episode_0281

Eve no longer believed in anything in this world. She was certain that any conditions the Imperial Family offered to adopt her were merely calculated temptations.

Perfect distrust was also a kind of trust. A trust in malice. It was a newly formed habit for Eve, who had lost everything overnight. There was no such thing as selfless kindness, but she had directly experienced selfless malice.

Resistance to the world that had completely stolen her life. Eve was once again afraid of losing something. So she didn’t trust, and she didn’t let anyone close. She was most comfortable alone.

Simultaneously, she hated it. She had to gain strength so that nothing would ever be taken from her again. And she vowed to become the one who takes.

Eve chose the path of the Imperial Princess. A destiny chosen by Eve herself, not by anyone else’s will.

Whatever the Imperial Family demanded of her, she would simply comply. Even if she became a character in their well-orchestrated drama of the succession struggle, Eve calculated the benefits she would gain.

For her, who had no background, the Imperial Family would become a great source of power. She refined her wild, instinctual magic, learned various spells, and learned to wield a sword instead of her fingernails.

“Seven moons and the spirits of the vast forest…”

“Correct. That’s the foundation of orthodox Imperial magic.”

“Thank you, Duke Darius.”

“Heh heh… I told you to call me Master during class.”

Duke Darius was someone she couldn’t easily get along with. She felt an ominous aura about him. However, the magic spells he taught were genuine. Imperial magic training was one of the things Eve had to obtain.

Some time later, Eve began her public activities. But they weren’t related to the Empire’s internal affairs.

Her adventurer activities before becoming a princess. Eve resumed her growth as an adventurer. Hunting magical beasts, completing requests, and steadily increasing her strength.

Normally, Eve, as a princess, should have worked for the Empire. However, other princes were already actively involved in various internal affairs, and she didn’t have a particularly good relationship with them.

Above all, the Emperor himself and her magic teacher, Duke Darius, supported her adventurer activities. The reason was unknown. While there was a guarantee of freedom in the exchange conditions when she was adopted, she didn’t know the exact meaning behind it.

Perhaps the Imperial Family also wanted Eve to grow stronger. After all, the Imperial Family chose Eve because of her magical talent. In any case, Eve herself focused only on increasing her strength.

The Ubiet Empire has a considerable degree of meritocracy ingrained in its culture. It prioritizes reality, effectiveness, and efficiency above all else, to the point where national progress is the number one goal.

The city is full of magical and mechanical inventions, and gentlemen in various types of suits walk around, chasing ever-changing trends.

They accept anything that’s better. The fact that Eve, a magical genius who was an orphan, could become a member of the Imperial Family was all due to that culture. Even though she had a problem with her origins, she possessed overwhelming magical skill.

Supporting this culture and growth rate is a rich natural environment. Half of the Empire’s outskirts are surrounded by the Tarun mountain range, and the other half borders the sea.

Abundant resources aren’t limited to geography or materials. The territories of powerful magical beasts surround it like a fence, allowing adventurers to thrive.

If you defeat a strong person and become strong yourself, the Empire recognizes you. The Chaos Forest in the north, in particular, was Eve’s main stage. The layered territories of magical beasts constantly served as a stepping stone for her growth.

Eve’s activities didn’t stop at the Empire. There are many skilled individuals in the kingdom, which is close to romanticism, and the Divine Kingdom’s magical academy introduces a new magical subject every year.

The Nifrantz Kingdom, in particular, has a pure mana school’s magic tower and the magical tool market that stems from it. The swordsmanship tournament also has participants with considerable skill. The east, close to the Tarun mountain range, has an adventurer’s guild that’s as developed as the Empire’s.

Eve originally disliked the Nifrantz Kingdom. Just like the Empire, dark deeds such as robbery, drug use, murder, and human trafficking were rampant, yet the people were peaceful and relaxed.

Seeing peaceful farmhouses reminded her of her stolen childhood. They didn’t prepare for any threats that might come their way. It made her furious.

But ultimately, this place was comfortable. No matter how much magic and swords she wielded, or the princess’s clothes she wore, her origins were those of a country girl.

Since she didn’t have particularly good memories of the Empire, Eve worked at the Nifrantz Adventurer’s Guild whenever she had free time. She even rented a small room.

She repeated hunting and requests every day. Until the day she could strike back at this world that had taken everything from her.

. . .

Suddenly, time stopped. It was the part where Eve repeatedly undertook adventurer activities in the kingdom. It was strange. Last time, when she encountered recurring memories, time passed quickly.

I realized sensationally. This part is the deepest part of Eve’s memory, a ‘dormant specific part’. A memory that she resists bringing back up.

Memories you don’t want to recall are usually bad memories. However, in Eve’s case, it didn’t seem to be so simple. At this point in time, she even rejected happiness.

First, we need to find the cause. Regardless of what exactly this memory is, the reason why she doesn’t want to recall it could be found nearby.

Eve is in… let’s see, the name is… it was definitely the Livris Adventurer’s Guild. With many dungeons nearby, requests related to magical beast extermination come in frequently. Therefore, there are more veteran adventurers than beginners.

Before I seriously started writing the Akasto strategy, I also diligently hunted for the purpose of leveling up. Especially the requests from Livris are often long-term, so they don’t interfere with repetitive hunting.

Devote the whole day to hunting and settle the request contents only once a day. Then you don’t have to visit often and can receive the rewards all at once.

‘That person coming in now also came to settle accounts, I guess. Finish before sunset—’

My gaze stopped for a moment. Black leather armor that he thought was cool. If he wanted defense, he would have worn full plate armor, but it was a speed type that prioritized lightness, so it was magic-imbued leather.

The main weapon is a one-handed sword. However, it was an all-rounder type that didn’t neglect martial arts and magic either. Neat physique and face. Various conditions converged on one person before my eyes, and an old memory flashed.

‘My first character…!’

Wasn’t this Eve’s memory? How can this kind of two-shot be captured?

First, I suspected my eyes. It had to be a different person. Doppelgangers can exist in this world probabilistically about three times, and my appearance wasn’t particularly unusual.

However, actions that couldn’t be hidden by appearance alone continued to appear. Repetitive quests, hunting, acquired skills, and above all, the settlement timing. In the past, I was the only one who settled repeated requests at this time.

The longer I watched, the more I felt that this was not the Nifrantz of this life. Most of it is similar, but subtly different.

The most noticeable was the scenery of the capital. When I was there, it was definitely a lively and good place. But now, the people’s atmosphere is sharp.

It’s not a temporal issue, but the Venice I was in has changed drastically. The Venice Eve saw was more gloomy, dull, and lacked warm warmth.

‘I… must have frequented this place.’

I estimated the time period by comparing Eve’s growth rate and appearance. About 5-6 years ago, around the time I had my coming-of-age ceremony.

At that time, I would have visited the market almost every day with Yuri. But somehow, I never ran into her. The faces of the merchants I knew were all different.

I don’t want to admit it, but that’s how it is. The discrepancy between the two memories that keep appearing. Now I can only be sure.

This is not a memory of ‘this life’. Past life, accurately, the memory of my Akasto first playthrough. The man in front of me is my character.

After accepting all the facts, the blurry scenery was revealed. Time started flowing again.

The dark part of Eve’s memory is filled like a puzzle. Memories she doesn’t want to recall, memories she wants to keep buried, but at the same time, memories she doesn’t want to forget.

In the depths of her memory, the last, unfilled puzzle piece was me.

It wasn’t only Eve’s memories that returned. All my memories filled in her blanks.

And I, too, remembered something. While wearing leather armor, carrying a sword, and receiving the payment for a request at the Adventurer’s Guild.

I found a girl with a frozen expression.