Memoirs of the Returnee
chapter-298

At an altitude of 7,000 meters.

It seemed like the sun never set here. The night was incredibly short, and the morning was exceedingly long.

“…lt's cold.”

The magical chill that had targeted Gerkhen had now dissipated, but the natural cold was no less forgiving. Without soliette, I would have barely made it.

This knight qualification exam is no joke.

No wonder freshmen don’t participate.

“…Shion. Doesn’t it look like there’s an enemy over there?”

Soliette drew her sword.

“Just a moment. Let me check.”

I with my SZX-9500 to the other side. Along a narrow path leading to the peak of the mountain range, a man was leaning against a stone tower.

He was chewing on a branch.

“Looks like there is someone.”

Seems like he’s another college student.

“Shion. Shall we go?”

“Yeah. That’s the only path.”

We walked towards him.

Crunch. Crunch.

As we got closer, the man turned to look at us. He smirked and picked up a long spear he had stuck in the ground.

“What year are you guys?”

His voice was full of bluster and arrogance.

I answered.

“Freshmen.”

“What~?”

He frowned, his lips and eyebrows furrowed in disbelief.

“Wow~ Freshmen applying for the qualification exam? You’ve got guts.”

“…IS that not allowed?”

Soliette asked. The man swung his spear around.

“Of course not. Oh, did you just come here to gain some experience?”

The tip of the spear pointed at us.

I explained to soliette.

“lt’s always like this. The number of those who pass the knight qualification exam is limited. That's why freshmen usually face intense scrutiny.”

“Ah, I see. That makes sense.”

It’s a nasty mindset.

How dare you try to snatch a knight’s qualification in just one year? That’s the sentiment.

In this exam, it doesn’t matter if you’re from a high-ranking family or not, nobles usually participate in their second or third year.

“Targeting freshmen? Ha, that’s funny. Hey. Do you think we target freshmen? It’s just that you lack skills and experience.”

The man tossed the flag from his back to one side, maintaining his pride.

“lt’s survival of the fittest. The weak are preyed upon first, and the strong compete later. It’s an unspoken rule.”

I looked at soliette. Soliette asked me.

“Who goes fi rst?”

“Well. Do you want to go fi rst?”

It’s a bit more fair to have a one-on-one than a free-for-all.

“…Pfft!”

The man laughed at us deciding the order. He activated his Magic Body and swung his spear.

Whooosh!

The gust of wind tousled our clothes and hair.

“Hey, kids, cut the crap and come at me both of you.”

“…”

“lf you don't come at me, shall I make the first move? You’ll regret it then.”

Soliette looked at me. I looked back at her.

“…He’s asking for it, Shion.”

“Seems so.”

We nodded to each other and drew our swords. The man flashed a thick smile.

“Hey, you cheeky brats. Even if you cry and beg just to see the flag later, it won’t help.”

“Talkative, aren’t you?”

I approached him steadily. There seemed no need to rush if it was two against one.

“Ha, look at this kid. You’re really nothing special.”

Soliette and I walked towards the spearman who acted like a gatekeeper. Straightforwardly, step by step—thud, thud.

“Hahaha! Let me teach you, this is a spear! You won't even be able to get close!”

As we reached a certain range, he swung his spear with all his might. A magic-infused gale forcefully surged towards us.

And then…

“Just ignore the flag! Please, just ignore the flag!”

10 minutes later.

His face swollen and beaten, he lay pathetically sprawled, latched to my leg.

Soliette picked up his flag that had fallen to the ground.

“Aaaargh—! Please, just ignore the flag! Aaaargh—1”

He screamed and begged, even jerking his body up and down.

His face was so swollen that his features were barely recognizable, which was quite pitiful.

“Shion. What should we do?”

Soliette asked.

“Just ignore the flag! Just ignore the flag!”

“Ah, shut up.”

“…”

The man quickly shut his mouth.

“What’s your name?”

I asked for his name first.

Now it was time to gauge his past life.

“…Geton. I'm a senior at Althea.”

“Your words have gotten quite brief, haven’t they?”

“l'm a senior! Really, if I don’t pass this qualification exam, I have to wait another year… You know, at my age, one year is like three years for you guys…”

Geton sobbed and buried his face on the ground.

“…Bethon, h u h.”

Not a name that sticks in memory, but if I rummage through the f Notepad J ’s memory…

His name appears on several significant protest event lists.

Anyway, his character doesn’t seem too bad.

“Yes. I’ll consider it.”

At my words, Geton quickly raised his head.

“Really?!”

“Let’s see in the second exam.”

I took the flag from soliette and handed it back to Bethon.

“Phew!”

Bethon quickly snatched the flag, hugging it like it was his lifeline.

“What are you doing?”

I asked, pitying his appearance. Bethon shivered.

“lf you’re going to destroy the flag, you’ll have to cut through me fi rst.”

“We’re not going to destroy it. We’re leaving.”

“Yes. Let’s go.”

“…I don't believe you!”

Bethon clung to the flag until the end, and we passed him to resume our climb.

Meanwhile, at Derek’s residence. He was receiving information about Theia Esil from Balancer Smith.

“lt seems, our A.I. has raised some suspicions.”

“…Huh.”

Derek gritted his teeth.

“That crazy woman is trying to cause trouble.”

Theia Esil, a professor at the national university, a mage, and a knight, had earned considerable trust in her field through numerous achievements.

She was attempting to unravel his Al.

“…What if she stops now?”

Theia was a formidable opponent even for Derek.

He could handle her alone, but Vern was the problem.

Expanding the front on both sides was—

“The preparations for the sales are already complete.”

Dr. Vito said. Derek turned to him.

“The Ais will soon be packaged and delivered. A total of 1,000 people. Just the registration fee is 300 million Ren.”

Just the registration fee, 300 million Ren. Subscription revenue, 1 million Ren per month. Derek's breathing became rough.

“Of course, the reviews will be good, and then we’ll get 1,000 new subscribers each month. At least 10,000 people across the continent will own this personal assistant.”

10,000 people meant 30 billion Ren in registration fees.

Subscription revenue, 10 million Ren per month.

The numbers were exhilarating. He couldn’t let go of such a cash cow.

The only problem was the damned 'ethics’.

“What if. That woman finds evidence?”

“…lt's unlikely, but by then, many corporations, wealthy individuals, and families will be using our AI.”

Vito’s answer had multiple implications. Derek smiled deeply.

“Make them accomplices?”

“Yes. The corporations will never give it up. They can save from the wages of at least a thousand employees.”

“…”

Derek looked at Smith. Smith quickly asked.

“Should we activate the Intelligence Agency?”

“…NO. That director.”

Tsk—Derek clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“Gedley can no longer be trusted. He’s practically obsolete.”

Gedley had completely lost trust after the previous New Frontier incident.

“So then…”

“That guy. The new one. The one who kept Theia from attending the parliament last time.”

Derek snapped his fingers as he spoke. The name didn’t come to mind immediately.

“Shion Ascal, are you referring to him?”

“Yes, that guy.”

He pointed at Smith as if confirming the correct answer.

“Leave it to him.”

“Yes, understood.”

Smith nodded. Derek then turned back to Vito.

“And, Vito. Did you bring the data I asked for before?”

Vito fiddled with his hair and pulled out a USB from his pocket.

“Here it is.”

“There won't be any corrupted data, right? Johanna will figure everything out.”

“Yes. It’s all accurate data values, including the registry.”

Derek does not breach faith in dealings. It was also one of his principles.

He might play tricks during the negotiation itself, but he doesn’t engage in amateurish deception in a finalized deal.

“lt’s strange that Johanna is diving into pharmaceuticals.”

Vito chuckled softly. Derek smirked and slipped the USB into his pocket.

“lt’s a waste of money. She doesn’t know how hard I worked to build up the pharmaceutical industry.”

“Yes. Lord Derek, you have splendidly continued the legacy of Lord Sherlock.”

Vito quietly praised him. Derek paused for a moment but soon smiled contentedly.

“Yes. After all, I will be the successor.”

A sly smile spread across Vito’s lips.

At an altitude of over 11,000 meters, the summit of the mountain range was thin on oxygen. Although I had somewhat adapted to the cold, breathing was still nearly impossible.

Isn’t space closer than the ground from here?

“…The view is nice.”

The spectacular sight of the entirely white mountain range overlaid with the blue sky.

I gasped for breath and muttered absentmindedly.

“lndeed.”

Soliette still looked fine.

“Just 24 hours left. Now it’s really about endurance.”

I could see why Geton was playing gatekeeper. I’d rather squabble with the kids below than suffer up here.

“…Yes.”

Soliette's response was unusually thin. She just stood on the cliff, looking out.

Was the view that sentimental?

I moved my weary body to stand beside her.

Just then, the sun began to set.

The ridges and horizon were bathed in pink as the sunset cast its hues. It was the color of twilight that drenched the world ethereally.

It felt as though we had fallen into some magical space, and for a moment, I too was dazed.

“…lt’s not just nice.”

It’s breathtaking.

I don’t know who came up with such flowery language, but it truly suited this landscape.

It was just like a fantasy.

“…….”

Soliette was silent.

Perhaps moved by such beautiful scenery, she just stood still in the same spot.

“Do you like it that much?”

I placed my hand on her shoulder.

Then, suddenly…

“Ah!”

Soliette’s body abruptly tilted towards the cliff. I quickly grabbed her.

Her eyes were closed, and her body was limp.

“Hey! Soliette!”

I pulled her away from the cliff and laid her down on the ground.

“…Hey, hey. What’s wrong with you?”

Soliette remained silent. The pink sunlight touched her face, but there was no change in her unconscious state.

“Open your eyes, damn it!”

Could it be hypoxia? Should I perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?

I placed my hand on her lips, gauging the amount of oxygen my body could provide.

“…Huh.”

Trying to calm my racing heart.

“…”

Soliette weakly opened her eyes.

I slowly removed my hand from her lips.

“That scared me. Are you alright?”

“…….”

She just looked up at me silently. I tapped her cheek lightly.

“What. Stop spacing out? Snap out of it.”

“…….”

Tap-tap- Tap-tap-

After tapping her cheek a couple more times, Soliette pushed my hand away and sat up. Then she began to act strangely.

She rolling her hands around, pinched her own cheeks, and repeatedly stretched and folded her legs…

I didn’t know why she was doing this, but suddenly she drew her gaze at me.

“Shion.”

She called my name.

“…….”

She called my name.

She called my name.

My whole body stiffened at the sound of her calling my name.

Her voice was eerily peculiar.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up like thorns, and an inexplicable shiver resonated down to my bones.

“YOU……”

I tried to steady my trembling hand as I asked,

“Who are you?”

Soliette still looked like soliette, but her face and expression were subtly different.

Too different.

“……Who are you?”

Soliette, repeating my words, slightly raised her eyebrows.

Touching the corner of her eye—perfectly intact without any scars—she answered,

“lt’s me.”

Her tone was deeply resonant. It was as if her soul had switched, her voice tinged with raw wounds.

The moment I heard her words, I knew.

My heart was suddenly shaken. My breathing felt as if it was being chopped into pieces.

It was hard to breathe.

“Shion.”

Soliette called me again. But she was not the soliette of now.

“……Soliette.”

The soliette from before the regression.

The her from that time was facing me right here, right now…

Now I will take my 1 month break.