Chapter 196

“-Originally, the Marquess allowed me to use the Tristan family name, but it just didn’t feel right. Even though I’ve been adopted as his foster daughter, I don’t share any blood ties with the Tristans. No matter how much they provide me with a place to stay and ensure my comfort, using their family name felt like taking too much. So, I decided to accept a different surname. Normally, I’d have to earn it through knighthood, but the Marquess pulled some strings for me. Oh, there’s a condition, though—if I fail to be knighted, the name will be revoked, and I’ll have to use the Tristan name. It’s such a favorable condition that it almost feels too good, you know? Haha.”

Levi chirped like a sparrow at dawn, unusually talkative and clearly in high spirits.

Well, it made sense. For the first time in her life, she had her own unique surname to prove herself. For a girl who had always been a victim of others’ whims, receiving a family name was undoubtedly a source of joy.

Ihan silently listened to her, nodding in agreement. It truly was a joyful occasion.

However...

“Th-that’s great and all, but why Jeanne d’Arc of all names?”

“…Is it a bit too unusual? Does it not suit me?” Levi asked, her expression showing a hint of unease.

“No! Absolutely not! It’s a fantastic name!”

Seeing her reaction, Ihan quickly shook his head, doing his best to reassure her that there was nothing strange about it. He put his all into praising her new name.

“Oh, good. I thought it might be weird or something…”

Reassured by his heartfelt compliments, Levi smiled brightly once more.

“And you know, the name just came to me! I was trying to snuff out a candle, and I accidentally burned myself a little. At that moment, a spark of inspiration hit me. It was like I received a ‘divine revelation’ or something….”

“…”

As if reliving the miraculous moment, Levi spoke of how the name had been born, her face still tinged with awe.

“It feels like one of those flashes of inspiration that come from your subconscious. Isn’t it amazing?”

“Y-yeah, it is…”

“Anyway, from now on, please call me Levi Jeanne d’Arc. Of course, Master, you can just call me Levi or Jeanne.”

“If I addressed a cadet that casually, do you know what kind of rumors would start?”

“Really?”

“…Don’t pretend you didn’t know. You’re terrible at lying. It’s so obvious.”

“…Hehe.”

Levi laughed bashfully, and while Ihan smiled along, finding his playful, affectionate student endearing, deep down, he couldn’t shake a growing sense of unease.

‘This is unbelievably ominous…’

The part about her burning her hand while snuffing out a candle particularly unsettled him.

Why did it have to involve fire?

‘Is this really just a coincidence?’

‘I-it must be… right?’

‘Why do you sound so unsure?!’

‘...Because I can’t be sure of anything anymore. Is this the inevitability of fate at work?’

‘Stop saying that out loud!’

‘Hurk!’

Though Ihan didn’t believe in superstitions, this was a world where fairies and mysteries coexisted. A careless word might very well manifest itself into reality.

‘She hasn’t learned sacred magic yet, but the moment she does, she’ll undoubtedly be called a saintess….’

Hmm…

‘She’s basically the temple’s bane, isn’t she?’

If she ever crossed paths with the temple, it would undoubtedly spell disaster for their plans, dragging her into a life far more grueling than the one she currently enjoyed.

‘Our sweet bear cub…’

Ihan could only hope that her choice of name was nothing more than a coincidence.

Boom!

Less than five minutes after Ihan had sent word, a man arrived, smashing through the restaurant door in a dramatic entrance.

It seemed he’d been in such a rush that he’d forgotten to control his strength, and the black-haired young master burst through the door with an impact that left the restaurant owner horrified.

“What on earth are you doing?! Our maple-themed restaurant’s door, which has stood for 200 years…!”

“My apologies. I’ll compensate you.”

“Compensation isn’t the issue here! How dare you—”

Thunk!

“….”

A pouch of gold coins fell heavily onto the table.

The sound it made was thunderous. Just how heavy was it to make such a noise?

“Hmmph!!”

Still, the restaurant owner had his pride. Though shocked, he wasn’t ready to forgive so easily—especially not when the young master seemed intent on resolving matters with money.

This called for some stern words...

Thud!

Thud!

“-From today, you are the new owner of this restaurant! Do as you please!”

“I have no intention of owning it. I just wish for some peace and quiet.”

“Even the ants and rats will be driven out! Leave it to me!”

If the other party refuses gold, perhaps it’s simply because there isn’t enough of it. Such was the lesson demonstrated when a second pouch of gold, twice as heavy as the first, hit the table with a force that nearly split it in two. The restaurant owner swore his loyalty to the black-haired young master, Roen, on the spot.

The entire process happened in a blink of an eye, leaving onlookers speechless.

“Do you have more money than you know what to do with or something?”

“I do. Quite a lot, in fact. The only ones who could challenge me in wealth are probably Galahad or the temple.”

“…You really are swimming in it.”

“I could even make it rain diamonds if you’d like.”

“N-no, I’ll pass…”

For the first time, Ihan felt the aura of a time traveler emanating from the boy. No matter what Ihan had seen before, the endless scent of gold now exuding from him was on a different level.

‘As expected of a regressor.’

An unbeatable investor who knew every bit of information about valuable real estate, future trade networks, and hidden gold mines. Perhaps even in this brutal medieval world, his overwhelming investment prowess was a cheat code.

Ihan found himself impressed all over again.

However, Roen didn’t seem to think much of the fortune he had casually displayed. He remained expressionless—or rather, his eyes were trembling uncontrollably, betraying his nerves and urgency.

“Is it true that Levi—no, Lady Levi’s new name is Jeanne d’Arc?”

“It’s true. You don’t even need to ask us; you can catch up with her yourself. She just left, so you’ll find her quickly.”

“…No, if you say so, it must be true. There’s no reason for you to lie.”

Despite his words, Roen looked like he was ready to chase after Levi at any moment. Understandable, really.

For him, it must feel like a long-lost comrade had suddenly returned from the dead.

At the same time,

‘He must have some suspicions.’

The thought flickered through Ihan’s mind—was it possible that Levi, like himself, had also traversed time and come back from the future?

Roen’s face displayed a cascade of emotions: doubt, joy, sorrow, anger, despair, and denial.

...An array of feelings passed through him in an instant, and Ihan could tell.

In the end,

‘...He gave up.’

As expected of someone as sharp as Roen, reaching a conclusion must have been easy for him.

‘If my bear cub knew about the future, she would’ve contacted that black-haired one already. But there hasn’t been the slightest hint of that. He’s probably decided it’s just a coincidence.’

That said, Roen likely didn’t fully believe it was mere coincidence either.

“Instructor, by any chance...”

“...Why are you stopping mid-sentence?”

“It’s not something I can speak of lightly.”

“...I see.”

Roen still hesitated to speak openly, and Ihan chose to wait patiently.

Slurp.

The restaurant owner, overjoyed by the unexpected gold pouch, brought out complimentary waffles and coffee as a token of gratitude. While enjoying the unexpected treat, Ihan waited leisurely for Roen to work through his inner conflict.

He looked utterly relaxed.

Wasn’t he at least a little frustrated?

“...You’re not pushing me for an answer.”

“Pushing won’t get me a better answer. If you want to talk, you’ll talk. If it’s uncomfortable or unpleasant, then just drop it. You have a tendency to make life unnecessarily complicated.”

“...Ha.”

Roen let out a brief laugh.

There was probably no one else in the entire kingdom who would assess him so candidly. Ihan had a knack for making even Roen’s heavy dilemmas seem light as air.

Perhaps that’s why...

Hoo!

After a deep, cleansing breath, Roen decided to reveal one of his most closely guarded secrets.

The only reason for sharing this truth was to ensure smoother, unencumbered dialogue.

“What would you say if I told you I had the ability to ‘see the future’?”

Of course, he wasn’t revealing everything.

He mixed 70% truth with 30% lies.

Technically, he wasn’t outright lying, but Roen carefully observed Ihan’s reaction, preparing himself for disbelief or skepticism.

He expected gradual acceptance through conversation, but...

“—Now, of all times?”

“?”

“Is this really the moment for me to react to something like that?”

“??”

...The response was entirely different from what Roen had anticipated.

If he wasn’t mistaken, Ihan looked utterly dumbfounded.

Then, when Ihan spoke again, Roen finally understood why he reacted that way.

“You’ve been making it blatantly obvious that you know the future, and now you’re asking me if I’d believe you? What kind of answer were you expecting from me? Am I supposed to act surprised?”

“...Have I really been that obvious?”

“I thought you were doing it on purpose to teach me.”

“Cough.”

“If you were trying to hide it, you did a terrible job. It’s like you’ve been broadcasting it to the whole world...”

“I, I never did that!”

“Yeah, sure.”

“...”

The derisive snort left Roen at a loss for words.

Sometimes, staying silent really was the best option. Roen, realizing that trying to argue was futile, let out a bitter laugh.

Yet even that bitter laugh held a hint of relief, as if a long-standing burden had finally been lifted.

‘Unexpected.’

Although his tone was chastising, Ihan couldn’t help but feel a touch of surprise toward his student for revealing his secret.

This was a boy who had never trusted anyone—a wounded stray cat. Yet, for the first time, he had shown vulnerability and shared his trust.

...It felt a little like that moment when a stray cat finally allowed someone to pet it.

‘If I said that out loud, he’d get angry, wouldn’t he?’

Satisfied with the progress in their relationship, Ihan decided not to provoke him unnecessarily.

Roen was a prideful person, after all.

So,

“Don’t you have something you’re curious about?”

“?”

“Surely you’re wondering why I summoned you as soon as I heard Levi’s new name. ...Or something like that?”

“...”

Roen’s expression hardened.

And his gaze...

“...I’ve had my suspicions for a while, but now I’m certain. You are like me, aren’t you?”

“Haha...”

His sharp gaze shifted directly to the sword Ihan carried.

What an astute perception.

He had immediately pinpointed the source of the information.

At that moment,

“...Let me ask you one thing. Did you also meet [an angel]?”

“...Did you meet one too, my lord?”

“So it’s true!”

“Wow...”

...Suddenly, an unexpected piece of information was dropped, leaving Ihan blinking in confusion.

The two of them, seemingly bonding like long-lost classmates, grew inexplicably closer. Ihan turned to look at his sword, completely taken aback.

Understandably so.

‘It wasn’t a truck?’

He had assumed it was at least a Dodge or a Retona.

‘Huh, has the trend changed?’

Ihan gave a wistful sigh, realizing that the standards for reincarnation seemed to have shifted since his time.

...In his day, it had always been a truck or overwork.

‘Things have gotten easier these days.’

Now there were angels and everything...

At this rate,

‘What’s next, reincarnating from writing online comments?’

Though the idea was absurd, Ihan couldn’t help but laugh to himself.