20. The Root of All Evil

During the festival, Rus met the Student Council President. Cassandra had sought her out.

The words she'd spoken through the Prophecy Bracelet—that she wanted a student of the same Rank.

A wandering Rus had gone to find Kassandra together with Beatrice. She'd become the vice president of the student council in name only.

And her secret as a regressor had been laid bare.

"...I remember that whenever I tried to meet you, you were never around."

"That's because you're no fun, junior. Every time we meet, it's 'regression this' and 'truth that'—it gets tiresome. There's nothing better than someone who reacts entertainingly, like our senior."

"By senior... you mean ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Adam?"

"Obviously? Then to you, he's your senior's senior, so he's your super-senior!"

"............"

After the festival, even when she tried to meet her, she couldn't. Cassandra had thoroughly vanished from Rus's sight, as if deliberately avoiding her.

She could at least exercise her authority as vice president, but she hadn't heard a single piece of important information from that so-called Grand Prophet who knew Rus was a regressor.

And now, at this rock salt mine, Cassandra had popped out of nowhere, spouting incomprehensible jokes, and put Adam to sleep.

Right at the moment Rus had been about to tell Adam about the regression, no less.

It couldn't be anything but deliberate.

"Get away from Adam."

"Our senior's just fallen asleep. He never sleeps properly because of all the overtime and all-nighters, so isn't this actually doing him a favor?"

"I said get away."

Whatever Kassandra's ulterior motive was, the first thing to do was protect Adam.

Rus reached for the worn sword at her hip, intending to wound herself and feed it blood—

Woom!

"Ah-ah, that would be troublesome."

"...!"

Before she knew it, Kassandra was at Rus's side, one of Rus's arms bound by magic.

They were both 6th Rank, and Rus had been on guard, yet she'd noticed nothing.

But even caught off guard, the binding magic's power was weak.

'At this level, I can tear through it with raw strength, even if it means taking a wound.'

Just a little more.

If Kassandra came just a little closer, she'd rip the bindings apart by force, draw the Dark Sword, and hold it to her throat.

Rus, who had swung a sword in countless battles without hesitation, was already planning how to subdue Kassandra—when Kassandra, wearing an eyepatch, smiled faintly.

"I'm telling you not to draw the Dark Sword."

"...How do you know?"

"You think I know you're a regressor but not about the Dark Sword? I won't stop you from using that demon sword, but not here. At least not now."

"Why?"

"Because whatever's underground would react. Like the tremors and collapse earlier."

Underground? React?

Rus faltered for a moment at this unfamiliar information. Kassandra, wearing an unreadable expression, tapped the floor and peered downward.

As if she could see something beneath the stone.

"Something rather unpleasant is sleeping down there. Calling it 'sleeping' is a bit ambiguous, though. It's not exactly alive."

"...What are you talking about?"

"I think I've already given you enough hints. There aren't many things in the world that react with the Dark Sword, are there?"

"That's not what I meant."

Even Rus could roughly grasp the meaning of what Kassandra was saying. It was true—there weren't many things that would react to the Dark Sword.

The problem was Adam.

"Fine, I have the Dark Sword, so that makes sense. But how do you explain Adam?"

"Hmm."

"Adam has nothing to do with the Dark Sword. If you can't explain that, then asleep or not, it's nothing but a shabby excuse."

For instance, perhaps Kassandra perceived the Dark Sword as a threat and had lied to prevent her from drawing it.

Rus, now somewhat more cautious than when she'd first regressed, glared at Kassandra.

"You might not know. That thing was originally destined for the so-called Pope, after all. Unclean as that connection was."

"The so-called Pope? Milia?"

"More importantly, I can't stay long either. I sent a doppelganger here using magic. I'll be heading back soon, so look after our senior."

"No, wait!"

At the very least.

The absolute least.

"How in the world do you know all of this? You're only 6th Rank, the academy's Student Council President, younger than Adam—how do you know about the regression, the Dark Sword, and whatever's sleeping down there?"

"........."

"And when you appeared just as I was about to tell Adam about the regression—was that on purpose?"

"...You're sharper than I expected. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed before."

"What?"

"To answer my vice president and junior—it's because I'm the Grand Prophet! A prophet knows everything!"

Kassandra placed a hand on her chest and flashed a confident smile. It didn't convince Rus in the slightest.

But the words that followed stopped her cold.

"And you should be more careful about revealing things concerning the future and regression."

"...Explain."

"Explain? This is a warning. You probably think now's the perfect time to confess everything about regression to Adam, but it's not even close. There will be a better moment... so hold out until then."

Until then.

Before Rus could say a word in response, Kassandra vanished, as if she'd never existed in the first place.

At that mirage-like exit, Rus quietly gritted her teeth.

'When we get back, I'm tracking her down for sure.'

She vowed to corner Kassandra face-to-face, not like this. Then she gently lifted the sleeping Adam. He was so light.

She sat down on a rock and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠leaned his head against her chest as a pillow so he could rest comfortably. Not out of any ulterior selfish motive—women's chests were objectively soft, making them perfectly fine to lie on. Anyway, that was it.

This part of her body, normally too large and only a hindrance in combat, was, just this once, quite to her liking.

She pulled his coat up to cover his nape, then held him lightly, feeling his heartbeat and breathing.

"...Sleep well, Adam."

Rus lived with Adam. She knew how often he worked nights and pulled all-nighters, how rarely he even came back to the dormitory.

So at the very least, she could sympathize with Kassandra's remark that he needed to rest. Though unintentional, it was true. She stroked the head of the peacefully sleeping Adam and quietly gazed at his face.

She gathered the wooden debris around them and struck it with ki to ignite a fire. To keep Adam even a little warmer—and to see his face more clearly.

And so Rus watched Adam's sleeping face.

For a long time.

...A very long time.

*

[Jade Shackles]

Crackkk!!

"Hah, hah...!"

"...You should stop now, Student Chloe."

"Shut up...!"

[Jade Shackles]

Crunch!

"You've been at this for hours now. Even my 1st Rank eyes can see you've hit mana exhaustion."

[Jade Shackles]

How many times had she cast the spell already? How many times had she collapsed from exhaustion?

Still, Chloe couldn't stop casting [Jade Shackles]. Some of it was thanks to Adult Chloe's training, but more than that, she simply couldn't forgive herself.

'I couldn't grab him.'

What had all that desperate training with Adult Chloe's help been for? To reach 6th Rank? To claim the seat of the Archmage's direct disciple?

No. It had been because she never wanted to feel that helplessness again—the same helplessness she'd felt in Kirke's laboratory.

But this time was no different.

'If only I'd been just a little stronger.'

If she'd had just a little more mana left. If she'd expanded her mana capacity enough that Adult ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Chloe taking some wouldn't have mattered.

With [Jade Shackles], she could have grabbed Adam's hand. He never would have fallen into that damned hole.

That was why, even now, Chloe was desperately trying to widen the opening.

[Jade Shack—

"Cough! Hack!!"

'Stop it now. I'm the one who told you reaching mana exhaustion won't actually kill you, but at this rate, you really will die.'

'How can you be so calm about this! Adam—Adam fell down there...!'

'Because I know he's alive. And annoying as it is, that dead-last brat fell in too, so his safety is practically guaranteed.'

'So you want me to just sit here and do nothing?!'

'Of course not. I'm telling you to recover your mana first. Let me make one thing clear: I'm not calm. I'm suppressing my emotions and refusing to let them show. In situations like this... you have to avoid simply lashing out in anger.'

Adult Chloe's voice was faint but trembling. Agitated, Chloe slowly took a deep breath at the sound of it.

She didn't know exactly what her future self had been through with Adam, but situations like this must have been far from rare.

Adult Chloe was prioritizing reason and efficiency over emotion.

'Recovering your mana is more efficient than blindly spamming [Jade Shackles]. If you really want to save Adam, then quietly follow my lead.'

'...What in the world happened in the future that you're this used to it?'

'Adam is 1st Rank, and I was 7th. Enemies targeting Adam were simply a given.'

Setting aside Adult Chloe's brief answer, Chloe, now somewhat calmed, turned around while still teetering on the edge of collapse.

Finance Officer Marcus was there, the same man who had been trying to stop her.

"I apologize for a moment ago. I was too worked up."

"Not at all. It was obvious the two of you share more than a typical student-staff relationship, so I understand. Do you consider the Finance Director to be your mentor?"

"...Something like that."

"I've already contacted the royal family and the academy, so don't worry too much. Rus followed him down, so he's bound to be fine. After all, he and I got out safely when I fell in with him too."

Fell in with him?

Chloe's eyes narrowed briefly at the remark, impossible to ignore, but she shook her head. Now wasn't the time to dwell on such things.

First, she would recover her mana, then focus on digging out the hole again. It was a pitifully small task compared to the size of the collapsed passage, but if she didn't do at least this much, she felt like she'd go mad.

Chloe followed Finance Officer Marcus back to the inn, washed off her sweat-soaked body, and sat on the bed.

'Is there any way you can go to Adam right now?'

'The distance is too great. I could force it, but with your current mana, you wouldn't last five minutes.'

'Then let's at least try it.'

'Are you serious? This isn't just mana exhaustion. You could genuinely fall into a coma.'

'Adam might die.'

'...Fine.'

In the end, Adult Chloe was just as worried about Adam.

Even at Chloe's reckless suggestion, Adult Chloe nodded. If the situation were reversed, she would have said the same thing.

Chloe downed the high-grade elixir she'd packed as a spare. With what little mana had recovered, she was about to re-enter meditation—

Woom.

'No... wait, what is this?'

'What? What's wrong?'

'No, it can't be...?'

Adult Chloe's voice wavered. But Chloe couldn't believe the emotion she heard in it.

It was a voice mixed with shock, bewilderment, and fear.

Adult Chloe urgently borrowed Chloe's mana and constructed a new spell.

[Immutable Barrier]

A 7th Rank defensive magic Chloe had once read about in a book. In the distant past, it was said to have withstood even a dragon's breath.

But why was she casting it here and now?

'He's coming.'

'What do you mean, suddenly? Who's coming? Don't tell me it's the Chairwoman?'

'If it were, I wouldn't be like this. You won't believe it, but the person coming right now is from the Empire.'

'What? Are you talking about my master?'

'No, but in some ways, he's even more dangerous to me in my current mental body form. He isn't someone who favors combat by nature, but if he detects my existence... I don't know what will happen.'

She understood the danger of a high-level mental body like Adult Chloe being discovered. Her master, the Archmage, focused more on the physical 'Eye' than mental bodies, so it hadn't been an issue. But if other high-ranking mages caught her, they'd come drooling.

But Adult Chloe was 7th Rank. To detect her existence, someone would have to be on a similar level to the Archmage—8th Rank.

Soon, Finance Officer Marcus's flustered voice came from beyond the door.

"It is an honor to meet an 8th Rank! I knew you were staying with the royal family, but I never imagined Your Excellency would come in person...!"

"Please, don't stand on ceremony. Schoene is but a humble odd-job man. My talents are trifling; there's no need to bow your head."

"How could I dare do otherwise? Thank you for your aid to the Kingdom, Master Surveyor."

'The Surveyor!'

It was a name Chloe couldn't help but know. She was currently at Grandis Academy, but originally, Chloe was from the Empire.

Among the ten 8th Ranks in the Empire, the Elf Archmage was the greatest eccentric, but the most peculiar figures were the Surveyor and the Sculptor.

Those who had risen to 8th Rank through surveying and sculpting—neither magic nor martial arts.

If their guest was the Surveyor, Adult Chloe's heavy guard made sense. In the field of surveying, this man was untouchable. Even the [Immutable Barrier]—he could probably 'survey' right through it and find Adult Chloe.

As if to prove it.

"Would it be all right if Schoene went upstairs for a moment?"

"Of course! But there's really nothing much upstairs."

"Ha-ha, it seems there's quite an interesting subject for surveying up there."

"Pardon...?"

Tap, tap.

The sound of the Surveyor's footsteps approaching Chloe's room reached them.

Both Chloe and Adult Chloe held their breath—

When the 'surveyed' door disassembled itself and was forced open.

"Hm? Well, if it isn't the Archmage elder's disciple?"

"It's an honor to meet you, Master Surveyor."

"Hmm... you needn't be so formal with Schoene. A pity, though. I'd glimpsed a truly fascinating subject for surveying."

The Surveyor was an old man with a hunched back. A small, shabby-looking old man, seemingly insignificant.

Yet his eyes held unfathomable depth and countless geometric patterns.

His gaze wasn't on Chloe—it was fixed on the spot where Adult Chloe stood, wrapped in the [Immutable Barrier]. The Surveyor looked that way, then smiled and turned around.

"Lady Disciple, please give the Archmage elder my regards. He's always had an eye on them, but lately, it seems he covets Schoene's eyes more than usual."

"Ah, yes."

"As lowly as Schoene is, I'd rather not have my eyes plucked out for touching the elder's disciple. Rest well, then."

Tap.

With that, the Surveyor turned and left with a smile. But neither Chloe nor Adult Chloe could utter a word.

He hadn't done anything. He'd merely looked.

And yet, the [Immutable Barrier], cast by Adult Chloe—a top-rank, peak 7th Rank mage—had been 'surveyed' and shattered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to pieces.

A high-tier spell that had withstood even a dragon's breath couldn't endure a single glance from that old man.

The two Chloes could do nothing but break out in a cold sweat.