Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: A Slightly Old Secret - 1 (Paid Serialization Begins)
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According to Neril, while I was fighting Kaild, Offens had quietly warned her as she tried to sneak closer.
He had said:
“What, got some business?”
“Beat it. We’re busy right now.”
“Your presence is too obvious. Moving around that noisily, Kaild’s gonna hear you.”
“I didn’t make a sound. And they’re fighting like that?”
“One hundred percent he’ll notice. Whatever it is, leave it to me.”
Neril had never been good at concealing her presence to begin with, and Jenia was specialized in frontline combat, so stealth was a relative weakness for both.
After discussing it, they’d quickly scribbled my message on a note and handed it to Offens.
If things went smoothly, Risel would show up around midnight.
“But can Risel really sneak out? Kaild seemed super perceptive.”
A valid concern, but unfounded.
Risel could vanish without a trace so well it made you wonder if she was a spirit mage or a top-tier assassin.
Even before my regression, both I and Kaild had lost track of her presence more than once or twice.
‘Was that using spirits too?’
Anyway.
“She’ll be fine. More importantly, entrusting it to Offens was a smart call. Good job.”
“Yeah. But if Offens hadn’t helped, would we really have gotten caught?”
“If he said so, then yeah. Though I still would’ve won the fight completely.”
That would’ve made for an amusing scene in its own way...
But on the big picture, talking to Risel mattered more than some minor skirmish victory.
I checked the time. 11 p.m.
I’d definitely told her midnight.
“An hour left. Bit of an awkward wait.”
“Yeah. Too early to sleep, so wanna grab something to eat?”
“Didn’t expect an eating suggestion from you.”
Adwin hurriedly rummaged through his bag.
He pulled out a small pouch.
“How about a card game then?”
It was a game pretty popular across the continent.
I, Jenia, and Adwin knew the rules.
“First time seeing it.”
“Exactly as I predicted...”
“Jenia. You’ve been annoying me since that grandma comment earlier.”
“Y-You noticed?”
And so we explained the rules to Neril and played a few casual rounds.
For the record, we played twelve games, and Neril took first in all of them.
“What a boring game.”
Guess you can’t beat experience.
*Knock knock.*
A polite knock.
Jenia cautiously opened the door.
Risel stood there.
The platinum-haired beauty looked a bit deflated, her eyes darting around as she hesitated to step inside.
“Come in, Risel.”
“Oh, no. Um.”
She took a deep breath, then glared straight at us.
Placing both hands on her hips with effort.
Desperately trying to look angry.
The most intimidating face the ever-shy, introverted Risel from before my regression could muster.
‘She’s so scary it’s funny.’
[Hey. That’s rude.]
Risel spoke.
“Everyone! When I got back to my inn room, I found this in my pocket. You sent it, right?”
“Yeah. Didn’t I write your name on it?”
“Why? Why send something like this? Accusing me of deceiving my party members.”
“......”
“I’m really mad. I came to complain.”
“......”
“Don’t ever pull a stunt like this again. Eek!”
Neril grabbed her by the scruff and yanked her inside.
Well done, Neril.
The room wasn’t huge, so with five of us sitting around, it felt packed.
Somehow, Risel ended up surrounded by the four of us.
She trembled pitifully, then said:
“Keep this up, and I’ll really get mad. I mean it.”
Don’t laugh. Don’t laugh.
I forced a serious expression and said:
“Please have a seat for a moment. We need to talk.”
“......”
She glanced at me warily, barely perching on the edge of the chair.
One tug on the chair, and she’d topple right over.
“What do you want to say?”
“As the note said, you’ve been deceiving your party members, haven’t you, Risel?”
“No!”
“Then why are you here?”
“I told you. To protest.”
“......”
“I’m not hiding anything. But if you spread rumors to my companions, it’ll put me in a tough spot. I came to warn you not to.”
She wasn’t opening up easily.
No choice.
I recalled Risel’s secret I’d seen with the Eye of Omniscience.
A barefoot girl in ragged clothes stealing bread and running off.
But the secret itself wasn’t the point.
The time it happened was.
It was an absurd assumption, but my instincts screamed it was right.
“You’re lying about your age to your party members, aren’t you?”
“W-What? No, I’m not.”
“Then how old are you?”
“Twenty-two.”
I shook my head.
Then asked firmly on purpose.
“Twenty-two? That’s a lie, right?”
“Huh?”
“You’re older than that.”
“N-No way. Nope.”
Neril asked in an intrigued tone.
“Kiddo. Age is just a number. No need to hide it.”
“Right. Just look at Neril sis here...”
“Quiet, you. So? How much are you fudging? Five years?”
I shook my head.
“About 1,500 years.”
“......?”
“There was a soul Adwin couldn’t find recently, even after exhausting himself. We thought it was destroyed by the Withering Demon King, but no. She just hadn’t died.”
There’d only ever been one spirit mage in history.
I’d thought Risel was the second.
But she wasn’t.
Everyone’s faces changed.
Risel’s most of all.
“......”
Her lips had gone nearly blue.
I enunciated each word carefully.
“The hero of the first Hero Party of the Empire. Spirit mage, also known as the Emperor’s Companion.”
“......”
“Magna Neros. An honor to meet you.”
Trail shouted in his usual tactless tone.
[Magna Neros! The spirit mage from the first Hero Party!]
‘Why are you surprised? You saw the timeline with the Eye of Omniscience.’
[Everyone’s too quiet. Felt like someone had to react.]
The scene had been set 1,500 years ago.
And that’s when the first spirit mage had appeared.
Anyone would hesitate to connect Risel to Magna over that alone.
It was just too far from common sense.
‘That said... is Risel her real name? Magna the alias?’
Anyway, Risel’s eyes shook violently.
Like an earthquake hitting Tetra territory had struck her pupils first.
I said:
“First off, we can’t let Kaild know about this meeting. Though that goes without saying.”
“Y-You.”
“Sorry if it feels like blackmail, but if you snitch to Kaild, I’ll tell your whole party you’re Magna Neros. That’s why you’re hiding it, right?”
“......”
“Now. Let’s talk this through step by step...”
That’s when it happened.
Risel had a wildly different reaction.
Her mouth flapped like a fish’s before she bolted up.
And shouted:
“I’m leaving! Good night, everyone!”
Good night? Now?
Before I could even retort.
*Whoosh.*
“Huh?”
Adwin let out a dazed sound.
Risel had vanished.
Not figuratively.
Right before our wide-open eyes, she’d disappeared like a lie.
Neril shot to her feet.
“Magic? No, no. I’d sense magic.”
“......”
“No mana fluctuation at all. Maide, what the hell just happened?”
Her eyes held utter certainty that I knew the answer.
Jenia felt the same.
Sweating coldly, she said:
“Maybe sorcery? Is Risel actually an assassin?”
“No. Feels nothing like Offens’s shadow sorcery.”
“Then what is it? How does she vanish so perfectly right in front of us all?”
Truthfully, I didn’t know either.
‘Sure, I lost her presence plenty before regression.’
But seeing her vanish right in front of me? First time.
Set that aside for now.
“Either way, bolting like lightning means I hit the nail on the head.”
“Yeah. That’s what I wanted to ask. Calling Risel Magna Neros? What’s that mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like.”
Neril shook her head.
“Phew. Humans can’t live 1,500 years. Do I have to spell it out?”
“Well, average human lifespan is 200 years.”
“Not even that. ...You said that for me to hear, didn’t you?”
“Busted.”
“Hey! I just eat light and live long.”
Now Jenia’s eyebrow twitched.
“You said that for me too?”
“Busted again.”
“Stop it. This’ll never end.”
Jenia looked at me.
“Anyway, I get why you’d say that, Maide. No Magna soul in the afterlife, and no spirit mages in 1,500 years since.”
“......”
“Easier to say Risel is Magna herself than a new one popping up. But jumping straight to that’s a stretch.”
Logically, Jenia was spot on.
To explain, I’d need the full story myself.
Jenia spoke cautiously.
“...That said, since it’s you, Maide, it’s not impossible.”
“Thanks for the trust. Still, better to confirm properly.”
“How?”
Instead of answering, I looked at Adwin.
“Me?”
“Grade van Handman.”
“......”
“Summon his soul.”
The first Hero of this continent.
The one who slew the first Demon King, the Withering Demon King.
Also the founding Emperor of this Empire. Famous guy all around.
Neril clapped lightly.
“I see. If Risel’s really Magna, no better confirmation than the first Hero.”
“Hm.”
“If he responds, she’s Magna. If he ignores it like nonsense, she’s not.”
“Yeah. Plus, I’ve got questions for him. Like how Risel’s lived so long.”
“......You’re kinda chummy with the first Hero?”
Adwin spoke then.
“Got it. Starting now.”
Adwin closed his eyes.
Soon his sleeves fluttered, and the incantation glowed white.
We waited, half intrigued, half anxious.
Finally, Adwin opened his eyes.
No. It wasn’t Adwin.
“Kuaaaah.”
Stretching languidly like he’d just woken from a good sleep—that was the founding Emperor and Hero, Grade van Handman.
Adwin’s body hosted Grade, but it cracked with pops from the small frame.
“The afterlife air’s different, huh. Too stuffy there.”
“......”
“Hey. You.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. You, the fake Hero lying around about it.”
Grade jerked his chin at me.
I straightened up and said:
“Maide Mohan. And for the record, I’ve never lied about it.”
“Heh. Be grateful I’ve set myself to Hero days. If it was my Emperor phase, that answer would’ve killed you already.”
“Why?”
“Cuz I said you were lying. Deny it, and I’m wrong.”
Arms crossed, he continued indifferently.
“Emperors can’t be wrong.”
“Some histories say the first Emperor was wildly arrogant. The palace denies it vehemently, but looks like that’s the truth.”
Same Hero title, but worlds apart from Second-Gen Lepia.
Lepia was a commoner; Grade rose to Emperor on his own, but still.
Etiquette-wise, their roles might as well be swapped.
Grade scratched his head and smacked his lips.
“Tch. Too honest.”
“Anyway, you called me. What’s on your mind?”
“Yeah. Heard from the necromancer here you’re scheming something with Risel?”
“Not at all. Just need her cooperation on something.”
“Don’t even ask. Better if she stays out of worldly affairs now.”
I tilted my head at Grade’s cryptic words.
But backing down here wasn’t an option.
“Sorry, but I can’t do that positionally.”
“......”
“But I promise one thing. Like you did, I’ll treat Risel well as a comrade. I’m good at that.”
Neril and the others curved their lips slightly.
Grade scanned their faces, then chuckled.
“Looks like you’ve earned some real respect, at least.”