Chapter 427

Chapter 427

Taimen River.
The Great River, which has existed since before the continent was called a continent, has been the gracious lifeblood of all who inhabit it. The reason the Empire’s first emperor made such a terrible sacrifice and battled a demonic dragon was because Orsay’s Lair was located in the most fertile granary in Taimen.
With its abundance of resources, drinking water, and a waterway long and wide enough to transport the resources of a nation by ship, Taimen was every monarch’s dream and reserve—.
“Hmm.”
My mouth watered as I reminisced. I read this book when I was at Pileon and enjoyed it quite a bit, but then it was over.
I couldn’t tell if I was getting old or if I’d gotten hit in the head too many times fighting Akasha.
“The point is, it’s a dirty big river anyway.
I muttered under my breath and looked up. A cool gust of wind flipped her bangs.
I could see the starry night sky and the water below. The river was so vast you couldn’t see across it, reflecting the dawn’s star clusters.
‘I honestly thought we were going to sink in the middle of nowhere.’
It was the mainstem of the Timen River, a river I’d seen many times during my time as a conscript. The old raft screamed with every stroke of the carved wooden oars. I tapped the raft with my heel as if to encourage it.
“Hey, hang in there.”
Until the day it was dismantled, the raft, which had been a paddleboat for snorkeling dogs, had become a sword across the sea. It was not the boat that mattered, but the skill of the captain. Of course, all I did was paddle like a madman.
Out of nowhere, I heard a voice behind me, a voice of alarm.
“Uh, how—I didn’t know that was possible.”
“What. Are you awake?”
I glanced behind me. Asel was staring up at me, hesitant. His face was haggard, as if he’d been in and out of a dehydrator. He’d been asleep, almost passed out, and had just woken up.
“How’s your stomach? Nothing to throw up now, right?”
“It’s a little bumpy, but it’s okay now–woohoo!”
“Eat, dirty posterior.”
Asel ran to the edge of the raft as he spoke. A pitiful regurgitating sound rang out. He had been seasick the entire voyage, and now only dewy liquid was pouring out.
Leaving Nimburton, we entered the mainstream of the Taimen at dawn the next day.
“Yeah. I’m fine now—but you’re already in the main stream?”
“Yeah, man. I told you it would work out somehow, fun, huh?”
“——.”
Asel couldn’t answer. I did ask, but it was an unconscionable question.
Constantly telekineticizing to keep from falling off a raft that was running faster than a half-horse, and feeling threatened for your life by a giant fish that leapt out to swallow you every hour or so, was not a pleasant experience.
Still, it was the scenery and atmosphere that kept Asel from telekinetically shoving me off my back.
Asel nodded, looking around the starry river.
“—Yes.”
“That’s funny. Funny. You’re probably just thinking about how to kill this son of a bitch so there’s no evidence. Maybe you can just shove him around and the fish will clean up the mess. While you’re at it.”
“Well, I didn’t think of that! It’s been hard, but just getting this far is—!”
Just kidding, we’re almost there, but have you thought about what I said earlier?”
“That’s——.”
Asel dragged her tail. Her pretty face turned grave.
I explained my situation in the short time it took me to get here.
Things like parallel worlds and regression, the fact that I’m not actually the Ronan you know, and why Akasha is suddenly being nice to herself.
I told Schlieffen and Nabirozé’s sister, but there was no reason to keep it a secret from my best friend.
‘I feel like I’m only getting better at explaining things. Damn it.’
The funny thing is, after doing this three times, I’m getting the hang of it. If I learn to write, maybe one day I’ll write a book or something.
After a moment of silence, Asel spoke up.
“—I still can’t believe, to be honest, that such a peaceful world would be destroyed in just seven years, not by war or plague, but by a group of fanatics and an alien race from the sky.”
“Do you think I’m lying?”
“No, I don’t. The way you’ve changed, and the way you brought me to Taimen, Ronan, I can tell you’re telling the truth, and I don’t want to believe it any less because I believe it—I don’t know.”
“You’re smart. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of those bald assholes and their fanatics in no time. By the way, you all look so much younger, but that was seven years ago.”
I realize now. I was in such a hurry that I forgot to ask what time zone I was in.
If it’s 7 years before the arrival of the stars, then it’s 3 years after my regression.
In the original world, it was about the time you cut off your naughty uncle’s hair and gave him a happy ending.
“I guess I’ve been living hard.”
“Huh?”
“No, I was talking to myself.”
I realized I had wasted a good hour. To hear Asel tell it, the people of this parallel world were still unaware of the existence of Nebula Clasier, let alone the Bald Club.
While I was grateful to be here before an idiot like Varka took power as Regent, a bitter question reared its ugly head. If a parallel world exists, it must be after the death of Adeshan here, and that was too soon.
“Probably the first death since the regression.
Based on the timing, we can assume that he died shortly after graduation. Even if he did regress, he died sooner than his first life, which was in battle. No matter how talented he was, he wouldn’t have been a general right out of school, so the question was where and by whom.
Just as my head was beginning to ache from the complexity of the thought, Asel spoke up.
“But what’s even more unbelievable is—.”
“Huh?”
“Ronan tells the whole world that I’ve become a great wizard, and frankly, that seems more unrealistic than destruction. Can a useless human like me really become a wizard?”
Asel’s gaze dropped to the floor. His demeanor was timid and unassuming, not unlike the first Asel he’d met in the world. Harassing the herdsman with Hans’s threats.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been in this position. I miss it.
No, if anything, it was worse. It was almost ridiculous to see him pontificate without realizing what talent he had.
Useless human being.
I snarled and tugged on Asel’s ear.
“Useless is fucking useless, who the fuck says that?”
“Off!”
Asel let out a new scream. His flapping limbs were like a rabbit in a trap.
“You can be anything you want to be, so don’t be silly. Can’t you see that I, and no one else, will take you to Acalusia at dawn, rowing you there myself like a raggedy slave?”
“Oh, okay! I got it!”
“Wait, what are you wearing in your ears? Are these earrings?”
My brows narrowed. Until now, I hadn’t noticed them, either because I wasn’t interested or because they were hidden by my hair. Acel’s left earlobe and auricle were pierced with three shiny piercings.
He gulped and muttered something in a crawling voice.
“Well, just for a change of pace—.”
“Damn it, you’re a sissy-looking dude with your ears pierced, and you’re not even wearing any makeup. You don’t think you’re catering to some weirdo pervert for no money, do you?”
“My, there’s no way I would do that, I like women!”
“Where do you want me to yell at this thing, do you want me to rip it off?”
“Hee hee, I did it wrong!”
I tweaked his ear lightly, and he jumped.
Of course, I wasn’t really going to rip it off, so I smirked and let him go. I think it was the weirdness of the situation that pissed him off.
“Black–hmmm–too much.”
Released, Asel whimpered and flicked his ears.
He looked away for a moment and took in his surroundings.
“It’s almost time to get there.
It was getting quieter and quieter. The occasional splashing of the fish had ceased. If I remembered correctly, we would soon be entering Akalusia’s territory.
I had a general idea of what to do, but it was still my first time and I wanted to be prepared.
“Utscha.”
I adjusted my paddle just enough to move the raft slightly to the right as it made its way through the middle of the river. As I watched the ripples in the water where the old raft had passed, it brought back memories.
A moonlit voyage and a raft. A frightened friend from home.
This is exactly what I was doing when I went to catch the Luna Goblin.
I called Asel for a nostalgic reminder.
“Asel. Lie down here for a minute.”
“Nu, lie down? Why?”
“Just lie down. How long are you going to act like you’re a hostage held by a bad guy, huh, like a real hostage?”
“Hee hee!”
Asel lay down his dwarfed body, frightened. I crouched down beside him, too.
Where the river had disappeared, the dawn sky revealed another river of stars.
“Wow.”
Asel’s eyes caught the Milky Way, and his mouth dropped open in admiration.
It was my first rest since we started sailing, but I didn’t fall asleep. The beautiful scenery always helps me forget my hangover. I chuckled and bit down on my cigarette.
“Kill?”
“Yeah. Really—!”
Asel nodded quickly. It was a river, much larger and wider than the Taimen, flowing across the distant sky. You could see the Milky Way from Nimburton, but it was hard to find a place with such an open sky.
He opened his mouth, his eyes fixed on the brightest star.
“Don’t worry. You’re going to be the greatest wizard in the world.”
“Ronan, you—.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner. They were good people, but they’ll be happy in heaven if you stay strong.”
As he exhaled, white smoke dispersed on the strong wind. It was the story of Asel’s parents.
I didn’t expect this to happen to him, as he’s perfectly happy in his own world.
“——Yes.”
Asel bit his lower lip after a moment of silence. It was all I could say, because I now knew how much it sucked to lose a family member.
He blinked and rubbed the corner of his eye with his sleeve, but I pretended not to notice. I was about to take another sip of smoke when I realized I was starry-eyed.
“Huh?”
Asel jerked to his feet, tears streaming down his face at the thought of his parents.
“What. What’s wrong?”
“—Ronan. Something’s wrong.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Me, I don’t know, it’s weird, I’m suddenly cold and creepy—is Ronan okay?”
“——I don’t know.”
Suddenly, I was like, “What’s wrong with him?
I don’t think you’re talking nonsense, judging by the intelligent look in your eyes.
Still, something didn’t feel right, and I thought it would be a good idea to find out why. I stood up from my seat with my hands in my pockets.
Ouch!
The fog, coming from nowhere and in every direction, was everywhere.
“Heehee!”
“Oh. Shit.”
Asel jumped up. His eyes widened.
The fog was so thick you couldn’t see a thing, and it had swallowed up everything you could see just moments before. Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be poisonous, but the raft was still moving forward, and I was worried about where it would end up.
I stubbed out my cigarette and smirked.
“You’ve arrived. Acalusia.”
The prediction that they would arrive soon was correct. It was just as the warlord had said.
All unauthorized visitors are trapped in a dense fog upon entering Akalusian territory. It is impossible to escape on your own, and if you have trespassed without malice, you have been told that you can only escape alive by shouting certain words and proclaiming your innocence.
‘This is also the test of the Lord.’
But it wasn’t just defensive magic. The warlord said the “clues” leading to the mansion were in the fog.
If a challenger, like himself, who aspires to be a member of House Acalusia, finds a clue and arrives at the mansion on their own, that’s a huge plus, he said.
But the problem was that I didn’t hear what the clue was, I guess I just walked in on a cloud.
Something was bothering me and I was going to do it my way.
“Well, I think we can follow that glowing path over there, Ronan!”
“Excuse me?”
“The shining path over the water. There!”
Suddenly, Asel tugged at my collar. A fern-like finger pointed into the middle of the fog. I quickly glanced in that direction, only to see a gray, breathless scene that hadn’t changed at all.
“—What’s wrong? Where’s the road?”
“Gee, can’t you see the shiny stuff all over the place—.”
“I can’t see it, but I know what you’re looking at. You’re an asshole after all.”
“Go, why is your head suddenly—!”
He was a big guy. I laughed and ruffled Asel’s hair. It was clear he was seeing the clues the warlord had spoken of.
If I concentrated hard enough, I could see something sparkling, but it was too much for me.
“Hey, we’re going to hit a reef if we keep going like this, we need to turn right!”
“The right one.”
I paddled as Asel instructed. The raft glided smoothly through the fog. Sure enough, a reef appeared and disappeared in the direction I was headed.
It was as if they had already entered a tributary of the Acalusian estate.
“Off, off, off again, left, left!”
“Got it. Got it.”
Ever since then, I’ve been rowing to Asel’s tune. He was a wild man, but he was a skilled sailor. As we sailed through the fog, Asel was in constant admiration.
“It’s a very high level of magic, including hallucinations and weather magic–I don’t even know how many spells are mixed in there. I can see why Akalusia is a master of magic.”
“I don’t know, is this such a big deal?”
“—Yes. You’ll probably never get out if you get lost.”
“Hmm. If you say so.”
It must be some kind of magic for Asel to be so impressed. Honestly, I hadn’t been around Akasha or Lorhon in the last world, so it was hard for me to realize the magnitude. They were humans who could lift mountains with a snap of their fingers.
“Maybe I should show something too.
Suddenly, I realized I wasn’t doing too much.
Now that they’ve entered the realm of Akalusia, Gajuna and his people are watching all of this, and all they can see is a genius wizard’s seed and a rowing monkey.
Asel dodged the reef again, and swiped at his chest.
“Phew… Good. I think we’re halfway there. Let’s stay calm for a bit longer…”
“No, Asel. Let’s stop here.”
“——? What does that mean?”
“I was just thinking, I guess I’ll have to show something too if I want to legally rob the treasure trove. Can you point me to where this path ends?”
“Off, where does it end? It’s over there.”
Asel raised his hand and pointed north. The way his finger was pointing upward, it was clear that the destination was not a river, but land, hills.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but it’s a long way—over 10 kilometers.”
“That’s enough, get behind me.”
“Oh, okay.”
I put down my oars and grabbed the hilt of my sword.
Sensing something untoward in the air, Asel scurried over and hid behind my back. I don’t know exactly what kind of enchantment is on the manor, but I know I need to control my strength. I don’t want to accidentally cut something important, like a guard post or a manor house where the lord lives.
Rin’s voice came from beneath the scabbard.
“Careful, Ronan. This is a lot more tender than the one I cut you with before.”
“I know.”
In the first parallel world, a similar situation had occurred. I’d slashed through a fog of bald men’s mana, and while I’d been frenzied and overzealous then, this time I’d be sure to draw blood. I tugged on the hilt, remembering the sensation of slicing tofu.
“Whoa.”
The holy sword was drawn. The blade swept out in a fluid arc. A black line cut through the fog that covered his vision. It was a long, straight line that stretched from one end of my vision to the other.
The sound of the wave finally catching up to the sword god exploded.
Kwahhh-!
The mist parted upward, revealing the Acalusian estate.
“——!!!”
Asel fell back, unable to scream.
For a moment, the panoramic view encompassed everything that had been lost. Vast gardens hugging the tributaries and streams of the Timen.
The guards, hiding in the fog and on alert, were wide-eyed and alarmed, as if they were about to jump out.
“What, what, all of a sudden?!”
“The fog is—!”
It was so unexpected that they hadn’t even thought to prepare for it. I looked in the direction Asel’s finger had pointed. In the distance, on a high cliff, stood a mansion. Unlike the opulent and imposing Gracias and estates, it was elegant and secretive, just as the High Lord had described it.
The headquarters of Acalusia, the great house that bisects the system.
My lips twisted as I remembered the past.
‘Took you long enough.
It was on the day of Pileon Academy’s entrance ceremony that she received an invitation in the form of a brooch from a friend.
Things didn’t go as planned and it was put on hold for a long time, but it did come.
Like Asel, one of my few friends.
I muttered to myself as I pictured the face of another genius wizard.
“Promise kept. Eri.”