Chapter 315: Past, or Afterimage of the Future (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 315: Past, or Afterimage of the Future (1)
Jin’s eyes widened.
Did she just… call my name?
It had been nineteen years since he last heard his name spoken in Valeria’s voice.
Valeria Hister.
Before his regression, he had been cast out of Runcandel, living as a hopeless wreck and drifting through the world like trash. His life would have been nothing but a sequence of miserable, dark days if she hadn't reached out to him. She was his teacher, his friend, his reliable companion, a woman he pitied, and his savior.
Silence fell.
In the few seconds that passed, Jin found himself unable to utter a word, his heart swelling with emotion. A sudden heat rushed to his head, making him feel light-headed as his vision began to blur.
He wanted to answer her immediately. He wanted to call her name as naturally as he had in his past life.
But he had to maintain his reason.
Master couldn't possibly remember me. Unlike me, she shouldn't have memories of our past life.
If he suddenly showed joy and affection, the situation would become awkward, even ridiculous. Strictly speaking, this was a reunion for him and him alone.
I can’t do anything I can’t justify. It will only make her wary.
Even if Valeria did possess memories of her past life, just like him, approaching her sentimentally would be foolish. In Jin’s estimation, Valeria was, in some ways, an even colder person than his own father.
If she did have those memories but chose not to acknowledge them first, it would be a calculated move. Or perhaps she believed the good times they shared in their past life no longer held any meaning.
Whether she had the memories or not, he needed to start the conversation as naturally as possible. He couldn't afford to show any openings by getting swept up in clumsy emotions.
After all, Jin had come here to ask her for a favor.
She never engaged in deep conversation or made deals unless the person was someone she truly needed or someone she acknowledged. He had to satisfy one of those two conditions.
“Quite the flashy entrance. Is it really all right to just kill a gang boss like that? Aria Owlheart. Or should I call you Aria Hister?”
Though he spoke both the surnames ‘Owlheart’ and ‘Hister,’ Valeria showed no sign of surprise. It was impossible to tell if she was suppressing her emotions or if she had simply expected this.
“The moment you came looking for me, York’s life was effectively over anyway.”
Tap.
Valeria landed lightly in the lobby.
“Even if he was trash, it’s unpleasant to kill a man who was cooperating with you. I took care of it for you, so how about a thank you?” she continued, pulling back her hood to reveal her face as if she had nothing to hide.
Dyed brown hair, intelligent red eyes, and lightly pursed lips. At only seventeen, she still had a youthful air, yet she projected an aura that made her difficult to approach.
In his past life, Jin had never seen Valeria at seventeen.
The current Valeria was certainly weaker and less seasoned than the twenty-six-year-old version from his memories. She looked smaller and more fragile than he remembered.
However, she possessed a sharper edge than her fully grown self from the past—like the fangs of a wounded beast.
“I suppose one could look at it that way. Regardless, I didn't expect you to show your face so easily.”
“Let me give you a warning. If you try to attack me, I’ll choose safety over curiosity.”
“Safety, you say. It sounds like you’re confident you can escape from me.”
“If I weren't, I wouldn't have killed York and stepped out in front of you.”
Both wore expressionless faces, but their minds were racing, calculating countless possibilities.
“I was curious who was looking for me in this city four years ago. Once I realized it was you, I decided we should have a talk.”
After Jin had completed his intermediate class mission, Valeria had moved into Mamit and lived there for two years. This was because one of the ‘Hister Heritage Sites’ was located in the city of outlaws. During her search for the site, she had used record magic a few times and, as a result, had discovered something.
Along with the location of the heritage site, she found a record that someone had been looking for a Hister at a tavern four years prior.
Furthermore, at the Mamit heritage site she eventually found, she glimpsed a ‘future record’ stating that the person would surely come looking for her around March 1799.
That was the very reason she had stayed in Mamit.
She had been waiting for Jin.
“I’m curious how you found out I was looking for you.”
“That’s my question. How did you know about me?”
“This is the Huphester Alliance. Do you think there’s anything Runcandel doesn't know?”
“If Runcandel were looking for a Hister, the search would have been top secret. At the time, you were just a fifteen-year-old intermediate cadet. That’s not information someone who wasn't even a Flagbearer could have known.”
“‘Top secret,’ you say. Aren't you overestimating yourself?”
“It’s not an overestimation; it’s a big deal. Just look at the fact that the great Jin Runcandel came here in person. Now, tell me why you’re looking for me.”
Jin smiled.
“I came because I have a favor to ask.”
“What kind of favor?”
“Restoring a recording device.”
“A recording device? One left by my ancestors?”
“I’ll tell you more after you’ve made a positive decision regarding my request.”
At that, Valeria let out a short, dry laugh.
“You do know what the name Hister signifies. But unfortunately for you, I have no reason to help.”
“Reasons can be made. For instance, cooperation for the sake of survival.”
“You can’t kill me.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because that would only benefit Zipple and your rivals.”
“I think you really are overestimating yourself.”
Shring, slash!
In the blink of an eye, Jin drew Sigmund and slashed past Valeria’s eyes. A few strands of her dyed brown hair fluttered to the floor.
Valeria blinked, looking at the fallen hair in disbelief.
“To think you were such a dull man… You come here to ask for a favor, and the best you can do is threaten me with force? Is that it?!”
Valeria glared at Jin and shouted, her face flushed with anger.
At that moment, Jin couldn't help but be startled.
This was a side of her he had never seen. It was something unimaginable from the Valeria of his past life.
To show this much emotion in front of me—someone who, from her perspective, is closer to an enemy than an ally… Perhaps because she’s nearly ten years younger than in my memories, she hasn't yet learned to mask her feelings. Still… something is strange. It feels like she’s excessively disappointed.
Jin shrugged.
“I’d prefer if you took it as advice rather than a threat. If any other Runcandel were standing here instead of me, it wouldn't have ended with just a few strands of hair.”
“You seem to be mistaken. The only reason you’re standing in front of me right now is because I decided to meet you. After today, neither Runcandel nor Zipple will ever be able to find me.”
Her words were fast, her voice trembling slightly. Valeria was unable to control her heightened emotions.
She’s acting like someone who expected something from me.
Of course, if Jin hadn't known her personally, her behavior might not have seemed so strange. She would have simply looked like someone who was sick and tired of being hunted by powerful families after a long life on the run.
But just as Jin suspected, Valeria felt an indescribable sense of disappointment toward him.
In truth, Valeria had harbored a curiosity about the man named ‘Jin’ since she was a young girl.
From the moment she first understood what memories were, or perhaps from the moment she began to understand the meaning of records as a Hister, Valeria had been having a recurring dream.
She didn't know if it was just a baseless fantasy or a long-term precognitive dream, but it had persisted like a vivid afterimage.
The dream always centered on her adult self talking to a ruined man on a dark street in an unknown city.
“Are you going to keep lying there like that?”
“Go away.”
“How pathetic. Jin, your illustrious siblings would love this.”
“Who are you? How do you know my name?”
“Seeing as you still have questions, you must have some lingering attachment to this world. Follow me. I’ll even forgive you for pointing a sword at the throat of the person who reached out to help you.”
That dream, which occurred almost every night, had been an enduring puzzle for Valeria.
While she couldn't understand why a man she had never met kept appearing in her dreams, or what her relationship with that miserable figure was, her own emotions were clear.
Her dream self clearly pitied that man.
Sometimes the dream felt more vivid than reality. She would wake up in a cold sweat, startled to see her real self, who was more than a decade younger than the woman in her dream.
She realized the identity of the ruined man was Jin when the Holy Kingdom incident shook the world. It was the moment Jin Runcandel’s face was revealed to everyone.
Thanks to that, Valeria realized that the youngest Runcandel, whom the world was praising, was the very same Jin from her dreams.
He looked far better than the man she saw in her dreams, but she recognized him instantly. The man she had comforted without knowing why was indeed Jin Runcandel.
The reason she had spoken his name the moment she saw him was because of that dream she had been having for over a decade. The habit of calling his name every day in her dreams had slipped out unconsciously.
It was a mistake. I placed too much meaning on a person from my own dreams and got worked up out of disappointment. But a recording device… it wouldn't hurt to take a look. I also need to find out how this man, Jin Runcandel, found me.
Valeria turned around. It was time to regain her composure and weigh her opponent’s demands against what she could gain.
“Aria Owlheart. Are you just going to leave?”
“Is there anything left to say? If it’s about restoring a recording device, go find someone else.”
“I have Shuziel Hister’s magic tome.”
Thud.
Valeria stopped in her tracks and spun back toward Jin.
“What did you say?”
Jin pulled Shuziel’s magic tome from his robe.
“I’m told this encryption system belongs to a true Hister.”
In the next moment, Valeria couldn't help but stare at Jin, reflexively covering her mouth with her hand.
Riiip!
“What are you doing…?!”
Jin had opened the book to roughly the middle and torn the magic tome in half.
“Check it. See if it’s a real Hister magic tome.”
Jin handed one half of the torn tome to Valeria. Her face was etched with clear bewilderment as she took it.
Jin felt a pang of guilt seeing her expression, but there was a reason he had acted this way.
I can’t let Master start playing mind games. She seems more fallible than the Master in my memories because she’s still young, but if I treat her lightly, I’ll get swept up in her pace before I know it.
As she verified the encryption system, Valeria’s eyes shifted slightly to the left—a habit of hers that appeared whenever she was confused or felt rushed.
“…Where did you get this?”
“The underground auction house in the Akin Kingdom. A place that no longer exists. If you restore the recording devices I have, I’ll give you the other half of the tome as a reward. Furthermore, I promise to protect you from Runcandel and Zipple.”
“You’ll protect me from Runcandel and Zipple? I didn't know the 12th Flagbearer of Runcandel had that much power. You must be busy enough just looking after yourself. And I’m not so weak that I need your protection.”
“If you’re not weak, then try taking the other half from me right now.”
“That may be impossible, but it is possible for me to take the half I have and run away.”
“Based on the attitude you’ve shown me so far, that doesn't sound like a lie. Do so if you wish. However, you will never find this other half again.”
Whoosh!
Jin conjured a flame of mana in his palm and brought it close to the remaining half of the tome.
“If you won’t cooperate, this becomes meaningless to me. Choose. Will you help me, or will you run? I will, however, make one promise. If you decide to help me, if you decide to become my person…”
Jin paused for a moment.
Then, after organizing his emotions once more, he continued.
“I will give you everything you want that is within my power to give.”
Of all the words and actions Jin had shown Valeria today, that was the only one that was truly sincere.