Reboot
Reboot
A dark night.
At an hour when everyone else was fast asleep, I was the only one awake.
The room I was in was pitch-black, without a single light on.
In the darkness, I sat staring blankly into space, holding the black orb in my hand.
To anyone else, I might have looked ill, but in truth, I was listening to a voice echoing in my head.
[Saved information verified. Administrator re-authorization complete.
Connection failure with the Central Ego has been re-confirmed.
From now on, the current Hero Management System will be managed by the restarted 12th Reserve Ego.
...]
The orb droned on in the same voice I had heard before.
Its words were much the same as before, though the details that followed were slightly different.
It felt like a computer from my past life running a system check during a reboot, so despite the repetitive wording, I didn't find it boring.
After rambling on for quite a while, the orb finally said the words I had been waiting for.
[The administrator's information is being processed in an unstable state. Would you like to update the information?]
Yes, this was exactly what I wanted.
At last, I could change that information window that had appeared out of nowhere, without any explanation.
I answered 'Yes' at once.
Flash!
Once again, my vision flared with bright light.
It felt as if fireworks were going off inside my head.
Then a translucent window unfurled before my eyes.
< Knight-type Hero Ability User >
< Active Abilities >
- Physical Optimization: Level (25/30)
- Mana Circuit Construction Method: Level 3
- Mana Resonance: Level 2
- Equipment Summoning: Level 1
- Mana Emission: Level 1
< Unauthorized Abilities >
- Mana Materialization: Level 2
- Death Regression: Level 3
< Ability Bestowal >
- Status Correction: Optimal Body
I frowned at the information window.
Nothing had changed.
Well, it had changed a little, but only because of the ability Ivana had granted me.
The increase in Physical Optimization's level and the new number, 30, beside it were definitely due to the newly added 'Ability Bestowal' category.
The granted ability, 'Status Correction,' must have been the one Ivana had bestowed on me.
Aside from that, the categories themselves were no different from before.
I crossed my arms and glared into the empty air.
I hadn't gone through all that trouble just to see the exact same screen.
"You called this an update, and this is all?"
[Would you like to view detailed information? Please point to the item you wish to view in detail.]
Ah, so it wasn't the same after all.
I felt incredibly embarrassed, but fortunately, no one was around to witness it.
I uncrossed my arms and pointed at the information window floating before me.
Swish.
The contents of the information window changed instantly.
As I expected, it was just as I'd thought.
Like the novels I'd read in my past life, this information window was a kind of touchscreen.
It felt increasingly familiar, which gave me a strange sensation, but first I checked what had appeared on the window.
[Physical Optimization:
One of the abilities of a Knight-type Hero Ability User.
An ability that continuously strengthens the body through training and real combat. Its maximum limit is believed to vary from person to person.
An ability that must be developed in order to utilize mana.
Without a robust body, mana is merely a castle built on sand.]
Unfortunately, the explanation for Physical Optimization wasn't particularly special.
At most, I learned that it was a much more important ability than I had thought.
On top of that, the fact that it ended with something resembling a famous quote left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Still, it was properly explained.
It was the explanation I needed.
After a while, the screen reverted to the beginning, and I immediately pointed at the item I wanted to see.
The very ability, full of love and hate, that had brought me all the way here.
I pressed my finger firmly against 'Death Regression'.
Swish.
The screen changed.
I focused all my attention on reading the text that appeared in the air.
[Death Regression:
An ability to return to the past, triggered by the subject's death.
The point in time to which the user returns is initially the time of birth, and subsequently, the moment of a past death and the inflection points of fate.
Like other abilities, as its level rises, various applications of the ability become possible.
Level 1 - Upon experiencing death, the user returns to the most recent moment of death and the inflection point of fate.
Level 2 - When an inflection point of fate is set as a Save Point, the subject gets to decide. If they reject it, the user returns to the previously set point in time.
Level 3 - Upon overcoming an inflection point of fate, a new Save Point is presented. The subject can decide on this Save Point as well.
Level 4 - ]
Unfortunately, the content for the next level was blank.
The explanations for the existing levels weren't much different from what I had expected, either.
Still, being able to properly verify the details and knowing that there was a next level made repairing the orb worthwhile.
"I guess this is a kind of moral victory, too..."
To be honest, I was a little disappointed.
I'd expected a more detailed explanation.
How they were able to identify this kind of ability through an artifact,
What relationship existed between the Old Empire and the abilities of the Heroes.
Whether there were any limits or hidden aspects to my ability.
I had hoped for answers to things like that, but unfortunately, all I got were ordinary explanations.
Without giving up, I tried the orb this way and that.
I asked if there were other abilities, checked whether there was any way to obtain more information, and even tried threatening it.
Unfortunately, unlike the dagger, the Orb Ego showed no emotion.
The orb merely stated calmly that it knew nothing more.
[Most of the information accumulated prior to the restart has been lost. To recover the lost information, a connection with the Central Ego is required.]
I experimented and checked the orb from every angle until dawn, but the only additional thing I learned was the location of the Central Ego.
If the Central Ego had been in an ordinary place, that alone would have been a grand discovery, but unfortunately, the location I found out was extremely dangerous.
[The Central Ego is located in the capital of the Empire, at the center of the Technology Management Bureau.]
The Empire the orb spoke of was not the current 'Tsar Empire', but the Old Empire.
The Old Empire had vanished during the Great War, and its capital area had now become the Demon King's Seal Grounds, where the Demon King was sealed.
And the capital of the Old Empire was at the center of the Seal Grounds.
The most dangerous place within the Seal Grounds, guarded by the Monster Kings.
Namely, the very place where the Demon King was sealed.
I had absolutely no intention of going to such a dangerous place.
Multiple Monster Kings?
I had barely escaped with my life after encountering just one Monster King, so there was no way I would go to a place crawling with such monsters.
Besides, there was no way a place where the Demon King and the Monster Kings had run rampant would remain intact.
Surely, everything must have been destroyed, with nothing left behind.
In the end, dawn broke without any real gains, and it was time to meet the Grand Prince.
I put the orb in my pocket.
To be honest, it was because I still had some lingering regrets.
Thanks to my enhanced physical abilities, staying up all night no longer left me tired.
After lightly washing my face, I followed the chief steward's guidance to the audience chamber.
No one knew about the sparring match between the Crown Prince and me yesterday.
On top of that, this place didn't feel at all like a war was about to break out.
Was this the Grand Prince's ability to govern?
The inside of the palace was no different from a year ago.
Walking through such a peaceful corridor, I arrived in front of the audience chamber.
While the chief steward announced my visit, I listened to the voice of the orb in my pocket.
The orb, which I had harassed all night, suddenly brought up a way to find information.
[There is indeed another way to obtain information. If you make contact with another Reserve Ego, you can recover a portion of the lost information.]
Even though it was an ego that showed no emotion, it seemed to have been listening to my words properly.
It was a method the orb had thought hard to present in its own way, but unfortunately, it wasn't very useful information.
'Where are the other Reserve Egos?'
This was because the orb could not answer my subsequent question.
I had to know where they were to even begin looking. What the orb said was no different from telling me to search the entire continent.
I shook my head and stepped through the open door.
Inside the audience chamber, the Grand Prince was waiting for me alone, just like before.
There must have been other nobles handling affairs, but every time I met the Grand Prince, he was always alone.
But it wasn't because he regarded me as special that he granted me a private audience.
A ruler who made decisions all by himself like that, without listening to anyone else's advice.
I could tell just how tightly the Grand Prince held the Duchy in his grip.
And that might very well be his weakness.
Keeping that thought in a corner of my mind, I bowed to the Grand Prince.
"I am Alex."
"I know."
A conversation even shorter than before.
Since the Grand Prince wasn't the type to stand on ceremony, it was very easy to talk to him.
"I have made my decision. I will join hands with Princess Aisha's side."
What a relief.
I could finally face the Princess with a clear conscience.
I had gone to the trouble of persuading the Princess to come to the Duchy, so if I had just handled my own business and returned, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
I listened to the Grand Prince's words, grinning inwardly.
"No documents will be written, and no contracts will be made for this decision. No one else will know, and no matter who asks, I will not acknowledge it."
Since they were joining hands in secret, the Grand Prince's words were only natural.
The alliance between the Princess and the Grand Prince was merely a promise built solely on mutual trust.
"I will proceed with the belief that the Princess will naturally keep the secret as well."
"You can trust her."
At the Grand Prince's words, I bowed my head and gave him my assurance.
"I intend to keep you, Alex, as my only link to the Princess. The only people I've met are the Princess and you, and you're the only person I can trust."
The Grand Prince stared intently at me.
"I will only recognize writings bearing both your seal and the Princess's seal, and I will not believe any story that does not come directly from your mouth. And..."
The Grand Prince stopped mid-sentence and furrowed his brow.
"What is the matter? You do not seem to be listening to my words. Besides, you are staring at some strange place."
The Grand Prince was right. I wasn't listening to him.
It was because a completely unexpected voice was echoing in my ears.
[An ability user of a similar type is nearby.
Displaying the target's information window.
The amount of information may be limited without direct contact.]
It was the voice of the Orb Ego.
And before my eyes, an information window had floated up.
It wasn't my information window.
< Knight-type Hero Ability User >
< Active Abilities >
- Mana Resonance: Level 1
< Warning >
- Due to an incomplete Forced Awakening, the ability is not being fully manifested.
It was none other than the Grand Prince's information window.
Behind the information window, I could see the Grand Prince scowling.
At this rate, the Grand Prince was bound to lose his temper if I delayed any longer.
I tried to dismiss the information window immediately and apologize to the Grand Prince.
But I couldn't.
Because the voice echoed in my ears once more.
[An ability user who underwent Forced Awakening has been detected. Forced Awakening is the ability of the Fifth Reserve Ego!]
The voice of the orb echoing in my head sounded incredibly bright.