Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: The White Book's Warning
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Chapter 78
Allen possessed three books.
The Black Book - The Possessor
The White Book - The Regressor
The Gray Book - The Reincarnator
These three books, which he’d had since his regression, had been undeniably useful, with the exception of the unreadable Gray Book. But…
‘The problem is that I don’t know what they are.’
For now, he could learn nothing from the Gray Book.
It was unclear even who the book was related to.
‘Circumstantially, I had assumed it was Haizel, who was reincarnated into a human body.’
But what was the actual reaction? There was none.
The Gray Book showed no response, as if to say Allen’s prediction was wrong. Thus, he had no choice but to leave it be until another method presented itself.
The Black Book showed him the past from the perspective of the pre-regression Julius.
It had the drawback of not being able to show the future beyond the present, but the help it provided was more than enough to overcome that flaw.
Allen turned his head and stared at the remaining book.
He frowned, slowly recalling what he knew about the White Book.
The White Book.
The White Book described current events from Allen’s perspective.
Originally, aside from its advantage of securing his unstable memories of the past, it had no other notable ability. Or so he had thought.
‘The first time was at the Spirit Spring on Mount Nicea.’
While he was claiming the reward Julius was meant to get, the White Book had suddenly started flapping its pages wildly as text appeared.
『The book connected to ■■■■ detects ■■! ■■■■ reacts to ■■!』
Though the text had since vanished from the White Book, Allen remembered the sentence clearly.
‘And the next time was when I was trapped in the barrier in the Witch’s Forest.’
Just when he was about to be forced into a tedious war of attrition before finding the barrier’s core, text had appeared.
Thanks to the White Book helping him find the core, he had been able to escape with ease.
『The book connected to ■■■■ confirms the conditions. It recognizes ■■! An entity related to ■■ is nearby! It wishes to block ■■!』
『Conditions met. ■■■ ■■ (Tentative) will now manifest!』
『?Three steps to the right. Two steps back. In 8 seconds, a shockwave 400m above.』
This, too, had been erased and existed only in Allen’s memory.
The last time was during his meal with Haizel, at the exact moment the earthquake struck.
『The book connected to ■■■■ detects the danger of ■■! ■■■■ reacts to ■■!』
And this sentence had not disappeared; it still remained in the White Book.
‘What does this phenomenon mean?’
Allen’s eyes grew deep in thought.
Ever since the earthquake, Allen had been constantly trying to decipher the meaning of the censored words and the sentence itself.
This book was no ordinary object. Allen expanded the horizons of his imagination. Magic was a foreign substance that twisted the harmony of the world.
A mage’s imagination was the driving force that drew out things that could not exist in reality.
Based on his past memories, Allen pulled forth the most plausible theory. What was the reason for this phenomenon?
‘The one who gave me these books and their abilities wants something.’
Once his thoughts were set on that path, supporting evidence branched out from it.
The White Book always began with the phrase, “The book connected to ■■■■….”
Allen believed that this ■■■■ was some kind of demon, or something with similar power or knowledge.
He’d thought it unlikely that the being who sent him back in time had done so for no reason, so he hypothesized that the notification itself was a kind of directive.
‘Though it would be more logical for them to give direct orders instead of doing it this way….’
One could not fathom the intentions of a demon. No, it was questionable whether it was a demon in the first place, but he didn’t dwell on that.
What did it matter if it was a demon’s help or a fallen god’s mercy? The regression had already happened, and it couldn’t be undone.
In that case, he would simply use it.
Until the day he had to pay the price for his regression.
Allen believed there was a meaning to the periodic phenomena of the White Book. That was only natural.
So, why was it happening?
‘It’s a warning about a future danger. No, it *wants* me to prepare for it.’
And that danger was likely related to… black magicians or the demon race.
After the opening, the middle of the sentence always mentioned detecting something.
…detects the danger of ■■!
…it recognizes ■■!
…detects ■■!
Besides that, when he found the barrier’s core, this sentence had been added.
…An entity related to ■■ is nearby! It wishes to block ■■!
At the time, the only one who could be considered ‘an entity related to ■■’ was the witch, and that witch belonged to the black magician organization, Estedore.
The goal of those black magicians was to cause a catastrophe and, at its end…
‘Summon the Demon Lord.’
If so, ■■ could be assumed to be the Demon Lord.
He didn't know what they hoped to gain by summoning the Demon Lord. But it was clear they would do anything to achieve it, no matter the cost.
Their radical actions had always put them at odds with Julius.
Thinking this way, the outline of what the White Book wanted from Allen began to take shape.
The White Book wanted Allen to defeat the Demon Lord and his forces.
Of course, he could be wrong.
The meaning of ‘■■’ in each sentence could be different, and all his current speculations might just be part of a hypothesis.
‘I still don’t know why the sentence appeared at the Spirit Spring.’
It was the same in the Witch’s Forest.
Just because a witch related to the Demon Lord was nearby, was that reason enough for the White Book to help him?
If that were the case, shouldn’t it have helped him during the Chimera Master incident, the first time he encountered someone from Estedore?
It was also suspicious that it hadn’t reacted at all in the Forest of the Divine Beast afterward.
The divine beast had clearly been corrupted by a black magician, so why did nothing happen?
Could it be related to Julius? If all these situations were related to the pre-regression Julius, then the common thread was…
‘There are too few clues.’
He brought his endlessly branching thoughts to a halt. This was as far as he could go.
Making hasty judgments without any evidence would only bias his thinking.
That was why this practical was so important.
Unlike the previous two times when the sentences vanished immediately after appearing, this time, the sentence had remained.
‘If I can find something related to the Demon Lord or black magicians during this dungeon practical….’
He would be able to fill the gaps between the scattered pieces of the puzzle.
* * *
“William, why don’t you get some sleep…?”
Erielle asked with a worried expression. On the morning of their departure for the dungeon, William, who looked as if he hadn’t slept a wink, was reading through a guidebook to ruins with bloodshot eyes.
“I was too nervous to sleep…. I figured I might as well read a book instead….”
When he turned his head, Allen saw William’s eyes were shadowed with dark circles. It seemed hearing endlessly about the dangers of the ruin had made him even more anxious.
‘It’ll take a few days to get there, so he can sleep on the way.’
To make the experience as realistic as possible, they were riding in wagons of the sort mercenaries would use. The tedious desert winds would probably lull him to sleep eventually.
“How about you, Evan? Are you as nervous as William?”
“I-I’m not nervous at all. In fact, I’m rather looking forward to it.”
“…Really?”
“Yes!”
Allen smirked. They wouldn’t have been this nervous if it were an ordinary ruin. There was a specific reason for their anxiety.
A Colossal Ruin.
It was a ruin several times larger than a typical one, and it came with a host of ominous tales befitting its name.
Stories of ancient spirits wandering its halls, of a monster sleeping in its depths, of companions vanishing the moment you looked away.
Most were just rumors circulating among mercenaries or superstitions spread by word of mouth about the ruin’s traps, but many people actually believed them.
“What about you, Allen?”
“Me?”
“Yes. You seem so calm compared to everyone else.”
Seeing her eyes sparkle as if he held some secret, Allen shrugged as if it were nothing and replied.
“A practical is still a practical. If it were truly dangerous, the academy would have taken measures.”
“…Ah.”
“Besides, a senior student will be joining us soon. If you’re that worried, you can just ask them.”
“Do you really think so?”
As all eyes turned to him, Allen caught Evan and William sneaking glances at him while pretending not to. For their sake, after what must have been a sleepless night, Allen began to share the information he’d heard from Rachel.
“I heard… that we’ll be given an artifact that lets us escape the ruin right before we enter.”
“Ooh…!”
Evan shot to his feet with a cheer. Seeing the dubious looks from those around him, he cleared his throat in embarrassment and sat back down.
“Ahem, not that I would need such a thing, but, ahem, since the academy is looking out for its students… I suppose I can’t refuse.”
Despite his words of reluctant acceptance, the corners of his mouth were turned up in a smile. William, too, seemed to relax a little at Allen’s words and let out a big yawn.
“Yawn… That’s a relief…. But Allen, how did you find that out…?”
“Thanks to my fiancée.”
“Ah.”
At Allen’s straightforward answer, William nodded, as if just remembering the rumors.
“In any case, it’s a relief that there’s a way out…. In my club, the seniors would never tell me anything….”
“It’s the same for me. My sister just smirked and told me to figure it out myself.”
“Probably their way of making you suffer a bit.”
Erielle chimed in, agreeing with William’s gloomy remark. Evan’s words seemed plausible, as William nodded in agreement.
“…If that’s true, my image of the senior students is shattering.”
“It’s a place where people live, so it’s not that different from anywhere else.”
Seeing that everyone had relaxed, Erielle spoke up. Her gaze turned to Allen.
“In that sense, we’re lucky to have you in our group, Allen, aren’t we?”
“…I agree with that.”
“You’re also the second-ranked student… I’m more worried that we’ll be a burden to you as teammates.”
Evan agreed with a solemn air, while William nervously wiped sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.
“As long as we do what we’ve practiced, there shouldn’t be a problem. I was actually more worried that my rank might have put pressure on you all.”
“Oh, come on. You’ve been such a great help to us, Allen.”
“That’s right! You never looked down on me for being a commoner…,”
“Ahem.”
As Evan cleared his throat at William’s words, as if something bothered him, William quickly corrected himself.
“Ah, that’s not to say that anyone else did, of course.”
“As long as you know.”
“Hehe….”
Erielle let out a small laugh at the sight of William apologizing profusely.
Their interaction was a far cry from what one would expect between a commoner and nobles.
“…Well, I’m glad if you’re all okay. Let’s work hard to finish this practical on a good note.”
Including himself.
‘I never intended to get this close with them.’
After meeting a few times for the dungeon practical, their relationship had changed to the point where they could even ask personal questions. Their way of speaking had also become more casual compared to when they first met.
Unlike the other group members, Allen couldn’t be completely sincere in his bond with them.
But still.
‘Teammates, huh….’
It wasn’t a bad feeling.
* * *
An entourage of 36 student volunteers from the second and third-year intermediate and advanced classes, 141 first-year freshmen, 15 accompanying professors and teaching assistants, and a procession of hundreds including camels, horses, giant lizards to pull the wagons, their drivers, and porters.
At the end of the long procession stood Julius.
Yellow, yellowish-green, orangey-yellow, yellow, yellow, green….
For the first time in a while, Julius strained his Rainbow Magic Eye.
But the results were not as promising as he had hoped.
‘As expected, there are no talented supporting characters worth mentioning in the original story.’
It was to be expected, but he couldn’t hide his disappointment.
Not a single useful person. A yellow-level talent was, at best, considered gifted. If this were when he was first possessed, he would have accepted it gratefully.
But…
‘A small, elite group is better.’
At this point, it seemed better not to expect anything from anyone other than the characters from the original story.
There was no need to worry about minimizing the damage to the academy, either.
The enemy he had to face at the end of the original story was the Demon Lord. It was far more efficient to have a few geniuses than to drag along dozens of moderately talented people.
‘…If it weren’t for that bitch, the ending wouldn’t have been flushed down the toilet.’
He naturally planned to prevent the story from unfolding as it originally did, but he didn’t know what the future held, so he needed to prepare his forces to face the Demon Lord in advance.
If he gathered his forces like this, Haizel would become unnecessary…
“No, no, that’s not right.”
“What’s not right?”
Julius jumped back several steps, startled as if he’d been caught thinking something wicked.
“Why are you so surprised? Were you thinking something bad? For example… about abandoning our little Dongdong?”
Gyao!? Gyao-gyao!
Dongdong, startled, squirmed and looked at him. Julius let out a hollow laugh at Abelin’s playful expression.
“As if I would. Dongdong, let’s leave this mean girl and go play.”
Gyao- Gyao-
Julius snatched the ball of fur from her arms and held it in his own. The feel of the fluffy fur lifted his spirits.
‘This would make a pretty nice scarf.’
As if sensing a sinister aura, Dongdong trembled in his arms. Julius stroked the creature and looked around.
He could see students squeezing into their assigned wagons. He watched them blankly for a moment before Matheus’s voice snapped him back to reality.
“What are you doing not getting on, Julius? It’s your turn to board.”
“Ah, sorry.”
Julius quickly entered the wagon, slowly reviewing his plan.
‘I have to earn as many merit points as I can during this practical.’
The deadline was before the end of this first year.
For some reason, the attack from the Cycle Cult hadn’t happened.
Whether it was due to the butterfly effect or some other reason, the original story had changed. This had ruined his plan to smoothly accumulate merit points.
Well then, what could he do? He’d just have to work for it.
The items he could obtain from the academy’s repository were extraordinary, unlike those from his family, so he had to move quickly before someone else snatched them up.
Therefore.
‘I must stand out.’
Enough to earn at least several hundred, no, a thousand merit points from this one event.
He absolutely had to get into the repository before the student council president did.
Some sacrifices would be unavoidable, wouldn't they?
After all, there was no one else useful among the first-years.
Julius grinned from ear to ear at the thought of the items he would obtain from the repository.
In that smile, there wasn’t a single shred of guilt for the actions he was about to take.