Chapter 138: An Emotional Reunion
Sage Hubert, who was disguised as Hubert Graham, president of the Innocence Academy, was terribly surprised.
“I’m Zetto’s sister…!”
The identity of the blonde girl in front of him, who was now claiming to be Zetto’s sister, was becoming clear.
The color of the girl’s hair and the color of her eyes that he would rather forget were too much like those of his old comrade, Leon the Hero.
There wasn’t anything about the girl’s body that suggested she was a hero, but there was a reason she looked like one.
It was the Holy Sword that had been spotted above Innocence Academy since last night.
Hubert had devised his own methods of finding heroes, one of which was a telescope that would allow him to observe the holy sword from high above, where it would await the hero’s call.
The holy sword was a rather unusual weapon.
Although they were conveniently called stars, they were not in space like real stars.
It couldn’t scan the skies over the entire continent, and you’d have to be near the academy to notice it, but for the current situation, it was helpful enough.
It seemed that he had met the wielder of the holy sword, a ‘hero’. But nothing could be confirmed yet.
There were many possibilities.
It could have been a girl he knew by sheer coincidence, a girl with the same hair color and eye color as Leon, who, according to Zetto’s account, had come from the same orphanage.
However, this seems unlikely at this point, given the observation of the holy sword.
He needed to figure out what was true and what was false.
At that moment, the voice of Itea, disguised as the secretary at Hubert’s side, echoed in his head.
It was a communication spell, like telepathy, that was often used with Zetto, whose senses were such that he could easily hear a whisper.
[Chairman, that kid named Geppeti, something’s wrong.]
[What do you mean…?]
[I don’t know exactly, it’s more like ‘me’…]
Hubert pondered this, knowing full well that Itea was not the kind of golem that would talk nonsense.
On the one hand, a human with a similar temperament to Itea, and on the other, a girl with something else.
The other is a girl who reminds him in many ways of Leon, a supposed hero.
What if the two girls Zetto brought as sisters were actually fake sisters?
He doesn’t know why Zetto made that choice, but for some reason, he had to.
As Hubert listens to Itea, he comes up with a theory.
“…So you want to bring your sisters here to live?”
After listening to Zetto’s lengthy explanation, Hubert asked.
“Yes. In any case, I don’t think there’s anywhere as safe as the Academy, and I don’t want to give up my studies just because of that, so that’s why I’m making this request.”
“Hmm…”
Hubert pondered.
Getting Zetto’s ‘sisters’ into the academy shouldn’t be that much of a problem.
Even better, it doesn’t matter if they’re “fake sisters” because it fits his theory.
After all, from Hubert’s point of view, having the hero within the safe confines of the Academy is better since that’s what it was built for.
However, he lacked the final piece to confirm this theory.
“I don’t want to be separated from my brother, Zetto…”
If the girl in front of him, hugging Zetto, was indeed a hero.
If she was, he wondered if she had memories of her previous life or not.
Even if Zetto had brought the reincarnated hero to the academy by accident, how did he do it?
Had the reincarnated hero just happened to be in the same orphanage as him?
That was a possibility, but there was something else he had doubts about.
This child, Rei, something about her seemed off to Hubert.
It was too much.
She certainly looked like Zetto’s sister, but… It’s like she’s crying out, “I’m his sister.”
Especially that calculating look in her eyes, which was hard to imagine coming from a young girl.
It was a desperate act on her part to avoid suspicion, but it only served to arouse Hubert’s suspicions.
‘If this child, Rei, has Leon’s memories…’
…it was even weirder to think of it that way.
‘That ‘Leon’ is calling Zetto, who is hundreds of years younger than him, ‘brother’ and pretending to be his sister…?’
She even wore a pretty lacey ‘skirt’.
It was hard to think that Leon, a strong man, albeit clueless, could do such a thing.
With that in mind, Hubert decides to take the bait and see if Rei, the child who, by all appearances and timing, would be the most likely hero candidate, had any memories of a previous life.
“”……””
The office was silent.
Hubert, tapping his fingers on his desk and feigning distress, sends a message to Rei, who is hugging Zetto.
[You’ve changed a lot since I last saw you, Leon.]
It was a rather offhand remark but it was a hard thing to say right now, when nothing was set in stone.
At the very least, she should have reacted with surprise to the sound of the voice that must have rung in her head but the current Rei…
“…”
…wasn’t surprised, instead she was staring at Hubert.
The current communication magic, or telepathy, transmitted the sound of Hubert’s voice without any modification.
So it was Hubert’s original voice and Leon would not have been able to forget it.
Rei abruptly pulled away from Zetto’s embrace.
“Hubert…?
Rei was confused.
Only moments ago, before entering the chairman’s office, she had remembered and honored Hubert.
The legacy of a colleague she would never see again.
She swallowed the bitterness as she looked at the paintings of her colleagues, each one filled with memories.
Then she heard the voice of Hubert, who should have died long ago.
Rei recognized it at once.
It was the man sitting at the desk, smiling, who had sent her the message.
It was definitely not Hubert’s face, but he was Hubert.
That mean smile and that smug, arrogant look that told her that his hypothesis was correct and that everything was going according to plan.
It was a smile she’d seen countless times before, back when Rei was Leon the Hero.
Hubert was still alive?
It was shocking, to say the least.
But that wasn’t what mattered now.
‘…Why is he alive? More importantly, did I act like a ‘little sister’ in front of him, and did he see me wearing a skirt? No, he’s still watching…
Rei’s mind went blank for a moment and she instinctively replayed her actions in the director’s office.
Something shattered inside her.
Pride.
Her pride as a hero, her pride as Leon, shattered.
Hubert watched.
“Phew…”
He bursts out laughing.
Everyone in the chairman’s office, except for Rei and Hubert, tilted their heads in wonder.
It was a bizarre behavior but even though Hubert was well aware of this, he found it hard to hold back his laughter.
A colleague he hadn’t seen in hundreds of years had appeared as a woman, pretending to be a young man’s sister.
It was something he had never imagined.
Yes, it’s entirely possible to change gender in reincarnation.
It’s not like heroes are supposed to be male.
But how dare this Leon wear such a cute outfit?
“I’m Zetto’s sister…!
She said that.
Just as Rei reviewed her actions, Hubert reviewed what had just happened and burst out laughing.
Rei looks up at Hubert, the light in her eyes gone.
“She” was no longer the hero he knew but a demonic creature, and was firing her aura directly at Hubert.
Sensing this, Hubert coughs and quickly clears his throat.
“Hmph, sorry about that. I just had a funny thought… Anyway, I think you can stay at the Academy. Cadet Zetto is an excellent student… Under the circumstances…”
As he continued, Hubert almost burst out laughing again, but caught his breath.
“Whoa… that… that… sisters… I don’t want to be separated from you, I understand. I can’t put them through that again. I’ll allow it.”
“…Thank you.”
Zetto was puzzled by Hubert’s strange reaction, but at least things seemed to have gone well.
“By the way, I’ll send for any furniture you might need now that your family has grown. I’ll try to expedite the bureaucratic stuff later today.”
“Huh, really, thank you!”
Geppeti, who had covered her mouth in surprise at Hubert’s kindness, expressed her gratitude.
In response, Zetto patted Rei on her back.
“Rei, you should also thank the chairman, right?”
“…”
Rei was speechless.
“Hubert…
Ray stares at Hubert, who smirks, and finally decides to speak up.
“Thank you…”
“Hehe, she’s so cute. What, do you want some candy?”
“…No thanks.”
Clenching her teeth, Rei smiles a murderous smile.
From Zetto’s point of view, he couldn’t see Rei’s face, so he could only look at her refusal to eat the candy and think that she was listening to Geppeti’s words about not taking what others give you straight away.
Hubert finishes his words and sends Zetto away.
Finally, he sends a message to Rei, who is leaving the office.
[I’ll see you after class starts, Leon… a reunion after hundreds of years, I’m looking forward to it]
There was much to hear and much to tell.
“…”
Leaving the room, Rei turns her head back to catch sight of Hubert, who has taken on a different form.
Hubert was simply delighted when he thought about making fun of a colleague he hadn’t seen in hundreds of years.
***
“Man, it’s been a while since I’ve been outside in this form.”
Hubert looked up into the clear sky.
He was in the form of Hubert the Sage, taking time off from the forest to meet up with his old friend, Leon the Hero.
He rarely ventured out in this form. Not for decades, at least.
Itea, who had been waiting for Rei by his side, bluntly asked him a question.
“Why does the hero have memories of her past life?”
“Well… You’d have to ask her and maybe she doesn’t even know.”
“If he was reincarnated as a ‘Rei’ with memories from the beginning… That’s kind of a shocker.”
“Hahaha! Well, at least it makes our centuries-long reunion fun… Anything good is good, right?”
“I wonder why you called me to such an important ‘reunion’, though… I hope I won’t be a distraction.”
Hubert glances over at her at Itea’s question, then continues in a tone that suggests he doesn’t know what she’s talking about.
“Of course you’re supposed to be at my side, protecting your master from death.”
“Protect…?”
“She’s coming to kill me.”
“…What on earth have you done, master…”
Itea’s eyebrows knit together in a bad premonition.
“I was merely teasing her a ‘little’ for my pleasure.”
The nonchalance in Hubert’s voice made her wonder, ‘Was it really just a little tease?’
Or not.
Hubert bravely spotted the diminutive Rei, who had been stumbling toward them from the other side.
“Leon, over here!”
Hubert smiles and waves in greeting.
“…”
Rei, her mouth agape, approaches Hubert, then she glances at Itea and gives him a questioning look.
“This is my golem, Itea. You don’t have to worry about her.”
Rei nods faintly at Hubert’s explanation.
A human-looking golem, she’d seen similar ones around him.
Rei’s tightly closed lips twitch open.
“…Hubert, you are very old.”
“Don’t I look younger than this, haha!”
Hubert had become a gray-haired old man because an ancient magic had prevented him from aging, but it hadn’t been able to reverse his already advanced aging.
Still, considering the hundreds of years he’d spent so far, it had to be considered a ‘while’.
“Yeah, you must have lived a long time.”
Rei affirmed but what she said next was unusual.
“But you’ve lived too long.”
“Haha…what does that mean, Leon?”
“Don’t call me Leon. I’m…Rei.”
Rei takes a slow step forward, and Hubert takes a step back.
Hubert glared at Itea, but she closed her eyes and shook her head.
Karma.
Realizing the betrayal of his trust, Hubert begins to stutter.
“Rei, Leon… No, Rei… We have not met for quite some time, after all… do you really want it to be tainted by such… violence?”
“…I think you won’t die.”
With a grimace, Rei stepped closer to Hubert, ignoring him lightly.
“The shame, the self-loathing, the crushing of my pride and dignity as a hero, but… I’ve been thinking about it, and I’m wondering if you need to die. Hubert, have you ever heard of such a thing?”
“What are you talking about?”
“That if you kill everyone, target or witness, it’s an assassination.”
“Well, of course it is, because you don’t know who the assassin is…”
“I’ve realized that I don’t either. No matter what, I have to live as Rei from now on, so…”
Rei’s words trailed off, and she patted herself on the back. However, the words that came out of her mouth could not be called cute at all.
“I, Rei the Hero, will kill everyone who knows Leon the Hero, and then I can be happy. I’ll be able to live as Rei in peace.”
“Wait a minute, Leon… I’ve got a bunch of ‘restrictions’ now, and if I get hit, I’ll actually die…?”
Hubert, who had backed up into a tree, held out his palms to calm Rei.
“Hubert, have you ever seen Leon not keep his word?”
“Uh, no…? Leon always keeps his promises, right?!”
Hubert blurted out a compliment.
“Then you’d better hope that Rei in front of you might not keep her word.”
“Haha…”
Rei throws her hands up in the air, ignoring Hubert’s incoherent laughter.
Her husky voice echoes through the forest.
“…Durandal, answer my call.”
“The holy sword… Haha, the holy sword…”
Hubert hastily unfolds his plan.
“I have yet to wield it properly… Hopefully I’ll be able to handle it this time.”
Reo chuckles, it was a bright, toothy grin, the kind he used to show when he was Leon the Hero.
A long duel for life is about to begin between an old man with long graying hair and a slender young girl.
That day, a strange rumor that a meteor was seen falling in broad daylight spread through the academy.