chapter_0209

Nobel University.

While it may not be the best, it’s a decent enough university to earn a “not bad” response when mentioned to anyone.

Pia & Gorani University has been a rival for almost a hundred years, and whenever a school competition takes place, a bloody battle of nerves ensues. In the distant past, there were even a few instances where real blood was shed.

However, this evaluation was rendered meaningless as the balance had recently tilted heavily in favor of Pia & Gorani University.

During the scandal involving the headmaster’s bribery incident, the news media used the term ‘No Mo University’ to protect the privacy of the individuals involved, which backfired.

No Mo University YADONG Mosaic Removal Department.

No Mo University Yu Je Seok Il Bang Jeok Hatred Department.

No Mo University Noh Heung Chul Mu Ji Sung Praise Department.

And numerous other variations.

After the news broke, Pia & Gorani University students and other online communities created numerous fictional departments. It was inevitable that they would lose when this chant was heard during competitions.

Anyway, the reason I suddenly thought of something that is now a very old story was because of a text from Kang Yuna.

“What about college? It’s been a long time since you were expelled, but do you want to go back?”

‘Why is the timing so bad?’

I was about to leave soon, having already prepared everything. I sent a polite refusal.

“I’ll be leaving soon anyway. Not too long, maybe 1-2 weeks.”

“Leaving? What are you going to tell Mom and Dad?”

“That’s for you to figure out.”

“?” Did your conscience burst?

“Soon, there will be a hunter skill assessment at Eternal guild. Aren’t you a member of that guild, too?”

“You son of a bitch……”

Kang Yuna knew about the relationship between me and the guild leaders to some extent. Laura, or Lee Seo-ah, was the one who told her that I was alive.

Of course, she didn’t know the real relationship. She only mistakenly believed that I was an exceptional collaborator.

“Instead, if you go and your parents don’t say anything, ask for an 800% bonus.”

“I know you’re a liberal arts major, so go ahead and come back safely, little brother♡”

My sister quickly changed her stance. I turned off my smartphone, satisfied that she would handle it. Since they both thought of me as some kind of secret agent, convincing them wouldn’t be too difficult.

“Look at what this guy wrote. Are we summoning demons or something? They say we should definitely start with a raid because we might be making human sacrifices in the basement of the building.”

“He must be upset because we didn’t give him an interview.”

Next to me, Rosalia was giggling as she showed Priscilla an article title.

We had used too much power to defeat Leviathan, and we needed time to recover, so we collectively refused to give interviews. Most people understood.

After all, if we had used enough power to kill Leviathan and create a mushroom cloud that soared into the sky, the backlash and consequences would be enormous.

In reality, the technique I used was much weaker than the one I used on Mahbat.

“Welcome.”

Latina, dressed as usual and holding a holy spear, greeted us as we headed to the basement where she had been holed up.

“Have you figured out why this happened?”

“Yes. As you suspected, the Holy Spear seems to rewind the time of nearby objects. It’s true.”

The incident began with a coincidence. While experimenting to see how much the Holy Sword and Holy Spear could react to each other, a half-finished drink can on the nearby desk refilled itself.

Laura, who had naturally picked up the can, thinking it was empty, spilled it and discovered that the spilled drink on the carpet disappeared a few seconds later as if nothing had happened.

Bewildered, Laura and I called everyone else to experiment, and we concluded that the Holy Spear was rewinding the time of nearby objects.

It was an inexplicable phenomenon that happened several times.

Latina, who seemed to know something, asked us to clear our schedules for a week, starting two days later, and holed up in the basement of the guild building. We went to defeat Leviathan and came back to create some legitimate free time.

“The reason for this phenomenon is probably…… because the time of the world we were in has finished restoring.”

Latina, with a serious expression, said this while lying the Holy Spear on her palms.

“Does that mean we can go back to that world?”

“Yes. At least, as far as I know.”

I wondered how she knew so much, but there was a more important question, so I put it aside for now.

“What does the time near the Holy Spear rewinding have to do with us going back to that world?”

“Because from now on, we, or more accurately, you, Mira, have to choose a timeline.”

“Choose a timeline?”

Latina raised her index fingers instead of answering.

“Let’s assume that my fingers are time. Currently, the time of the other world and Earth are running separately. If we don’t interfere, this will continue forever. But you don’t want that, do you?”

“……That’s right.”

“So, you have to choose the timeline you want to enter through the Holy Spear. Once you observe the timeline through the Holy Spear……”

The separated index fingers touched each other.

“Time will synchronize and flow together. It means that you won’t be able to look into the past or future with the Holy Spear anymore.”

“Is that really possible?”

“Of course. That’s why the power is leaking out like this. Of course, if you wish, you can leave it as it is and let it continue to leak out. I’m not sure, but maybe you’ll be able to control time with the Holy Spear.”

Controlling time was an interesting topic, but it wasn’t a power he wanted to have at the expense of neglecting the other world.

After all, he was already strong enough without the ability to control time. What was more important was his relationship with the people in the other world.

“No. I’ll go.”

“I knew you would, Mira. Here, take the Holy Spear. It’s up to you to choose the timeline.”

He accepted the Holy Spear. He closed his eyes to concentrate, as Latina had instructed, but then opened them again. Latina, who looked puzzled, and the four others, who might not be happy with the current situation, turned to them.

The four people who had been kidnapped and taken to the other world, suffering through a long regression.

“If you want, you don’t have to come with me. There are probably a lot of bad memories in that world.”

“Why wouldn’t there be good memories?”

Elysier, who seemed taken aback by his words, approached him. The other three did the same. Elysier poked him lightly with her long finger.

“Here I am, right in front of you.”

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Beatrice was dreaming.

At some point, her young master disappeared, and no matter where she looked, she couldn’t find him. No matter how much money the Crate family spent or what connections they used, they couldn’t find a single clue.

The mansion was filled with grief. The master and mistress of the house neglected the management of the guild, and Ibrante, who had received a great deal of kindness from the young master, searched for him tirelessly as a mercenary.

Beatrice did the same. She repeatedly cleaned the empty room where no one was present. A maid without a master to serve was nothing more than a piece of meat.

So Beatrice lay on her young master’s bed and slit her wrists.

The red blood blossomed on the white bedspread like a flower, and as the strength slowly drained from her body, she felt her senses fading. Beatrice thought.

I hope it was all just a dream.

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“!!!!!!”

Beatrice bolted upright as if she had been jolted awake. She gasped for breath.

She looked at her wrists. They were fine. The place she was lying on wasn’t her young master’s bed, but her own bed. The bed in the servant’s room at Belium Academy.

She examined her body. Her whole body was drenched in sweat, and the sweat-soaked underwear clung to her skin, making her feel sticky.

“Was it…… a dream?”

Beatrice mumbled weakly.

Was all of that just a dream? Even though the feeling of her young master’s disappearance, the heart-wrenching sense of loss, and the pain of slitting her wrists were all so vivid?

“……Young master! Young master!”

Beatrice, driven by her thoughts of Mira, hurriedly got up and put on her maid uniform at the fastest speed she could manage. She ran down the hallway without a care for propriety.

Normally, she would never have dreamed of running so carelessly. But now, she couldn’t help it. She needed to see her young master with her own eyes to calm her anxious mind, which felt like it would go crazy if she didn’t.

“Young master! Are you there?”

Beatrice flung open the door to Mira’s room without a care for manners.

“You’re late, Beatrice. The sun is already high in the sky.”

And she found her young master sitting by the window, enjoying tea time.

Mira smiled and waved at her. Next to him was Yustera, standing with her hands folded. Unlike Beatrice, who looked disheveled, Yustera looked neat and tidy.

“I came to look for you because you didn’t come, but you were sleeping so soundly that I couldn’t wake you up. Whatever happened, you must have been very tired to sleep so deeply, Beatrice.”

“……”

“Take a break sometimes. If you want, I’ll give you as much vacation as you want. You’ve worked hard enough.”

Beatrice stared blankly at him, then at his voice, and slowly approached him. Mira looked at her with a puzzled expression, but she didn’t care.

She hugged her young master tightly, as she had done

countless times since he was a baby.

“No. I don’t need a vacation. It’s my joy to serve you, young master.”

Then do that, a voice choked with emotion whispered. Beatrice hugged him for a while, then trembled and mumbled.

“……I had a terrible dream. A truly terrible dream. Young master, you disappeared forever, and no matter where I looked, I couldn’t find you.”

“Disappear? I wouldn’t do that.”

“No. You wouldn’t do that, young master.”

“They say that dreams are the opposite of reality, so if your dream is to be believed, we’ll be together forever.”

“……Yes. Young master. I will serve you forever.”

Beatrice tightened her arms around Mira. She was relieved that the dream was just a dream.

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‘……I was really scared, for real.’

He sweated nervously in Beatrice’s embrace. He had seen through the timeline what would happen to Beatrice in a world without him.

Of course, it was now a non-issue, but he couldn’t forget the sight of Beatrice lying on the bed with a dazed expression, and the red blood that welled up and stained the white bedspread from her wrists.

‘I’ll have to come up with an excuse when I go back to Earth.’

Or, like with Nika, he could introduce them and instill confidence by saying he believed them.

‘I wonder what the others are doing.’

Unlike Beatrice, it seemed unlikely that there would be such extreme reactions from the people around them.