Chapter 65 — A Quest to Reclaim Lost Memories

1

Kael felt as if someone was delicately tracing the nape of her neck with a razor-sharp blade.

A paralyzing fear that if she dared to turn, that knife would mercilessly plunge and end her life.

She had never imagined that Aden, whom she had firmly regarded as merely the head maid, could embody such a terrifying presence.

Someone had once remarked:
To be the ‘head’ of any organization within the academy meant you were an individual who could hold your own anywhere on the continent.

Where had she heard that?

“-Let’s put an end to this charade. Allow me to reintroduce myself.”

Aden returned to the forefront and deftly soothed the students immersed in fear.

Her expertise lay in information manipulation, assassination of key figures, and gathering intelligence through various channels.

She could effortlessly dispel the tension among a group of young, inexperienced students.

Anais and Pearson felt a twinge of irritation at being toyed with, but it quickly subsided.

Having recognized her as someone of a different caliber from the outset, their resentment swiftly dissipated.

The fact that Manus had recruited her also served to reassure the first-years.

“Anais.”

“Yes?”

“I recall asking about your activities on the Night of the Dead.”

Manus realized that his habit of withholding information could soon lead to misunderstandings.

It’s best to maintain as few secrets as possible.

To dispel any misconceptions, he spoke up.

“Aden is an exceptional assassin. My absence was to secure her allegiance to our cause.”

“Ah-.”

“She’ll provide assistance from the outside.”

All eyes turned to Aden.

The fear had evaporated, replaced by admiration and trust.

It was the influence of Caesar, and Manus’s presence.

He had steadily built trust and consistently acted in the best interest of his juniors.

Now they could believe.

Anais nodded absently, her face flushing.

‘How mortifying-.’

Dredging up memories one wishes to forget is unfair play.

But she too would gain something from this experience.

The Chairman, recognizing that the situation explanation had concluded, decided to begin the search for solutions in earnest.

“There have never been any anomalies in the tower before. This is unprecedented.”

“If similar incidents occurred in the past… there could be an untold number of victims we’re unaware of.”

It was a chilling thought.

No one remembers, and they simply remain as nameless corpses.

Isn’t it as if all traces of their existence in this world are meticulously erased?

Could there be anything more cruel to people, especially students who flocked to this gateway dreaming of success?

The mere thought of everything they had lived for evaporating entirely sent shivers down their spines.

From cherished childhoods, to moments of burgeoning talent, to intense study and forging friendships at the academy.

“Indeed. However, nothing of this nature has transpired in the past 15 years. This could be the first occurrence.”

“Or it could be that a certain cycle has come full circle once more.”

Alano offered a plausible theory.

Would they have simply ignored such incidents in the past?

Victims that no one remembers would have vanished from the world without a trace.

The atmosphere grew somber.

They had to find a way to reverse this somehow.

Kael was the first to break the silence.

“-We can’t stand idly by.”

“Correct. That’s why we’re gathered here. At the very least, we can locate them.”

“It’s likely one of two scenarios. Either they were dragged into the tower like Melanie, or they fell victim to demons that emerged from within.”

The deduction was remarkably accurate.

Manus deemed it premature for him to interject, so he remained silent.

These individuals need to develop their own thinking processes.

They need to learn how to deduce, analyze, and act proactively.

He would only need to steer them away from erroneous paths.

Let’s see you showcase your talents to the fullest.

‘Melanie. We’ll need your expertise.’

“Um, excuse me… Do we have access to any historical records?”

“You mean old attendance logs?”

“If they perished… there should be records of bodies being discovered. The Chairman might have been too preoccupied to notice.”

Precisely.

Melanie had grasped the key point with remarkable acuity.

The most crucial clue to unraveling this mystery.

With the Chairman’s assistance, they could examine such records.

Whether the deceased were documented as such.

Or if their very existence vanished from the world upon their demise.

They needed to thoroughly investigate this aspect.

“Excellent, Aden can guide you there. I’ll provide you with the necessary access.”

The Chairman granted his permission.

Manus observed with keen interest as they suddenly began offering opinions and taking action.

Primary Emerson.

And Lupera.

“Those two will definitely return.”

“We’ll ensure it.”

Kael declared with steely determination in her eyes.

It was an admirable demeanor.

Kael was beginning to exhibit traits of a protagonist.

Manus silently nodded in approval.

The same applied to the others.

Rights and privileges are invariably accompanied by corresponding responsibilities and burdens.

The pressure of being the sole individuals capable of resolving this crisis will likely torment them until the conclusion of this entire saga.

“Let’s move immediately. We must resolve this before the end-of-month evaluation at the very least.”

“Agreed.”

“Let’s go!”

The students mobilized.

Manus followed closely behind.

[Hoing!]

Albion, who had been slumbering on his shoulder all day, stirred and nuzzled against him.

Kael’s eyes lit up at the sight.

She slowed her pace to walk alongside Manus, who brought up the rear.

Her awkward demeanor seemed ill-suited to her character.

When she was a playable character, her bold and chic aspects had been more prominent.

Was this her true personality?

“Um-.”

“Feel free to pet it.”

Manus gladly placed Albion on her shoulder.

As expected of a protagonist, she seemed to possess an inherently high affinity with creatures.

Albion regarded Kael, blinking its round eyes.

Wow-.

Her eyes sparkled with delight.

If she were to tame a familiar later, it would undoubtedly become a formidable asset.

As she communed with Albion, she tentatively extended her hand.

“-I’d love to raise one myself, someday.”

“Familiars demand considerable attention.”

“I prefer it that way. I’ve always been solitary.”

It was a poignant admission.

It wasn’t misguided to find her brightly smiling expression somewhat pitiful.

Manus silently gazed ahead.

What should he say?

The reason he struggled to speak up was likely because he had never offered such words of comfort to anyone before.

Even in his previous life, he had never extended warm words to another soul.

It wasn’t so much that his personality was inherently cold, but rather that there had simply been no one to whom he could express such sentiments.

“-Then study diligently.”

“Yes-. That’s precisely my intention.”

He was grateful that she accepted even his awkwardly delivered words with such sincerity.

Now that they had uncovered a lead in the case, they needed to act swiftly.

Even Manus couldn’t predict how events would unfold from this point forward.

Whether they would progress according to his prior knowledge, or if unforeseen variables would arise and corner him.

All he could do was give his utmost effort.

He fervently hoped the impending disasters and trials wouldn’t exceed his capabilities.

2

The Records Repository.

Even in the original narrative, it was only mentioned that Alano entered alone.

It wasn’t a space actually depicted in the game.

The protagonist was only active outside during this time.

“This is my first time here as well.”

“Even as the Student Council President, you never had occasion to visit?”

“That’s correct. Only scribes are permitted entry here. Along with the Chairman and Principal.”

She added that the Student Council President’s duties were quite limited in scope.

In truth, she was handling quite significant matters, but to someone who had witnessed the responsibilities her parents shouldered in their family, these seemed truly trivial by comparison.

“Let’s search quickly. It’s unwise to cause a commotion by all barging in at once.”

“Understood.”

“We can’t employ magic here either, so we must search manually.”

For reasons of security, prevention of tampering, and protection against loss, this place was designed to be impervious to magic.

It was a location with such stringent security measures that the moment magic was detected, the entire academy would be thrown into chaos.

Without the Chairman’s explicit permission, entry would have been absolutely impossible.

The students moved swiftly, skimming through the records.

Manus also lent his assistance.

Even [Dux] magic couldn’t be utilized here, necessitating a manual search.

‘Still, I have a general idea of its location.’

[I discovered this in the records from 21 years ago.]

It was Alano’s actual statement from the original storyline.

He set out to locate the documents, guided by that recollection.

After some time had elapsed.

Manus successfully uncovered the document containing the precise clue they sought.

His eyes brightened as he slowly perused the record.

He had found the document in a section chronicling minor incidents.

It detailed an occurrence from exactly 21 years prior.

‘…Ultimately, they discovered the bodies during this period.’

Two corpses classified as unnatural deaths.

It was a report documenting the discovery of two unidentified bodies.

Indeed, it aligned perfectly with his prior knowledge.

Alano had used this very evidence to assert that the two missing individuals were still alive.

This was the impetus driving them to eliminate the demons in the tower.

A motivation that propels characters and organizations into action.

It was an undeniably weighty topic, one that underscored the magnitude of the burden they bore.

Viewed from outside the narrative, it might seem like a well-crafted plot device, but experiencing it firsthand made their emotions feel even more palpable.

‘Well, they are young. Even I, in my 30s, found it a challenging age to confront mortality.’

Their special abilities, coupled with the fact that they exist in a different temporal plane from others, meant they were obligated to resolve all incidents.

Face death, prevent destruction.

It’s a fate that entails involvement in countless crises and constant struggle.

Manus, who had been staring at the blank spaces in the records, soon set aside his somber reflections.

These were individuals living in realms and times others could never experience.

“I’ve found it.”

“-Really?”

“As expected of you, senior.”

Quietly but with unmistakable admiration, his colleagues gathered around.

Manus handed over the records, observing the eager faces of his companions.

Alano, having examined the aged documents, nodded and declared:

“Melanie’s intuition was correct. We can’t be entirely certain based solely on this, but it presents a significant possibility.”

“Then-.”

“It appears that upon their demise, all records are expunged and they become mere anonymous corpses. It must be the tower’s curse.”

“…That’s horrifying.”

Someone murmured softly, and everyone concurred.

They had unearthed a crucial lead in the investigation.

Now it was time to seek more concrete solutions.

Manus contemplated how to facilitate their growth more efficiently.

Then suddenly, he recalled the recurring theme that permeated this game:

All answers lie within the tower.

‘I need to dispatch these individuals to the tower.’

If his assumption held true, the gateway to ascend higher would have opened.

Overcome the guardians and guide them to loftier heights.

In the interim, he would manage external affairs.

If time permitted, he too would visit the tower to amass mana crystals.

It was a flawless and brilliant strategy.

Plans always sound plausible in theory.

It wouldn’t be too late to address variables once implementation began.

“Aden and I will investigate this matter further. The rest of you should proceed to the tower.”

“The tower?”

“Everything originated from the tower.”

Therefore, the answers must be sought within its confines as well.

Manus’s eyes conveyed this message unequivocally.

–TL Notes–
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