Regressor In A Strange World
Chapter 28: I Wasn’t Alone.

Chapter 28: I Wasn’t Alone.

Step~ Step~

He slowly walked towards me, each step he took intensified the illusory grip on my heart, as though to crush it to paste.

Ba- thump! Ba- thump!

With each step, my heartbeat quickened, drumming against my ribs as though to match the measured rhythm of his steps.

"Based on investigation," he began, his shoe clicking against the floor as he circled me. "You and your dead colleagues, Rhea and Silas all came together every night."

Pausing, as though to let the tension sink in. His gaze met mine and then, he added with a grim expression:

"Care to tell what the late-night meetings were for?"

"Huff..."

I exhaled quietly, my voice barely audible over the disorienting cacophony of my heartbeat.

Regaining my calm, I finally spoke up:

"Silas found me and informed me of a notebook- one supposedly from an ancient era. According to him, even with his decent archaeological knowledge, he wasn’t able to decipher it."

I paused, allowing myself some moment to breathe, before proceeding.

"Since I was ranked first and Rhea second in the Lousian college entrance exam, he figured he’d ask for our help. And i-it was an offer we just couldn’t refuse."

The last sentence was a cue. The stammering. The intense fanaticism- if it could be called that, were all left for a reason. All that remained was for the man to pick it up... A barely perceptible smile curled up my lips, and in that moment, I allowed fear to subtly take over me.... just for a few seconds.

That should be more than enough...

The young man was silent, his brows tightly furrowed.

His reports do align with our investigation.

As for the last word from the young man... he didn’t think too much about it. All historical enthusiasts were all similar in that regard, anyway. He’d had a few encounters with some notable ones, so he didn’t find any fault in the kid’s words.

And most importantly, under his spiritual pressure, the young kid couldn’t possibly remain lucid enough to engage in the act of manipulation. And that’s even if he was adept in it...

"Even if he were, I was sure I’d be able to find out," he muttered under his breath, a dark smile curling up his lips.

Tap~ Tap~

Tapping his hands rhythmically against the metallic table, a frown crept up on his features.

There was one thing he still couldn’t understand, though.

His eyes locked onto mine, his brows drawing into a deep furrow as his cold gaze held me captive in an unrelenting stare that felt endless. A-as though I was falling into an endless abyss.

Tap—! Tap—!

He tapped his hands against the desk, the hollow sound echoing through the suffocating silence.

How was this young man still alive?

He pondered hard on it but couldn’t come up with a logical explanation.

Exhaling inwardly... It doesn’t matter anyway. The cathedral already told me to let him go and just keep an eye on him.

His eyes lingered on mine for a few seconds or so, and from experience, I knew the investigation was about to come to an end. No... it had already ended.

Click—!

The man rose to his feet, donned his cap, and picked up his gun. A barely perceptible smile tugged at his lips as his gaze flicked toward me.

Hmph. I scoffed inwardly.

I wasn’t a fool—I knew exactly why he had placed the gun before me.

Luckily for him, he didn’t dare reach for it. Otherwise... A faint, dark smile crept onto the young man’s face as the thought took root within him.

He took one last glance at me, watching as I struggled to remain calm in the tense situation. After all, if the young man chose not to follow procedures, a single wrong move from him and I was as good as dead.

Luckily for me, the young man adhered to principles. He strode out of the room quite quickly, leaving behind a heavy breath I didn’t know I had been holding.

"Hah..."

I let out a deep breath, relief soothing but fleeting washing over me.

’There you go...’ I reassured myself, a faint smile curling up my lips.

Finally... it’s over.

***

A few minutes later, I was eventually released. I stood in front of the station, awaiting a carriage. The street was bustling with people, both old and young adorned in wind breaker suits and females in tailored suits. The street had a deep sense of rooted mysticism to it. Of course... The mysticism aspects were known to only a few people.

"Haa..."

With the black lacquered cane in hand, an acting aspect of my current "persona" I looked no different from the others.

I stopped a carriage and said softly to the coachman:

"Hanard Street."

"Two pence."

"Alright," I nodded, stepping into the carriage.

The price was, after all, neither too expensive nor... low. Just okay.

But,

A frown crept up my face.

If this Varkĥ—whether a city or town—still uses pence, solis, and pounds as its standard currency, then I’m likely in the early Mysticism Age... probably the Second Era. As for which epoch of the Second Mysticism Era? That still remains a question worth pondering on.

With a quiet sigh, I reclined in the chair while the carriage headed down the street, my eyes drawn to the architectural style of the various buildings.

And slowly, it began to click.

Solis, pence and pounds were the standard medium of exchange- not coins or drabs. Mysticism was still a well-kept secret, known only to a few people. The city ran on gas-powered structures... Yes, it was starting to make sense.

I wasn’t sure. But if I had to take a guess, it had to do with...

My thoughts trailed off, and I shifted uncomfortably in the chair, a strong sense of unease weighing down on me.

I felt like I was being watched.

A grim look settled on my face, but it soon turned into a wry smile.

Shaking my head~

I should have known better anyway. The security company and its cathedral wouldn’t be stupid enough to let me go. Not when it had to do with matters regarding sealed entities.

I let out a quiet sigh, the weight of the situation pressing down on me.

Rubbing my temples, I tried to lessen the intense headache.

Soon enough, the feeling of being watched disappeared almost instantly. If I hadn’t known better and if not for my high spirituality, I would have certainly waved it off as a mere déjà vu of sorts. But I knew it was anything but that...

Well... come to think about it. It isn’t that bad. Not only do I get to have a mysticism guard, but I also get to have one... for free!

"How great!" A faint smile curled up my lips, even if it didn’t reach my eyes.

Hah...

The carriage soon came to a stop. Grabbing onto my hat and flipping it onto my head, I held onto my cane and alighted from the carriage.

Paying the coachman, I said softly:

"Have a nice day."

"You too, young man," the fairly aged man replied with a light smile.

I nodded and before long, I saw the carriage disappear from my line of sight.

"Haa... Today was anything but great. But it can’t possibly get any worse."

Stepping into my room, my hands reaching to close the door suddenly paused, my pupils constricting widely.

This wasn’t the way I left the room. Somehow had entered or is probably still... here.

Ba- thump! Ba- thump!

My heart pounded violently against my chest, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps.

Forcing myself to calm down, I portrayed a calm, oblivious expression, and acting as though nothing was wrong, I closed the door.

Thud-!

The door clicked shut with a harrowing thud, leaving me in an endless silence broken only by the rhythmic pounding of my heart.

A hollow silence settled within me. I wasn’t alone...