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

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

Chapter 58: Master and Apprentice

(No way… It was this time of year.)

The woman who called herself Viola looked to be in her thirties, with shoulder-length black hair and strikingly rare orange eyes, making her quite a beauty.

(I see. So she had those kind of eyes.)

“Is something wrong? Do I have something on my face?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Probably because I had stared at her too much, Viola wore a slightly puzzled expression, and Fiera was just staring at me.

(Haah. Who would have thought I’d meet the very person who taught me this technique in a place like this?)

As I reminisced about the past, memories of when I first encountered her came flooding back.

It was during my ninth life, when, for a certain reason, I left the academy during my second year and roamed around the Empire. I stumbled upon a woman in a city to the west.

The woman wore ragged robes, and her disheveled black hair and the cloth obscuring her eyes left a strong impression on me.

At first, I thought she was just a homeless person, but there was a regal air about her, a presence that made it hard to look away.

At that time, I was feeling especially drained, so even though she couldn’t see, I felt a pang of jealousy of her strength and rashly challenged her to a duel.

Having experienced various battles and dispatched numerous monsters, I thought it would be easy to defeat someone who couldn’t see, but the result was a crushing defeat.

I was tossed around like a rag doll and left in a state where I could barely breathe, with broken arms and ribs.

“Here. I hope this helps with the recovery.”

She said that, tossing a healing potion my way.

I caught it and, still wary, drank it, managing to get back on my feet despite the pain.

Then, unable to help myself, I asked her something that had been on my mind during the battle.

“How can you be so strong? Aren’t you blind?”

“Ah. I can’t see, true. But even without sight, other senses compensate for it.

Of course, being able to see is preferable, but it’s still possible to gauge space and sense hostility without sight. In fact, not being able to see might make it easier to sense things.”

“Hmm. I see.”

While I had never trained professionally, I could tell her words reflected an extraordinary fighter’s perspective.

“Hey, why is someone as strong as you dressed like a homeless person?”

“Haha! You certainly don’t hold back with your questions. Well, to put it simply, I was weak.”

“Weak? You?”

“I wasn’t always this strong. At first, I could see, and I adventured with my companions, conquering dungeons.

But about four years ago, while tackling an A-rank dungeon, I faced a boss with a really troublesome ability.

At that time, my companions were wiped out, and as some sort of punishment for being the sole survivor, I lost my sight due to injuries sustained in the battle.”

“What was that monster’s troublesome ability?”

“It could vanish. Like smoke. It was supposed to be huge, yet it would disappear unexpectedly, and before you realize it, it’s right in front of you. Truly a troublesome ability.”

“And then? What happened with that monster?”

“Hmph. I killed it. Though in a dungeon, it likely respawned right away. It’s ironic, really. I lost my sight because of it, but somehow, that allowed me to anticipate its movements and defeat it.”

As she said this, she smiled a self-deprecating sad smile. It seemed to convey the enormity of what she had lost.

“They were important companions to you, weren’t they?”

“Yeah. They were really good kids. After working hard together, we finally became A-rank adventurers, and yet, I made a poor judgment call. We shouldn’t have challenged that dungeon at that point…”

Until this moment, she had spoken calmly, but for this brief instant, she looked truly sorrowful, even though I didn’t sense any feelings of resentment or regret from her.

“Don’t you want to heal your eyes? If you could go back, wouldn’t you want to do it over?”

“…I don’t think so. People realize the importance of what they’ve lost after they lose it and often feel regret, but I’d say that sentiment is mistaken.

When people lose something precious, they tend to think about what they could have done differently. But ironically, if they never lost anything precious, they’d never even feel that regret.

So, the thoughts of ‘what if I had done this or that’ are just selfish desires to avoid accepting reality.

I lost my precious companions, and I lost my sight. I have nothing left. Yet, because I lost those things, I gained something in return. There are things I can see precisely because I cannot see.

So, I will accept this present and live my life to the fullest until I die. No matter how much I regret after losing something, the past can’t be changed. That’s the greatest tribute I can offer to those I lost.”

Hearing her thoughts, I found them genuinely beautiful and profound.

It’s true, as she said, that one often realizes the importance of something only after it’s gone. But if they never lost it, they might end their lives never knowing its value.

However, that realization comes precisely because life is singular. As someone who has rewound death multiple times and has been beaten down by an unchanging reality, I found that feelings of regret and resentment weren’t so easily discarded.

“What’s the name of the dungeon?”

I asked her about the name of the dungeon that had left her like this, trying to shift from my gloomy emotions.

“The dungeon is called Underwater Dwelling. It’s an A-rank dungeon located in the coastal city of Minerva.”

After that, I became interested in her strength and learned various fighting techniques from her. For the first time, I found joy in battling and becoming stronger.

This marked the brief meeting of the master and apprentice between Viola and me.

“El. It’s time to go.”

“…Yeah, you’re right.”

Meeting Viola reminded me of the past, and while I was supposed to rest against the wall, I couldn’t help but feel restless.

(I’ve never seen her smile like that before.)

It seemed her party consisted entirely of women, and Viola chatted merrily with her companions, now serious as they strategized.

From what I overheard, they seemed determined to aim for the boss on the 30th floor, despite their tired expressions.

Glancing at them, Fiera and I left the room with the transfer magic circle. We proceeded, blindfolded as before, avoiding traps, and eventually found the path leading to the 26th floor.

“Let’s head back, El.”

“…Yeah.”

I replied, but I was unable to tear myself away from the path leading downward, staring intently in that direction.

“Are you curious?”

“Huh?”

“The people from earlier. They seem to be heading further in, are you curious about them?”

“……”

“You can do whatever you like. I’ll follow you.”

“…Sorry. Thanks a lot.”

Unable to shake off my curiosity about what would happen next with Viola, I decided to let Fiera accompany me, whether she liked it or not.

After a short wait, Viola’s party approached us, now in a serious atmosphere as they surveyed their surroundings warily.

“Well? What are you doing here?”

“Sorry for the sudden interruption, but could we accompany you to the boss’s room?”

“You wish to join us?”

“Yes. We’ll try not to be a burden, and with Fiera around, I believe we can make avoiding traps much easier. What do you think?”

“Hmm. May I have a moment to discuss with my companions?”

“Of course. No problem.”

Once I replied like that, Viola and the others huddled in a group to talk.

Then, about a minute later, having reached a consensus, Viola turned back to us.

“As long as it’s just to the boss’s room, you can come along. However, we’ll have to fight the boss separately. Is that alright with you?”

“Yes. We couldn’t coordinate any sudden teamwork, and we had this in mind from the start, so it’s no problem.”

“Got it. Then let’s work together on the way.”

“Thank you. We appreciate it.”

Having received permission to accompany Viola, we veered from our original plans and set course for the boss’s room on the 30th floor that very day.