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“Gah!”

Edgar, who had been dozing off, gasped and opened his eyes.

He had woken from a nightmare.

However, he couldn’t quite remember what it was about.

Only bizarre fragments of memories floated around.

It felt like someone had been rambling on about nonsense…

“Mr. Edgar Fix.”

At that moment, the housekeeper called for him.

She was here to inform him that it was his turn now that Elena’s meeting was over.

Straightening his collar, Ed entered the room with the old man.

The old man welcomed him with a warm smile.

“The soul contained within is indeed Haydoin, right? I’ve been waiting a long time.”

The old man led in with Ed’s real name right from the start.

For a moment, Ed was taken aback, but then he smirked and replied,

“What’s your deal? How do you know my real name?”

“Hohoho. Shall we sit first? It’s going to be quite a long story.”

The old man said this while gesturing to the chair across from him.

Once Ed sat down, a servant brought in tea and poured it into empty cups.

After taking a sip of the black tea, the old man set it down and spoke.

“First, let me introduce myself. I am Harris Egerton, the manager of Hidden Shelter.”

Harris Egerton.

It was a name that, for some reason, sounded familiar.

Especially the surname ‘Egerton’ felt strangely comforting.

“Hohoho. Doesn’t it sound familiar?”

While Ed was furrowing his brow in this unexplainable sense of déjà vu, the old man grinned playfully at him, as if he were a classmate from ten years ago saying, “You remember me, right?”

Ed tilted his head and replied,

“Do we know each other?”

“Hohoho. To be precise, my ancestor knew yours.”

“…Ancestor? Who was it…”

Suddenly, Ed trailed off mid-sentence.

This was because he spotted the portraits behind the old man.

The portraits of the Egerton family, from the first head of the family to the 23rd, vividly portrayed their faces.

Ed’s gaze was particularly drawn to one face among the row of portraits.

The face of the first head of the family.

“Looks like you’ve found it. Haydoin’s old friend.”

At that moment, the old man turned to follow Ed’s gaze and spoke.

Then he looked back at Ed, smiling bittersweetly.

“It’s been a long time. Hundreds of years have passed since my ancestor shared this world with Haydoin.”

“……..”

Ed listened to Harris’s words with a blank expression.

Some precious memory seemed to blur as if viewed through high prescription glasses.

“You don’t have to force yourself to remember.”

At that, Harris said while raising his black tea.

Seeing Ed sweating bullets, he added,

“There’s no need to break the security you set for yourself. For now, you just need to know that Haydoin is a ‘Regressioner.’”

…Just knowing that he’s a Regressioner?

When Ed asked what that meant, Harris replied,

“It’s literally what it means. Haydoin is, in fact, a Regressioner who has repeated countless regressions. His current memories are likely manipulated memories layered upon to protect his mind.”

…Regressioner and manipulated memories.

Ed, who had been staring blankly at one spot, nodded with a calm expression.

He already knew that something was off about his memories.

‘No wonder… my emotions feel weird…’

Thinking back, it was a bit strange, wasn’t it?

He had mourned death rendered in crude graphics through the monitor.

Even if they were NPCs he had spent a long time with, feeling the urge to protect a mere game character was a bit much, wasn’t it?

‘If those memories are real…’

However, if those memories were indeed what he had experienced, it made sense.

If all those memories were not merely game iterations but significant regressions, then he could comprehend his feelings now.

“…What was my relationship with your ancestor?”

The lingering mystery remained about the relationship between Harris’s ancestor and him.

What kind of relation did they have, and why was it from hundreds of years ago?

Finally, Harris smiled and replied,

“As far as I know, they were comrades. Not just my ancestor, but a few others too.”

“…A few others? How many exactly?”

“…I’m sorry, but I don’t know the exact number. The memories passed down through generations have been slowly lost.”

“……..”

“But one thing is certain. Hundreds of years ago, Haydoin had comrades, and they fought together to protect this world.”

The self and the comrades fighting to protect the world.

Ed nodded.

He didn’t remember anything, but his emotions were accepting that fact.

Then Ed raised his head and asked,

“So, who did we fight against? Was it perhaps the demons?”

“Yes. The ancient demons.”

…Ancient demons, huh.

Ed clenched his fist in shock.

According to his knowledge, the demons first appeared after the ‘Conquest War of the Empire,’ yet they had been around long before that.

Harris said,

“It seems we need a detailed discussion. Would you like to hear the memories of my ancestor passed down?”

Ed nodded.

He needed truthful information to prepare for the upcoming large-scale war.

Then Harris began to recount the memories passed down.

“To understand everything, we need to go back to a distant past. Long before the kingdoms of the four directions were established.”

The kingdoms of the four directions.

It referred to the ancient kingdoms built in the east, west, south, and north.

Graham to the north, Cruel to the south, Elmar to the east, and Bernhardt to the west.

The family currently known as the Grand Duke of the Empire was originally of royal blood.

Harris continued,

“In the distant past, when Haydoin and his comrades inhabited this world, there was almost nothing. Monsters roamed the lands, and humans had to hide from them to survive.”

Beginning from the starting point of the passed-down memories, Harris began to inform Ed.

To sum up his lengthy narrative:

When Ed and his comrades became part of ‘El Pandor Runtera,’ human society was still at the ‘tribal society’ stage.

They were merely the weak ecology of several clans, barely surviving from monsters.

During such times, Ed and his comrades received information that demons were being born from the ruined ancient Empire (the Black Empire), and that they would invade Runtera (the continent of the Empire) in 150 years.

Thus began their preparations for the invasion.

“So, Haydoin and his comrades started to unify the tribal societies. They learned spells based on the abilities gained from their possession and taught the humans how to use them. In this way, Haydoin’s comrades were honored and made kings of each faction.”

Comrades elevated to kings of each faction.

Ed felt like he had been hit in the head with a hammer.

The heirs of the Grand Duke, whom he thought were major NPCs in the game, were actually distant descendants of his comrades.

Harris continued,

“The development of spells greatly enriched the human world. They drove out monsters, secured arable land, and started agriculture, drastically increasing food production. The population began to explode.”

Preparing for the impending invasion of demons, Ed and his comrades expanded the human world, building power.

Thus, kingdoms were founded, and armies were established, leading to the rise of many strong figures.

Locals with talent in spells began to stand out.

“In this manner, Haydoin and the kingdoms of the four directions formed a coalition and advanced towards the Black Empire. They engaged in the largest holy war in history to protect Runtera.”

Harris said this while stretching out his hand.

To Ed’s surprise, a blue hologram appeared in mid-air, starting to play a video.

The video depicted a battle against demons centering around him.

“As you can see, Haydoin was at the heart of the alliance. The player—namely, Haydoin, who possessed the strongest power among the possessed, was even a source of fear for the demons.”

It was just as Harris said.

The version of himself in the video possessed enough power to smash legions single-handedly.

It was closer to one-sided carnage than an actual war.

“However, when the Lords of Hell appeared, the tide of battle began to turn. They too were entities with power comparable to Haydoin.”

Just as Harris said.

Each time they swung their hands, space itself tore apart, and the land shook with tremendous strength.

If this continued, the alliance’s defeat seemed inevitable.

After all the effort put into uniting human forces and pouring everything into this, they still couldn’t surpass the Grand Dukes.

“At that time, Haydoin resolved to sacrifice himself. He chose to become a vessel and seal himself together with the Lords of Hell.”

Ed, who was strong enough to face three Grand Dukes alone, ended up as the sacrificial vessel needed to seal such powerful beings.

In order to capture an entity as powerful as a Grand Duke, the sealing technique had to be executed by an equally strong spellcaster.

“So… I have been sealed together with the Grand Dukes all this time?”

“Yes. You have given humanity a chance to survive. You bought them time.”

As soon as Ed heard Harris’s answer, he clenched his fists.

It wasn’t a particularly pleasant answer.

If he had sacrificed himself to buy time, then why did humanity have to be so weak that it repeated countless regressions?

When he asked about that, Harris bitterly laughed and replied,

“It’s because most of your powers were used in the war against the demons. What was left for your comrades was the ability to pass on specialized spells to their descendants and a portion of their memories. Even that memories became gradually lost and eventually forgotten over generations.”

“……..”

“The statues, books, poems, and literature that revered you—all began to fade over time. The descendants, having forgotten the great cause, dreamed of expanding the kingdom, leading to a conquest war. Wars destroyed everything old and burned them down. As a result, the Runtera you and your comrades sought to protect fell apart into separate kingdoms, starting endless wars.”

Ed nodded with a bittersweet smile.

It was only natural for the descendants to turn against each other and wage conquest wars when their comrades’ noble intentions were not inherited.

After all, humans are beings that constantly seek to expand their identities.

“But while the kings of the four directions were waging endless wars, the Orserk Family from the outskirts emerged. They were the family that unified all kingdoms and ascended as the imperial family.”

The Orserk Family, who conquered all kingdoms with the ultimate specialized spell, ‘The Ma’an of the Imperial Family.’

Ironically, thanks to the Orserk Family swiftly kneeling the kingdoms, the empire could be established without major bloodshed.

The seemingly never-ending war was neatly wrapped up.

“…The Orserk Family is also my ally.”

“Yes. I’m not sure, but I think so too.”

Ed smirked.

It was heartwarming to think that all the imperial family and Grand Dukes were distant descendants of his comrades.

Though he had no memories of his comrades, somehow, it made his heart feel warm.

“This Hidden Shelter…”

At that moment, Harris began.

It was to unfold the hidden story about the ‘Sea Wall.’

“This Hidden Shelter was created solely for you by my ancestor, who still had considerable power. He established this city in a place where no one could find it.”

As the descendants of each kingdom began to forget Ed, the Egerton family, feeling fed up with it, established this secret city with their own power.

The purpose of establishing this city was solely for Haydoin, who would eventually return.

In the future, when Ed’s seal loses its effectiveness and he is freed with the souls of the Grand Dukes, he would serve as the focal point to save this world once again.

“The memories passed down end here. With this, I have finally fulfilled my ancestor’s wish.”

Harris smiled, looking relieved as he said this.

He added that if there was anything else curious, to feel free to ask.

Then Ed spoke.

“…Is Elena also my ally?”

He asked about Elena, who had already had her meeting.

Harris nodded.

“Yes. This place is accessible only to the first possessors. That is, only ‘players’ can enter. Without being a player, one cannot breach the wall.”

“……..”

Ed nodded thoughtfully.

Then he inquired about what he had shared with Elena.

“…Hmm. Honestly, I don’t know much about Elena, so I only told her general knowledge about players. From the birth of the kingdoms to the war against the demons, and Haydoin’s sacrifice and return. Just that,” he said.

Harris had revealed only the secrets of this world and the background of this city.

Ed nodded, understanding.

He no longer had any questions.

“We’re just at the last stage now.”

At that moment, Harris said that while rising.

He then called a servant and ordered them to bring his granddaughter, looking at Ed as he spoke.

“As I mentioned, this place is meant for you, Ed. My granddaughter will guide you through it, so feel free to take whatever you desire.”

In other words, it was reward time.

 

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