21
Chapter 21
Huh, what is he talking about? Suddenly asking if I'm a Regressor... on what basis is he spitting out such an accurate yet absurd claim?
I need to know that so I can decide whether to agree, deny, or subtly lie my way through.
And what? 'Also' a Regressor? Is there another Regressor besides me? Someone who found the King faster than I did?
"One can be knowledgeable at a young age, but it's rare for someone to leave such a 'cunning' impression as you have."
"Ah."
"If you're a once-in-a-million genius, then I have nothing to say... but I'm asking just in case. Are you indeed a Regressor?"
"A Regressor? What is that?"
"Don't play innocent. A being who has wound back time from the future, much like the Hero from two generations ago. In this generation, I suspect it might be you. Don't ignore an Old Demon's intuition."
Ah, so that's what it was. Explaining it so clearly and cutely. I was so touched I almost shed tears of emotion.
Is this why people say the elderly are considerate? I think I understand why humans value etiquette like respecting their elders.
Anyway, to think the Hero from two generations ago was a Regressor... I'd heard that failure didn't exist in that person's dictionary, but I didn't know such a secret was hidden. I've added another piece of knowledge to my collection today.
Now then. How should I answer that sharp and clever question?
A false denial? Or a truthful admission?
"No, I mean, what are you talking about? A Regressor? Where in the world would such a thing exist?"
"Hmm... was I barking up the wrong tree...?"
"Why are you wavering? You're right here in front of the Duke."
The answer is the latter. There are various reasons, but the first is that there's nothing to lose by telling the truth.
"Haha, you're quite good at wordplay. You've got this old Demon dancing in the palm of your hand."
"I'm just skilled at eloquence. Though it's only enough to get by on the streets."
I didn't bother mentioning that those "streets" belonged to entire nations. To embrace the light, one must be humble. It's a great and noble truth I learned from the Saint.
"Still, I didn't expect you to reveal it so easily."
"Is that so? Doesn't it occur to you that I might be lying right now?"
"...No, considering the psychological warfare during Chess, there's no way you're a ten-year-old."
"Hey, nothing in this world is certain. Who knows? Maybe I'm a super-duper genius no one knows about."
"......."
"Keke, I'm joking. Just let it slide."
Perhaps because he'd been toyed with, the King glared at me with a hint of resentment. I responded with a slyly curved gaze.
"Also, I felt it was necessary to reveal that fact for the 'topic' I'm about to bring up."
"So you intended to confess from the start?"
"Whether I did or not, I've already said it. Does it really matter now?"
"...Are you avoiding the answer?"
"It's not avoidance so much as calculating utility. I'm a busy child, and I value my time management very highly."
That wasn't a lie. Unless you're a Regressor like me, time is something that can never be recovered once it's gone, so I can't afford to waste a single moment for the sake of my future.
Of course, I don't have a concrete plan yet. I'll establish one as soon as I hear about causality from the King.
And those cheeky siblings who piled up karma against this kind-hearted Regressor will be priority number one on that list.
"Then, what is it that our esteemed 'Regressor' wishes to ask of this humble old man?"
"Ah, the time has finally come. Duke, do you happen to know anything about 'time'?"
"Time?"
"Well... there's someone I need to ensure is born into the world in about five hundred years. I'm worried that if I change the past, that person might not be born."
"Is this person important to you?"
"Hmm... as important as you are, Duke."
"Haha, it seems we were quite close in a previous life."
"Our friendship was a bond for the ages."
At my playful words, the King burst into a hearty laugh.
Previous life? I wasn't *that* close to him, but why does it matter if I add a little seasoning to a past life anyway?
Whether I'm the only one who remembers that previous life is still a mystery. Since closeness is a subjective concept, I've never lied. At least by my standards.
"I do not know that person, but it is a natural law that changing the past changes the future. That cannot be denied."
"Hmm."
"However, that only applies if the future is connected. If we relied on the sophistry of meteorologists, like the Butterfly Effect theory, any past would be related to every future."
"That's not something to blindly believe in."
"Correct. For if that were true, the very fact that you sought me out would have already skewed the future. So... you said the person to be born is human?"
The King asked with a hidden purpose. Is the Saint human? Of course she is.
"Yes, and a human of the Holy Nation at that."
"Just checking... there's nothing like Demon blood mixed in at birth, is there?"
"I'm not sure about that, but probably not. There's no way the Holy Nation would accept an impure being."
To be precise, they didn't just accept her; they practically worshipped her as a deity, but anyway.
"I think I have a general idea now."
"About what?"
"What you really want to know is the range of your actions, isn't it? How far you can go without affecting the birth of that human in the future."
"Oh, exactly."
"Then the matter is settled. You live in different worlds to begin with. Humans dwell on the Continent, while we Demons live in the Demon Realm. There is no way to move between the Human Realm and the Demon Realm without something like a Dimensional Gate, so as long as you keep your activities within the Demon Realm, it shouldn't matter."
"I see, well then..."
As I trailed off, the King's eyebrows, which were made of bell peppers, twitched. The limp vegetables wobbled flexibly.
Gosh, no matter how much of an art form it is, isn't that a bit excessive? He should have explored the virtue of explosions like I did. I frowned slightly at the form that had crossed the line.
Why would I be fine with a face full of vegetables but hate bell pepper eyebrows, you ask?
Because bell peppers are delicious. I don't mind jokes made with tasteless food, but bell peppers have a pleasantly bitter juice that's just wonderful.
"Would it be... okay for me to guide a few utterly useless individuals who would hinder the future to Heaven?"
"Ho."
"Not many. Just two or three people."
"Is there a Demon who dared to offend the Regressor's sensibilities?"
"It's just some stale revenge."
"As I just mentioned, the Continent and the Demon Realm are on different worldlines. No matter what chaos you cause in the Demon Realm, it'll be hard to affect the Human Realm significantly. Naturally, killing a few Demons wouldn't be an issue at all."
"Oh, that's a relief."
"If I have one concern, is it possible that any of those Demons might come into contact with the Human Realm? Before that 'human' you mentioned is born, I mean."
Wait, now that he mentions it, Leonard and Retavis are destined to meet a terrible end in the Demon Beast Forest. What about that? Would dying in the Demon Beast Forest be unrelated to the Human Realm?
It's ambiguous. The Demon Beast Forest is a twisted woods that, along with Dimensional Gates, serves as a link between the Demon Realm and the Human Realm. This means awkward and complicated situations often occur where Demons and human subjugation squads run into each other.
"...Still, I can't let anyone beat me to it."
"Beat you?"
"Imagine how unpleasant it would be if someone I'm supposed to kill gets killed by someone else. As a Demon, you should understand, Duke."
"True. Even though I've lived for a time close to eternal life, it's still unsettling when someone I've earmarked dies for some senseless reason."
"Right? You feel that way too, don't you?"
When I asked, longing for agreement, the King nodded readily. See? The frustration of not being able to kill someone you want dead is a universal feeling. The Saint would have said otherwise, though.
If the Saint heard our conversation right now, she'd be horrified. Kek, this is what a real conversation between Demons looks like, Saint.
"Ah, and even if you stay within the Demon Realm, there are some you must not touch. Those whose very existence heavily influences the world."
"Like who, for example?"
"The newly born Demon King, for instance. Or the Four Great Dukes of the Demon Realm. Their mere presence instills vigilance and tension across all dimensions."
"Oh, now that you mention it, that makes sense. I guess I can't kill the Demon King bastard."
"The 'bastard'? You must have had a poor relationship with the Demon King in your previous life."
"Out of the five hundred years I spent with that guy, four hundred and ninety-nine were great. It's just that things went south in the last year."
Demon King Kanos. A being who gazed at the war-torn night sky of the Demon Realm, longing for a duel with a strong opponent.
But then, at some point, the Demon King began to crave power and changed. Eventually, to preserve their own authority, they captured me and threw me into the Babel Tower. Since they're so strong, it's uncertain if revenge is possible, but the Demon King is definitely one of my enemies.
"Hmm, well, I get your point. Basically, as long as it's not some influential Demon, a bloodbath within the Demon Realm is fine."
"Indeed. Souls are managed by the gods, so trivial matters like that rarely cause a problem."
"Sounds good. Oh, and one more thing."
Seeing that I wasn't finished, the King gave a thin smile. Another Demon might have found me annoying, but the King, having already taken an interest in me, viewed me as a research subject he wanted to explore to the limit.
Since this was all intentional, I didn't mind. In fact, I was beaming, knowing there was still plenty to pry out of the King, who was essentially a living encyclopedia.
"You mentioned earlier that you know a bit about Regressors. Like the Hero from two generations ago."
"I did."
"Do you happen to know anything about the act of Regression itself? I just woke up in the past without knowing why, so I'm still a bit bewildered."
"Hmm... Regression? Regression..."
After pondering my question for a moment, the King raised an arm that looked like grapes and flicked a finger that looked like a banana. A faint but distinct magic leaked from his hand.
The purple energy seeped into a coffin in the corner. It was an antique wooden coffin, the kind that might have been fashionable centuries ago.
"You've slept long enough. Wake up."
Creak—thud.
"Guh..."
The King gave a low-voiced command, and the coffin obeyed faithfully. As the lid opened, a single corpse emerged from within.
He was a giant with shoulders as wide as five adults standing side-by-side, easily towering over three meters. The nails driven into his temples and his square jaw pulled the identity of the corpse from my memories.
The immortal giant, Frankenstein.
A renowned knight of the Continent long ago, he became a monster and the King's confidant after being granted a dead heart by the King.
"Guh... My Lord... it has been a long time..."
"It has indeed, Frankenstein."
"My Lord... looks delicious... want... fruit..."
Waking from his long slumber, Frankenstein began to drool the moment he saw the King. To a monster left with only faint reason and firm instinct, the scent of sweet juice must have been quite fatal.
"Now, now, I'll provide a separate meal for you. First, go down to the Underground Library and fetch a book."
"Guh...? A book...?"
"There should be one of Evans' books. A treatise on time. The title should be 'Flower that Eats Time.' Probably."
"Guh... Flower... that eats time... I want to eat it too..."
"Tsk, bring it back safely, and I'll give you some high-grade meat. Hold on until then."
As the word 'meat' left the King's lips, Frankenstein's porcelain-white eyes snapped open. The drool leaking from his mouth increased. With thumping steps, Frankenstein vanished into the darkness.
Left alone with the King, I swallowed hard and spoke. I had heard a word I simply couldn't ignore.
"...Wait a second."