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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Age-Reversing Magic
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Age-reversing magic. It instantly made sense why Nia had come as an associate professor of magical studies.
'If one could reverse their age, then even adults would be able to enter the Demon Palace.'
Only students who hadn't yet reached adulthood were permitted into the Demon Palace.
The world had no choice, they said. To protect the world from the Demon Lord, students were sacrificed under the guise of a noble mission.
Naturally, the world wouldn't be entirely comfortable with this fact.
While it was true that outstanding individuals, worthy of the title of heroes, were born among the students, one never knew how an era would unfold.
To the eyes of the old, the young always seemed endlessly naive and vulnerable.
Though they respected the young in their own way, the anxiety that arose after entrusting them with tasks couldn't be hidden.
More than anything, adults had a responsibility.
It was the responsibility and role of adults to pave the right path, so that those who were still young could advance into a better society.
Thus, adults also agonized over how to deal with the Demon Palace.
It was a painful truth, but even the current third-year generation had earned the stigma of being the weakest.
If the next generation, and the one after that, continued to fail without any talent emerging, then the Fiends wouldn't be stopped, and they would open the Demon Palace gates and emerge.
What was created to prevent this was precisely the age-reversing magic.
'It seems they came up with a method similar to the Bandage of the Veil that I used.'
Bikerman was originally a current third-year student. Next year, he wouldn't be able to enter the Demon Palace.
But the Bandage of the Veil solved this problem.
The Bandage of the Veil was a unique item among all items. It was a one-of-a-kind artifact created through divine mystery.
Whoever used the Bandage of the Veil could transform into anything. This meant it was also possible to make one's physical age younger.
'If the Bandage of the Veil were used, anyone could enter the Demon Palace.'
This was a fact only players knew.
So, one might think, why not just put the Bandage of the Veil on a promising knight commander of the Empire and send them into the Demon Palace? If that had solved everything, I wouldn't have gone through all this trouble.
'Above all, Duke Robliazh would interfere.'
Duke Robliazh had already allied himself with the Demon Lord. There was no way he would just stand by and watch this happen.
The knight commander would be killed somewhere, and the Bandage of the Veil would be discarded.
Even considering just this, it was impossible to give the Bandage of the Veil to a powerful individual and send them into the Demon Palace.
'But age-reversing magic is different.'
As it was magic actively researched by the world, Duke Robliazh would have no recourse.
If it succeeded, they could send the entire knight order into the Demon Palace.
For the Empire, there was no reason not to research such magic.
Nia was in charge of researching such magic, and had achieved some results. It was clear that she had come to the academy as a temporary associate professor to test it.
'Then why did Nia never come to the academy in the game routes I usually played?'
She should have come to test it in other game routes too. Why didn't Nia come, and why was she eventually assassinated?
'I can't tell where things went wrong.'
I knew there would be many variables once Lucas died. But with a completely new character popping up, my head is spinning.
'Even if it's complicated, what can I do?'
I have to push through.
"Princess Sweet Potato, what are you thinking so hard about while eating?"
Seron said, waving her spoon in front of me.
"I'm always jealous of how carefree you seem."
"You wanna fight, huh?"
"Can you even win if you try?"
"I can win, as long as I don't self-destruct!"
Had she forgotten she lost last time without self-destructing?
"Look over there, it's the problem trio."
"Birds of a feather flock together, huh?"
Then, I heard the snickering voices of some passing students.
I didn't think much of it, but Seron scowled fiercely.
"Those brats don't even know we saved their lives."
Was she talking about the Forest Guardian incident?
Since the professors had directly spoken about this Demon Palace upheaval, other students also knew about the Forest Guardian incident.
However, being grateful for it was a completely different matter.
People didn't realize how serious something was until they experienced the incident firsthand.
Even if it was an act that saved their lives, their perception changed depending on whether they were directly saved or not.
So, even when the professors praised us for doing a great job, the students who didn't know how dangerous the Forest Guardian was remained indifferent.
In fact, some students even asked what the fuss was about, claiming it was just one low-level Fiend.
"Aren't you even mad?"
"Even if I get mad here, nothing will change."
In the first place, I deliberately lowered my own reputation.
I had done so much to provoke Isabel's wrath. If my reputation were good, I'd actually feel wronged.
"Hehe, there are kids like that, but conversely, there are also kids who value you highly because of this incident. Don't worry."
Then, Card, who had been listening nearby, chimed in.
Just as Card said, some students' reputations had risen because of this incident.
In particular, this was true for the higher-ranking students who truly grasped the danger of the upheaval.
"It's just annoying to see those kids giving us grief."
Seron grumbled.
If that's the case, she could just not hang out with us. But it seems she doesn't want to be alone.
"Huh."
Just then, I noticed that the surroundings had inexplicably grown quiet.
Seron, who had been grumbling, froze with the fork she was holding.
The moment I turned my head, wondering what was going on, I also froze.
Standing there was a familiar face.
Long black hair and eyes that shone vividly with a crimson light. The most feared individual in the Empire, a captivating woman from whom it was hard to tear one's gaze once seen.
The Third Princess, Iris Hysirion.
She was standing behind me.
"Your, Your Royal Highness the Third Princess."
"It's fine."
As Seron and Card hastily tried to pay their respects, Iris stopped them.
She cast a glance downwards, then looked at me.
"Could we talk for a moment?"
The Third Princess was asking to talk. I had no right to refuse.
"Gladly."
I asked Seron to clean up my tray and rose from my seat.
Coincidentally, I had just finished my meal. Iris must have known this when she approached me.
She didn't care that all eyes in the dining hall were on her. She was, after all, someone who drew attention wherever she went.
"Let's go somewhere quiet."
A short while later, Iris arrived at a secluded park. It was still the time when students were busy eating.
Perhaps because of that, the park was sparsely populated.
Iris sat on a bench. As I, being polite, was about to stand before her, Iris patted the seat beside her.
"Sit down."
"Yes, Your Royal Highness."
I couldn't refuse when the Princess told me to sit. I gladly sat beside her.
"Nia Sinsia."
And then, an unexpected name came from her lips.
"Do you know why he came to Jerion Academy as an associate professor?"
What did she mean? She asked, not even sparing me a glance.
Thanks to that, I couldn't discern her expression.
"Yes, I heard it was to test age-reversing magic."
So I just told her honestly what I knew. There was no benefit in playing mind games with the Third Princess.
"It's interesting magic. If something like that were possible, academy students wouldn't have to be sacrificed anymore."
"Rather than sacrifice, it's a noble mission."
"Even if you sugarcoat it, a sacrifice is still a sacrifice."
Iris was not pleased with the situation the students were in.
"Age-reversing magic, do you think it will succeed?"
"Honestly, it's almost impossible."
The Bandage of the Veil was an item imbued with mystical power. That's why such things were possible with it.
But if it's purely within the realm of magic, that's a different story. Magic certainly makes the impossible possible.
However, even that has its limits.
"Transformation magic is quite dangerous; if mishandled, it can cause mental breakdown by making the caster identify with the form they tried to transform into."
As she said, transformation magic was a tricky art.
Since it required complete transformation into the entity, not just donning a shell, it subtly caused many negative side effects.
The Bandage of the Veil wasn't much different in this regard.
"But if it's age-reversing magic, it would be even worse."
"You sound very skeptical."
"It's just a waste of time to invest in such magic."
In truth, I was equally skeptical about this.
If something like this were possible, the world would have already conquered more and struck down the Demon Lord long ago.
However, the fact that they still hadn't managed it meant there was a reason.
'Such magic was never completed by the time I saw the ending.'
Naturally, the possibility of that happening again was extremely high.
"Is there a reason you're telling me all this?"
The problem was whether there was any need to share this conversation with me right now.
I didn't have much direct connection with Iris. While we were linked by blood and various other factors, this wasn't the kind of conversation to have after being called out personally.
"Someone is after Nia Sinsia's life."
My eyes slowly widened. It was hard to believe such words came from Iris's mouth.
Iris lived to become Empress under the patronage of Duke Robliazh. For her to mention the assassination of Nia Sinsia, who was on the First Prince's side, was astonishing.
Moreover, Nia's assassination was orchestrated by the Third Princess's faction.
"...I'll ask again, why are you telling me this?"
"Because I think you might be able to stop it."
What on earth did she mean by that? I couldn't understand her intent.
I fell silent for a moment.
"Does Your Royal Highness wish for Nia Sinsia to live?"
"He's a talent for the nation. Of course, I don't want him to be assassinated."
Saying so, she rose from the bench.
"So, if it's possible, I hope he lives."
I was surprised. Iris was genuinely concerned for the Empire, more purely than I had imagined.
She didn't want the budding talent of Nia Sinsia, who would later become a great strength for the Empire, to be cut down due to political machinations.
This must be that side of her.
No matter how much Duke Robliazh supported her from behind, it was because she genuinely cared for the Empire that the Third Princess's faction gathered under her.
"If that's the case, I'll try my best."
I didn't know how he would be assassinated, but Iris hadn't told me that much.
With that, Iris turned to leave.
Then, as if something occurred to her, she turned back to me.
"What you told me last time was good. Do you have anything else?"
She was talking about her chronic insomnia.
"There's something called Suryeo Grass that grows wild in the western part of the Empire. If you make it into a candle and burn it, it gives off a dawn scent that helps with sleep, so it should be helpful."
"Thank you."
With that, Iris departed.
Nia Sinsia had come to Jerion Academy. But the sinister forces targeting him hadn't ceased.
Originally, in the 'Flame Butterfly' arc, Nia Sinsia's assassination was unavoidable, no matter what you did.
But now. A unique opportunity had arisen, one that might allow me to prevent that assassination.
If Nia Sinsia didn't die, then Nikita's corruption route would also disappear.
However, the moment I prevented that, the world would stray even further from the canonical timeline.
'As for me...'
What choice should I truly make? My gaze drifted to the sky.
If the world couldn't follow the canonical path, it would be destroyed.
Lucas, what would you have done? You would have surely declared you'd save him immediately.
But I'm not as upright a person as you. I'm just a mere commoner, struggling even to follow the flow of the canonical timeline.
If only Lucas were here instead of me, it would be different.
I made a bitter expression.
I missed him, though I'd never even seen his face.