episode_0043

“… … Me?”

“Then what does it look like?”

Chloe and Chloe look at each other.

On one side is Chloe, the dreamer and still a student. She looks extremely bewildered and has eyes of disbelief.

The other side is Chloe in the dream, a grown-up adult unlike now. She didn’t show any reaction to this situation, and her eyes were half-dead.

Chloe shook her head for a moment, then glared at the adult Chloe.

“No, that can’t be true.”

“Really?”

“As expected. Just like in the magic tower───”

“A manifestation of the inner self due to mental magic, curses, or stress?”

“… … … … .”

“That’s obvious. Well, that’s a reasonable thought you can have right now.”

Adult Chloe with dead eyes looks down at Chloe who is wary of her.

He spoke indifferently, his hands in his pockets.

“Then should I just write it like that?”

“… … What?”

“Honestly, this is just a coincidence that no one expected. Of course, I didn’t want it either.”

Adult Chloe’s words were different from what was expected.

If it was part of a mind spell or curse meant to control Chloe, she would have convinced herself here, so why?

For a moment, I thought it might be a lie, but adult Chloe turned around and walked away as if she really had no motivation.

He shouted hurriedly at adult Chloe, who was trying to chase after Adam again.

“Okay, wait a minute!”

“What? Don’t bother me and get out.”

“You’re really me too? It’s not some kind of mental magic or a curse?”

“I told you I don’t believe you. Let’s just leave it at that. Go back now.”

“I told you to wait!”

[Jade Chain]

As Chloe walks away, ignoring her words as if she really finds it annoying, chains rise up from under Chloe’s feet.

This is ultimately a dream space. The subject of the dream is Chloe, and whether it is mental magic or a curse, if Chloe keeps her mind straight, she can overpower anyone.

Even in a dream, it is a situation where Chloe can use all the magic she knows because it is a dream. Of course, even so, Chloe cannot use magic that is beyond her capabilities, but it doesn’t really matter. If the opponent is only mental magic or a curse, she will have no combat ability other than mental interference.

That’s why Chloe used [Jade Binding], one of the most powerful magic she could use.

“Ok-sae-po-bak? It’s obvious, it’s obvious.”

“… … … Huh?”

[Dispel]

[Jade Binding], the highest level of 5-tier magic, can be destroyed with a single gesture.

It wasn’t just because this was a dream. Just now, adult Chloe had clearly used magic as a single entity, not as a mental spell or a curse.

Dispel. A disintegration magic that only works when there is a clear difference in ability between you and your opponent.

If Dispel works on Chloe, a 5th-grade wizard, then there is only one conclusion.

“7th grade? Really?”

“Don’t make such a stupid face when you see me, it’s annoying.”

“Then, you… … .”

Mental magic or curses can be used to enchant a target by imitating an image in a dream. Chloe had already encountered another version of herself in this way in the Magic Tower.

However, beings created in this way can never use magic, have no fighting ability, and can only talk. However, this being before your eyes is clearly different.

A living spirit with a will, not a being created by external factors.

Not only did she have abilities that far surpassed Chloe’s current abilities, but she also had a unique habit that she showed when she used dispel magic just now.

The slight tension in her left elbow just before casting her spell is a very small habit known only to Chloe herself. None of the imitators of her up to now have known that habit.

Soon Chloe came to a conclusion that even she could not believe.

“The future… … me?”

“… … … … .”

It doesn’t make sense. If you think about it, it’s an act that violates many basic laws of magic. Time magic is nonsense that only appears in fairy tales.

But after seeing it in person and becoming convinced, I couldn’t just deny it.

“Huh, how? Has time magic really been developed in the future!?”

“Tsk, I told you. This is a fucking coincidence.”

“Coincidence?”

“You’ve been having the same dream for weeks now, right? The dream of chasing Adam.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

“That’s the influence of the thoughts contained in the Dark Sword. Even so, it’s just a dream in itself and has no meaning beyond that, but when you came into contact with the Dark Sword, my thoughts contained within it met this dream… …and my ego woke up.”

“What?”

Dark Sword? Dream? Thought? Ego?

Chloe was momentarily confused, but soon she was able to understand it more or less.

‘Is it possible that the dream is a kind of physical body, and the spirit that was in that Dark Sword has merged to be able to have a form and self like this, even in dreams?’

But the questions only increase.

“Then why did I have this dream?”

“I told you, it’s because of the Dark Sword.”

“Wait, wait. What is that Dark Sword in the first place? Why is my future thoughts contained in it?”

“That’s because I died by that sword.”

“… … … What?”

“The Dark Sword is a fucking sword. It absorbs everything it cuts down on, gradually increasing its power. Probably the thoughts of everyone else who died by that sword, not just me, will remain there.”

Dark Sword, if it’s a dark sword.

It was obvious without even having to think about it. It was the sword that the unidentified man I met in the forest today was holding.

Was it because the sword touched the nape of his neck?

“I was in there without any sense of self, and then I got lost because I came into contact with ‘me’. It’s a shitty situation.”

“But that doesn’t make sense.”

It was today that Chloe touched the Dark Sword.

How could adult Chloe’s thoughts be contained in that sword?

Chloe glared at the adult Chloe with a hint of suspicion at the logically absurd contradiction.

“Well, that’s because I regressed.”

“What? Return?”

“Dark Sword went back to the past with that bastard. That bastard also has thoughts, so he must have been wary of Dark Sword, but he probably didn’t know that the thoughts and memories that were supposed to be contained in it would return to his ‘past self’. How would he know with common sense? It’s not like he’s ever gone back to the past with that.”

“Going back to my past self… … .”

“Maybe those who died to Dark Sword are experiencing unknown dreams or flashbacks? There must be one or two who died to that bastard.”

As she spoke, adult Chloe looked genuinely annoyed.

Regression. Returned from the future to the past.

It was a story that was hard to believe from the beginning, but if it really was a regression, then everything would be explained.

Above all, the more we talked, the more I realized that adult Chloe was really Chloe herself.

Because the naturalness, voice, breathing, and even the movements of muscles and magical power were all real, something that could not be imitated by mental magic or curses.

Chloe, who had gathered her thoughts for a moment, looked back at the adult Chloe.

“So did I die from that weirdo? But I feel like I’m older than that… … .”

“A villain?”

“If you’re from the future, you’d know, but I met a weird guy with a dark sword today. He said he’d keep an eye on me, but he ended up killing me? Is that possible when you’re a level 7? That guy looked like a level 6?”

“Hey, didn’t you hear what I just said?”

“Why?”

“That kid regressed with the Dark Sword. Of course he’s trying to change the future he knows. That kid didn’t have the Dark Sword when he was in the Academy.”

“That’s right… …But the conclusion is the same, right? I have to stop that kid from killing me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Huh? Weren’t you trying to prevent future deaths?”

If the future self, adult Chloe, had died from that monster, it would be nothing short of a miracle. Because the death caused by that monster could have been avoided with the future self’s help.

If I had erased the dream with the forgetting magic, I would have died to that weirdo without even knowing this. Of course, I thought he shared that goal.

Adult Chloe looked dumbfounded.

“I told you from the beginning? Stop bothering me and get out. I have no intention of helping you.”

“Wait a minute!? Then why did you explain all this to me!”

“Well, I know how annoying your personality is. If I hadn’t explained it to you like this, wouldn’t you have bothered me until the end?”

“… … … That’s it.”

“Anyway, I told you everything, so get out now.”

“No, that’s not it! You’re me too! Why are you so obsessed!?”

“I’m saying this because I think there’s been a misunderstanding since earlier.”

“… … !!”

Crunch.

A powerful magical power emanates from adult Chloe’s body.

For a moment, the space in the dream shakes and cracks with an overwhelming presence.

It is not a simple 7th grade. At this level, it is no exaggeration to say that the Master is on the verge of reaching the 8th grade.

Despite having that much power, and even though she had returned to the past by chance, adult Chloe’s eyes were still dead.

As if there was no hope whatsoever.

“You are me, but you are not me.”

“What… … ?”

“You are clearly Chloe Pistigo, the disciple of the Great Mage, and a student at Grandis Academy, but you are already very different from me.”

“What are you… … saying… … … .”

“I read your memories. You didn’t meet Adam, did you?”

“Hey, free?”

Adam Keynes, Chancellor of the Exchequer?

For a moment, I forgot because the conversation was so shocking. Now that I think about it, why did the Minister of Finance appear in my dream?

Surely, my future self.

“The Minister of Finance… … really loved you?”

“At the point when you haven’t met Adam, you are no longer me. You are just another possibility of mine.”

“Okay, wait a minute.”

“I am now an idea, a dreg, a delusion. Rather than helping Chloe, who has never met Adam, I would rather just follow Adam forever.”

“If I die, this dream too… … !!”

“I’ll disappear. That’s what I want. After all, I’m just a loser who couldn’t protect Adam. I should’ve died a long time ago.”

Dark, slimy, and sticky.

It was the same voice I heard when I first had the dream. It was the same voice when we talked earlier, but it felt even louder now.

This is the end?

You were shunned by your future self who met you by chance, and told by that strange man to just wait for you to die?

Even I, who became a 7th grader, died. It is questionable whether I will be able to graduate from the academy safely since I am much weaker now.

The guy with the Dark Sword regressed and said he wanted to change the future. So he wanted to kill me quickly before I became a 7th grader. But then why did he let me live in the forest?

All sorts of thoughts and distractions swirl around, and adult Chloe walks away without a moment’s hesitation.

In that gap.

Chloe realized.

‘Even if it’s different, even if you say it’s not me.’

After all, that Chloe is also herself. The same Chloe Pisty.

so.

“Then what about the Minister of Finance?”

“… … … … .”

“Honestly, I don’t agree with you, but you love the Finance Minister, right? Rather than chasing me until I die, wouldn’t it be better to go meet the real Finance Minister again?”

“I can’t listen to this anymore.”

“The current Minister of Finance is still alive.”

“… … you.”

“From what I heard earlier, you said that you couldn’t protect the finance minister in the future, right? But it’s different now.”

Just like how adult Chloe explained things like regression and the dark sword to Chloe to get her to break away.

Chloe also had to do something to convince adult Chloe.

Chloe Pisty is a very annoying character, preferring logic and justification over simple appeals.

Doing self-reflection like this was quite painful.

“Let me be clear here. I don’t like the Treasury Secretary right now. And I won’t ever do that again.”

“Nonsense.”

“You said you were just a fool, but if you still have the 7th-grade ability, you could possess me. Why not meet the finance minister that way?”

“You’re going to give me your body?”

“If you cooperate with me, of course. Since you are my future self, you can teach me efficiently, right? Teach me magic until I reach level 7, your level, and help me not get killed by that weirdo.”

“… … … … .”

“Instead, I will also actively approach the finance minister. If you want, you can use my body.”

He still looks a bit indifferent.

I hate to say it myself, but I have to deliver the finishing blow.

Words that would scratch Chloe Pisti’s pride.

“Or, you wouldn’t just quietly give the finance director you love so much to the chairman, right?”

“… … What?”

“You said you read my memories? I heard your voice too. The dead woman must be talking about the chairman, right?”

“That, that thing.”

“Honestly, I can’t believe that the chairman is dead, but whenever I see him, I feel jealousy boiling up inside me, so I think it’s true. After all, you were pushed aside by the dead chairman, right? Are you planning to be a loser again this time?”

“… … … As expected, even though it’s rotten, it’s because of the country, the words are quite annoying.”

“Well, I don’t care if the finance director loves the chairman. But you don’t? I’ll cooperate fully. This time, shouldn’t we make up for the love we couldn’t?”

Immediately afterwards, adult Chloe was right in front of Chloe. It was a transfer magic that she had used without even realizing it.

Adult Chloe’s eyes were still dead, but her expression was distorted nonetheless.

“Still, you said something nice.”

“Then… … ?”

“Meeting Adam again is too much for someone like me to ask for. But at least I won’t see that woman take over Adam’s heart again.”

“As expected, no matter what you say, you are me.”

“Looking at that annoying pride and confidence, I guess you’re right too.”

So adult Chloe and Chloe faced each other again.

It’s not like we’re being nice or considerate of each other now. Chloe Pisti is not like that, whether in the future or now.

Just use yourself thoroughly according to your needs.

At that moment, Chloe, relieved that the persuasion had worked, was about to ask to be taught magic first.

“Anyway, a deal is a deal, so I should tell you about that kid too.”

“Are you talking about the weird guy who regressed with the Dark Sword? Yes, he’s the Academy professor, right?”

“Professor? No. You know him too.”

“Huh?”

You’re not a professor?

I thought you were definitely an Academy insider. And you even said you knew me?

For a moment, someone’s name flashed through Chloe’s mind.

A person I had thought of once before but dismissed as unlikely.

And the person I spoke to just a few days ago.

A student at Grandis Academy, like Chloe.

“Ruth Spero.”

“… … crazy.”

“That kid is a regressor.”