‘Wait…!’

There was no escaping it.

Who the hell would think they needed to enter a room without touching the floor, just in case of a potential crime? It would be easier to tell them to walk on water. At least that would give them time to prepare a spell.

The intermediate state of nothing but darkness was brief.

My thoughts were cut off instantly.

* * *

A strange smell.

That was the first thing I felt when I opened my eyes.

“Hmm….”

A sound leaked out of my throat against my will.

I tried to regain my vision, but my sight moved excessively slowly.

I know when this kind of reaction happens.

Right now, I’m on the border [of consciousness]. It happens when I’m in shock or when I’m bleeding and feel sleepy.

‘…But there’s no reason for that right now. Did I have an accident?’

I definitely met His Majesty the Emperor, used Divine Power on the Police Bureau people….

What happened after that?

“…….”

I clearly knew what I had done, but the haziness erased my thoughts.

I must not lose consciousness. If I close my eyes like this….

[Was it too much….]

[…were you?]

I forced my eyes open as they were slowly closing.

If I closed my eyes like this, I would faint.

[…uh.]

[Something to wipe with….]

Someone held a rough towel to my mouth from the side.

Thanks to biting my tongue, I was momentarily jolted awake. The sensory delay was still there, but my ability to think had somewhat returned.

[Maybe some water….]

[No. Just….]

As my mind cleared up a bit, I gradually became aware of how my senses were processing information.

Voices scattered at the edge of my consciousness.

A discomfort, like an inflammatory reaction from the outer skin to the inside, continued. It was a sensation too unpleasant to endure while fully conscious.

‘…Retry. As quickly as possible.’

Ding―!?

Chapter 6 Searching for Checkpoint… (0/?)

Even as my eyes were closing, white text flashed in my vision.

‘No, you bastard….’

Anyway, this is the first time I’ve seen a window like this.

Still, the fortunate thing is that the window [Chapter 6 Checkpoint has Expired] didn’t appear. This kind of window pops up when too much time has passed and you can’t return to a turning point in the story.

Still, it’s a relief that it’s at least attempting to search this time.

‘…Then, for now, I’ll have to endure.’

Even without that, I need to find out who the hell put a warp spell on the Imperial Second Academy dormitory with such audacity, and for what purpose they dragged me here.

This is the opportunity to find out who they are, rather than whining about the unpleasant pain while already inside the enemy’s base.

Of course, it seems my condition is far from allowing me to think leisurely… But I have to find out what I need to know before I go.

I put strength into my heavily bent neck and slowly turned my head.

A few humans, clearly Old Humans, were sitting next to me.

‘Hmm.’

My brain is also getting slightly tainted by the New Human way of thinking, so the fact that they were Old Humans reached my brain first.

If I had been living in my previous world, I would have first perceived that they were girls.

But….

‘…Fuck….’

My brain kept flowing slowly, but I reached a clear conclusion.

This is the Primrose Path.

There was nothing more to figure out. The appearance of the Old Humans was definitely not something you’d see on the street.

I turned my head and gazed straight ahead. I don’t know what it looked like to others, but I tried to gaze.

Likewise, a man who appeared to be an Old Human was sitting there.

Among Old Humans, it’s difficult to distinguish those over 175cm from New Humans, but this man, despite his large build, showed signs of long-term hormonal influence on his facial extremities, as if he was getting older.

‘A pimp, perhaps.’

The Old Humans next to me look at best old enough to graduate from the 3rd Academy, but that man is at least in his late 30s.

Rather than being a customer, he was observing me instead of the Old Humans sitting next to me. And he was holding a camera artifact in his hand.

At the very least, he must be the manager of this place.

After confirming that much, I leaned my head back on the sofa, lacking strength.

“Ah….”

[…Give this person something….]

[…Leave them be….]

The sound of the Old Humans talking to each other blurred at the edge of my hearing.

The reason I sighed was different from what these people would have expected.

‘Fuck….’

Firstly, what the fuck am I even seeing? My lifelong ethics are rejecting the scene unfolding before my eyes.

Secondly, it’s now certain why I was dragged here.

‘It’s obvious.’

To threaten Elias.

Tormenting those around him to wear him down. If someone is constantly harassed, they might shift the blame, thinking, ‘This is all Elias’s fault.’

But that kind of harassment is limited to sending threatening letters until the mailbox overflows or camping out in front of the house; it doesn’t extend to warping an investigator friend to a seedy establishment.

And why the hell me, of all people?

Of course, that doesn’t mean it would be better for Elias or Narce to go through the same thing. It’s better for me to experience it, since I can turn back time, rather than them. And they are still just high schoolers.

So, to put the question precisely, what do they trust to be able to go this far?

Beep―

It’s the sound coming from the artifact the Old Human was holding.

I lifted my head again and looked at him.

He was holding the artifact up towards me.

“…….”

Do they think I haven’t come to my senses?

Taking pictures openly while I’m wide awake.

Of course, the world is moving excessively slowly. To them, it probably still looks like I haven’t fully regained consciousness.

‘I have a few questions.’

Let’s set aside the fact that their backer must be enormous for now.

The real question is ‘why’ me, of all people.

Because I’m the easiest target? I doubt it. One of the reasons Philip cried that day was because he was afraid I might ‘snitch to my family’. That alone gives the answer as to what kind of meaning being from a ruling family of a nation holds.

Their supporting force must be at least equivalent to the Askanians, or even higher.

‘Could it be… my brother’s doing?’

Since Pleroma didn’t work, he’ll send me to a seedy establishment? And scatter the photos nationwide?

Looking only at the results, it would be effective, but thinking that my brother placed such a high-risk order himself feels a bit ambiguous.

And there’s still one problem.

‘What happens after I get out of here?’

From the warp spell placed on the school to being given some unknown drug, I know everything.

In particular, I can use this to empower Elias. The photos would actually serve as evidence proving the harm done to me.

This is their critical problem.

Their weapon will soon become my weapon, yet did they move so foolishly without knowing this?

Assuming the opponent has a plan is the safest approach, rather than assuming they are foolish.

‘If so, what could their scheme be?’

For now, since there’s no clear answer, let’s stick with the hypothesis that they are trying to ‘brand me as a Primrose Path customer and, furthermore, destroy Elias’s social connections.’

I can gather enough evidence while I’m here.

Before that….

‘It’s difficult to figure things out in this state. Shall I give it a try?’

I brushed the sofa with my fingers.

It was hard to sense since the Magic Power coming from my body was also uncontrollable, but I didn’t particularly feel any other Magic Power. I didn’t feel anything other than my own Magic Power in my body either.

‘The air feels a bit ambiguous.’

Magic Power was mixed in, but it wasn’t the kind of magic that blocks all Magic Power except Vitriol, like the one Pleroma used.

I suspect it might be Magic Power mixed in for the establishment’s business purposes.

‘Hmm.’

Alright.

In conclusion, I can use magic, that’s the point.

I considered reporting these bastards’ actions without using Retry like this, but that won’t do. I have to use Retry anyway.

There’s no guarantee that only I am being harmed at this very moment. There’s no need to inflict trauma on my friends.

And Nicolaus warped straight from the inn to the school.

Seeing that they put a spell on the dormitory, it seems their target wasn’t Nicolaus but me, but since the time Nicolaus got off the carriage and the time he was warped are close, I have to turn back time.

Whine―

Just then, an alert sound came from the artifact by my ear. Someone was sending me a message.

‘Hmm, they didn’t take this off? How sloppy.’

How would Old Humans detect an artifact with stealth cast on it, but I’m grateful for this sloppiness.

Anyway, before using Retry, I should find out what these bastards wanted by bringing me here.

It would be best to endure as long as possible to obtain evidence.

“…Why.”

[…What, you’re awake already? How…? No, this isn’t the time for this. Bring the drug.]

The sound felt distant, like a phone call, but now the voices were coming through without interruption.

I opened my mouth once more.

“Why did you bring me here?”

[Hurry, fuck! So slow….]

As the manager yelled, the teenager Old Human, who had been watching his reaction, jumped up and rummaged through a drawer at the end of the room.

‘If it was that important, he should have kept it himself, instead of bothering a middle schooler….’

I glared at the manager, holding my throbbing head.

That Old Human manager snatched the medicine bottle and plunged a syringe that had been rolling around on the sofa into it.

Fear began to seep into the eyes of the guy watching my movements. It wasn’t because I was glaring. It was because he knew well what it meant that the drug’s effects were wearing off on me.

I glanced down at my heavily trembling hand, then flicked my finger.

Light pink Magic Power spread through the air and quickly became transparent. With this, the sound was blocked.

The manager, perhaps not seeing it, threw the syringe at the kid.

[Hey! You do it.]

[…! Yes, yes?]

[You do it. Huh? Buy me some time. You bastard won’t die. I’ll go tell them to just sprinkle the drug in the room, so…!]

I calculated his position and flicked my finger. I saw a bright red light burst before my eyes.

Boom―! Clang!

[Aaaargh!]

“If you won’t die, why don’t you do it yourself?”

[K-urgh….]

I heard the sound of him hitting the wall repeatedly, as if choking.

I tried to sit up, pressing one hand to my eyes.

To be like this even with the drug’s effects wearing off, this drug’s effect is truly remarkable. Unlike usual, I couldn’t focus.

‘The effects are unusual…. Was it supplied externally, or is it a self-made drug?’

If it’s external, there’s one place that comes to mind.

[Uwaaaaargh!]

[Huh, Huk…!]

Hearing the sounds of astonishment, I belatedly raised my head.

It seemed he had hit his head on a decoration while being thrown; I saw blood flowing on the wall.

I failed at controlling my Magic Power.

There was nothing I could do about it because of the drug.

I clutched my head, which was throbbing even more because of the scream, and muttered.

―Unless Yahweh keeps the city, the watchman’s wakefulness is in vain.

Thud―!

Fortunately, the teenage Old Human had now fallen asleep.

He seemed to have collapsed on the floor, and I was sorry I didn’t have the strength to catch him. Still, if I turn back time, even if he got a concussion, it would disappear.

I embedded Magic Power into the floor and my legs and got up from where I was.

As I gestured towards the manager across the room, his body, which had already lost consciousness, was easily dragged over.

I grabbed the collar of his shirt and threw him onto the table.

Slam! Thwack―!

“Get up. You shouldn’t be sleeping.”

I struck his head with my fist while injecting Divine Power.

[Ugh…. Cough.]

The smell of blood that wasn’t mine stung my nose.

I spat on the floor and spoke quietly.

“What did you trust to prepare so shoddily? This clearly isn’t the end.”

[Huh, Huk… I just did as I was told…!]

“If you don’t know, who does?”

Should I use brainwashing magic right away?

Actually, I’d like to just pressure him while fully conscious and see what happens….

‘Waste of time.’

The pool of blood on the table began to drip onto the floor. Too much blood was flowing from his broken head.

It seems there won’t be any place left to hit even if I try to push him further.

In any case, I only need to know one thing.

―Enter through the narrow gate.

I muttered, pressing his head onto the table. His pupils dilated instantly.

“There are too many shortcomings to say you simply brought me here just to threaten an investigator. Or did I overestimate you guys?”

The guy shook his head, as if wanting to show he was innocent.

“That’s probably not the case. What’s behind you must be at least equivalent to Anhalt, or even higher.”

And now, there’s one piece of evidence to support Elias’s hypothesis.

If it’s true that Primrose Path meddled with Adelbert and Elias’s rooms, as per Elias’s hypothesis, then it means there’s a powerful figure behind these bastards who can even touch the Imperial Family.

“You probably know where you’re going to send me next, or who will be coming.”

I’m starting to get a sense of it too.

I grabbed him by the collar, lifted him up, and asked.

“Who is it?”

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