Memoirs of the Returnee - Chapter 206



Only Krnovel

The Regressor’s Notepad 206

Ambition (2)

──… … I still don’t know why my father said that at that time.

Libra’s Hanging Gardens.

Back home, Jia is lost in her own thoughts. Lying on her bed, she stares blankly up at the ceiling.

──But when I met Miss Zia at the old castle in Trick City, and when Lord Jade asked me to become Miss Zia’s knight.

Zion Ascal’s voice echoes in his ears. The words he said while facing him in his pajamas…

──I felt like it was fate.

It’s a little bit convincing.

“……fate?”

Jia quietly recalled the past.

One day, I was sure I had attended an elementary school entrance ceremony.

There was no particular reason. I had spent my entire life in the Hanging Gardens. I just wanted to see the people on the ground.

It was just curiosity.

“… … .”

Could it be that these little things came together to create what we have today?

Is Zion Ascal a product of such good fortune?

If that’s true, it’s a truly mysterious theory, but I don’t believe in anything irrational. I’m convinced that there is no such thing as fate.

Jia called Jahanna.

Tturu-

─Uh.

Jahanna answered the phone right away.

… … I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please, I, I’m eww-!

A person’s scream flowed from the other end of the receiver. The sound of bones being cut was also vivid.

─Be quiet. It’s noisy. Oh, if you’re going to do it, you might as well cut off the tongue. You took the money with that three-inch tongue and ate it.

“… … .”

Jahanna is cruel, especially when it comes to money. If someone steals something from her, she will kill the relatives and even the eighth cousins.

“I…….”

─Did you decide to do it?

“Umm… … yes.”

Jia answered hesitantly. Jahanna snickered.

─Don’t worry. If he doesn’t advance, this won’t happen. These thieves took my money and didn’t get results, so they’re doing this…

… … Ugh.

The screams from the other end of the receiver splashed out like liquid.

It really felt like my tongue had been cut off.

“The tickets… were delivered… … .”

─Okay. Don’t worry about it. I don’t expect it anyway. But I promise, if you win the 6th round, I’ll give you 60 million Ren.

60 million renminbi. That’s enough to buy one or two buildings in the suburbs of the capital.

Most of the companies currently run by Jia are run under borrowed names, so the money deposited into her bank account will be very useful funds.

─Don’t hang up. There are still many things to deal with.

Jahanna hung up the phone.

“Whew… … .”

I let out a sigh of relief without realizing it. Somehow, I managed to complete the surprise visit without upsetting Jahanna.

As such, Jia is still afraid of Jahanna.

When I was seven or eight years old, I almost broke my leg after sneaking a piece of candy from Jahanna. She used to count the candies in the can herself.

The current Jahanna is a much more dangerous person than before.

‘Money’ made her like that.

* * *

“… … This is truly gold.”

I laughed out loud, waving the golden ticket.

Today, Jia asked me if I was good at gambling. I asked her what kind of gambling it was. She said poker, and I said I wasn’t bad at it. Then she handed me this ticket.

“gambling…….”

It’s Jahanna’s request or something. Anyway, it’s a ticket to the gambling table where you can win 10 million Ren if you win the round.

Jia gave me that opportunity, but she never revealed her ambitions until the end. She never showed any desire for a succession plan.

Still, you can’t completely trust me.

“He is a difficult person.”

I searched [WSOP] on my smartphone.

[World Series of Poker: Golden Ticket]

[Who will be the winner of the final 6 rounds?]

[All players sponsored by Libra are eliminated… … .]

World Series of Poker.

It also appeals to me.

The prize money for winning the round is 10 million renminbi, and the total prize money for winning the round is a whopping 60 million renminbi, so I need the money more than anyone else.

But the problem is ‘how’ to win.

You can keep a poker face. Even if you get a royal straight flush, you can just pretend not to care.

However, that alone is not enough.

Poker is played in a no-mana room. Mana in a no-mana zone loses its utility and properties. Therefore, many functions of the “Notepad” are likely to not work.

and……

“… … gambler.”

Suddenly, [Bedondon] came to mind.

My class there is gambler.

The Gambler class description is simple.

[Get a bonus on all gambling activities.]

“I wonder if that would work.”

I transplanted not only the skills of the gambler in [Bethundun], but also the gambler class itself into the real “Notepad”.

If it affects reality, if it helps my luck even in the slightest way──

──Weeeeeing.

The smartphone alarm rang.

“Ah. Right.”

Gambling or whatever, class comes first today.

* * *

The National Magic University’s grounds are vast. All the buildings are large and state-of-the-art.

Among them, the first floor auditorium of the huge Vulcan Pavilion is particularly notable.

I’m looking around the crowded interior.

“What are you doing there?”

A voice came from somewhere. It was a clear tone that seemed to pierce my ears.

Of course it’s Elise.

She was also in the front row.

“Huh? Hey.”

I looked around her. There was a pencil case next to her, and a tumbler next to that, as if taking up space.

“Are all of those available?”

“No. Sit next to me. That’s Raye’s seat.”

Elise said, using her telekinesis to bring the tumbler to me.

“thank you.”

I sat down right there.

“But are you taking this class too? I heard you’re not taking it.”

“It was Professor Teia Isil’s class. I didn’t know that at the time. It means that it wasn’t the class I signed up for because of you.”

Elise shrugged nonchalantly and sipped her tumbler.

“By the way, where did Solliet go? Weren’t we taking the same class?”

I looked at my smartphone. I had contacted her five minutes ago, but there was still no reply from Solliet.

“I guess he’s sleeping. He must be slacking off because it’s the first lecture.”

“Hmm… … .”

“Zion~?”

Just then, Raye showed up. He sat down next to Elise, grinning smugly.

“Zion, should I switch seats? I’ll sit with Ellie-”

“Shut your mouth.”

Elise covered Raye’s mouth.

I put the note on the desk.

“… … ?”

Suddenly, a familiar scent wafted from next to me.

I glanced at it and it was Gerken.

Well, he is a man who will soon become Teia’s disciple.

Ding─

The clock chimed loudly, indicating 10 am.

Squeak… …

The front door of the auditorium opens, and the 500 people inside, who were bustling and noisy, become as quiet as mice.

Teia Isil.

She stood on the podium, her own presence evident.

─Today, [Using Magical Arts] will only have a simple orientation.

The voice rang out as if amplified.

─It won’t take more than 30 minutes, so try to concentrate as much as possible.

The first class is not long. She hates teaching untalented, random people. She is just doing this class because the university tells her to.

─First of all. How much do you know about magic techniques?

Teia asked. Elise raised her hand.

“It is a phenomenon in which reality is manipulated by assembling magic into a specific form.”

Teia nodded.

─That’s right. But how is the form of that spell created?

She suddenly shifted her gaze.

It was on my side.

“… … is invented through research, calculation, and verification.”

I answered absentmindedly.

I know this much.

─That’s right. Researchers perfect new spells in their labs, refining each number, each magic, each spell.

“Oooh~ Sion~”

Raye raised her eyebrows and poked my shoulder.

─But ‘utilization’ is a little different.

Teia spread out her right hand. Fire rose up from it.

─This is a simple ignition.

This time, he spread out his left hand. There was wind in it.

─This is just a wish. And what if you mix these two?

Teia gathered wind and fire in both hands.

Passs …

The flames rose like the wind. The wind took on the color and temperature of the fire.

The rituals were a fusion of each other.

─This is utilization. Without thinking too much, I can immediately pull out the spell I want. By replacing the process of calculating the spell with intuition, I can reduce the time it takes to load the spell as much as possible.

I just stared at Teia like that.

Not passionately… … but her just lecturing according to the script.

I looked at it for a while.

─I will teach you such techniques… … .

But then suddenly.

I feel strange.

An inexplicable feeling, somewhat welcoming and somewhat nostalgic, keeps rising up.

what.

What am I forgetting?

“… … Huh.”

Suddenly, a small pain occurred in my temple.

… … Were you a woman?

My voice rang in his ear.

However, it was something I had never said.

It was a word that did not exist in my memory.

It’s impossible.

My “Notepad” will definitely remember everything, right?

─That’s it. Any questions?

Teia Isil asked during the lecture. I raised my hand without realizing it. My body moved on its own.

She frowned slightly.

─What is it?

I don’t know why I’m like this.

“Do you have a younger sibling by any chance?”

I just want to ask this.

I also know that she doesn’t have a younger sibling. You were my teacher before I returned.

“Even if he’s a cousin.”

but…….

weird.

As I look at Teia now, I am overcome with the feeling that I have lost something ‘precious’.

My precious ‘friend’.

─… … From now on, don’t sit in front. Next time.

Teia dismissed it like that.

“Are you crazy?”

Elise also glared at him, asking what he was doing.

I replied blankly.

“… … I don’t know either.”

I really don’t know.

What the heck is this feeling?

* * *

“That’s all for today’s class. The actual usage and assignments start next week.”

As soon as Teia finished her lecture, she immediately turned around. Many students came up to the stage to ask questions, but she ignored them all.

It was an emergency.

She called someone urgently.

─Yes, Professor Teia. It’s Bin.

He is an empty researcher. He is the man in charge of the unconscious test at Edsilla National University last time.

“… … This may be sudden, but can I ask you one thing?”

─Yes, ten is fine.

“If… …then in the unconscious experiment.”

It’s because of Zion Ascal.

He suddenly asked me in class today whether I had a younger sibling.

Just by searching on a portal site, you will be able to find out that you are an only child.

However, it was probably not something he said simply because his brain was going crazy.

because.

─Yes. Unconsciously?

“Yes. If that unconsciousness… … still remains in the student even a little bit, what will happen?”

During the unconscious test, Sion Ascal asked himself, who was ‘Tei’, if he had any connection to Teia Ishil.

─If that happens, something big will happen, right?

“I know it’s a big deal. I’m just asking what specifically happens.”

─The memories of the unconscious test are usually erased when you leave the capsule. However, if there is some error and they are not erased… … . they become very important memories.

“A very important memory?”

─Yes. Memories that are formed through the unconscious are much stronger and more certain than memories that are acquired consciously.

In Zion Ascal’s subconscious, Tey was his only friend. They sympathized with each other and confessed their secrets to each other.

It was a friendship that was rare even in reality.

─The unconscious is a very deep corner of the mind, so if it doesn’t disappear, you will be very confused.

I’m very confused.

In reality, it was that kind of expression.

─I have a case file. It’s about a single woman who tested the unconscious capsule. Would you like me to send it to you?

“Can you just briefly explain the content? I have another schedule.”

─Oh, yes. Just, during the development of the unconscious capsule, there was a female test subject. She was single, but she had the experience of having a child and living in the unconscious. However, at that time, the researchers accidentally failed to erase her memories properly.

“… … So. What happened?”

─Because she was convinced that she had a child, she committed suicide while searching for the missing child. It was a sad thing.

“… … .”

Teia put two fingers on her temples.

Anyway, it seemed like it would be quite a headache.

─But don’t worry. We discovered that if you just keep the ‘probability’ in check, that kind of thing won’t happen, so now it’s 99.995% safe.

That’s why it’s more problematic.

That probability was shaken once at that time.

“Hang up.”

This is what Akmun Teia did when she hung up the phone. She was shaking the smartphone she was holding up and down while mumbling.

“How should I handle this…?”

* * *

Meanwhile, I arrived at the [World Series of Poker] qualifier with a slightly confused mind.

“There are a lot of people.”

The preliminary round took place entirely in No-Mana Room, and there were thousands of participants. They all had number plates attached to their chests.

By the way, I am number 333.

“Number 333. Please come here.”

“Oh, yes.”

I followed the staff to a table where there was a dealer and six players.

A speaker blared from the ceiling.

─The first preliminary round will begin right away. A total of 6 people will be selected through the third preliminary round, and the fourth preliminary round will be held on the broadcast set next week.

“… … How many hours does this take?”

I asked the dealer. The dealer handed me chips and said

“The qualifying game ends when one player has more than 60% of the chips. So it can go on for hours.”

“Ah. Yes.”

“You didn’t even know that? Is this the Golden Ticket?”

Bald man. Number 332 smirked at me. I sat back down on my chair without saying anything.

“Let the game begin.”

The dealer dealt the cards immediately.

The game type is Texas Hold’em. It is the game that comes to mind when you think of poker, and simply put, it is a game of guessing the hand ranking.

“call.”

“call.”

“call.”

I also roughly checked the condition while making a call.

“call.”

“I will distribute the cards.”

The dealer dealt the cards. I tried to peek with my kinetic vision, but I couldn’t see even the smallest detail.

“You’re really good at turning the tables.”

The dealer’s expression didn’t change.

Anyway, my hand… … that is, the combined hand of the shared cards and the cards hidden in my hand is 4 tops.

It’s a dog’s paw.

But you shouldn’t show it.

Rather, it should be copied very naturally.

The moment the dealer showed me the cards he was dealing, I shook my fingertips very ‘subtly’. I ‘faintly’ flared my nostrils as if I had gotten a good card.

All of this is expressed at the ‘minimum’ level possible, that is, as a very natural bodily reaction.

It’s a “trick” through my facial expressions…

“die.”

One person died.

“asleep.”

Another one died too.

“I’ll go too.”

All five of them laid down their cards.

Thanks to that, I got the chip, but I didn’t forget the regrettable ‘Chuck’.

“hmm.”

The other players kept a poker face as they watched me, but I could see a faint sneer in them.

I remembered their expressions.

That’s for sure.

Although you can’t use the No Mana Room “Notepad”, the memory of the “Notepad” itself will not disappear.

I just have to remember the other person’s facial expressions as much as possible and deceive my own expressions as much as possible.

Maybe, I can pass the preliminaries easily.