Chapter 417

The breeze is a thing of the past.
With each inhale and exhale, white steam came out.
Tall rocky mountains flanked the road on either side.
I muttered, keeping my eyes on the sheer cliffs.
“It’s a nostalgic scene–I wonder if the dwarf is still alive.”
It seems like a distant dream now.
The Romulan mountain road connecting the western part of the continent to the Empire.
I’ve traveled this road with Asel in the past to get to Pileon.
Schlieffen, walking beside him, waggled his eyebrows.
“Dwarf?”
“There you go, my friend. You’ve never heard of the name Asel?”
“That’s a name I’ve never heard before. I don’t think you’re a renowned wizard.”
“Whoa, I knew it. What a global disaster.”
I took out a cigarette and put it in my mouth.
As expected, Asel’s talent didn’t blossom.
I wondered what he would be doing if he were alive today.
I’m guessing he’s either being held captive by some bad guys somewhere and having his powers exploited, or he’s out in the countryside shoveling cow shit.
“I just hope I don’t get taken by some weird perverts–ehhh. You’ve got to glaze it.”
“Was it a lady.”
“No, boy. One look at that asshole’s face and you’ll understand why I’m so worried.”
It was even more dangerous because it had an obvious audience.
I looked ahead again.
The winding road stretched as far as the eye could see.
It felt like we were more than halfway there.
Having gotten rid of the SS, we were on our way to Nimburton, where my sister was.
“Let’s take a break and walk. Do you have any strength left in your legs?”
“That’s a no-brainer.”
“Well, that’s good, because I thought I had arthritis from all the shit I had to deal with.”
“Quack—.”
Schlieffen gritted his teeth.
He was ashamed that he hadn’t been able to kill the SS in the end.
It’s actually nothing to be ashamed of.
“I’m kidding, man. And rest assured, if you didn’t catch the SS, it was simply a matter of gender, and you can probably count your toes better than they can.”
“Who the hell are you——, and to what end are you moving?”
“I don’t know. I don’t remember. Maybe it will come to me when I get to Nimburton.”
“Big—.”
Schlieffen stammered.
It had a teasing flavor.
He didn’t seem to fully trust me yet, but he was following along.
In a way, it’s like the Orsay of another world.
You’ve just sliced and diced an opponent who’s been struggling with something, and you’re not curious enough to learn?
Whoosh!
A sudden gust of wind blew the cigarette smoke away.
“Ugh, I’m cold.”
I opened my collar against the bone-chilling cold.
The relatively mild weather turned to winter as soon as we entered the mountains.
Winter, winter.
Suddenly, someone’s face flashed through my mind.
“Right. When did you catch the Winter Witch?”
“About four years ago. That was before Barca became regent.”
“And that’s when the Stormblade awakened?”
“Yeah. He was someone you couldn’t beat unless you stepped up.”
Schlieffen replied calmly.
He had a frostbite down the back of his head that looked like it was from a fight.
The mountain roads were still littered with scars from some of the unmelted ice.
The Winter Witch has descended in this world as well.
The mountain roads of Lomaira were completely frozen and could only be thawed with the help of the Fire Dragon Clan.
I counted them off on my fingers.
Based on the events I’d heard about from Schlieffen, such as the Winter Witch and Barca’s rise to power, I had a rough idea of what time it was.
“We’re about three years away from the bald advent.
variable would have been the same without it.
This was seven years after I was a kid, right after I regressed.
For some reason, I thought Schlieffen had cut back a bit, but he was really older than me.
‘No, it might get worse. Without Adeshan.’
I smiled bitterly.
Once again, I didn’t meet the woman who would become my wife.
It was a no-brainer.
In the first place, this and other parallel worlds were left behind when Adeshan died and regressed.
After a pause, I opened my mouth.
“So have you heard of the name Adeshan?”
“You mean the former warlord. From Acalusia.”
“Right. I guess that’s when you entered Acalusia?”
“Of course I know. She was the best soldier I ever saw, and now that I think about it, it was only after her death that the Empire began to fall apart.”
Schlieffen explained that Adeshan met a mysterious death during the expedition.
I should add that the conditions were so bad that they didn’t even find the body.
“Apart from his abilities, he made a strange impression. He was never satisfied with what he accomplished, and always seemed to be looking further afield. If the Great Lord had lived, a fool like Barca would not have become Regent.”
“——Yes.”
My nose tingled like I’d eaten horseradish.
We may not have seen the descent of the bald heads, but the process was not without meaning.
A voice rose from the back of my throat like a squeeze.
“You’ve been working hard here too.”
After biting my lip, I dry-cleaned my face.
After all, it’s not your place to hear about your lover’s death.
The sky was getting lighter, and I knew it would be sunny soon.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa—let’s go.”
Taking a deep breath, I looked back at Schlieffen.
I figured I’d better pick up the pace if I wanted to make it in time for my meal.
Unless we know where Akasha is, it’s better to focus on her sister for now.
“Ready.”
Schlieffen nodded.
Blue mana began to crackle up his thighs.
“Okay. Then.”
Eye contact was the signal.
Kaaaah!
I and Schlieffen hit the ground at the same time, and our bodies shot out of the ground.
With each step, the nostalgic landscape of the mountain passes by on either side.
****
“—has arrived.”
I’m stuck.
Surprisingly, it didn’t take me long to reach my destination.
The reverberations of the rain lingered beneath a sky that had cleared.
“NimButton.”
A small village sprawled down the hill.
The cypresses along the trail were beautiful.
Even as the empire was half-dead, the river that meandered through the town was still flowing.
“Nothing’s changed here.”
It was nothing like the old system.
People in rustic clothes wandered around the village after the rain had stopped.
I was relieved to see my hometown still looking the same as it always did.
I was in the middle of an appreciation.
Schlieffen, who had been following, stopped beside me.
“Hmmm–kahhhhh!”
He let out a ragged breath that was too hard to stop.
He was huffing and puffing with his hands on his knees like a man possessed.
Turning to Schlieffen, I clicked my tongue.
“That’s the best you can do when you’re being hunted for mutiny?”
“Huck, hoo-hoo—shut up!”
Schlieffen glared at me like he was going to kill me.
His face, once as white as marble, was grimly remembered.
It wasn’t that I didn’t understand.
That’s a distance that would have taken him three days to cover in three hours.
“I’m going straight to my sister, so wash your face in the river. And shave your fucking beard while you’re at it.”
“This–whoops, it’s a symbol of my struggle–I’m not going to push it for a while.”
“Oh, shithead, don’t you have a face, you look like a bandit living in a cave somewhere.”
The beads of sweat on his beard were disgusting.
I thumped my chest in frustration, but Schlieffen stood firm.
I want to know how the guy who would iron seaweed and eat it became such a tough guy.
“Speaking of which, what about you, Narcissus?”
“Whoops—not noticed.”
“Are you crazy, you’ve been saying that since Pileon.”
“There’s no reason for me to bring your sister’s favorite flowers. If we’re meeting in style, you should be the one to bring them.”
Schlieffen replied frostily.
He seemed to catch his breath and regain his composure.
“You’re a frustrating asshole, I was trying to give you a chance to get a point, but–I’m sorry.”
“Gracia doesn’t regret it. I’ll go to the river.”
“Okay. Roughly track him down.”
He said no, but I couldn’t do anything about it.
Torn apart, Schlieffen and I headed straight for the house where my brother and sister lived.
A few of the residents saw my face and gossiped, but thankfully they didn’t try to talk to me.
“Wait a minute. Come to think of it, what happened to me on this side of the world? Am I still alive?
Suddenly, I had a question.
I felt like I was on to something, but I didn’t have time to think about it.
I meet my sister.
And her sister, seven years after her brother’s death.
Soon after following the path, a small cabin appeared in front of me.
I could see smoke coming up the chimney, so I assumed he was home.
Stopping at the door, I took a deep breath.
“Woohoo—I’m more nervous than when the Bald King awakens—.”
I didn’t know where to start.
Because technically, I wasn’t my sister’s brother on this side of the world.
Still, it was my second time, so I was more courageous than the first.
“Okay. No problem.”
I slapped my face with my palm and tugged on the doorknob.
The wooden door opened with a squeak of hinges.
The smell of nostalgia hit me like a ton of bricks.
I glanced around the room quickly and narrowed my eyes.
“Huh?”
There was no one in the darkened house.
Only the nearly burnt-out logs remained in the fireplace, shedding light.
My heart sank.
Memories of the original world floated to the surface.
Her older sister, Nebula, had been kidnapped by Abel to be made a saint of Clasier.
“No.”
It was as if the blood circulating through my body had doubled in speed.
I was about to rush home, not even bothering to shake the dirt off my shoes.
Suddenly, a booming voice rang out behind me.
“Nu, who are you?!”
“——!!”
“Well, that’s me and my brother’s house, I don’t think you’re from the village—do you have any business with my brother and sister?”
Her frightened voice was pathetic.
My clenched fists tightened.
After preparing myself, I turned and opened my mouth.
“—It’s me, sister.”
“Huh?”
There stood the most beautiful woman in the world.
Her silvery-white hair glistened in the sunlight.
She wore a raggedy apron and had a potato in each hand, but that didn’t disguise her beauty.
His sunset-colored eyes, just like mine, were wide and dilated.
“—— Ronan?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me–is that really Ronan?”
Poof.
One potato fell to the floor.
But my sister was staring at me, not even bothering to pick it up.
Breathing heavily, she slowly approached me.
“If it’s a dream, don’t wake me up—please.”
His big eyes were watering.
Suddenly, my vision went black.
Oh, really.
I was never going to cry.
I smirked as I finally let a drop fall.
“It’s me, sis.”
“—Black.”
Eventually, a tear rolled down his cheek.
She threw down her potatoes and ran over to me and hugged me.
“Ugh… Ughhh… Waaaah!”
“I’ve been waiting a long time.”
I tried to stop further leaks, but to no avail.
I gently wrapped my arms around her trembling body.
My sister, crying for the world to go away, spoke in the main voice.
“Gee, where have you been all this time—Sis, hmmm. She thinks Ronan is wrong—!”
“I’m sorry.”
“No. Yeah, Ronan doesn’t need to feel sorry for himself at all. Can we go to——?”
The sobbing sister stopped talking.
Judging by the fixed gaze, he must have noticed something.
I turned my head, hugging my sister.
Schlieffen, clutching a single daffodil, stood there, dumbfounded.
“Uhm. Me.”
“Hullo—Khung! Who’s there? I don’t see you—.”
My sister rolled her eyes.
My vision was blurred by tears.
At that moment, the hilt of Schlieffen’s sword was briefly drawn and returned.
A razor-sharp wind licked across his face.
Poof!
The whiskers covering the lower canal exploded and scattered.
Real asshole.
What’s the struggle?
She wiped away her tears and looked up.
“Mmmm—again, I’ve never met you before, but I’m pretty sure you had a beard—.”
“Illusion. You must be, my lady.”
The accent was dumb as a rock.
Schlieffen’s frozen mouth slowly parted.
“I’ve never raised anything like that.”