Under the bright sunlight, the river flowed majestically.
On the bridge, carriages passed by, and pedestrians bustled about. I made my way to the riverside.
"What on earth is going on?"
I glanced at my reflection in the water.
The surface was not clear.
The river, a mix of sewage and fresh water, was murky by nature.
However, it was sufficient to reflect my face.
"Surely, it's me."
It was definitely me.
A handsome face is a trait one has from a young age.
A face so handsome that even the murky river seemed bright by comparison was not common.
Naturally, it was my face.
"But, I've become younger."
Why?
I don't know.
However, there was something that stood out.
"Fire Mark."
A strange symbol clearly marked on my left chest.
It was the same shape as the ashes of the magic book that had seeped into me just before I lost consciousness.
Everything had returned to the past, but this remained the same, enough to raise suspicion.
"Whatever it is, the magic book must have had something to do with it..."
Could the magic book have the power to do such a thing? I pondered for a moment, but there was no way to know.
The magic book was a transcendent artifact coveted by numerous prestigious families.
'Just seeing that the heavy-handed head of the Deuculan family came in person shows how important it is.'
There wasn't much known about it, even for someone like me who had stirred up all the prestigious families.
Grr.
"I can't figure it out at all."
I thought it might be a dream, but there's no such thing as a dream this vivid.
In the end, I gave up on thinking about why.
"So what?"
It's a good thing.
Yeah, it's a good thing.
Taking a deep breath, the murky smell of the Sale River penetrated deep into my lungs.
Look at this scene.
Although the Sale River, a mix of sewage and fresh water, is filthy, it is only because of life that we can see all this.
"Am I just alive?"
A thin, bony hand.
Although it was too small to even snap a goblin's neck, it still held infinite potential.
"Strong and powerful morning."
Youth!
The seasoned experience of a veteran who has seen countless battles, combined with the opportunity of youth?
This is a situation where anything can be achieved. No, it must be achieved.
So, what does it mean to achieve something great?
I looked up at the sky.
Unlike the murky Sale River, the sky was clear and blue without a single cloud.
Of course, there were no wyverns flying around.
But it's fine. The sky of that day is deeply etched in my heart, not up there.
"I had a dream."
Yes, I had a dream.
Before I died, I wanted to be born as a wyvern and live freely, tormenting the Deuculan family one by one. But originally, I had a plan.
This was also related to the dreams of my comrades.
Originally, the reason I decided to retire.
- 1st, we are originally vagrants in the Black and White Zone. We have nothing, no clothes, no food, no education. What do you think is the most painful?
At that time, I answered.
- Not having food.
But, my comrade thought differently.
- If we only lacked food, we wouldn't be here. The same goes for clothes. What do you think is the reason our lives ended up in this gutter?
- I'm satisfied.
- ...The reason our lives ended up in this gutter is...
- I'm satisfied.
- You bastard.
We had a big fight. That day, we almost killed each other.
Of course, I won.
"Because I'm 1st."
But what could be so painful? He cried, sobbing as if the sky was falling. His appearance was so pitiful that I couldn't help but listen.
He said.
- The greatest pain is not being able to learn. If we had learned and mastered, we wouldn't have been caught by those prestigious families and lived like this.
Troubleshooters don't retire. But he said if he were to retire, there was something he wanted to do.
"He wanted to build a library."
A place where anyone, regardless of birth, status, gender, country, or affiliation, could come freely and learn.
He said he would provide learning to everyone without taking a single coin for reading books.
But I would go one step further.
"I will build a tower. There's no need for a reason. I just like it tall, so I'll build it tall."
The location didn't matter.
But since I'm in the Black and White Zone now, I imagined the picture.
In the center of the Black and White Zone, a massive tower that pierces the sky rises.
A tower that anyone can visit.
"I will fill it with books. Any kind, as long as they are books."
I will write a few volumes myself. They could be just diaries or books filled with the secrets of the Deuculan family that I learned as a troubleshooter.
"There's something that can't be missing."
What is it?
"The secrets of the Deuculan family!"
Hehe.
The location will be right in front of the entrance on the first floor. It will be visible as soon as the door is opened.
Anyone entering the tower will see it at least once. Whether they are interested or not doesn't matter. If it keeps catching their eye, they will eventually reach out.
Imagine this.
"Vagrants in the Black and White Zone, illegitimate children of noble families, and butchers all carrying a book."
Just imagining it made my mouth water.
"The cover of the book will have the emblem of the Deuculan family, and inside will be the secrets they value more than their lives."
Hehe.
"Hehehehe."
The laughter wouldn't stop.
"Even the neighborhood kids, you and I, will read the secrets of the Deuculan family, and the women from the next neighborhood and the next will learn the secrets of the Deuculan family."
Originally, defeating the Deuculan family is almost impossible.
This would be the same even if I were reborn. It might be possible if I were reborn a hundred times, but I don't want to die a hundred times.
But what if I spread the secrets of the Deuculan family widely?
'They would love it to death.'
At that time, they wouldn't dare touch me.
Why? Because those who want to keep seeing the secrets of the Deuculan family would protect my tower. Or even if they don't protect it, it would be fine.
'By then, the secrets of the Deuculan family would have spread widely.'
However, there was a problem.
'How to get the secrets...?'
I thought for a moment and gave up.
There must be a way. I could use my skills as a troubleshooter.
Anyway, that's a problem for my future self, not my present self!
"The revenge of a sage is never too late, even after a hundred years. I'm not a sage, but it doesn't matter."
Hmm.
I tilted my head.
Thinking about it, why shouldn't I be a sage? There was no reason.
Building a tower and filling it with books for everyone to see, what else could that be if not the work of a sage?
"Come to think of it, everyone who reads those books is like my disciple."
I nodded.
"Then, I am the teacher of all. Being a sage is not enough. I should be a great sage."
Huhu.
Aster, the Great Sage.
"That is..."
Right then.
Bang!
My head felt like it was on fire.
A sound that seemed impossible to come from my head echoed, and stars flew before my eyes.
The curses followed.
"You brat, I've been looking for you! I told you to stay put, but you're here? Huh?"
Bang! Bang!
"Ouch!"
A voice that sounded like it had just passed through puberty and was unpleasant, along with ruthless kicks, continued.
I couldn't do anything but curl up, as the attack was too sudden.
'But I am a troubleshooter who has seen countless battles, except for aerial battles.'
I curled up to protect my face and abdomen and waited for the right moment.
After a while.
Snap!
"Wh-What? Blocking?!"
I caught the foot that was about to kick my side and looked up at the face.
A particularly sly-looking vagrant was looking down at me, clearly flustered.
"You..."
"What, what the hell!"
"I don't remember who you are, but from the way you're acting today, I'm sure you've been hitting me for a while."
I glared, and the vagrant's face turned pale.
Originally, I am a broad-minded person who doesn't hold grudges over trivial matters.
"You just hit me seven times. Let's make it exactly ten times that."
"W-What..."
"Be prepared to die."
I sprang up and punched the vagrant's chin.
A straight punch from below, one that would make anyone's head spin and lose consciousness.
The vagrant would regret his life. He would think, "I should have hit one less time," or something like that...
Click!
"Huh...?"
"...?"
We made eye contact.
But I couldn't just look at him.
I saw his flustered face and then the punch I had thrown.
"Why is it...?"
Bent?
My wrist was bent at an unnatural angle, and the pain slowly crept in.
Stars flew before my eyes right after that.
Thud!
"You bastard! Hitting? Hitting? Hitting your senior? How dare you, a junior, hit your senior?!"
"Ouch! Ouch!"
I curled up.
It hurts, it really hurts. But the pain in my heart was even worse than the physical pain.
The beating continued until the vagrant lost his balance and fell into the river.
Splash!
"Junior, you bastard!"
The vagrant, who had fallen alone, looked furious.
He looked like a drowned rat, and I quietly took in the sight, imprinting it in my mind.
After a while.
"I remember your face."
I glanced at him and walked away.
I wasn't running away.
A tactical retreat.
'Total of seventy-seven hits.'
The number of times the vagrant hit me. I kept it in mind.
Originally, I am a broad-minded person who lets go of trivial grudges, but hitting someone seventy-seven times is not trivial.
So, that's how it is.
...Maybe.
* * *
After shaking off the vagrant, I entered an unnamed alley in the Black and White Zone.
"Serious."
I sat on the ground and looked at my body.
I wasn't as thin as a skeleton, but my limbs were noticeably thin.
"I'm not a scribe who only writes, but to break my wrist while hitting..."
If that had happened, I might have understood the situation.
But I am a troubleshooter who has seen countless battles, except for aerial battles.
I am essentially a mage but can also throw a good punch. For my wrist to be broken, it means my current body is weak.
"What should I do with this body before thinking about the tower and all that...?"
Sigh.
While feeling regret, a familiar sound reached my ears.
Rumble.
The cry of my stomach demanding food.
I hadn't noticed it due to the commotion, but my stomach was almost touching my back.
A voice came from somewhere right then.
"Are you hungry?"
"..."
Turning my head at the sound, I saw a kid looking at me.
I stared at him for a moment and asked.
"Is it me?"
"I don't know."
Yeah, he probably wouldn't know.
'He doesn't look like a vagrant.'
He looked dirty, as if he hadn't washed for days. His clothes were also very dirty, but upon closer inspection, they were not ordinary clothes.
Clothes that a vagrant could never touch in their lifetime.
'Well, it's not uncommon for the children of fallen prestigious families to end up in the Black and White Zone...'
But it's none of my business.
'No, it shouldn't be.'
The children of prestigious families who end up in the Black and White Zone rarely last more than a year.
'Why would they fall? They probably lost in a power struggle.'
Then what's the problem?
'They will find them, no matter how long it takes. The Black and White Zone will be the first to fall.'
In other words, the kid is a ticking time bomb.
"Kid."
"I'm Damian."
"Anyway."
"My mom is Bianca."
"..."
I was trying to chase him away, but he kept spilling things he shouldn't know.
"Are you, maybe, a bit off?"
"I don't have a mom."
"..."
A sad answer.
Originally, vagrants in the Black and White Zone don't just lack a mother, but the sadness is the same.
I glared at him for a moment, sighed deeply, and got up.
"Sure, I don't have a dad either. I win. So, let's go our separate ways."
Just as I was about to leave.
Thud.
Thud.
The sound of footsteps overlapping.
"Don't follow me."
"This is my path."
"Okay, then you go first. I'll stay here a bit longer."
I waited for him to move, but he didn't. He just sucked his fingers.
A moment of silence.
"Aren't you going?"
"I'm going with you."
"...Damn."
Should I give him a good punch?
No, that might make things more complicated.
It's best to avoid entanglements with such people. I was planning to shake him off at an appropriate place when...