The Regressor's Promise

It's been roughly ten minutes since I started dodging the regressor's merciless spear. She pursued me without showing the slightest sign of fatigue. "There are so many things I want to ask you. What your goal is, how much you know, what your true identity really is..."

"......"

"I'm also curious why you're still only running instead of fighting back. Of course, I don't expect you to answer easily. That's why I have to catch you right now, no matter what!"

The destructive power was far beyond what a thrusting weapon should be capable of. If she unleashed that attack a few more times, the surrounding buildings wouldn't survive. Yet the woman, as if she had lost her mind, was already wrapping her spear in mana for the next strike.

After narrowly avoiding the attack once again, I glared at the regressor. She claimed to have many questions for me, but I had questions of my own. At this point in time, the regressor shouldn't have been able to wield this kind of power. Where on earth had she obtained such a martial art... She was displaying strength nearly on par with the current hero.

......If I thought about it, there was one thing that stood out.

'Right... I should have looked into it the moment she skipped the first day of class.'

I recalled how the regressor had been absent from the entire orientation session the day after her regression. Even though we weren't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the same class, I knew she hadn't shown up that day. At the time, I had dismissed it as nothing important, but looking back now, it felt strange. Why had she chosen to rest on that particular day of all days?

Of course, it was right after her regression, so it was possible she simply wanted to rest without any particular reason. But if I dug deeper, one thing I had forgotten came to mind. There was a secret manual that should have completely vanished that day. It should have been reduced to nothing but dust after countless years... It seemed the regressor's information network had reached even that far.

The one silver lining was that she still hadn't fully adapted to the martial art she had learned.

......Even though she couldn't land a clean hit, the fact that she was still trying to provoke me meant the regressor herself was aware of it. She was getting impatient. And strictly speaking, I hadn't been running the entire time either.

While dodging the regressor's attacks, I layered several Recognitions and Cognitions. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to work on her, but I had succeeded in obscuring the view of others and external entities. Now it was time to sow some confusion in the regressor as well.

In an instant, I snatched the regressor's spear with my bare hand—the same spear I had been desperately avoiding until now.

"Eek...?"

"I should be heading back now. I'll stop listening to your story here."

"Who do you think you are—!"

"And from now on, you'd better watch your mouth. If you want to keep your precious person safe, that is."

"What did you just say—?!"

Right. If someone else found out she was a regressor, there was no telling what might happen, so she needed to be careful. Even during our fight just now, she had been acting far too suspiciously. I hoped she would take my words to heart, if only for the sake of the people around her—people like the hero or the saintess.

It was advice given with good intentions, but the regressor's reaction was completely different from what I had expected.

"You... What did you do to him...!"

"......?"

"How dare you—!!!"

Huh? Suddenly, the aura pouring out from the regressor surged violently. It was an unexpected situation, but I responded calmly. The abilities I had set up were beginning to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠unravel, so I couldn't afford to waste any more time.

'I'll just knock her out quickly and leave.'

In that moment, an enormous amount of mana erupted from my body. The regressor's soaring aura was devoured in reverse and sharply diminished. Her eyes trembled violently. I didn't miss that opening and drove my fist, wrapped in powerful mana, straight forward. The regressor hurriedly tried to block with her spear, but my fist, which "nullified all defenses," grazed past the shaft and slammed directly into her abdomen.

—Thud!

"Kuhk...!"

Once the punch connected, the regressor let out a pained groan and collapsed on the spot. She didn't lose consciousness immediately, but the way she clutched her stomach and couldn't move told me she was already out of commission.

"W-wait a second......"

I heard the regressor's voice calling out to me as I turned away, but I ignored it and left the scene. I had already wasted far too much time on this pointless fight.

* * *

The power to wield Recognition and Cognition. At first glance, it might seem omnipotent and overpowered, but of course, my ability came with a price.

"Agh, my back......"

After changing clothes and trying to lie down on the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bed, every muscle in my body screamed in protest. It was the aftereffect of overusing my power. The price ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that came with my ability manifested like this—sudden fatigue, headaches, and other physical abnormalities that appeared when the body was overtaxed.

Of course, even that wasn't fixed. When the cost of using my power excessively grew too great, sometimes the price manifested in other ways. In any case, the price for the power I had used when stealing the necklace from the saintess should have only left me slightly tired the next day. But because the regressor had suddenly intervened, the number of times I used my ability had increased beyond expectations, and as a result, the pain in my body had intensified.

Damn regressor......

It seemed her goal had been to obtain the necklace and capture me. But I hadn't handed over the necklace, nor had she managed to catch me, so in the end, the regressor had essentially failed completely. I didn't know how much she resented me right now, but there was an unavoidable reason I hadn't given her the necklace.

I believed the regressor still couldn't handle this cross necklace. The necklace's true ability was to amplify the wearer's emotions and desires. However, after it had been corrupted by the interference of an outer god and turned into an object that stirred up wicked emotions and desires, its danger had increased even further. The reason the saintess had fallen in the first cycle was also because the cross necklace had drawn out her wicked heart.

I didn't know how much the regressor knew about the necklace, but if she were to be influenced by it, the future would undoubtedly face an enormous backlash. For the sake of safety, at least for now, I couldn't hand it over.

Still...... If the regressor's mental fortitude grew a little stronger later on, then it would be fine to give it to her. Until then, it was only right that I kept it. After all, I wouldn't be eroded by something like a necklace.

I roughly tossed the cross necklace into a desk drawer and lay down on the bed. Tomorrow, my entire body would be exhausted from the aftereffects, so I needed to get at least some sleep. I let out a small sigh and slowly closed my eyes, thinking about tomorrow's schedule.

Thus, the night deepened on the day the academy head was turned upside down, the church was left in shock, and the regressor had been brought to her knees.

"Haa, haa......"

"......"

"Thank goodness... huff... I'm not too late......?"

Uh... um, excuse me...... Why are you here?

* * *

The regressor ran.

"Ugh......"

The regressor... no, Elisha, clutched her aching abdomen but didn't stop running. She had long since dropped the spear she had been swinging until moments ago, but she didn't even care. There was something far more important to her right now.

"Faster... I need to go faster."

Elisha continued to cough painfully but never slowed her steps. Fear was clearly visible in her eyes.

'He left before me.'

If the one that monster was targeting was indeed her precious person... then she had to stop him no matter what. For Elisha, there was only one person she could think of as precious...... She didn't know how that monstrous bastard had found out, but if he was truly targeting that person... then she would burn her own life to protect him!

"Haa, haa......"

Her heart pounded as if it would burst. She couldn't tell whether it was a signal from her overtaxed body or because of the fear that she might lose him.

Elisha arrived at her destination in no time. She had always memorized the location of his dormitory, so finding the fastest route was as easy as breathing. She had also memorized other trivial details—his class schedule, the days his lunch menu changed, who he talked to, and even "who dared to speak to him so familiarly."

Elisha immediately leaped toward the window. The front door would obviously be locked, and she didn't want to wake him at this late hour under the pretense of checking on his condition and cause him trouble. More than anything, to him, Elisha was still nothing...... Even so, she had no choice but to sneak in.

Fortunately, the window wasn't locked. She carefully opened it and slipped inside, revealing a dark room illuminated only by faint starlight. Elisha stayed on guard, but she couldn't sense any suspicious presence. Only then did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Haa, haa......"

Her rapidly beating heart finally returned to its normal pace.

"Thank goodness... huff... I'm not too late......?"

Still, she couldn't let her guard down yet. She didn't know when that guy might suddenly appear. Even as she made that resolve, however......

"......"

The moment she saw his face, peacefully asleep on the bed, her mind went completely blank.

Elisha stared at him in a daze. It had been so long since she had looked at him this closely. His face, which didn't stand out as particularly remarkable yet was perfectly ordinary, his softly flowing black hair and black eyes, even the faint scent that was uniquely his...... Everything about him felt lovable.

Elisha carefully approached him. As she drew closer, she could take in more details. She slowly knelt down. Right in front of her, his hand was peeking out from under the thin blanket. With slightly trembling hands, she slowly... very slowly brought them to his hand.

For a moment, it seemed like he twitched slightly, but it must have been her imagination. Elisha felt the texture of his hand against her palms and gazed intently at his sleeping face.

How peaceful he looked. He slept soundly, completely unaware of the kind of existence that was targeting him even in his dreams. Thinking that, Elisha kept one hand holding his while using the other to gently trace his face, as if touching a delicate work of art.

Once again, her heart began to pound violently. Every time her hand slowly caressed his cheek, her face flushed hot and the corners of her mouth twitched unconsciously. An uncontrollable desire boiled up from deep within her body.

However, Elisha refused to be consumed by such desire. She was satisfied just being with him like this for a little while.

"Huu......"

Elisha let out a sweet sigh and smiled faintly. As she continued to stroke his face, she made a vow.

'Don't worry. I'll protect you until the very end.'

It was the most difficult and selfish promise a regressor who endlessly turned back time could make. Yet to Elisha, it was a promise more beautiful and precious than anything else.

Therefore, no matter how exhausted she became, she would definitely protect him.

Elisha repeated her promise to herself and refused to let go of his hand. And so, until the sun rose once more, she remained seated quietly by his side.