"Let me put it more plainly. Could it be that you have traveled back in time to the past?"
"…"
An irreverent thought rose from the depths of my heart, curling upward like smoke.
Wait—so the ones who knew of the existence of regression were utterly helpless against the Heavenly Demon?
And how was it that they, while suspecting me of being a regressor, were so easily subdued and lost their memories?
In truth… isn't the Imperial Court a remarkably incompetent group?
No, that's not it. Judging by how smoothly the nation runs on a daily basis, they're not without ability—but at the very least, when it comes to dealing with the Heavenly Demon, it might be best not to expect much from them.
After barely swallowing the words that had risen to the tip of my tongue—that I would stand in the heavens—I quietly gazed at the Martial Princess.
Besides, it wasn't as if there was anything I could do other than this because of the seal.
Only then did the Martial Princess let out a sigh.
"Hoo… So it was true."
"…"
The Martial Princess shut her eyes tightly. The Commander's expression had also grown even more resolute.
Tang So-wol stepped forward toward the two of them.
"Young hero Cheon cannot speak on this matter, so if there is anything you need, please speak with me instead."
"Hm? Surely not—do others know of this as well? I had heard it was a seal that made it impossible to inform anyone by any means."
"Under ordinary circumstances, that would be so. But with a bit of luck, we received the aid of several divine relics and those skilled in various arts, allowing us to learn of young hero Cheon, albeit to a limited extent."
"That is… surprising. Do inform me of that method at a later time. I shall reward you sufficiently."
"Thank you. However, such matters are for young hero Cheon and my father to decide, so I fear I cannot give you a definite answer right away."
"It is an imperial decree. …Or so I would say, but the story you just told is certainly beyond expectations, so I believe I must report this separately to His Majesty the Emperor as well."
The Martial Princess nodded, then looked over this way carefully before continuing.
"It seems things are more or less settled, so let us move on to the main topic. Ah, this matter truly is an imperial decree—just as the talks with the Murim Alliance are meant to resolve the Imperial Court's questions."
"…I shall listen attentively."
Regression and the topic finally veering away from it, I was able to open my mouth at last and answer. The Martial Princess cleared her throat once before speaking.
"Ahem. It is said that a regressor is always born from despair. And seeing how terrified you are of the Demonic Cult… it seems the war against the Demonic Cult did not go in a favorable direction."
"Yes. It was a sight where not only the entire Murim but even the Imperial Court was destroyed, leaving survival as the sole purpose of life. Young hero Cheon was one of those who fought the Heavenly Demon until the very end."
As Tang So-wol answered in my stead, the Martial Princess's eyes widened.
"To think you saw that far! By any chance, did you also witness the process leading to the destruction?"
"No. Unfortunately, I only saw the conclusion. The Central Plains destroyed by the Heavenly Demon's hand, countless people dying. That is all I know."
"I see… What a pity. At any rate, according to the Imperial Court's records, only despair deep enough to move the indifferent heavens creates a regressor. In such a situation, the Imperial Court could not have remained unscathed either. If indeed everything in the Central Plains, including the Imperial Court, was destroyed…"
The Martial Princess trailed off there, then continued in a tone laced with a hint of fear and resignation.
"Probably, that means the Imperial Court failed. In other words, if we continue down this path, we'll only be retreading the same ground."
It seems that even if they've caught on to the fact that I'm a regressor, they haven't realized that the Heavenly Demon is one too.
Come to think of it, if even the Shaolin Temple had ancient texts hinting at regression, it's no surprise the Imperial Court knows of its existence.
Perhaps in the early stages of the Heavenly Demon's regression, the Imperial Court often stood in his way.
But the Heavenly Demon is no ordinary regressor—he is an infinite regressor.
If they failed to anticipate that far… then to the Heavenly Demon, the Imperial Court was no different from any other martial clan.
Perhaps the Imperial Court isn't a completely incompetent group. They simply weren't competent enough to deal with the Heavenly Demon.
The Martial Princess's next words lent certainty to these thoughts.
"Therefore, if necessary, I am willing to discard all existing plans and follow your design."
"…Excuse me?"
"Do you wish for me to be more explicit? Once I finish a few verification tasks, and should His Majesty the Emperor recognize the necessity… I am gladly offering the Imperial Court's full assistance in all your affairs."
I hadn't expected her to be this cooperative. At this point, it's almost suspicious.
Clearly, the relationship between the current Emperor and the martial world is mutually favorable. But this holds only because the martial world respects the Imperial Court's authority, and the Imperial Court, in turn, does not make unreasonable demands.
Yet what the Martial Princess just said sounds as if the Imperial Court is willing to set aside its own authority before me, even if only for a moment.
Had my bewilderment and slight suspicion shown on my face?
The Martial Princess gave a wry smile and continued speaking.
"Do not look at me with such eyes. There is no trickery here."
"Every swindler says such things. Ah, of course, I do not mean to imply that the Martial Princess would deceive me with falsehoods."
"How dare you…"
The commander beside her reflexively rose at my sarcasm, but at a single gesture from the Martial Princess, he sat back down with a look of discontent.
"I understand your disbelief. But by now, you must be growing aware of something. That in the long history of the Central Plains, you are not the only regressor."
"…"
Yes. I had a rough inkling.
It was not only because of the Heavenly Demon. The ancient texts the Great Master Gakjeong had retrieved, the information obtained from the Potala Palace, and the Buddhist and Taoist energies felt from my seal.
Regression itself had likely existed for a long time. I did not know how many people had experienced it, but most of them would have left quite substantial marks on history.
In other words, the history I knew now was an era reached only after regressors had twisted the flow of time again and again.
…Probably, the Heavenly Demon had also changed the world in a different way in the early days of his regression.
Now, he seemed focused on killing everyone and building his own power.
"Yes. To earn your trust, I will share one more secret of the Imperial Court. This too is something I have been permitted to reveal if His Majesty deems it necessary, so listen without worry."
"And what is it this time…?"
"The First Emperor is suspected to have been an existence like yourself."
"…!"
The Martial Princess let out a soft laugh at me, my eyes wide open. She began counting on her fingers as she continued.
"The First Emperor was truly a fortunate man. Indeed. He carved his way through an era where the nation and martial artists fought to mutual annihilation, where the world was filled with chaos and only force determined a person's worth—and he built a nation from it."
The story of the founder of the current Imperial Court was quite famous.
The previous dynasty had tried to subjugate the martial world under the state, and the martial artists, resisting, fought to the death against them—until both sides truly destroyed each other.
In an age where bandits far outnumbered farmers, he rose with his bare hands, accumulated strength, recruited the martial artists who would become the predecessors of today's Nine Great Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Families as his allies, and after toppling the tyrants who dared call themselves Sons of Heaven, he established the current empire.
Thanks to that, while there had been the occasional awkward moment, the relationship between the Imperial Court and the martial world remained largely close.
After all, they were, in a sense, founding meritorious subjects.
Still, no matter how much help he had from the Orthodox Sects' martial artists, pacifying the Central Plains could not have been an easy task.
How many crises had there been in that time, how many betrayals had he endured?
People naturally began to acknowledge and follow the title of Son of Heaven, drawn from his absurd luck, his decisiveness, his broad vision that seemed to see the future, and his eye for talent.
It was a level of ability clearly distinct from that of ordinary men.
It was a level that could only be understood if one truly carried the will of heaven.
The fact that the story of the first emperor remained the most popular play even now said everything.
He was regarded as one of the most perfect emperors to have ever lived… but.
"Yet in his later years, that man obsessively hoarded methods to turn back time. Even though, when the people around him asked about regression, he could offer no answer at all."
A course of action that contradicted everything he had done before. It wasn't even the typical obsession with immortality that rulers so often displayed.
He merely gathered them, taking no particular action. He quietly left everything to posterity.
Thus, after the first emperor's death, his son, and his son's sons, harbored doubts.
If it were truly possible to turn back time, if the heavens permitted someone to defy them.
Perhaps the first emperor had been exactly such a person.
"From that day, the Imperial Court began researching regression. Of course, most of it was wasted effort. We discovered a few more suspected regressors in history, and we learned of the restriction that prevents a regressor from speaking a single word about regression… but that alone held no meaning."
It was in such a situation that I appeared.
After examining my movements and studying the historical backgrounds in which regressors had appeared thus far, the current Imperial Court reached a conclusion.
At this rate, just as in the first emperor's childhood, a great shadow of death would fall over the entire Central Plains.
And that they would ultimately fail.
"The Imperial Court has high hopes. That you are a regressor born amid the coming calamity, the only one who can navigate the unseen path ahead. …Just like His Majesty, the first emperor."
It was a weighty expectation indeed. Wasn't this the Imperial Court, of all places, comparing my deeds to those of the first emperor?
"I hope this clears up some of your doubts."
"…"
Regardless, since the matter concerned regression, I could not answer. But at least I could set aside the suspicion in their gaze, and for the Martial Princess, that alone seemed sufficient.
"I'm glad we could conclude our talk on a good note. We will remain here for a while under the pretext of negotiations with the Murim Alliance, so come find me once you've made up your mind."
"Understood."
"Ah, and as I said, His Majesty the Emperor holds you in very high regard. So much so that perhaps, once all of this is over, you might even become a member of the Imperial Court."
"Hmm. I must respectfully decline that."
"What?"
The Martial Princess, her eyes wide as if she could not understand what she had just heard, pointed at herself with her index finger.
"You can't possibly still be unaware of why His Majesty the Emperor went out of his way to send me, and went out of his way to bring up the story of the founding Emperor, can you?"
Probably, he wants to mix the blood of a regressor, like the founding Emperor, into the Imperial bloodline once more.
After all, it is the bloodline of an extraordinary person, and even if it weren't, the status I would gain after defeating the Heavenly Demon would be burdensome to them.
However, the Imperial Court has no place in the reason for my regression.
One must not confuse priorities.
Though she did not receive a concrete answer, the Martial Princess flinched for a moment at the utterly resolute attitude.
She, who had been laboring to project dignity, for the first time pouted her lips with an expression befitting her age.
She glared at Tang So-wol like that… but soon her gaze lingered on her chest, and her mouth fell open in a daze.
"W-Well, there's no helping it. But…!"
This time, the Martial Princess turned her gaze toward the Illusion Witch.
Come to think of it, she had been led to believe that the reason Tang So-wol and the Illusion Witch were brought along was because of the Cloud Rain Delight.
The Martial Princess's expression, wounded in her pride, quickly brightened.
"Eek! W-why, why are you looking at me like that…"
And so the Illusion Witch shrank back, simply overwhelmed by the weight of a powerful person's gaze. There must have been a great deal of shocking information, but she truly was a consistent person.
After studying the Illusion Witch for a long while, a smile crept onto the Martial Princess's lips.
"Hmph."
"I knew something was off about her…ah! I-I didn't say anything!"
The Illusion Witch hastily clamped her hand over her own mouth, but the Martial Princess's expression remained utterly unbothered.
Well, I could understand it.
Her original form wasn't bad to begin with, and having undergone the Bone-Exchange Rebirth, she had gained a beautiful appearance, as any Harmony Realm martial artist would…
That she left such an appearance almost entirely unmanaged, and added her uniquely timid demeanor on top of it, made it impossible for her to seem anything but easy to push around.
…Of course, that easygoing impression only ever showed itself before opponents who could crush her at any moment.
Opponents like me, or the Imperial Court, for instance.
The Martial Princess, unaware of this, continued with the expression of someone thinking, I'm clearly better than her.
"Still, there should be at least one seat left, so I'll wait with a relaxed mind."
"No. There's truly no need for you to do that."
"What?!"
At this point, seemingly a bit stung, the Martial Princess pointed at the Illusion Witch with an aggrieved look.
"What is it that I lack compared to this woman?"
"Hmph."
How could I make the Martial Princess give up without another word?
The deliberation didn't take long.
I grabbed the Illusion Witch by both shoulders, pulled her over lightly, and stood her in front of me.
"Eeek!"
It looked as if I was practically shoving her in front of the Martial Princess. The Illusion Witch trembled so hard she seemed about to stop breathing, but that wasn't really important.
I tapped the top of the Illusion Witch's head and spoke with a show of confidence.
"It's your age."
"…Hm?"
"The Martial Princess lacks the age."
"W-Well, I appreciate you seeing me as young, but I've passed the Age of Twenty this year."
"That's exactly what I mean—it's not enough."
"???"
"Illusion Witch. How old are you this year?"
"That's a secret…"
"That's more than enough to say I'm older or younger than anyone."
"If that's the case…"
She glanced at the Martial Princess, who had been radiating hostility (?) toward her this whole time, and behind her, the Illusion Witch looked up at me.
With a look of resolve, she opened her mouth.
"W-Well… no, I'm older than His Majesty the Emperor…"
Hmm.
I hadn't meant for her to go that far.
At any rate, the effect was tremendous.