* * *

“In the Empire, on the continent’s highest tower, there lived a noble wizard. His name was Yuri Aieles, the strongest being in existence. His presence was akin to that of a god. All revered, respected, and feared him.
…
Thanks to the master of the tower, the Empire was the strongest nation on the continent. From the first month of the year, Arta, to the twelfth, Nieves, there wasn’t a single day he wasn’t venerated.”

ꔚ

The wizard of the highest tower was described in such terms.

Frankly, I dropped the book early on.

The setting was full of plot holes, and it wasn’t interesting.

The beginning was an endless, nonsensical exposition dump. I had no idea what it was trying to say.

So, how could I have known?

That I wasn’t the “real” Yuri Aieles.

It turned out—I had stolen his magic and spent six years pretending to be him.

As the villain.

To think I enjoyed such bliss for six years without once doubting it.

Good things like that never happen in my life.

This is why you should finish books. If I had known, I could’ve prepared for it.

Although, would I have been able to prepare?

I didn’t even know the villain’s name.

Amidst the chaos, no one called out the villain’s name, so I remained clueless.

Maybe it was mentioned somewhere in the novel, but I had no way of knowing.

Not until the end.

Not until my death.

The soldiers climbed the tower swiftly, and my magic had already returned to the “real” Yuri.

I was quickly reduced to just “Villain No. 1” occupying the wizard’s tower.

At the forefront of the army bringing the real Yuri was the Prince.

A character so minor when I transmigrated that I’d dismissed him entirely.

The moment I saw the Prince and the real Yuri, I knew. ‘Ah, they’re the real protagonists.’

The Prince dragged me down from the tower and executed me mercilessly.

In hindsight, it was almost a merciful death… but to me, it was a nightmare.

The truck that killed me the first time left no lasting memory, but this death was different.

And so, my second death came to pass.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself back in this familiar room.

At first, I thought the Prince had faked my death and spared me.

But that didn’t make sense.

Could it be that I wasn’t a fake after all, and my life had been spared in some twist of fate?

I entertained all sorts of thoughts until I noticed the status window.

Which brings us back to the story of the status window date…

ꔚ

[Magic Year 1230, Month of Siloni, Day 12]

ꔚ

I had died in the Month of Fore, 1236.

Siloni and Fore were names of months in this world, roughly corresponding to June and September.

The different month was one thing, but the year was off by six.

Thinking about it carefully, the date matched the day I’d first transmigrated.

I knew it well because I always got sentimental around this time of year.

The status window showed a date 6 years and 3 months earlier.

…Hah.

The window had an old-fashioned brownish tone and a somewhat retro design.

The font resembled something from a 16-bit game.

But the issue wasn’t the design—it was the date.

Was the display wrong, or…?

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

It was already morning. Time for the servant to enter.

“Come in.”

When I spoke in a practiced tone, the servant entered with her head bowed, setting down a tray with washing water and towels.

This servant, dressed in slacks and a neatly tailored jacket, had short-cropped hair and a youthful appearance that made her look like a boy.

However, she was actually a 24-year-old woman, older than me, with two younger siblings aged 12 and 14.

She wasn’t a particularly significant character—not yet, at least.

Whether she’d become important later, I couldn’t say.

“I’ll take my leave.”

“Wait.”

I stopped her as she turned to go.

Surprised, Marly approached and bowed even lower.

“What’s today’s date?”

“It’s the 12th of Siloni.”

“…And the year?”

She flinched momentarily.

Of course, she would.

People don’t usually ask, “What year is it?”—especially not someone like me.

Still, she responded professionally as any skilled servant would.

“It’s the year 1230, Tower Master.”

“Got it. You may leave.”

Marly tilted her head slightly, clearly puzzled, before scurrying off.

I stared down the status window until the steam from the hot water began to dissipate.

It confirmed that it was, indeed, 1230.

The status window welcomed me back. …

To six years ago, apparently.

“…Ha.”

I clutched my head in disbelief.

So, that’s what this was.

I had transmigrated—and regressed.

Whether it made sense or not was irrelevant at this point.

The moment I reincarnated, I had already crossed into the realm of absurdity.

If I could possess someone else’s body, why not regress as well?

And sure, a status window could suddenly appear too.

As I said, I wasn’t exactly a rookie when it came to these kinds of things.

More importantly, wasn’t the status window supposed to help me?

I had regressed.

This was my second playthrough.

In games, the difficulty often drops during the second attempt.

Maybe the appearance of this status window was part of that easing process.

It seemed highly likely.

I decided to accept this situation as it was.

There was no other choice.

Because if I didn’t, I’d die.

‘If I don’t come up with a solution before the real Yuria shows up, I’m dead.’

To avoid that death, I’d do anything—even drink lye.

Well, not lye, since that would kill me too.

Anyway, I was willing to do anything that didn’t involve bodily harm.

I had to do something.

First things first… let’s see what this status window can do.

I lightly tapped the word [Yes] with my fingertip.

The status window flickered, then changed, revealing a long bar below.

It looked like a health bar from a game. But as soon as it appeared, it made a foreboding noise and decreased slightly.

‘Why… Why is it going down?!’

I didn’t know what the gauge represented, but the ominous ‘crack!’ sound didn’t feel like a good sign.

A chill ran down my spine as an overwhelming sense of dread hit me.

[Welcome to the Highest Tower.]

A message appeared on the status window.
[Until you fulfill certain conditions, you are only allowed to act within the boundaries of your former character’s traits.

View Conditions]

Why couldn’t it just show me everything at once?

Annoyed, I clicked on “View Conditions.”

The status window sparkled with an effect before another sound effect chimed, revealing text.

ꔚ

[Condition: Affection with the Fourth Prince.]

“…”

I was at a loss for words.

Affection with the Fourth Prince?

Not just meeting him—affection?

And until then, I had to behave just like I did in my previous life?

I suddenly recalled the diminished gauge.

Could it have decreased because I acted differently?

After I first woke up in this body, I had naturally looked around, dismissed the strange circumstances, and gone back to sleep, only to be awakened by the servant.

Did behaving differently back then cause this?

Racking my brain, I absentmindedly tapped the screen again.

Another chiming sound accompanied a new line of text. Could I turn off these sound effects?

[To achieve affection, you must first meet the Fourth Prince!]

“…What?”

What was I supposed to do with that?

It didn’t even say how.

It just told me to meet him.

There were two major problems with this.

One, how was I supposed to meet someone I’d never encountered in my previous life while acting exactly the same as before?

Two, the Fourth Prince…

That ominous man with an equally ominous number…

He was the one who killed me in my previous life.

* * *