The countdown has begun. All humans who wish for a human king, gather together. I’ll make all your wishes come true at once. Nebida will have to hurry a little, too. Those who contributed nothing in particular will come demanding their due as though they had left something in my care.
I hope you won’t think it’s too much. If I’m going to grant them anyway, isn’t it more efficient to handle them all at once?
“Hughes. I need to recover my strength. Help me.”
Apparently, the regressor felt the tension as well.
“It should be a little while before everything heals.”
“It doesn’t need to heal completely. I only need to be able to move.”
“You’ll suffer aftereffects.”
“I don’t care.”
“No, it matters. If you suffer aftereffects, your strength will weaken.”
They weren’t called aftereffects for nothing. If it ended with nothing more than the occasional aching joint, that wouldn’t be an aftereffect. Joints hurt whenever it rains, anyway.
“But I need to use my strength right now. I can’t just stand by and watch. That’s the only way to stop Nebi—”
“Shh!”
The Grand Witch’s familiar was still somewhere nearby. Nebida probably wouldn’t monitor us personally, but she wouldn’t refuse to hear whatever the Grand Witch told her, either.
“All right. I understand. You really hate being stuck with a useless arm right now, don’t you, Mr. Shay? Of course you do. How frustrating must it be not to move your arm?”
“…Yes. It is.”
‘So it’s because of the surveillance. You want me to establish a pretext for deceiving them, at least for now?’
“And I don’t like having your arm tied up, either, Mr. Shay. You keep clinging to me, and having to wait on you is a nuisance. I feel like all my affection for you is going to disappear.”
“W-what?! It can’t be helped! And you were the one who started waiting on me! I hardly ever asked you to do it myself!”
You understood that this was because of the surveillance just a moment ago. Why was your reaction so disjointed? Before anything else, I needed to make him read something longer than three paragraphs.
“So what I’m saying is that it would be better for both of us if your arm returned to normal. Mr. Shay, how much sensation do you have?”
“My sensation is fine. I can feel hot and cold, and my sense of pain is normal, too.”
“That’s fortunate, considering the circumstances.”
“It’s actually too fine, and that’s the problem. It still hurts. Is that normal? Or did you do something to treat it?”
“Who knows? I’ve never had an arm torn off before, either. And I don’t intend to experience it in the future.”
The regressor was recovering quickly. The fact that he was a master of qi arts certainly played a part, but the Demon God’s power was even more important.
I had connected the nerves with Lightning Thread and the blood vessels with Blood Weaving. I had even lightly filled in the broken fragments of bone with alchemy. Perhaps because of that, from a purely physical perspective, the regressor’s body had nearly recovered completely.
“What you need is rehabilitation training, Mr. Shay. If you move your body and stimulate your senses and muscles, you should recover quickly.”
“Right. So undo these bandages and take the medicine out of my pocket.”
“And cook you some food while I’m at it?”
“…Yes.”
“What is this? You really are asking me to wait on you.”
“I’m injured! Do you have to make such a big deal out of helping me for a moment?”
“I’d rather not be scolded on top of not receiving any compensation.”
“Ugh. Fine. I’ll compensate you! What do you want?”
“Nothing in particular?”
“Hey!”
What could you possibly compensate me with? You didn’t know much, you were strong but ambiguous, and I wasn’t even sure whether I would be able to receive what you had promised me.
In any case, I undid the regressor’s bandages and gave him the elixir. His shoulder was covered in deep blue bruises, but when he concentrated his qi arts, the swelling gradually subsided and his skin returned to its normal color.
The regressor exerted all his strength and tried to move his fingertips. His little finger twitched. The movement was far too weak compared to his will, but the important thing was that it had moved.
“Aagh….”
“Don’t move it recklessly. For now, let’s check your range of motion. I’m going to lift your arm, so tell me when it hurts.”
“Okay….”
I stood behind the regressor, supported the area below his elbow, and slowly lifted it. Each time his arm rose, his body flinched from the pain. But this level of pain was no more than muscle soreness. The regressor clenched his teeth.
At that moment, I sensed someone’s thoughts through my mind-reading.
‘What should I do today? Should I go look for a new parrot with Pero? Now that I have a mask, should I try the Elephant Graveyard?’
This was the Grand Witch’s thoughts, wasn’t it? Since I could read them, she must be nearby today.
‘No. Aren’t the human fruits almost ripe? If I’m going to choose one, I should pick the limited-edition menu. Let’s conduct an ecological survey of the human king!’
What kind of ecological survey was that? It was voyeurism. Why was a peeping Tom so excited?
But the Grand Witch didn’t know that I was using mind-reading. Look all you want. There wouldn’t be anything suspicious for you to find.
“Ow! That hurts!”
“It was barely raised that far, and it already hurts?”
“Urgh. You put too much force into it….”
“I did exactly the same thing as before. You’re the one who couldn’t endure it.”
“Anyway, do it more slowly!”
“All right. I’m going to lower it now, so try to tense up and endure it.”
“…Okay.”
Rehabilitation training begins by checking the range of motion. When the arms and legs stiffen, it doesn’t mean that they turn to stone. It means the muscles have tensed up and contracted in response to a massive shock.
In the regressor’s case, there were parts that had been severed entirely in addition to those that had stiffened, so we needed to move them this way to their limits, stimulating them and easing their tension.
To assess his condition as well, I carefully raised and lowered his arm, helping him exercise.
‘Oh my, oh my. Have they finally started? The human king was quite patient!’
What? What kind of absurd thought was that?
‘Of course. You put a male and a female in the same room, so surely nothing could happen.’
“Hm? Hughes. It seems like you stopped.”
“Ah, yes. Just a moment.”
We were doing rehabilitation exercises, weren’t we? What did that Grand Witch really take me for? No, to begin with, what did she think this perfectly wholesome situation was?
As I read the Grand Witch’s thoughts, I soon understood why she had imagined such a thing. The Grand Witch was using an insect she had made into a familiar to spy inside. A witch accustomed to her familiar’s senses could see the world through the insect’s eyes, but they differed considerably from human eyes. Especially in their sense of distance.
Through the insect’s eyes, it looked as though the regressor and I were embracing each other.
Had possessing an insect really turned the Grand Witch into one right down to her mind? Even if it looked that way, she should have had the decency to look away.
‘…Ugh. But. It’s fine to watch beasts mate. Seeing humans do it is disgusting, though.’
Cut it out already! If you don’t want to watch, stop spying! It wasn’t even anything like that to begin with!
“Ah! This time, you’re being too rough…!”
“Be quiet. Choose your words more carefully.”
“Huh? D-did I do something wrong…?”
Don’t attract the Grand Witch’s attention while she’s eavesdropping. You’re making her interested.
‘Even so… an opportunity to study the ecology of the beast king is impossible to buy, even with money. I’ll close my eyes and watch. I should move somewhere I can see better.’
The insect’s field of vision began to shift little by little. It had been taking in the entire room from a corner, but now it crept closer to observe me better.
“Hey, Hughes. Actually, I’m a little grateful to you, too….”
“Just a moment.”
“Oh….”
Leaving the regressor behind, I walked over to the cricket that was moving around. The insect, absorbed in its movement, sensed my presence and raised its head. Just before it spread its wings and fled, I brought my palm down hard on the cricket.
The cricket died instantly without even managing to chirp.
‘Ouch! My stealth-eavesdropping “ear”-icket! It was one of my favorites!’
Her naming sense was terrible, too. In any case, since she had been possessing it, the shock must have been considerable. Familiars were linked to their masters, so the shock received by the familiar was transmitted directly to the one controlling it.
After experiencing death’s door, she would be a little more careful now.
“Why did you do that?”
“There was a large insect crawling around. It was bothering me, so I killed it.”
“…Hughes. Is something bothering you?”
“You could say that.”
‘It’s fine. I still have five ears and six pairs of eyes left. If you count the eyes in my compound eyes, I have countless more!’
Ah, right. The Grand Witch had an immortal body after receiving Tirkanjaka’s blood.
Witches used all kinds of spells and tricks to avoid the risks they would suffer when their familiars were injured or killed. In the process, the familiar’s power could weaken or the link could become incomplete. The Grand Witch, on the other hand, endured the risks in full with her overflowing vitality.
She did use petty tricks to escape Tirkanjaka’s control, but in any case, the death of a familiar was only a minor disappointment to the Grand Witch.
‘Next, my hard-of-hearing mantis….’
“…Yes. You’re human, too, so you must have things that hurt or bother you. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to pay much attention to you, either….”
“Got one more.”
“Hughes?”
“There are a lot of insects today. What did you just say?”
“…Forget it! If you don’t intend to listen, then don’t!”
“Why the sudden change? More importantly, now, clench and unclench your fingers. If you can’t, move them with your qi arts for now, and focus intensely on which parts of your muscles haven’t regained sensation.”
“Tch. Just concentrate on watching me!”
“Even so, your fingers are moving pretty well. You might be able to move them soon.”
‘Ouch, ouch. I forgot that humans show greater aggression toward insects than other beasts. If I approach carelessly, all my precious insect listening devices will be killed. Why is the human king so cruel?’
So she did think of the insects as listening devices. And she had the nerve to call me cruel?
“Are you helping me against your will…?”
“What?”
“Right now, I have no strength, and I can’t force you to do anything. If you don’t particularly want anything, then… why are you helping me?”
“A patient sure asks a lot of questions. Enough. Now rotate your wrist.”
“When a person asks you something seriously, you should answer!”
‘Insects are good for covert eavesdropping, but they’re no good for observation because their resolution is too low. What should I do? Ah, right! I left the window open last time! I’ll possess Pero and fly in. Pero, launch!’
Did she never get tired of this? Fine, go ahead and watch. See for yourself how wholesome this rehabilitation training is, and don’t tell anyone.
“Hughes. I’m a regressor.”
“Oh, yes.”
“Don’t treat me well. I might just… leave you behind.”
“You’re leaving? Where are you going?”
“To the next one. The next round.”
“Where is the next one?”
“…To before this happened.”
Ah, I see… Huh? What did he say?
“Pardon? What did you just say?”
“This isn’t my first time in this era. I’ve repeated it more than ten times already. During every cycle, the King of Sin was born, and the world ended. Literally.”
“Is that a prophecy?”
“It’s different from a prophecy. I experienced it myself. I obtained these qi arts and treasures back then. I’ll have to obtain them again in the future.”
No, this….
“Thank you for helping me. But you don’t have to. I… can die. Then I’ll return to the past. I’ll retain everything I obtained this time.”
“The past…? When?”
“To just before I met you.”
This was so sudden….
“So I don’t want to be grateful. I don’t want to accept your feelings. I don’t want to repay you. In this cycle, I can’t repay you for anything anyway. The you in the next cycle will be different from the you now. Even if I go back to the past carrying this burden in my heart, it’ll only torment me.”
“Uh….”
“You don’t understand, do you? I know. I’m just a regressor, and I want you to understand my circumstances…. That’s all.”
Shay tossed out the words as though issuing a notification, then silently focused on moving his fingers. All the while, I had stopped moving his hand and remained still, turning Shay’s words over in my mind.
This….
He was only confessing now.
Sigh. It had already been several months since I learned about him through mind-reading. It had been difficult pretending not to know even though I did. Every time, I had to keep the fact that he was a regressor in mind and be careful not to accidentally mention anything I had read through mind-reading. It had been quite a struggle.
But now, I had succeeded in earning Shay’s genuine trust. I suppose you really do have to treat people well when they’re weak. The sun was better than the north wind, after all—and if possible, shining on someone when they were cold was even more effective.
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I smiled inwardly but quickly composed my expression. It wasn’t over yet. I needed to consider this fact sufficiently and show an appropriate reaction. Even if he had told me about his regression, it would be strange to accept it too easily.
Shay himself was a clue to regression. If I didn’t analyze the regression itself, I would only end up getting dragged into it. For now, I should pretend not to know anything and ask Shay what regression was and by what principle it worked. Shay himself probably didn’t know much, but even the way he recalled the past and explained it piece by piece would provide clues.
“…All right. Quiet. Something is coming.”
Flap, flap.
The sound of a bird’s wings came from beyond the window. It seemed that the parrot the Grand Witch had possessed had arrived. The Grand Witch had been on her way here, so she probably hadn’t heard Shay’s confession. That was fortunate, considering the circumstances.
I approached the window, intending to welcome the parrot. But the creature perched on the windowsill was not a parrot.
An owl stood on the frame with a dead parrot clamped in its beak.
The owl sat there regally, turning only its head to look at me. Then it deliberately extended one of its legs and blinked its huge eyes. A note was tied to the owl’s leg. As though hypnotized, I pulled it free, unfolded it, and read the words written inside.
—To the esteemed King of Humans.
I have come to save you, and humanity.
Please grasp the enclosed owl’s leg and jump down.
…It seemed that the only one watching this room had not been the Grand Witch.