Chapter 74

“Can you stop staring at me?”

“I wish I could, but my eyes keep going back to you.”

“Exactly. It’s Kairon oppa’s fault.”

We left Abelin with the doctor and came to grab a quick meal.

But Rostia, being her usual self, booked a room at an expensive restaurant and, instead of eating properly, just kept staring at me while I ate.

“Lady Rostia, the food is getting cold.”

“The food here tastes good even when it’s cold, so don’t worry.”

“If you keep staring, I might get a hole in my head.”

“No matter how much I stare, your face won’t get a hole, so don’t worry.”

“Even if it doesn’t get a hole, I’ll get indigestion!”

When I raised my voice slightly, Rostia reluctantly looked away, but she still seemed to have something to say as she muttered under her breath.

“It’s not my fault. For a magician, an interesting research subject is far more valuable than solving hunger. What can I do if you’re an interesting subject?”

“……Fine, Lady Rostia. What about you, Riana?”

“I-I’m just looking at oppa a lot because it’s been a while since I last saw him!”

“I know that’s not true, Riana.”

“No, it is! I’m eating properly too!”

“Oh really? So, someone who’s eating properly spills food on their clothes three times?”

“Spilling on my clothes three times… what… Ah!”

Riana finally realized she had spilled food on her clothes three times and hurriedly started wiping, but the stains had already set.

“Kairon, the part I’m interested in isn’t that you absorbed it. It’s something else.”

“Can we talk after we finish eating?”

“Just listen. I’m not asking you to do anything immediately. It’s like writing down thoughts that come to mind while reading a book. I’ll talk, and you just listen while eating comfortably. You can ignore me if you want. Ah, but it would be better if you could answer if possible.”

“Go ahead. Anyway……”

I glanced at the two of them.

Lady Rostia, the Archmage who used Oath Magic to keep secrets without permission.

And Riana, my sister who abandoned her long-time mentor and chose to believe in me.

I felt confident that it would be okay with the two of them.

“I also have a lot of questions.”

“Hmph, good. Answer if you can while listening. I’ll answer your questions later too. So, why weren’t you panicked when that energy flowed into your body?”

“Because it wasn’t the first time.”

“Not the first time? You’ve experienced this before?”

“Yes. It’s the second time. No, to be precise, the third.”

“The third?”

“First in my previous life, second in this life. So, three times in total.”

“Hoho……”

“Wait, what? Previous life, this life? Kairon oppa, what are you talking about……”

Rostia stopped Riana, who was getting excited.

“Kairon, is it okay not to use Oath Magic on Riana?”

“Riana already believes in me. So, I trust her too. And when you think about it, Riana is already a victim, so she’s in the same position as me.”

“Then it’s settled. Tell us.”

“Riana, don’t be surprised when you hear this. Okay?”

“……Okay.”

“I saw this world being destroyed in my previous life. Demons from another dimension kept coming, and eventually, it became uncontrollable. And……”

Apostles.

“These beings called Apostles. They look like humans, but inside, they’re demons. I was subjected to some strange things by them. One of them put something inside me, and I felt everything inside me change completely. Just when I thought it was over……”

I reached into my chest and pulled out Abelin’s necklace.

“This helped me.”

“That’s Abelin’s necklace. How did it help you?”

“Well, that……”

The vivid sensation still lingering on my cheek.

I couldn’t bring myself to tell that part, and it didn’t seem necessary.

“We were comrades. We fought together until the end. Somehow, this necklace helped me return to this timeline. At the same time, I gained various powers. Like still having memories from my previous life, or my senses becoming sharper. And……”

The still vivid sensation.

I clenched and unclenched my hand, feeling the Power of Demon clearly within me.

“After killing demons, I absorbed the energy left in their bodies. The difference is, weaker demons burn away, while stronger ones leave remains. That’s why……”

“Is this what you mean?”

“Ah, don’t show me that!”

Whether Riana turned her head and covered her eyes or not, Rostia showed the burnt crow’s head she had brought in Riana’s leather bag.

“Yes. That’s how the remains are left.”

“This is also an interesting subject. No matter how much a magician enhances their body with magic, it can’t become as tough as a warrior’s Great Sword. But Ronos, that guy, with his hardened body, faced your sword strikes. In that sense……”

Rostia tapped the crow’s head, making a clinking sound, and smiled.

“Perhaps this could be used as material for new Magical Equipment.”

“Indeed, in my previous life, the means to fight demons gradually decreased. Later, ordinary steel weapons didn’t work on the demons that appeared. Unless it was a weapon made of mithril, which could buy dozens of houses with just one sword, or a weapon enhanced with high-level magic, it was hard to even wound them. So, the Vanguard, which wasn’t very wealthy, resorted to targeting vital points.”

“Hoho, interesting. So, what do you plan to do from now on?”

“First…… I think I’ll take Riana back. The mental wounds she’s suffered are deep, and the commander’s order was to bring Riana back anyway.”

“Hmm, I was just about to mention that.”

Rostia scratched her chin, pondered something, then nodded and spoke decisively.

“I refuse. By the authority of the Magic Tower Lord!”

“Eh……? But what good will it do for Riana to stay in the Magic Tower? What she’s learned so far isn’t proper magic but some strange magic, and her so-called mentor has already turned out like that.”

“That’s exactly why it’s a no.”

Rostia shook her head firmly.

“There are three reasons. First, Riana is an unstable magician. Letting an uncontrollable magician out of the Magic Tower would be a huge responsibility for the Magic Tower, especially the Tower Lord. So, no.”

“Riana is too kind for that. Besides, she doesn’t seem powerful enough to wield unstable magic like that demon who was once her mentor.”

“Hey……! Oppa just hasn’t seen my real power!”

“See? If Riana were truly an unstable and messed-up magician, wouldn’t she have already attacked me with magic?”

Riana puffed her cheeks at the denial of her abilities, but Rostia, unfazed, gave the second reason.

“Second, because she’s an interesting research subject. You took away one of my research subjects, so I can’t let go of another, right?”

“That’s really unfair. The little respect I had for you, Lady Rostia, just vanished in an instant.”

“Wait until you hear the third reason! Third, because I want to take Riana under my wing and teach her.”

“Uh, what……?”

“What……?”

Riana blinked in surprise at the unexpected statement.

“Don’t you feel sorry for her? She wanted to become a strong magician to help those around her, but a demon exploited that desire. So, I want to give Riana another chance. By teaching her myself. And in the process, find a way to break free from using demonic magic.”

“Really……? If you do that, as her close oppa, I couldn’t ask for more. The mission might fail, but that’s okay. Bringing Riana back now would only be a liability anyway.”

“I’m not that bad, really! But……”

Riana flared up again but then bowed her head to Rostia.

“If you teach me, if you give me another chance to learn as a magician, I’ll do my best.”

“Good, I’ve seen how hard you’ve worked. With that attitude, and with my guidance and the power you already have, we might open a new chapter. It’ll be an interesting master-disciple relationship. But before that.”

Rostia turned her gaze back to me.

“First, I want to examine your body, Kairon.”

“Saying that with such a small and young body makes it sound innocent, but you know that’s quite a sinister statement, right?”

“Sinister? It’s purely for research purposes! Wouldn’t it help you too?”

“Alright. Since I plan to spend the rest of my vacation here, I’ll come by whenever I can to show you. Then, can I make an additional order?”

“Additional order?”

“Yes. This and this, and this too, please.”

“You’re oddly choosing only warm and soft dishes. Don’t tell me……”

“Yes, exactly that.”

I smiled.

“It’s for the patient. We went through so much together, we can’t just enjoy the good food alone.”