Chapter 625: The Night the Regressor Sleeps
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 625: The Night the Regressor Sleeps
The bounty on my head was lifted. The avatar that had displayed my face with a warning issued a correction, and the mages from the Security Bureau who had come for Shei returned on the Black Tower Master's orders.
It had been a chaotic first day in the Floating Castle, but it seemed I could finally relax. The Blue Tower Master arranged for Shei and me to stay in a small room with an attached suite.
As she showed us the accommodations, the Blue Tower Master said, “I assume you two don’t know how to use magical devices? I’d love to teach you, but they can’t be operated unless you’re a mage. You’ll have to live with some inconvenience for the time being.”
“How do you become a mage?”
“At the very least, you need to be able to sense and infuse mana, and you need the knowledge to apply it. If you’re starting from scratch, it’s nearly impossible to learn in a short time, but you’ve already learned Standard Magic, and you’re the ‘genius’ Lankart proclaimed you to be… Pfft. You? Maybe you’ll pick it up in no time?”
“You just scoffed at me, didn’t you?”
“Sorry. Was it that obvious?”
“That scoff of yours… I’ll turn it into a gasp of admiration.”
“Hehe. I’ll look forward to it.”
After our friendly chat, the Blue Tower Master waved and returned to her Crystal Tower. Having found a moment of peace, I let the tension drain from my body and sat down in a chair.
“Phew. That was exhausting. Getting caught up in an incident as soon as we arrived.”
“…So. Since when were you two so friendly?”
Seriously, why are you so hung up on that? You think the Blue Tower Master, who’s friendly with you, can’t be friendly with me?
I did my best to explain to a visibly displeased Shei.
“The Blue Tower Master is also an acquaintance of Lankart’s. The Federation Intelligence Agency? She’s the director, and Lankart is one of her investigators. Lankart introduced me to her, and then we set out to find you, Shei-ssi.”
“…Hmph.”
“Besides, the Blue Tower Master was the person you were trying to ask for help in the first place, wasn't she? She seems to have the character for it. Only the order of events changed; the result is the same.”
“…Ahem.”
“In any case, you must be exhausted from one incident after another, Shei-ssi. Shouldn’t you get some rest?”
Without a chance for proper rest, Shei had been swept up in the Floating Castle’s turmoil and was now on the verge of collapse. If she’d had enough Qi and stamina, she wouldn’t have been running away so helplessly earlier.
Not that she could have won against a Tower Master, though.
The Green Tower Master, the Black Tower Master, the Blue Tower Master. Their strength far surpassed that of the Military State’s Six Generals. Their Unique Magic alone was proof enough, but if they were to properly utilize White Magic as well, their destructive power would be immense.
To be honest, they seemed far stronger than the Elders, who were just brutishly powerful. Though it might be a different story in a prolonged battle.
And the Mage King… he was in a league of his own in many ways.
The Divine? It wasn't like that. Their power was different from having realized some grand principle that governs all things. It was simply that their own Unique Magic was overwhelmingly powerful.
And now, I was even more curious.
Just how strong was the King of Sins, who was said to have defeated even the Sword Saint and the Mage King?
“Shei-ssi. By the way, there’s something I’d like to ask.”
“…Why should I have to answer?”
“At least hear the question before you shoot it down!”
Why is he being so hostile all of a sudden? He’d softened up a bit before we came up here, but now he’s back to his old self!
“I’ll hear you out. What is it?”
“You mentioned ‘that thing above the Floating Castle.’ What is it?”
“Ah. That.”
This question seemed to be important to Shei as well, as her expression grew much more serious.
‘I’m still not over it, but I’ll let it slide this time.’
Let it slide? Why should I care about your mood? Something’s a little off with this guy.
I desperately wanted to argue, but what Shei had to say was important, so I decided to let it slide as well. Just this once.
“Hughes. I believe I told you. I regress.”
“Yes, you did. Though I never got a proper explanation.”
“Right. I’ve experienced death more than a dozen times… and each time, I return to a back alley in the Military State several years in the past. And then I begin a new cycle.”
I already knew this, but I had to pretend I didn’t. I put on a grave expression and feigned attentive listening.
Oblivious to my thoughts, Shei earnestly recounted her past.
“The very first time, I knew nothing. I was conscripted into the Military State, got swept up in a war, and died. Then I came back to life. After that, I ran, fought, gathered information, and built up my strength to survive. I used every means I could to escape death. But… while I have died earlier… I’ve never died later than that war.”
“What war is that?”
“The Second Sin War.”
Shei shuddered as she said the words. Just from the name, it sounded like some grandiose conflict.
“Is that, by any chance, the war fought against the King of Sins?”
“…Yes. That’s right.”
“You don’t mean to say they used the word ‘war’ for a conflict against a single person?”
“It was warranted. The King of Sins was stronger than any human…”
Shei mumbled vacantly and began to recall the past in short, hazy flashes.
It wasn’t clear. At the time, Shei had been far too weak and insignificant to be a part of that battlefield. She had simply been swept along.
Even though she had learned Qi Arts, she found it impossible to even stand on her own two feet. The earth roiled and a storm raged in the sky. Lightning fell like rain, and the world was torn apart dozens of times by the deafening roars.
She had barely managed to survive thanks to the Heavenly Counter Domain, but that was all. An impartial death came for Shei as well. The King of Sins, who had effortlessly slaughtered the Sword Saint, the Mage King, and the Saintess, appeared before her.
And I, at last, recognized that face. It was the face of the ‘older sister’ with gray hair.
“The King of Sins can’t be defeated. So, I decided to postpone his birth and deal with the things that would become his power beforehand.”
“How?”
“By stopping the First Sin War, the catalyst for the Second Sin War. And by interfering with Nevida’s plans.”
Ah, right. A Second Sin War implies there was a first.
“The war where I was first conscripted and died was the First Sin War. A spreading plague, discrimination and massacres, conflicts over the Divine, the disparity between the Empire and its vassal states… Every nation on the continent fought for its own reasons. It all ended in the Empire’s victory, but… the great war left the world devastated, and the animosity toward the Empire grew even stronger. Sin became rampant throughout the lands.”
This recollection was also hazy. Perhaps because the concept was too vast. A black plague, the resulting massacre of beastkin at the borders, the conflict and division that arose from it. The discontent and confrontation of the vassal states.
As the afterimages flickered past, Shei pulled out her most vivid memory.
“And… the catalyst for the First Sin War. It’s the Great Descent.”
“The Great Descent?”
“Yes. From the sky, that thing above the Floating Castle falls…”
Shei’s voice trailed off mid-sentence. Just as I thought her memory was getting hazier, she closed her eyes, nodded off, and then jolted awake.
I was wondering why the memory was so unusually hazy. You’re dozing off.
“Are you tired?”
“I’m fine. I can still hold on.”
Shei shook her head and tried to muster her energy. It was an attempt to wake herself up, but from my perspective, it was a futile effort.
“Saying you can handle it means you can’t. That’s enough. Just get some sleep.”
“Let me just finish what I was saying…”
“We can continue tomorrow. It’s not like anything is chasing us. We have tomorrow.”
If you recall things hazily while dozing off, I’m the only one who loses out. It means I can’t read it clearly.
And I especially need to pay close attention to this business about the Floating Castle. Who knows what might happen?
“…But.”
“I’m getting tired myself, so I need to rest. You should take the opportunity to get some shut-eye too, Shei-ssi. You must be exhausted after being chased around before your body even fully healed.”
I stood up, signaling that I wouldn’t listen to any more. Shei still looked dissatisfied, but I ignored her and moved behind her chair.
“Ah, hold on. What was this again?”
With a short infusion of mana, the chair’s form shifted. The armrests spread out, the backrest reclined, and the chair transformed into a fine bed.
Shei asked with a bewildered expression, “A magical device?”
“Yes. Space is tight in the Floating Castle, so they apparently use a lot of magical devices like this.”
I dimmed the lights so she wouldn’t get up and even brought a blanket to cover her. Now in full sleep mode, Shei grumbled in protest but soon couldn’t resist her increasingly heavy eyelids. Watching her let out a long yawn, I was about to go to sleep myself when she spoke.
“…Hughes.”
“Yes.”
“I’ve failed many times so far. I’ve failed about thirteen times, died, and come back again. I gained greater power, learned more information, found more treasures… and yet…”
Shei’s eyes blinked slowly. No matter how strong she was or how much of a Qi master she was, she couldn’t escape fatigue. Moreover, she was forcing her reattached arm to move with Qi Arts; the drain on her energy every moment must have been enormous.
I had decided to stay in the Floating Castle for a while, too. Lankart probably wouldn’t cause any trouble. For the time being, Shei could focus on her recovery.
“This is the first time I’ve met you…”
“I suppose so.”
If she had known I was the King of Humans from the start, she would have sought me out often. Tch. This is why I didn’t want to get deeply involved with Shei.
Well, I guess it was bound to be revealed someday. I was just coming to terms with that.
“…And, this cycle… I’ve suffered, and my arm… it got torn off, but…”
Like her slowly closing eyes, Shei’s words grew quieter. With her eyes shut, on the very verge of sleep, she managed to finish her last sentence.
“…Still, because you’re here… I think this one… has gone the best…”
With those final words, Shei let out a soft breath and fell asleep, not caring that I was watching over her.
Hmph. Does Shei even know how much effort I put into managing this disastrous relationship?
That’s probably why it feels like things are going well. Well, it’s for the best. If I can’t distance myself from the Regressor, it’s better to get closer.
I pulled the blanket up to Shei’s shoulders and was about to get up to see to my own business when…
Huh?
Something was tugging on my clothes. I glanced down and saw, from beneath the blanket, the Regressor’s right hand tightly gripping my sleeve. I had no idea when she had done it.
“Shei-ssi.”
No answer. Just a moment ago she was trying not to fall asleep, and now she’s trying not to wake up. Make up your mind, seriously.
It was an awkward situation, but who was I? I was the master of escape, once called a magician. My reputation would be ruined if I couldn’t escape a simple grip like this.
I’ll just slip a card between her fingers and my sleeve and slide it out…
“Huh?”
Her grip is so strong that not even a single card can pass through? What is this? Even rigor mortis wouldn’t be this tight. Is the Heavenly Counter Domain active?
Tch. Can’t be helped. I’ll just pull it off with force… Ah, wait. This guy’s arm was just reattached. What if I use force and it just pops right off?
I was stuck. To think that I, who had escaped a gravity barrier, was being stumped by this small grip. My pride was wounded.
Most importantly, I needed to get some sleep, too. I couldn’t very well sleep while being held like this…
“Ah. Actually, I can, can’t I?”
Ah, screw it. I gave up on trying to remove Shei’s hand. Instead, I lifted the blanket and lay down beside her.
You’re the one holding on, so I can’t leave. I might as well sleep here.
With the sound of her soft, steady breathing as my backdrop, I savored the warmth beside me. And so, with my arm still in Shei’s grasp, I too fell asleep.