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The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

Chapter 189: The Mystery Deepens

After the finals between Iris and Sonia concluded, there was a brief intermission for stage repairs and break time, followed by the award ceremony for the champions: Sonia, the runner-up Iris, and third-place Sharueina, culminating in a simple closing ceremony.

As I watched the scene unfold, I reflected on the earlier final match.

(Iris fought nearly evenly with Sonia… I suppose. In terms of strength, she still isn’t as strong as the Iris from my previous life, but that’s due to the power of the Holy Sword. If they fought without the Holy Sword’s buff, there’s no doubt that the current Iris would be stronger. Hehe. How delightful. If she continues to grow like this, she’ll definitely surpass even the Iris who had the Holy Sword’s buff. Fighting against Iris, knowing my life is on the line, would surely be exhilarating.)

Normally, it would be bizarre to celebrate the growth of someone who could potentially kill me, but I didn’t feel that way at all.

On the contrary, I rejoiced in that growth and felt happy at the prospect of battling those who achieved such growth.

(Fiera, Shuvina, Iris, Sonia, Miria, and finally, Her Highness Sharueina… Hehe. This is truly amusing. Ah, I feel an overwhelming desire to fight right now.)

There were numerous individuals who harbored the potential to kill me.

No matter who dies, the fact that others with similar potential exist is a source of genuine happiness for me, and my heart swelled with the eagerness to clash with them soon.

However, the fangs that could kill me haven’t yet reached my throat; the closest threat, Fiera, could only nibble at my side, at best.

(Though it’s not enough yet, there’s still time. I don’t know what events lie ahead, but I’m sure they’ll continue to grow on their own. It should be much more enjoyable to fight then.)

Of course, I had no intention of halting my own growth, but if they continued to grow, surely someone would eventually reach my throat.

If there’s one problem, it’s whether they would actually want to fight me, but worrying about that now wouldn’t help, and frankly, it felt a bit too late for such concerns.

I’m not completely oblivious; Fiera and Shuvina have already confessed their feelings to me.

Iris hasn’t confessed outright, but it’s clear she holds affection for me, and Sonia seems to be overcome with admiration—maybe she’s not even aware of it herself.

Miria seems to be aware of her position and hasn’t approached me in any such manner, while Sharueina probably feels more like a childhood friend or sister than anything else.

(Well, it’s hard to predict the future. As long as the protagonist Shudo is around, anything could happen.)

In the past I’ve lived, I’ve never once faced the same future.

No, to be precise, I can say that the only constant has been my death, but the events or occurrences leading to that point were never the same.

Even if there were omens, the subsequent events changed based on who the protagonist, Shudo, met and how close their relationships became. Sometimes those omens ended ambiguously, while in other cases, they manifested as phenomena.

Thus, while I can make certain predictions, I couldn’t foresee a definite future, and even now, I remain uncertain about what future awaits.

Nevertheless, not being able to predict something doesn’t mean I’ll reach a predetermined future, so depending on Shudo’s future actions, it’s possible everyone might align themselves with him.

(Well, looking at Iris’s performance fighting Shudo, that possibility seems low, but if that happens, I can always find a different enemy.)

In this world, there are still many hidden strong ones and mythical beings.

If there are no enemies, I can just create them, and I’ve even sprinkled such seeds using the demon race I met before.

(Ah. I’m genuinely looking forward to this. I hope this time I can actually die.)

The thrill of fighting a worthy opponent, the anticipation of what kind of ending this life will bring, and whether I can finally meet true death in that ending.

As I daydreamed about the unseen future, I observed Iris and the others being awarded in the center of the arena, receiving applause from the audience.

After that, the closing ceremony concluded without incident, and we made our way towards Iris and the others.

◇ ◇ ◇

In the dimly-lit corridor leading to the audience section, there stood a figure intently watching Iris and the others on stage as the award ceremony took place.

“If only I had… such power…”

The identity of this shadow was none other than Lewis, the person who lost to Iris in the third day’s match, now obsessively referring to the protagonist of this world, Shudo.

“If I were stronger, I could eradicate evil from this world. Plus, if those girls lend me their strength, we could save the world from evil.”

Shudo muttered to himself, his gaze fixated on Iris and the others, unable to decipher his thoughts.

“Moreover, the Fiera and Shuvina I met before—both were pretty strong. I’ve seen them at the academy, so they’re likely enrolled there too. They didn’t participate in this tournament, but I believe their power surpasses that of Iris and the others. If that’s the case, I should ask them for their strength too. It should be fine. I’m sure everyone will be willing to help out to save the world. After all, everyone knows that there’s no place for evil in this world. Yes! If that’s the case, I must become stronger myself. The dungeon practice is coming up soon, and with the long summer break approaching, I’ll fight monsters as an adventurer and gain experience. I’ll be fine. Everyone is with me, and I’ll make sure to get stronger!”

In Shudo’s mind, it seemed that the idea of teaming up with Fiera and Iris was already solidified. After stating this resolve, he vanished from the arena as the closing ceremony ended.

“What on earth is that person…? Ugh. That headache again… I need to get out of here quickly.”

The observer, who had been silently watching Shudo’s every move, felt frightened by his excessively self-centered thinking and almost possessed sense of justice, and a mysterious headache struck again.

“I must hurry back and report this…”

The figure then concealed their presence and left the scene, returning to where their master was waiting.

◇ ◇ ◇

That night, after the martial arts tournament had ended, I was relaxing in my room as usual, enjoying the tea and cookies Miria prepared for me.

“Thanks for your hard work, Miria.”

“Thank you very much.”

“So, is this the material I asked for?”

“Yes. Following your command, I compiled reports on Shudo from Class B of the first year.”

“Thank you.”

I expressed my gratitude to Miria and began reviewing the materials laid out on the table.

I had asked her to investigate Shudo the night after the martial arts tournament began.

The reason being that, despite his awakening event being thwarted, I wanted to understand what had happened to him since he still awakened just like before.

The upper half of the document detailed Shudo’s recent activities, including his current rank, the requests he had undertaken, and what had happened recently, all meticulously noted.

(I see. He discovered a large illegal slave organization during his re-examinations. And the mastermind behind it was the lord of that territory, who he clashed with a criminal organization in collusion with him…?)

It appeared that after we completed our mission to eliminate the bandits, Shudo had taken the re-exams two weeks later, where he encountered a large organization dedicated to illegal slave trading.

Shudo was enraged by the horrifying sight and, upon learning that the slave trade was being presided over by the lord ruling that territory, he confronted the organization.

He fought alongside other adventurers and supervisors who were taking the exam with him, but they struggled due to their large numbers and the presence of several A Rank-equivalent guards.

His frustration and anger exploded, and the document stated that Shudo unleashed white magic power, ultimately obliterating the organization.

Afterward, it seemed he was possessed by a relentless drive to take on tasks, and he had become a B Rank adventurer.

(So, as I expected, an alternative event occurred that led to his awakening.)

Even though I had expected this to some degree, seeing Shudo yield the same results confirmed for me that he was the protagonist of this world.

“So, what’s written at the bottom here is about his origins and the results of my investigation, right?”

“… Yes.”

“Any mistakes?”

“There are none. I myself visited that location to confirm it with my own eyes, and I questioned locals and checked the map as well.”

“I understand.”

At the bottom of the materials, I had instructed her to investigate Shudo’s origins and family structure, but the results were surprisingly shocking to me.

“No village exists, and family structure is unknown?”

The document stated that Shudo originated from a small village named Marona located at the edge of the Empire, but searching through my memories revealed no such village existed in the Empire, and even checking the map of the entire continent yielded no results.

Furthermore, Miria had apparently gone to the location recorded for Shudo’s village upon his adventurer registration, but found nothing that could even be called a village—only ruins and no signs of human habitation, just a dense forest.

Naturally, without a village, there was no way to investigate family structure, and the document stated that nothing was understood about Shudo’s background.

“Lewis-sama. I don’t mean to say anything rude, but this person is terrifying. Earlier, after the tournament ended, he was muttering to himself about eradicating evil or gathering Fiera and the other girls as allies—he said some incomprehensible things. Moreover, while investigating this person, I was hit by a sense of déjà vu and a headache; it felt like I was under some mental attack.”

“Déjà vu and headaches, you say?”

It seemed that Miria believed she had suffered a mental attack while investigating Shudo. As a precaution, I decided to check her with my magic-imbued gaze.

(His magic is entangled with Miria’s magic, albeit slightly. Just like when Iris faced him.)

Miria’s magic had Shudo’s magic entwined within it, lingering like a parasite without vanishing.

“Come here for a moment.”

“Y-yes.”

I called Miria, who still seemed unwell, closer to me, placed my hand on her head, and transformed my magic into a high-density state, flowing it into her body.

“Ah…”

“How do you feel?”

“The headache is gone, and I feel better.”

“That’s good.”

Checking Miria’s magic again, I confirmed Shudo’s magic had vanished, and only her own magic flowed within her.

(It seems that high-density magic can indeed counter his magic. There might be other conditions involved, but just acquiring this information is significant.)

“Thanks for the documents. You can take a break now.”

“Understood.”

After Miria bowed and exited the room, I found myself alone, sorting through the information about Shudo.

“While it’s not entirely unreasonable to dismiss the possibility of Shudo possessing past memories, the likelihood of that is almost nonexistent.”

If Shudo did have past memories, he would have become stronger in a much shorter time, and there was no way he would have lost to Iris.

“Moreover, the results from the investigation of his background are concerning. While it is possible he’s inventing a false origin, could it really be that there’s absolutely no information available? I’m also curious about the secret behind the magic he uses. The more I investigate, the deeper the mystery grows.”

It was peculiar that, even though I was supposed to be acquiring information, this situation only brought more questions. I felt an unsettling sense of discomfort but concluded that the fact I learned nothing at all was itself a piece of information, prompting me to cease my thoughts.

“Well, at the very least, I’ve confirmed that something about Shudo’s magic poses a significant factor. Before anything else, I need to prepare for the long summer break.”

With the martial arts tournament over, once the final exams were completed, summer vacation would begin.

That meant I had to act accordingly to take down the disorganized nation of Saramāju, and to be honest, I didn’t have the luxury to think about Shudo right now.

“Fufu. It’s sure to be an exciting summer vacation.”

As I anticipated the busy summer break approaching, a mischievous smile crept onto my face.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Thus concludes the martial arts tournament arc.

How did you find it? I would be thrilled if you enjoyed it.

In this story, characters other than Lewis and Fiera, such as Iris and Sonia, showed significant growth, and Shudo has many revelations at the end, leaving us with even more mysteries.

In the future, I hope to gradually delve into those aspects!

Thank you for reading this far! If you found it interesting, are curious about the continuation, and wish to support the author, I would greatly appreciate it if you could send a star or heart, or follow and comment on the work!

Your support serves as my motivation!

Lastly, if you’re interested, please check out my concurrent series, The Former Hero Who Became the Demon Lord and Devotes Himself to the World:

https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330663836544021

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