Chapter 178: Might It Be Helpful? (3)
“The world changed after that. The fact that a single person could cause such a thing was horrifying. The world, which deviated from all rules while time was stopped, did not flow according to the rules even when time began to flow again. Lightning struck from a cloudless sky, the ground dried up when it rained, the wind blew from the ground, and day and night became ambiguous as if they had never existed. Can you imagine? Clouds of fire floating in the sky, livestock bearing seeds, buildings growing like trees…… No one knows that the bastard who possessed my dad’s body did all this. But my mom and I knew. My mom collapsed after suffering from a mental illness. That’s when I decided. I would chase after him and kill him. And I would restore the world and get my happy family back!”
“If you kill him…… will everything go back to normal?”
“I can’t be sure. But there’s no other way if I don’t do this! Artshever is the cause of everything. I came to the conclusion that if he is eliminated, the cause will be nullified, and the world, where cause and effect have become messed up, may be restored. It’s really just a possibility……!”
She covered her face with her hands. But she didn’t cry. To me, it looked like she was holding herself up from collapsing.
She spoke quietly.
“That was the only thing I could do. So I’m doing it. I’m just doing what I have to do, when I can. I want to live happily with my mom and dad.”
“So, that’s why you came to this parallel dimension?”
“Yes. That’s right. But I couldn’t come as easily as Artshever. Besides, the flow of time in this parallel dimension seems to be different from where I lived, so I became a baby. Perhaps it happened while correcting the error between the relative time within me and the absolute time of the world. Fortunately, I met a good father.”
She drew a faint smile on her face. I remembered her acting spoiled towards Baron Dakard. Perhaps she acted spoiled towards her biological father in the same way.
Huh? Wait, but in my memory, in the parallel dimension before I died, the invitation from the Azot delegation…… didn’t it go to Aila?
My brother said there was a strange woman he didn’t understand……?
“Aila, aren’t you related to my sister-in-law?”
“Huh? No, I’m not.”
“What?! You’re saying the Hind family and the Bring family are not related at all?”
“No. Why?”
I briefly explained the reason. Although I wasn’t part of the delegation, so I can’t be sure, I definitely thought it was Aila?
“Really? I used a trick to get it back then? I used some tricks on purpose to see you. You were mistaken.”
Mistaken? I thought carefully. And I realized that I had never seen her before meeting her.
Ugh. So I was on the wrong track from the beginning? It’s just like Aila. No, is this my mistake?
Levidian smiled.
“If your brother said that, I would have been mistaken too. Aila has a bit of an eccentric side, you know.”
“That’s true. Plus, she’s close to my sister-in-law. When you get to know her, Aila gets along with everyone.”
“Hey, you two. Don’t refer to the person in the room in the third person. What are you doing?”
“By the way, Aila, you said you went to the delegation to see Risel? Why is that?”
Levidian skillfully ignored Aila’s whining and asked a question. It was as if she was saying that Aila’s whining didn’t exist in the first place. Aila puffed out her cheeks.
“Boo. Unni, I hate you.”
“Hate me all you want. Just say what you have to say.”
“Okay. I went to see Risel because I was just curious. Because Risel met Artshever when he was a baby.”
Suddenly, fireworks exploded above my head. I felt a sharp ringing in my ears. Hey, what did you just say?
Aila widened her eyes as if she didn’t know and asked me.
“Duke, no, Your Majesty, didn’t he tell you?”
“My father?”
“Yes. Oh, that’s strange. I thought he told you since you made up. Hmm.”
“What?”
“Your hair. The person who changed it.”
It was a conversation from just two days ago, but it felt as long ago as a fortnight.
My father said that my hair was different from the characteristics of the men in the Herduke family. He said he brought in a very skilled person to change this and cast a spell to conditionally change the color of my eyes and permanently change the color of my hair.
I thought for a moment about that ‘skilled’ person.
In the Imperial Palace, where most magic and healing except for Holy Spells are unusable, the person who could amplify Pilledvan’s power is certainly worthy of being called ‘skilled.’
“Oh my god.”
“I think he probably did it in the parallel dimension where you died. The timing is a bit messed up, but he would have done it. My guess is that since he left the parallel dimension once, Artshever became the sole existence in the dimension separated from the parallel dimension, and now he can freely move between parallel dimensions as long as he’s ready. I haven’t tried it, but I think I can too. Anyway, I was curious about what kind of person you were after I found out that you were the one Artshever met when he was a baby. And then I found out that you were related to Artshever.”
“Then…… what is he planning to do with me?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t know that. You know? I don’t want to get that close to that bastard. Just the thought that his body is my dad’s makes my teeth grind.”
In the end, even Aila doesn’t know his detailed plans. It seems I have no choice but to hear it from him directly.
I sighed deeply. I learned about the shape of this world, my condition, and one of Aila’s biggest secrets, but there are still questions left.
It’s almost an accurate guess, but Aila intentionally approached me knowing that Artshever was interested in me. In the end, her actions are no different from mine.
Still, I don’t feel much resentment. Did other people feel this way too? As expected, experiencing it firsthand is the best way to understand other people’s feelings.
I thought for a moment. About what to do next. Now that I know such a big and important truth, shouldn’t there be a change in what I do next?
“Hoo, it won’t change that much.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Nothing. Just talking to myself. I realized that even though I know the truth, there’s only one thing I have to do. Namias-nim, just in case, I’m asking, but if Artshever disappears, will parallel dimensions continue to be created from this origin?”
“I think so. Although there are others like you who have crossed from parallel dimensions, they won’t disrupt the order of parallel dimensions as much as he does. Or perhaps the origin will change soon. 377 years this year…… It’s a long time if you call it long.”
“377 years? So this parallel dimension became the origin when the Empire began?”
“Yes. There was a big change in the world, and since there were many possibilities to branch out afterwards, it was designated as the origin. Even if the origin changes, there won’t be any disadvantages to this world. It’s something ordinary humans can’t understand.”
Namias’s words were incredibly reassuring. If I caused trouble to this world, or even the universe, because of me, I would have had to carry a cosmic guilt.
This solved my worries.
“The task is set. I need to pull Artshever, that clown whose real name I don’t even know, off the stage and expel him. I will attack the Imperial Capital starting next year. I was ridiculed a bit last time…… but this time, I’ll see it through to the end!”
“Wow! Long live Risel! Wait! I’ll get the map!”
Aila cheered and got up from her seat. Her goal is the same as mine. Even if she’s not from this parallel dimension, so what? The fact that she’s my friend remains unchanged.
Ah, there’s one thing I need to confirm before that.
“Aila, wait a minute.”
“Yes? Why?”
Aila, who was about to go out with the door half-opened, looked back. Looking at her golden eyes filled with curiosity, I asked.
“How old are you, originally?”
“Secret! Ehehe!”
She winked cheerfully and went outside.
Oh dear, did this just add another riddle? Haha.
January 24, 378 Imperial Year.
It’s the new year, and there’s no urgent business.
Using the excuse that I worked too hard last month, I went into a temporary vacation state.
No, more than that, I needed a different kind of training to deal with Artshever and his unpleasant friends.
“Are there no countermeasures against superpowers other than strong external shocks or strong internal resistance?”
“You can wrap your whole body in lead. Lead nullifies superpowers. But what time is it now that you would use lead armor? You can’t even apply it to your body.”
“Hmm, can’t you learn superpowers? Then you’ll develop resistance.”
“It’s a power that doesn’t exist in this world. The spiritual structure is different from our world, so it’s difficult. I can use it because I learned it beforehand. The problem is that it’s a power that doesn’t exist here, so I can’t develop it.”
Aila sighed softly. There are people among my friends who can deal with Silvan, Baius, and Referndi. However, only Aila can stop Artshever’s superpowers.
The irony here is that, as she said, it’s an ability that can’t be expected to grow.
Conversely, Artshever’s level will likely remain at the level she knows, but his ability to apply it, equipped with all sorts of experience and skills, will surely be beyond imagination. But as Aila said, I can’t wrap my whole body in lead.
Currently, we are practicing a cooperative attack system. This is because we came to the ordinary conclusion that we need to cooperate in order to confront Artshever and his unpleasant friends.
Fortunately, except for Lea, we all went around together and ate from the same pot. We know each other’s habits, tendencies, and personalities to some extent, so it’s easy to help each other.
In the end, this training is largely about strengthening the existing system. Probably until right before the fight with Artshever, we’ll have to wage war, and in the end, a small number of people will have to settle the score.
“For now, my operatives and your operatives are searching for the core of the Anti-Magic Barrier in the basement of the Imperial Palace. Since you asked me to hand it over before, I’m making them work hard.”
“Good job. Just in case, I’m asking, but can you block Artshever’s superpowers?”
“No. Annoyingly, his level is higher than mine. Many aspects of superpowers are similar to magic. A lower-level mage can’t completely block the abilities of a higher-level mage.”
“I guess so. It would be unfair if a low-level swordsman could beat a top-class swordsman.”
However, just as I defeated Levidian twice, there is a possibility of exploiting weaknesses and seizing victory. Aila seemed to be aiming for that as well.
We decided to keep things like parallel dimensions, Aila, and Artshever strictly confidential.
It’s a story we can believe because we’ve experienced strange things so far, including myself. I think others will believe it if Namias guarantees it, but it’s not a story that needs to be spread widely.
Thanks to the smooth conquest of Narvilt, the Herduke Kingdom government has fortunately secured war funds. It’s secured to the extent that we can wage war with the Central Empire.
We will head south towards the Central Empire in the spring or summer of this year and occupy the Imperial Capital. Artshever will surely be waiting for me there.
In the end, it means that in the year 378 of the Imperial Calendar, the sixth year since I reset, I can defeat my enemy.
However…… that’s not a goal that can be achieved so easily. The opponent is a much bigger monster than I thought. I can’t think of myself as being on par with him.
In the end, I have no choice but to work hard.
An enemy is only established when they can stand on equal footing with a friend. So I have no choice but to become stronger somehow.
I sat on the floor, spread my legs wide apart, and lowered my body flat. There is no martial artist who is not flexible. I also went through a lot of trouble to gain my current flexibility.
Aila spoke as if surprised.
“Heh, you’re quite flexible?”
“I’m a martial artist, you know.”
“Really? Can I sit down?”
“Do whatever you want.”
Once you acquire flexibility, the next important thing is to maintain it. It would be troublesome to accumulate fatigue from excessive body movements, so you have to get this into your body as much as possible.
But Aila, you’re quite heavy.
“You just thought I was heavy, didn’t you?”
“No.”
“Hmm, is that so? I’m holding dumbbells that weigh 10 kilograms each right now?”
“Get off right now.”
Aila giggled and sat cross-legged on my back. My back was momentarily strained, but I endured it, thinking of it as training.
I could feel her constantly moving, as if she was doing dumbbell exercises while sitting on my back.
“By the way, when will Al arrive?”
“Hmm, he’s directionally challenged and has no sense of direction. He’ll be quite late.”
“Al said he brought something groundbreaking, right?”
“I gave him a lot of money at the Iperfect Workshop. And Al has fought most of the people here. He’ll know their fighting habits and specialties. The Iperfect Workshop is also famous for custom-made orders tailored to individuals.”
While Al was indebted to the Iperfect Workshop, I placed an additional order there.
Thanks to the development of mass production technology for basic imbuement magic, it cost quite a lot of money, and arming some legions with it also cost a tremendous amount of money. They’ll probably consider us good customers.
In that situation, it wasn’t that difficult to add a few more orders while providing additional funding. The royal family provided subsidies, and I also have quite a bit of savings.
I wrote a letter to Al and asked him to order magic weapons that suit our fighting styles. I need to use all means possible to become even a little bit stronger.
He’s probably on his way here by now. The problem is that he’s severely directionally challenged and has no sense of direction. I’m not worried because he’s Al, who even survived the Gray Forest, but it’ll be troublesome if he’s too late.
“Speaking of which, Kun is late too? What’s he doing?”
“He said he was going to look around the Leotasia Mountains. To provide additional support there. The Guard’s appetite is truly amazing. They even eat monsters.”
“I wonder if they’re tasty?”
“I heard some types are delicacies.”
Perhaps if monsters didn’t naturally occur in Grenoian, the Guard wouldn’t have been able to prosper like this.
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