Chapter 190: Imprint(1)
For the first time since her regression, Lina felt powerless.
It had been a week since she began chasing the masked man.
And every time she followed his trail, all she found was the blood of his innocent victims.
He… he couldn’t be doing this…
Why? Why was that man going around killing people?
In truth, Lina knew the reason. She just couldn’t accept it.
“It’s certain now. The ‘Blood Sigil.’ He’s trying to restore the Black Witch’s power. Even if it won’t be as complete as before… it’s a sure way to make the Black Witch stronger…”
She had learned this while tracking the Ruler of Mana.
The larger the sigil drawn on the ground with the victims’ blood, the greater the power the Black Witch would gain.
Lina walked through the ruined village.
A terrible sense of powerlessness and guilt washed over her.
Everyone in this village was a citizen of Astria, the nation she loved.
In a corner of the ruins, she saw a teddy bear, its stuffing torn out and mangled.
The child who played with this doll was gone.
Lina clenched her fists, so tightly that blood dripped from her knuckles.
I have to find him. I have to talk to him.
It wasn't as if the Black Witch was forcing him.
She wished it was all a lie told by the Black Witch, but she had a feeling it wasn't.
Why was he doing something he hadn't even been asked to do?
Why had he changed?
How had the butterfly effect of her regression affected him?
Or was it because he loved the Black Witch?
But the Black Witch had only just awakened. There was no way they could have been in contact.
Lina couldn't understand what was happening.
More accurately, she couldn't accept this reality.
She had to meet him and talk to him.
"Lina, are you alright?"
Kerry approached, and his presence alone eased her mind slightly. He was a dependable person.
"...I'm fine. There's no problem."
She looked anything but fine. In just one week, Lina had become gaunt.
"That man... I will stop him, no matter what. You don't have to worry about a thing, Kerry."
But that guy’s a fake.
Seeing Lina so distraught, the words "he's a fake" nearly escaped his lips.
But before that, there was a question he needed answered.
Why can't Lina recognize me?
Until he could solve that mystery, at least, he couldn't speak rashly.
From what Kerry had experienced in Lina's inner world, the Ruler of Mana and Lina had shared a special bond.
Even if the Ruler of Mana usually wore a mask, they should have known each other's faces well.
She should have recognized Kerry's face.
Is it because of the beard and the scar? Or maybe my aura?
No. It didn't make sense that she wouldn't recognize someone she'd spent so much time with just because of those things.
There was also the fact that Lina didn't remember what happened in her inner world. Something was going on. Something he couldn't figure out for now.
"Let's move quickly. We've almost caught up to him."
Lina climbed onto the carriage.
They were much closer to the man now. The tracks they were following were fresh.
If the Ruler of Mana has truly changed…
The thought settled in her chest like a stone, making it hard to breathe.
The carriage carrying Lina's party sped on.
They followed the man's trail, the mood inside the carriage unusually grim.
It was for one reason only.
Lina's expression was just too grave.
Natasha whispered to him from the side.
"Husband... please do something about Lina. At this rate, I'm going to suffocate to death before we even find that masked man."
What do you want me to do about it?
As if trying to lighten the mood herself, Natasha spoke to Lina.
"Wow! Lina, look at the sky! The weather is amazing. On a day like this, it would be fun to go see the flowers together."
"Yes. I'd like to... go see the flowers, too..."
Natasha's attempt was brutally crushed. It only made things more awkward.
See? I told you it was better to just stay quiet.
Silence descended upon the carriage once more.
They say silence is golden. If that were true, we would have been famous gold tycoons.
The awkward time in the carriage passed, and they finally arrived.
The village where the fake might be. The moment the party stepped out of the carriage, they saw it.
For the first time, they saw an intact village.
It was a place full of life. Smoke rose from chimneys throughout the town.
"It's a normal village. Did we come to the wrong place?"
Lina stared at the village in silence, her expression confident that her guess had not been wrong.
A scream echoed from the distance.
"Kyaaaaah!"
In that instant, Lina shot forward with the force of a gale.
"Let's follow her!"
The party ran after Lina. It wasn't that they didn't understand how she felt.
The person she had loved had suddenly become a murderer; of course she wouldn't be in a good mood.
But he's a fake. The real one is right here.
Lina still seemed shackled to the past.
It was hard for him to empathize deeply, but to Lina, the world before her regression was just as real. That must have been it.
When they caught up to Lina, they saw the scene before them.
Lina was aiming her Spirit Sword at the Ruler of Mana.
Behind her, thankfully, were the villagers, still alive.
"Kerry, please take care of the villagers!"
So she wanted him to act as a shield for the villagers. But that would make it difficult to help her.
However, he knew from experience that Lina wouldn't back down in a situation like this.
"I'll handle this alone. I'm sorry... but could the rest of you please stay with Kerry?"
No one could argue with the heavy tone in Lina's voice.
The party moved to stand beside Kerry and the villagers.
"Husband... what's wrong with Lina?"
"Let's just watch. She must have her reasons."
Her feelings must be complicated. Her first love had reappeared as a villain.
Lina pointed her Spirit Sword at the Ruler of Mana and spoke.
"Before we fight, I have a question. Why are you killing people? I know this ritual is the Blood Sigil to restore the Black Witch's power. But you and the Black Witch..."
You aren't even lovers yet. Lina swallowed the rest of her words.
"What do you intend to do by restoring the Black Witch's power?"
"..."
The masked Ruler of Mana said nothing. Despite this, Lina remained surprisingly calm.
"You're not going to answer?"
"..."
"...Ruler of Mana. That's your title, isn't it? Am I wrong?"
Perhaps he was called by a different name now. The world had changed due to her regression, after all.
But she couldn't even gauge his reaction to see if she was right or wrong.
The masked man was that motionless. He didn't budge an inch.
His stillness only made Lina more agitated.
Anxiety and frustration welled up inside her. She wanted to scream, Why won't you speak?
She wanted to shout that he wasn't a murderer who slaughtered people.
That he had a temper, yes, but he was a kind person. That she knew the real him.
But Lina knew that even if she spat out all those words, it would be useless.
He's probably forgotten all the memories we shared...
It wasn't just the Ruler of Mana who had forgotten. Everyone who had known Lina had forgotten her.
She thought she had grown used to it after spending so long as a regressor.
But even though she was used to it, a sense of loneliness and emptiness deeper than ever before washed over her.
But now was the time to raise her sword.
She couldn't let the Ruler of Mana go on like this.
She couldn't stand by and watch him stain his hands with any more blood. The man she knew from before her regression would surely have been saddened by this.
"...If you don't want to talk, fine. But for now, you're coming with me quietly."
Lina measured the distance. The gap was incredibly short. For someone like her, she could cross it in the blink of an eye.
But she had no intention of underestimating the Ruler of Mana.
In that brief instant, his magic would surely strike. The Ruler of Mana was just that formidable a mage.
Lina drew upon her divine power and mana, preparing herself.
No matter how great a mage he was, he couldn't ignore the handicap of close quarters in a fight against a swordmaster.
Lina kicked off the ground.
For a moment, her form seemed to vanish.
As the distance closed in an instant, the Ruler of Mana came into her view.
It was a fleeting moment, but she was certain he would do something.
The Ruler of Mana she knew was that incredible a mage.
But the Ruler of Mana did nothing.
He simply turned his back, completely defenseless. It was as if he were saying, Go on, strike me if you can.
Lina's sword surged toward the Ruler of Mana.
But the tip of her blade never reached him. It stopped just before him, frozen as if petrified.
"..."
Completely ignoring Lina's sword, the Ruler of Mana leisurely flew into the sky and vanished.
His attitude suggested he had no more business here.
Natasha, who was standing next to Kerry, spoke up.
"Sh-shouldn't we chase him? Husband?"
Kerry shook his head. Catching that man now would only cause problems for Lina.
The fake wasn't weak enough to be captured so half-heartedly.
The village was saved that day, thanks to the hero's party.
The villagers praised the hero, but Lina couldn't bring herself to smile.
Before long, dusk fell.
Imperial messengers arrived at the village where Lina's party was staying.
"A message for the hero from His Great Majesty, the Emperor of the Empire."
The messenger knelt and presented a scroll. Lina took it, unrolled it, and began to read.
Though her face was etched with extreme fatigue, she read it with a stoic expression.
Then, suddenly, Lina, who had been reading the message with lifeless eyes, began to look alarmed.
Given her gloomy mood, such a reaction was unexpected.
"What is it, Lina?"
"According to the Emperor... the Empire may declare war on Astria."
"!"
We've run ourselves ragged trying to stop a war, and now they're suddenly declaring one? More importantly, for what reason?
Weren't all the people who wanted war dead?
"He says it's not his own will. But he says he is powerless to stop the declaration of war."
The absolute ruler, the Emperor, is being forced into a war he doesn't want?
"The pretext for the declaration... is that they have confirmed signs of the Black Witch's revival in Astria, and that Astria is colluding with her. It's a ridiculous fabrication."
"..."
Lina's eyes gleamed as she spoke.
"But the declaration of war hasn't been announced yet. Thankfully, the Emperor... let us know about this first. He told us he doesn't want war and that he is on our side."
"Can the Emperor be trusted?"
"...I don't know. We weren't very close... But there's no reason for the Emperor to lie."
Does this mean there's someone out there pulling even the Emperor's strings?
And that being wants war.
"I thought all the members of that organization were dead. Could there still be some left?"
"...I don't know about that either. I'm sorry."
"It's not something you need to be sorry for, Lina."
This was probably the first time he'd heard Lina say "I don't know" so many times.
So this was a situation even the regressor hadn't experienced.
Then again, she had achieved her original goal of preventing the Black Witch's revival, so the present might have diverged significantly from the past.
"There's only one way to stop the declaration of war."
Kerry spoke in Lina's stead.
"We have to get the Black Witch completely under our control... so the Empire can't use her as a pretext."
Lina nodded, a resolute determination filling her eyes.
The meaning of the current situation was clear.
It meant that Lina could no longer afford to hesitate when facing the Ruler of Mana, as she had today.