Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Designation Ceremony (2)
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The moment he tried to voice his choice,
someone's telepathic message suddenly slipped secretly into his ear.
「You're a regressor, aren't you?」
“……!”
In that instant, Theo felt his entire body stiffen rigidly.
Regressor.
The secret he had planned to take to his grave.
Theo's gaze darted urgently to one side.
Toward one corner of the executive seating area where the executives were gathered.
A woman was looking his way with a sly grin.
Though blended into the crowd, it was as if she existed in a world apart.
Hilda Ragnar.
The former former head of the Ragnar family was staring straight at him!
Thump thump thump—
It was right then.
Ding!
[A quest has arrived.]
+
[Tutorial Quest #18]
Uncover the family's hidden secret to resolve all your lingering doubts and complete the tutorial.
· Difficulty: S
· Reward: 1 Coin
· Failure: ■■
*This is the final tutorial quest.
+
Thump thump thump thump!
The quest that popped up suddenly made Theo's heart race even faster.
The final tutorial quest.
Just seeing that told him everything.
That this confrontation with Hilda held the key to unraveling the final secrets of his regression and the messages that had plagued his questions.
‘Calm down, calm down.’
Theo took a long breath to steady himself before slowly opening his mouth.
「I…… have no idea what you're talking about.」
Theo wanted desperately to hide the cold sweat trickling down his cheek.
「Ho ho. Even in this situation, you're going to keep hiding the truth? I don't know what kind of life you lived in the previous cycle, but your acting is top-notch. Top-notch.」
「……」
‘Cycle? What does that mean? Do regression or reincarnation have a fixed number of times?’
His mind grew more tangled by the second.
But one thing he could grasp.
That Hilda knew nothing of his past life.
「Why not just come clean? Hiding it to the end won't get our conversation anywhere.」
Hilda's smile deepened.
The more she did, the more tangled Theo's thoughts became.
How on earth should he respond?
“Theo Ragnar? What's wrong? Is something the matter?”
At that moment, the referee placed a concerned hand on Theo's shoulder.
He had stopped midway through naming his choice, so naturally, it seemed like something was amiss.
“Could I…… have a moment to collect my thoughts?”
“Of course. You must have a lot on your mind, after all. But as I said, there are others waiting, so don't take too long.”
“Thank you.”
Theo bowed his head slightly and cast his gaze back toward Hilda.
「How did you know?」
In the end, Theo decided not to hide the truth.
Someone like Hilda wouldn't be fooled by any excuse he cooked up.
In that case, facing it head-on was the right move.
But then,
「Because I'm a regressor too, of course.」
Her response was even more astonishing.
「……!」
「It's not that hard for us to recognize each other, is it?」
「……」
「Well, though all the cycles permitted to me are over.」
Hilda shrugged her shoulders.
‘Cycle…… the same word again.’
Theo's eyes darkened deeply.
Thump thump thump thump!
Meanwhile, his heartbeat grew even wilder.
「Are you saying regression has a limit on the number of times?」
「Who knows.」
「……?」
「Hm?」
Just as he wondered what that meant,
suddenly, Hilda tilted her head as if something was off.
「What? You mean you haven't heard anything from Kyle?」
「I don't understand why Father…… is being brought up here.」
「Ha! You're going to play it like that? Suddenly? That man who can't shut up about regressors? No way that's possible.」
Hilda crossed her arms with a sullen expression.
「Or…… is that it? Ha! Look at this guy. Using tricks like that, huh?」
She muttered something incomprehensible, then looked back at Theo.
「Well, to put it simply, the power of regression still has way too many unknowns. Its activation principles, specific conditions, reasons for use. All we know is that it's connected to the primordial dragon's relic or this damned Ragnar body.」
One phrase lodged in his ear.
Primordial dragon's relic.
‘As expected, the first relic I unknowingly possessed granted regression. But it's connected to the body? What's that supposed to mean? Is it related to the family secret mentioned in the quest?’
The corner of Hilda's mouth curled up.
「You look like you have a ton of questions.」
「To be honest…… yes. There's just too much I don't know.」
「I see. Is that so?」
Hilda's smile thickened.
Murmur murmur—
As the conversation with Hilda dragged on, the audience began to buzz.
「Well, this doesn't seem like the place for this talk. Let's finish it later.」
Hilda vanished abruptly without specifying when or where they would meet.
“……”
For a moment, Theo felt as if he had been lost in a long daydream.
‘But soon, I'll uncover all these secrets. The messages, Father, Lordbroke—everything.’
So until Hilda came, he needed to focus on the matter at hand.
With that thought, Theo pulled himself together and
“I choose.”
finally voiced his decision.
* * *
“I designate the Anti-Dragon Academy.”
No sooner had Theo's decision stirred up a massive commotion among the audience, executives, and the various Nine Dragons,
than Wellington, who took the stage next, threw out his own designation that sparked yet another wave.
-Anti-Dragon Academy? What's that? Was there a place like that in Winterhold?
-What are you talking about? It's right there, that place!
-That place? So where is it?
-The academy run by…… Anti-Dragon!
-Ah!
-How could you forget that?
About a decade ago, Kyle had personally established an institution to draw Anti-Dragon out of seclusion.
The Anti-Dragon Academy.
It was an ‘academy’ he had permitted in his later years, thinking it might ease the loneliness of living alone by taking on disciples.
But Anti-Dragon had ignored it, rendering it essentially defunct.
Now, it was being revived.
-Well, doesn't that make him essentially Anti-Dragon's disciple?
-Essentially his only disciple…… and the one taking that spot is Narsio's young heir?
-So what happens now? Doesn't that mean Anti-Dragon's secrets pass to Narsio?
-Is that even allowed?
-The secrets of a great house passing to a vassal family? No way. Or wait, Anti-Dragon wasn't originally a Ragnar anyway?
Amid the flurry of speculation,
Wellington looked to the referee, who nodded with a satisfied smile.
It was settled.
-Anti-Dragon is finally emerging from seclusion!
This too was a new uproar.
“Next, Erika Ranke!”
As the next name was called, Wellington switched places with Erika, his eyes meeting Theo's, who waited below.
“Congratulations.”
“It's…… all thanks to Master seeing something in me. Thank you.”
Wellington still seemed awkward with the word ‘Master’ on his tongue.
“But you're not asking? Why I didn't follow Young Master Theo.”
A teasing smile accompanied the question.
Theo chuckled in response.
“Because I think I know the reason.”
“And what might that be?”
“The same reason as during the second discernment rite?”
Wellington laughed too.
As if he had known Theo would understand.
“Exactly. I still intend to surpass you in my own way.”
“You'll find that path at the Anti-Dragon Academy?”
“That's right.”
Wellington's eyes sparkled.
In them, Theo glimpsed a new world.
One beyond just Ragnar and Narsio.
What kind of world had Anti-Dragon shown him?
“I wish you success.”
“And I you. Good luck, Young Master Theo.”
Theo and Wellington passed each other, wishing one another fortune.
‘History has diverged again.’
In truth, Wellington becoming Anti-Dragon's disciple had no precedent in his past life.
He had returned to his family right after the awakening ceremony, steadily preparing to become head, and once he did, he had immediately rebelled against Ragnar.
But things were different here.
He had grown close to Theo and more deeply entangled with Ragnar.
No one knew how it would end.
Still, Theo was certain of one thing.
The ripples he had created were starting to trigger major changes.
And that he could no longer control them.
It would be nice if everything went exactly as planned, but people were never mere puppets on a stage.
Each had their own vessel and dreams.
They sought new paths to pursue those dreams.
‘Just like me.’
Somehow, Theo could picture a massive wave of fate crashing before him, and a laugh escaped his lips.
Thump thump thump thump!
His heart pounded wildly with anticipation.
* * *
The designation ceremony concluded.
Wellington headed to the Anti-Dragon Academy, and Ray returned to his original place, the Lily Palace.
Ray was especially reluctant to part from Theo,
but
“If you get bored, come visit the Camellia Palace anytime.”
“R-Really…… I can?”
“Of course. We're brothers. Friends too.”
“Fri…… ends. Yeah. We're friends.”
Only after hearing Theo's words did Ray bloom into a smile and leave.
And then,
there were others who couldn't let go of their regrets toward Theo and came to see him.
“You'll regret this.”
The first was Ed.
“Axion said the same.”
“……”
“There will never come a day when I stand side by side with Anti-Dragon.”
“……See you later.”
Ed glared at Theo with fierce eyes before departing.
Next came the Plum Palace Lord.
“I'm disappointed we couldn't be together.”
“I regret giving you such an unsatisfactory answer.”
“You must have seen your dream in ‘him,’ right?”
“Yes. That's correct.”
Only after hearing Theo's firm reply did the regret fade from the Plum Palace Lord's gaze.
Instead, a gentle smile formed.
“Very well. If that's your choice, then so be it. As long as no ill will lingers between you, me, and the Plum Palace. Fate can always be remade.”
“……?”
“See you next time, then.”
The Plum Palace Lord's ‘see you next time’ felt somehow more concrete than Ed's.
But she only gave an enigmatic smile before leaving.
After several such exchanges,
“All new recruits, assemble under the white banner—!”
Theo moved toward the white banner at the summons.
Emblazoned on it was the crest of a white dragon roaring with a sword in its jaws.
‘That's…… the crest I'll wear on my left chest from now on.’
Thump thump!
It somehow stirred memories of childhood dreams.
“Ahem! Ahem ahem!”
Right then, Holcus sidled up to Theo, clearing his throat awkwardly.
“Ahem ahem! Wh-What…… a…… sur…… prise……! Wh-What's…… this……? Th-Theo…… y-you're…… here…… too? Ha…… ha…… ha. Wh-What…… an…… in…… cred…… ible…… co…… in…… cid…… ence. Ha…… ha…… ha.”
“……?”
Holcus extended a stiff hand in greeting, his demeanor utterly awkward.
It was like he was reading from a textbook.
“What's that supposed to mean? We were together during the designation ceremony.”
“Ha…… ha…… ha. R-Really…… now?”
“……??”
Even more question marks piled up on Theo's face.
Ha! Erika covered her face with her hand beside him, letting out a deep sigh.
“This idiot, seriously…… Theo, just ignore him. He's just excited to see you.”
Theo wondered why Holcus, who was always so confident, was acting this way, but figured there was a reason and nodded.
On the other hand, he thought,
These siblings had returned to their family in his past life.
But this time, they had designated Ragnar's unit.
Just like Wellington, what winds of change had blown in their hearts?
Pushing such questions aside—
“The Captain is coming. Eyes front—!”
At the flag bearer's shout, Theo and the Ranke siblings turned their gazes to one side.
Step step—
Julius was approaching.