“Time truly flies.”
Sitting on the ground in the training yard, Ian gazed at the distant sky and murmured to himself.
Nearly a full year had already passed since his regression.
Whether that time was considered long or short, he was confident that he had made excellent use of it.
He spent his mornings conditioning his body in the training yard and his afternoons cultivating mana within the Mana Vein.
Aside from mealtimes, he had scarcely rested while the sun was in the sky.
In truth, his routine amounted to abusing his own body. An ordinary person would never have endured such a schedule.
After the first month, he began to question whether he truly needed to go so far, so he designated one day each week as a complete day of rest.
On those days, he would sleep late, take leisurely walks, or go hunting with the gamekeeper. They would bring back deer or wild boar and roast the meat together.
Naturally, he also drank freely from the liquor stored in his display cabinet.
Those days were blissful. It felt as though all the fatigue he had accumulated vanished without a trace.
When he thought about it carefully, he could not remember ever living this diligently, even in his previous life.
Advancing through the levels had not been particularly difficult either.
He had already attained the necessary enlightenment once before, and because he had contributed to defeating an Outer God, his inner mindscape had expanded to a certain extent.
Thanks to that, he was already on the verge of reaching Level 3.
It was truly remarkable progress.
However, one could also say that he had only just reached the starting line.
Because he had wasted two years, everyone else had already departed long ago, leaving him with the impression that no one remained at the starting point.
‘Still, this is more than enough.’
At last, he was able to pursue those who had gone ahead of him.
In his previous life, it had taken him several more years merely to reach this point. Even then, the path had been a treacherous road covered in thorns.
By comparison, the path before him now was like a well-maintained highway.
Ian was immensely satisfied simply because he had managed to advance his progress by several years.
His only regret was that he could not boast about it to anyone.
Even if he claimed to have regressed through time, no one would believe him.
‘But why did I regress in the first place?’
He had not been appointed as a Champion by one of the Twelve Lords, the beings called fragments and representatives of God.
Nor had he accomplished any feat worthy of worship by the people of the world.
He had not reached Level 9, the realm of those known as Ascenders or Transcendents. He had not even become a Level 6 Ascendant.
At best, he had been a Level 5 treasure hunter….
Treasure hunter was merely a flattering title. In truth, he had been little more than a mercenary.
‘It was not as though I possessed some extraordinary relic either….’
The only accomplishment he could call his own was surviving until the very end alongside the Champion.
Had that truly been so remarkable?
He had asked himself that question countless times over the past year, yet he still had no answer.
Perhaps he would understand when the time came.
He sincerely hoped so.
‘I should get going.’
Leaving his troubled thoughts behind, Ian rose and brushed the dirt from his clothes.
He had only been sitting for a short while, yet a surprising amount of dust clung to him.
Since he intended to wash anyway, he cleaned himself only roughly before heading toward the villa.
It appeared that guests had arrived.
A luxurious carriage bearing the flame emblem of House Berger stood in front of the villa.
‘Has Diol arrived?’
There should still have been considerable time before the date they had agreed upon.
Ian passed a servant who was calming the snorting horses and entered the building.
Inside, he found two knights dressed in reddish-brown armor speaking with Sir Arot.
One was unmistakably a man, while the curves of the other knight’s armor revealed that she was a woman.
Their sexes, however, were irrelevant.
What mattered was that they belonged to the Red Spear Knights of House Berger.
The small Roman numeral IV engraved upon their pauldrons showed that they were members of the Fourth Squad.
Why were they here?
“Hmm?”
Apparently hearing the door open, the two knights turned around.
One of them stepped forward.
Judging by the absence of the thick fur that would ordinarily cover the neck of a commanding officer, he appeared to be a regular member.
He inclined his head slightly in greeting.
“It has been some time. I am Mael, a member of the Fourth Squad of the Red Spear Knights.”
“…Mael?”
It was a strangely familiar name.
No, it was a name Ian could never have forgotten.
Ian narrowed his eyes and stared intently at the knight before him, but he could not see the man’s face beneath his helmet.
The openings in the visor had been designed to prevent others from seeing inside, and magically treated lenses obscured even the color of his eyes.
Still, the name and voice alone were enough for Ian to recognize him.
As though seeking to confirm Ian’s suspicion, the knight removed his helmet.
He had blond hair and blue eyes, colors commonly seen within the El Karda Empire.
Moreover, he was so handsome that most people passing him on the street would have stopped and watched until he disappeared from sight.
Ian showed no such reaction.
Instead, he frowned.
“Then this one must be….”
“Yes. Marie.”
“Hello.”
The female knight raised a hand and waved.
She did not appear particularly pleased to see him. It seemed she had offered the greeting only because he carried Berger blood.
Then again, had that not been the case, she probably would have remained completely silent.
‘No. We would never have had any reason to interact in the first place.’
While Ian was thinking that, Mael glared at Marie.
“Marie, show some respect.”
“Do I really need to? The Young Master told us that we were the same age and should speak comfortably, as friends.”
“The Young Master did? When?”
“When we first met. Is that not right?”
She was referring to their coming-of-age ceremony.
Ian nodded.
“I did. Mael, you may speak casually as well.”
“…No, thank you. I will continue using respectful language. I am more comfortable this way.”
“Hmph. How refined you are, all by yourself.”
Mael ignored Marie’s mockery and stared intently at Ian.
Ian found his gaze slightly uncomfortable.
“What is it? Do you have something else to say?”
“Are you still uncomfortable around us?”
There was a faintly displeased edge to the question, but Ian knew there was no malicious intent behind it.
That was simply the sort of person Mael was.
He was only genuinely curious.
In the past, Ian would have become angry without even attempting to conceal his displeasure.
However, when the years of his previous life were included, the incident had occurred more than twenty years ago.
He could restrain his emotions now.
“A little.”
That did not mean he could face them without feeling anything.
‘How could I?’
The twins had played a considerable part in the incident that ultimately caused him to live like a ruined man.
Three years before the present day, House Berger had broken a tradition maintained for centuries and made the unprecedented decision to hold a joint coming-of-age ceremony with other noble houses from the eastern region.
Although it was called a coming-of-age ceremony, it had effectively been an occasion for evaluating the participants’ abilities.
There, Ian had suffered defeat at the hands of four geniuses.
It had not even been a defeat after an evenly matched struggle.
He had been forced to his knees before their overwhelming talent.
The void left behind had been filled with inferiority and self-loathing.
But not this time.
This time, he would fill it with effort.
“……”
Merely recalling the past left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Unable to hide his bitterness, Ian looked at Mael.
“So, why are you here?”
“We came to escort you under the vice-captain’s orders.”
“…The vice-captain?”
“Sir Diol Berger.”
“Diol is the vice-captain? Since when? Is he not still a regular member?”
“Hmm. It happened during a large-scale reassignment, so… it has already been around two years. The former captain of the Fourth Squad was promoted to the Black Spear Knights. Naturally, the vice-captain became the new captain. It was then decided that the strongest fighter among the remaining members would become the new vice-captain. There was no one more suitable than Sir Diol, so the decision was practically unanimous.”
Perhaps Ian had simply paid too little attention to his family in his previous life.
He had known that Diol belonged to the Fourth Squad of the Red Spear Knights, but he had never imagined that his brother had become vice-captain at such a young age.
All Ian remembered was that Diol would become commander of the order roughly ten years later.
“In any case, unless you have an objection, we intend to depart for the main estate tomorrow morning.”
“Tomorrow? That is unexpected. I thought you would insist that we leave immediately.”
Mael smiled and glanced toward the female knight.
Like Mael before him, she had pulled her helmet down over her head, making it impossible to guess what expression she wore.
“Ah, my sister did suggest that. I disagreed, however. It is not as though you have been idling about. You have just returned from training in the yard, have you not? Judging from how much you have sweated, you must have worked exceptionally hard. You should wash, eat, and rest before packing your belongings. There is no need to rush.”
“What would you do if I refused to go?”
“In that case, we would have no choice but to withdraw. We cannot drag you away by force. However, perhaps anticipating that response, the vice-captain left a message for you.”
“…What did he say?”
“He said it would be best for you to come willingly. Should you refuse, he intends to come here personally.”
“Did he add something else after that?”
“Hmm. Yes, he did.”
“He said he would beat me senseless and drag me back, did he not?”
Mael flinched violently and widened his eyes in genuine surprise.
Perhaps because he was still young, he was terrible at controlling his expression.
“How did you know?”
“It was obvious. He said something similar before.”
“…Then what do you intend to do?”
“What else? I will return to the main estate. You must both be tired after traveling such a long distance, so rest comfortably.”
“What about you, Young Master?”
Ian considered Mael’s question for a moment before answering.
“First, I will wash. Then I will eat something…. After that, I will probably visit the Mana Vein. Why? Would you like to come?”
“May I?”
Ian had expected him to decline, but Mael answered immediately, as though he had been waiting for the invitation.
The sparkle in his eyes suggested that he had been secretly hoping for it.
Ian could hardly admit that he had made the offer without thinking, so he nodded somewhat awkwardly.
“Certainly. There is no reason you cannot.”
The Mana Vein belonging to the villa was low-grade, and any member of House Berger could use it with the steward’s permission.
In other words, Mael was qualified to enter as well.
“Then I shall prepare at once!”
“No. We are not leaving immediately. Rest for now.”
“Ah. Yes.”
Leaving the visibly excited Mael behind, Ian attended to his tasks in order.
He washed his sweat-soaked body in the hot water prepared by the servants, soothing his fatigue.
Then he restored his stamina with a generous meal piled high with meat.
Ian wiped the grease from the corners of his mouth with a damp cloth and raised his head.
Mael and Marie, the two Red Spear Knights who had been sitting across from him for some time, were staring at him with appalled expressions.
“You truly… ate all of that?”
“Why are you acting surprised? You must see this all the time.”
“Of course, the vice-captain eats a great deal as well, but not quite this much.”
“What nonsense. Diol probably eats more than I do, not less. The two of you will become the same eventually. You are learning Evilbane, after all.”
“……”
“We should leave.”
“…Where are we going?”
Ian looked at Mael as though he had just said something remarkably foolish.
“The Mana Vein.”
“Immediately?”
Ian chuckled at Mael’s feigned surprise.
“You were waiting for me to say that.”
“I shall prepare the carriage.”
“There is no need. It is only a short walk. The place is not far.”
Ian rose and left the dining room.
Mael and Marie, both fully armed in the armor of the Red Spear Knights, immediately followed him.
The one thing Ian found peculiar was Marie, who walked on his left.
She had removed her helmet during the meal, but the moment they left the villa, she placed the helmet she had been carrying beneath her arm back over her head.
That was fine.
Although it seemed excessive, she was probably preparing for even the smallest possibility of danger.
“……”
However, he could feel her sharp gaze repeatedly turning toward him from beside him.