***

Arthur and I had just dropped Alicia and Ellen off at Avaron grade school and made our way into our respective dorm rooms without sparing as much as a single word for each other.

Well, that was how it was supposed to go, as Arthur suddenly stopped in his track and look at me, as if he wanted to say something.

'I swear if this is about me having a daughter...'

Luckily though, Arthur didn't seem to have enough common sense to know what having a child at my age meant.

Unluckily, however, what he ended up saying was far much worse.

"I didn't have the chance to say this before but... Thank you"

Shuddering from the sudden display of politeness, I asked. "Huh? Why?"

"For saving Ellen of course", Arthur gave me a deep bow.

Resisting the urge to knock him to the ground and make him spill out what he did to the real Arthur, I replied. "I just did what needed to be done. Alicia would probably grumble at me if I just stood there and let her first friend die anyways"

Staring at me weirdly for a few seconds, Arthur muttered. "I think she would have done more than just grumble"

In response, I merely shook my head and continued walking, not even letting out a retort.

Ever since we came out of the dungeon, I had been feeling really uncomfortable.

No, it wasn't because of Ellen, as that problem sorted itself out... for now.

Instead, the main source of the discomfort was Arthur. He had been acting very strange.

If before, he was merely a cardboard cutout playing the role of the main character, then now, he was behaving like a normal human would. You know, with personality traits other than being righteous.

In fact, him even muttering under his breath was very out of character for the old Arthur.

'...Was the source of the change... me?'

However, with a shudder, I denied such possibilities. 'No... it must have been my imagination. How could he ever be something other than the pushover protagonist?'

But... I knew that it was just wishful thinking on my part. 

Thus, I turned to Arthur to confirm my suspicions. "Hey, are y— urgh! What the fuck?"

Right as I was about to inquire Arthur about his strange behavior, a cloaked figure bumped into me and ran away immediately after.

'...He's fast'

His running speed was akin to a <D> rank, I estimated.

However, I widened my eyes in horror upon realizing something.

'SHIT! IS THIS ONE OF THE CLICHÉs?'

Although I was in Avaron, it wasn't as if crimes were a rare thing here, especially when you have a bunch of delusional teenagers abusing their strength to make other students do their biddings.

Even assassination within the school grounds could happen in broad daylight. And in fact, it had happened several times in the past, with the most recent being just 2 years ago.

Despite that, however, Avaron was definitely one of the most secured place in the Empire, as the professors basically acted as bodyguards for the students. Well, the professors being here was really the only security Avaron offered. But one have to remember that the minimum requirement to be a professor here is having <B> rank power.

However, it also means that if there are no professors nearby, you can do basically whatever you wanted.

Hence, my current predicament; I was afraid that I had just gotten my stuff stolen, as a hooded stranger bumping into you and instantly dashing away was the textbook definition of such clichés.

Thus, I frantically searched my pockets to check on my belongings.

Upon feeling the usual cold metallic sensation in my pockets, I sighed in relief.

"Phew... It's still here"

The mysterious pocket watch was the only thing I was keeping on my body at all times after all. 

Well, now that I think about it, I should probably toss it into [Alternate storage] like I did with all of my other stuffs. I couldn't risk losing the only thing that could possibly help me find mother after all.

However, just as I was about to take the watch out, I felt something else in my pocket, something that definitely wasn't there before.

"Huh... A piece of paper?"

Taking out the piece of paper and staring at it, I fell into thoughts.

'...Did that guy put this in my pocket?'

It was the only plausible explanation, as I didn't recall ever putting it there. Nor did anyone strange came close enough to me to slip the paper in my pocket until just now.

Pausing my thoughts there, I unfolded the paper and took at look at its content; Arthur seemed curious too as he leaned his head over and also scrutinized the absurdly horrible handwriting.

After a full minute of staring at swiggly lines that could barely be called words, we finally made out what the paper was supposed to convey.

===

We have the tree hugger with us. Bring Arthur Kilvillain if you don't want the elf bitch to die

  -Green skull bandits

===

Other than the ominous-looking green skull drawn in the corner and a crudely made map leading to what I assumed to be a warehouse, there was also a few strands of silky green hair taped to the paper.

My face contorted into a frown at this sight.

A tree hugger, or, less offensively called, an Elf, was apparently being held captive. Judging by the green hair and the mention of Arthur, there was no doubt that the Elf in question was Marie Holf- no, Marie Evien.

I closed my eyes and sighed in frustration, not because that Arthur made enemies with too many fucking bandit groups which were named after skulls of different color, but because—

'Green skull bandits...? It's 2 months too early!'

—The timeline was accelerated yet again.

And, judging by the unmistakable expression of rage Arthur had on his face right now, I knew for a fact that he would rush head-first into the bandit base without reservation.

Thus, the best course of action right now was to accompany him and make sure nothing go wrong.

"Arthur, I'll come with you", I placed my hand on his shoulder.

Arthur nodded gratefully at my words. "Thanks. Let's go right now. The longer we wait, the more danger Marie will be in!"
...

The bandit's base was an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the Capital; And we were hiding in a thick bush a good distance away from the entrance.

Several masked men were patrolling the perimeter of the warehouse, but they didn't seem to have enough perception to notice us.

I wasn't sure how the city guards hadn't noticed that a big bandit group was using an Empire-owned construct as their hideout, but it didn't matter right now, as I had to come up with a plan, fast.

We couldn't wait until it gets dark, as like Arthur said before, Marie could be in even greater danger if we hesitated.

The surrounding grounds were as flat as Lucy's chest, and the warehouse had no windows either. Thus, I couldn't hide myself and use [Railgun] to take out the bandits inside.

After a while, I came up with a good, well, plausible plan. I could take out a bandit and use the grimoire to disguise as him, and attack the hideout from the inside, while Arthur would call the city guards for help and lead the assault from the outside.

This plan would most likely work out well, as the bandits weren't too high ranked anyways, and they wouldn't be able to use Marie to threaten Arthur as I would be securing her.

After thinking the plan through for a bit more to make sure it would work, I turned towards Arthur to start discussing strategy with him.

"Arthur, our plan is t— huh?"

I raised my eyebrows in confusion, as Arthur, who was right next to me mere seconds ago, had disappeared.

Scanning around the area for Arthur, I couldn't help but to curse out loud when I finally noticed where he was.

"SHIT! CAN'T YOU WAIT?"

The idiot was charging right up to the main entrance of the warehouse, screaming on the top of his lungs as if announcing to everyone that he was here.

"YOU BASTARDDDDDD! GIVE MARIE BACK TO ME!"

And of course, the bandits noticed him almost immediately.

"INTRUDER!"

CLANG—! CLANG—! CLANG—!...

Metallic sounds rang out as Arthur met swords with the bandits.

Under normal circumstances, he would knock them out without actually killing them. However, since Marie was in danger right this instant, he couldn't care less about keep his 'no killing' personal code, as it would just delay his reunion with Marie further.

Spurt—! THUD—!

Blood spurted, and a head rolled onto the ground.

It was the first time Arthur had taken someone's life, but he couldn't dwell on it for too long, as the next bandit was rushing towards him.

"Haaaah..."

Sighing, and eventually accepting that Arthur had fucked up all of my plans, I pulled out my handgun and decided to support him from behind in case anything unexpected happened.

<[Railgun]>

bzzzt—! BANG—!

A hole appeared on the forehead of the bandit that was sneaking up on Arthur.

"Just keep moving forwards! I've got your back", I shouted.

In response, Arthur charged forwards, fully trusting my words.

'Shit! He really trust me, huh? Guess I'll have to live up to his trust then'
...

Amidst the mountain of corpses outside the warehouse, a loud thumping sound could be heard.

BAM—!

It was Arthur. He was trying to break the door open using brute force.

BAM—!

The entirety of the warehouse shook with every kicks and punches he made.

BAM—!

However, the door was made out of extremely durable material. Thus, even Arthur with his <D+> ranked power couldn't make a dent on it.

"Arthur! Get back!", I shouted as an astral-blue hue enveloped my right hand.

Seeing that Arthur had gotten out of the way, I rushed towards the door.

<[V - World splitter]: Distortion>

Riiip—!

A violent ripping sound could be heard as I thrusted my hand into the door and made a circular motion.

Almost instantly, a hole appeared on the metallic door.

Not waiting any longer, Arthur and I rushed through the hole, only to be met with a terrifying sight.

There she was, Marie, with her face all bruised, and there was a pool of blood underneath her.

She was tied against a chair, and leisurely standing next to her while holding a dagger to her neck was a <D+> ranked bandit; He looked as if unfazed by the commotion that was happening outside. 

"MARIEEE!"

Arthur wanted to immediately rush in and free Marie. However, he couldn't, as I physically held him back.

"Kehehehehe! So you finally showed up, Arthur Kilvillain", the bandit laughed arrogantly.

Glancing all over the warehouse and noticing suspiciously placed wooden crates, I discreetly gathered Wind mana.

I then whispered to Arthur. "Arthur, trust me and do whatever the bandit says"

Arthur, having somewhat calmed down, lightly nodded at me and glared at the bandit with bloodshot eyes. "Release Marie right now!"

The bandit laughed hysterically again. "HEHEHAHAHAAH! No can do. Move a muscle and this bitch's head will roll on the ground. Now, drop your weapons"

Gulping, and still glaring at the bandit, Arthur dropped his Greatsword on the ground and put his hands up in the air.

"Very good", the bandit smiled. "Now, slowly come here and lick the dirty off my boots. If you do, this great leader of the Green skulls bandit swears on the name of lord Arlenoe that he shall spare all of you"

'The transmigrator is involved in this too?', I knitted my brows together.

Before I could dwell on it any further, however, the bandit leader shouted at me. "And you! Stay where you are and don't try to do anything funny"

Seeing that both Arthur and I complied to his words, the bandit leader laughed to himself, while not noticing the strange movement of the air in the warehouse.

"Arthur, don't worry about me, just go!", I spoke.

As soon as Arthur reached the half-way point, dozens of men wearing matching green clothes jumped out from the crates, surrounding Arthur from all directions. Their power were mostly <G> rank, with the strongest being <F+> rank.

"KEHAHAHAHAHA! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU FELL FOR MY TRAP!", the bandit laughed like a maniac.

"Torture him to your content. After that, move to the other brat", he continued.

He then turned to Marie and licked his lips. "Whoever makes the fucker Arthur screams the loudest can 'taste' this elf with me later"

Immediately after, the bandits moved towards Arthur, albeit with slight reluctance. After all, being a <D+> rank, Arthur could kill them with a flick of his finger. 

Swish—! Spurt—!

One brave bandit swung his dagger at Arthur, and much to his surprise, the dagger cut into Arthur's arm without much resistance.

Seeing this, the bandits briefly glanced at each other, before grinning under their mask.

"HE CAN'T DO ANYTHING! KILL HIM!"

The bandit who shouted that then jumped at Arthur, swinging his weapon wildly. However, when he was just inches away from taking Arthur's life, his body suddenly—

<[Gale force]>

—Flattened like a pancake.

In fact, every other bandits except for the leader turned into nothing more than bloodied mush, as highly pressurized air unexpectedly descended upon them.

The bandit leader's mouth hung upon at this sight. "W- What!?"

Not letting him recover from his surprise, I quickly used [Gale force] to break my sunglasses.

Cra— Crack—!

With the sunglasses broken and nothing obstructing my Magic eyes, I shot a glare at the bandit leader.

<[A - Authority of fear]>

Feeling a sense of immense dread seeping into his very being, the leader stiffened in fear.

Arthur, seeing this, rushed towards Marie, ignoring the bloody mess that were the bandits underneath his feet.

By the time the bandit leader came to reason, it was already too late, as Arthur had already freed Marie from the ropes, and his fist was already mere inches away from the bandit's face.

BAM—!
...

"And that's the last one", I said to no one in particular as I tossed the body of the last bandit in [Alternate storage].

'Should I become a necromancer?', I thought as I peeked my head into my storage.

As an estimate, around 20% of [Alternate storage] was filled with dead bodies now. I needed a way to get rid of them soon.

'No... perhaps it'd be better to sell the bodies to a necromancer instead'

Deciding to leave the corpse problem to another time, I turned my gaze towards Arthur and Marie, who just had a very cringy and passionate conversation, one which I purposefully didn't listen in on.

"What should we do with that guy?", Marie suddenly asked while pointing towards the bandit leader who was tied up.

"He tried to harm you, Marie. Utterly irredeemable. The only thing that awaits him is death", Arthur answered with a cold glint in his eyes.

'Ah... Character development', I cheered inwardly.

After all, if it was the original naive Arthur, he would have spared the bandit leader without a second thought.

Tok—! Tok—! Tok—!...

Footsteps rang out as Arthur slowly walked towards the bandit, dragging his Greatsword on the ground like an executioner.

"MMPHHHHHH!", the bandit lets out a muffled scream, with eyes pleading for his life. 

However, Arthur cared not for his struggle, as hurting his loved ones was the greatest sin one could commit. He raised his Greatsword, and brought it down with immense force behind it.

However, just as Arthur's sword was just inches away from reaping the bandit's life, a thin strand of bright golden light shot down from the sky, directly into Marie's head.

This didn't escape my eyes. 'What the fuck was that?'

But just as I was about to rush over to Marie to make sure she was fine, however, she suddenly shouted.

"NO! DON'T DO IT, ARTHUR! YOU'LL BE NO BETTER THAN HIM IF YOU KILL HIM"

Hearing this, Arthur's sword stopped dead in its track.

What Marie had just said was utterly idiotic, and it was precisely the kind of mindset that caused countless troubles for Arthur in the future.

Thus, I had to rebut her words.

"Arthur, just kill him. If you spare him, he'll definitely kidnap more innocent people after he's released"

Arthur alternated his gaze between me and Marie, pondering who he should listen to.

He was most likely seeing an Angel and a Devil sitting on his shoulders right now. The Devil whispered to him words of temptation, while the Angel desperately tried to steer him onto the right path.

There was no doubt that I was the Devil and Marie was the Angel in this case.

After a while, Arthur came to a decision. However, the circumstances behind his decision was strange, as—

'Again?'

—Another strand of light, identical to the one before, similarly shot down into Arthur's head.

"You're right", Arthur gazed at Marie warmly. "Killing is bad, and I'll be just like him if I took his life"

Hearing this, I immediately shouted, forgetting about the strange strands of light. "Arthur! You've already killed dozens of his underlings. What's wrong with 1 more?"

"I'm glad you understand", Marie said with an affectionate tone, outright ignoring me.

Arthur, seemingly refusing to acknowledge my existence, lifted Marie up in a princess carry and slowly walked out of the warehouse.

"HEY! DID YOU FORGET THAT HE TRIED TO RAPE MARIE EARLIER?", I screamed, but to no avail. 

The couple was still walking out of the warehouse, whispering words of love to each other, while treating me like complete thin air.

"..."

"..."

"..."

After standing in absolute silence and wallowing in disbelief for a long while, I punched the wall in rage.

"WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED!?"

It was then that I suddenly heard a sound. I turned my gaze towards the source, only to see the bandit leader trying to wiggle away unnoticed.

'I almost forgot about this guy'

Grabbing him by the collar, I removed his gag and spoke. "Tell me everything you know about Arlenoe, or else we'll have to do it the h—"

"I will, I will. Just let me down first"

Although I was very annoyed that he cut me off, I had to admit that I was surprised at his obedience. Thus, I let go of his collar.

Without waiting for me to say anything, the bandit leader spilled everything he knew about Arlenoe.

Basically, he knew nothing more than the assassin I interrogated a few days back.

Massaging my temples in frustration, I heaved a long sigh. "Haaaah... Useless as always"

Not having read my mood, the bandit leader spoke up. "So uh... you heard what Arthur said before so... can I go now?"

In response, I gave him a wide smile.

"No."

<The second movement of [V - World splitter]: Rupturing thrust>

Riiiiip—!
***

<<Dorm room F1 - 2>>

"FUHAHAHAHAH! HE REALLY DID THAT? NICE ACTING, KASUMI!"

It was very funny, Theodore's actions, that is.

The way his face contorted into disbelief and helplessness as Arthur suddenly reverted back to his original personality, and the way that he desperately screamed for Arthur to change his mind. All of them were very comical.

And Kasumi's flimsy reenactment of such scenes was the cherry on top.

Holding her stomach in laughter for a few more minutes, Eleanor finally calmed down.

'Rushing the plan with the Green bandits was the right choice', she thought.

After all, it confirmed that Eleanor wasn't at fault for having always failed to change Arthur's mentality.

Rather, someone, or something was messing with Arthur's mind, seeing that Theodore too had miserably failed to do it.

But it's not like that Eleanor could do anything about it anyways, at least in this regression.

Furthermore, through this incident, Eleanor could narrow down the number of regressions Theodore had gone through even further.

'So... he's most likely on his late 2nd regression...', she concluded.

A perfect mix of cynicism and soft-heartedness, that was Eleanor of the 2nd regression.

Of course, Theodore might not necessarily be in his 2nd regression, as people's adaptability and mentality are vastly different.

However, Eleanor could only use herself as a reference.

'It doesn't matter what's his actual number of regressions is anyways'

After all, it was Theodore's mentality being similar to the late 2nd regression's Eleanor that was important, since—

'It's easier to manipulate him...'

—She knew how to best manipulate someone with personalities like his.

Although, if Theodore was always aware that Eleanor was monitoring him, and what he had done thus far was just acting aimed to throw her off—

GULP—!

She may be dealing with someone well beyond her capabilities. 

However, she didn't think about it any further, as the odds of that happening was absurdly low. Furthermore—

'I don't think I can even do anything if he was indeed that terrifying'

Thus, Eleanor decided to put such possibilities aside for now, and focused on the task at hand.

'Now... it's about time to test his capabilities'

Smirking to herself, Eleanor turned to Kasumi, who was still acting as Theodore since Eleanor hadn't commanded her to stop.

"Kasumi, prepare yourself. You're going to school soon"