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n”Ah! I’m sorry!”

nZoemi finally, let go of Aspakeony’s wrist and backed away bashfully.

n”…”

nThe mighty necromancer, so much older and with much more life experience than him was looking to the side with a so-happy-that-almost-dumb expression and fanning her face with one hand.

nWith the impossible memory still fresh in his head Zoemi cleared his throat and asked.

n”Aspakeony… Have we… Met before…? Could it be that you knew me before my mother passed away or something…?”

nHe asked very carefully.

nActually, this was the very first time that Zoemi thought about his parent from this world since he was picked up by Mizoe.

nAaah… Such an ungrateful son this one was… He didn’t even know where that woman was buried…

n”Whaaat? Of course not! Silly!”

nAspakeony’s laughing voice pulled him right out of that train of thoughts and back to reality.

nShe was waving her hand dismissively while fidgeting still giddy from the cute kiss-like gesture she received so unexpectedly.

n”Ah! Yes, of course, how stupid of me…!”

nZoemi laughed awkwardly and cleared his throat again.

n”A-anyway, wasn’t us coming here had something to do we me getting stronger to protect Miriette better?”

nZoemi finally managed to push aside this weird daze the unrealistic vision has brought him and steered the conversation in the proper direction.

n”Of course! Follow me!”

nAspakeony puffed up her chest and boasted, then she waved at Zoemi and marched towards the end of the corridor.

n”Which part of the castle is this anyway? Why are there no guards stationed here?”

nZoemi asked confused, although there were no windows whatsoever, leaving such a big space completely unattended was not something that the well-paid palace guards were supposed to do…

n”Oh, that’s because it’s the way to the archives and treasury.”

nAspakeony shrugged dismissively.

n”That makes it even more of a problematic situation!”

nZoemi couldn’t help but retort which made Aspakeony snort joyously.

n”It does, this whole corridor is spiked with barriers and defensive mechanisms, if any of those so-called guards would make a mistake they would end up blown to smithereens, and no one wants to cover for the cost of cleaning such a mess.”

nAnd somehow her answer was even more unsettling than Zoemi could predict.

n”Let me guess, you were the one who set it all up?”

nHe sighed knowing the answer already.

n”Of course, after all, there are some precarious things stashed here that I simply can’t let anyone else get their hands on.”

n|Oh? She sounds so proud?|

n”Precarious? How useful they would be in the end? If they were that powerful, to begin with, you wouldn’t be shivering at the mere thought of the Ghosts of Bellcephora.”

nZoemi pointed out, and clearly, his prickling comment was so accurate that it pierced through the inflated balloon of the Aspakeony’s good mood and burst it quite splendidly.

n”M-maybe those treasures didn’t help me b-but in the right hands they will turn out to be super useful, you know?!”

nSomehow the great necromancer ended up on the verge of tears.

nZoemi sure struck right where it hurt her…

n”I’m sorry…?”

nZoemi tried to console her but the girl stepped away from him and pointed at the unassuming-looking door.

n”Go there and wait for me! You can talk with the librarian in charge of the archives, I don’t care! I have to compose myself!”

nShe declared theatrically to send Zoemi off.

nZoemi’s expression turned cold for a moment, not being at Miriette’s side any longer than necessary was starting to get on his nerves.

nWell, the biggest delay up until now was caused by him but it didn’t really matter!

n”I need to choose the appropriate puppet you numbskull! I’ll be right behind you!”

nAspakeony scoffed at him.

n”That guy was already notified by the security system that we arrived, chat him up for a moment so that he won’t get suspicious of me!”

nThere were still many parts that Zoemi found missing from the explanation but decided to trust the necromancer’s words and left.

nAs soon as Zoemi opened the door and disappeared behind them, Aspakeony slumped to the ground pressing both of her hands to her stomach that felt like someone was crushing her insides with a battering ram.

n”Why does he remember that….?! How can he even remember that…! It’s not possible! Not possible… Notpossiblenotpossiblenotpossible…!

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n|It’s progress, I guess…? He – or I from that timeline – sure doesn’t seem to be aware of your existence.|

nZoemi sighed to himself, which of course resulted in his voice resounding through the murky-black space.

n|That’s because this is the only timeline where I truly awaken.|

nThe original personality responded in a somewhat melancholic-sounding voice.

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nThe moment Zoemi passed through the door, he knew he messed up.

nSince he came here with Aspakeony with a head full of protecting Miriette he couldn’t fathom that there might be some protective measures active after all.

nBut the moment he felt a slight tickling feeling as if passing through the thin film of unknown origin the world around him slowed down to a crawl.

nIt wasn’t anything like the sudden appearance of the presence, the impossible cold assaulting his body from every direction was sufficient proof of that.

nIt was clearly the work of an ice magician.

n|But when?! How?! Could it be that the murderer reappeared?!|

nZoemi lost his head in the moment.

nHe was done for, ice spells completely freeze the mana in the magician’s body.

nAlthough shadow mana had a lot of unusual properties it still more or less falls under normal limitations – no matter how much it can expand, if it cannot be forced into a spell in the first place, it’s completely useless.

nAnd the worst part of this situation was that the one using such a terrifying element had incredible control over its power, Zoemi had no idea that ice magic could be used to influence the target’s perception of time.

nYet here he was, trapped with no way of protecting himself.

nThe surge of panic filled the boy’s body and made him use the first spell he could think of as helpful…

n”ENFLAME…!”

nHe basically cried in a voice of a scared child.

nZoemi’s pale blue lips trembled.

nIt didn’t feel like this spell combination was preventing him from using mana, it felt as if he didn’t have mana at all.

n”Disturbing this archive without a previous notice is a crime enough out of itself but trying to use a fire spell to boot? Mind introducing yourself, intruder? Such stupidity is fully worthy of my attention because how someone like that managed to get here is beyond my deduction skills.”

nThe bored voice continued and Zoemi forced his nearly frozen eyes to finally look around the room and at the person talking.

n”…Huh…?”

nZoemi gasped, at first, he couldn’t believe his eyes!

nThe person talking to him, the blue-haired man who didn’t even raise his head from above the book he was diligently transcribing onto loose pieces of parchment… He… He was…!

n”T-teacher Erest?!”

nZoemi managed to stutter clearly enough for the man to hear him over the sound of his chattering teeth.

n”Nn…?”

nThe pen in the blue-haired man’s hand stopped and the man raised his head with a suspicious expression.

nYet, his expression didn’t change no matter how much he stared intoZoemi’s face.

n”Alright, let’s add another question, why do you seem to know me?”

nHis brow raised as he put the pen aside.

n”S-sir Vatlo Jora Erest! T-teacher, it’s me…! Zoemi! Y-you tutored me and my master and the first prince Horeo!”

nWhile talking Zoemi kept focusing all his will on adding the fire aspect into his mana turned out to be a good idea, Zoemi could feel that the murky flames slowly but surely engulfing his body were fighting off the numbness of the ice magic. Yes, the spell took some time to activate, but it did activate!

nThe freedom was just a step away, the bashful flames were flickering on his skin…!

n”No.”

nA bored sigh came from somewhere within the room and the air beside Zoemi turned into a liquid, drenching him completely and erasing any trace of the fire, what’s worse the liquid instantly froze around Zoemi and the black-haired attendant could feel the overwhelming and unyielding ice encasing his insides into a frozen prison from which not even a speck of mana could escape.

n”Teacher, it’s me, Zoemi!”

n|H-how is that possible?!|

nZoemi cried pleadingly.

nHe was hoping that it will be enough to jog his teacher’s memory.

nAnd indeed, there was a change in Valto’s behavior.

nOnly not the one Zoemi was hoping for.

nVertical wrinkles appeared between the man’s brows as he creased them in an angry expression.

n”Listen here, you impudent impostor, Zoemi you are trying pose as just so happens to be my favorite student, he’s a diligent well-behaved child and has the right side of his face disfigured by a fire spell…”

nValto raised his hand and pointed and touched his right cheek with his finger.

n”The same type of magic that you were going to use just before, so that make’s you some type of fire magician, and Zoemi is a darkness magician. With that out of the way, I’ll assume you are not just some accidental intruder but one with malicious intent.”

nValto raised his head and sent Zoemi a glare full of cold fury.

n”Posing as my student… You wish for death…”

n”N-no…!Teacher, I…!”

nZoemi had no idea what he was supposed to do!

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n|Things are getting wild, wouldn’t you say?|

n|…|

nZoemi asked the original personality, but he got no response as the other being seemed to be too focused on the events playing out.

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