episode_0034

And in the poor back alleys of the Empire, dusk settles beautifully.

And today, in a corner of the back alley, the day fading with the dusk was exceptionally beautiful.

“So, Mirha Noona, once upon a time, I went to the mountains and caught an incredibly huge bear…!”

“Hehe, what’s that~ Rinaldo is a braggart.”

First, the atmosphere among the children, who had become close and were chatting affectionately, was bright,

“Wow… so I’m going to greet Ras’s mother-nim today? I’m so nervous!”

and Ms. Rosalie, who was shyly clinging to my side, was beautiful,

“Me too… take me too…! Take me too…!”

and Pisces, who was clinging slightly behind me and whining to be taken along, was cute.

After the commotion at the orphanage during the day, we sorted out the situation and gathered together, heading towards Etgard Manor.

Before heading back down to Leone, I wanted to have a meal with my family, but I couldn’t just leave Ms. Rosalie to eat dinner alone.

Ms. Rosalie was rather pleased to be invited to Etgard Manor, and Pisces immediately followed along before I could even say anything.

And Mirha… actually, before I could even invite her, our Rinaldo invited her to dinner with sparkling eyes…!

It seemed our youngest had completely fallen for the pretty and mysterious Mirha.

Anyway, in Mirha’s case, to stabilize her changed constitution, she needed a doctor and me for a while, so I had to keep her by my side.

Since things turned out this way, I might as well take her and feed her lots of delicious food.

*

“Ras! What do you mean by bringing guests without any notice? What are we to do when we couldn’t properly prepare a meal for them?”

I was being scolded by my mother after a long time.

Come to think of it, my mother’s hometown is in the northern part of the Empire…

She came from a region that strictly adheres to the custom where the mistress of the house always personally serves the food when guests visit.

Of course, apart from my mother’s scolding, dinner was excellent.

My mother is an excellent cook, so anything she made was delicious.

“Oh my..! It’s too delicious, Mother-nim. I’ve been to many highly-rated restaurants in the capital recently, but today’s is the best.”

“Thank you. You’re Ras’s academy professor-nim, aren’t you? Thank you so much for taking good care of the child when he was so sick.”

Ms. Rosalie waved her hand at my slightly flustered mother, showering praise on the food, and soon began to chat amicably with my mother.

Come to think of it, Ms. Rosalie and Mother are roughly three years apart in age…?

Mother married at a young age, and Rinaldo was born almost immediately after the marriage, so she was still in her mid-thirties.

Since Ms. Rosalie is roughly in her early thirties… Anyway, seeing her like this, it felt a little strange from my perspective, as I sometimes refer to Ms. Rosalie as ‘Health Mama’.

“Ah, um… Is the meal not to your liking, perhaps?”

My mother, who had been having a light conversation with Ms. Rosalie, carefully asked, looking at Pisces, who was groaning without even thinking of taking off her bird-beak mask.

Anyway, because of her shyness, she caused such a fuss to come along, but now she’s timid and can’t even think of taking off her mask.

According to Pisces from the past, she’s like moss in the shade and withers in a cheerful, sunny atmosphere…

But in this life, this fellow must live not as the back-alley king’s strategist, but as a subordinate of Ras Etgard, an academy honor student.

“This is Pisces, my subordinate. She’s a bit shy, but she’s not a bad kid. Take off your mask quickly and eat too.”

“Ugh..! Alright. Um… I’ll really take off the mask…?”

Everyone seemed curious about Pisces’ bare face, which had been hidden by the bird-beak mask, and their gazes instantly converged.

“Hehe… Hello, everyone…”

Upon seeing the young and cute face of the beautiful girl that was revealed, everyone applauded.

“Wow!! Goodness, why did you cover such a pretty face with a mask? Oh my, you’re so cute…”

Ms. Rosalie, in particular, found Pisces extremely cute. She quickly took the slightly intimidated girl, who had been clinging to my back, to her side and began to chatter.

“I’m Rosalie Berhart. Don’t just be close with Ras; let’s be good friends from now on, Pisces-ssi~”

“Yes… Hehehe…”

Well, that’s good.

Anyway, the warm and delicious dinner continued leisurely.

Regrettably, Father could not attend this gathering.

He had left the manor to prepare for a discreet severing of ties with the Duchy of Valencia after our conversation, and most importantly, to resolve the urgent Kashroom issue.

Without me having to give detailed instructions, Father would likely manage to discreetly cut ties with Valencia.

“Mirha seems sleepy. Mirha, shall you sleep with Big Sister today?”

“Yes…”

The parlor, where conversation had bloomed after dinner, was slowly preparing to close as the night deepened.

“Heidi, have you prepared everything for our guests to stay overnight? Please show them to their rooms. Ras, stay a moment and let’s talk.”

“Alright. Rinaldo, it’s late, so go to bed quickly. He’s been up since dawn today and is too sleepy to think straight.”

Somehow, the others left, and only Mother and I remained in the parlor.

It’s been a very long time since Mother and I had a private conversation like this.

“…So things didn’t work out with Lizley? I didn’t really have time to talk to that person properly…”

“Well… those things happen when you’re meeting people. Lizley was a bit nasty, so I thought it better to break up. A woman’s heart is always the most important thing.”

My mother chuckled and continued.

“Yes. Honestly, Mother wishes that both you and Rinaldo would marry for love, rather than for family status or anything like that. Like me.”

If I had followed those words in my past life, would everyone have been able to avoid unhappiness?

Well, whatever happened in the past, it wasn’t my concern anyway.

“I did love Lizley… but things change, I suppose. Anyway… from now on, Father will probably pay more attention to Rinaldo than to me, who has no talent for being the head of the merchant group.”

“Hmm… It seems Mother’s disappointment was quite obvious. Honestly, it’s a bit embarrassing, isn’t it?”

Before my regression, what tormented my mother the most was Father’s excessive indifference towards young Rinaldo.

It wasn’t so much that Father didn’t cherish our youngest, but rather that he didn’t see him as the child who would directly inherit the family.

From his appearance and actual age, Rinaldo was just a child.

But I know.

That my naive younger brother is far sharper than me when it comes to business.

He was quick with calculations and surprisingly had a good eye for instinctively recognizing valuable items.

“Well… it’s not like Mother specifically showed it… it’s just that I’m observant. Anyway, I don’t really intend to inherit the merchant group… I plan to just ride on my brother’s coattails later and use his money.”

“You don’t need to give up too much. You are the legitimate heir, and you have legitimate rights to the family…”

“I plan to go out and start a new family anyway, so the Etgard Merchant Group holds no particular merit for me. So, Mother, please help Rinaldo and Father well.”

Mother nodded at my words.

Then, as if a thought suddenly struck her, she clapped her hands and asked,

“That’s right. So… who is it?”

“…??”

Mother smiled sweetly at my bewildered face and said,

“I’m curious who your lover is among the two. Is it perhaps the academy teacher? She’s pretty, elegant, and kind… though the dark-haired lady is also cute and pretty…”

“Both.”

“…!”

To Mother’s foolish question [愚問], I gave a wise answer [賢答].

Both Ms. Rosalie and Pisces are mine in this life.

There might be others, but anyway, they’re all mine.

[Splendid. A man must always have great ambition…!]

After transplanting Mirha’s ice flower, my vigorous masculinity, having recovered its function, seemed to be proudly encouraging me from the side.

With the wise resolve that persuasion and such matters could be thought about when the time came, I bid my mother farewell and left.

*

“Alright, I’ve washed. Finally, the long-awaited alone time…!”

Having showered thoroughly, I sat on my bed.

My heart was pounding at the thought of having my happy alone time now.

“Heart hot, head cold…”

After sitting cross-legged, I drew my breath all the way down to my lower abdomen.

Simultaneously, I concentrated all the consciousnesses present in every organ of my body to the brain, the highest point where the mind’s image manifests.

Imagining the gentle and warm room within my mind… Now, shall I take a look at how the scenery has changed?

….

The room of my mind’s image had grown a little.

The scenery within the mind’s image, which was a small, enclosed room when first constructed, had expanded quite a bit to become a house with a yard.

In the yard, two children who looked like brothers were playing together affectionately.

“Brother! When you do a straight punch, you should hold something in your hand.”

“Little brother, it’s better to formally train your grip strength than to do it that way.”

The little kids were giving each other advice on fighting methods or something… Anyway, since I was their owner, these residents of my mind’s image were also bizarre.

“Just make sure to light the fire well. I’ll do the punching. Anyway, looking at you two like this, you’re quite cute.”

When I approached and spoke to them, they fiercely criticized me.

“He’s here…! The stupid owner who won’t even give us names.”

“If we don’t build bonds among ourselves, then with whom will we build them? You man who only likes women…!”

Since they were spouting nonsense, I gave them a knuckle punch each, leaving big bumps on their heads, and they whined and cried.

“Sniffle sniffle…! To be a bad and strong fellow…!”

“Ugh… A man’s revenge is prepared for ten years, they say. Little brother, let’s train hard and hit this guy.”

Sigh…

It was a cozy sight, unimaginable before my regression when my mind’s image was so fierce it was practically hell itself.

Typically, those who reach the realm of the mind’s image grow by conversing and communicating with the core of their mind’s image, which is the source of their inner world.

Semere did that, as did the ruler of Kashmir before Semere, and all those who were called heroes or sages were likely the same.

In my case, I didn’t follow a step-by-step course but reached this realm in an irregular way, so there was no such process.

I threw myself into my mind’s image like dog food, and probably, by the time my revenge was over, I would have died without the power to burn through my mind’s image, unable to live long.

Therefore, I was always unstable and couldn’t complete a proper mind’s image realm until I obtained the Nine Heavens Extinction Flame Art.

It was as if I patched up a weak foundation with a peerless demonic art that, despite its great risks, guaranteed immense power.

Anyway, since the start is so good in this life, won’t the direction also proceed in a better and more righteous way?

First, I should check how the new resident is doing.

“Let’s see… There it is. The ice house already looks good.”

I found the ice house standing white in the corner of the yard.

“Inside that house is a very white and pretty girl. But I can’t go near her because she might melt.”

“That’s a lie. Brother just can’t go because he’s shy. I already went and greeted her~ She even shyly waved back at me~”

I picked up the two bickering flame-children by the scruff of their necks, like kittens, and went to the front of the ice house.

“She won’t melt. Nothing will happen to her unless you two act up together. The owner of the ice house isn’t some pushover.”

Hearing my voice, the owner of the ice house peeked out and then came out of the house.

A girl with white hair and blue eyes, entirely resembling the white and blue of winter.

“Hello. Hello to you two as well.”

The girl quietly greeted me and the flame-children with a polite face and posture.

Living with three people in one house felt a bit cluttered, but I’m magnanimous enough, so it’s fine.

“Give us names quickly. Hey, you can’t just keep calling us ‘this guy’ and ‘that guy.’ Bonds are important when cultivating the mind’s image.”

The mischievous-looking child grumbled at me.

This one is probably a remnant of something where the Nine Heavens Extinction Flame Art and my mind’s image were mixed, carried over with my regression.

“My brother is right. We three are beings who have reached a kind of extreme, so control is important.”

They’re right, but… what name would they like?

As I pondered for a moment, Semere’s voice replayed in my mind.

‘Just by looking, there’s a name that comes to mind as if by fate. If you are the true master of the mind’s image, you won’t fail to give a name.’

Alright, first… ladies first…

The white-haired girl is clearly easy to name.

“Snow Flower [雪花]. You are Snow Flower.”

“Yes. It’s a name so obvious it makes you yawn, but it’s good to have one, I suppose.”

She’ll only come to her senses if she gets names like Samsuni or Sundori, honestly [Samsuni and Sundori are common, plain names, often used for pets or simple characters, implying a lack of sophistication.].

I shook my head and then looked at the mischievous younger brother, who was now gazing at me with subtle expectation.

This one’s name is also decided.

“Rakshasa [羅刹].”

This was the name written at the very end of the Nine Heavens Extinction Flame Art’s secret manual.

Perhaps it was a nickname given by the people of that era to the person who created the Nine Heavens Extinction Flame Art?

Fortunately, this one seemed satisfied with his name.

And… my flame, newly forged in this life.

“No Name [無名].”

“You said you’d give us a name, but what does ‘No Name’ even mean?”

I explained my reasoning to the grumbling and questioning fellow.

“Because you have no name, you can be anything. Understand my desire to pursue freedom, unbound by limitations.”

“Hmm… I see. So you don’t want to be bound by one woman, which is why you’re flirting with so many…”

After hitting the talkative fellow one more time, I asked what I was curious about.

“Right, Snow Flower. What exactly are the memories you held inside? Is Mirha a regressor like me?”

Snow Flower shook her head and answered my question.

“They were just frozen and remained. I don’t know how the logic works, but a mind’s image doesn’t easily fade.”

“Don’t think too complicatedly. Regression isn’t a big deal; you’ve returned, so enjoy it. Like a flame.”

Rakshasa added with a mischievous grin from the side, and I decided to stop thinking more deeply.

At the same time, the world began to slightly distort.

“Next time, I hope the owner becomes much stronger so that the mind’s image realm can be maintained for longer. I recommend maintaining a good balance.”

Leaving No Name’s chattering advice behind, I exited the mind’s image realm.

“Maintain balance… Right, Snow Flower needs to act as a rein right now, so she really needs to grow stronger.”

To keep my body and mind, which act wildly whenever I use the Nine Heavens Extinction Flame Art, in check, the power of the Extreme Yin Constitution must become even stronger than it is now.

To properly cultivate Snow Flower, I would need to find out what kind of magic or martial arts I should learn for a while.