1.
Not everything went as smoothly as the wedding.
Time flew by rapidly.
I closed my eyes for a moment, and when I opened them, a month had passed. It was literally a blink of an eye. It was almost unfair how time had sped on without me.
'It can't be helped.'
Isn't it said that the older you get, the faster time seems to go? Even if my physical age says one thing, my mental age is totally out of it.
I tried to calculate how old I really was, but I gave up once the numbers surpassed three digits.
It's okay. My body is still in its twenties… This really sounds like I'm trying to convince myself I'm still in my twenties.
"Glory to the moon of Ivansia! Duchess, as you commanded, we have surrounded the gates!"
As I was brooding over the cruelty of time, a knight approached and saluted.
I snapped back to reality.
"Well done, Captain of the Knights."
"It's nothing!"
"Did you send an envoy for their surrender, and they still have not responded?"
"Yes! They are vowing to fight to the death till the end!"
"How foolish."
I clicked my tongue.
Surrounded by the elite troops of the Duke Ivansia's family, including the Captain of the Knights, like an impregnable fortress, the military discipline was stringent. A grand army of six thousand men had surrounded a small town.
If you ask how I, who until recently was giving interviews on the first floor, ended up in the middle of a medieval battlefield, the reason is simple.
Raviel was nearly assassinated.
To be more precise, she was assassinated.
2.
After winning a duel against [The Wand of Ages], I had been staying on the first floor for a while. As Anastasia had strongly suggested, I needed to show my face to people occasionally.
But it was during the peaceful conclusion of the interspecies marriage ceremony and the onset of the underground civilization commotion. During an interview with a journalist, a message rang in my head.
[Skill activated.]
I was puzzled.
Because I hadn't used any skill.
Noticing my strange demeanor, the journalist conducting the interview asked, "What's the matter?"
Trying to respond with a smile, pretending it was nothing, I experienced for the first time the activation of 'a certain skill.'
['A Regressor's Love (EX)' is activated.]
That was the starting point.
[You share a timeline with the other person.]
[The timeline has ended.]
Wha-wha, what?
My vision spun. It muddled up like ink-stained spaghetti. I could hear the journalist panicking, "Death King? Death King!?" from afar, but even his voice quickly faded.
[You have died.]
[You regress 24 hours.]
And thus, I probably for the first time in my life experienced death while 'really doing nothing.'
"...."
"Die! Please just die, you crazy freak!"
When I blinked, the scenery had changed. The journalist who was interviewing me had vanished. Instead, Anastasia was shaking me back and forth vigorously, holding onto my neck.
I had returned 24 hours in time.
"This is insane."
I realized the full story of why I suddenly died.
The message clearly stated that [A Regressor's Love] had been activated.
[A Regressor's Love] is a skill that allows Raviel and me to share the exact same timeline. If I go back one day, Raviel also goes back one day, so the two of us always breathe on the same timeline.
If Raviel dies, meaning if her time ends… naturally, my time ends as well. We die together.
But I have [Returner's Clockwork Watch].
If I face death, I immediately regress 24 hours. My timeline is rewound, and so is Raviel's.
In short, as long as the skills [A Regressor's Love] and [Returner's Clockwork Watch] are functioning, we will never face a complete death.
We just regress for a day.
"...."
I hadn't been in any danger of dying just moments ago. Literally, I hadn't done anything. Yet the fact that the clockwork watch had activated meant that it wasn't I who had died, but someone else.
It signified Raviel's death.
"That's right! You crazy bastard! Die! Just die!"
Of course, Anastasia hadn't realized that I had just regressed. She must have misunderstood the muttering 'this crazy' that slipped from my lips.
"You don't have to shout at me to die like that. Anastasia."
I murmured.
"I had already died a moment ago."
"What?"
"I came back from tomorrow to today. Right now."
"...."
Only then did Anastasia take a good look at my face.
"…What the. Why does your face look like that?"
"What's wrong with my face?"
"You look like you're about to kill someone. It's slightly scary. Was it such a shocking death that you have to wear that expression now?"
"This time, the situation is different."
"Oh, uh, I see. It was different…. May I ask in what way it was different?"
"It wasn't me who died, it was Raviel."
For some reason, Anastasia's complexion turned noticeably paler.
Silence ensued.
Anastasia loosened her grip from my neck. Then she closed her eyes tightly and sighed as if the ground was caving in.
"This is crazy...."
"I apologize for initiating the underground civilization matter without prior consultation. But I believe this incident will lead to stronger cooperation among the members of the major guilds. If you need a scapegoat, use me."
"That's… uh… well, that might be possible."
"Anastasia."
"Go on…"
"I'm really sorry to burden you with work during these busy times, but I'm going to the empire."
I spoke quietly.
In a voice that sounded unusually cold even to my own ears.
"It's difficult to say how long it will take. However, I promise to deal with the matter as quickly as possible and return."
"...Kim Gong-ja."
"Yes."
"Try not to kill too many…"
"I can't promise that."
I took the Holy Sword.
"Kkyaek?"
"Psshh."
The Holy Sword, along with the snake and Fox who were playing with it, looked up at me as if to ask, 'What's going on?'
But the two Constellations, upon seeing my face, promptly shut their mouths.
"...."
"...."
The snake quietly climbed onto my wrist and coiled there. Fox silently turned into a scarf. I didn't wait for the Constellations to wrap around me and walked out into the corridor of the residence.
"Sylvia Evanail!"
Sylvia was waiting in the corridor of the residence. Sylvia, once known as The Lady of the Golden Silk, had completely become my subordinate after the defeat of [The Ox that Harvests Ruins]. She was the Grand Chamberlain of our household.
Sylvia looked clearly bored. She was idly yawning in the corridor when my call made her flinch.
"Yes, yes? Family Head?"
"Gather all the household members. However, there's no need to summon those who are far away. I'll give you five minutes, so all the household members who can gather now should meet in the garden."
"Eck. It's annoying. Plus, five minutes is too short. Why suddenly…."
Sylvia's eyes met mine.
"...The will of the Family Head is as high as the heavens! Yes! I'll gather the guys right away! Yahoo! Work, it's work! I'm really happy to be working! Damn it!"
Sylvia dashed off.
I went down to the garden to wait first.
The place I was staying at was a sort of communal residence. Not only my family members and I but also the Black Dragon Master, Heretic Questioner, Count, Crusader, and others lived together. However, it wasn't quite right to say we lived in the same mansion. Each of us stayed in separate buildings, and the only shared space was, at most, the garden.
Family members quickly gathered in that only communal space.
"...."
The first to arrive was Estelle. Within the family, Estelle held the position of an advisor and was the heir who would lead the household in my stead in case of emergencies.
Estelle exchanged a look with me and quietly waited. She did not ask why she had been urgently summoned or what the matter was.
Following Estelle was Kim Yul. After Kim Yul, it was the Four Demon Lords. After the Four Demon Lords, the followers gathered.
They alternated their gazes between me and Estelle, and like Estelle, they kept their lips sealed.
Finally, 5 minutes had passed. Although many family members had not yet arrived, I had no intention of delaying any longer. Even waiting those 5 minutes required a great deal of patience.
"Where is Uburka?"
"He is on the 5th floor, assisting the underground people with negotiations. Father."
Estelle responded expressionlessly.
"The Goblins love the smell of the earth and find the dampness of the underground comforting. We anticipated they would communicate well with the race that engineered the underground civilization, so we dispatched him. Should I call him here?"
"No. That's okay. We don't have time."
I turned away. About a hundred family members were looking at me. They were not particularly flustered by the sudden call, but they were curious about the reason for this assembly.
I answered their questions.
"Raviel is dead."
Thud.
The sound of breathing stopped in the garden.
I smiled.
"To be precise, she will die tomorrow. Thanks to my skill, I was able to know of Raviel's death in advance. Truly, it's as if heaven itself is helping."
It was a joke on my part. As the representative of Macheon, saying that I foresaw Raviel's death through my skill meant that it was nothing less than heavenly assistance.
However, no one reacted to the joke. Not even a forced smile from any of the vassals.
Estelle's expression hardened. Kim Yul closed his eyes. Among the Four Demon Lords, the Sword Demon sweated coldly, and the Flame Ghost Demon sighed heavily.
"I can't even imagine what kind of bastard harmed Raviel. I don't know how twisted and brain-dead one's brain must be to do such a thing."
I lifted the corners of my mouth. Since no one else would laugh at my joke, I might as well laugh myself.
"But there is one thing for certain, that bastard's imagination is far inferior to mine. Why? Because they can't imagine hell."
"...."
"Whatever hell that bastard imagined, compared to the hell he will experience from now on, it would be nothing but a blissful heaven. I will show that there is no one more capable of creating hell on earth than someone who dares to speak of heaven, and I intend to show that."
I turned my back.
I didn't ask them to follow or come with me; I simply started walking.
The footsteps of a hundred people followed behind me.
[You are being transported to the 25th floor.]
The destination was Sormwyn Academy.
Originally the top academy of the empire, Sormwyn had developed further once a trade agreement was established between Babylon and the empire.
An agency responsible for the exchange had been set up, and homes for the bureaucrats working there were established. Rare trade items from Babylon were handled by new officials created for that purpose. Now, Sormwyn was more a city than merely an academy.
As soon as I was transported, an imperial bureaucrat warmly greeted me.
"Welcome! Welcome to the empire! Excuse me, but may I ask the purpose of your visit..."
"I am the wife of the Duke of Ivansia."
I looked at the bureaucrat.
"I'm here not for Babylon's matters but for a family matter."
"Uh...."
The bureaucrat's face soon turned pale. A hundred of my vassals had been transported along with me. The immigration office, no, rather the tower entry checkpoint, was flustered by our sudden appearance.
"Let me reiterate, this is a family matter."
Regrettably, I didn't have the leisure to persuade them step by step.
"If you don't want to make an enemy of the Duke Ivansia's family, get lost. Right now."
The bureaucrat couldn't stop me. The knights and soldiers guarding the checkpoint made way. Hunters dispatched from Babylon, and guild members belonging to the Black Dragon and the Merchant Guild, upon seeing my face, also promptly returned to their posts.
I headed towards the Ivansia Duke's family annex built next to Sormwyn.
"My, my lady! What in the world is this about!"
The Duke's soldiers were flustered as they blocked my path.
"If you were coming, you should have sent us a notice so we could prepare to receive you…!"
"I don't know what right you have to block my way when you couldn't even protect your lord."
"Y-Yes?"
I smiled wanly.
"I'd like to tie you all up and hold you accountable for your crimes, but I'd rather see Raviel's face first. I won't say it twice. Move aside. Well, it doesn't really matter if you don't move."
"What....."
"It means I don't have time to waste on the likes of you."
I nodded slightly.
Estelle moved. She applied a joint lock on the soldier, neutralizing him instantly.
A beat later, the followers acted. In just a moment, the Duke's annex was subdued by force. The Blue Lion Knights tried to resist, but like old leaves crumbling, they were easily trampled.
I walked down the corridor.
Six chamberlains were stationed in front of the bedroom where Raviel was staying.
All were trained to guard against assassinations, treasured confidants of Raviel. Usually, they were reliable, but now in my eyes, they were just leeches sucking on the Duke's payroll.
"My lady."
"Step back, Moon of Ivansia."
"Even if you are the lady, you cannot just barge in—-"
Was there any need to listen to this nonsense festival?
'No.'
I lightly used aura to strike the vital points of the six chamberlains.
"...!"
The chamberlains collapsed in the corridor. No sounds or groans were allowed.
They remained conscious but merely floundered on the floor. I had made it so intentionally. I wanted them to feel the deep humiliation of not being able to block my path for even a second.
Leaving the trembling chamberlains behind, I opened the door to the bedroom.
Creeeeak-.
The door opened.
"Hmm."
Raviel was sitting in a chair, looking down at her watch.
Despite all the chaos and villainy I had caused, Raviel wasn't particularly surprised. Instead, she lightly nodded as if she had expected this.
"13 minutes and 27 seconds, huh?"
Her red eyes moved from the watch to look at me.
"I thought if you came alone, it would take less than 5 minutes, and if you brought forces, it wouldn't take more than 15 minutes. Indeed. The distance between us was 13 minutes."
"I'm sorry I'm late, Raviel."
I smiled.
"So, which son of a bitch do I need to kill?"
Raviel gave a bitter smile.