I Follow the Academy Regressor
The moment the regressor regressed, I went back with her.
“I’ll do my best this time too.”
“……Who are you?”
Of course, that was a secret only I kept from her.
I quietly closed the old notebook in my hands.
The worn-out cover, faded ink, and the faint scent of time that still lingered on the pages. This was the only record I had of the previous timeline. A diary I’d kept obsessively, page after page, documenting every single thing she did.
Even now, after returning to the past, I still carried it with me. It was the one thing that proved everything I’d experienced wasn’t just a dream.
Because in this life, I had decided to follow her again.
From the very beginning.
The place where it all started—the Academy.
A massive independent educational institution that stood at the center of the continent. It wasn’t affiliated with any nation, nor did it belong to any single faction. It simply existed as a crucible where the most talented individuals from every corner of the world gathered.
And she was the one who would eventually save this world.
At least, that’s what I believed.
Even if the world called her a monster. Even if they branded her a witch. Even if they eventually turned their blades against her… I alone knew the truth. I alone remembered what she had sacrificed.
That’s why I chose to follow her again. Not as a hero. Not as a savior. Just as someone who would stay by her side, no matter what.
Even if she didn’t remember me.
Even if she looked at me like I was a complete stranger.
I would protect her this time. I would make sure she didn’t have to bear everything alone again.
That was my resolve.
I slipped the notebook back into my coat pocket and stepped out of the old carriage. The familiar yet somehow new scenery of the Academy unfolded before me. Towering spires that pierced the sky. Students in crisp uniforms hurrying along the wide stone paths. The faint magical energy that hummed in the air like a living thing.
It was the same as before. The same as that first day I had set foot here in the previous timeline.
Only this time, I wasn’t the clueless freshman I had been back then.
I already knew what would happen. I already knew who the important people were. And most of all, I already knew exactly where she would be.
“……Excuse me.”
A soft voice came from behind me.
I turned around slowly. My heart, which had been calm until now, suddenly began to pound violently.
There she was.
Long silver hair that flowed like moonlight. Eyes the color of amethyst that seemed to hold the entire night sky within them. A face so beautiful it almost didn’t seem real. And that faint, delicate aura that made people instinctively step back.
Seia von Adelheit.
The girl who would later be called the Final Witch.
The one who had saved the world by sacrificing everything she had.
She was standing right in front of me, looking slightly confused.
“Do you… know me?”
Her voice was exactly the same as I remembered. Gentle, yet carrying a subtle wariness. The voice that had once whispered to me in the darkest moments of the previous timeline.
I had to fight the urge to cry.
Of course I knew her. I knew her better than anyone else in this world. I had followed her for years. I had watched her back as she walked alone toward the end of the world. I had seen her smile, her tears, her rage, and her final moments.
But I couldn’t say any of that.
Not yet.
I forced my lips into a calm smile and answered in the most natural voice I could manage.
“No, I don’t. This is our first meeting.”
“……I see.”
She tilted her head slightly. Those clear amethyst eyes scanned me from head to toe. It was the same look she had given me on our first meeting in the previous timeline. A gaze that seemed to pierce straight through a person.
After a moment, she gave a small nod.
“I’m sorry for bothering you. I just felt… a strange sense of familiarity.”
Familiarity.
The word made my chest tighten.
Even if her memories had been reset, some part of her must have recognized me. The me who had been by her side until the very end.
But I simply smiled and shook my head.
“It happens sometimes. Maybe we passed each other in the city before.”
“……Maybe.”
She didn’t seem entirely convinced, but she didn’t press the issue. Instead, she offered a small, polite bow.
“Then I’ll be on my way. I hope you enjoy your time at the Academy.”
With those words, she turned and began walking away.
I stood there for a long moment, just watching her retreating figure. The same slender back I had followed so many times before. The same silver hair that swayed gently with each step.
My hands were trembling.
I clenched them into fists and took a deep breath.
This time would be different.
I wouldn’t let her walk that path of solitude again. I wouldn’t let her carry the weight of the world on her shoulders alone. I would stay by her side. I would support her. I would make sure she smiled more often.
Even if she never remembered me.
Even if she looked at me with those wary eyes again and again.
I would follow her.
Until the end of this world. Until the moment the Tomb that threatened our existence was completely sealed. Until she could finally put down everything and rest.
That was my sole purpose for returning.
I adjusted the notebook in my pocket one more time and started walking after her.
Just like I had in the previous timeline.
Only this time, I would make sure things ended differently.
Because I was the only one who remembered.
The only one who knew the future.
And the only one who had chosen to follow the Academy regressor.