[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]

Chapter 335: Quickly, Before I Change My Mind

I explained everything to Siena.

“The truth is, I am a reincarnator.”

“A rein… what?”

“It means I have a past life, I remember it, and I am aware that I have been reincarnated.”

“……?”

Siena’s expression turned strange.

She was probably doubting her own ears.

“And my past life was as an underworld bladesman named Karzan. I was that very man.”

“……!”

After dropping these shocking truths right from the start, I slowly began to explain.

How Karzan was orphaned at a young age and taken in by a poor old man.

How after his grandfather’s death, he roamed the back alleys and entered the underworld to protect his friends.

How he then built his power, avenged his enemies, and made a name for himself, eventually becoming an enforcer for the Black Society by accepting their deals without knowing their true nature.

And the fact that after refusing their offer to become a slave in exchange for learning demonic arts, he was marked for elimination.

How, while trying to get his subordinates to safety, he fled with the Dark King’s treasure, only to be surrounded by his old friend, Ivan…….

And finally, how he awakened the subtle principle of Penetration and Spiral to break the barrier protecting the wooden box, only to be killed in an explosion when a hidden trap magic was triggered.

“The Soul-Slumbering Black Moon is, in fact, an ultimate technique I perfected by refining the skill I used back then.”

“No, is that really true?”

“It is.”

…The story continued.

How I awoke to find I had been reincarnated in the body of Allenvert, having lost my memories.

And how I had lived as Allenvert until the present day.

And most importantly, the final piece…….

“I had an unresolved connection with a woman named Adeline.”

Also, how I recently learned that she had been honoring my memory all this time while caring for orphans.

And that her guardian and my second-in-command at the time was none other than Zamuel.

And so, I told her everything, leaving nothing out, including how the Dark King was an adversary who transcended both my past and present lives.

“……It’s a difficult story to believe, but I can’t not believe it, either.”

Siena’s expression changed from moment to moment.

“I thought there was something, but I never imagined I would hear a story like this.”

What remained at the end was a sigh.

Siena took a deep breath and asked me.

“Young Lord, everything you’ve said until now is the truth, isn’t it?”

“I swear on my soul, it is.”

“I see. Now it all makes sense.”

Siena gave a small nod.

“Zamuel’s existence, your strange relationship with the man named Ivan. Your actions in the underworld, the way you so skillfully handled them. And above all, a growth rate that the word ‘genius’ couldn’t begin to describe.”

She was right.

Those things couldn’t be explained away simply by me being a genius or an unusual person.

“I wondered how you could get so strong so quickly. It all happened within a year of you properly starting your martial arts journey, regardless of your age. I naturally assumed you had been secretly training during your seclusion, but—”

Siena looked me straight in the eye.

“It was so fast because you were on the path to reclaiming a state you had lost.”

“That’s right. Furthermore, I encountered divine arts and fortuitous opportunities that I had never seen in my past life, which allowed me to soar faster and higher.”

“I see. All the pieces of the puzzle fit now.”

With a look of someone holding something back, Siena finally asked the question she was likely most curious about.

“Adeline, were you and she lovers?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I was a coward.”

“A coward, you say……”

“I was afraid of starting a family. I was afraid that while living by the sword in the underworld, I would die one day, and my wife and children would be forced to live a difficult life, just as I did when I was young.”

“……”

“And the thing I feared eventually happened. That’s why, even after I was reincarnated, I didn’t regret that choice.”

I thought of the countless lonely nights I had spent thinking of Adeline.

“But you must have missed her.”

Siena said, seeing the look on my face.

“Would you prefer I be honest?”

“Please, be honest.”

“……I missed her, but I thought I would never be able to meet her again. In the first place, there was no guarantee she was even alive.”

However.

“Through Severian and Zamuel, I learned that she was still honoring my memory. But I have my duties in this life, and—”

I brought out all the difficult words.

“There is also you, Lady. That is why it was hard to make up my mind.”

Siena asked with sad eyes.

“Why are you telling me all of this?”

“……After consuming the Dragon Heart, I recovered all of my childhood memories in my unconscious.”

I said.

“And I finally managed to merge the two egos, Karzan and Allenvert, into one whole. In doing so, I came to a clear distinction.”

Siena waited quietly for me to continue.

“Karzan is dead, and I must live the life of Allenvert. I’ve decided to accept that my feelings for Adeline are a fondness born from lingering attachment and longing, and to accept it as a connection that has passed, unfulfilled.”

……I took Siena’s hand. It was, I realized again, a white, beautiful, and calloused hand.

“That is why I have revealed everything. If you are disappointed or disillusioned, this is your last chance. It’s alright if you refuse—”

“Young Lord.”

Siena cut me off and glared at me fiercely.

“How can you say such a thing?”

“Uh, did I say something strange?”

“Sigh.”

Siena suddenly snatched my wrist. I flinched for a moment at her forcefulness.

“Did you take me so lightly? Of course, it feels like a poke in the heart to think there was another woman.”

But?

“Thank you for not hiding it until the end. And the fact that you tried to tie up the loose ends yourself is somewhat manly. Though a bit frustrating.”

“I have no excuse for that.”

“……So, you’re saying you’ll accept my heart in the end, is that it? Say it clearly.”

I nodded at Siena’s uncharacteristically forceful push.

“Yes. I’m sure.”

“Then that’s settled. ……If you want to see Adeline, you can go and see her.”

“Are you serious?”

“We have a battle for everything on the line, so it would be best to clear away any lingering feelings in your heart. I won’t resent you or hold any grudges, so go and see her quickly before I change my mind. You have wings, don’t you?”

“I-I understand.”

Siena pushed my back.

“In return, when you come back, tell me about the conversation you two had. I have that right, don’t I?”

I replied in a fluster.

“Um, if you’re asleep, tomorrow morning—”

“Do you think I’ll be able to sleep in this situation? I’ll be up all night, cutting down scarecrows or something, so just go quickly.”

“……Are you really sure it’s okay for me to go?”

“Tsk.”

I hunched my shoulders and escaped from Siena’s room as if fleeing.

‘Is this right?’

I felt like I had just experienced a preview of my future married life.

But the thought that Siena had a side like that somehow made me smile.

“Haha.”

How did I ever meet such a wonderful woman?

***

The place where Adeline was staying was about halfway between the Litvaleur Royal Castle and the Montera Duchy.

“Hoo.”

I put on the Mask of Aminicrus.

It would be quicker to explain things if I appeared in the form she remembered, rather than as Allenvert.

‘Let me just take a deep breath.’

I recalled Adeline’s letter.

Thinking of the heart she had put into it, I wanted to see her, but at the same time, I felt so deeply sorry that I wanted to run away.

But I had to move forward.

‘Come to think of it, showing up in the middle of the night when everyone is asleep is quite rude.’

I used the subtlety of concealment and entered the large, shabby building.

‘……The children’s faces are clean.’

While their clothes couldn’t be called the finest, it seemed quite a few children were growing up with good nutrition and hygiene.

‘And a wide range of ages.’

Most importantly, their sleeping faces were peaceful.

There didn't seem to be any children crying secretly or suffering from anxiety.

This alone was enough to see how meticulously Adeline was caring for them.

‘Haha.’

I laughed silently. Adeline was still a good person.

She must have saved the lives of so many children over the years.

Finding Adeline’s room wasn't difficult. I just had to find the room where the light was still on at this hour.

‘Now, how should I start the first greeting?’

My tongue, which had never faltered before anyone, was now frozen as if I had become a fool.

Knock, knock.

I knocked first.

“Hm? Who is it?”

Even though she must be tired, her voice was full of gentleness, and I already felt like crying.

‘That’s the voice.’

A voice unchanged by the years.

But its tone was even softer than it was back then.

“I’m sorry, Adeline. I’m so late.”

Silence followed from beyond the door.

The sound of a sharp intake of breath, a quickening respiration of disbelief. And then—

“……Karzan?”

Just as I had, Adeline also remembered my voice.

“It’s me, Adeline.”

The door opened.

The face I had longed for so much was there.

“Karzan, it’s really you.”

She had changed a lot from the person in my memory.

Her long hair was cut above her shoulders, and like Zamuel, the traces of time were etched all over her face.

But the eyes I remembered were still the same.

“Am I dreaming?”

“It’s not a dream.”

“……I wanted to see you just once before I died.”

Adeline smiled.

A single, clear tear trickled down her cheek.

.

.

.

We talked for a long time.

About our lives after we parted, the final moments, the reincarnation, and the life that followed.

“Are you really telling me you’re Allenvert Grunewald?”

I took off my mask to show her my face.

“……This is absurd.”

Only after touching my face here and there did Adeline finally seem convinced.

“Still, isn’t it a bit too extreme, from one to the other?”

“Zamuel was quite surprised when he saw me, too.”

“Ahaha!”

“I’m traveling with Zamuel, so I’m sorry I couldn’t send him to you right away.”

“I heard the news. When I heard he was making a name for himself beside Lord Allenvert, I thought that perhaps you might really be alive.”

“……I read all your letters.”

I recalled the words written in them.

- Karzan. I have missed you for a long time, but I also know well what you feared. I know now that I cannot be with you. But I want to see your face once before my life is over.

With what kind of heart did she write those words?

- Karzan, how have you been? What do you look like, now that you’ve aged? Were your years arduous and lonely? Did you find a lover and family to be your sanctuary? To ask of your well-being like this, all of it is a joy, and also a longing.

I was a pathetic man who blessed the idea of you meeting a lover and starting a family, while at the same time, not wanting to see it.

Therefore.

“……I see. You’ve found a lover.”

Adeline’s calm voice dug into my chest.

[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]