Chapter 3 : Return to Limbo

Ethan found it absurd to draw a lot in this situation, but he saw no reason to refuse.
Demi was his backer now.
There was no point in backing out.

He reached into the box and drew.

[Archive acquired!]
[Archive: Personal Hygiene (D)]

Ethan processed the new information flooding his mind.

Hygiene prevents disease and maintains health.
Personal hygiene involves individual practices like keeping the mouth and hands clean, bathing, changing clothes, checking food quality, and improving one’s environment.

Ethan vaguely grasped other related archives, like public hygiene, healthcare, parasites, infectious diseases, illnesses, and soap.
The issue was that, within the limits of his environment, he already practiced personal hygiene and understood its value.

“What use is this archive to me?”

[Archives, items, or skills may sometimes be worthless to you.]

“That’s not the point.”

Ethan turned to Demi.

“What happens to me now?”

Even without Demi’s confirmation, Ethan knew he’d been stabbed in the back and died.
But since he still existed with consciousness, it wasn’t over.
At least, he hoped so.

[I don’t have the power to resurrect the dead.]

“I figured.”

[But I can nullify death.]

“…How?”

Demi pointed to a door behind itself.

[Step through the door behind me. You’ll return to before your death.]

“Return?”

[Yes. You’ll ‘regress.’]

“To when?”

[You can’t return to before our contract, so it’ll be just after.]

“How is that possible?”

Demi replied.

[I can’t explain everything, User.]

Ethan decided to accept it.
Demi was an otherworldly being.
Not everything could be comprehensible to him.

[Enter the door. Limbo can’t be sustained indefinitely.]

“Got it.”

Ethan approached the small wooden door behind Demi and opened it.
Beyond was only darkness, making him hesitate.
Glancing back, he saw Demi facing not him but another door across the room—a large, double-arched gate, starkly different from the wooden one.
Demi stared at it motionlessly, as if expecting someone to emerge.

[User.]

Puzzled but urged by Demi, Ethan stepped through the door.

Ethan stood in the center of the magic circle he’d drawn to contract with an otherworldly being, holding a handgun.

[User analysis. Status abnormality detected. Current status: Loss of continuity. Limbo transfer data found. Decompressing. Decompression complete. Ethan Dora Charasen. Mage. Level 1. …Good to see you again, User.]

“You came back too?”

[Since I share the same information as my pre-regression self, you could say that.]

Words appeared before Ethan’s eyes.

[Quest generated!]
[Quest: Why Did Ethan Dora Charasen Die? (D)]

Ethan said.

“Quest or not, I need to figure this out.”

[Any guesses?]

Ethan looked at the gun in his hand.

“This is the only reason I can think of.”

[You used a curtain to conceal the gun from everyone.]

“But it made a loud noise. Could the sound alone reveal I used a gun?”

[It could, but only if someone knows what a gun is.]

Ethan nodded.

“For example, the Dark God Oer’s magic is well-known now, like the face-skin spell. Even someone who’s never seen Oer’s black mages could deduce it’s their work from the traces. The same could apply to you, Demi. If your followers used guns during your invasion of the empire twenty years ago, someone might know about guns.”

[‘Invasion’ is a misnomer, but regarding gun usage, yes. Some in this world, Damarath Yumaha, likely know of guns.]

Ethan nodded.

“Then I should assume someone attacked me because I used a gun, right?”

[That’s reasonable. But how will you find the culprit, User? Did you catch their face, features, or any clues?]

Ethan answered.

“No.”

[Then how will you find them?]

“Simple.”

Ethan said.

“I’ll take the Basic Magic Practice exam the same way as before.”

After using the handgun in the Basic Magic Practice exam, Ethan met Arka.
Recalling the past, he responded identically, and their conversation unfolded the same.

“A secret, huh? Fine.”

Arka walked away.
Ethan watched her go, then started toward his room.
Listening closely, he heard movement behind him.
Though the footsteps were hushed, someone was clearly approaching.

“Etha…”

The moment he heard his name, Ethan spun, drawing the dagger from his chest.
The assailant who’d killed him once flinched and stepped back but quickly lunged again.

Ethan didn’t hesitate.
His blade stabbed the assailant’s stomach.

“Urk!”

The assailant staggered.
Ethan kicked them, and they collapsed, strength gone.
He kicked away the dagger in their hand and pulled off their hood.
It was a lanky male student wearing glasses.

“Damn it, Bjorn Palmaiz?”

[Who’s that?]

Ethan replied to Demi.

[A classmate known as a top student. A bookworm.]

[A friend?]

[No way. I don’t have friends.]

Ethan spoke to Bjorn.

“Bjorn, why did you attack me?”

“…”

“What?”

Hearing Bjorn mumble, Ethan leaned closer to listen, though he remained cautious.
At the edge of his vision, he noticed something rising—a sharply cut crystal.

[…Magic!]

Ethan yanked the dagger from Bjorn’s stomach, and the crystal fell to the floor.
Not stopping, he gripped the dagger with both hands and drove it into Bjorn’s chest.
Bjorn’s hands clutched Ethan’s arms tightly, then went limp.

Ethan stared at Bjorn, then at the sky visible through the corridor, hearing distant students laughing and chatting.

“What now?”

[You killed him.]

“Not what I meant. Any ideas?”

[I have no solutions at the moment.]

Ethan dragged Bjorn’s body to his dormitory room.

“It was pure self-defense.”

[I agree. But it’s uncertain if a third party would.]

“I need to know who Bjorn was. There’s got to be a reason he attacked me.”

Searching Bjorn’s pockets, Ethan found his dorm room key and headed there.

[It doesn’t look suspicious at first glance.]

“Most criminals don’t.”

Bjorn’s room had more books than Ethan’s but was otherwise similar.
Ethan rummaged through a storage box and checked under the mattress.
Had he not been attacked by Bjorn before, he might’ve stopped here, but Bjorn was no mere suspect—he was a proven criminal.

“The answer’s in the books, isn’t it?”

Ethan flipped through Bjorn’s books.
Midway, one felt oddly heavy.
Opening it, he found the pages hollowed out, containing a small wooden box.

Inside were a trinket and some documents.

“Got it.”

[What’s that?]

“The double-headed dog emblem on this pin points to the Empire’s Inquisition Bureau. These documents… they look like a commission. Bjorn was likely an agent following an inquisitor’s orders.”

With that realization, a quest completion window appeared.

[‘Quest: Why Did Ethan Dora Charasen Die? (D)’ completed!]
[Reward: 12 Experience Points]
[Reward: D-Rank Lottery Coupon]

Demi asked.

[I thought Yurmuth was a territory separate from the Empire. Can the Inquisition Bureau, a religious arm of the Empire, operate here?]

“Of course not. It’s illegal. But the Empire secretly sends inquisitors abroad to hunt black mages. Since the Empire’s so powerful, even if they’re caught, they’re usually just sent back without heavy punishment.”

Demi asked again.

[But isn’t black magic illegal in other countries, like Yurmuth?]

“Sure, the Mages’ Council deems black magic taboo. It’s forbidden. Penalties vary by country, but they’re not always harsh. In lighter cases, you might pay a fine and get exiled. Even if imprisoned or confined, swearing off black magic can get you released. That’s why some mages secretly dabble in it.”

Ethan tucked Bjorn’s box into his chest.

“Anyway, I’ve figured out Bjorn’s identity. If his body’s found, this box should keep the Yurmuth Council from blaming me.”

Ethan scanned Bjorn’s room once more and started to leave.

He would have, if someone hadn’t blocked his path.

“Quite a mess you’ve made, Ethan Dora Charasen. Ruining a friend’s room like this.”

Ethan faced a lanky man with platinum hair.

“…Professor Vain Wiz Dekarun?”

Demi asked.

[Who’s he?]

[A professor. He doesn’t teach many first-year classes, but I know him from a liberal arts course.]

[What’s Vain’s specialty?]

[Mental magic.]

Vain, leaning on a straight white staff, stepped into the room, forcing Ethan to back up.

“What’s all this about, Ethan?”

“I can explain. Bjorn attacked me. Not a prank—he came at me with a dagger from behind. In the struggle, I survived, but Bjorn died. I figured I’d be punished for murder unless I knew why he attacked, so I searched his room.”

“Oh? And why did he do it?”

Ethan produced Bjorn’s box.

“This is the proof.”

“Indeed.”

Vain snatched the box from Ethan’s hand.

“The Empire’s Inquisition Bureau, huh?”

“Yes.”

“Then you must be a black mage.”

“What?”

Ethan already found Vain’s demeanor suspicious, so when Vain swung his staff, he moved quickly.

But Vain hadn’t merely swung it.

A translucent blue blade from the staff’s tip sliced through Ethan’s left ankle.
Blood splattered across the room.

“…Argh!”

Ethan screamed and collapsed.

Vain spoke.

“Bjorn’s a capable student. He gauges his opponent and acts precisely, neither over nor under. Yet he was killed in a counterattack. Well, he’s still a student, so it’s understandable. But ‘our’ Inquisition Bureau won’t be so forgiving.”

“Our?”

“Yes. I’m Yurmuth’s inquisitor. I’ll send you to the Empire. Or perhaps I’ll interrogate you first, to uncover what you’re hiding.”

Ethan gripped the handgun in his chest.
He could draw and shoot, but he’d likely get only one chance, and Vain’s deft movements made even that uncertain.

Ethan asked Demi.

[What do I do?]

Demi replied.

[Do you trust me, User?]

[What’s there not to trust now?]

[Then do this.]

Hearing Demi’s suggestion, Ethan questioned.

[You’re joking, right?]

[No joke.]

Ethan realized he had no other options.

If he attacked Vain and failed, he’d likely be dragged to the Empire’s Inquisition.

[Fine. I trust you.]

Ethan drew the gun from his chest.

Seeing it, Vain raised his staff and crouched.

“So, you do have Terra’s weapon?”

Vain seemed ready to dodge a shot.
But Ethan’s muzzle wasn’t aimed at him.

Ethan put the gun to his mouth and pulled the trigger.

Ethan awoke in Limbo again.

Demi, arms crossed, looked down at him.

[I never said one regression was the limit.]