Chapter 170: The Last Nemesis Before Summer Vacation (End)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 170: The Last Nemesis Before Summer Vacation (End)
The first thing I felt upon passing through the portal was a piercing, intense gaze.
It wasn’t hostility, but it wasn’t goodwill either. If I had to categorize it, it was a gaze closer to curiosity or interest.
I couldn’t pinpoint the observer’s location even after expanding my mana sensing—I wasn’t sure what trick they were using—but it was certain that someone was watching me.
What is their goal? And why at this timing?
Don’t panic. Stay calm. First, I needed to gather information.
As for my location, it definitely wasn’t the Academy I had intended to return to. Since the others were nowhere to be seen, it seemed I was the only one kidnapped.
Of course, I couldn’t rule out the possibility that we had all been sent to different locations. However, interfering with a portal while evading the Academy’s surveillance is no easy feat; such sophisticated manipulation wouldn’t be simple to pull off multiple times.
Besides, if there were hostages, it would be more advantageous for the culprit to start a hostage situation immediately to throw me off balance.
I could safely assume the others hadn’t been caught up in this.
Now, if I didn’t have to worry about hostages or being watched, the next step was to consider the opponent’s objective.
Everyone would worry if I took too long, so I hoped their purpose was a peaceful one.
When I showed no reaction and slowly scanned my surroundings, a sigh drifted from somewhere, as if the observer were giving up.
“I suppose that form isn’t your true self after all? It’s not easy for a cadet to remain so cold-headed in a situation like this.”
Suddenly, a woman—presumably the one who kidnapped me—appeared from thin air. Yet, I could still feel gazes pouring toward me from all directions.
The Alchemist of Omnipotence, Kalia. An S-rank Villain and the current leader of Arcadia.
The sensation of being watched from all sides and her sudden appearance were likely due to the power of tools she had created through alchemy.
Since she was someone capable of creating quasi-artifacts that rivaled actual holy relics with a human body, this was hardly surprising.
Right, it’s not surprising, so don’t be surprised.
What I needed to do now was figure out her goal and decide how to respond.
“Um, do you know? Before I start an important conversation or engage in a dialogue, I tend to try and shake the other person up. It’s easier to get information from a panicked opponent, and even if I don’t, flustering them increases the chances of the conversation going in the direction I want.”
Her sharp gaze swept over me.
She nodded as if appraising me, observing me intently.
…To be honest, it didn’t feel great.
First the War Demon, and now her—it seemed the members of Arcadia had a tendency to treat others however they pleased, perhaps because they were S-rank.
“But it seems it didn’t mean much against you. No, rather, if I’ve only managed to get on your nerves, I should consider this a net negative.”
“No, that’s not necessarily true. We’re old acquaintances, aren’t we? You’re the hero I met at the Rose Festival, right? I’m actually quite heartened and excited to be invited by a beautiful woman with such a clear identity.”
“I’d appreciate it if you said that with a softer expression and tone. I even prepared a new identity to try and approach you from a distance at first, but it seems that won’t be necessary.”
She tore up a piece of paper labeled ‘S-rank Hunter License’ without a hint of regret and looked at me.
“I apologize for trying to rattle you. So, how about we stop the deception? You seem to know who I am anyway.”
Indeed.
The moment I mentioned we were acquaintances, I was warning her to stop playing tricks, as I could see through all the perception interference and tools she was wearing.
No matter how high-quality her quasi-artifacts were, they weren’t at a level that could deceive the Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Which do you prefer: the Ghost Mask or the Masked Gentleman?”
…That actually surprised me.
I wondered why she was suddenly acting up, but if she knew that, the story changed.
There was no longer any need to keep my guard up with formal speech or put on an act.
“I don’t know why those are the only two options, but I have to ask before I answer. How did you find out?”
Instead of answering, she began to use her talent.
Her talent was the S-rank ‘Alchemy.’
It was a near-cheating ability that allowed her not only to understand structures but also to decompose or reconstruct objects that fell outside her understanding through the correction provided by her talent.
The moment she used her talent, I felt a strangely familiar pull.
To be precise, it felt like my Reinforcement was reacting.
“It seems you’ve grown a bit stronger than before. You couldn’t even feel it last time. Or perhaps… have you encountered a ‘Fragment of Omnipotence’ larger than mine?”
Fragment of Omnipotence.
I had heard those words before from the masked red-haired maid.
Did it mean that the woman before me was also a Fragment of Omnipotence, just like her and me?
And likely, this ‘Fragment of Omnipotence’ was part of the setting that only Seo-ha knew, and I didn’t.
“Actually, I haven’t told anyone about your identity.”
By the way, she seemed to have decided on her own that my true form was the masked one.
If I had to be technical, this was my true self, and that was just one of my disguises. How could a person be a masked villain by nature?
“I didn’t even tell my own people as a sign of my goodwill. Do you understand?”
“Yeah, thanks to that, it’ll be easier to keep you quiet.”
“Don’t bluff. You have no intention of killing me right now, do you? Don’t be so prickly. I only called you here because I wanted to talk; I have no intention of fighting.”
She held up her hands as if she had no will to fight, but I wasn’t naive enough to believe those words at face value.
To be precise, even if she were sincere, I was certain that if I tried to fight, her comrades—whether the War Demon or someone else—would come charging out.
“First, the method I used to kidnap you involved an artifact made through alchemy. I planted it in the portal so it would only react when you used it to escape. One of our friends is quite skilled at information manipulation, so they attended the Academy as an external inspector this time.”
“I’m not really curious.”
I had already guessed as much the moment I realized she was the culprit.
This was the same method used against Lilac in the original story.
“…Well, if you say so, I suppose it can’t be helped.”
Ah, for the record, she had a bit of an ‘exposition-fairy’ streak where she enjoyed explaining the performance of her tools. Listening to her would only make things complicated.
“…It seems you want to get straight to the point.”
“To be honest, I just want to go back. The kids will be worried.”
“…Yes, that’s exactly what I want to confirm. Why are you acting like that at the Academy? Honestly, until yesterday, I considered the possibility that you really were just a cadet, but after seeing what you did today, that clearly isn’t the case.”
“Why do you care?”
“My, didn’t you suggest we collaborate?”
Ah, right. But the situation was different if she was someone who knew that the Masked Villain and I were the same person.
The risk became too great.
“You mentioned the standard of evil, didn’t you? Is it related to that? If you’re planning to use those children…”
Ah, I made a mistake.
“…I guess you aren’t?”
I had intended to suppress my emotions as much as possible and give away no more information, but I had let out a surge of killing intent at the suggestion of using them.
“I understand even less now. Who exactly are you? A sickly young master of a major corporation? A prospective hero who freely wields countless artifacts? A villain who deceives everyone behind a mask? Or is even that a false front, hiding yet another identity?”
Who am I?
I was a transmigrator, the villain who destroyed the world, and a regressor who returned out of regret. But none of those were answers that would satisfy her.
Besides, they’d probably be blocked by the filter anyway.
“I am simply someone who, perhaps presumptuously, wishes for those children’s happiness.”
“…Pardon?”
Was that not it either?
It might have been better to just act like the Masked Villain and move on, but for some reason, I didn’t want to.
“Every action I take is for my people, and it is what is necessary for them. Whether you believe it or not, I am always acting for them, for this world, and for those precious to me.”
“…What does that mean? Are you saying all of that is necessary?”
“Yeah. Honestly, I don’t expect you to understand. I only answered because you asked. It’s up to you to judge.”
She stared at me for a long time with a contemplative face before speaking cautiously.
“May I ask just one more thing…?”
“I can’t guarantee I’ll answer.”
“Do you believe that conquering the world is the path for everyone’s sake…?”
…What kind of nonsense was that?
* * *
Kalia, the Alchemist of Omnipotence.
In her eyes, the boy before her was truly a strange existence.
He had been a boy with a strange twist to him when she first saw him, but he hadn’t been to this extent back then.
She had secretly used more than a few types of artifacts to uncover his identity while talking to him, but most of them were lucky if they didn’t break, let alone work.
The ‘Crystal Ball that Shows the Past’ had failed to overcome something vast and turned into a murky darkness before breaking, and the ‘Camera that Captures the Essence’ installed in the distance felt as if its connection had been severed entirely.
What on earth was he?
She tried to learn about him by relying on the ‘Lie Detector,’ which was at least functioning normally, but the words that came out of his mouth only added to her confusion.
Actions for their sake?
One who wishes for happiness?
Was he not the one who served a transcendent being as his master and spoke of making that being the sole rule of the world?
How could any of that be for their sake or lead to happiness?
Yet, the artifact judged all his words to be the truth.
Could it be that the things he said in the past were the lies?
With such suspicion, she threw out a question, but he only looked at her as if he wouldn’t answer any further.
The fact that her artifacts didn’t work and the strange twist she felt from him manifested as a peculiar sense of displeasure.
She had tried to test him and discover his goal, but there was no way.
Yet, believing what he said was impossible because his words made no sense. In the end, she could learn nothing.
Because of the education from the benefactor who gave her a life, combined with her innate talent for alchemy, Kalia hated things she couldn’t understand.
No matter who the opponent was, she wanted to understand them clearly, and she didn’t want to decide on a relationship while in a state of misunderstanding.
Until now, it hadn’t mattered. Most humans gave her an answer immediately, whether through conversation or her tools.
But this time, the closer she got, the more her confusion grew.
For a brief moment, a thought occurred to her.
Should I just fight him directly, like Tae-ho does?
Some called knowing each other through combat an archaic idea, but combat conveyed more than one might think.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was where an opponent’s habits, attitude, and personality were most revealed.
If she used the method of return as bait to draw him into a fight, he would reluctantly fight her, so it wouldn’t be difficult.
The moment she thought that and looked at him again—
Chillingly cold eyes met her red ones.
He was clearly looking her way, but he was seeing something other than her.
“…Let’s put this on hold.”
“Hmm?”
Her instinct spoke before her reason.
“Our agreement to decide whether to cooperate or be enemies the next time we met. I want to view you favorably, but there’s too little information. Could you let me postpone my judgment until I’ve seen a bit more?”
She was certain.
Whether it was because of the trouble Tae-ho had caused or the problem of her forced invitation this time, she was convinced that provoking him further right now would not lead to a good conclusion.
“…Well, fine. I didn’t plan on making contact this early anyway.”
He spoke in a cold voice, as if he didn’t care about her at all.
What on earth had gotten on his nerves?
“Sorry, but I think I need to head back quickly.”
He tried to maintain a calm demeanor, but he was clearly angry.
Only after she opened a small portal for him did he look her way again.
“Ah, I forgot to mention. If you ever feel like spreading my identity…”
“I know. I’ll make sure that never happens.”
“No, you can spread it. Only when you’re confident you can handle the consequences, that is.”
“…Pardon?”
With those final words, he threw himself into the portal.
…What a truly strange person.
* * *
I had been doing my best to talk to Kalia until midway through, but suddenly, I lost the luxury to do so.
It was because of a sudden system notification—no, a message from the Lord of Myriad Worlds.
[-If you do not return to the Academy right this instant, you will regret it.]
I felt bad for Kalia, but for now, this was much more urgent.