episode_0042

Reversion.

Asel knew that word very well.

One of the Ultra-Grade Time Magics. A Heaven-defying technique that reverses the world’s timeline, returning everything to the past. Therefore, it was forbidden, a miracle of God existing only in theory. An area that even the Time Wizards said to have existed in the past could not reach.

Grace was saying that she had directly experienced such a miracle.

Some deny the possibility of Reversion itself. They don’t believe the fact that such a ridiculous thing happened. It was an even harder story to believe if the person claiming Reversion was a swordsman, not a Transcendent or a High-Level Sorcerer.

But Asel did not dismiss her words.

Ridiculous stories. Such preposterous talk that isn’t even worth listening to. A secret that you cannot hope for anyone’s understanding, that you must keep to yourself.

Asel already had one such secret.

‘As someone who has memories of a past life, I can’t simply deny Reversion.’

So, instead of agonizing over the possibility of Reversion, he first thought about the connection between Reversion and Grace’s actions.

Acting like she knew him at the first meeting. Blabbering about being a mercenary, swords, etc. at the second meeting. And calling Saya the Fox of Disorder (擾狐). If she said all of this by referencing her experiences in the previous loop, it was understandable. It meant these were not words said out of the blue, without any background or basis.

However, all these things required the background explanation that she was a ‘reversioner’. To someone who knew nothing, it would only sound like a madman’s nonsense.

Asel himself, before she revealed the fact that she was a reversioner, didn’t he see her as mentally ill?

“……”

A secret that cannot be revealed to others.

A fact known only to oneself can become a dagger, but sometimes it becomes a curse that gnaws at you. Looking at her unstable appearance alone, one could tell in which direction the secret of Reversion acted for Grace.

Reversion and past lives were topics that, if revealed, were likely to be treated as mental illness. However, in the case of a past life, it was a story from another world largely irrelevant to the present, so there was no need to tell others about it.

Unless you used it as a joke occasionally. There is no reason to reveal the fact that you are a past-life possessor while showing off knowledge from another world, except in specific cases.

On the other hand, Reversion was deeply connected to the present. The past events that Grace had experienced all became current events, and to prevent the same tragedy from happening, she had to run around like crazy.

In that process, she could not hope for others’ understanding, nor could she vent the pent-up feelings inside. She just silently prepared for the coming end.

One could tell which would inflict more severe damage on the mind without even having to think hard. Asel let out a low hum and gazed at Grace.

“Huu…… Haa……”

Grace was looking down at the floor, breathing heavily. She was trembling with anxiety, having revealed that she was a reversioner, perhaps fearing Asel’s distrust or contempt. The reason was Asel’s brief silence to collect his thoughts.

So, as soon as Asel had somewhat collected his thoughts, he immediately opened his mouth.

“Grace.”

“……! Uh, yeah.”

Grace snapped her head up and met Asel’s gaze.

Their reflections were visible in each other’s pupils.

Grace tried her best not to avoid Asel’s eyes, but she couldn’t stop her head from turning to the side.

If he were to say words that denied her, she probably wouldn’t be able to look him straight in the eye. And she would live like that forever from now on.

It was the worst possible outcome. But if that was Asel’s choice…… she intended to accept it humbly.

But the terrible words she had imagined did not come out of Asel’s mouth. Instead, with a slight smile, he casually uttered in a gentle voice.

“You worked hard.”

“……Huh?”

“I don’t know how long it’s been since you reverted, but it probably wasn’t easy passing that time until now. You went through a lot.”

“……You believe me?”

Grace asked with wide eyes. Asel smiled and nodded.

“There’s no reason not to believe you. And I also…… have a similar secret.”

“That you’re a past-life possessor?”

“……How did you know?”

“You told me. In the previous loop.”

“……”

She said they were married, so did he tell her even that? Asel scratched his head unnecessarily and went to sit beside Grace. Grace’s body flinched, but she did not move away.

Anyway, what was important right now was the story about Grace’s Reversion. It seemed better to have a conversation about the past life later.

Asel thought that and opened his mouth.

“Anyway, I believe you. Don’t worry too much.”

“……Thank you. Really, thank you so much.”

Along with her answer, Grace began to shed tears profusely. It was a natural reaction that occurred as the tension and anxiety she had been holding slowly melted away. Asel patted her shoulder and waited for Grace to calm down.

Just when he thought she had stopped, she began sobbing again, so the wait lasted quite a while. But Asel didn’t show any sign of annoyance and killed time by thinking various thoughts to himself.

How much time had passed like that? Grace, who had been sniffling, turned her head towards Asel and spoke in a voice wet with tears.

“……I, I’m okay now. I’ve calmed down. And…… I’ll say it again. Thank you for believing me.”

“Okay.”

Asel chuckled and took his hand off her shoulder. At that, Grace twitched the corners of her eyes as if regretting it. This had happened before, but this time Asel could clearly understand where her reaction came from.

The person she had married before reverting. In a situation where he didn’t remember her and it was impossible to act as before, it was perhaps natural for her to be pleased with even a little physical contact.

Maybe she was suppressing her desires and urges somehow during ordinary times.

The kiss on his neck when she was drunk must have been because those urges were suppressed and finally flowed back.

He could understand. Asel himself felt a pang in his chest just imagining Enna not remembering him and acting outright hostile or treating him like a stranger. Grace was experiencing such an imagination as reality.

He could fully understand how painful it was without even having to gauge it.

However, separate from understanding, he could not act as she wished.

‘After all, I’m not the person she knew.’

It was a regrettable thing, but that was reality. If they had reverted together with memories, it would be different. The current Asel had to live his own life. Becoming neither one thing nor the other, bound by the memories of a reversioner, was something he wanted to avoid.

“How did you revert?”

Asel asked. Grace was silent for a moment before answering.

“I don’t know. After fighting a demon, you died first, and I was left to struggle, my neck was cut, and when I came to my senses, I was home. Specifically, I opened my eyes in the already ruined Baidel Mansion in the Empire.”

“Wait a minute.”

Asel’s eyes snapped open, hearing something completely unbelievable. He looked at Grace and continued speaking with a serious expression.

“The Empire is ruined? It’s going to fall?”

“……Yes. The Demon of Plague descends, and 40% of the Empire’s population dies from illness. It’s not just the Empire. The entire continent suffers from the plague, and the overall population drastically decreases. The land also rots away completely.”

“……Huh.”

Asel let out a hollow laugh.

The current era was an age of peace that had come for the first time after the Race War and the Holy War against Demons. Decades had passed since wars between nations occurred, and different races were living together in harmony without encroaching upon each other’s territories.

Demon worshippers or Birshia, the group to which criminals belonged, occasionally caused chaos, but their influence was not as significant as in the past. There were no signs suggesting a great upheaval that would engulf the entire continent.

But now, suddenly, the Demon of Plague descends and overturns the continent. The powerful Empire collapses instantly, the entire continent becomes corrupted land, and the population is halved.

Is this even plausible?

“Is that definite information?”

“It’s not information. I experienced it.”

“……”

“Originally, it’s something that happens after graduating from the academy, but in this loop, the demon worshippers started acting earlier than before. Perhaps…… things might break out even before graduation.”

“Damn it.”

Asel already knew that demon worshippers had started their activities. Didn’t Enna herself receive a summons from the alliance precisely because they were rampant near Weheim?

It was something he hadn’t paid much attention to at the time, but after hearing Grace’s words, various possibilities began to flood his mind. Asel frowned deeply, worrying about Enna’s safety.

“……Can it be stopped?”

“……There are precursors. If livestock suddenly die from illness in a certain village, or an entire village suffers from the plague, it means the descent is partially completed, even if not fully.”

“We have to target that time?”

“Yes. Stopping the descent is impossible. You have to kill it when it appears imperfectly like that.”

“The Saint Kingdom will have to help.”

Asel said.

Historically, demon subjugation battles were led by the Saint Kingdom. This is because their unique holy power is effective against demons. However, conversely, the demons’ demonic energy is also a fatal poison to clerics, so they required external personnel to weaken the demons’ power.

“Other demons besides the Demon of Plague?”

“The plague is the starting point, and they keep pouring in. The last two to appear among them.”

“……”

“Charity and Possibility.”

Possibility.

The moment Asel heard that word, he felt his heart pound once. The sensation of having heard something he shouldn’t have. The feeling that his instincts were screaming that he must not get involved with that. He furrowed his brow deeply and covered his chest with his hand.

“Unlike Charity, which killed almost all the remaining survivors, Possibility didn’t carry out slaughter separately. Instead, it seemed to be doing some kind of work, moving around different parts of the continent… Asel? Are you okay?!”

Grace stopped mid-sentence and asked urgently, seeing Asel clutching his chest. Asel immediately nodded.

“I’m okay. It doesn’t hurt. It just… feels weird.”

“What feels weird?”

“……I don’t know either.”

It wasn’t a lie.

Unlike his instincts which were wildly agitated, his reason was utterly calm. There were no strange phenomena in his body or mind, and his mana flow was all normal.

Then, what on earth was that?

“……”

He thought about it, but no answer came. For it to be vague fear of demons, only the word ‘Possibility’ caused his body to react. He felt nothing towards other demons.

Even when he thought about the Demon of Possibility again, his body, which had reacted once, no longer felt any sensation from that word. It was like having a nightmare and waking up.

‘…I’ll have to investigate.’

Asel thought so and took his hand away.

He shook off the thoughts for now. It was right to focus on the conversation with Grace at the moment.

“To change the subject, anyway, it means the Demon of Plague is the beginning of everything.”

“……That’s right. But there’s nothing special we can do other than subjugating demon worshippers or disrupting rituals.”

“So that means we have to wait until the precursors appear.”

“Yes. T-though, the loop I experienced and the current loop are different in many ways, so maybe the Demon of Plague won’t appear. There wasn’t even the terror that was supposed to happen at the entrance ceremony.”

“Those things always seem to return in a worse form.”

“……”

The words she spoke to reassure him a little hit the nail on the head. Grace pouted her lips and slumped her upper body.

Asel watched her and let out a small laugh.

They had been talking in a serious atmosphere until now, but the conclusion was that there was nothing special to do but wait.

If more time passed and something different from Grace’s memories appeared, they might be able to act, but not yet. It was right to live normally until the precursors appeared on the continent.

Of course, they couldn’t not prepare at all. They had to maintain their daily lives while preparing even a little.

However, since they couldn’t do anything right away either way, Asel spoke in a slightly brighter voice to lighten the heavy atmosphere a little.

“Well, anyway, worrying about it right now will only give us a headache. I think it’s better to focus on academy life while preparing.”

“……Is that so?”

“Becoming stronger is the urgent matter. Great Mage. Gotta achieve that quickly.”

Asel said that and smiled, then tilted his head slightly at a sudden thought.

“Speaking of which, Grace. You said I used a sword in the previous loop, right?”

“Yes. You were just like me. Moreover, you were so good you could almost perfectly imitate sword techniques you’d seen once, and you were famous as a Mage Hunter for cutting or twisting wizards’ mana.”

“Hmm… Do you have a sword?”

“It’s in the dorm. Should I bring it?”

Grace asked with a faint smile on her face. Asel chuckled and nodded.

A moment later, Grace returned from the dorm carrying a sword. Asel immediately drew the sword and began swinging it with utmost concentration.

He swung down from above, and then sliced diagonally upwards.

Just that made Asel’s muscles tremble slightly. Asel secretly activated Strength Enhancement Magic while watching Grace. And then he continued to swing the sword.

As time passed like that, the face of Grace, which had been full of anticipation, began to crumple.

The sword technique was a mess. The blade was shaking unstably, and the tip was vibrating slightly. It meant he wasn’t holding it properly.

His swings were also incredibly clumsy, and he seemed to be imitating something, but it was impossible to guess what.

Eventually, unable to watch anymore, Grace directly showed him basic sword techniques and instructed him to imitate them, but Asel couldn’t even do that properly. If the room had been small, the wall or the bed would have been cut down long ago.

“……Asel.”

Finally, Grace spoke first. She looked at Asel, who was wiping away cold sweat, and tightly closed her eyes.

“Let’s not learn the sword. You have no talent.”

“No, you said I used a sword in the previous loop. Isn’t this me doing well?”

“Not at all. Let’s just keep using magic.”

Grace’s voice was very firm as she said that, so Asel could only nod with a reluctant expression. He put the sword he was holding back into its sheath and handed it to Grace.

“I should have known when you, who couldn’t use magic at all, became a wizard.”

“I couldn’t use magic at all?”

Asel asked, sitting next to Grace.

He could barely even imagine himself being unable to use magic.

“You were good at sensing and cutting off mana, but you couldn’t actually use magic. You gave up quickly after trying to learn it.”

“That friend Asel. Is that really me? No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like it.”

“It’s the same person. That much is certain.”

Grace said that, and then with a playful expression, she said.

“Or maybe I should tell you our pet name? Then you’ll definitely know?”

“……Glenn?”

“Eek…! …Ahem. Not that. The name I called you.”

“Even if you tell me, I won’t know.”

“No, you will know. Because it’s the name from your past life.”

“……What?”

The moment Asel’s eyes widened and he asked back, Grace spoke first.

“Syhyuk.”

“……”

“Right? Lee Syhyuk Oppa? You told me.”

Grace smiled faintly and said that, but Asel’s mind was not focused on her.

The name from his past life.

It was something Asel did not know.

The contents lost among the memories of his past life included his name and age. Thanks to that, today was the first time Asel had heard his past life’s name.

If so, why did he know his past life’s name before reverting, but not now? Since Grace called him “Oppa”, it meant she knew his age too, but why doesn’t he know his age now?

What was the difference? What on earth was the turning point?

“……”

Questions followed one after another like a chain. His head throbbed, and his chest felt tight. But he didn’t stop thinking. He struggled to not miss the questions that arose, repeating self-inquiry and answer.

Then he arrived at a single conclusion.

“……Ha.”

Grace’s Reversion. Or something equivalent to it.

And his mostly lost memories of his past life.

These things signified one thing.

‘Price.’

The price for sending Grace to the past, or somewhere. That was the memory of the existence named ‘Syhyuk’.

The moment Asel realized that.

Crack!!

Along with the sound of tree roots rapidly growing in his head, he felt someone’s gaze.

But it disappeared instantly. There was no time to confirm.

He turned his head in a hurry, but all he saw was the empty corner of the room.

“……”

Asel’s eyes settled coldly.