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Chapter 58
Othello closed the book he had been reading.
In his room, where sunlight slanted in, a stuffed bear—just like the one he had given to Sasha—sat atop the desk.
Since there had been no sound for a while, perhaps he had realized that the bear was actually Lune.
Somehow, Othello found that a little disappointing.
― So you’ve regressed, Evan Taylors.
The constant chatter he’d heard had been… oddly pleasant.
Shaking his head, Othello stood up, picked up his sword, and stepped outside.
This was a small hut adjoining the Taylors’ mansion.
The Taylors had never allowed him into the mansion itself.
Cenoa Taylors was far too suspicious a man for that—it was hardly unexpected.
“……”
As Othello emerged, the soldiers stationed outside tensed, raising their guard.
As always, he walked around to the back of the hut.
Behind it was a modest clearing.
There, Othello had carved wooden targets for his training.
As soon as he drew his sword, black flames flared around the blade.
“Creepy…”
He caught the muttered words of a maid who had been delivering his morning bread. His heightened senses, sharpened by his supernatural power, picked up things others wouldn’t notice.
Within Taylors territory, black flames were seen as ominous—something to be shunned.
But Othello paid such views no mind.
If the black flames made soldiers scatter from him, all the better.
“……”
He slashed at a wooden dummy thirty meters away.
The dark flame licked across only the lower half of the target.
He slashed again. And again.
― Everyone’s going to die. Percetos will be resurrected…
Sasha’s anxious voice echoed vividly in his mind.
It wasn’t something to be taken seriously.
Children always came up with strange imaginings.
And yet, the reason he hadn’t killed Evan Taylors that day was…
― If Evan dies, maybe it’s over for me too. I won’t be able to see Father, or Brother Jin, or Othello… anymore.
Yes—because of that voice.
Swish!
The dark flame burst forth, cleaving the wooden dummy cleanly through the middle.
No—more than cleaving, it detonated, scattering splinters everywhere.
Othello gazed at the spot with cold eyes.
He resolved to etch that feeling into memory.
When cutting down an enemy, it must be like this—precise, merciless.
After a moment, he slid the dark-hued blade back into its sheath.
― I want to see Othello today.
He decided then—he would believe Sasha’s every word.
“Ugh… failed again.”
Back at the Black Tower after a long while, I let out a little sigh.
I wanted so badly to open it up and gather elixirs or information about the world, but the tower didn’t yet recognize my growth as sufficient to permit entry.
Without Grandpa Hector—the treasury of knowledge—by my side, deciphering the difficult passages in the library books was nearly impossible.
I tucked the key hanging from my neck back into my clothes.
[Name: Sasha Winchester (Lv. 7)]
[Job: Unemployed]
[Traits: Rattle Master, Little Explorer]
[Stats: HP 18 / Strength 10 / Ability — / Intelligence 31
There are unopened stats.]
[Skill: Domination of Darkness (Lv. 4 / SS)]
[Inventory: Secret of the Blue Hawk / 370 Rubies]
The days felt unbearably slow.
If only one of the locked shops would finally open, maybe I could find some good items.
Like an elixir. Or an elixir. Or… an elixir…
Achoo!
“Young Lady, you’re coughing again.”
Maya looked at me with worry.
Even with Elixia’s help, frailty clung to me like a shadow.
Just three days ago, I’d come down with another fever, and the doctor had watched over me nearly the whole day.
Even Paras incense hadn’t worked—his face had been grim.
This was fate; the original Sasha Winchester had always been described this way.
“Let’s go inside.”
“Yes, my lady.”
I looked up at the gathering storm clouds before stepping onward.
“For lunch, I want vitello tonnato and albeze.”
“I’ll tell the cook to prepare them. It’s such a relief you still have your appetite, my lady.”
Despite my frailty, I ate well.
Of course I did. As someone who used to live on convenience-store meals, becoming a noble lady meant the best thing of all was the food.
The thrill I’d felt when I first tasted real cuisine after years of bland porridge… I’d never forget it.
The Winchester Duchy was wealthy, and delicious dishes were abundant. Jin and Othello often left more than half uneaten. But not me—I finished everything on my plate.
The doctor had said once:
She was born weak, but she’s overcoming it with her appetite.
“And lime granita too.”
I added to the menu, imagining the refreshing taste of ice.
“Young Lady, really… even while coughing.”
“But it’s hot!”
Just as we entered the mansion, raindrops began to fall.
Good timing, I thought—when suddenly, urgent voices rang out.
“This is bad. If this goes wrong, it’ll be war…!”
“Where’s the doctor?”
“He’s inside.”
I quickened my pace toward the second floor.
“And His Grace, the Duke?”
“He went to inspect the territory. He’ll be delayed.”
Servants and maids were gathered in the corridor, faces pale. The head maid looked stricken.
And before Evan’s room stood Jin—his clothes soaked in blood.
Seeing the sword at his waist, I quickly guessed what had happened.
“Brother Jin.”
He turned toward me, his expression cold.
Though the killing intent had left his dark eyes, there was no mistaking he’d been in danger with Evan.
Of course, I wasn’t in a position to interrogate him.
“You’re not hurt?”
At my question, Jin’s brow twitched, and after a moment, he let out a small sigh.
His face showed deep displeasure.
“The Taylors heir is injured.”
But Jin Winchester wasn’t someone who would strike recklessly.
If it had been Othello, Evan would already be dead. But Jin was rational.
“Was it during sparring?”
His silence was confirmation.
I didn’t imagine Jin would have held back.
And as for Evan—being a regressor, he might even be stronger than Jin. So how…?
Boom!
Before I could finish my thought, Jin drew his blade, slicing through the door as it crashed toward us.
I froze in shock behind him as the door split cleanly in two.
Through the gap, I saw Evan’s room.
Evan lay unconscious on the bed, shirtless, his torso wrapped in blood-soaked bandages. Around him, sharp currents of blue light surged violently.
The doctor had retreated, clutching a bleeding hand, while several servants lay collapsed.
“We brought him back from the sparring ground, but then this happened.”
Jin’s low voice reached me.
“I never expected he’d just awakened his Blue Radiance.”
The sheer presence of that power made me recoil.
Evan Taylors… had only just awakened Blue Radiance?
In a flash, I remembered what I’d seen before:
[The ability of ‘The Lost 28th-Loop Regressor’ is sealed.]
[Forcing awakening of ‘The Lost 28th-Loop Regressor’.]
Wait… was that the awakening of this ability, Blue Radiance?
So he hadn’t been able to use it until now?
Wasn’t he supposed to awaken at age four, like in the original story?!
“His Blue Radiance is rampaging.”
Maya had once told me:
When an ability awakens, the body suffers greatly while adapting.
Push too hard, and the vessel—that is, the body—can break.
When Othello had awakened Black Flame, he’d wandered the mansion unconscious, wreaking havoc.
“For now, please withdraw, Young Master.”
The head maid bowed to Jin.
There was nothing else to be done.
I stared at the wild aura raging around Evan’s body for a long time.
“What the heck is going on?”
In the original story, Evan awakened Blue Radiance at age four.
It had been without trouble, and he’d shown off unmatched ability.
But this Evan… he was a regressor, repeating loops over and over.
I’d thought he’d long since awakened.
With his cheat-like nature, it wouldn’t have been strange if he’d awakened right at birth.
If he’s only just awakened…
Then his body would still be unstable.
It takes time for an ability to fully settle into its vessel.
So that’s why…
That night, with the Lisonia ring, Evan had tried to attack me.
But the Blue Radiance that halted at my head… had felt awkward, flickering.
Maybe it wasn’t just the difference between Black Flame and Blue Radiance.
Maybe Evan simply wasn’t yet skilled in controlling it.
If, in such a state, he’d pushed himself to the limit during sparring with Jin… no wonder he’d spiraled into rampage.
And knowing Evan, he wouldn’t have refused Jin’s challenge.
If Evan dies like this… what happens to me?
I hesitated, stepping into the room.
Evan was a regressor—when he died, the world reset.
Would I be dragged back to infancy too…? Or just die for good? Damn it, my lunch!
[The item ‘Secret of the Blue Hawk’ reacts to a Special Zone.]
A system message I’d ignored suddenly appeared.
Evan Taylors’ space.
Could the clue to solving this mess be hidden here?
After a moment of thought, I stepped into the Special Zone.
His familiar room unfolded before me.
“Haa…”
I took a deep breath.
Like it or not, it was time to step back into this place again.
