Reincarnated Hero System

As for what spell it was, it was naturally the illusion magic I had cast on my face.

The one that had kept the Archbishop from realizing that I was not as fine as I appeared to be.

Looking back down, instead of the usual fresh face, what stared back at me was a girl with slightly dishevelled hair, red eyes, and dark eye bags.

Well, I suppose this was inevitable. Even for someone at my level, going without proper sleep for weeks was bound to have consequences.

[You’re overworking yourself, Eliza. You need to rest.]

There was a tinge of worry in her voice, but somehow, I could tell it wasn’t entirely for me. It was more for Evan’s reaction if he knew what state I was in.

Even so, I understood what she meant.

I was overworking myself. And no, it wasn’t just a coping mechanism.

I was willing to pull out all the stops to accomplish the goals Evan had set, to make things easier for him when he returned. That way, he’d have far less to deal with and could finally rest after whatever he had been through in the past.

‘Seriously, I’m far more into him than I thought I was.’

Even I was surprised by my own reactions.

Right now, Evan was known across the world as something like a “Divine Champion.”

After all, it had been confirmed by multiple paladins of the church that the goddess Artemisia had made a descent in Kreah last December.

It had also been revealed that her descent was at Evan’s summoning.

Because of that, Evan’s reputation and international influence had only grown.

If he were still around, he probably would have gained titles like Divine Champion, Sword of the gods, or Hero of the gods.

Those were just three of the many names people had been calling him in newspapers and other media.

Kayla had warned us never to mention such titles to Evan. She had even insisted that we control news channels to stop them from publishing such things, saying that rather than making Evan happy, they would only earn his ire.

Even goddess Artemisia shared the same opinion, having her church quell any mention of those titles.

They both seemed convinced that Evan would hate them.

I didn’t know why.

And somehow, that irked me.

Why did they know something about him that I didn’t?

‘Ah… calm down, Elizabella.’

Pressing a hand to my temple, I glanced at the calendar on the wall.

The date read April 11th.

Exactly 122 days since Evan was sent to the past.

122 days since Evan had made any public appearances.

Of course, he couldn’t. He wasn’t in this world, after all.

We had managed to trick uninvolved countries and prevent them from noticing Evan’s disappearance, using the excuse that he was recuperating from the injuries he sustained and the strain of summoning a goddess despite his Level merely being 500, as well as working behind the scenes for the advent of smartphones.

As for the national leaders of countries that had worked with Evan, the Archmages of Kasteblum, and even the Barbarians of Tharvoria—a country I still found ironic for calling themselves ‘Barbarians’ despite their advanced magic technology—we had to discuss with them directly because of the smartphones.

Apparently, these devices needed artificial satellites launched into space to function properly. Without them, they wouldn’t work.

To the public, these artificial satellites were acknowledged as a lost technology from the time of the previous Seven Heroes.

But to the national leaders who knew what was happening behind the scenes, they understood that these satellites were actually locked behind a patent. In other words, if anyone wanted to use them, they had to pay Evan a fee.

For those who had supported him during the advent of televisions, we granted them a 50% discount.

For those who had rejected his proposals at that time, we imposed a 50% price increase.

All of these negotiations took place using illusions of Evan during magic projection calls, ensuring they believed he was still present and in control.

As a result, we successfully contained the news of his disappearance.

However, Uncle Kolvar’s son, David, warned that despite our efforts, the First Finger of the Demonic Hand—and consequently, all Demonic Hand Executives—would still know that Evan was missing.

David also seemed to know the First Finger’s identity but refused to reveal it.

From what Evan had told me, the First Finger possessed the power of Fate, which gave him the foresight to orchestrate his plans.

Plans that only Evan could disrupt, given the boy practically knew the future.

‘Most likely thanks to that EOTD man. Speaking of him, he hasn’t appeared even once since that day in Kreah…’

Lately, the one I had been seeing more of was goddess Artemisia, due to her direct involvement in Evan’s planning.

I was grateful that no one else had been present in the area that day in Kreah, as it made it much easier to hide Evan’s disappearance.

Picking up the phone in my hand, I turned to the silent Kayla.

“Where the hell did Evan even get the idea for this kind of thing?”

[It’s rather common outside this world. Aidos is the weird one for not having it.]

She paused for a moment before continuing.

[But then again, it’s understandable, considering the damage Aidos suffered during the Great War, as well as that god’s Rampage.]

‘Great War? god’s Rampage? What is she talking about?’

The mention of a god’s Rampage reminded me of a story Artemisia had told Evan years ago, right after his battle with that demon in Geto City.

‘As for the war… it certainly doesn’t feel like she’s talking about the war from a thousand years ago.’

That much, I was sure of.

So, another war had taken place on Aidos before then. That was what led to its decline, to the point where magic technology—apparently once as common as smartphones—had been lost.

“Then the televisions… Evan got those from other worlds too?”

[Yes.]

“I see.”

Evan was truly putting effort into improving Aidos’ level of magi-technology.

Knowing him, he was starting with basic amenities and enhancements to daily life, like televisions and smartphones. Eventually, he would transition into something else.

Weapons.

Weapons for the inevitable war against the demons.

It was an obvious conclusion, one that anyone who truly knew Evan would come to.

As I looked at the smartphone in my hand, my gaze fell on the paused image of Evan in the video—the still frame, which was apparently called a “thumbnail.”

The longing I had been trying to suppress surged to the surface once again.

“I really miss Evan.”

I muttered the words aloud.

Kayla, having heard me, remained silent for a few moments before finally speaking.

[Did you know? Evan was once a great, powerful figure from beyond this world. To the same level… no, perhaps even greater than I was.]

She wore a mirthless smile as she spoke, her eyes clouded with a self-deprecating look—emotions I couldn’t quite understand.

She took a moment to recompose herself, then continued.

[During his time as that great figure, Evan endured far worse than being sent back in time to a completely unknown world.

Even though he has been reincarnated and has lost the memories of that time, he is still as resilient as ever. So rest assured… he’ll return safe and sound.]

My mind ignored more than half of what Kayla had said, instead latching onto a single word.

‘Reincarnated.’

It reminded me of something Evan had once revealed to me, despite my protests at the time.

“…Reincarnated Hero System.”

Hearing my muttered words, Kayla’s eyes widened.

[He told you about that?]

She paused in shock. Then, with a thoughtful expression, she added.

[It seems Evan trusts you a lot more than I thought he did.]

With that, she took a step closer.

[So, in the same way he trusts you…]

Suddenly, her voice rang out right beside my ears.

[…you should also trust that he will come back to you safe and sound.]

Before I could even turn toward her, Kayla snapped her fingers and a wave of dizziness crashed over me.

I didn’t need to be clearheaded to understand what had happened. She had used some kind of sleep magic on me.

Even though my level was now higher than hers—thanks to my relentless levelling spree to distract myself and rid myself of the feeling of ‘weakness’ that haunted me for a while—my Magic Resistance still wasn’t enough to block her magic.

Just as I felt myself falling toward the table, the scene around me warped. Instead of cold wood, I landed on the familiar softness of a bed.

Through my blurring vision, I saw Kayla extend a hand toward the ring on my finger. Somehow, without my permission, she accessed my spatial ring and pulled out a familiar blanket.

The same one Evan and I had used the night before the incident in Kreah Trade City.

As she draped it over me, she spoke in a quiet voice.

[Sleep without worry, Eliza Lane. Your lover will return to you safe and sound.]

And with that, darkness swallowed everything.