Page 198

Midra Fenin.

When it comes to him, to be honest, I don't know much.

He wasn’t even treated as an important character in the Flame Butterfly arc.

Aside from the fact that he ranked second in the first-year martial arts class, there was nothing else notable about him.

That was Midra Fenin.

But after I possessed this body, he gradually began to stand out.

Eventually, he even brought up Wolfram, leading the story to its climax.

Crackle—

The sound of the makeshift campfire burning reached my ears.

Since Sharin had lit it with magic, there was no worry about it going out even in the mist.

Midra and I were on second watch.

The children were fast asleep, and the first watch had just gone to bed.

Silence swept through the fifth floor.

Midra and I sat facing each other in front of the fire.

"Midra."

I was the first to speak.

"Yes, Instructor."

Midra replied nonchalantly.

Completely different from the time he dropped that bombshell.

"You've already figured out who I really am, haven’t you?"

At that question, Midra blinked.

Then tilted his head.

"Your identity, you mean? Well, you’re Instructor Vikamon Niflheim, aren’t you?"

Don’t play word games with me.

His eyes were brimming with playful mockery.

I had no intention of entertaining his jokes.

"I've been thinking about what you said about Wolfram. Including your intention behind telling me that."

"Ho~"

For the first time, genuine interest flickered in Midra’s eyes.

He looked curious about what I was going to say next.

I hoped that curiosity would last.

"The way to break the loop that existed between Wolfram and Zerion—honestly, I don’t know how to do it."

A way to sever that ridiculous power of regression.

Even having played the Flame Butterfly arc, I couldn’t guess how.

But the story Midra hinted at contained a clue.

Why did Midra correct me directly about Zerion’s gender?

And why did Wolfram reveal the secret of regression to Zerion, a truth not easily shared?

In the Flame Butterfly arc, no one knew that Wolfram had regressed.

Even other heroes described him as simply "unique."

Which meant even they didn’t know about his regression.

So why did Wolfram share that information only with Zerion?

“Wolfram and Zerion were lovers.”

One of the deepest, most trustworthy relationships: lovers.

This was the conclusion I reached using the hint Midra gave me.

Across the campfire, Midra quietly looked at me.

He didn’t respond to my answer.

So I continued.

“There’s been a persistent story that Zerion had a child.

No one knows exactly how that bloodline continued, but if a tale from a thousand years ago still persists today, it has to hold some truth.”

So then, who was her child?

It didn’t take long to come to an answer.

The reincarnations of the heroes all had ties to their past lives.

Rosli, the Fallen Flame, was born into the royal family of Zebra, which he once resented.

Aquiline, the Soul Keeper, was of the bloodline of Musika.

Narea, the Noble Saintess, inherited the same title of ‘Saintess.’

Zerion, the Transcendent Sage.

What connection does her reincarnation, Xenia, have with Zerion?

“Xenia inherited Zerion’s bloodline.”

The Niflheim Count family, as the Count himself claimed, did indeed inherit Zerion’s bloodline.

That bloodline continued through generations and blossomed into Xenia’s reincarnation of Zerion.

“And Zerion isn’t the only one in that bloodline.”

If Wolfram and Zerion were lovers, the answer becomes simple.

“The blood of Wolfram is also mixed into the Niflheim Count family.”

A child born between Wolfram and Zerion.

Their blood intertwined and continued until it culminated in the modern-day Niflheim family.

When I put all this together, I realized one thing.

Vikamon Niflheim’s abnormal stamina.

A man who dedicated his life to studying magic—how could he possess such incredible endurance?

The answer was that Wolfram’s blood had manifested more strongly.

Clap, clap—

Midra clapped his hands.

His expression was joyful, as if he hadn’t expected me to deduce this much.

“Impressive. I didn’t give you that many hints, and yet you figured all that out.”

Midra had acknowledged my answer as correct.

I let out a long breath.

All that time spent racking my brain had paid off.

So now it was time to ask something that couldn’t be answered with the information I had.

“…Is breaking Wolfram’s regression related to his descendants?”

After mentioning regression, Midra revealed that Zerion was female.

That indirectly tied regression to lineage.

Midra’s lips curled slowly into a smile.

“Well, who knows?”

“I don’t like vague answers.”

“As for that… I think you’ll find out eventually.”

I frowned.

He clearly had no intention of saying it himself.

Fine.

I didn’t expect him to give me everything anyway.

Next question, then.

“Is Vikamon the reincarnation of Wolfram?”

Vikamon Niflheim, a third-rate villain who exited midway through the Flame Butterfly arc.

Could he actually be Wolfram reincarnated?

That was the hypothesis I raised.

Even I wasn’t certain.

The reincarnated heroes all possessed overwhelming talent.

But Vikamon had nothing but stamina.

Even that wasn’t the best—Aisha surpassed him in raw physicality.

Too lacking to be considered the reincarnation of Wolfram.

Midra and I locked eyes.

Silence returned.

Crackle—

The fire crackled softly again.

After a while, Midra pulled his knees up and chuckled.

“No.”

My hypothesis was denied.

It was true that Vikamon inherited the blood of Zerion and Wolfram.

But it was just that—bloodline.

He was not Wolfram’s reincarnation.

“Lucas.”

So I tossed out the next person who came to mind.

The protagonist of the Flame Butterfly arc, Lucas.

There was the possibility that he was actually Wolfram.

“That guy is Wolfram’s reincarnation?”

“The Flame of Resolve is an excellent ability. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to call him a hero’s reincarnation.”

Midra gave a short compliment to Lucas.

“But Wolfram hasn’t died.”

The hypothesis about Lucas was also rejected.

Honestly, I didn’t really believe that one either.

If anything, Vikamon being Wolfram’s reincarnation would make more sense—at least the bloodline gave some basis.

But Lucas had no real connection to Wolfram.

My mind grew more tangled.

Then who, exactly, is Wolfram’s reincarnation?

“Still, you got close enough that it deserves some praise. You could say you got about half right.”

“So you’re really not going to tell me the answer yourself.”

“Haha, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t think too badly of me. I’ve got a binding spell of sorts on me, you see.”

What kind of binding spell?

Midra didn’t seem inclined to explain that either.

A long sigh slipped from my lips.

Still, the hours I spent mulling over this weren’t wasted.

It wasn’t a clean answer, but I got close enough.

All that’s left is to gather more information and propose the next hypothesis.

“Midra, I suppose you’re not going to tell me who you really are either.”

“Unfortunately, that’s bound by a restriction as well. But I will say, it’s not a restriction that hurts Instructor Vikamon. If anything, it’s for your sake.”

He offered another clue.

Midra didn’t play an active role in the Flame Butterfly arc.

So why was he suddenly getting involved now?

‘Midra only started acting after I possessed this body.’

In the world that followed Lucas’s death, a bad ending played out.

In that world, Midra did nothing and let the bad end happen.

But in this world, he was taking action.

The only explanation for that was my possession.

Since possessing this body, I’d interfered with the story numerous times.

The original storyline had already been derailed by Lucas’s death.

In order to lead the world toward what I believed was the true story, I had to get involved, using any means necessary.

Because of that, the storyline progressed much faster than expected.

I tried to follow the events in order, but the situation didn’t cooperate.

And only in this chaotic situation did Midra finally appear.

As if my possession was a trigger that set him in motion.

“...Midra, what are you exactly?”

How does he know all this?

And what exactly is this “binding spell” on him?

Midra never showed hostility toward me.

Mysterious as he was, he maintained a cooperative relationship.

He even helped me during the Vinesha incident with the Eldritch Being.

But for what purpose was he helping me?

I couldn’t even begin to guess.

“Good question.”

Midra turned my question right back at me.

“What am I doing all this for, I wonder?”

A bittersweet smile flickered across his face.

“Maybe I’m helping Instructor Vikamon just to find that answer myself.”

He was helping me in order to discover an answer he didn’t even know himself.

I didn’t quite understand what he meant by that.

But one thing was clear.

“You’re saying you’re on my side.”

“Yes, that’s right. I have no intention of becoming your enemy.”

“That’s all I need to hear.”

Midra blinked in surprise.

He hadn’t expected me to accept that so easily.

“With so many enemies already, as long as I’m not adding another one, I’ll take what I can get.”

Enemies were already more than plentiful.

There was no need to add to their number.

If Midra was willing to cooperate, I had no reason to push him away.

In fact, I should welcome him.

“I already know you’re hiding some kind of trump card. Someday, that’ll come in handy.”

Midra had once shown a spatial teleportation ability.

Something even Sharin couldn’t perceive.

I have a few theories about Midra.

One of them is that he might be connected to the method Wolfram used to break the cycle of regression.

The binding spell likely stems from that.

And the fact that he can’t tell me about it probably means there’s some connection between Wolfram and me—perhaps even including Vikamon.

Maybe even my possession is somehow tied to Wolfram’s regression.

“Haha.”

Midra suddenly covered his mouth and laughed.

“That’s just the kind of thing I’d expect you to say, Instructor Vikamon.”

There was a hint of nostalgia in his voice.

“It’s time.”

Before I could ask more, Midra rose to his feet.

“Let’s switch shifts for the night watch.”

It was already time for the next watch.

We’d been talking so long that I lost track of time.

“There’s still plenty of time ahead of us, right?”

Midra smiled slyly, hinting that I’d have other chances to ask more questions.

At his words, I stood up as well.

“One day, I’ll uncover everything.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Midra, back to his usual manner of speech, went off to wake the next watch.

Crackle—

The campfire crackled quietly in the night.