We returned to the restaurant. The Prince, who had been starving for days, was inhaling food like a madman.
Ugh, ugh. Wow, wow.
If it weren't for his clean face, I would have never recognized him because of his unkempt appearance.
'Where does this look like a Prince?'
But he's a Prince. He's the last heir to the kingdom that was founded in Farnese, one of the four "cursed lands" that appeared 600 years ago.
The Prince, or rather, the demon Ratan hiding within his body, is quite useful. He can control the mindless, lower-level demons.
The eldest brother, who found out about this, subdued Ratan and used him.
'Of course, in a bad way.'
He deliberately caused commotion throughout the empire by moving lower-level demons through Ratan.
Each time, the royal family had no choice but to ask for help from those with supernatural abilities, and our family received various benefits in exchange for suppressing the demonic incident.
Are you really crazy...?
I didn't realize this until I was sixteen. As soon as I found out, I went to my eldest brother and told him not to do such a thing, but he slapped me so hard I saw stars before my eyes.
It was the first time I had ever been hit by a handgun.
'Of course, my father knew that and broke my eldest brother's head.'
My father called me over while I was crying, and hit my eldest brother's head with a glass ashtray in front of me.
Of course, it wasn't something he did out of consideration for me.
'It was just a performance to please me.'
Because my father was a master at coaxing and appeasing his daughter, who had special blessings, so that she could not change her mind.
My father was the one who scared me when I rebelled, but when I cried, he came into my room, hugged me, and told me he loved me.
Anyway, the first time I was slapped by my eldest brother, who was armed, was a trauma to me.
Even though I knew my brother was doing bad things, I stopped interfering with his activities because I was afraid of getting hit again.
“Bunny, you know what? David’s brother's hand... he’s dead. That’s why he’s been feeling uneasy these days.”
It was a year later that I heard news of Ratan again, from my half-sister, Christa, who was the same age as me.
"I guess it was because the host's ego was growing. He must have been out of his mind, killing people with his own hands all the time. When he turned into a monster, he tore his own head off."
It was a terrible ending, but I thought it was fortunate.
It was pitiful, but I had never seen the host's face before, so I didn't know him.
Anyway, I felt relieved that Ratan was dead and my eldest brother could no longer do bad things.
'But now that I actually see your face... I feel sorry for not having done anything for you back then.'
I said to the Prince.
“Eat plenty. Is there anything else you’d like to eat?”
“...”
The Prince, who had stuffed his cheeks with food until they were about to burst, stared at me, then gestured to an empty plate.
The plate was so cleanly empty that I don't know what was in it...
“Are you possessed...?”
Then Ryan muttered.
The Prince glanced at Ryan across from him, coughed, and swallowed the food in his mouth.
And he said it proudly.
"You don't know who I am, do you? If so, I'd appreciate it if you would be more polite. Use honorifics."
“What are you talking about? I’m going to dig it out.”
“...”
Thud. The prince flinched.
But that too for a moment.
The Prince returned to his meal, ready to lick his plate.
“Here, another plate of gratin.”
Revan raised his hand and ordered.
'Ha.'
I faced Ryan and Revan, who were looking at me with expressions asking for clarification.
'This is a big problem.'
My original plan was this:
'But it failed.'
My plan went awry when Ryan followed me out of the restaurant without a plan.
Of course, thanks to Ryan, I didn't get hit by a rock.
He suddenly ran out and picked up a beggar as if he had expected to meet him, and even fed him.
'You must be wondering why this is happening.'
I nodded to them, indicating that we should leave the restaurant.
But as soon as we came out, Ryan spoke first.
“That guy looks pitiful. If he says he has nowhere to go, should I take him?”
“...Huh???”
“Why, you don’t like it? Isn’t this it?”
“Oh, no? That’s not it...”
Again, again!
“Well, it would be nice if there were one more person to do the dishes...”
To Revan!
I swallowed hard and stared at the two men standing before me.
I wish you would talk now.
Why do you follow along so seamlessly, as if reading my mind, without me having to come up with excuses that make my head hurt?
'Of course it's comfortable.'
While I was thinking about it, Ryan nodded to me.
“You go in and finish eating. Ask him where he wants to go.”
“...”
It's time for another operational meeting.
He didn't seem to be the first to open his mouth about this suspicious trend, so I just nodded.
"...Yes."
Ryan said, sending Vania in.
“Is that why you came to Guintz?”
“I think so.”
"Ha, that's difficult. Then what's the point of coming to catch the demon? I don't know what the connection is between the demon and that beggar with a dirty face."
“Is that so?”
"Oh, there's no need to worry so much. Just let me know what you're trying to do. That's what we decided to do."
Ryan nodded.
And at the same time, the two men recalled a memory from the past.
This happened the day after he first came to Belzer.
So Ryan and Vania go on their first hunt and catch a bear...
The day Ryan discovered that Vania had more than one ability.
“Let’s assume that Vania might be in her second life and move forward.”
When Ryan spoke secretly, Revan was surprised.
“Second life...?”
"Her execution and her ability to think clearly are too suspicious for a normal twelve-year-old. Besides, I confirmed today that she's a monster with two abilities."
Ryan glanced at Vania's closed room door and said with a somewhat nervous expression.
"...There's never been a person with such abilities in Wassenberg's history. So, I don't know the limitations. It means she might not have both abilities."
At his words, Revan's mind flashed like lightning.
“A poem of retrograde movement.”
“It is the blessing of return.”
“It’s the ability to turn back time to the past.”
And then he realized what Ryan was trying to say.
"I see. You said she could also turn back time. So, what you're saying is, brother, she could also have the ability to regress."
“That’s it. I’m not sure, but it’s just a guess.”
“No, it makes sense.”
Revan nodded and thought for a while, then trembled in fear.
"Then why did she come back? Did she turn back time because something went wrong?"
“I don’t know about that. But what I do know is that she, too, wants to return and destroy our father.”
“Why did you think so?”
“...”
Ryan, who had been silent for a moment, thought about Vania's words.
“I want to stop my brothers and sisters from doing bad things.”
Sigh.
Ryan said with a small smile.
"First of all, it's highly likely she knew from the beginning that my Blessing was instant death. The first thing she showed me when she asked me to take her was the Blessing of Healing. He knew I absolutely needed it."
“Oh my god, wait a minute.”
Revan frowned.
“The fact that the returned child knew about my brother’s blessing...”
"In the future, either I succeed in my revenge as planned, or I fail, and my powers are discovered. It'll be one of the two."
“Fuck.”
Revan's face turned pale. But Ryan smiled.
"Don't be scared. If she's a regressor, I can be sure she's not on Father's side. If she's on Father's side and she judges me a threat, there are dozens of ways to kill me before she's even released. Send assassins, poison my food."
“Then, why didn’t she kill my brother and come looking for him...?”
"She left home with a sense of purpose. She's the same, so she insists on staying with me. Besides, she's still young and a girl, right? Even with monstrous powers, she still needs a protector."
“Hmm, I understand.”
“I was thinking while stroking my chin,” said Revan.
“If you say we should act as if the baby is in her second life, does that mean we should give priority to the baby’s judgment?”
"Yeah, that's right. Even if the child tries to do something I don't understand... I'll just assume it's like that. I'll just follow along."
Ryan's eyes lit up.
"To succeed, it would be wise to trust the judgment of the regressor. Especially if it seems certain that she's on my side."
Ugh, ugh. Wow, wow.
If it weren't for his clean face, I would have never recognized him because of his unkempt appearance.
'Where does this look like a Prince?'
But he's a Prince. He's the last heir to the kingdom that was founded in Farnese, one of the four "cursed lands" that appeared 600 years ago.
The Prince, or rather, the demon Ratan hiding within his body, is quite useful. He can control the mindless, lower-level demons.
The eldest brother, who found out about this, subdued Ratan and used him.
'Of course, in a bad way.'
He deliberately caused commotion throughout the empire by moving lower-level demons through Ratan.
Each time, the royal family had no choice but to ask for help from those with supernatural abilities, and our family received various benefits in exchange for suppressing the demonic incident.
Are you really crazy...?
I didn't realize this until I was sixteen. As soon as I found out, I went to my eldest brother and told him not to do such a thing, but he slapped me so hard I saw stars before my eyes.
It was the first time I had ever been hit by a handgun.
'Of course, my father knew that and broke my eldest brother's head.'
My father called me over while I was crying, and hit my eldest brother's head with a glass ashtray in front of me.
Of course, it wasn't something he did out of consideration for me.
'It was just a performance to please me.'
Because my father was a master at coaxing and appeasing his daughter, who had special blessings, so that she could not change her mind.
My father was the one who scared me when I rebelled, but when I cried, he came into my room, hugged me, and told me he loved me.
Anyway, the first time I was slapped by my eldest brother, who was armed, was a trauma to me.
Even though I knew my brother was doing bad things, I stopped interfering with his activities because I was afraid of getting hit again.
“Bunny, you know what? David’s brother's hand... he’s dead. That’s why he’s been feeling uneasy these days.”
It was a year later that I heard news of Ratan again, from my half-sister, Christa, who was the same age as me.
"I guess it was because the host's ego was growing. He must have been out of his mind, killing people with his own hands all the time. When he turned into a monster, he tore his own head off."
It was a terrible ending, but I thought it was fortunate.
It was pitiful, but I had never seen the host's face before, so I didn't know him.
Anyway, I felt relieved that Ratan was dead and my eldest brother could no longer do bad things.
'But now that I actually see your face... I feel sorry for not having done anything for you back then.'
I said to the Prince.
“Eat plenty. Is there anything else you’d like to eat?”
“...”
The Prince, who had stuffed his cheeks with food until they were about to burst, stared at me, then gestured to an empty plate.
The plate was so cleanly empty that I don't know what was in it...
“Are you possessed...?”
Then Ryan muttered.
The Prince glanced at Ryan across from him, coughed, and swallowed the food in his mouth.
And he said it proudly.
"You don't know who I am, do you? If so, I'd appreciate it if you would be more polite. Use honorifics."
“What are you talking about? I’m going to dig it out.”
“...”
Thud. The prince flinched.
But that too for a moment.
The Prince returned to his meal, ready to lick his plate.
“Here, another plate of gratin.”
Revan raised his hand and ordered.
'Ha.'
I faced Ryan and Revan, who were looking at me with expressions asking for clarification.
'This is a big problem.'
My original plan was this:
After finding the prince in Guintz, they share a private conversation→ Then tell Ryan this person is so pitiful and suggest taking him away→ Ratan apologizes, saying it seems the magic rat isn't in Guintz after all, and heads home!
My plan went awry when Ryan followed me out of the restaurant without a plan.
Of course, thanks to Ryan, I didn't get hit by a rock.
He suddenly ran out and picked up a beggar as if he had expected to meet him, and even fed him.
'You must be wondering why this is happening.'
I nodded to them, indicating that we should leave the restaurant.
But as soon as we came out, Ryan spoke first.
“That guy looks pitiful. If he says he has nowhere to go, should I take him?”
“...Huh???”
“Why, you don’t like it? Isn’t this it?”
“Oh, no? That’s not it...”
Again, again!
“Well, it would be nice if there were one more person to do the dishes...”
To Revan!
I swallowed hard and stared at the two men standing before me.
I wish you would talk now.
Why do you follow along so seamlessly, as if reading my mind, without me having to come up with excuses that make my head hurt?
'Of course it's comfortable.'
While I was thinking about it, Ryan nodded to me.
“You go in and finish eating. Ask him where he wants to go.”
“...”
It's time for another operational meeting.
He didn't seem to be the first to open his mouth about this suspicious trend, so I just nodded.
"...Yes."
***
Ryan said, sending Vania in.
“Is that why you came to Guintz?”
“I think so.”
"Ha, that's difficult. Then what's the point of coming to catch the demon? I don't know what the connection is between the demon and that beggar with a dirty face."
“Isn't that just like a smoke screen she set off, thinking we wouldn't follow if she just blindly told us to go to Guintz?”
"Oh, there's no need to worry so much. Just let me know what you're trying to do. That's what we decided to do."
Ryan nodded.
And at the same time, the two men recalled a memory from the past.
***
This happened the day after he first came to Belzer.
So Ryan and Vania go on their first hunt and catch a bear...
The day Ryan discovered that Vania had more than one ability.
“Let’s assume that Vania might be in her second life and move forward.”
When Ryan spoke secretly, Revan was surprised.
“Second life...?”
"Her execution and her ability to think clearly are too suspicious for a normal twelve-year-old. Besides, I confirmed today that she's a monster with two abilities."
Ryan glanced at Vania's closed room door and said with a somewhat nervous expression.
"...There's never been a person with such abilities in Wassenberg's history. So, I don't know the limitations. It means she might not have both abilities."
At his words, Revan's mind flashed like lightning.
“A poem of retrograde movement.”
“It is the blessing of return.”
“It’s the ability to turn back time to the past.”
And then he realized what Ryan was trying to say.
"I see. You said she could also turn back time. So, what you're saying is, brother, she could also have the ability to regress."
“That’s it. I’m not sure, but it’s just a guess.”
“No, it makes sense.”
Revan nodded and thought for a while, then trembled in fear.
"Then why did she come back? Did she turn back time because something went wrong?"
“I don’t know about that. But what I do know is that she, too, wants to return and destroy our father.”
“Why did you think so?”
“...”
Ryan, who had been silent for a moment, thought about Vania's words.
“I want to stop my brothers and sisters from doing bad things.”
Sigh.
Ryan said with a small smile.
"First of all, it's highly likely she knew from the beginning that my Blessing was instant death. The first thing she showed me when she asked me to take her was the Blessing of Healing. He knew I absolutely needed it."
“Oh my god, wait a minute.”
Revan frowned.
“The fact that the returned child knew about my brother’s blessing...”
"In the future, either I succeed in my revenge as planned, or I fail, and my powers are discovered. It'll be one of the two."
“Fuck.”
Revan's face turned pale. But Ryan smiled.
"Don't be scared. If she's a regressor, I can be sure she's not on Father's side. If she's on Father's side and she judges me a threat, there are dozens of ways to kill me before she's even released. Send assassins, poison my food."
“Then, why didn’t she kill my brother and come looking for him...?”
"She left home with a sense of purpose. She's the same, so she insists on staying with me. Besides, she's still young and a girl, right? Even with monstrous powers, she still needs a protector."
“Hmm, I understand.”
“I was thinking while stroking my chin,” said Revan.
“If you say we should act as if the baby is in her second life, does that mean we should give priority to the baby’s judgment?”
"Yeah, that's right. Even if the child tries to do something I don't understand... I'll just assume it's like that. I'll just follow along."
Ryan's eyes lit up.
"To succeed, it would be wise to trust the judgment of the regressor. Especially if it seems certain that she's on my side."
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