Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: A Play Everyone Agrees To
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Allen stared at his father before him with deep, somber eyes.
“You know there’s something wrong with my brother!”
*Slam!*
However, his actions were the opposite of the emotion in his eyes—they were heated.
“He uses secret techniques unknown to anyone in the family! He’s forgotten etiquette even a child would know! And for someone who claims to have lost his memory, his actions are strangely specific!”
Acting out his past self’s actions, he slammed his hand hard on the table.
“You know it better than anyone, Father!”
The same day, the same actions.
“Allen, are you Allen Reinhardt, or are you Allen, my son?”
And again, the same question.
His father, asking this question, still seemed alien.
“…I am both Allen, your son, and Allen Reinhardt.”
“Indeed.”
His father sneered at those words.
Why did his father make this decision now?
He looked at his father’s face.
It was different from the last time he remembered it.
There was no sign of the white hairs that had begun to show, and his face was smooth and unlined.
His father was the same as he was on that day.
The same cold expression, the same somber eyes, and…
“If that’s the case, if it’s impossible to tell the two apart… does it really matter which one it is?”
The same answer.
“What does that….”
Even though Allen knew he would answer this way, he couldn’t stop himself from asking the same question as before.
Even though he knew his father hadn't changed, right up until his death.
“I,”
His voice deepened, tinged with a faint amusement.
What was so amusing?
Was it himself, for remaining silent even as his son changed? Or the future where he would gain power through someone he didn't even know?
Since he wasn't his father, he couldn't know, nor did he want to understand.
“would do anything to revive the family. Even if that means…”
Revive the family? *Haha.* A cold sneer formed on Allen’s shadowed face.
“…even if a demon has stolen my son’s body.”
Was his father truly smiling now?
He could see if he tried, but he didn’t.
“Is that….”
He just managed to squeeze out a single phrase.
“…even if it’s your own son, Father?”
His father, perhaps not knowing where or how he had become so twisted, answered curtly.
“…Yes.”
There was so much he wanted to say.
To ask if his actions didn't contradict his original beliefs.
To ask if it wasn't wrong to sacrifice his family to revive the family, when he was supposed to be reviving the family for his family.
To ask if his brother wasn't real family.
However,
“…I understand.”
He said nothing.
He knew that talking about it now would just be two parallel lines, never meeting.
“Then, I would appreciate it if you didn't interfere with my actions either.”
It was clear that no words would get through to the man his father was now.
So, he would show him.
“…”
No answer came from his father.
*-Click*
Allen stormed out of the office.
But contrary to his violent movements, his eyes were perfectly calm.
It had already been about two weeks since he returned to the past.
At first, he couldn’t believe this phenomenon. Who would believe they had traveled back in time?
So, he began by acting slightly differently from his memories of the past, analyzing the differences between then and now. The result…
“Regression…”
His voice was still unfamiliar to him, slightly high and immature.
Allen couldn't believe it himself, but he had no choice but to accept that he had returned to the past.
Even if he reenacted past events as closely as possible, the outcomes were always slightly different from what he remembered.
His tone, actions, expressions, the timing—everything was twisted from the original. How long could he deny it?
But that was all over now.
“My father hasn’t changed at all.”
The word ‘father’ stirred a mix of emotions in his chest.
He had waited for this day, just in case, and acted just as he had back then.
But his father was always the father he knew.
The father who wanted to restore the family to its former glory, who prioritized power over family, who abandoned his child until the very end.
Father.
“What was I even expecting…”
He let out a short, hollow laugh and turned away.
Time was always short, and there was much to do.
There was no time to wallow in sentiment.
Besides, with nothing holding him back anymore, there was no reason not to act.
* * *
A rumor was slowly spreading throughout the Reinhardt estate.
“Hey, did you hear? They say the troublemaking young master has changed…?”
“He was just acting like a troublemaker all this time…”
Among the maids.
“The young master has finally come to his senses…”
“I heard he quit drinking…”
Among the servants.
“What a relief… The Head of the Family and his wife were so worried…”
“He seems to have finally come to his senses…”
Among the few butlers and lady's maids.
His expression grew complicated as he heard the whispers while walking through the mansion. The people of the estate were rejoicing that the young master had changed, that he had returned to his old self.
Even though it wasn't the real him.
‘I’ve felt this emotion before, but…’
It was always irritating.
He knew it himself. They were not at fault.
In fact, after years of enduring his verbal abuse and his younger brother’s worsening behavior, they had every right to be happy.
After all, his brother only ever showed the faintest of smiles to his family.
But still.
Even so.
“…”
They had cared for him since he was a child. Did they really not feel that something was off?
Not even a little?
“That young master…”
*-Halt*
As he walked down the corridor, he heard the servants talking. When he turned his head, they saw him approaching from the other end of the hall and immediately fell silent.
Allen quickly turned a corner and muffled his presence.
A single ring began to spin rapidly near his heart.
*Vmmm-*
As the faint vibration, audible only to him, subsided, his senses activated, allowing him to perceive objects within a three-meter radius with precision.
Within that range, he could hear even the faintest sounds as if they were spoken right next to him.
“Is the young master gone?”
“I don’t hear footsteps, so I think so.”
He closed his eyes and focused.
“So, what were you saying before? About the young master?”
“…Well, doesn’t the young master seem… like a different person?”
“What do you mean by that?”
Urged on by the other servant, the one who had spoken continued.
“I mean, even if he suddenly lost his memory, you know how people have a certain feel to them. Uh, what should I call it? His disposition?”
“Enough with the difficult words. Just get to the point.”
“You’ve worked here since you were a kid, so you know. You know what the young master was like back then. It’s funny for us to say it, but he was a really good person. Kind, polite…”
“He was.”
“But now, it’s like… he’s acting? Like he’s not the real young master, but possessed by something…”
“Hey, hey. Are you crazy?”
The servant who had been listening quietly cut him off, horrified.
“No, but still…”
The speaker tried to protest, but the other paid him no mind.
“Do you want to go back to being cursed at all the time? Getting hit when he’s bored, always being on edge when he passes by. Huh?”
“Well… no.”
“Then just shut your mouth and think of it as him finally returning to his old self. Besides, the idea that something’s off is just in your head. Do you really think the Head of the Family wouldn’t know if something was wrong with his own son?”
“That’s true.”
The servant, who had been nodding along, quickly left, thinking they had talked for too long.
Allen remained leaning against the wall, silent, even after the servants had scattered and disappeared.
“Changed, huh…”
*Haha.*
A small puff of air escaped his lips.
They just wanted to believe.
That the troublemaking young master had finally come to his senses and returned to his original personality. That was the only reason for the change.
They didn't want to go back to how things were, so they ignored any other possibility.
Allen had no intention of punishing or reprimanding them.
It was just, a little.
“…”
A bitter taste filled his mouth.
* * *
Walking aimlessly, he found himself at the training ground inside the manor, a place used exclusively by the knights.
A crowd of servants, maids, and others had gathered around the entrance, watching something.
The noisy chatter brought him back to his senses, and he approached a group of maids.
“So, like this… Eek!”
Their expressions changed as he approached.
They looked anxious. It was working hours, and they had gathered together, which could easily be seen as slacking off.
Allen smiled faintly, as if to reassure them.
“Don’t worry, I have no intention of punishing you.”
But even with his words, their expressions only eased slightly; they were not completely relieved.
From their perspective, it was only natural not to fully trust the words of a superior.
How could they know he wouldn’t punish them later despite saying this?
Thus, he didn’t bother correcting their behavior and got straight to the point.
“What’s going on that has everyone gathered here?”
“Um… Young Master Julius is having a sparring match with one of the apprentice knights…”
“Julius is? With a knight?”
Right, this happened.
Her answer reminded him of what was about to unfold, and he nodded before replying.
“I can see why you’d be curious about my brother suddenly sparring with a knight. I’ll permit you to watch the match, but afterward, everyone is to return to their duties. Understood?”
“Yes, yes. Understood.”
Allen half-listened to her reply as he walked toward the training ground.
The match hadn’t started yet, but a heated atmosphere already filled the air.
Rumors that the young master had changed, that he had been hiding his strength, had been running rampant. Now that there was a chance to see it for themselves, it was no wonder it drew so much interest.
On the training ground, two figures stood apart, shouting.
“Young Master. If I win, you will admit to and apologize for insulting the knights.”
“Sure, why not. If I win, you become my subordinate?”
On one side, a chubby boy with bright blue hair; on the other, an apprentice knight who had trained since childhood.
The apprentice knight shouted with a serious expression, but the chubby boy just smiled playfully and gave a careless nod.
Allen’s brow furrowed slightly at the magic flowing on the surface of Julius’s body.
‘It’s not new, but…’
His growth rate is fast.
Unbelievably fast.
He could now see the gap he hadn't been able to perceive before. To achieve that level of growth in such a short time.
It was utterly abnormal growth.
It was as if he were living in a different world all by himself.
The apprentice knight didn't seem to sense it properly.
That's why he'd fearlessly challenged Julius to a match, with the vague confidence that he could win.
Most of the young knights were the same.
However.
“…”
The Knight-Captain and the other knights watched the training ground with their arms crossed and stern faces.
They could already guess the outcome.
He turned away.
He had no desire to watch something when he already knew how it would unfold.
‘Does that apprentice knight become one of my brother's followers later?’
Most of the knights knew something was off about Julius, which made them hesitant to follow him.
But that apprentice was still a low-ranking member; he wouldn't know anything.
‘Julius will intentionally win the match by a narrow margin…’
And despite winning, he would apologize to him.
The servants and maids would praise the fact that the young master had truly changed, the knights would see him in a new light, and the apprentice knight would be forced to follow him, eventually becoming won over.
Father would give him some task under the guise of a test.
That bastard would solve it and build his reputation. And the cycle would repeat.
“That day should be coming soon.”
The first incident that would make a name for him.
He had already decided how to act.
All that was left was to not stop until he achieved his goal.
*-Waaaaaah!*
Allen closed his eyes as he heard the cheers erupting from behind him.
This was a play everyone had agreed to.
One they hoped would never end.