Memoirs of the Returnee
chapter-302

Theia does not let personal feelings interfere with her assessments.

This means she doesn’t give Shion Ascal, who is practically a dog of Libra, a bad score, nor does she favor her own student, Gerkhen, with good scores.

She has given up on evaluating the two of them.

Instead, she focused on another case.

Derek’s artificial intelligence. Tracking the massive evil perpetrated by that damned family.

[Owl: Investigating]

Even the informants infiltrated within Libra find it difficult to access the Al side.

That must mean it’s thoroughly guarded.

Fortunately, Derek’s Al has been secured. A contact purchased the Al on her behalf. Dissecting and analyzing it might reveal crucial evidence.

“…… Hmm.”

Theia let out a quiet yawn and turned on the group messenger on her computer. The chat room of her students—graduate students—was bustling with messages.

Theia doesn't join their conversations, but she does have a habit of snooping. In fact, this chat room is one she wasn’t invited to.

Meaning, she hacked into it.

[Arkham: Wow. So Gerkhen got accepted just like that? That's awesome.]

[Allen: Is Gerkhen coming to our lab?]

[Arkham: Looks like he’s going to be a direct apprentice to the professor.]

[Allen: Jealous;;]

These guys have clear eyes and sharp ears. They are sensitive to trends and topics. Most of them are from the upper class or those closely connected to it, so the quality of information they access is high.

Reading this chat window helps her understand the current social climate far better than checking the morning news.

“……”

But the more she reads, the more she feels left out.

Theia opened another group chat, one she officially belongs to.

It’s been silent for three days.

Theia sent a message out of boredom.

[Has everyone prepared for the upcoming paper?]

No reply. It wasn’t even read.

She went back to the chat room she wasn’t part of.

[Allen: Did you see the professor’s message? How's everyone doing with the paper?]

[Arthong: No idea, f*ck. The samples keep getting contaminated.]

[Charles: OO@@ Can someone help me?]

This room was lively, yet no one responded in her own chat.

“……Would it kill them to reply?”

Theia felt hurt as she compared the two chat rooms.

[BestFriendo: Guys. Do you know about Castology?]

Then a strange name came up.

[Allen: Oh, I know that. Isn't that the psychic who gets everything right?]

[Arthong: No, no, not a psychic but a fortune-teller. Tarot cards, right? They say he pinpointed Benjamin’s Yesterday with that.]

Fortune-teller. Castology. This was a topic unknown to Theia.

[Charles: I know about that too. Didn’t that fortune-teller save Mr. Yerain?]

She read with intrigue.

[Arthong: Right. She almost got killed by her lunatic boyfriend.]

[Charles: Yeah; but she survived because Castology insisted she must always have a bodyguard.]

[Arthong: Crazy. How much does one session cost? Must be expensive, right?]

[Charles: I heard Mr. Yerain spent almost a million Ren on consultation fees alone.]

[Arthong: Damn]

A million Ren for consultation fees.

If true, it’s a cheap price for a life.

[Charles: But even if you have the money, people like us can’t see him. It’s all about connections, and unless you’re someone like Mr. Yerain or Mr. Sheron, you can’t even think about it.]

[Arthong: Even our professor?]

[Charles: What about the professor?]

Theia herself isn’t particularly interested in fortune-telling or psychics, but it seems worth considering.

It might not just be simple fortune-telling but something more akin to a [Spectrum] .

“……Tsk.”

—To think like this, she must be feeling uneasy these days.

Theia is slowly approaching Libra. She is determined to expose whatever corruption and filth lurk at their very core to the world…

But the odds are uncertain.

Theia wrote down the name Castology in her notebook.

[Passing of the Knight Certification]

I received the notification of my passing. Among the freshmen at the national university, there were probably only three of us: Gerkhen, Soliette, and me.

For the record, Kain and Asher didn’t even apply for the exam.

“……Shion. Did Shion pass too?”

Just then, Soliette asked.

We were in the old Endex building. The place she’s paying me rent to live in.

“Yes.”

I showed her the screen of my smartphone.

“Hehe. Congratulations.”

Soliette spread out her palm. I high-fived her.

Clap—!

“Thank you.”

Now, there’s no reason for me to attend university anymore.

Of course, many people still attend university even after obtaining their knight certification. They’re not just focusing on knight-related majors or classes, but also on learning various other subjects.

In fact, Erick and Sheron, who got their certifications long ago, are attending various business-related lectures, and Gerkhen, who dreams of becoming a Senator, will continue at university.

Not me.

“……Shion. So, you’re not going to university anymore?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm. Maybe I should do the same. It’s a waste of time”

“You can’t.”

“……What?”

Soliette suddenly narrowed her eyes.

“You can’t.”

“Why not?”

“You have a lot to learn.”

“Are you my parent, Shion?”

She glared at me. I chuckled lightly.

“Arkne will keep watching you. You need to learn management lessons, among other things. If you quit now, your family will come looking for you, won’t they?”

“……”

“Staying in college makes our investigation much easier.”

With Libra already marking us, there was no need to turn Arkne into an enemy as well.

“We are accused of killing a Balancer.”

Candy and Jelly had killed a Balancer.

Surprisingly quiet for such an incident, but stirring things up would likely provoke a bigger reaction.

“……Understood.”

Soliette nodded blankly. I watched her silently for a moment before standing up.

“Come on, let’s go.”

“……Why?”

“ITI show you.”

“What?”

Soliette narrowed her eyes. Her face was a mix of suspicion and anticipation, but I decided to fulfill only her anticipation.

“Severing Sword. You said you wanted to learn it.”

“……I”

Soliette sprang up from the ground like a frog.

“Really?!”

“Yeah.”

My Severing Sword and the Severing Sword soliette knew from before her regression would undoubtedly be different.

However, if she was going to learn the Severing Sword eventually, I thought it better she learns from me.

“ITI teach you.”

Thanks to Jade, I knew something important.

When strength reaches its peak, it never brings happiness.

Winter had come. It was a particularly cold end of the year. I found myself waking up frequently from a troubled sleep.

It was a sign that my life was wearing thin.

Without surgery like before, the pain would probably continue to worsen.

However, I had no intention of undergoing that terrible kind of surgery now, which involved implanting a special Artifact in my body to keep me going as long as possible.

I should last at least another eight years.

Eight years is enough time to finish everything.

[Castro logy]

Today, I went to work as a fortune teller. My client was Glofeld’s current head’s eldest son, the heir, ’Beckron’.

“…… Hmm.”

I looked at him. He asked me about his business. It was the automobile business ran by Glofeld.

“Currently, we are second in market share… but we are planning to launch a new car.”

Beckron, honestly, comes from a family as distinguished as Libra, originally belonging to the lifelong Senate of the Round Table.

“He wants to know if it will go well.”

Despite this, Beckron asked quite respectfully.

I drew a card.

Swoosh—!

It was red.

“Not good.”

Beckron's complexion hardened.

“……Is the business not good?”

“ls business what matters to you right now?”

I looked at Beckron. He tilted his head, his face blank.

“Yes, yes. I came to ask about the business.”

“Hmph. You don’t even know what's important.”

I frowned.

For Glofeld’s Beckron, there is a very easy, clear, and perfectly exploitable future.

Beckron asked again.

“What is important then? Obviously, the business is important.”

“Have you ever participated in experiments dealing with souls?”

“Soul, what, what?”

Beckron's brow furrowed.

“Suddenly talking nonsense… It’s about the business, the business. I came to ask whether the business will do well or not”

“That’s not what’s important!”

Bang. I slammed the table.

Then Beckron's mask slightly slipped.

“……lf my question isn't important, then what is?”

I fixed my gaze on his shoulder. Beckron also glanced alternately at his own shoulders.

“Your body is attached to souls. Countless souls.”

Glofeld is a collaborator with Libra. Perhaps, one of the families that participated in human experiments aiming for eternal life.

“Countless grudges are weighing you down.”

“Huh, really now.”

Beckron crossed his arms in frustration.

“I don't know what you’re talking about. So, are you saying these grudges are ruining my business?”

“You’re wrong.”

“Then what is it!”

He eventually yelled, and I pointed at Beckron with my finger.

“The vengeful spirits are trying to kill you.”

“…Me? Has this fortune teller lost his mind”

“The accumulated grudges will become a disease within your body.”

A famous issue before regression.

Beckron will get cancer.

Not like my Cancer of the Magic’s Core, but pancreatic cancer.

But he’s lucky because it will be discovered during a health check later on, so he won’t die, I’m just informing him a bit early.

“Disease?”

Beckron paused slightly.

“What nonsense. I must be an idiot for coming to receive such unscientific fo rtu n e-te Ui ng.”

He spat out harsh words and started to leave the tent, but then he turned back, gathered all the fees he had placed on the desk, and walked out again.

I called out to his back.

“You’re a man who doesn’t know what's important. Don't think that one disease is the end.”

Of course, pancreatic cancer is usually the end, but I’m just scaring him.

This way, when he comes back later, I’ll take everything he has, liver and gallbladder included.

“…You should be thankful I don’t send someone to destroy this place.”

Beckron glanced at me sideways and left the building threateningly.

Drip-drip—

Rain falls outside the window. What began as mere droplets touched by fingertips soon thickens, soaking the winter garden in a cold embrace.

Chirr-

Whiskey fills the glass. Johanna’s pale, delicate fingers grasp it.

“……”

She sits in a chair, gazing out the window.

On the desk, the laptop screen still displays the past. For months, it tormented Johanna, a gift she had prepared… though calling it a gift is utter bullshit.

It was simple curiosity.

Just wanting to know him.

The life traces that made Shion Ascal who he is today, not just his hobbies and habits, but even his parents, spurred her to foolishly spend a fortune to uncover the truth.

Gulp-gulp—

Johanna downs the hard liquor. The hot liquid surges into her chest. Intoxication and pain mingle, breeding turmoil.

She slumps, pondering simply.

Can this ’event’ be considered shocking?

Yes, could such ’events’ really have a significant impact on me?

So far, such 'events’ were common for her.

Very common.

Johanna, Derek, Jade, they all had their share of far worse incidents.

The pharmaceutical business was something their father, Sherlock, was particularly obsessed with, and all three siblings wanted to inherit it, but after much pain, Derek ended up taking it over.

Yet, the reason Derek sold this data to her was ultimately because it was ’us’.

Because it was Libra.

[Day 180 of Drug Administration: Disposal Process Initiated]

“……”

Johanna glances again at the laptop screen. She’s not sure how many days she’s spent staring at the stark words “Disposal Process.”

The same worries, the same torment, confined in this house—how much has he suffered, she couldn’t say.

—If, his illness is because of Libra.

If his father’s death, and his dying, are truly because of Libra.

If that’s really the case.

Then their meeting was doomed from the start. Their mutual love was flawed from the beginning.

Libra was not his benefactor.

Therefore, he should not have been loyal to Libra. He should not have come to Libra following his father's wishes. He should not have met her then.

He should have resented Libra, and she should have resented him too.

However…

Johanna still sees his face when she closes her eyes. His earnestness as he declared his love in the desert landscape blurs, and her own feelings of loving him are reaffirmed.

“Ha…”

Originally, he should have hated her.

He should have been disgusted by her.

He should have despised her.

“……lt's hard to bear.”

Johanna found it unbearable.

If it had been her former self, she would have scoffed at anyone’s hatred, disgust, or dislike.

But not with Shion Ascal.

Just imagining his gaze shifting from love to hatred, his body and mind filled with betrayal, brought on a pain to her stomach, as if it were being torn apart.

“I…”

Johanna looked out the window again. She felt the chill of the falling rain. Her skin seemed to freeze.

“I feel guilty.”

For the first time, she experienced that feeling.

It was a devastating kind of guilt that went beyond mere apology, accepting even the sins of her family as her own fault.

Johanna looked at the calendar. It had somehow become winter, but her time and that guy’s time would have been different.

His seasons were running out.

“……”

Johanna silently bowed her head.

She choked back a rising sob, struggling to contain her tears.