The Broken Possessors of the Infinite Regression Academy - Chapter 292



Chapter 292 – Side Story: Encounter

“Harvest? What kind of harvest?”

“Because I can start over from the beginning with a sense of relief. Without any regrets. That’s the harvest.”

Leona answered in a voice that seemed both slightly complicated and somewhat relieved.

“You’re starting over from the beginning?”

“Yeah. Aria and I met for the first time today. Aria and I had never met before. We just met for the first time and just exchanged names. From then on, we… … No, it’s up to Aria. Continue or end it like this.”

Leona, who had been glancing at Aria, who had her head bowed, got up from the bed. It was a movement that showed no more hesitation.

“I’m going to go now, Mira. I need some time to gather my thoughts. And some time to wait. Is that okay?”

“Oh, yeah. Of course it’s okay. It doesn’t matter.”

“Okay. See you later, Mira. I’m seeing you for the first time too.”

Leona looked at Aria one last time, then quietly closed the door and disappeared. Aria, who had not raised her head from her deep bow, slowly raised her upper body only after the door closed.

The corners of his eyes were still red.

“What did you do?”

“… …Leona asked me if I thought of her as a friend, and if I had said no, that was true. She wanted to know if I had really said it with sincerity, or if it was just a lie to hurt her feelings.”

I remember. After hearing that laughter, Leona completely gave up hope and seriously tried to kill Aria. Until then, she probably thought that the relationship between them as childhood friends would never change.

“So what did you say?”

“I said I meant it, back then.”

Suddenly, tears welled up in Aria’s eyes again. She couldn’t tell what they meant.

“Why didn’t you just say you weren’t sincere, even if it was a lie? Then maybe you would understand.”

I tried to look around quietly. Aria shook her head at my words.

“I don’t want to lie again. Not to Leona, not to Mira, not to everyone else. I was being honest back then. I honestly thought that everyone else was worthless except for Mira.”

“… … .”

It’s changed. I quietly adjusted Aria’s internal evaluation upward.

As she said, Aria at that time was really sincere. She really thought that this world was nothing special, that everything here was worthless, that it was nothing but a fake.

There is no way that someone who has been trapped in a world that has been at a standstill for over a thousand years would consider the relationships in the novel world to be real. Leona also fully understood that point.

If I had lied and said I wasn’t sincere, it would have disappointed Leona even more. But I answered honestly, and that’s why I gave her a second chance.

“Good idea.”

“……thank you.”

Her delicate fingers gripped the blanket tightly. She seemed to have no idea how to continue speaking.

“What are we going to do now?”

“Well, I don’t know. What should I do now? Is there anything left for me to do?”

“That’s a question I can’t answer.”

Aria must now figure out what she will do in this world on her own. I may be able to suggest something, but that is not the path Leona wants.

“You have to find out. Maybe this is the world you’ve been longing for.”

“The world I wanted…?”

“Yes. Why did you want to create a new world? You were tired of the established, you were tired of the world where you knew everything. But that’s not the case here anymore. We, the other people, the demons have all changed. If you want, you can go to a completely new world.”

It would be safe to say that the world Aria knew and the world now are completely different places.

The original characters took completely different paths, the empire was not devastated, a new concept called the Gate was created, and humans and demons ended their long war and signed a peace treaty.

“Do what you want, Aria. Now that you can.”

“… … .”

Aria sat on the bed blankly. Then she buried her face in her knees and sobbed quietly.

“Is this the second time you’ve seen me like this? Nice to meet you, Mira Crate.”

“You don’t look happy at all, Dad. Lighten up your expression quickly. If Mira is scared, she won’t talk to you.”

When Priscilla immediately shot back, Duchess Agnes, who had been wearing a devilish expression like she had crawled out of hell, forced her expression to relax and smile.

It didn’t have much effect because it was a forced smile. The corners of his mouth twitched as he looked at me, and his teeth clenched and stopped repeatedly. He even showed his fangs at me, so I knew that those were teeth.

I remained quiet. If I were to take sides here, I would incur even greater wrath. Either by sympathizing with Priscilla or by defending the Duke.

“What are you doing, honey! It’s embarrassing!”

The Duchess next to me hit me on the back, asking what I was doing when I had a daughter, but it didn’t matter. I wondered if she didn’t like me that much.

‘I know you may not like it, but… … .’

Because rumors about me spread throughout the empire. Everything from what I did at my birthday party, to who came to congratulate me, and who I was with.

This is especially true if the Crown Princess is among those ‘who’. Even if she is one of the three major dukes of the empire, she can never reach the authority of the Crown Princess.

There have been rumors going around lately that the Emperor is preparing something different regarding the throne, but he is definitely a strong candidate for the next Emperor. Knowing this, he will react more sharply.

“It’s been a while since I’ve greeted a man.”

A thick, bear-like hand was extended. It was the same hand that had been crushed last time.

“Yeah.”

I shook his hand with a bitter smile at the obvious gesture. As soon as I did, a powerful handshake came back. The veins on the back of my hand stood out, my fingers turned white, and my arm muscles bulged.

The hands I was holding were trembling. Duchess Agnes looked at my calm expression and ground her teeth.

“Ugh… … Your skills have improved a lot… … .”

It was too far to simply dismiss it as an improvement in skill, but I ended up nodding my head appropriately without refuting it.

“What have you been doing all this time, you! Aren’t you ashamed in front of your daughter!”

The Duchess slapped the Duke’s back so hard that it made a slap sound. Judging from the fact that she didn’t show any sign of pain in her palm after hitting that huge body like that, she wasn’t an ordinary person either. I guess you could say it was a typical couple.

“Ugh… … Uh, let’s see where I put it… … .”

“Just hurry up and go. What the hell are you doing?”

In the end, the power struggle disguised as a handshake ended with Duke Agnes losing by a decisive decision.

The Duke was slapped on the back by his wife, then he was pushed back into the mansion, holding onto one hand. His back looked particularly pitiful. Priscilla was looking at him with fond eyes.

“I’m sorry about him. He is a man who loves his daughter so much.”

When only three were left, the Duchess smiled and opened her mouth.

“It’s okay. I came prepared.”

“So you came prepared… … Are you sure it’s you?”

“Yes. I-”

“Okay, I understand. Just do it there.”

A long index finger gently covered my lips. It was a completely unexpected reaction. Not only me, but even Priscilla opened her eyes wide in surprise.

Priscilla had come here worried that she would get scolded by her mother. She had not expected that kind smile, or the finger that blocked her lips before she could finish speaking as if she knew everything.

“I’m fine.”

“… … Is that true?”

“Of course. Oh, are you going to discriminate against my daughter? That would be bad.”

“Absolutely not.”

“No, that’s okay.”

The Duchess, no, Priscilla’s mother smiled gently.

“When she was young, Priscilla seemed like a closed-minded child. It was so long ago that I can’t even remember when it started. No matter how I tried to open her heart, it was no use. But the moment she met one person, she changed completely. And in a very positive way. Isn’t that right?”

“that…….”

“I didn’t ask you to answer this question, so just listen quietly. I’m not finished talking yet.”

A finger crossed my lips again. I shut my mouth obediently. The Duchess nodded with satisfaction and continued speaking.

“I don’t think the person who changed my daughter like that is a bad person. I don’t think he forced it on her. I don’t know how he persuaded her, but I’m sure my daughter agreed to it. She didn’t come here lightly, and she must have been very prepared. If it’s someone like that, I think I would understand even if I didn’t listen to him.”

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Finally, the Duchess gently took my hand and said, “Please take good care of my daughter,” and gently stroked the back of my hand. Unlike Duchess Agnes, it was a gesture that conveyed the meaning of truly taking good care of me.

“Now go back. I will take care of persuading him.”

“Are you okay?”

“Of course. He understands it all in his heart. He just isn’t expressing it honestly.”

The eyes turned gently to the side. Priscilla stopped where she was standing.

“You seem happy, Priscilla.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Okay. If that’s what you say, then I don’t mind. But… … .”

The Duchess approached her daughter and whispered something softly. Priscilla, hearing this, was so surprised that her hair stood on end, and she looked back and forth between her mother and me.

“Hehehe, you understand?”

The Duchess patted Priscilla on the shoulder a few times and then returned to the mansion. Priscilla stood there, blushing, blankly until her back disappeared beyond the front door.

“What did you say?”

“… … .”

Priscilla kept her mouth shut despite my question. I wondered what on earth Priscilla had said, since she would believe me even if I said that the ice was hot.

The mystery was soon solved, because that very night Priscilla had asked if she could use contraceptive magic.

“Not right now, sorry.”

“huh…….”

Then, with a slightly sullen look on his face at my refusal, he went to sleep. I slept like that until lunchtime, and then I left Priscilla, who was rolling around, saying she wanted to sleep more, and went outside.

“You’ve finally buttoned up the first button. Congratulations.”

As I entered the third room, Elisier, who was sipping tea, greeted me with a smile. I went over and sat down after she patted the seat next to me with her hand.

“Where did everyone go?”

“Laura has returned to the palace, and Rosaria has left for a while to attend to her duties as a saint. Nika is in the Demon World, and Erestica is at the Academy. Leona has not yet returned. Are you satisfied with this?”

“It’s overflowing.”

Dalgrak, Elisier put down the teacup she was holding.

“That’s good. I didn’t have to mention Priscilla.”

“Of course you don’t have to say anything. We were just together a little while ago.”

“Is it because of the conversation we had yesterday?”

“… …What conversation?”

“I’m talking about the conversation about whether or not I have to use contraceptive magic because I want to be the first in everything else.”

“… … .”

I don’t know exactly what kind of face I made when I heard that, but I was sure that it was some kind of weird face. Even Elisier let out a light laugh.

“Don’t worry. I don’t care about that. In fact, I’m secretly hoping to be the last one in line.”

“……why?”

Elisier, who was smiling, grabbed my hands one by one and brought them to her neck and lower abdomen. Her right hand gently grabbed my neck, and her left hand pressed down on my lower abdomen.

“Have you already forgotten what we did the first time?”