Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: The Witch of Dark Mist
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Before the regression, the test his father had given him hadn't gone as smoothly as it was now.
It was only natural.
‘…After all, I’d forced my way into the test.’
Back then, unlike now, Allen’s relationship with Julius had been poor. With his impure intentions so obvious, there was no way any kind words would have been exchanged.
‘I’d offered insults instead of apologies, and ridicule instead of advice.’
The first thing he did when the test began was the same.
Allen had tried to seize full command of the soldiers to push Julius aside.
It was a shortsighted thought, believing the soldiers would naturally follow him as the eldest son with the right of succession.
But it had little effect.
Julius had been training with the soldiers every morning, shedding his former notoriety and earning their support.
Contrary to his expectations, Allen’s crude plan had failed, and the soldiers split into factions—those who followed Allen and those who followed Julius—creating utter chaos.
But now, things were different.
“It’s been a while, Lord Prindal.”
“Ho ho… It has been a long time, Lord Allen.”
The one who returned his greeting was an old man with a snow-white beard. A robe that covered his entire body, a long hat, and a staff made of oak.
He was the very picture of a typical mage one might imagine.
“I’m glad to see you’re still so hale.”
“Hahaha… Glad to see an old man so hale? Shouldn’t I be returning to the earth soon?”
“You must live a long life and continue to work for the family.”
“How much longer do you intend to work this old man? Hahahaha.”
Despite his age, Prindal was an old man who knew how to make a pleasant joke.
Before their departure, Allen had taken on the role of welcoming Prindal separately. Julius was managing the soldiers in the training grounds.
“I heard rumors that young master Julius has changed, but you’ve certainly changed as well, my lord.”
A clear wisdom glinted in Prindal’s eyes.
“The prana circulating in your body, and your Circle… hmm? First Circle—no, for that, the amount of prana is far too large…”
“It’s a secret technique I found in an old tome in the mansion. It’s bound to have its unique points.”
As Allen humbly drew a line, Prindal smiled and immediately apologized.
“My apologies. It seems my thirst for knowledge has only grown with age… How foolish of me.”
“Haha. How could one fault a mage for seeking knowledge? It’s quite all right.”
“Thank you.”
During their casual chat, Allen carefully looked around. His father had mentioned that Prindal would be bringing another mage with him.
‘Who was the mage he would have brought at this time?’
Before, he had brought his granddaughter. He’d said it was for her to gain experience. I remember her being only around the Second Circle.
‘Does her absence mean the future has changed?’
What caused it? Then who is this new mage he’s brought?
‘To be of any help, they’d need to be at least Third Circle.’
To resolve his curiosity, Allen asked subtly.
“Lord Prindal. I heard from my father that you would be bringing another mage. But where might they be…?”
“Francisca—ah. Francisca is my granddaughter. She has already gone ahead to the training grounds.”
Wait, Francisca?
Allen tried not to show his surprise, asking with a feigned look of curiosity.
“We’ll need a mage of at least the Third Circle. Forgive me, but may I ask what her current Circle is?”
He knew how she would grow in the future.
But at this point in time, as far as he knew, she was merely a Second Circle mage.
“She is a Fourth Circle mage. She will not be a hindrance in resolving this matter.”
Fourth Circle?
Allen stopped his gaze from instinctively flicking toward the black book.
‘By now, I should be able to read about this test in the book.’
I’ll check that later… First, I need to point this out.
“…While your granddaughter’s high achievements are to be congratulated, I’m not so sure the same can be said for her etiquette.”
Even a Fifth Circle mage holding the position of a dedicated family mage is here, yet someone of a lower Circle doesn't even show her face?
As Allen furrowed his brow with a hint of displeasure, Prindal seemed to hesitate, a stark contrast to his demeanor just moments before.
“That is…”
“Lord Prindal. Even with your meritorious service as the family’s dedicated mage, what must be observed, must be observed.”
“…Yes, you are right. This old man’s eyes must have been clouded for a moment.”
Prindal immediately apologized at his words. Then, he sighed and continued.
“…The reason that child went there first is because of an old obsession.”
“An obsession, you say…?”
An old obsession, an obsession.
“Yes, the cause that has long tormented that child.”
“May I hear what that is?”
“Of course. Since I was the one who was rude, you may hear…”
The moment he opened his mouth to speak.
—Kyaaak!
“Ah.”
A scream rang out.
And a scene from a hazy memory surfaced.
Prindal shot up from his seat. It was a breach of etiquette, but neither Allen nor he paid it any mind.
Allen hurried after him toward the training grounds and asked.
“That scream just now, could it be?”
“…It was indeed my granddaughter Francisca’s voice.”
“It seems something has happened. Let’s continue our conversation later.”
“Thank you, Lord Allen.”
With those words, Prindal vanished in an instant, moving at a speed that belied his aged body.
Allen had a good idea of what had just happened.
‘To think I forgot about this of all things.’
It had been a minor incident, so even after recalling Francisca, he had forgotten what had transpired.
Rather than blame himself, he picked up his pace to resolve the commotion. Before long, he arrived at the training grounds.
The atmosphere in the training grounds was quiet.
The soldiers had formed a circle around the center of the grounds, where Julius and a woman were facing off.
Prindal seemed to be mediating in the center, trying to prevent anything major from happening.
‘Thankfully, what I feared hasn’t happened yet.’
Knowing her personality, he had anticipated how she would act upon seeing *him*, so he was all the more relieved.
Allen walked toward the center.
As he approached, the soldiers parted for him in an instant, like the sea splitting.
The closer he got, the more he could feel the two auras clashing fiercely.
Prana, air, and presence swelled as if to devour each other.
The situation felt like it could explode at any moment.
The soldiers couldn't get close due to the aftermath, and Allen felt the pressure intensify as he walked toward the center.
‘For now,’
I am stronger.
His gaze turned to Julius, who was emitting a rough prana centered around his lower abdomen.
This gap will close soon.
No, it might be an advantage that could be overturned as soon as tomorrow.
With *his* bizarre ability, it wouldn't be strange for him to awaken even now.
A difference in the amount of prana has already emerged, hasn't it?
For such a gap to exist even after I took the elixir *he* was supposed to have.
The only things he had over *him* were the magic and prana manipulation skills he had honed for decades.
‘Still, for now.’
The single, massive ring surrounding Allen’s heart spun madly, letting out a rough roar.
A massive prana core began to emit power. A deep cry, like a great ship’s horn.
Wuuuuung—
Allen took a breath.
He had always been weaker than him.
In the past that had flowed by, in the future that had passed. And even now, after returning.
‘But, he is still not.’
Complete.
Prana extended from his heart like threads of yarn, spreading within the three-meter space his senses could reach.
There were three schools he was most confident in—no, that he could perform.
Space, Contract, and.
‘Soul.’
Threads invisible to others occupied the space, creating an intricate shape.
Without opening his eyes, Allen wove, unwound, and re-tied complex hand seals.
The threads gradually took over the space, and soon, an object was formed.
It was an instrument, and in itself, it was close to a moving spell formula.
Resembling a violin, it was a sight so alien it could hardly be called magic.
“That is…”
A Fifth Circle mage who had woven five rings.
Prindal was silently astonished. Though he couldn’t see it, he could feel it.
That entire spell formula was under Allen's perfect control, down to the most minute adjustments.
A skill that was impossible to see from a First Circle mage. No, that method was akin to…
Prindal couldn’t follow the thought to its conclusion.
Because the instrument had begun to move on its own.
Like a conductor, Allen closed his eyes and brought his hand down. The instrument’s strings moved on their own, letting out a small vibration.
Jiiing──
The vibration resonated through the space, heading toward them.
“Ugh.”
“Wh-what was that!”
They grimaced at the sound, which felt as if it were shaking their very souls.
Concentric circles spread from the instrument, neutralizing their auras. Only then did their gazes, which had been fixed on each other, turn to Allen.
“Brother!”
Julius called out his name as if his long-awaited reinforcements had arrived.
Prindal, too, looked astonished at his skill, but then he recalled their earlier conversation and Allen's family, and quickly accepted it. Thinking this was his chance, he approached him.
“Lord Allen, I apologize for the commotion.”
Prindal, seemingly having no intention of escalating the situation, immediately bowed his head.
“Not at all. These things happen. It’s not something for you to apologize for, Lord Prindal. But, is that woman?”
Allen’s head turned toward the woman standing alone.
“That is my granddaughter, Francisca, whom I was about to introduce.”
Prindal spoke cautiously.
She was still clutching her head as if it were throbbing.
A woman with impressive dark red hair and black eyes. She was a woman anyone would call beautiful.
And.
‘Even at this point in time, her prana…’
He hadn't noticed it before. But now he could tell. For some reason, she had hidden her true skills even in his life before the regression.
The jewels adorning her body circulated naturally with the prana emitting from her, and just as Prindal had claimed, she was clearly at least a Fourth Circle mage.
As Allen’s eyes turned to her, Julius cried out as if tattling to his parents.
“Brother, that woman insulted me, calling me a scoundrel…”
Allen suppressed his disgust and listened to him. Just because they’d maintained a friendly relationship for a few weeks, he was sticking to him as if they were truly on the same side.
‘I’m grateful he’s so off-guard, but it’s too…’
Different.
The way he was now versus the way Allen remembered him. The sense of dissonance, as if he were a different person, made him frown for a moment.
Did I get too close?
But, even so.
“Enough. I understand, so step aside.”
He had not forgotten. His purpose, his forgotten sibling.
“Ah. Understood, Brother.”
Allen approached her and bowed his head in accordance with etiquette.
“Greetings, Lady Francisca.”
Under kingdom law, mages hold a rank equivalent to quasi-nobility.
However, no matter how far the Reinhardt family had fallen, it wasn’t to the point where the son of a high noble would bow his head.
But… if he could win her favor.
‘Just once.’
Knowing her future, Allen was willing to bow his head first, just this once.
The Witch of Dark Mist, Francisca.
That was the title she would come to be called in the future.
“B-Brother!”
“Lord Allen!”
Prindal and Julius, who had expected him to punish her for causing a disturbance, looked flustered when Allen suddenly bowed his head.
It was certainly unexpected.
‘She had already committed a discourtesy by not even showing her face, and then she caused a scene with Julius.’
It was a situation where Prindal could have been held responsible for bringing her, and he would have had no excuse.
She, too, forgot her headache and wore a dazed expression. But Allen’s formal greeting seemed to snap her back to her senses, and she quickly bowed her head.
“It is an honor to meet you, Lord Allen.”
Receiving her greeting, Allen gave a faint smile and asked her a question. He adopted an attitude that wasn't arrogant like a typical noble—the kind he had heard she would have liked in his past life.
“Could you tell me what caused the disturbance just now?”
He had an idea why she had acted that way.
‘Is it trauma?’
She had caused a similar disturbance with Julius before.
Considering her circumstances, which would become widely known in the future, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible.
Francisca’s expression turned peculiar at the sight of him asking for her side of the story first, rather than siding with his relative like a typical noble.
It was as if she never expected a noble like this to exist.
But that was only for a moment. She quickly put on a fake smile, calming her earlier agitation.
“Not at all, my lord. I am only sorry for causing a commotion as part of your entourage. I acted rudely based on the rumors I’d heard about Lord Julius… I apologize.”
“No, it’s understandable. It’s all due to my brother’s past actions. I think it’s perfectly reasonable to have doubts.”
“And… it was rude of me not to have shown my face earlier. If you wish to punish me now, I will gladly accept it.”
As she apologized for her previous rudeness and the commotion, Allen accepted her apology with a gentle demeanor.
“Brother, that wench, she’s acting all coy now, unlike before…”
“That’s enough, Julius. Calling a guest’s apology coy is rude, is it not?”
Inwardly, Allen agreed with *him*, but he wasn't so thoughtless as to pick a fight over it here.
“Oh my, your words are quite harsh. But it is my fault as well…”
Francisca also covered her mouth with her hand, smiling faintly with her eyes.
“I apologize for earlier, young master Julius. Mages are curious folk, and I simply wanted to confirm the truth of the rumors.”
Julius regretted approaching her just because her trait seemed to indicate immense talent. He had hoped to build a connection.
‘Even if it’s just out of frustration, I have to shed this reputation as a scoundrel. How many times has this happened?’
At this rate, he felt it would hinder his efforts to recruit characters from the original story, both main and supporting.
“Well then, let’s get going. It seems we’re running a little late.”
“That would be best.”
Prindal, not wanting to cause any more trouble, took her and quickly headed for the carriage he would be riding in.
“Julius, let’s go as well.”
“But… Brother.”
“She is Lord Prindal’s granddaughter, so telling Father will be of no use. You’ll have to endure it this time. You received an apology, did you not?”
Allen maintained a smiling face while talking to him.
He had to.
“Hah. Seriously.”
Whether his efforts paid off or not, Julius grumbled but acquiesced to his words. He then quickly reorganized the soldiers and boarded the carriage with Reina.
He still didn't know how to ride a horse.
“Alright, we’re departing.”
And so, the party, which had a tumultuous start, set off on their journey, each with their own different purpose.