#76
He had witnessed several times in the past when Ersen was excessively fatigued or forcibly suppressed his emotions. The feeling that mana flow was uneven. An aura as if forcibly blocking himself off. Such things came to mind.
Because for a body with mana-related illness, it was a medicine where the harm outweighed the benefits.
Water of Awareness doesn’t just make one sensitive—it stirs up the insides. For those unprepared to handle that sensation, “uncontrollable” becomes the most appropriate description of their state. Emotional rampage leads to mana distortion, and the end of that cannot be easily predicted.
‘Where is the Prince headed now?’
And what is he trying to do?
Skyle calmly wiped his sword clean, then without hesitation broke through the perimeter route and headed toward the capital’s outskirts.
He could wait no longer. It was judgment, not emotion. Skyle moved faster than anyone. Putting strength into his wrist as he sheathed his sword, donning his robe, and heading for the main gate. While precisely avoiding the patrol soldiers’ movement patterns, he moved nimbly.
Before going, he left word with Marcus.
Meanwhile, Marcus had been organizing the knight order’s documents since early morning.
One unusual document tucked between the papers caught his attention.
It was a surveillance order related to some trading company’s delivery list, and strangely, there was a handwritten correction stating that the delivery timing had been changed.
“By hand? Who makes corrections like this these days?”
His intuition told him.
That something was hidden here.
“There should only be one or two nobles colluding with half-demons.”
Marcus sprang up from his seat and put on his leather coat.
And not long after, he received the message Skyle had left.
Along with the location of that very trading company’s warehouse on the capital’s outskirts that he had found suspicious.
* * *
Belhar Trading Company’s warehouse on the capital’s outskirts.
If you climb over the wall and go inside, there’s a section where you can hide from others’ sight, though it’s cramped. Belhar Trading Company was one of the half-demon forces that had been consistently active even before regression, so I had some miscellaneous knowledge about it.
‘Fortunate.’
That I could come alone.
Of course, I didn’t come empty-handed either.
I caught my breath while fidgeting with a magical tool I had brought from Eris’s room.
‘I just need to confirm what business he has with Sercil and return.’
Even if more concerning matters arise.
It was wisdom gained from past experiences of causing all sorts of trouble. That if you lack power, you must spare your body. At least, unless there’s a moment of certain gain, you shouldn’t make sacrifices carelessly.
I steadied my breathing as I felt like coughing. I had to be careful not to make any sound.
‘What was the structure here like?’
I kept my thoughts flowing continuously. Though I was hiding it as much as possible, my physical condition was actually repeating cycles of getting worse then better, so I had to keep thinking to stay alert. I lowered my body with my back to the wind. I remembered from pre-regression experience where the blind spots were and when the gaps in magical defenses opened.
I peered inside through the cracks between old wooden boxes.
Dawn light penetrating through the split wood grain gradually revealed the warehouse interior. Shadows that would never be visible during the day were holding their breath hidden in the darkness. They were intentionally keeping the lights off and maintaining the interior darkness. That was also a way to hide mana traces.
There were shadows inside that could never be seen during the day, and traces of magic were spread across the floor.
And that wasn’t simply residual traces. It was a form that had already been activated several times. Someone was consciously making this warehouse into a “place of ritual.” The wooden boxes were stacked in a strange arrangement, and patterns drawn on the floor beneath them were messily spread out.
A curse formation mainly used within half-demon circles.
Most human mages can’t even interpret this formation. Because this is magic of “intent” rather than “language.” A magic circle composed of emotions and bio-energy without refined elements or structure. A method that operates only within half-demons’ mental systems.
‘Why?’
My heart beat a little faster. I had seen this before. This form. It was familiar. And I was certain.
With bewilderment hardening my face, I calmly examined it.
I tried not to be surprised. The more emotions fluctuate, the more judgment becomes clouded. I needed to make judgments now. What this was, when it was used, why it was here. I had to coldly distinguish and confirm.
It’s a <Division> type used by high-ranking half-demons. I could recognize it because I had seen it directly once before regression.
Back then, I didn’t know the exact purpose of this magic either. However, seeing Skyle after it exploded, cutting down half-demons in a state where he couldn’t even feel emotions, I intuited that this magic wasn’t simple chaos-inducing.
“That’s the only episode where this was used.”
I covered my mouth with one hand. I tried not to mutter, but the thought leaked out of my mouth. That episode. A scene too intense. The crucial moment when Skyle’s restrained emotions completely collapsed and his bond with Sercil faced the crisis of crumbling.
My hand trembled slightly with anxiety.
‘Why is this here?’
My head was in turmoil. There was still no sign of people inside the warehouse. Then it hadn’t started yet. But activation was possible at any time. They always watched for timing and moved suddenly.
The image of half-demons brushing past Skyle at Lady Marsien’s ball flashed before my eyes.
I remembered that scene exactly from before regression. Their collars, lingering gazes, the direction of their eyes looking at Sercil. Nothing was unfamiliar. I just hadn’t understood their intent back then.
‘The episode that forcibly provokes Skyle’s curse.’
A curse that amplifies emotions, converts them to mana, then splits that mana. For an ordinary person, it would have ended in fainting or mana rampage, but Skyle was different. He was turning the curse into “material.” After making himself unable to feel even emotions, he moved like a machine that endlessly cut down enemies.
Because Skyle was an overwhelmingly skilled practitioner beyond what the word “genius” could explain, this was the method half-demons used to separate him from Sercil.
And ultimately it failed. Sercil made him come back. But in that process, the two definitely developed cracks. Later, those cracks grew uncontrollably.
‘…Illusion prison.’
I looked again at the structure of the formation drawn inside the warehouse. And I realized. This wasn’t a simple Division type. A structure that manipulates sight and emotions from the outside, making it impossible to escape on one’s own. It was an “illusion prison.”
In the original work, this magic circle didn’t appear until the middle part.
Precisely mid-Part 2. When the protagonists’ emotions had deepened sufficiently and trust in each other began to waver. The key device that appeared at that point to shatter everything and then make it recover again. But—now was too early.
The progression of events had indeed accelerated too much.
And at a worrying speed. Before the characters’ inner selves could mature, crisis came first. Events that would originally be manageable now approached “overwhelmingly.” And the damage would be greater than expected.
‘Even more than before regression.’
Was this because of variables I created? My single word, my one choice twisted time and made people react. If so—I had to take responsibility. But I hadn’t decided on the method yet.
If I really made another mistake.
I had already changed too many things now. At first, I thought I was just changing the flow of a few things. But now everything was moving differently. People, events, emotions. The original’s flow was already twisted.
So if I made events progress urgently, causing the protagonists to face excessive crisis before their abilities could awaken.
That’s the arrogance of a regressor. Knowing time doesn’t mean knowing direction. If the result of pushing too fast was this situation, this wasn’t “help” but “interference.” And the price—could be someone’s ruin.
“Ah, no. No…”
I couldn’t stop the words that came out like a groan.
It was hard even to breathe. My head was churning, and my fingertips tingled. The heart collapses first, and sensations follow later. It was like this before regression too. Taking all responsibility upon myself and ultimately losing everyone.
I felt dizzy and squeezed my eyes shut then opened them.
What came to mind when I closed my eyes was Skyle. Just before I left earlier, his gaze that had brushed past for a very brief moment. Though he didn’t say it, he might have known. That I would leave. That I would move alone again.
‘Calmly, let’s solve this one by one.’
Even now wasn’t too late. The curse formation hadn’t activated yet. This event might be a preview. If so, it could be quietly prevented. There was a method. Still—
That was the best option.
Because now wasn’t the time to fall into my emotions.
First, this is a curse formation that induces confusion.
The type that disrupts mental structure and distorts senses. It doesn’t cause direct harm, but depending on the situation, it can bring about results more dangerous than death. A method that clouds judgment and extremely amplifies emotions to make one collapse from within.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
