Chapter 285
Chapter 285
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 285
Chapter Title: The True Identity of the Fake Arthur
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Well, she had only seen Terasius's face briefly, with no real time spent watching what he was actually doing.
"...So that explains why I slept like the dead whenever I dozed off."
She seemed to have some inkling, murmuring to herself, and Krash nodded.
"He must have been using soul projection magic the whole time."
Vioren looked at Terasius like he was some kind of madman.
"Oh, as expected of the Demon Emperor. You're sharp."
And there was one more lunatic in the room.
Rona was actually looking favorably on Terasius's research methods.
"Rona, just to be safe, don't even think about trying it yourself."
"Unfortunately, I haven't learned any soul projection magic yet!"
Rona replied with innocent cheer.
Which basically meant she would have if she had.
It was a perfectly mad response.
"Aslan, you stay out of it too."
Krash warned Aslan, who had been quietly lost in thought.
This was why all geniuses of magic were missing a few screws.
Wriggle—
Right on cue, Terasius's body twitched.
He slowly raised his hand, lifted his eyepatch, and looked their way.
"You're here."
He said it so matter-of-factly, then floated down from the shaky bed using levitation magic.
His entire daily life revolved around magic.
Krash stared at him for a moment before asking,
"Why are you still in that form?"
He could just dispel the magic now that they were back in Jeblam.
Yet Terasius insisted on keeping Temarin's appearance.
"I figured you'd be more comfortable with this. Easier to make requests like that."
It was Terasius's own way of being considerate.
If he showed his true face, no one here would treat him casually.
"But that's not the only favor you're after, is it?"
Terasius glanced sharply at Rona and Aslan as he spoke.
Just as he said, there were two more requests.
"Magic advice for Aslan, and some magical thread for the other one."
Krash laid out his requests without hesitation.
Terasius fixed his gaze on Krash.
"And what will you pay for my help?"
"24 hours."
Krash alluded to the Crimson Garden behind him.
"Play with it to your heart's content for that time. Bonus: you can use my body for your research too."
"An excellent deal."
A satisfied smile crept across Terasius's lips.
It was fake, of course—his emotions restrained by magic.
But he clearly approved of the trade.
"The magical thread is back that way, through exit three."
"Eeee!"
Rona's eyes lit up the second he said it, and she bolted off.
"For magic advice, start with the ancient magic theory books. Exit six. All magic-related tomes are there."
Aslan sauntered away.
His eyes burned with fierce intensity.
He'd devour every book in that library.
"And."
Terasius met Vioren's eyes.
"I'm on watchdog duty. Making sure this guy doesn't pull anything stupid."
Vioren jabbed a thumb at Krash, and Terasius said nothing.
"Follow me."
Instead, he turned and headed toward the magic lab.
Krash and Vioren followed right behind.
"Terasius."
Along the way, Krash called out to the man walking ahead.
There was one thing he'd been dying to ask.
"Why did you come to Raheln Academy?"
The reason he went so far as to disguise himself as Temarin and enroll.
Krash had always wondered about that.
Terasius fell silent for a moment at the question, then smoothly turned his head.
Their eyes met, and Krash felt a chill run down his spine.
"Time magic."
As Krash questioned the eerie sensation,
his body froze at the words that reached his ears.
"To find a clue to it."
This was beyond anything he'd imagined.
Krash stared at Terasius, keeping his expression as neutral as possible.
Time magic.
He might have brushed it off before.
But not now.
'Because I've experienced regression myself.'
On top of that, Raheln Academy had two more people who'd gone through regression like him.
Sigrin and Mary, both students there.
"So, did you find your clue?"
Krash probed casually.
A faint tension rippled through his body at the same time.
'I'm one of the reasons he came to Raheln Academy. He might have seen through the regression and sought me out.'
Krash didn't fully trust Terasius.
To him, the man was still a walking wildcard.
No matter how much leverage the Crimson Garden gave him,
he had to stay on guard.
So Krash had no intention of revealing anything about regression carelessly.
"Something close."
"...And now that you've found it?"
"One of the students at Raheln Academy. He's connected to time magic."
Terasius stared straight at Krash.
It was as if he was saying, It's you, isn't it?
Krash felt a burning thirst in his throat.
"Who is it?"
Krash tossed out the next question.
Me?
Mary?
Or maybe Sigrin?
All three?
"Arthur Gramalte."
Krash's eyes slowly widened at the answer.
He truly hadn't seen that coming.
"...Arthur?"
Krash echoed blankly.
Terasius wasn't lying.
He genuinely believed Arthur was linked to time magic.
The fake Arthur, not the original.
"I detected traces of time magic on him. Even I had trouble seeing through it, but the traces are definitely there."
"Wait, what the hell does that... Are you talking about the Arthur Gramalte currently attending Raheln Academy?"
"Yes."
Krash's lips twitched.
Traces of time magic on the fake Arthur?
Why?
'No way the fake is the real Arthur?'
Krash had watched him up close for so long.
No disguise could fool him.
Even without his regression memories, Arthur was Arthur.
'If anything, I'd have preferred him acting suspicious.'
Krash had zero doubt he wasn't the real one.
His mind spun in complicated knots.
He'd pegged the fake Arthur as Abella's plant.
Now this curveball about time magic.
His head was a mess, naturally.
"...Demon Emperor, one question."
Krash broke the silence after a while.
"What is it?"
"Did you find any traces of polymorph or similar magic on the Arthur Gramalte you met?"
The chance that the fake had used some flawless spell even Krash couldn't pierce.
He asked if that was possible.
"None."
But the Demon Emperor himself declared it wasn't.
The fake's form was his true appearance.
Yet time magic traces lingered on him.
'...Abella must have used time magic on the fake Arthur.'
Then why would she do that?
'What happened to the real Arthur?'
Krash pressed his chin, deep in thought.
Krash flinched.
The fact he'd been desperately denying until now.
That the fake might really be the original Arthur.
He'd rejected the possibility over and over, unwilling to accept the fake as real.
But the time magic traces were impossible to ignore.
"Yeah... maybe you're right."
Krash let out a long sigh and finally accepted the hypothesis.
Instead, he focused elsewhere.
If so, why did the fake look different from the real one?
Krash slowly rubbed his forehead.
Because another possibility gripped his attention.
'That this is Arthur's true face.'
The "real" Arthur he'd known was the fake one all along.
'Okay, let's say his real appearance was the disguised one.'
Krash crossed his arms, roughly convincing himself.
But a new question arose.
'Then why?'
Why change his appearance?
'One guess: the fake has a somewhat feminine look.'
Switching to a more masculine one had its perks.
But was it necessary?
Krash could only wonder.
Why go to such lengths for a disguise so perfect even the Red Witch Abella, always by his side, never noticed?
'...Maybe I never really knew Arthur at all.'
Krash had spent quite a bit of time with him.
Arthur was a key figure in the Generation of the Sky, and Krash their cursed supporter.
He thought he had a solid read on the guy.
Krash was sharp, after all.
But reality said otherwise.
He'd thought he knew plenty, but it was all nothing.
'No wonder he didn't trust me.'
Krash suddenly understood why Arthur hadn't brought him along on the regression.
He'd never tried to see the real Arthur, just as Arthur had used him—and Krash had used Arthur to avert doom.
A hollow chuckle escaped him.
Heading back to Raheln Academy meant more work.
If the fake was real,
he had a ton to ask the guy.
"Thanks for the info."
Terasius said nothing at Krash's refreshed expression.
"If you learn about time magic."
Clunk—
Terasius pushed open the door in front of them.
Clanks and rattles echoed from internal locks.
Then the door swung open, exhaling white, icy chill.
"Whoa."
Vioren let out an involuntary gasp at the sight inside.
It overflowed with materials and tools that would overwhelm anyone who'd even touched magic.
"I'll grant one request without further talk."
Terasius continued after pausing.
Music to his ears.
Krash had plenty of questions about time magic too.
Krash looked up.
His eyes shone brighter than ever today.
"Let's go."
Time to shed his old skin.