Chapter 292

The case was resolved. Although many knights and soldiers lost their lives in battle, they couldnt mourn forever. With the information they gained from this ambush, they were closer to uncovering the identity of their culprits.

As I thought, I should really keep my eye on the thing I fought. The strongest shadow human with a face that Zich hadnt seen on any of the victims portraits could be the biggest clue to this case. If we draw a portrait of the face I saw and search the city, we might be able to find a person who recognizes it.

Yet, the problem was time.

Before we find any clues about the culprit, theres a higher possibility that Glen might come out and say that he found the criminal first. Zich couldnt let that happen. He came up with all kinds of plans and pondered between them.

Um, Sir Zich, Hans said.

Why?

There has been something on my mind, sir. You know the monster you fought last time?

Zichs eyes shone. He fixed his crooked posture and gestured at Hans to speak by lifting his chin.

I think I have seen that woman somewhere before.

Is that so? An opportunity to learn of the mysterious figures identity opened from an unexpected place.

But I cant remember it well, sir.

Are you sure you saw her before?

Yes, I think so.

As he scrunched up his face, Hans swerved through memories that were just out of his reach.

Did you see her in this city?

No, it wasnt at Janmalpi, and I dont think it was after we began our travels.

Then, are you saying that you saw her at the Steelwalls?

Yes, I think so, sir.

The Steelwalls weren't a neighboring family in Janmalpi; they were even in different countries. Thus, it was surprising to hear that Hans had seen her there. If this meeting had happened while they were at the Steelwalls residence, it was hard for Zich to help. Although it hadnt been that long since Zich left his family in the current timeline, since Zich had regressed, his time at the Steelwalls was truly a memory from a long time ago.

Even if I can recall my memories there well, it wont help me much though.

As the thorn in his familys eyes, Zich spent all his time at the residence training his swordsmanship skills that no one told him to do. Thus, he rarely met anyone.

If we complete the portrait, I will show it to you first. If you see the face again, you might be able to remember something.

A portrait?

As if that word had made him remember something, Hans fell into deep thought. It seemed as if something had come up in his mind. Zich stared at Hans with anticipation.

Ah, I remember it now! Hans shouted. Im sure I have seen a portrait of that person at the Steelwalls before!

Portrait? So, you didnt see her in real life?

Yes, when I was getting my education at the Steelwalls, we had to memorize the portraits of many aristocrats. I saw her portrait then.

To avoid the situation of a servant offending another noble, a selective number of them had to memorize all the portraits of different noble families.

The Steelwalls placed a lot of their attention and care into educating him, so its expected.

However, that wasnt the important part.

So, what kind of person is she? Zich got to the point. Although she looked a bit more mature than the portrait I saw, she looked like Lady Sia Rubrent from the Viscount Rubrent family.

A lady from a viscount family

Why was the name of a lady from a neighboring kingdom getting mentioned in Janmalpi, especially as a clue to identify the culprit of the kidnapping incidents?

Is there anything else you know about this lady?

Sorry, sir. I didnt learn anything else besides that. We were simply told to pay our respects if we met the nobles by coincidence

Well, I mean, I dragged him away from that place while he was still getting educated.

Still, even this was a big help. Furthermore, he had someone whom he could ask about Sia Rubrent by his side right now.

Thanks for telling me. It helped a lot.

Yes, sir! As if he was happy to be of any help, Hans answered heartily.

* * *

Even after the ambush, the meetings continued to take place. All the members in the meeting werent the type of people who would skip out because they were ambushed just once. Instead, they all were fired up with even more passion to capture the culprits no matter what. The meetings atmosphere was stronger than ever, and that wasnt the only change that had taken place.

Hes going at it again. Zich muttered as he watched Glen initiate a conversation with Lyla.

It wasnt completely unexpected though. It wasnt as if Glen only talked about things related to work during the meetings; he also talked about personal matters from time to time, and even started conversations with Zich at times. Yet, after the ambush, the number of times he tried to talk to Lyla slightly increased.

Did he gain an interest in her? Zich wondered. Considering Lylas beauty, it wasnt a strange event. Her appearance was something that could bring out the affection of any man around her. But the questions he asks are too intrusive.

Glen discreetly asked Lyla questions relating to where she was born or how she had lived her life so far. They werent questions that a man interested in a woman would usually ask. At the same time, Lyla wasnt someone who could answer these questions, nor did it seem like she intended to. In the end, Glen couldnt achieve much from his conversations.

After the meeting ended, Joachim and Glen left the lodging, and Evelyn returned to her room. Only Lyla remained in Zichs room, and Zich said, It seems like our genius magician has captured the heart of another pitiful man.

Stop talking nonsense, Lyla retorted.

Zich chuckled at Lylas response. But its true that he is trying to talk to you more.

Lylas face looked a bit displeased. She didnt suspect Glen as deeply as Zich did, but she couldnt help but become influenced by Zichs negative impression of Glen. Thus, Lyla was also suspicious of Glen to some degree. Moreover, even without these factors, Glen was someone Zich disliked. Normally, people didnt look favorably upon those whom their close companions strongly disliked; and that was exactly how Lyla felt about Glen. In other words, Lyla didnt want to be associated with Glen.

Did that guy perhaps begin to aim for Lyla? Zich thought as he kept teasing her. Since Elena, whom I suspected was his goal, came to our side, he might be looking for her replacement. That would make sense. If he thought about Lylas beauty and skills, it was reasonable that Glen would try to get her to join his side.

Then why would he ask about her past? Its not as if he is trying to regress one more time and get her to join him from the beginning! Zich stopped moving. Then, he tapped on his lips with his fingers and went over what he had just thought over again. Regressing one more time?

Zich had suspected that Glen might have regressed like him. He also thought that Glen might have regressed at a different time period than him. Just because I regressed one time doesnt mean he only regressed only one time either.

Zich stared at Lyla. He recalled all the memories that Lyla had shared with him, claiming that they were ones from the future. Zich thought that was a possibility. However, what if they werent possibilities but events that had taken place before the regression that even Zich couldnt remember? If that was the case, then the dreams he had were also suspicious.

Someone might laugh at me if they heard my thoughts right now.

Yet, Zich continued to dive into these thoughts.

If thats the case, how many times has this guy regressed?

Three times? Four? No, it could be ten or twenty times or even more than a three-digit number.

What if he can control regressions however he pleases? Or what if he can naturally activate it once he meets some conditions?

Questions led to more questions.

One thing I know for sure is that I cant use things like torture to extract information out of Glen unless I know what he is doing for sure.

If Glen could possibly use the power of the regression whenever he pleased, it was clear that he could turn back time whenever he fell into a disadvantageous situation.

Damn it. If thats the case, I wouldn't know what to do. Zich scratched his head. As someone who had experienced it first-hand, he was aware of how great the power of regressing was. The difference be