"Uncle!!"
The moment he drew near the Lake House, Alex heard Leo's voice. He seemed to have been watching from in front of the door the whole time for when Alex would come.
Leo came pattering over at a run and threw his arms tightly around Alex's leg. Then he looked him over with his sky-blue eyes to see whether he was hurt anywhere.
[Good thing you tidied up on the way.]
Quite so.
It was fortunate that he had wiped away the blood at the corner of his mouth from overusing mana, and had brushed off the smell of burning in advance.
"Uncle, are you all right?"
"Of course. Perfectly fine. Your uncle went zap zap with magic and defeated all the goblins."
"Whoaa!!"
Leo's eyes sparkled.
"I heard too! They said the mage was really strong! The soldier who came to tell us Mister Kane went to the temple said so!"
Taking Leo's small hand firmly in his, Alex headed toward the inn.
"Sophia went to the temple with Sophia's mother. To see Mister Kane."
"And Master Hallon and Matthew?"
"We were with Leo."
Said Hallon, who had been sitting in a chair in front of the inn's door with Leo. Matthew was smiling widely too.
"Because Alex entrusted Leo to us!"
"Thank you, Master. Thank you, Matthew."
"I'm the one who's grateful. Thank you truly for saving my son, Alex."
Hallon's fierce face was full of gratitude.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"I'm fine."
"Then are you hungry?"
At the sight of Hallon about to lay out a whole table for him, Alex quickly declined. It had not been long since lunch.
"Ah, please come in quickly! You must be very tired!"
"That's right! Uncle! Hurry and rest!"
Led by Matthew's and Leo's hands, Alex went into the inn.
The guests inside had apparently already heard the story too, because they were gazing at the mage with shining eyes.
"Excuse me...."
They opened their mouths to ask this and that, but at Hallon's and Leo's glaring eyes, they all clamped their mouths shut.
[I thought only you were a nephew-fool, but Leo's an uncle-fool too.]
Even as Two Hundred snickered and teased him, Alex was in nothing but a good mood.
Just then.
The inn's door flew open.
"Grandfather! They say father will be all right by the day after tomorrow! Ah! Uncle Alex!"
It was Sophia.
Beside her was a woman who appeared to be Sophia's mother. Her slightly swollen belly caught his eye.
"Waaah! Thank you! Uncle Alex!!"
At Sophia running straight over and clinging to his leg in tears, Alex bent his knees and held her.
"For saving my father... hic! Thank you so much!"
Leo comforted the bawling Sophia while laughing, hee hee, apparently proud of his uncle.
"Thank you so much for saving my husband."
Sophia's mother, Jenna, who came in after her, gave her thanks with reddened eyes as well.
"Don't mention it."
Alex said with a soft smile.
This was simply repayment to Sophia's family, who had been kind to him and Leo in the present and in the 'future' alike.
***
"Your uncle will be resting on the second floor, so play with Sophia, Leo."
At Alex's words, Leo looked at his uncle.
"Are you really all right?"
"I really am."
"Leo! Let's call the others and play mages!"
"...All right. I want to be a mage."
"I want to be a mage too, though."
"Then we can both be mages!"
Having left Leo and Sophia to play, Alex went up to the second-floor room.
He needed to check his physical condition somewhere safe.
[The mana in your circle is all used up and your mana circuit is a bit damaged.]
[You won't be able to use magic for a few days.]
Said Two Hundred, who already knew the state of Alex's body.
"Right."
[You ought to be grateful for your talent.]
[If an ordinary 1st circle mage had unleashed magic on that scale, it wouldn't be a few days — they'd never use it again.]
[Ah, no.]
[You hadn't completely lost your reason, had you?]
"Because Leo is here."
Even in the moment when trauma and rage engulfed him, Alex's instinct had protected his body.
Keeping him from crossing the limit, for Leo's sake.
"I'll tell you tonight why I was like that."
If he was going to have Two Hundred's help from now on, it seemed better to tell him everything.
[Understood.]
[For now let's focus on recovering.]
Whew.
Listening to Two Hundred's voice, Alex slowly drew mana into his body.
***
Before long it was time for dinner.
Dishes Hallon had made with care filled the table, and Alex, Leo, and Sophia took their seats.
[Let's start with the roast chicken, Alex!]
[Insane! It's even glossier than what we had yesterday!]
Listening to Two Hundred's voice, Alex cut roast chicken onto Leo's and Sophia's plates.
"Uncle, can you tell us what happened in the dungeon?"
Leo, having chewed the chicken his uncle gave him thoroughly, spoke with a face full of anticipation.
He knew well that he must not pester his uncle when he was tired, but that when his uncle had rested well, it was all right to wheedle a little.
At Leo's words, Sophia's eyes shone brightly as well.
"Of course I can. Why wouldn't I?"
At that, Alex smiled and told them what had happened in the dungeon today.
"And at the end I let my magic fly and wiped out the goblin shaman."
[Leo, he's putting on airs, you know?]
[Your uncle's eyes had gone that time.]
Ignoring Two Hundred's noise, Alex finished the story.
Whoa!
Not only Leo and Sophia, but Matthew and Hallon and the guests, who had been listening in without anyone noticing, let out sounds of amazement.
"Uncle Alex, can you show us magic?"
"Sophia!"
Hallon quickly called out to Sophia. When Sophia's face fell, Leo quickly said,
"I want to see it too!"
His uncle had shown him during the day, but that had been far too brief.
"It's difficult right now. I used a lot of magic, so I'm short on mana."
At that, Alex smiled and said so.
"If you're short on mana you can't use magic, Uncle?"
"That's right. Just like you have no strength when you're hungry, without mana you can't use magic."
"I see!"
At the children's disappointment, Alex added,
"In a few days I'll be fine, so I'll show you then."
"Wow! Really?!"
"Yes!"
At the children's cheers, Matthew's eyes lit up too. Hallon sent an apologetic look, but Alex laughed happily.
And so dinner ended, and Alex and Leo came up to the room.
"Thank you for saving Sophia's father, Uncle."
Washed clean, Leo said it buried in the fluffy blanket. Lying beside him, Alex patted Leo's stomach.
"Because she's Leo's friend. If your friend is sad, then Leo is sad too."
"That's right. But I'd be sadder if you got hurt, Uncle."
[What a good-hearted nephew!]
At Two Hundred's words, Alex made a proud expression.
"You worried a lot, didn't you? Thank you for trusting your uncle and waiting."
"It's fine! Because you said you'd always be beside me!"
At Leo's eyes, full of trust and affection, Alex made himself smile.
The Alex of the 'future' had died to a wolf and so had not kept that promise.
"Yes. I'll always be beside you."
From now on, without fail.
No matter what happened.
As he patted him, Leo fell asleep.
Alex was a little tired too, but he had no intention of going straight to sleep.
At Alex getting up from the bed, Two Hundred was aghast.
[You're going to train?!]
[Can't you rest today?]
[Rest is training too, Alex.]
"I'm not going to train. I said earlier that I'd tell you."
[Ah, right.]
Alex sat in the chair in front of the table by the window. And he unburdened himself of the story he had never been able to tell anyone.
"The truth is, I...."
[You regressed, right?]
At Two Hundred's words, Alex's eyes went wide.
"...How did you know?"
[With you being that obvious, there's no way not to know.]
[The candidates were a regressor, a possessor, or a reincarnator. Regression, possession, reincarnation — that's the basic set!]
Two Hundred explained, sounding somehow excited.
[First, for a possessor you like Leo far too much. You can be well-disposed toward a small child, but unless he's family you can't love him the way you do!]
[So, possessor eliminated!]
At the flood of words he felt dazed.
[Second, a reincarnator.]
[With this one, if you'd had your memories from childhood you could plenty well love Leo.]
[But you don't have the distinctiveness a reincarnator would have. Normally a reincarnator would mention or invent things from another world without even meaning to!]
[So, reincarnator eliminated too!]
He was speaking, but Alex could not follow a word of it.
[Lastly, a regressor!]
At a story concerning himself, Alex came back to his senses.
[At first I found it fascinating that a farmer knew about liches and life vessels. Well, that's something you could know if you liked magic.]
[But after hearing the word lich, saying "Let's die" isn't what an ordinary farmer says. Normally you'd say "Please spare me," right?]
Ah.
[Next, what stuck with me was you saying you were going to learn swordsmanship. What business would an ordinary farmer have learning not only magic but swordsmanship too?]
[It means there's something you have to do going forward!]
Hm.
[And the same for having seen mages training. For a commoner farmer to have met a mage — and a mage in the middle of training, at that. People don't usually let you watch them train, right?]
Hmm.
[And then the swordsmanship. At first I thought you were clumsy, and then you suddenly got skilled? But your body couldn't keep up with it.]
[Your head knew it, but your body hadn't caught up yet.]
....
[The most important thing was that you know information nobody else does!]
[Telling the village chief there'd be heavy snow, and that the south gate dungeon was a corrupted dungeon with a demonic beast in it.]
[Information from the future, right?]
Setting aside the 'future' information he explained at the end, it seemed it had shown fairly plainly in the other parts as well.
"That's right."
Scratching his cheek, Alex nodded.
"I came back to the past from the future."
[Ohhh!]
[A regressor! Fascinating!]
[How did you end up regressing?]
[Does the world get destroyed or something?]
Alex let out a bitter breath.
"Yes. The world was destroyed."
[Oh dear.]
[My condolences to the... the world?]
[Huh? But if the world is destroyed later, what happens to me?]
"You'd die with me, naturally."
[Well, dying can't be helped, but... how many years until it's destroyed?]
"Twelve years."
[That's short!]
Startled, Two Hundred asked,
[Why does the world get destroyed?]
"Because the Demon King and demonkind invade."
[Oooh. A Demon King! Demonkind! Then naturally there's a Hero too?]
"There is. A very magnificent Hero."
[Was it you, Alex, by any chance? Singing your own praises?]
"No."
Alex looked behind him.
Six-year-old Leo, sleeping soundly on the bed.
"Leo was the Hero."
[Ohhh! It suits him!]
[He looks like he'd grow up into a magnificent Hero! He'd be popular too!]
At Two Hundred's words, Alex recalled the 'Hero Leo,' more magnificent and handsome than anyone, and smiled.
"He was."
[But why did you regress instead of Leo?]
[Were you chosen among the Hero's companions as the one who'd do best if sent back to the past?]
At that question, Alex smiled bitterly.
"I wasn't one of the Hero's companions. I was just tagging along... a useless ghost."
[A ghost?]
"Yes. I had already died long before. Do you remember when we first met?"
[Ah, the wolf?]
"Yes. Before the regression I never found you and died to the wolf just like that. And I became a ghost."
Alex recalled the past.
It had been only a few days ago, but the present was so happy that it felt like something from the distant past.
"I was a ghost who couldn't be heard or seen or touched. Even the Chief God didn't recognize me. Though you'd think a god ought to recognize a being of his own world."
Neither the Chief God nor the Demon King nor the Hero — no one had known Alex the ghost existed.
[That's a real shame.]
[But how did you regress?]
"I don't know either."
Alex went on with a dark face.
"Leo was in the middle of fighting the Demon King. I'd been useless all along, and for the first time I blocked one of the Demon King's attacks, but... it wasn't enough, and Leo was struck... and in the end he died."
[Leo dies?]
[Our Leo!?]
He had no idea when he had become 'our Leo,' but at Two Hundred's horror the rims of Alex's eyes reddened too.
"And then the Demon King left for the last city, and I was beside Leo when I suddenly regressed."
[Leo, dying....]
Two Hundred, who had been muttering in a voice that sounded choked, asked back,
[But suddenly, you say?]
[Not sent back by a god or your companions?]
"No. I did hear a voice before regressing, but it wasn't the Chief God's voice."
[A voice? Ah, the thing you asked me about?]
Two Hundred recalled what Alex had asked him a few nights ago.
[Stone, grab it. Was it?]
"Yes. If anything, it resembled your voice."
[Hm?]
Tilting his head, Two Hundred asked,
[But how do you intend to bring down a Demon King that even the Hero couldn't beat?]
"I'll work as hard as I can on the basis of information from the future. It's twelve years earlier, so the invasion plans should still be in their early stages."
Alex spoke in a serious voice.
"If it's all right with you, Two Hundred, I'd like you to help me too."
[Sure!]
[If it's for our Leo's flower path, of course I have to help!]
His attitude was light, but the emotion that came through the soul was 'true.' Alex felt as though he had gained a dependable companion, and his shoulders felt considerably lighter.
"But what does a flower path mean? A path made of flowers?"
[Walking a path made of flowers feels good, doesn't it?]
[It's like that — it means wishing that the future of the one walking it be beautiful and peaceful and full of nothing but good things.]
"Flower path... a flower path, is it...."
Alex, who had been murmuring, smiled brightly as though satisfied.
"I like it. Leo's flower path."