“Wow! I couldn’t believe it, but seriously, Dad, you’re crazy!”
"Oh my god!"
I was shocked, and my heart was pounding, and Ryan jumped up and paced around busily.
"Crazy, crazy. It was so peaceful back home that I completely forgot. What should I do? How can you not be so unexpected? You're suspecting the Third Prince. Is this kid going out to kill him? Or...?"
“Dad, wait!”
No matter how much I think about it, I still don't know what Elliot's intentions are in suddenly setting out.
However, there was something I had to point out first.
"This is a request for help from His Highness the Crown Prince. But why did he send us this letter? What does he believe?"
“...? The Third Prince must have asked his older brother to contact us.”
“No? Absolutely not.”
I know Nike well. Of course, he must have been mentally shattered when he heard the news of Elliot's departure. But that's all.
The Nike I know is a man who thinks to himself, "Oh well, I guess there's nothing I can do. I'll just have to figure out how to get through it."
There's no way he'd go to his brother and whine about Elliot suddenly appearing on the battlefield, asking him to do something about it because he was scared and uncomfortable. It wasn't a problem the Crown Prince could solve anyway.
“This is a request for help sent to us by His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“...Sigh. Well, I guess so.”
"Oh my god!"
I was shocked, and my heart was pounding, and Ryan jumped up and paced around busily.
"Crazy, crazy. It was so peaceful back home that I completely forgot. What should I do? How can you not be so unexpected? You're suspecting the Third Prince. Is this kid going out to kill him? Or...?"
“Dad, wait!”
No matter how much I think about it, I still don't know what Elliot's intentions are in suddenly setting out.
However, there was something I had to point out first.
"This is a request for help from His Highness the Crown Prince. But why did he send us this letter? What does he believe?"
“...? The Third Prince must have asked his older brother to contact us.”
“No? Absolutely not.”
I know Nike well. Of course, he must have been mentally shattered when he heard the news of Elliot's departure. But that's all.
The Nike I know is a man who thinks to himself, "Oh well, I guess there's nothing I can do. I'll just have to figure out how to get through it."
There's no way he'd go to his brother and whine about Elliot suddenly appearing on the battlefield, asking him to do something about it because he was scared and uncomfortable. It wasn't a problem the Crown Prince could solve anyway.
“This is a request for help sent to us by His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“...Sigh. Well, I guess so.”
Ryan nodded.
“The Third Prince acted like he was going to eat me last time when I dragged you along. I doubt he’ll ask us for help.”
“From what I’ve seen, it seems like His Highness the Crown Prince contacted us without that person’s knowledge?”
Ryan and I looked at each other and blinked.
The Crown Prince doesn't know much about us.
What does he know?
1. Ryan was falsely accused, and the real culprit behind the Konrad massacre is someone else.
2. Ryan has no regrets about cutting ties with Wassenberg.
(Of course, the Crown Prince may not believe it, as Ryan made a strong statement.)
3. He guesses Ryan has superpowers, but not the most useful kind.
(Because my father mercilessly sent him to prison instead of the real culprit of the Konrad Massacre. If Ryan had any useful abilities, he wouldn't have made him a scapegoat to frame him, right?)
"This is really weird. Even if he asks me for help, he won't get an answer anyway. What is this?"
Yes, that's right.
The Crown Prince is a smart man, so he probably figured out that even if Ryan had superpowers, it wouldn't be of much help in this case.
“What, did he contact me with the intention of grabbing at straws?”
"No. It seems like he sent this message because he thought we could come up with a plan for anything. His Highness the Crown Prince, he doesn't know I have superpowers, does he?"
“Oh. He thought you were my daughter.”
Ryan looked at me, scratching his head with a serious expression.
And said.
"Did the Third Prince mention that he had regressed?"
What are you talking about? I looked at Ryan pitifully.
“No way. Is that guy a wild boar? He charges headlong like Dad.”
***
Ding dong daeng.
That's right. Nike rammed into it.
Because he didn't want to look like a crazy guy who followed a thirteen-year-old girl around to his brother.
Crown Prince Bane, who had sent a message to Ryan, recalled their conversation from two weeks ago.
“...I have regressed beyond the limits of my memory.”
Nike confessed that he had turned back a long time.
Je must have forgotten all his memories.
But surprisingly, he said that over the past year, fragmented memories have begun to surface here and there.
As he recalls his memories, Nike discovers that the reason he returned was because of his 'lover'.
He said he sold his memories and returned to save his lover...
It was a series of surprises for Bane.
The fact that his younger brother, who had been indifferent to everything, had someone he loved so much.
Also, the fact that the lover was of Wassenberg’s bloodline.
"I'm sorry. I don't remember anything else. But that girl was the face of the lover in my memories. So, in a rush, I kept getting closer, wanting to know more."
“...Ryan, that guy’s daughter was your lover?”
"Yes. Sir Ryan must have been flustered because the child was still young. That's why he drew the line, asking me to wait."
Bane knew that Nike was being somewhat reserved in his conversation.
He said Ryan and Vania didn't know anything, but...
'No way.'
Nike must be thinking of keeping their secret.
Of course, that judgment was correct. The Crown Prince cherished his younger brother, Nike, but as the head of the nation, he had no choice but to be wary of those with supernatural powers.
So, Bane guessed on his own what he couldn't have said even if Nike opened his mouth.
Nike returned to save Vania.
He doesn't know why Vania was on the verge of death.
However, Nike had to 'save' Vania, so he deliberately sold his memories and went back in time for a long time.
At this point, if neither of them remembers, it's meaningless.
Since he has no memories, he cannot change the future of his death.
So, obviously, Nike must have 'left' his memories to Vania.
If so, then Vania is a person with superpowers.
Even if you regress together, you won't be able to leave behind any memories unless you have this ability.
'Even when we first met, she already knew my face.'
Their first meeting at the academy. Bane remembers Vania suddenly bumping into him and bursting into tears. That day, Bane was able to meet Ryan and talk to him naturally.
Now that he thinks about it, it must have been Vania's intention.
A regressor who knows the future.
And a person with superpowers, who may have some kind of power.
Nike seems concerned that Bane will be wary of Vania and Ryan in advance, but well.
Ironically, Bane felt like Vania was some kind of salvation.
What could be the reason for leaving behind the shadow of the Wassenberg family, the pinnacle of wealth and power, and the prestige of being a person with supernatural powers?
***
I don't know what the Crown Prince was thinking when he contacted us. But that's not something we need to dwell on.
Ryan and I were planning it to the point where our hair was falling out.
Also known as the 'Save Nike Project'.
“Oh, shit, that’s it. I can’t find an answer.”
“Me too...”
The living room table. We laid out a large piece of paper and brainstormed for three long hours, but we always came back to the original conclusion.
"What good will it do if we somehow manage to get away with it this time? If they've already suspected him once, they'll come after the Third Prince again at any moment."
Yes, that's right.
If Elliot comes to kill Nike, we just have to save him. If he comes to dig up his secret, we just have to hide it somehow. There's always a way if you look for it.
But even if we try to deal with Elliot right away, the problem won't end.
"Until I destroy my house, there's no other solution than pretending to be dead and hiding in some dungeon or something. Or else I'll just waste time again. Drugs, I can't help it, but I'll just let them run their course."
"It's not a drug problem. I'm sure there won't be any more trouble down the road."
"Oh, that's what I meant. Was I too wise before the regression? It was best to just sit back and do nothing, then suddenly attack."
I agree.
I kept thinking while pressing my pounding head.
1. First of all, I hope this damned demonic situation never happens. I hope the demons suddenly go crazy and don't come out this time.
But that won't happen.
2. I hope that there will be a big incident there that will distract my father from his obsession with Nike.
A huge incident that could completely destroy my father's mentality, leaving him without the time to suspect anyone.
But something like that won't happen suddenly.
But... but...
Actually, I know where the key to satisfying both 1 and 2 is.
“You seem to have a lot on your mind.”
Unlike us, who were completely exhausted, the Prince, who was sitting at the same table and peacefully drinking tea, spoke.
I looked at him. Very staring.
“...Why are you looking at me with such hot eyes?”
“Your Highness.”
"Yes?"
“...”
I'm speechless... I'm speechless.
"...no."
“How bland.”
...Let’s just think about it a little more.
When there really is no other way, then you should ask.
***
Vania and Ryan, who had been chatting in the living room late into the night, moved to the room to prepare for their family's bedtime and were still engaged in a heated discussion at dawn.
“Hey, is it all done?”
Merchen, carrying a backpack, entered Revan's laboratory. It was the basement of the mansion.
“Yes. This is it.”
Revan swung something about a span of leather over his hand. Merchen tilted his head at the sight.
“What is that? I didn’t ask you to make it.”
“That’s right. This is worn on the arm or thigh.”
What Revan made at Merhen's request was a holster used by mercenaries.
A device worn on the upper arm or thigh, used to store daggers, etc.
“I'll wait in the meantime."
A dagger was tucked into a leather holster.
When Revan pulled it out...
Clang-!
Blades shot out simultaneously from inside the holster. Merchen's eyes widened.
“Do you know how to use it?”
"Ye, I understand. Just pull out the dagger while wearing that leather belt. That should cause a cut to my body. Right?"
“That’s right. It’s disguised as a holster, but it’s what you ordered, Prince...”
Revan added with a sigh.
“...a tool that ‘allows for easy self-harm.’”
"Thank you. Thank you for your hard work. I hope you make more, because they'll break after I turn into a monster."
“That’s not difficult... but does it really have to be this way?”
Revan shuddered as if in horror and handed the holster to Merchen.
Merchen stared at the holster in his hand and nodded.
“Shouldn’t I be of help to my family, not just providing food?”
The Prince was also perceptive. That's why he knew.
What Vania and Ryan are worried about now is the impending Western Front Demonic Crisis...
That Merchen, or rather, the monster 'Rattan' inside him, needed it in some way.
“If I use my body, I can save many people, so what’s the point of getting hurt a little?”
"Damn it, if you get numb to cutting your own flesh with that mindset, nothing could be more horrific. Self-harm is something you must hold onto with all your strength."
“Haha, thanks for worrying.”
Merchen smiled brightly. Revan looked at his face and sighed deeply.
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