Chapter 2: Regression (1)
Arpentia Academy.
The largest educational institution in name and reality, named after the sage Bojador Arpentia, who had once been a member of the knight order and an advisor to the Great Emperor.
Its original purpose was said to have been to gather the children of powerful noble families in one place.
Since it was half a hostage arrangement, they had at least dressed it up with the façade of an educational institution.
On top of that, by having the imperial family members educated at the academy, they could quell dissatisfaction, naturally form factions around them, and inspire loyalty… though that was already a story from over 300 years ago.
By now, it was being run with the mild and constructive goal of raising the next generation of talent to support the Empire.
As proof of that, the single dormitory that had existed at the beginning had, through endless expansions, renovations, and reorganizations, grown to a total of five.
The Crowns — the first dormitory, steeped in tradition and nobility, composed mostly of royals and nobles.
The Hilts — home to the children of military families and aspiring knights, embodying loyalty and struggle.
The Wands — seekers of knowledge walking their own boundless path of magic, devoted to truth and exploration.
The Crooks — followers of the Holy Sun Church’s teachings, serving the will of God with humility and compassion.
The Dots — those who had yet to choose a path, and thus could move in any direction, brimming with possibility and potential.
Among them, I belonged to the Crooks.
‘Fortunately, nothing’s changed from what I remember.’
I skimmed over the notice that should have reached all students by now and nodded.
The several-page notice was full of wordy explanations, but in short, it said:
[Due to an unexpected issue, the existing schedule has been postponed. New students are to remain quiet and maintain dignity and decorum in the meantime.
Unlike the previous week’s preparatory period, facilities such as the training ground, library, and dining hall may now be used without restriction, so please take note of this….]
The so-called “unexpected issue” was, of course, referring to the incident that had happened yesterday.
‘Honestly, it’s ridiculous that the academy’s schedule would be pushed back by a whole week over something like this….’
It was the farce that came from the fact that too many parties had their eyes on the academy.
No doubt, both the imperial family and even its largest sponsor, the Holy Sun Church, had pounced on the opportunity.
They must have seized on every possible fault until the academy’s administration was completely paralyzed.
‘In fact, the headmaster ended up taking responsibility and stepping down later. That was… about half a year afterward, wasn’t it?’
Either way, it was a stroke of luck for me, as I needed time to regain my strength.
Standing before the mirror, I subtly pulled down my collar and looked at the spot just below my left collarbone.
“……”
There was an incomparably strange mark etched there.
In some ways, it looked like the brand of a criminal; in others, it resembled a tattoo.
I stared at it for a long moment before carefully brushing my fingers over it.
“What in the world happened….”
Even after several days, I could still feel the strange heat writhing along my fingertips.
Even I, who had no expertise in such matters, could tell that this brand contained an extraordinary power.
It was, in a sense, a trophy I had acquired by chance in an incident I had been caught up in during my previous time at the academy.
The problem was, the one who had coveted this brand was none other than the Second Imperial Princess, Velita Levymne Bestrang — the very woman who would later become Emperor.
And at the time, I had absolutely no idea.
…Right.
In short, this brand was the very starting point of my downfall.
And it was also something that the ‘just-enrolled Lian Gwendil’ should never have had.
That wasn’t the only strange thing.
“For it to be this clear….”
As I remembered, it had originally only grown clear after a long time, to the point it could barely be recognized.
When I had first obtained it, it had looked like nothing more than a small dot.
Yet now, it was far more distinct than even when I had last seen it before my death.
“…Whatever this is, it’s no ordinary matter.”
All I could do was mutter with a sigh.
Tak!
A heavy thud echoed as a thick book snapped shut.
“This isn’t it either.”
Tak. Tak. Tak.
“These aren’t it either.”
I returned the books I’d pulled from the shelves and grabbed another.
I’d already lost count of how many times I’d repeated the process.
The current events happening to me.
And the brand on my collarbone.
I had come to the library to search for even the smallest clue about either, but hours had passed without a single lead.
“……”
After leafing through pages for a long while, I suddenly raised a hand to the back of my neck.
Perhaps this was where it had been severed.
The chilling thought came unbidden.
‘Yes….’
The last thing I had seen before dying was a blade swinging toward my neck.
And what followed had been a pain like my heart was being seared with a branding iron.
…Honestly, I still had no idea how this had happened, but at least there was one thing I was certain of.
I had been given another chance.
Once I reached that conclusion, there was no more hesitation.
‘And….’
One clear difference compared to the past—
It was the presence of the brand engraved on my collarbone.
‘Which means I can assume there’s at least some connection between my return to the past and this brand.’
The life before my death—
Would it be more accurate to call it my previous life?
Either way, the time when this brand had become distinct enough to recognize had been when I was being hunted as a traitor and desperately fleeing for my life.
Back then, I hadn’t even had the luxury to investigate the brand; simply breaking through the encirclement day after day was already too much.
In fact, right up until the moment I was captured and executed, I never learned anything about it.
‘I need to find out more about this brand first.’
The only things I knew now were that Velita had valued it enough to mobilize even the imperial family’s own knight order to capture me, and that there was a close link between my current situation and the brand.
“……”
I had defied death and returned to the past.
A brand that shouldn’t exist on me at this point in time.
And, thinking back now, a princess who had been almost unnaturally obsessed with it.
Investigating the brand first was, in hindsight, the most natural course of action.
Yes, it should have been obvious…
“Ugh.”
My eyes were starting to sting from the constant reading.
Blinking my dry, irritated eyes, I leaned my body lightly against the bookshelf.
“This one’s no good either.”
Shaking my head, I slid the book back into its place.
It felt like I had thoroughly gone through at least thirty volumes, and yet I hadn’t gained a single thing. That alone made me let out a deep sigh.
“Hoo…”
I hadn’t expected to find the answer quickly in the first place…
But staring at the endless shelves and rows of books was starting to make me feel nauseous.
I didn’t even know how many hours I’d already spent in the library.
‘Let’s call it a day.’
I still had plenty of other tasks aside from researching the brand.
Above all, the words on the pages were no longer registering in my head.
I tidied the desk, then picked out half a dozen books to borrow and held them in my arms.
That was when—
“Oh?”
A gentle male voice.
When I turned my head, I saw a man with light green hair tied back in a single strand standing there.
A quick glance told me he was an upperclassman—he wore a differently colored brooch.
“Sorry, looks like I disturbed you. I didn’t mean to.”
He gave me a sheepish, genuinely apologetic smile.
In his hands was the handle of a cart stacked full of books.
“I must have been pretty noisy, huh? Really sorry. Almost no one comes to this section, so I guess I moved around a bit carelessly.”
“No, it’s fine. I was just about to leave anyway.”
At my answer, he gave me a broad, good-natured smile.
“Thanks for saying that. You’re a first-year?”
“Yes. My name is Lian Gwendil.”
“Nice to meet you, Gwendil. I’m Duval Mackenzie. And again, sorry for interrupting you.”
Duval Mackenzie dipped his head politely to me once more.
“Well then, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll get going. As you can see… I’ve got my hands full.”
With that, he carefully pushed the cart away and disappeared.
I too began walking toward the main entrance, quietly gathering my thoughts.
‘…It’s far too dangerous to tell anyone or ask for help.’
The biggest problem was that I had no clue whatsoever as to what this brand actually was.
If it were deemed to be connected to heresy, a false god, or demons, it wouldn’t be strange for me to be dragged before a religious court immediately.
And if, by any chance, it reached the ears of Velita—that deranged princess…
‘Ugh.’
Just imagining it was horrifying.
‘I’ll have to find something to cover it.’
Investigating the brand.
Finding something to hide and conceal it.
Locating where the brand might be at this point in the timeline.
Even just brand-related matters amounted to that much.
On top of that, I had to prepare my strength and divine power for unexpected situations, rescue my family from becoming pawns in political struggles…
The more I thought about it, the more tasks came to mind.
And not a single one of them was easy.
Could I really pull it off?
What if all of this was nothing more than a nasty, fleeting delusion?
That thought began to creep in, swelling larger and larger—
“…No.”
I whispered softly and shook my head.
Even after deciding on a course of action, I knew very well that one of my worst habits was to keep brooding over it.
‘No, that’s not it.’
Yes, it would be hard.
It was bound to be difficult.
But I had to do it.
If I just let time pass like this, the ending would be no different from before.
If things continued as they were, it wouldn’t be long before everyone met their end on the execution grounds.
I would once again be branded a traitor and live the life of a fugitive.
I had no intention of ever living that kind of life a second time.
‘…Right.’
No need to get nervous—just take it one step at a time.
Steeling my resolve, I handed the books I had picked to the middle-aged librarian.
“Oh dear, I’m sorry… but first-years can’t check out books right now.”
“…What?”
At her unexpected reply, I looked at her questioningly. She seemed genuinely sorry.
“The notice we got today said there wouldn’t be any problem using the library, though.”
“Oh, I guess they didn’t put the details in there. You can use the library itself without issue, but to borrow materials, you need a student ID or staff ID.”
“Ah…”
“Normally, the new students would’ve received their IDs today… but, well, you know. After everything that happened yesterday, the academy is in chaos. Most of the administrative staff are completely out of sorts right now. It’ll probably take a few days.”
She explained with an awkward smile, still looking apologetic.
“Is there really no way around it?”
“I’m really sorry. I’d like to help, but all the library materials are magically protected. If you try to take them out without authorization, the theft alarm spell will go off for sure… so there’s nothing I can do.”
Perhaps because in my previous life I had been too busy wandering around and having fun to even think about the library, I had never expected such a problem.
‘Still…’
I sighed in disbelief, and was just about to give up for today when—
“Then would it be alright if I borrowed them instead?”
A voice I didn’t recognize, yet had definitely heard before.
The owner of the voice had approached without me noticing and now handed a student ID to the librarian.
“Here’s my student ID.”
The first thing that caught my eye was her pale aquamarine hair, glimmering like a gemstone.
The moment I saw that unforgettable hair, my mouth hung open without me realizing it.
“…Huh?”
For a moment, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.
But there was no way I could mistake this woman for someone else.
“Huh…?”
Hair like gemstones, a doll-like face—
But beneath that refined appearance lay incredible strength and mastery of the sword.
A woman who would one day be hailed as the second coming of the Wolpen Knights—
The future hero,
Lancia Jintia.
It was unmistakably her.