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Ian murmured as he sat in the training hall, gazing at the distant sky.

It had almost been a year since his regression.

He felt proud of how he had spent that time, whether long or short.

In the mornings, he trained his body in the training hall, and in the afternoons, he practiced his magical cultivation at the Ley Line, leading a busy life.

Except for meal times, he hadn’t really rested during the day.

It was almost like he was overworking himself. If he were an ordinary person, he wouldn’t have been able to endure such a schedule.

After a month, he began to wonder if he needed to push himself so hard and decided to designate one day a week as a rest day.

On those days, he would sleep in and leisurely take walks or, sometimes, go hunting with the gamekeeper to catch deer or boars and enjoy roasted meat.

Of course, he would also drink the fine wine stored in the display cabinet without reservation. It was so enjoyable that it felt like all his accumulated fatigue vanished.

Looking back, he realized he had never lived so diligently, even in his previous life.

Reaching a higher level wasn’t particularly difficult.

He had already gained enlightenment and, thanks to his contributions to defeating the foreign envoy, his inner mental realm had expanded to some extent.

As a result, he was now on the verge of reaching Level 3. It was indeed a remarkable achievement.

However, he could only consider himself at the starting line now. Having wasted two years, it felt like no one was left at the starting line.

‘But still, look where I am.’

He had finally caught up with those who had left earlier.

In his previous life, it would have taken several more years to achieve this. Even then, it was an arduous path.

In contrast, now it was like a well-maintained road. Just knowing that he had accelerated the process was extremely satisfying.

It was a pity he couldn’t brag about it. No one would believe him even if he claimed to have regressed.

‘But what is the real reason for my regression?’

He hadn’t been appointed as a hero by the Twelve Lords, who were said to be divine fragments and agents of the gods.

He hadn’t achieved any accomplishments worthy of worldly worship.

He hadn’t reached Level 6, known as an ascendant or transcendent, let alone Level 9.

At most, he was a Level 5 treasure hunter… well, the title “treasure hunter” was a bit flattering. He was essentially a mercenary.

‘And it’s not like I had any extraordinary artifacts…’

The only notable achievement was surviving alongside the hero until the end. But was that really something exceptional?

It was a question he had pondered countless times over the past year, but he still didn’t have an answer. He hoped he would find out in due time.

‘Maybe it’s time to go.’

Leaving his mixed feelings behind, Ian got up from his seat and brushed off the dust. Even though he had only been sitting for a short while, he was covered in dust.

Since he was going to wash up anyway, he did a quick job of cleaning and headed toward the villa. It seemed they had guests.

A luxurious carriage, bearing the flame emblem of the Berger family, was parked in front of the villa.

‘Is Dior here?’

It was still far from the promised date.

As he passed the stableman soothing the horses, Ian entered the building and saw two knights in reddish-brown armor talking with Sir Arot.

One was obviously male, while the other was identifiable as female through the contours of the armor. But gender wasn’t the important thing here.

What mattered was that they were from the Red Spear Order of the Berger family.

The small IV inscribed on their shoulder pads confirmed they belonged to the 4th unit. What were they doing here?

“Hm?”

Hearing the sound of the door opening, the two turned around, and one of them stepped forward.

Judging by the lack of a fur collar around his neck, he appeared to be a regular member. He slightly bowed his head and offered a formal greeting.

“It’s been a while. I’m Mael from the 4th unit of the Red Spear Order.”

“…Mael?”

The name sounded familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it. No, it was a name he couldn’t forget.

Ian squinted and stared at the knight, but the face was obscured by a helmet, making it impossible to recognize.

The visor was structured in such a way that it was difficult to see inside, and a magical lens blocked even the color of the eyes.

But the name and voice were enough for Ian to recall who it was. Mael removed his helmet to confirm.

Blonde hair and blue eyes were common sights in the El Carda Empire.

Moreover, the face was strikingly handsome, the kind that would make anyone stop and stare as they passed by.

But Ian showed no reaction. Instead, he frowned.

“If that’s the case, then who’s this…”

“Yes, this is Mari.”

“Hello.”

The female knight waved her hand. But she didn’t seem particularly pleased. It looked like she was merely making a forced gesture due to her connection to the Berger family.

If not, she would have maintained complete silence.

‘Or rather, there probably wouldn’t have been any contact in the first place.’

As Ian was having these thoughts, Mael was giving Mari a look.

“Mari, you should show proper respect.”

“Why bother? Didn’t the young master say we’re the same age and should be friends, so we can speak comfortably?”

“The young master did? When?”

“Back when we first met. Didn’t he?”

It was during the coming-of-age ceremony. Ian nodded.

“Right. Mael, you can speak comfortably too.”

“…Hmm, no. I’ll just use honorifics. It’s more comfortable for me.”

“Hmph, such pretentiousness~”

Ignoring Mari’s retort, Mael continued to stare at Ian. Ian found the gaze a bit uncomfortable.

“Is there something you want to say?”

“Is it that you still find us troublesome?”

The question was slightly irritable, but Ian knew there was no malicious intent behind it.

It was just the way Mael was—purely curious.

In the past, he might have reacted with anger and frustration, but having endured twenty years including his previous life, he could now control his emotions.

“A little.”

But that didn’t mean he could meet them without any reservations.

‘Maybe it’s unavoidable?’

A significant part of the reason he had become a recluse was due to these twins.

At this point, three years ago, although the exact details were unclear, the Berger family had decided to break with their centuries-old tradition and unusually hold the coming-of-age ceremony in conjunction with another family from the east.

The coming-of-age ceremony, while officially a celebration, was essentially an evaluation of skills. During this event, Ian had experienced defeat against four prodigies.

And it wasn’t just a defeat amidst equals; he had knelt before overwhelming talent.

The void left by this experience was filled with inferiority and self-loathing, but that was no longer the case. This time, he would fill it with effort.

“……”

Thinking about the past brought a bitter taste to his mouth.

Ian couldn’t hide his bitterness as he looked at Mael.

“So, what brings you here?”

“I’ve been sent by the unit commander to escort you.”

“…The unit commander?”

“Sir Dior Berger.”

“Dior is the unit commander? Since when? Isn’t he still a member?”

“Well, it was around the time of a large-scale personnel change… it’s been about two years. The former commander of the 4th unit was promoted to the Black Spear Order. Naturally, Sir Dior became the new commander. And since the position of unit commander was to be held by the strongest member, there was really no one more suitable than Sir Dior, so it was essentially a unanimous decision.”

Perhaps because he hadn’t been very interested in family matters in his previous life,

Ian knew that Dior was a member of the Red Spear Order’s 4th unit, but he had never imagined that Dior would rise to the position of unit commander at such a young age.

He only remembered that Dior would become the commander in about ten years.

“In any case, unless you have any objections, we plan to depart for the main residence tomorrow morning.”

“Tomorrow? That’s unexpected. I thought you’d say we need to leave right now.”

Mael smiled and glanced at the knight.

Since he was wearing his helmet deeply, it was impossible to guess his expression.

“Oh, my sister did say something like that, but I don’t think so. You weren’t idling around; you were training in the hall. Seeing how you’re covered in sweat, you must have worked hard. So, you should wash up, have a meal, and then rest before packing. There’s no need to rush.”

“What if I refuse to go?”

“Well, in that case, we’d have to leave reluctantly. We can’t drag you along. However, anticipating that you might say something like this, the unit commander left a message.”

“…What is it?”

“He advised that it would be better for you to come along willingly. If you don’t, he said he would come to get you personally.”

“Didn’t he add anything else?”

“Um, yes. He did.”

“Didn’t he say he’d drag me along if necessary?”

Mael flinched visibly and looked genuinely surprised, his eyes wide open. Perhaps due to his youth, he had difficulty concealing his emotions.

“How did you know?”

“It’s obvious. He said something like that before.”

“…So, what will you do?”

“What will I do? I’ll go to the main residence, of course. You’ve traveled a long way, so you should rest comfortably.”

“And what about you?”

At Mael’s question, Ian hesitated for a moment before answering.

“For now, I’ll wash up and eat… then I’ll probably head to the Ley Line. Why, do you want to come?”

“Is that alright?”

Ian had expected him to decline, but Mael answered immediately, as if he had been waiting for that offer.

His eyes sparkled, and he seemed a bit eager.

Ian couldn’t dismiss the offer as just a casual remark and found himself nodding in agreement.

“Sure, why not.”

After all, the Ley Line associated with this villa was of a low grade, and anyone affiliated with the Berger family could use it with the administrator’s permission.

In other words, Mael was qualified to use it as well.

“Then I’ll get ready!”

“No need to rush. We’re not leaving immediately. You can rest for now.”

“Okay.”

Leaving the overly excited Mael behind, Ian attended to his tasks in turn.

He washed off the sweat from his body with hot water provided by the servants, relieving his fatigue, and restored his strength with a hearty meal of meat.

As Ian wiped the grease from his mouth with a damp towel and looked up, he saw Mael and Mari, the two Red Spear Order knights, sitting across from him with astonished expressions.

“You really ate all this…?”

“Why the surprise? You’ve seen me eat like this before.”

“Of course, the unit commander eats a lot too, but not to this extent.”

“Come on. If anything, I probably ate more. I doubt I ate less than you. You’ll be like this too, once you master the Bane of Evil.”

“……”

“It’s time to go.”

“…Where to?”

Ian looked at Mael with a questioning glance as if to say, “How could you not know?”

“To the Ley Line.”

“Are you serious?”

Seeing Mael feign surprise, Ian chuckled.

“You were waiting for me to say that, weren’t you?”

“I’ll prepare the carriage.”

“Forget it. It’s not far; we can walk.”

Ian got up from his seat and left the dining room.

Mael and Mari, the two armored Red Spear knights, followed immediately. What was odd was Mari on the left.

Although she had removed her helmet during the meal, she put it back on as soon as they left the villa.

That was fine. It seemed a bit excessive, but it was likely to be prepared for any possible situation.

“……”

Yet, there was an uncomfortable feeling from the stares coming from the side.

———