Memoirs of the Returnee - Chapter 189



Only Krnovel

The Regressor’s Notepad 189

jumbled (2)

I arrived at the address on the note. I quickly found the city block itself, which was identical to the center of the actual capital, Edsilla.

“… … It’s Prestium.”

The Prestige is a luxury apartment located in the actual capital city of Edsilla. Rich people like Elise, Soliet, and Kane probably live here.

The problem is that security is tight, whether it’s real or fake.

I walked into the premium gate, which was like an airport. Naturally, I was stopped by a security guard.

“Stop.”

“I am a detective.”

I quickly showed my ID. The security guard chuckled and took out a scanner.

Beep-

His expression became slightly embarrassed.

“… … It’s true.”

“Then. What could it be fake? I came here to investigate something.”

“Do you have a warrant?”

“yes.”

I took out a piece of paper from my bosom. It was a search warrant that I had improvised by “trickery.”

“… … .”

The bodyguard opened his mouth slightly.

“Wait a minute, but you came alone?”

“There are many around you. You just can’t see them. Since it’s a top secret project and it’s a Prestium, I came alone to avoid causing a fuss.”

“Um… how many minutes will you be staying?”

“I don’t know. Not yet.”

He left. I went into the apartment lobby.

I got on the elevator and pressed the button for the 13th floor.

Ding!

We quickly reached the 13th floor. As expected of a luxury apartment, there was only one unit per floor.

Ahem. I cleared my throat and rang the doorbell.

Ding dong-

This sound is a little bit affectionate.

“… … Is there one?”

─Yes. Who are you?

A voice flowing from Interpol. A deep and attractive low-mid range.

I threw him the password.

“Do you have nail clippers?”

─… … Yes?

Bam-

The door opened first.

I took a step back at that moment.

“Who are you?”

“… … .”

I just quietly watched him ask that question.

A man across the threshold looks me up and down, frowning slightly.

A man I admired from afar, never daring to approach him as a child.

Javed Arkhneh.

He really was there.

From the appearance of that time, with a slightly older face… … .

“How did you get up here?”

“Uh… … um.”

I showed him my ID.

“I am a detective.”

“Detective Victor Randall… … .”

He looked back and forth between his ID and me.

“More questionable. Why would a detective come here?”

“… …Do you have nail clippers?”

I repeated the password to him again, just in case he misheard me.

“Nail clippers?”

Javed frowned.

“Yes. Nail clippers.”

“There is. Did the detective come looking for it?”

“… … .”

Apparently, Javed doesn’t know about the Soul Cistern. He doesn’t know where it is or why he’s here.

But why did the agent tell him to find Javed?

“… … You. Don’t know.”

I looked closely at him. Blue eyes like Soliet’s. Red hair like Arcne’s symbol.

He was definitely Javed.

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“That this world is fake.”

“under?”

One of Javed’s eyebrows quirked.

He twisted the corners of his mouth as if he was laughing.

“If you’re a cult member, just go back quietly. I won’t ask how you got here.”

“… … .”

I turned around without saying a word. I got on the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor.

Through the gap in the slowly closing door, I saw Javed staring at me.

My head hurt.

* * *

I sat on a bench in a 24-hour convenience store. I sighed and looked up at the night sky.

“What is going on… … .”

“What is going on?”

Then someone sat down in front of me. Putting a banana milk on the table.

“who…….”

It was a man wearing a hood.

The agent who gave me the note.

“you?”

“Oh. It’s me.”

He chuckled and pointed to the sky with his finger. I looked in that direction.

… … There was a ‘new moon’ in the dark clouds.

“It was you.”

The last guest──Noah Lucille.

He said, pulling his hood down low.

“Oh. I got a request from Aventaher. I was the one who made those goggles.”

“… …Why did you send me here? Javed doesn’t know anything.”

“I don’t know anything, so I have to tell you. Did you tell me?”

“I told you this place was fake. You probably wouldn’t believe it.”

“Thank goodness. I couldn’t even do that. If I go, I’ll be caught by Nightmare. My entire soul has entered this tank, so if I’m caught, I’ll die.”

“… … How to break the tank? Haven’t you found it yet?”

Knock-!

He put a straw in the banana milk.

“This tank was created by Nightmare to fulfill his wish. The tank will not be destroyed unless the wish itself is destroyed.”

“What is your wish?”

“… …To completely revive Javed Arkhne. Right now, he’s just a half-decent soul. The moment the tank goes out, he’ll die.”

Suddenly the wrinkles on my face became distorted.

“You killed him and now you’re bringing him back to life?”

“Oh. The nightmare has changed.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Did you change your ways or something?”

Noah Lucille shook his head. He continued to speak, sucking on the milk.

“You guys are mistaken. A nightmare is not a ‘form’. It’s a ‘phenomenon’.”

“phenomenon?”

“Uh. Nightmare is literally a nightmare. You can think of it as a ‘parasitic spirit.’ When it infests the host’s body, it dominates their sleep and turns them into nightmares that kill them. I don’t know who invented it, but whatever. It’s the worst invention.”

“… … .”

In that moment, a cold awl pierced my brain.

If that’s true, then Nightmare might not have been blaming anyone. If he could be ‘multiple’ in the first place… … .

Knock- knock-

He said, tapping his fingers on the table.

“In that sense, the old nightmare is dead. To be exact, it has moved.”

“… … Please tell me properly. Who killed the Nightmare, and to whom did it move?”

“Haha.”

He laughed as if he found it funny.

“I don’t know who the old Nightmare was. I don’t even know who killed him. But I know who the ‘current’ Nightmare is.”

Noah put the banana milk on the table.

I put my hands in my pockets.

I feel like I’m going to get hydrocephalus.

“… … .”

But then he suddenly shut his mouth.

“… … .”

I also kept my mouth shut.

“… … .”

“… … .”

A suffocating silence just for me. A guy who opens his eyes wide as if teasing me.

I bit my teeth hard.

“say.”

“Hahaha. Okay.”

He sighed and smiled. He muttered in a very soft voice.

‘Felix Althea’.

I thought I had misheard. I asked back as if it were a spinal reflex.

“what?”

“He is the current Nightmare. He is not dead. No, Nightmare saved him. As a host.”

“… … .”

This time, my whole body sank. I had no strength in my fingertips or toes, and my entire brain seemed to have shut down.

Noah Lucille, on the other hand, continued speaking in a cheerful tone.

“But, you know what? You were there when the nightmare was transferred to Felix.”

“……I?”

“Oh. You’re amazing. You seem to be connected to every moment of the most important people on this continent, big or small. Something about it… … almost feels artificial.”

He stopped talking. Suddenly he looked at his wristwatch.

“Next time later.”

“… … I guess time is up. Is there anything I should do next?”

“No. You ‘woke’ Felix. That’s enough for now. Now, time is up.”

Thump──!

The sound of a switch turning off.

At that moment, my consciousness disconnected and I took off my goggles.

“……ha.”

I looked around, taking a deep breath.

[Bethundun] It was Aventaher’s mansion.

“How was it?”

Railo asked.

I looked at Soliet without answering. She was repeatedly clenching and unclenching her fist, perhaps because the experience itself was new to her.

* * *

We came out of [Bethundun]. It was already getting dark outside the window.

“Now I can finally see the clue.”

I saw Soliet muttering like that.

“Solid. Give me your Bedandon CD for a minute.”

“Are you talking about my CD?”

“uh.”

She handed it over without much hesitation. I received it and assembled the “delivery box.”

“What’s in that box?”

“This? What is this?”

I put the CD in the “delivery box” and immediately threw it out the window.

“Huh, huh?!!”

Soliet jumped up. She tried to run away in a hurry, but then came back and shook my arm.

“What, what are you doing, Zion!”

I shrugged.

“I promised you, Mr. Gillon. That you’d play less games.”

I never promised it, but I’m sure Mr. Gillon would want that anyway.

“What?! Zion was the heir to the family?!”

“I can’t help it. Otherwise, my family will come looking for me.”

Solliet’s hand that held me trembled. Her face was filled with betrayal.

“I already told Mr. Railo. From now on, Bedundun will be done once a week, and only together. It’s too dangerous if you do it alone.”

“but-”

“Change the conditions.”

Suddenly, Elise intervened. Solliet looked back at Elise and nodded her head wildly. Perhaps she thought Elise would help her.

“Not just you two. The three of us. Including me. It was kind of fun, wasn’t it?”

“… … What is that?”

Solliet’s eyes were hollow and droopy like those of a catfish.

* * *

Gurrrrrr──

Endex, with late winter rain falling in drizzles.

[Edsilla National Magic University] We sincerely congratulate Soliet Del Luna Arcne on her acceptance to the Knighthood Department. There is no separate registration period, and the Magic University freshman admission fee and one-year tuition are fully supported by a scholarship.

Congratulations on passing.

Solliet looked at the text with blank eyes.

“……ah.”

I stared blankly at the ceiling.

The current time is 3:00 AM.

I can’t sleep.

Insomnia is back again.

… … Is it because of the bed?

No, it’s not because of Bedandon.

Whether I do the bed or not, I always sleep well here.

But why… …

Soliet is quite embarrassed.

Honestly, I feel like I’ve been scammed.

I paid 2,500 yen in advance for monthly rent and moved in on the first day, so why is this happening?

dripping-

knock.

Solliet sat up straight and opened the sliding door.

It was Zion.

“hi?”

I was about to close it quickly, but Zion stepped in first.

bang-

The door was slammed shut.

“Put your feet in.”

“… … Hey. Let me in.”

“Why did you come?”

“this.”

He showed her the game console he was holding in one hand. Solliet’s face almost brightened for a moment, but it wasn’t the game console she had been using.

“What is this stinky thing?”

“Gurida. This is a much more modern game console than the Bedundan. Let’s do this together.”

Soliet’s eyes became poisonous.

“I don’t like it.”

“If you try it, your thoughts will change.”

He came in, his whole body squeezing in. Soliet glared at him with her scissors-like eyes.

“This is trespassing, Zion.”

“Okay.”

“Please pay back the rent.”

He sat on the floor. He set up the game console on the TV and put a CD in.

[Elder’s Ring: Sky Scroll]

“… … The opening is sloppy.”

“It’s better than dots.”

“Bedondon is only a dot when you see it.”

Soliet was upset, but Zion ignored her and started playing the game. Soliet lay on the sofa and pretended not to notice and watched the screen.

Depending on his manipulations, the game character moves, swings a sword, and does other things.

[DIE]

Zion keeps dying.

Not only is he dead, he’s also incredibly bad. If someone saw him, they’d think he had three fingers.

[DIE]

The corner of her mouth twisted into a smile.

[DIE]

I’m curious, why don’t you use the rolling function? The tutorial kindly tells you how to do it. It says to use rolling.

“Ah, this is difficult.”

Zion tilted his head and scratched the back of his neck.

“Tch. What’s so difficult about that?”

Soliet grumbled without realizing it. Zion turned to her and handed her the gamepad.

“Then give it a try.”

“… … Hmm. If you’re trying to get attention by pretending not to be able to do something, then you’ve succeeded.”

Soliet snatched the gamepad and sat down next to him. Zion smiled slightly and asked.

“Sleep, didn’t you sleep?”

“……yes.”

“I heard you can sleep well here.”

“I think the psychological damage from being betrayed by Zion is too great.”

Zion looked at her quietly.

Gurrrrrr───

The sound of rain hitting the old pipe. The thin spray of water spreading outside the window. The humidity filling the room.

In it, Zion Ascal was lost in thought.

We have a chance to bring Javed back to life, even though no one knows yet if he is the real Javed.

Felix is ​​alive too, albeit a ghost resurrected by the Nightmare.

however…….

Zion thought about it hundreds of times before coming to Soliet today.

I asked myself like crazy.

Why didn’t Felix and Javed’s return happen before the regression?

Simply because Nightmare’s plan would fail?

Because Aventager’s plan succeeds?

no.

At least Zion doesn’t think so.

“Look, I was born with control.”

Soliet passed the tutorial in no time.

Maybe it’s because of her.

Thud─── Thud──

Zion imagines from the rain falling quietly.

Soliet before the return,

The sight of him killing those two with his own hands.

The two people I loved the most, the most precious to me,

The scene where he cuts himself off.

The sight of them shedding tears of blood and cutting off the necks of those who ‘should not be revived’.

“Solid.”

“……yes?”

[DIE]

Soliet quickly covered the screen and looked back at Zion. He also looked at her intently. He placed a hand on her small head.

“You’ve worked hard all this time.”

Now, there’s something I want to say. Even though she’s no longer with me now, there’s something I want to say, even if it’s late.

“… … ?”

She looked at Zion with slightly widened eyes. She turned off the game console by wiggling her toes.

“… … Is it because of Bedandon?”

Solliet asked back. Zion shook his head. He quietly pulled her away from her as she tried to say something. He held her warmly in his arms.

“Poem, Zion?”

“… … I didn’t know.”

He didn’t know why she committed suicide before her regression.

That’s why I felt a little resentful.

I wonder if it would have been better if you had lived.

I wish you had thought about what it would be like for me to live without you.

“I didn’t know… … .”

But now I know.

No one can blame you for your choices.

No one can make you give up on life…

Thud-thud-

The petty grudges in my heart melt away in the rain.

Thud-thud-

The sadness from before the regression comes back to me drop by drop.

Zion hugged Soliet tightly in his arms, burying his face in her shoulder.

“Sorry…….”

“No, no, Zion Zion. You don’t have to be sorry. It’s, it’s okay. Now. Bedandon, once a week was okay, right? I’m not a game addict.”

Meanwhile, Soliet’s face turned red like a tomato.

Thump─

Suddenly, he felt his own pulse pounding in his chest.

Thump- thump-

It’s hard to hear because it’s mixed with the sound of the rain… …but it’s definitely a stirring of the heart.

If not arrhythmia, then some new emotions sprouting up like sprouts.

“Zion… … I’m sleepy.”

In addition, a gentle breeze blows.

An unbearable feeling of fatigue is pouring down on me.

“……aha.”

At that moment, Soliet realized belatedly.

My problem wasn’t ‘space’.

It was a ‘person’.

person…….

Solliet slowly closed her eyes.

I was immersed in the sound of the rain.

* * *

[A painkiller with absolutely no side effects has been launched.]

At the same time, the ‘fake’ Prestige.

In a living room where only the most ideal news is streaming out, Javed Arkhne is lost in thought.

‘… You. Don’t know.’

The detective who came to see me last week, Victor Randall.

He keeps worrying me.

‘That this world is fake.’

“FALSE…….”

Javed bit his lip lightly.

It’s clearly a pseudo-religious rumor, but it stays in a corner of my mind and won’t go away. I can’t shake it off for a whole week.

“under.”

He gritted his teeth. Finally, he picked up his smartphone and made a call to someone.

Thump thump thump

“hello.”

─Yes. This is the Edsilla Metropolitan Police Agency.”

“I have a question for you. Is there a detective named Victor Randall there?”

─… … Yes?

“Detective Victor Randall.”

Javed furrowed his brows. Even while talking on the phone, he wondered what was going on.

─I’m done. Go ahead.

“… …Victor Randel?”

─Yes.

“You’re Victor Randel? The one who came to my mansion last time.”

─Victor Randel is correct, but who are you?

Javed changed his smartphone. Sure enough, the detective was right. I thought he was a cult.

“This is Javed Arkne.”

─… … You’re a famous person. But, what happened? I’ve never been to your mansion.

What kind of strange thing is this?

“What, do you have dementia?”

─What? Are you picking a fight right now?

Javed asked a medical question without realizing it, but then he remembered the strange question the detective had asked him.

“Do you have nail clippers?”

─A nail clipper? What the heck… … What are you talking about? Are you kidding me? If you are Javed Arkhne and have something to say, come and see me in person.

Stop-

He hung up the phone.

“… … What is this.”

I don’t know what he was talking about, but Javed got up and put on his jacket.

Since you asked me to come and see you in person, I have to go and see you in person.