---

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I was born and raised here, and my parents are doing just fine.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m not talking about the body; I’m referring to the soul within. Can you lend me your hand for a moment?”

Hesitant, I extended my hand, and as he grabbed it, he began chanting. At the same time, a sinister energy from Arhen’s hand started to cling to me.

Fortunately, my hand didn’t vanish into the void; it merely bore inscriptions.

“Just like the runes from before…”

“Normally, rune inscriptions inflict extreme pain upon acceptance. But it seems you’re indeed from another world.”

“You mentioned that the summoned hero is also from another world, right?”

“Curious, are we?”

Of course, I was curious! The summoned hero was someone with the same unique ability as mine, but while the original game merely hinted at such beings existing, I had never heard of anyone with a copying ability like mine. And to top it off, he’s a reincarnator from another world? It was hard to wrap my head around.

“So this rune magic is power brought here by reincarnators… Does that mean there are other reincarnators out there?”

Arhen smiled at my question.

“Sharp as a tack! Yes, reincarnators have existed throughout history, especially since the demon race’s invasion began a thousand years ago.”

A thousand years ago, when the demon race first invaded the continent, humans were weak. Some strong individuals uncovered their magic power and aura to fight back, but they couldn’t win. There were two clans among them that could stand against the demon race.

“One of those clans is Clorind, the founder of the current Empire.”

“And… what does that have to do with reincarnators?”

“Listen up. You’re too impatient.”

“…”

But apparently, even those clans weren’t strong enough to counter the powerful demon race. The method they chose was to summon a hero from another world. This is like the classic fantasy game trope! Just a typical “hero from another world” scenario…

“One of the two clans, known as ‘Astra,’ specialized in space magic. They summoned the first hero, Aegis, to this world and defeated the Demon King.”

“Astra clan… I’ve never heard that name before.”

“Well, you wouldn’t. They were erased from history along with the reincarnators.”

Even after Aegis defeated the Demon King, the next ones kept being resurrected. Each time, the Astra clan summoned a new hero to confront the crisis.

“But then, there was a problem. The summoned heroes weren’t always virtuous.”

A giant machine-controlling hero, a hero using special martial arts—each summoned hero arrived with a completely new power. Among them was one with the ability to infinitely reincarnate.

“Records say it was horrific. As soon as that hero was summoned, they killed everyone present as if in a rage.”

Instead of defeating the Demon King, the hero tried to wipe out humanity—no, they did wipe them out. They reincarnated and killed humans again, bringing sheer brutality and devastation to the entire world.

“Only the Clorind clan, which was unaffected by the passage of time, noticed that the world was repeating.”

The entire world turned against the reincarnating hero to kill him. Yet, even that proved impossible… which is, in a way, to be expected. Even if they did succeed in killing the hero, he’d just reincarnate again.

No matter how many people banded together, defeating him was almost impossible. Tens of billions of people repeatedly died at the same moment.

However, they found a way. They killed the reincarnating hero and turned back the stopped time.

“How did they kill the reincarnating hero?”

Arhen pointed at the rune inscription on my hand.

“In order to defeat him, Astra borrowed power from this world once again. That power is rune magic, specifically the magic known as the Rune of Death.”

“…Does this have the power to kill a reincarnator?”

“The Rune of Death is the most dangerous inscription of all rune magics. It has the capability to annihilate existence itself, completely erasing not just the body but even the soul from this world.”

“Wha-That kind of broken ability is frightening… Isn’t it too dangerous?”

“Of course, there are risks involved, and for people like you and me right now, it’s out of reach, so don’t worry.”

Once the reincarnating hero died, the world stabilized, and each country erased records of reincarnators.

“The fact that the world has been destroyed multiple times would only cause chaos.”

“So, that’s why records about reincarnators were erased.”

“And the Astra clan was executed as the scapegoats for the incident.”

…I get that it’s understandable, but isn’t that too harsh? For a clan that had summoned heroes and fought alongside them for so long to be executed all because of one villain! Meanwhile, Clorind, who fought beside them, established the Empire that now dominates the continent, making it sound altogether glorious.

“Some of them are said to have gone missing or fled to another world, but that’s just tales from hundreds of years ago. They’re only names in history now, and no one remembers them.”

“…Do you know what that clan looked like?”

This clan has had a significant influence on this world. It’s not mentioned in the original work, but this could easily be material for DLC. It wouldn’t be strange if a survivor from that clan appeared in the game.

“They’ve been forgotten for hundreds of years, but there is one legend that has been passed down.”

*

Right now, I’m riding a train with a green-haired boy, Ruto, who looks quite displeased. I had agreed to train with Arhen regarding rune magic, but the mission was moving forward.

This time, our task was to escort a significant figure, and I was paired with this kid.

“Does it make sense to just space out when entrusted with such an important mission?”

“Are you still hung up on that?”

This kid is from the same organization as me but is just a mere twelve years old. No matter how much he has awakened to magic, he sure is too young for a mission.

It’s his first assignment, and he’s paired up with someone like me, who is the strongest in the organization.

“Just a heads up, my opinion hasn’t changed. You should back out right now if you think it’s dangerous.”

An organization like this shouldn’t send out a kid like him on missions.

He could easily end up dead without anyone knowing, stepping into this world. No matter how good he is compared to others and how strong his will is, I can’t comprehend it.

Ruto shot me a dissatisfied glare, but I brushed it off casually.

“Hmph! This time, I’m going to prove I’m better than you in front of the organization.”

“Sigh… The authority for this mission lies with me. If it seems too dangerous, just back down.”

“I know, but I’m not backing out of this mission!”

With a sigh, we arrived at the destination: the northernmost point of the continent, the territory of the Duke Nuer of Gruwein, one of the Three Great Clans.

Our escort target is one of the heroines from the original work, Siel Gruwebin.

“I never imagined I’d end up entering here like this.”

What an unexpected experience to see a heroine I should have met at the academy first!

Well, my face is currently concealed with a recognition-inhibiting magic, so she can’t identify me, but since this organization is treated as a closely guarded secret by the Empire, the identities of its members are thoroughly concealed.

Even if an organization member dies, measures are in place to ensure no information gets left behind.

“Got it? You’re going to patrol this area and see if anything suspicious is happening. If you feel it’s dangerous, let me know immediately.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it…”

Pushing my anxious heart aside, I headed towards the mansion where Siel resides.

How long did it take? I unknowingly widened my eyes at the majestic scenery unfolding before me.

The magnificent mansion, built of marble, towered sky-high, and countless windows sparkled like stars.

The front gate, adorned with golden decorations, further enhanced its opulence.

In front of the door was a meticulously tended garden, with a grand fountain spraying water in the middle.

“You must be the escort knight sent from the Empire. Please, come inside.”

“Wow, a family with the continent’s strongest military might really knows how to make an entrance.”

As soon as I stepped into the mansion, I was overwhelmed by the enormous hall.

The ceiling seemed to pierce the sky, and the intricately painted frescoes captivated my gaze.

In the center of the hall, a grand staircase spiraled upwards, its railing meticulously crafted in gold.

At that moment, a figure I never expected caught my eye halfway up the stairs.

A girl with purple bobbed hair and guarded eyes was staring at me with suspicion against the blue wall.

In her gorgeous mage robe, her deep, clear eyes seemed almost enchanting, akin to a fairy’s illusion.

“Who are you?”

“…?! Could it be…?”

With a cold gaze and an expression that revealed no emotion, the girl looked down at me.

“What are you… doing here?”

 

---