My Past Life is Riddled With Many Sins - Chapter 88

Regina was startled by the unexpected revelation and instinctively pulled back.

He smoothly bowed and, with a nonchalant demeanor, took his leave. She remained in a daze until his purple robe disappeared around the corner.

Is that really Prince Iskanda? Prince Iskanda who seemed so innocent and pitiable? What’s happened to everyone turning after reincarnation?

“What on earth happened…?”

She realized that they must have lived on for quite a while after Yekarna’s death. Her knowledge only covered a tiny fraction of their lives, just a few years out of many decades. It seemed presumptuous to think she fully understood their changes.

Worried that she might encounter Count Hartman, Lennon’s reincarnation, she hurriedly left the palace. Fortunately, she managed to avoid meeting Count Hartman until she reached the academy.

* * *

Sitting on her dormitory bed, she mentally replayed the events from the palace.

“It would be a lie to say I never resent you, but as I said before, I bear no grudges, and I cannot leave you to be murdered by someone else in this life either. So, I will protect you.”

Count Hartman promised to protect her from being killed by others.

“So, what about revenge?”

“Instead of that, I’d rather spend more time rolling around in bed with you.”

Bliss showed no interest in seeking revenge.

“As it happens, I have a means to distinguish between devilkin and humans.”

Darien, who had come to her aid just when she almost got cornered by the devilkin.

They were all strangely friendly towards her. Far from being like those who were candidates who killed Yekarna in her past life.

During the swordsmanship tournament, someone threw a knife at her with hostile intent. Since Regina had no particular enemies, it was likely a remnant of Yekarna’s past. A member of the seven who had killed Yekarna was probably trying to harm her again.

The people present in the audience that day included Dean Bliss, current student Darien, and Valen, Friedrich’s reincarnation. There might have been other individuals from her past life that she did not confirm, but these were the ones she knew of.

Among them, Bliss and Darien showed a friendly attitude towards her, so the remaining suspect would be…

‘It’s not certain yet.’

It’s too early to make judgments. Even those who act favorably towards her can’t be fully trusted. They might be hiding their hatred to lower her guard.

She knew that her past life had not been particularly admirable. She had led a debauched life focused on physical pleasures and caused many people pain. She carried guilt and a sense of debt for that. Nevertheless, she didn’t want to be killed again.

Her plans to leave the empire after quitting the academy were thwarted. As she was bound to respond to the Crown Prince’s summons, she couldn’t leave the empire for the time being. When the Crown Prince would finally let her go remained uncertain.

She had only intended to warn about the potential invasion of the demon realm and leave the rest to others, but she found herself in this situation. Regardless, circumstances had changed, and she needed to find a new way forward.

Regina’s revised goal was to survive until she could escape the Crown Prince’s grasp and avoid those who wanted to kill her.

* * *

The incident involving the devilkin at the palace banquet was not made public. The Crown Prince had issued a gag order to everyone present at the banquet. As a result, the academy remained as peaceful as usual.

The swordsmanship tournament winners and runners-up, who had also attended the palace banquet that day, occasionally looked at Regina with what seemed like a desire to speak, but they never approached her.

It was likely due to the gag order. Thanks to this, she could continue her academy life without being harassed by questions.

“The war with the demon realm was truly dreadful.”

Haley muttered with a shudder as she organized the materials. They had chosen the Middle Realm-Demon Realm War as the topic for their group project and were meeting regularly to gather information and exchange opinions.

“That’s right. I only had a vague idea before, but researching it like this makes the immense sacrifices feel real.”

Arthur chimed in with a shocked expression. He clearly didn’t expect it to be this much.

“I’m really glad I wasn’t born during that time.”

“Yes, it’s so fortunate to be born in a peaceful era.”

Regina wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry as she watched the two of them, who seemed relieved.

If the devilkin that appeared over 200 years ago were just the advance team, there was a possibility that a second Middle Realm-Demon Realm War could break out in this generation. The scale of the devastation might rival, if not exceed, the first war that they were relieved not to have experienced.

Disturbed by her thoughts, Regina retreated to the training grounds as soon as the group project meeting ended and began swinging her sword.

While she couldn’t fully utilize her Mana Blade due to the other’s presence, she could still feel the sword becoming lighter in her hands as her body adjusted to it.

She timed how long she could sustain the Mana Blade in her dormitory’s private room. It remained stable even after two hours. To find her limit, she’d likely need to stay up all night, so she decided to retract the Mana Blade for now.

When she first took on the journey for the entrance exam, she had barely managed to wield the Mana Blade before becoming exhausted. Her progress was significant compared to then. Still, she was far from reaching Yekarna’s level.

‘If I had known it would be like this, I would have devoted myself to sword training from a young age.’

In this life, she had only done the bare minimum of training, thinking there was no need to become a Swordmaster just to make a living with a sword. As a result of her laziness, she now lived each day like a student cramming for an exam.

‘I should set aside a full day soon to test how long I can maintain the Mana Blade.’