TLWCA 04

TLWCA

Released on June 12, 2025

Chapter 4. Question

Why, and how—

How is Serapia standing right in front of me?

My thoughts continued, but I couldn’t reach a conclusion.

A surge of madness suddenly overtakes my mind.

My consciousness is dyed a deep crimson, and everything in front of me burns red.

Memories of the past flash through my mind—

The Allied soldiers, brutally slaughtered by my younger sister’s hand.

Serapia, who mercilessly massacred those pleading for their lives.

The wicked witch who, even in death, took the left arm of Ian, the hero.

Those horrific memories and emotions rise all at once and whisper to me:

—Kill that woman.

I surrender to the explosive madness.

My body lunges forward in an instant.

The surrounding soldiers had no time to react.

I seized Serapia by the nape of her neck in the blink of an eye.

“Haak!”

Serapia gasped out a short breath.

I clenched harder. Her breathing was instantly cut off.

Her feet lifted off the ground, flailing helplessly.

Her eyes pleaded desperately, silently begging for her life.

…She was too weak.

She couldn’t possibly be the frigid sovereign who slaughtered comrades and civilians without mercy.

The Serapia struggling in my grasp wasn’t the Frigid Sovereign.

Nor was she the vicious witch who took Ian’s arm even in her last breath.

She was small, frail, delicate to the point of being fragile.

That was the only person in my hands now.

That’s why—now was the only chance.

“Kegh…!”

I had to kill her now.

Before she became the Frigid Sovereign.

Just as I was about to twist Serapia’s neck—

—If you go back…

Suddenly, Ian’s voice echoed in my head.

I couldn’t tell if it was a hallucination caused by the madness consuming me.

But it was his final words to me before he died.

His voice, weak and fading as he leaned on me, heartless—

—Don’t… hate your sister… too much….

Ian’s regret whispered into my ears like an echo from the void.

* * *

The murderous glare in Adrian’s eyes—

That look was never meant for a younger sister.

There was not a trace of familial love in it.

Only seething hatred toward Serapia burned in Adrian’s gaze.

Brother…

She had known for a while.

That Adrian hated her enough to want her dead.

Serapia was adopted into the Count’s family of Whitewolf five years ago.

That was also around the time Adrian began drowning himself in gambling and debauchery.

Serapia believed she had ruined Adrian.

That she was to blame for everything.

So she studied harder, worked harder—for the family, and for Adrian.

She tried tirelessly to be of help.

But all her efforts only drove the dagger deeper into Adrian’s heart.

Not long ago, the family head passed away and the will was read.

It left everything—not to Adrian, but to Serapia.

But Serapia had no intention of claiming it.

Even though the family retainers begged her otherwise, her stance was firm:

Adrian is the rightful heir to the family.

But before she could clear the misunderstanding, Adrian left.

And now—

“Because of you…!!”

Adrian roared at her.

His overwhelming rage said it all—he believed she had taken everything from him.

His expression didn’t resemble someone looking at a sibling.

He looked like he was facing a demon.

Crack!

The grip around her neck tightened.

The soldiers hesitated, afraid to provoke Adrian.

Her vision blurred. Her consciousness dimmed.

Serapia couldn’t resist at all.

Just when death’s scent filled her nose—

Srrk.

Adrian’s grip weakened.

Her feet touched the ground again, and her body collapsed.

Finally, she could breathe. Coughs burst out from her lips.

“Khak…! Kugh! Hakk…!”

“My lady!”

The soldiers rushed over and stood protectively in front of her.

Clang! Cling!

Weapons were drawn, aimed at Adrian.

They looked ready to fight him at any moment.

Serapia hurriedly steadied her breath and shouted,

“St-stop…! Khak! Please stop…!”

“But he just tried to—”

“I said stop!”

The soldiers flinched at her cry.

But they still didn’t lower their weapons.

“It’s an order! Put your weapons down, now!”

Only then did they reluctantly comply.

Adrian stood still, silently watching the whole scene.

Unaffected by the dozens of weapons pointed at him.

He… felt like someone entirely different from the Adrian Serapia once knew.

“I have just one question.”

Adrian’s voice rang out at last.

“Why did you come looking for me?”

Why search for him after he left the family?

Serapia dropped her gaze slightly and answered.

“…Isn’t it obvious?”

“Obvious? What’s obvious?”

“…Worrying about you. Isn’t that obvious?”

“Worry?”

For a moment, the emotionless expression on Adrian’s face twisted with confusion.

Serapia bit her lip and said—

“…Because we’re family.”

Adrian’s brow twitched.

His eyes looked down at her, filled with utter contempt.

They seemed to say—

—I don’t consider you my sister.

Without another word, Adrian turned and walked away.

If I’ve really come back to the past, then back then, I must’ve been too busy running from the Ice Troll to meet Serapia.

But since I defeated the Ice Troll now, our meeting became possible.

Not that it matters now.

Only one thing does—

I failed to kill Serapia.

It wasn’t out of sibling pity.

Nor because she hadn’t yet become the Frigid Sovereign.

It wasn’t even because I feared the surrounding soldiers.

To be blunt—it wasn’t even Ian’s words.

That nonsense about not hating her.

That’s not why I didn’t kill her.

It’s because I couldn’t.

And ironically, it was because of Ian’s words.

—Back then, was there really no other way than killing your sister? Did you absolutely have to? That’s what I regret most.

That regret stuck with me.

Ian regretted killing Serapia more than anything.

More than getting rejected after confessing to the saint.

“Of all things, why’d he say that?”

I never got to ask him why.

But his words gave me enough hesitation to stay my hand.

If he regretted it more than the saint rejecting him—there must’ve been a reason.

“Don’t tell me… he actually loved Serapia?”

Sounds impossible… yet, I couldn’t be sure.

Knowing Ian… he totally might’ve.

A forbidden love between a hero and a witch, huh?

Now that’s a tragic romance.

In any case, I didn’t kill Serapia because of Ian’s regret.

But not only that.

I should have killed her.

Ian’s regret definitely gave me pause—but I was still in the throes of predatory madness.

And when I’m caught in that madness, reason ceases to exist.

Which means… if I had been the me from 15 years ago—

I definitely would’ve twisted Serapia’s neck.

◆ The player’s will [EX] resists the encroaching madness! ◆

Just as I was about to kill her, a phrase suddenly flashed through my mind.

At the same time, my mind snapped awake.

Rationality returned slowly but surely, and the madness faded.

“The player’s will, huh…”

As I murmured, a translucent message appeared before my eyes.

==「Acquired Skills」==

◆ Solo Level-Up [EX]
: The player can accumulate experience points and level up. Each level grants +1 stat point.

◆ Player’s Will [EX]
: Grants immunity to all effects that exceed the player’s mental strength (e.g., curses, illusions, brainwashing, hypnosis, suggestion, etc.)

◆ Predation [S+]
: By consuming a creature’s heart, you can absorb their abilities and convert them into skills. However, mental strength is consumed.

◆ Regeneration [C+]
: Recovers damaged body parts by consuming internal nutrients. The amount and type depend on the extent of the damage.

This was a list of my current powers.

I still don’t know what this translucent interface really is.

But one thing is clear:

‘Predation [S+]’ is my own ability.

‘Regeneration [C+]’ was acquired by devouring the Ice Troll.

However—‘Solo Level-Up [EX]’ and ‘Player’s Will [EX]’ were not originally mine.

During my time as the Predator of the Allied Forces, I absorbed many abilities.

But I have no memory of acquiring something like these.

Which can only mean one thing.

“Ian.”

These are Ian’s abilities.

I consumed Ian’s heart.

I’m not sure if Solo Level-Up [EX] was his, but I’m certain Player’s Will [EX] was.

“So that’s how Ian fought the Lord of the Abyss…”

The six Lords who served the Emperor.

Among them, the Lord of the Abyss was called “an indescribable, unknown terror” within the Allied Forces.

No one could explain it.

And therefore, no one could counter it.

The saint’s miracles, the archmage’s spells—

The spirit summoner’s spirits, the blacksmith’s weapons—

Nothing worked against the terror the Abyss Lord unleashed.

But Ian was different.

Ian alone stood against that terror.

And in the end, he destroyed the Abyss Lord.

So I’m sure of it now.

“That power was Ian’s.”

Player’s Will [EX] is Ian’s.

And so is Solo Level-Up [EX].

I absorbed those powers through Predation.

I didn’t know what powers Ian had.

But Ian knew mine.

He knew that by devouring a heart, I could gain its powers.

Which means his final words—

—If you go back…

Ian knew I would return to the past.

In other words—

“Ian had a power that allowed him to send me back in time?”

That’s the only explanation.

* * *

Whenever the Allied Forces’ archmage encountered something unbelievable, he used to say—

“Once you rule out the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

Such a mage-like statement.

And it fits my current situation perfectly.

“Returning to the past, huh…”

Sounds utterly ridiculous.

Yet everything points to it being the truth.

That my body got younger—sure, you could blame some imperial secret experiment.

Yeah, something like that.

“So the Frigid Sovereign is still alive, huh…”

But Serapia is alive.

Even with the Emperor’s supernatural power, it’s impossible to bring the dead back to life. Undead do exist, but that’s a concept far removed from resurrection.

If resurrection were truly possible, Ian would have first brought back the other monarchs who were destroyed by his hand.

And if he were to bring someone back, wouldn’t he resurrect the “Lord of the Frozen Lands,” not Serapia?

So, there’s no room for further doubt.

I’ve definitely returned to the past.

Denying that I’ve returned to the past is completely meaningless.

From now on, I need to change the direction of my thoughts.

“Am I the only one who came back?”

Am I truly the only one who returned to the past?

It’s a fair question, because time regression isn’t my ability.

It’s Ian’s.

Which means it’s entirely possible that Ian returned as well.

Just as this thought reached its end—