Are You a Reincarnator?
"Thank you."
"Sure. Get some rest."
After dropping off Isabel, who seemed somewhat subdued, at her room, I headed to the place where Sharin had taken Hanon.
It was an empty room in the inn. I didn't know if she had rented it or slipped in secretly, but I decided not to overthink it.
"You playboy, making me do all the work while you go off and play with another girl~" Sharin complained, her voice trailing off lazily.
"Isabel and me?"
"I've always wanted to say that at least once in my life."
Well, she got her wish.
Leaving Sharin aside, I looked down at the unconscious Hanon. "Hanon, you're awake, aren't you?"
"Oh, you caught me?" Hanon bolted upright. He had excellent recovery, so I knew he'd wake up quickly.
"I didn't mean for things to go this far. I'm sorry."
Honestly, I hadn't intended to subdue him with the Ancient Dragon's Magic. When I offered him a sincere apology, Hanon scratched his head.
"Not really. Like I said before, I don't care what you do with my identity." He sat cross-legged, grinning from ear to ear.
"More than that, I was just curious about who you really are. But I ended up seeing something way more interesting than I expected." Hanon glanced at Sharin, who was standing beside him. "That just now... it was Ancient Dragon's Magic, wasn't it?"
Since I had been caught red-handed, there was no point in making excuses. Hanon took our silence as confirmation. I didn't know what was so 'interesting' about Ancient Dragon's Magic, but I decided to leave it at that and turned to Sharin.
Sharin shrugged and stepped out of the room, giving us some privacy to talk. Resolving to buy her another ice cream next time, I sat down in front of Hanon.
Hanon didn't seem to have any intention of running away anymore. He probably didn't want to get frozen solid again.
"Hanon, as I said before, I can be of great help to you."
I understood why he couldn't trust me. I had used his identity without permission. It was something I couldn't apologize enough for. But that was precisely why I needed to secure his cooperation—so he could understand the reasoning behind my actions.
"So, I'll give you a reason to trust me."
I had hoped to avoid saying this aloud, but it seemed this was the only way to convince him.
"Duke Robliaju has joined forces with Akjon."
This was something even the 1st Prince didn't know yet. If the 1st Prince had known, everything would have been overturned long ago. But there was exactly one person who did know: Hanon, who sat right in front of me.
Hanon's eyes widened larger than I had seen them all day. He stared at me, his gaze filled with sheer shock.
Hanon couldn't tell anyone that Duke Robliaju had allied with Akjon. He was bound by a restriction; the moment he tried to speak of Akjon, his body would lock up, rendering him unable to act. That was why I spoke the words for him.
"Of course, I haven't secured any evidence that we can make public yet. And I'm sure the same goes for you, Hanon."
Duke Robliaju was far more meticulous than one might think. He left absolutely no incriminating evidence behind. Thus, Hanon and I were the only ones who knew.
"That's why I came to Jerion Academy disguised as you."
Since I had laid out information that no one else could possibly know, Hanon could only stare at me blankly. It was a natural reaction, considering how shocking it must have been for him.
Hanon stared at me in silence for a long time. Eventually, once he had organized his thoughts, he opened his mouth.
"My hobby is exploring ancient ruins, you see."
Hanon had an archaeological bent, a deep love for legends and ruins. His wanderlust stemmed from this very disposition.
"...This is just a vague guess of mine."
Hanon began to tilt his body side to side. It was a habit of his whenever his curiosity was piqued to the extreme.
"Your sudden appearance at Jerion Academy. Your ability to freely change your appearance. Your close relationship with the daughter of the Blue Magic Tower Master."
Hanon's eyes sparkled with growing intensity. He was drawing a conclusion based on the fragments of information he had gathered from me.
"And finally, the Ancient Dragon's Magic. Because of all this, a certain prophecy keeps coming to mind."
Hanon clenched his fists and shook his arms excitedly. He looked like a child watching a superhero show on TV.
"The prophecy of the Reincarnated Heroes. It's an incredibly ancient prophecy, but..."
And that was a prophecy I knew as well.
"Among them, Jerion was said to have wielded Ancient Dragon's Magic."
The founder of Jerion Academy and the pinnacle of magic. One of the six heroes who once served under the great hero Olfram. The Sage of Transcendence, Jerion. Hanon was referring to her.
Several prophecies and legends existed in this world.
When the world falls into peril once more,
the reincarnations of the heroes shall rise to protect it again.
These were the words spoken by the Goddess herself to honor their achievements.
Though it was now considered an ancient prophecy that few paid attention to, rumors had recently been circulating in archaeological circles that the reincarnation of the heroes was drawing near. Hanon, with his deep interest in archaeology, was naturally aware of this. And in truth...
Jerion has indeed been reincarnated.
But no one knew that fact except for me. Even the person herself didn't know she was Jerion's reincarnation. Furthermore, that person wasn't even at Jerion Academy yet. To be precise, she was scheduled to enroll next year.
The problem is...
I was the one being suspected of it right now. That rascal Hanon thought I had intentionally unleashed Ancient Dragon's Magic just to capture him.
Wielded it, my foot.
The Dragon's Vestige had simply reacted to the Mystery and run wild on its own. From the looks of it, since he had fainted halfway through, he hadn't seen Sharin suppress the rampage.
This misunderstanding is taking a bizarre turn.
My eyes met Hanon's sparkling gaze.
One of Hanon's habits is trying to connect everything to legends.
Because he had exposed himself to too many myths, he had a tendency to link any legendary-seeming event to them. And he was surprisingly stubborn in the strangest ways.
"That's a ridiculous misunderstanding," I quickly corrected him.
But Hanon's excitement showed no signs of cooling down.
"Really? I don't think so."
Hanon's stubbornness reared its head.
"Even heroes would have had to cross the River of Oblivion to be reincarnated. It's only natural that you wouldn't have memories of your past life."
To a legend-obsessed guy like Hanon, his mind was already a runaway train that couldn't be stopped.
"So, you might not know that you're Jerion's reincarnation. But the underlying principles of your actions definitely stem from being her reincarnation."
"I simply found out by chance that Duke Robliaju joined hands with Akjon, and I'm trying to stop him."
"Heh, by chance?"
Hanon's eyes curved into crescent moons.
"Do you really think something even the Emperor doesn't know can be brushed off as a mere 'coincidence'? You said it yourself—there's no evidence."
How did I know something for which there was no evidence? I couldn't answer that question. After all, the only reason I knew about all this was because I had played through the Flame Butterfly Chapter.
"Did you know? They say the Goddess's revelations are engraved upon the chosen without them even realizing it." Hanon grinned. "It's a kind of destiny."
Destiny. Hanon was referring to that massive, sweeping current.
"When the Goddess deems the flow of the world to be in danger, she plants a revelation within her chosen vessel. As mere creations, we cannot consciously perceive it."
The moment I heard those words, my body stiffened for the first time. Planting a revelation within a chosen vessel. It was a vague thought, but my situation was somewhat similar.
I was suddenly possessed into Vikamon's body.
What if this, too, was the Goddess's intention?
The sudden realization made my mind spin. And Hanon didn't miss my reaction. It was my mistake for failing to control my expression for a split second.
"See? You felt something familiar in the fragments of your memories, didn't you?"
"Hanon, that was just—"
"It's fine. You don't have to make excuses!"
Hanon's eyes made it clear that he had absolutely no intention of listening to any of my denials.
"As for me... just as you said, I want to drag Duke Robliaju down." A deep, burning resentment flared in Hanon's eyes. "So, I will do whatever it takes to make that happen."
His obsession with legends and ruins had also been caused by Duke Robliaju. Since ancient texts recorded that the heroes had defeated Akjon and banished him to the Demon Palace, Hanon had been digging through information, clinging to that hope. And now, standing right before him... was one of the heroes who had prevented the Great War and sealed Akjon: the reincarnation of Jerion. Of course, this was nothing more than Hanon's wild assumption.
A figure who could resolve all his resentment and trauma at once.
Perhaps Hanon simply wanted to believe I was Jerion. Living a life chasing ruins and legends just to satisfy a grudge was exhausting and draining. Seeing a chance to escape that torment, he would have grasped at even a rotten rope.
"Hanon."
Although the part about me being Jerion's reincarnation was a complete misunderstanding, one thing was absolutely certain.
"I, too, want to destroy Duke Robliaju at all costs."
Duke Robliaju was a figure who had to be defeated to prevent the bad ending. The ultimate mastermind. To bring him down, I, too, would do whatever it took. In this regard, Hanon and I were in perfect alignment. I extended my hand to him.
"So, how about we help each other until then?"
Hanon stared at my hand for a moment, then grinned. He firmly grasped my hand.
"This is so classic! It feels like being asked to join a hero's party!"
...Is this guy really doing this out of resentment? I couldn't help but feel a sudden wave of anxiety, wondering if he was just a legend otaku who had lost his mind and was helping me without looking at the consequences.
"First of all, what you want is to keep your true identity a secret, right?"
At least he was still capable of rational judgment.
"Exactly. I still have a lot of things left to do."
"In that case, I'll make up some excuses for the 1st Prince's faction. You won't have any trouble acting as me."
"And whatever you do, don't go around telling people I'm Jerion's reincarnation, okay?"
If he did that, who knew what kind of absurd misunderstandings would pile up. Hanon stared at me in silence. When I glared at him with intensity, he chuckled playfully.
"Ah, so knowing a secret makes one's mouth itch like this."
He really had a knack for making people anxious. I just hoped the main storyline wouldn't get too warped.
"Well, I've finished what I came to do, so I'll be off!"
I had no reason to keep Hanon any longer either. But just as I was about to let him go, something I hadn't asked suddenly crossed my mind.
"Hanon."
"Yeah?"
"...Is Nikita doing well?"
Hanon belonged to the 1st Prince's faction. Since he had come looking for me, he must have heard something about Nikita.
"Nikita Cynthia is dead."
Hanon added the story that everyone knew.
"So, she must have awakened a new talent in heaven, studying magic with her brother and helping him with his research."
Hearing those words, a smile crept onto my face before I knew it. That was enough. I looked out the window. The summer sky was incredibly blue.
I hoped Nikita would spread her wings and fly high, freely unleashing the talent she had never been able to possess in life. I sincerely wished for her future to be filled with happiness.