Adaptation (1)
The door closed, and a thick silence settled over the private chamber. Leon's outburst had filled everyone with insult and shame in equal measure. Of course, the source of that shame was the fact that they'd been humiliated right in front of Ellie.
"...Sorry you had to see such a crude display."
A little time passed before Alpendir de Croa spoke up.
"No, it's fine. I'm just... worried about Leon..."
"Enough, Ellie. Your kindness is a virtue, but too much of it can be a curse."
Alpendir bit down hard on his lower lip.
'We've tolerated his rudeness so far because he's the heir to the Northern Grand Duke. But this time, he's crossed the line. Leon Eisenberg.'
The position of Northern Grand Duke wasn't one to be taken lightly in the Empire. But this situation was different. Insulting imperial blood was a crime that demanded severe punishment in and of itself. Regardless, for the honor of the imperial family, he had to pay the appropriate price.
"I agree."
"Me too."
The others felt the same.
"He'll pay for running his mouth so carelessly."
The air in the private chamber grew heavy. They began scheming in their own ways to crush Leon. He was the heir to the Northern Grand Duke—an opponent not to be underestimated—but none of the people in this room were pushovers either.
That was when it happened.
"Stop it."
All eyes turned to Ellie at her soft words.
"Friends shouldn't fight."
"But..."
"Yes, he said some awful things. You all pretended it didn't bother you, but I'm sure it hurt deep down."
To them, Leon was a 'friend.' Insults from someone they'd trusted that much would hit all the harder. That seemed to be Ellie's thinking.
"If Leon suddenly changed his attitude and insulted us, there must be a good reason for it."
One by one, people averted their gazes. Before they knew it, Ellie had complete control of the room's atmosphere.
"Maybe it's something really serious...!"
They listened quietly to her words. The more they tuned in to her uniquely gentle, soothing voice, the more peace it brought to their minds and bodies.
"So let's talk it out. Okay?"
She smiled brightly, like sunshine.
But.
'...Sorry, Ellie, but you're wrong about one thing.'
They didn't think of each other as friends. They were just annoying pests they'd gotten tangled up with by chance—nothing more, nothing less.
At the root of the talk about making him pay for his insults lay a dark intent to utterly crush him over this incident.
'...We'll let it slide this once.'
If Ellie insisted that much, he wanted to respect her wishes. He had no desire to achieve his goals by breaking the will of the woman he'd chosen as his partner.
'If you're really giving up on him, that is.'
A sinister glint flickered in the crown prince's eyes.
*
The next day, I woke to the sight of my dormitory ceiling.
'Not a life-flashing-before-my-eyes moment, then.'
My muscles ached dully. The fatigue from yesterday lingered throughout my body. I could feel the flab clinging to me, and my once-steady breathing was a bit ragged compared to before. All of it matched exactly what I'd felt back in this era.
I shifted my gaze. Lecture notes were scattered across my desk. The coat draped over the chair, the gloves dropped on the floor—everything matched my memories without a single discrepancy.
My head cleared like I'd doused it in ice water. What I'd thought was a dream wasn't a dream at all. I'd really gone back to the past. This insane regression story was reality.
So what caused it?
'...Her Majesty the Empress.'
Right before dying, she'd spouted some strange words.
'Be wary of her.'
'To Us, there's something about her. Something We can't comprehend with Our current understanding.'
It was too suspicious to pass off as mere deathbed ramblings. It was as if she'd predicted I'd return to the past.
She was a woman full of secrets. At the same time, she knew everything there was to know. If anyone had made this regression possible, she'd be the first and only person who came to mind.
'...The reason.'
I had no idea. But I knew what I had to do going forward.
'Be wary of her.'
She'd warned me about Ellie.
'To Us, there's something about her. Something We can't comprehend with Our current understanding.'
She didn't spout nonsense. Nor did she toss out speculative comments lightly. Which meant that, even from Her Majesty's perspective, Ellie was 'something incomprehensible.'
My thoughts cut off there.
Knock knock!
A knock at the door. I grabbed the handle and opened it.
A woman with a blue ponytail stood there, looking up at me.
"...You're awake, Leon."
"You..."
"I thought about it long and hard last night, but they say this thing called 'push-pull' really works on girls these days. Oh, push-pull means..."
"Of course you were there too."
"...Pardon? What do you mean...?"
I placed a hand on her head with a wry expression.
"L-Leon?!"
She flinched in surprise.
"Y-You can't do this... You already have someone in your heart..."
"Serphina. You've always been by my side."
"L-Leon...?"
If I had to put a label on it, childhood friend would fit. We were that close, with the only barrier being our difference in status.
At some point, though, I'd started treating her like dirt. I couldn't remember why. Back then, no one else even registered in my eyes except Ellie.
"Thank you. Always."
"...Is something wrong?"
"Just feeling clearer-headed than usual today."
"Uh..."
I stepped past her and scanned the room. My schedule was pinned to the wall. Introduction to Swordsmanship Theory, History, Basic Swordsmanship Practice—all classes I barely remembered from my past life because I'd skipped them half the time.
'Around second year, huh.'
I turned to see Serphina still staring at me with wide eyes like a small animal.
"Let's go."
"Pardon? Where to?"
Where else...
"Class is starting soon."
*
I headed to the lecture hall according to my schedule. I had to hurry a bit to make it on time.
I quickened my pace.
"No, what I'm saying is..."
"Hey, eyes down."
"Shh, quiet."
As I strode quickly down the hall, people started stealing glances at my face. Prejudice against the North.
People called the North a land of barbarians. Endless snowfields and bone-chilling cold. There, etiquette and face were luxuries—violence and strength ruled everything. That's what they believed.
"...Leon."
"Yeah."
"Those punks are staring. Want me to teach 'em a lesson?"
...And honestly, it was hard to argue.
Fists flew before swords were even drawn, and settling things with brute force instead of words was everyday life. Reality was wilder than any novel... At least, the rumors about the North weren't exaggerated—they were often understated.
"Leon...?"
"...Is that really Leon?"
"Looks like it... Then where's everyone else?"
"I miss His Highness..."
By the time I reached the lecture hall, classmates were whispering as they looked at me. My mere presence was that surprising. It really drove home how much of a mess I'd made of school.
'I barely scraped by on attendance too.'
I spent the day following my schedule. The lessons were nothing special. To someone who'd come back from the distant future, they were just basic common sense.
"...So nothing's really wrong?"
Serphina asked with worried eyes.
"You're acting especially strange today. Keeping your distance from the people you usually hang out with. And you even attended classes you normally skip because they're a 'waste of time.' You even seemed focused."
Anxiety flickered in Serphina's eyes. It was almost funny. Just one day of acting responsibly, and she was this worried.
"If you'd like, I can listen."
"Nah, I'm good."
"...All right?"
I shrugged lightly. I really was fine. Aside from a slight headache from the memory aftereffects.
"Then today..."
"I'm beat. Gonna head back."
"Ah, got it. Should I walk you?"
I shook my head.
"Want to go alone today."
"...Yes. Good night, then."
I patted her shoulder and walked off. Even as we parted, she watched my back with those worried eyes.
'...Good.'
Back in the dormitory soon after, I sat cross-legged and closed my eyes. Looking inward, I could see the flab on my body and the waste products blocking aura from circulating through me.
'...Still manageable for now.'
Flab was just a matter of shedding it, but waste was different. It gradually eroded my physical functions. In my previous life, I'd hit the limit of my talent early because of this crap.
'...Even after reaching Swordmaster through insight, my body couldn't keep up.'
What a pathetic reason.
I drew in a breath. If this wasn't a dream, I had only one thing to do.
'Get strong first.'