maximilian’s voice, regardless of where they were seated, robbed me of the coolness needed for clear thought.

“…Too late.”

The information I received from Excel wasn’t enough to understand the cause of the first deviation I’d encountered after traveling back in time.

I’m anxious.

I’m anxious about the current situation unfolding so differently from my memories of the past.

But sitting in the stands, what I can do is extremely limited.

I can only pray.

Pray that Dan simply gained different special abilities than in the previous timeline.

Pray that Shizu will win this final match without any problems, just like in the previous timeline.

But…

“…Shit.”

I jumped up from my seat and rushed toward the arena, lamenting that my prayers had been mercilessly trampled.

Because I saw something appearing in the air above Dan Augustine’s head as he emerged from the far end and calmly entered the arena.

A very familiar geometric pattern.

The Bloody Pentagram.

It’s a mark possessed by only a select few among the high-ranking demons who serve as the Demon God’s limbs.

Why?

Why have you appeared here, in this timeline where you shouldn’t exist?

My legs, filled with suspicion and urgency, moved hastily.

While also aiming to confirm whether that person is really Dan or a demon wearing Dan’s skin.