“Ha, the great sage of the spruce forest..."
He didn't see it that way, but there was no respect for privacy. Michael was dumbfounded but tried to remain calm.
“So the great sage said that I brought you back because I loved you?”
“...Uh, uh."
“...Well, well, the great sage has taught me a lot, so I’m not in a position to say anything.”
“What, what?”
The words of rationalization stung this time. I was about to jump out of bed when Michael gently pressed my shoulder to stop me.
“Oh, I see. But what did you say? Did you say the same thing to me?”
“It was similar.”
"OMG."
The fears came true. At that time, we had a healthy relationship.
I screamed inwardly as I thought that the sound had reached Michael's ears.
'Oh my, Master!'
My hand automatically went up to touch my forehead. Michael quickly changed the towel.
“Is that okay? I think this is not a good conversation for the patient. For the sake of your health, should we talk about it another time?”
“Oh, no. Tell me quickly.”
Michael let out a small sigh and opened his mouth.
“It has been said that this world was once a place where someone could not bear the loss of a loved one and returned to their original state.”
“For your information, my teacher didn’t tell me for sure who it was.”
It was a really useless guarantee of anonymity. From this point on, Michael's confession became a little more difficult.
“So I thought it was someone else's job...... and blamed it on the fact that I couldn't do it when there was no one else to do it."
"Uh, yeah."
“And then I thought about it, I read an article once... that you just called me by my first name... and that you only ended the relationship after you died..."
Silence fell, and the atmosphere grew awkward. Our faces were bright red, especially Michael, who turned his head to the side, unable to make eye contact.
“While we’re on the subject, there’s something I’ve been wondering about.”
"What?"
“Did you really want to sleep with me in your past life...?”
“...because I don't remember everything.”
Michael recounted how he heard about regression from the sage. He summarized that he got the clue that Galamut was the King of Homunculus from a thought entity, and when he asked the great sage about it, he naturally found out.
“I thought that the mysterious returner was a hindrance to my cause, so I asked the sage about it, hoping to get rid of it, but he didn't tell me that it was you. Instead, he told me how to find it myself.”
“It was said that it was possible if the mind could resist the regression ritual like a Lord-class demon dragon. He said I would only need to awaken twice as King, depending on the causality of Kronos and Kairos.”
“So, when you wake up, you gain memories?”
"Yes."
I never imagined that they would be inseparable.
I, still mentally unprepared, was a little confused as to whether I should hope for Michael's quick awakening or not.
I decided to put my complicated emotions aside for now and ask the questions I was curious about.
“How do you awaken?”
“It seems that if I absorb the mana of my own kind through agreement, I will gradually get closer to awakening.”
“Then, could it be that it was during the heat wave?”
I remembered Michael's eager use of mana drain to cure the illness of a lowly homunculus in an open-pit mining town.
Michael woke up from a light sleep right after treating all the patients with cerebral palsy in a very strange state.
In my dream, he was acting like the world's most pitiful person, asking why I'd abandoned him, but now I realize it wasn't just a dream.
'Somehow, when Michael was pushing me, my conscience pricked me. The story from my past life was right!'
Michael elaborated on what I found out on my own.
“I tried sucking up to a lot of different things, but I like the strong ones better than the weak ones. It seems like a new one is more effective than one that was already absorbed.”
He received mana periodically from Sylvestian, this was based on the incident where he drained Elijah's mana during the finals of the Summer Festival. Then I said.
“Wow, Michael. You’ve really been doing a lot of things behind my back. You’ve been..."
“No, that’s..."
Michael saw a hint of betrayal in my eyes and quickly explained.
“I just couldn’t say it.”
“Why?”
“In my past life, I did things that I cannot handle now. Because I did it so badly that I wanted to deny it. And more than anything, I..."
Michael continued, his expression twisted into a pained grimace.
“If you knew that I had a memory, you would have forgotten me. I thought you would see me as a bastard and hate me. I thought you would find me horrible and loathsome.”
"Ah..."
I held Michael's hand tightly, and he began to reveal more intimate details.
“And now, for another reason, I feel reluctant to completely regain my memories.”
“What other reason?”
"That..."
Usually, the side with more information tends to swallow the side with more information.
It's like covering it up.
It was certain that Michael would change when he fully awakened. Whether in a small way or a big way.
“I have become rude and disrespectful and I am being arrogant towards you. What should I do if you get hurt? Even in my past life, I wasn’t your type.”
It was a joke, but Michael's eyes were not smiling. Then I calmed his anxiety.
“You'll be fine, I think what you've been taking in as information has been a process of building tolerance. We'll see, but somehow I don't think you're going to change much.”
He received mana periodically from Sylvestian, this was based on the incident where he drained Elijah's mana during the finals of the Summer Festival. Then I said.
“Wow, Michael. You’ve really been doing a lot of things behind my back. You’ve been..."
“No, that’s..."
Michael saw a hint of betrayal in my eyes and quickly explained.
“I just couldn’t say it.”
“Why?”
“In my past life, I did things that I cannot handle now. Because I did it so badly that I wanted to deny it. And more than anything, I..."
Michael continued, his expression twisted into a pained grimace.
“If you knew that I had a memory, you would have forgotten me. I thought you would see me as a bastard and hate me. I thought you would find me horrible and loathsome.”
"Ah..."
Clearly, as far as I was concerned, the Michael of this life and the Michael of the last were very different. His shock must have been intense.
“And now, for another reason, I feel reluctant to completely regain my memories.”
“What other reason?”
“As I said before, I did not regress with a memory like yours. Unlike you, whose memory is consistent, I have a bifurcated memory. My memories are split between this life, where I was your direct knight for about half a year from the time of my regression, and my past life, where I survived without you for years. Half a year and years. The difference in information is staggering. So what do you think will happen to me when I fully retrieve my memories?”
Usually, the side with more information tends to swallow the side with more information.
It's like covering it up.
It was certain that Michael would change when he fully awakened. Whether in a small way or a big way.
“I have become rude and disrespectful and I am being arrogant towards you. What should I do if you get hurt? Even in my past life, I wasn’t your type.”
It was a joke, but Michael's eyes were not smiling. Then I calmed his anxiety.
“You'll be fine, I think what you've been taking in as information has been a process of building tolerance. We'll see, but somehow I don't think you're going to change much.”
“That’s comforting.”
“Besides, when I see Michael promising me a third time, you don’t seem any different from my last life.”
“...Is that so.”
Then I said,
“And I won’t change either. I like any Michael.”
The truth about the regression had long since caused ripples in my mind.
The sight of me smiling brightly with a feverish face was deeply engraved in Michael's eyes. There is no greater comfort than this.
At that moment, I opened my mouth and intertwined my hands with Michael's.
“If I ever meet Michael from my past life, I have something to say.”
I wanted to say thank you for giving me a second chance.
“I guess that would be the same.”
It won't be long. I decided to just keep what I wanted to say in mind for a moment.
Now it was time to talk about this life again. Michael brought up an important issue.
“What are you going to do with the imprint?”
“Yeah. That’s the problem.”
Michael said playfully.
“I miss the feeling of being bound by you.”
“Lies. It sounds nice, but it’s actually an unfair brainwashing contract. Who likes the feeling of being chained?”
'That too, while offering up the amplifying alchemy stone as a sacrifice.'
Anyway, once Michael awakens as King, it will be released again. Wastefulness was not a virtue of a saintly King.
So I decided.
“I don’t think there’s a need to go through the imprinting ritual again.”
So, let's act together as if it were imprinted.
Just as I was about to add, Michael quickly accepted what I was saying.
“That’s right. The price is engraved on my body and mind, so is there any need to borrow the power of consciousness?”
"Oh..."
Michael's hand stroked my flushed cheek. His touch was as thick as his tone of voice.
I looked up, mesmerized, into the face of Michael, who was now within sight. He met my gaze and opened his mouth to speak.
“Besides, when I see Michael promising me a third time, you don’t seem any different from my last life.”
“...Is that so.”
Michael was pleased to hear that he was essentially the same, but he felt like he'd been insulted.
“And I won’t change either. I like any Michael.”
The truth about the regression had long since caused ripples in my mind.
The sight of me smiling brightly with a feverish face was deeply engraved in Michael's eyes. There is no greater comfort than this.
At that moment, I opened my mouth and intertwined my hands with Michael's.
“If I ever meet Michael from my past life, I have something to say.”
I wanted to say thank you for giving me a second chance.
“I guess that would be the same.”
The end of the last life. The words that he had asked to be chosen as my direct driver were echoed. Thank you for choosing me, thank you for loving me.
Now it was time to talk about this life again. Michael brought up an important issue.
“What are you going to do with the imprint?”
“Yeah. That’s the problem.”
The imprint was a collar worn around the neck of a knight for the safety of the imperial family, and Michael in particular was a rebellious homunculus. The lack of control and restraint would give Brigitte the perfect excuse to sweet-talk me and Michael.
“I miss the feeling of being bound by you.”
“Lies. It sounds nice, but it’s actually an unfair brainwashing contract. Who likes the feeling of being chained?”
The first imprint was definitely necessary. It was a means to make him my own, to get him out of the public prison, but now we have a trusting relationship that goes beyond the imprint. There was no reason to create another device that would be unfavorable and inconvenient for him.
Anyway, once Michael awakens as King, it will be released again. Wastefulness was not a virtue of a saintly King.
So I decided.
“I don’t think there’s a need to go through the imprinting ritual again.”
So, let's act together as if it were imprinted.
Just as I was about to add, Michael quickly accepted what I was saying.
“That’s right. The price is engraved on my body and mind, so is there any need to borrow the power of consciousness?”
"Oh..."
Michael's hand stroked my flushed cheek. His touch was as thick as his tone of voice.
I looked up, mesmerized, into the face of Michael, who was now within sight. He met my gaze and opened his mouth to speak.
“It’s still engraved. If I were to take out my heart, I would probably think your name would be engraved on it.”
Why? His eyes seemed darker than when he was imprinted.
Michael still had something left to say, and his confession was devastating.
“Bad words.”
“Really. I’m yours.”
I felt like every word was being delivered directly to my heart.
Now it was my turn. I raised my upper body slightly.
I cupped Michael's cheek with one hand, holding him there as if to tell him to look only at me.
After dropping a light kiss, I said.
“Yes. You're mine. I won’t give you to anyone else. I’ll keep you for myself.”
I smiled with tears slightly hanging at the corners of my eyes.
There are times when you feel so happy that you want to cry, and for me, this moment was one of those times.
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