Chapter 413

The first thing I noticed was a messy wall made of bricks.
“Ugh, fuck—.”
My head is dizzy.
I feel like I’m adrift in a barrel and then get caught in a storm.
I didn’t get motion sickness like this when I was crossing the Dawn Sea on a raft.
“Where am I—?”
It’s an unfamiliar road.
Still, it seemed clear that this was the next parallel world.
It’s also a time of day that hasn’t been completely taken over by bald men yet.
The reason was simple.
Because there were still buildings left.
I was sitting with my back against a wall that looked exactly like the one across from me.
The coldness of the brick is unpleasant.
“Back alley?
I looked up and saw a narrow strip of sky.
Two buildings with my back to the street restricted my view.
It was wet and damp throughout.
The swarming clouds looked like they were about to spit out showers at any moment.
The lukewarm breeze carried the smell of water.
“Well, at least we got there.
Thankfully, it wasn’t a crash landing.
I breathed a sigh of relief and checked my waistline first.
The sword was hanging safely.
Lynn’s voice rang out, scaring me into shifting my gaze to the limbs.
“I can’t believe you’re the first to pick it up–I might be a little impressed.”
“Shut up, man.”
“Hoo hoo, don’t be shy, big sister understands.”
If it weren’t for motion sickness, I would have given it a good sanding.
It’s only natural for a knifeman to grab his knife first.
Luckily, the limbs didn’t seem to be affected.
The fingers and toes were also well attached, ten each.
The vial of Akasha’s blood and Ceniel’s shards were safe, as were the most important items.
I clutched my head and searched my memory.
“Yeah–I think so.”
It comes to mind.
I said a tearful goodbye to Sister Navarordze and entered the rift.
The inside of the crack, just before it disappeared, was pretty shitty.
The straight streets had collapsed, and the portal to the other side of the parallel world seemed to be thousands of meters away.
With all the security wizardry they’ve thrown at us, it’s been a real struggle to get through the cracks.
“Akasha.”
Clench your fist.
I could still see the five eyes staring at me.
His behavior in the last world was incomprehensible, but it didn’t change the fact that he needed to be captured for a peaceful future.
You should also include the crime of killing my flying squirrel.
However, I couldn’t guess his purpose.
“What the hell does he want?
I get that there’s something wrong with society.
You don’t like the future, so you’re going to drag a bunch of bald guys from a parallel world and beat the crap out of them.
But why the hell did he take it out and smash it?
Why on earth?
How did you know what it was?
Besides, according to Navardozé’s sister, he hadn’t really attacked her.
“Eek, I’ve got the wrong nutcase.”
He bit down on his cigarette, clutching at his sweaty forehead.
Normally, the idea of a madman is not to try to understand, but this was a different case.
“Woohoo—looks like I’m going to live.”
The smoke made me feel a little less motion sick.
It tasted great because I was in a space that was full of life.
“I’m never going to quit this, that’s for sure.
White smoke disperses into the air.
I’m sure I would have remained a smoker even after I got married.
I’ve seen a lot of people quit after becoming a dad, but that’s just cowardice.
No way.
Love and this are two different things.
“Utscha.”
After three or four snorts of smoke, I felt fine.
He puts the cigarette in his mouth and rises to his feet.
My butt is cold from sitting too long.
As I exited the narrow alleyway, a deserted residential neighborhood opened up before me.
“What the hell.”
And, I was frozen in place like a statue.
The shape of the street is now familiar.
The atmosphere and the condition of the building were completely different, but it was definitely the same place.
“You can’t possibly be here—?”
I turned my head as I felt a sudden rush of excitement.
It wasn’t far off.
On the second floor of a house, a sullen old man glared at me through a half-open window.
It was the first person I’d met since coming to this side of the world.
“Ah, there’s a human, Inspiration. Is this where—”
I walked up to him with a big smile on my face.
Boom!
The window slammed shut, ready to smash.
“Damn, the old man got something wrong.”
I jumped back in surprise.
A dull thud echoed through the streets.
Almost simultaneously, the curtains closed.
The thick blackout curtains felt like a barrier between society and home, as if they wouldn’t let a single ray of sunlight through.
“By the way—.”
I don’t think I’d treat an escaped zoo animal that way either.
Suddenly, I noticed that the windows of almost every building were covered with curtains like that.
I wondered what the hell had happened to the city.
It’s like a plague.
“Utscha.”
I needed to check.
Thump!
I leaped onto the roof with a flourish.
It was the old man’s house.
“Hmmm!”
A hollow scream echoed from beneath his feet.
By the sound of it, it sounded like he’d gotten his ass kicked, but it was intentional, so I didn’t feel too bad.
From the top of the building, I had a great view of the neighborhood.
“What, was that a real system?”
Slowly looking around, I smirked.
My worst fears were confirmed.
I was in a residential district on the east side of the island.
The checkerboard view of the city stretched as far as the horizon.
“It’s terrifyingly good to see you.”
He rubbed the bridge of his nose, spitting out smoke.
It was a nostalgic scene.
Valon, still uninvaded by the giants, was far more intact than the world I had come from.
The layout of the streets and buildings was just as I remembered it, and the characteristic grandeur was still there.
“What’s so quiet?
However, the atmosphere was very different.
The whole city was sunk in gloom.
The imperial palace at the center was still gorgeous, but somehow it felt lifeless.
Only a few wagons roamed the market, which was always bustling with merchants and customers from all over the continent.
“Did the Emperor die?
In terms of atmosphere, it was no better than a small mining town, let alone the continent’s largest city.
The weather was just as gray as I was, and I felt like I was getting depressed.
Before we could track Akasha down, we needed to figure out what happened and what time zone she was in.
I even climbed up a chimney to get a closer look at the city.
“Uh.”
My gaze, which had been moving from side to side, settled on one place.
In the distance to the west, beyond the imperial palace, a familiar structure came into view.
Dozens of pointed, tall spires loomed in the heavy air.
A nostalgic name slipped through my gaping mouth.
“——Phileon.”
There was no doubt.
It was a white-tower town.
The millennia-old institution of education had stood firm in a world on the brink of destruction.
The faces of alumni and mentors flashed through my mind.
“Maybe there’s a principal or a Nabiroze instructor.
There was no reason not to go.
It would have been a huge help if any of them stayed.
I moved toward the phileon like a possessed person.
A new scream rang out as I moved from roof to roof.
“Hmph, are you a thief?!”
“Well, we didn’t hide anyone in my house, long live the regent!”
“Yes. Yeah. I’m sorry, I’ll just be a minute.”
I thought I heard a strange noise for a second, but ignored it.
Due to the large size of the island, it took quite a bit of time to move around.
Blame!
And so, after stepping on hundreds of roofs, I finally jumped.
“Kya. How long has it been.”
The magnificent gates of the Phileon stretched toward the sky.
The door that I used to walk through on weekends and when I went to extracurricular activities was unbroken, unlike the rest of the world.
If you went straight in, you could reach the Galerion Pavilion.
A little further on, turn right and you’ll see the dormitory I stayed in, Navardozekan, and next to it, in the woods, is an atmospheric clearing where Adeshan and I used to have secret meetings.
“Those were the good old days, yeah.
More than a few years have passed, but it seems like just yesterday.
I headed for the school gates with fond memories.
I don’t have a watch, so I’m not sure, but it was around this time of day when students still in uniform should have been stomping around.
Soon enough, I found myself at the school gate and frowned.
“Huh? What?”
I didn’t see it earlier.
A translucent force field was sealing the gates.
The words floated above my stubborn defenses, like I wouldn’t let a mouse in.
[Pursuant to a decree of His Majesty the Regent, the University is closed indefinitely until further notice].
“Regent?”
His brow creased.
It wasn’t a favorite word.
A regent instead of an emperor would have disrupted the Valonian dynasty, which had lasted 44 generations.
“I don’t know who he is, but he’s a dick.”
I don’t know the full story, but I’m sure they closed it for some pathetic reason.
In the original world, the only time Phileon Academy was closed was during the all-out war with Nebula Clazier.
It was where I taught when the winter witch descended and the beasts of snow and ice pounced on my students.
Naturally, they weren’t going to cooperate.
With a tug on the hilt, the sword was drawn with a smooth sound.
“Is anyone there?
Still, I looked around, just in case.
The streets were dead silent.
It’s also bizarre.
Normally, the area around the Pileon would be as busy as a beach in the summer.
If you don’t have eyes to see, it’s probably for the best anyway.
The blade quickly arcs back into place.
I didn’t have to exert much effort.
Snap!
With a sensation like slicing tofu, the shield around the gate was cut away.
“This is fucking.
The corner of my mouth twitched.
It turns out I wasn’t broken after all.
The only thing weird is Akasha’s magic.
Fucking asshole.
I hummed a tune and stomped off.
The car was just about to cross the threshold.
Chirp!
A tattered piece of paper flew out and caught him in the shin.
“If you can’t even pick up your trash, how do you manage a school?
It was something I never thought about.
The texture of the paper made it feel like an old friend from the streets.
I didn’t think much of it, but it said something.
I slowly read the fine print.
[Captured and executed: Josef Siniban de Grancia].
-If you find traitors to Gracia, report them immediately.
“——what?”
It was like a giant weight had been dropped on my heart.
It took me a while to realize what I was looking at.
Josef Sinibán de Grancia was Schlieffen’s father.
House of Gracia, the great house that bisects the empire.
But traitor?
“What the fuck happened—”
“You there! Stop right now!”
I was in the midst of a panic.
Suddenly, a booming voice rang out behind me.
It sensed life and twisted its shoulders.
Shriek!
An arrow grazed my breastbone.
The sharp sting was coated with a liquid that was believed to be paralyzing venom.
Judging by the color, it’s some sort of toad bodily fluid.
It’s used by the Imperial Army.
“Pee, did you dodge?”
Embarrassment erupted from the direction the arrow came from.
I slowly turned my head.
There were a half-dozen soldiers armed with armor, long spears, and arrows.
It seemed to have gotten to me while I was distracted by the paper.
The most senior-looking man spoke sternly.
“You’ve finally shown yourself, Gracia’s spy. Have you come to see your master, Schlieffen?”
“What kind of bullshit is this?”