“…You, what’s that?”
From the blank stare of Adele and Lothos, I realized they didn’t know about my previous reincarnation.
Well, hadn’t this happened before?
Back in that cold snowy field, the two who witnessed this bluish flash had the same expression.
At that time, I was feeling pretty cocky, calling myself a genius and brushing it off.
Should I say that again this time? But seeing their faces asking for an explanation made my heart waver unnecessarily.
There were many awkward parts to just cover it up as genius.
“It’s probably awkward to call it talent.”
“If I grabbed the sword without knowing, then maybe. But my hands are soft, aren’t they?”
“…It’s hard to explain it now.”
As I looked up, Adele’s gaze also turned toward the building where Jay was living.
They must have realized that the time was coming soon.
There must be people moving up there.
“Shouldn’t we save the person?”
“Is what you want to say also a secret to you?”
A secret, huh? It’s not like I’m trying to hide anything.
I just didn’t want to be treated as a madman.
A ridiculous reality where a person reincarnates a hundred times.
Always going back to a summer day at twenty years old, repeatedly meeting a miserable death.
Even if I said I borrowed the power of a relic, who would believe that?
“Just speak up, don’t stare so hard.”
The woman named Adele was someone I was entangled with by numerous connections.
If someone like her sees me as a lunatic…
Well, that wouldn’t feel very good, would it? So I hide it.
Because I didn’t want any hatred or disdain in her gaze. That’s why I had to call my past a secret.
“It’s a secret…”
“Is it now?”
With an unclear expression, but Adele, having understood, nodded and smiled refreshingly.
I was grateful for that smile.
If there were any lingering doubts, it would have made me uncomfortable enough to slip up.
“Then I won’t ask. Do we just wait here?”
“Are you thinking of waiting?”
“Don’t go until I say so.”
She looked at me for a moment, then added with a faint smile.
“Just don’t sneak off alone again.”
“…Right.”
In many ways, I felt indebted.
If she had asked me one by one, it would have been troublesome, but I never imagined she wouldn’t question anything just because I called it a secret.
Bowing my head as much as possible to the woman staring at me.
I thought I would definitely tell her about my past someday.
#
Tap, tap, the footsteps ascending the building were light.
I was so used to sneaking around now that I could probably go up even with my eyes closed.
Just two steps from here, then another, and I could reach the window.
Sure enough, my fingertips hooked onto the balcony, and I pulled myself up.
I had experience wielding a sword, but my body was inexperienced.
Just pulling myself up like this was exhausting on my arms.
I always think this, but I really have a terrible body.
It was a relief that my stamina wasn’t lacking.
If my previous achievements were added in, I could easily handle any attackers that might show up soon.
Once on the balcony and peeking inside, I spotted Jay still asleep.
Lying on her bed, covered with a blanket, sound asleep… Was dying from a knife wound supposed to be her original destiny?
She was truly a woman with a tragic destiny. Maybe not as much as me, though.
“If you make another move here, the alarm will sound.”
Her magic is specialized in barriers and illusions. While everyone has some area where their magic is specialized, it’s rare for someone like her to focus on such supportive abilities.
If she even stretched out her hand a little, the barrier would sound a warning to her.
In the past, I had even triggered that to wake her up, so I needed to move carefully this time.
Jay, realizing there’s a threat to her life, doesn’t calm down easily.
I don’t even know how I managed to save her last time.
Just holding a sword makes her panic, so I’ve even had to knock her out and fight before.
After waiting for a presence to be felt around, shadows finally began to writhe beneath the building. It wasn’t just a feeling.
They really moved, slinking toward this building.
No matter when you see it, it’s certainly a mysterious movement.
Though this movement could hint at the employee, it was quite tricky to deal with at first.
“…Four of them.”
This number doesn’t change.
To send four assassins just to kill a single woman is likely a request for a certain execution. From none other than the Crown Prince.
I learned this fact from the last round.
Investigating people who could hire assassins turned up no answers, but searching from the top led me to the Crown Prince’s name.
Why does that name keep coming up so much?
Adele, I, and this Alchemist—everyone died by the Crown Prince’s hands.
What could one gain from killing so many people?
The Crown Prince holds an absolute advantage in the succession to the throne.
Currently, the Emperor has only one son, making the heir just that one.
While there are many reasons to speculate, it’s still insufficient as an explanation…
Tap—
“I can think about it later.”
Before I behead the Crown Prince, I can ask him then. Overthinking won’t change anything if action isn’t taken.
Isn’t that a lesson learned through countless lives?
Frowning, I moved my steps in the direction the shadow had headed.
Remembering the location of the barrier was easy enough.
Avoiding, dodging. I positioned myself in the passage leading to Jay’s room.
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
Am I not even thinking of hiding my footsteps now? The moment I drew my sword, they must have realized.
There’s an uninvited guest in here.
Since I had no intention of hiding either, the flames ignited and flickered in the void, consuming the darkness.
“……”
In that darkness, three figures emerged. Even when I met their gaze, they remained silently steadfast.
I’ve always experienced things like this.
However, the difference from before is that this sword can withstand my magic.
Swish—
The line drawn in the air was a fleeting moment.
Like a butterfly landing on a flower, the assassins couldn’t react due to the naturalness of the movement.
That was their blunder. Relaxing even for a moment.
When that fleeting moment passed.
Blood gushed from one assassin’s neck.
As the assassin, with reddened eyes, stared at me, the sword surged upwards.
As the body of the assassin I was watching vanished, my sword surged forth.
Two swords were aimed at me… no, three.
I watched as the hidden assassin revealed themselves and attacked.
With a swift motion, the sword on my wrist sprang out, scattering poison.
If even a little touched me, my body would become paralyzed, so I twisted away.
Spinning, my body turned in the air with the sword.
It didn’t match my expectations. My body simply reacted because it was an attack I already knew about.
If they had truly used an unpredictable attack, I would have reacted differently.
However, in this life that’s repeated a few times, the assassins always used the same technique.
One dies, and three stab simultaneously. I twisted my body to evade that attack.
Shwoosh-! Only after one assassin’s arm flew off did their gaze turn serious.
Perhaps they had been careless because they recognized my face.
Robert Taylor couldn’t withstand their attack.
How did I know? The answer to that question was simple.
“Crown Prince.”
In that instant, I beheaded the momentarily frozen assassin.
Now only two remained, and I smirked at their gaze that seemed to question how I knew their name.
Perhaps they didn’t like my smile, because the assassins simultaneously lunged at me.
I pulled my feet back to evade. Kicking the ground, I simultaneously ducked to avoid the sword slicing from behind.
‘Just the same.’
The sword, tracing a round trajectory, headed downwards.
My gaze remained fixed on the tip of the sword.
I also knew it would change its trajectory from here.
My response was not much different from before. With a crack, I thrust upwards before the sword made contact.
The sword, imbued with magic, pierced through the assassin’s heart, causing their body to crumble as it spewed blood.
And then silence fell.
There was only one person left who could point a sword at me, but even they had lost the will to fight and stood there in a daze.
Was it going to be the same this time?
As I turned, splattering the blood off my sword, I saw the masked assassin’s face.
“What in the world… who are you?”
As I wiped the blood off my face, the assassin, staring with bewildered eyes, asked back.
Three had died, even if only for a moment.
Yet I was not included in that three.
It must be surprising. The Robert Taylor they knew was merely a foolish prince.
After the overly familiar response, I sighed and spoke.
“Robert Taylor.”
“…I know. But really, is it the Robert Taylor?”
“You won’t believe it anyway, no matter how I answer.”
Swish-
I already knew what the ensuing dialogue would be. So there was no need to listen.
As I approached, the assassin momentarily flinched and tightened their grip on their sword, but that was all.
His head had already fallen down.
I stared at the lifeless head with bulging eyes.
I had learned everything about what they needed to find out from the previous iterations.
Indeed, torturing someone is not a good experience all around.
Even though I was the one torturing, it was equally painful to remember the suffering I had experienced.
No presence of anyone else around could be felt anymore.
Far away, there was Lothos and Adele, so it was fine to let my guard down.
Just as I was about to step back, thinking of Jay who would soon awaken, I sensed movement from behind.
“What are you…?”
When I turned my head, I saw a girl who was practically a child.
I hadn’t expected her to wake up now. For a moment, I frowned in dismay and then contemplated my current situation.
I thought about my current situation.
A corridor stained with blood, a man holding a sword with a severed head in one hand.
He wasn’t wearing a mask, but what would he think of me, who entered without being caught by the barrier?
As I scrutinized his round eyes, his mouth dropped wide open, and I answered.
“I’ve come to save you.”
I don’t know if he would believe it, but if I didn’t say something, he’d probably scream.
“AAAH… my room.”
Jay sobbed while looking at the corridor that was not just stained but drenched in blood.
She had already screamed at Robert’s words, but it wasn’t until she saw the man swing his sword that she fell silent.
If he were an assassin, he would have killed her long ago.
But if he wasn’t an assassin, how did he get in here?
There were many strange aspects, but I decided not to ask anymore.
He was the man who single-handedly killed those assassins.
Though I recognized his face, perhaps it was all just magic hiding it… Jay’s mind whirled with various fantasies.
Fortunately, the potion bottle hadn’t been harmed.
Only the corridor was splattered with flesh.
Of course, that wasn’t a comfort, but the important thing was that she had been saved from danger.
And that was… by Robert Taylor.
Jay knew this man well.
She had heard he was the Taylor family’s outcast, but was he really the same person?
With her suspicious expression, Robert squinted and spoke.
“Yes, I’m the Robert you know. The outcast, the troublemaker. You’re not mistaken.”
“I- I see.”
“I should be able to clean this up quickly. Hurry, there’s someone coming.”
Robert’s gaze was directed toward the window below.
As he said they would be waiting, Arwen and Lothos appeared, unable to hold back any longer.
There was no need to show them this scene. Just saving someone to this extent was enough.
“…But why did you save me?”
When Jay asked, Robert turned his head while wiping his blood-stained face with a damp cloth.
For a moment, she flinched at his emotionless gaze, but she couldn’t help her curiosity.
“I’m an alchemist, but my original job is as a spy.”
Jay’s eyes didn’t waver.
He was better than anyone at telling lies, making it not easy for even Robert to read his true intentions.
However, this was the truth.
It was her real past, which she had spoken about herself and had data on.
“I was once affiliated with the Imperial Family, but I betrayed them and now I am a fugitive calling myself Alchemist Jay.”
“How do you know that-”
“Arwen, I need you.”
Jay frowned at the eyes she was seeing for the first time.
She could read no emotions.
His eyes were not speaking lies but were filled only with a hollow void.
What on earth is this?
It felt like he was a completely different person from the Robert Taylor she had known.
When he answered her question about needing her, Robert wiped away the last traces of blood and replied.
“I’m planning to kill the Crown Prince.”
At that answer, Jay dropped the beaker she was holding.
Crash—
In stark contrast to the loud sound, only silence flowed between the two of them.
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