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Chapter 6
But this child was really Ruizel Tritan?
His appearance was clearly different from the picture I had seen, but considering that picture was from ten years in the future, it was understandable.
There had been people whose hair had turned completely white at a young age after experiencing horrific events, while others had suffered so many scars across their entire bodies that their original appearance was impossible to recognize.
Still, if Ruizel was a Titan, then his hatred toward the Empire made sense.
After all, the Empire had been at the forefront of the extermination of the Titans.
More than anything, neither the name Ruizel nor the surname Tritan was particularly common.
The silver-gray eyes that were the only recognizable feature in the wanted poster matched the color of the child’s eyes.
It was only right to assume they were the same person.
“Are you really Ruizel Tritan?”
“You talk as though you already knew me.”
“……”
He didn’t know me, but I knew him.
I had rather deep feelings toward him.
It was an ironic thing.
Thanks to him drawing the Empire’s attention away, I had been able to escape the Empire’s pressure and at least try to do something.
Even before my regression and after my regression, he was my benefactor.
Even if he was a vicious murderer who had killed thousands of Imperial citizens.
“Thank you…”
“It’s nothing.”
Ruizel, who had no idea about the future, probably assumed my thanks were for the necklace and brushed it off without much thought.
Given my position, I couldn’t casually talk about my personal circumstances. Even if that weren’t the case, who would easily believe in something as bizarre as regression?
He was clearly extremely wary of others. If I laid out every detail of my circumstances, he’d probably think I was crazy.
“I mean it. Thank you.”
I didn’t know whether my words would reach him, but I spoke as sincerely as I could.
“If it’s related to your skill, there’s no need to thank me. You’re the one who found me in the first place.”
“Ah! Right! Did you know I’d find you today?”
“I’m not a prophet. How would I know something that specific? I merely thought that someday the owner of the necklace might find me. This is our clan’s…”
“Your clan’s?”
“……”
If you’re going to say something, say the whole thing.
It seemed important, but he had stopped right at the crucial part, making me impatient.
“Forget it. You don’t need to know.”
“But, Ruizel. Tell me. This is really important to me. How could I not ask?”
From what I had observed, Ruizel was the type to be harsh toward the strong but gentle toward the weak.
I acted pitiful and cautiously watched his reaction.
Ruizel anxiously tapped his palm with his finger.
Heh heh.
That’s right.
He’s falling for it.
He’s still young, after all.
Come on, good boy. Why don’t you tell me?
“The clan’s… mission.”
That’s it!
This was it!
He’s fallen for it, Ruizel!
“Uh-huh. The clan’s m-mission?”
Wait.
Mission?
I had a feeling this part was extremely important.
Was the death of his clan, the Titans, not an accident?
Was my skill somehow intertwined with the mission of the Titan clan?
What in the world was going on?
Was my meeting with Ruizel not a coincidence?
My thoughts became complicated, but his expression looked sad, so I couldn’t press him any further.
It seemed that the boy’s tightly sealed lips would need more time before they opened again.
Whoosh…
Ah… come on.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
It’s cold!
It’s freezing!
I wanted to think seriously, but the wind was so cold.
My young body, which was particularly vulnerable to the cold, trembled violently.
“R-Ruizel. Can I come over next to you?”
“No.”
“Just next to you. Achoo! I mean, just a little closer. Is that really not okay?”
“I already answered once. Why are you asking the same thing again?”
“Umm… because it’s cold? I-I’m not doing this just because I want to stretch out my body and be comfortable, okay… Achoo! I’m this cold, but Ruizel, achoo! How much colder must you be?”
Stupid lips, stop trembling.
“……”
He bit his lips tightly, then silently stood up and brought over a few more pieces of dry firewood.
Crackle!
With a sharp sound, sparks caught on the firewood.
The shadows of the flames settled warmly against my cold, frozen skin.
“Ruizel, you’re kind.”
“I just don’t want to hear you sniffling.”
Feeling awkward, I fell silent, and Ruizel turned his back to me and lay down.
He looked like he intended to sleep until the update was finished.
“But Ruizel. Do you think all of this is a coincidence?”
“Stop talking to me.”
“But I’m curious.”
His tone was fierce, but he was too kind to completely ignore me.
“What are you so curious about?”
Perhaps I had gotten on his nerves, because he eventually turned around and sat up with a sudden movement that was very much like a child his age.
“Are you going to talk to me?”
“Don’t misunderstand. I got up because I thought it would be less annoying to deal with you for a while.”
He snorted dismissively, but I could tell that he intended to keep talking with me.
Ruizel was a good child.
Good enough to make the future I knew about him all the more heartbreaking.
My own situation was difficult enough, yet I couldn’t help worrying about him.
It was strange.
Even if I was grateful to him, how had my guard dropped this much…?
Could this perhaps be some kind of System effect?
“Ruizel. Do you like me too?”
“……No.”
“Hm? Didn’t you hesitate just now?”
“……”
What was this?
Seriously?
I thought about it carefully.
When had I started liking Ruizel?
At first, I simply thought his eyes were pretty.
If I had to be precise, it had been nothing more than the faintest hint of affection.
But the more I talked to him, the more my fondness for Ruizel grew.
Although my body had become that of a child, my mind hadn’t.
And yet, I was less wary than even the young Ruizel.
It seemed that he, too, was feeling the same affection toward me that I felt toward him.
“Is the Hidden Dungeon a mental-type dungeon? Some kind of charm skill?”
“It isn’t that serious!”
The boy suddenly shouted in an almost suspiciously defensive manner.
“But your face is red, Ruizel.”
At my words, the area around his eyes, tinted like a delicate flame, trembled.
His reaction was so intense that I wondered why I hadn’t noticed it sooner.
“It’s hot. That’s all! It’s hot!”
“So you did feel something?”
“……”
“It’s not your skill, is it?”
“I didn’t do anything. And it doesn’t mean anything. It’s probably just the System meddling for the sake of making the quest proceed smoothly. My role ends with removing the lock on your necklace.”
“Ruizel doesn’t know anything beyond that?”
“I don’t know. And I don’t want to know.”
He irritably ran a hand through his hair, as if I were being ridiculously nosy.
“Is your bound skill Mythic Grade too?”
This question amounted to me admitting that I possessed a Mythic Grade bound skill myself, but I didn’t care.
Since Ruizel already knew about the necklace, I couldn’t imagine that he didn’t know this.
“Yes. Just like your skill, mine is sealed too. This is part of the process of breaking that seal.”
Thinking about it, Ruizel had actually been cooperative with me from the beginning, despite his harsh way of speaking.
The fact that he had updated my skill without asking for anything in return was proof of that.
Was he as desperate as I was?
I remembered how his life ended in the future I knew.
What had you been so desperate for?
The System had brought the two of us together for some reason.
And it seemed to have even installed a mechanism that made us feel favorably toward each other so that we would cooperate.
As far as I knew, this was the first time the System had interfered so directly in the relationships between people.
I had always questioned the existence of the System.
At first glance, the System seemed fair.
But if you looked closely, it wasn’t.
Dividing human abilities into grades and imposing limits on their potential was more classist than any nation in the world.
What did the System want from Ruizel and me?
There was one thing I was certain of.
Ruizel was not my enemy.
“Then we’re in a mutually beneficial relationship… We’ll have to stay together, then. Right, Ruizel?”
At my quiet murmur, the cold-looking eyes in front of me twitched.
“Ruizel! Ruizel!”
“Can’t you stop calling my name?”
“It’s a name meant to be called, isn’t it?”
“Only call it once each time.”
“Oh. So you’re saying I can keep calling you from now on?”
Mythic Grade!
And not just any Mythic Grade—one I could trust!
The future high-Ranker was within arm’s reach.
Who would only reach out once when someone like that was right in front of them?
I wanted to poke him, prod him, and pinch him just to see what would happen.
Personally, I liked Ruizel.
And professionally, I wanted him too.
He was a talented individual who hated the Empire.
Wasn’t he perfect for me?
Since things had turned out this way, I decided I had to somehow win him over and bring him to the royal palace.
So I kept clinging to him.
“Hey, Ruizel, how old are you?”
“Ten.”
“Gasp! Ten?”
When I moved closer, Ruizel instinctively backed away.
“How wonderful! Even your age is perfect, Ruizel! Your age is amazing too! Incredible! You’re already ten years old! You must be happy! I’m jealous! What’s it like being ten?”
“G-Go away…!”
“Ah, sorry. Was I being too overwhelming? But you’re just so amazing, Ruizel!”
“What exactly is so amazing?”
“When you’re ten, you can finally use the Crystal Network properly! You must have an ID too, right?”
“I mean…”
“You do! You do! Can you show it to me too?”
I had once roamed freely across the Crystal Network, and now that my body was younger, being unable to properly use all that valuable information made me feel like I was going to turn into a stone Buddha from frustration.
Still, I could finally see hope.
If I stayed with Ruizel, I would be able to use the Crystal Network through his ID.
The adults around me, people like Karen, were under the Empire’s surveillance.
I couldn’t borrow their IDs without risking suspicion.
But Ruizel was different.
A ten-year-old child who had just started using the network would naturally be curious. No matter what he searched for, it wouldn’t seem strange.
“Ah, seriously… Ruizel, I really like you.”
