I Don’t Remember the Number of Regressions of the Villainesses Who Have Returned.

TN: I’m adding when the perspective switches. I know it might seem a bit janky, but the way the author wrote the next part is all over the place. I know that the quality of the next few chapters isn’t the best, with some fault to me for being out of shape. Bear with that until I can fully refocus and get back into the groove.

Sorry, and thanks for reading.

Aaron’s POV

‘Penalty window.’

I touched my tightly closed mouth and urgently called up the penalty window in my mind.

[What’s the matter?]

The black window quickly appeared in front of my vision.

‘When I was talking to Sephir, nothing happened. Why won’t my mouth open all of a sudden?’

I tried forcefully pulling my jaw, but my closed mouth wouldn’t budge.

The penalty window answered each of my questions clearly, one by one.

[First, regarding your first question. When you were talking to Sephir, you only discussed memories without revealing information about reincarnation and regression, so no penalties were triggered.]

‘…Was that the case?’

Indeed, when I spoke with Sephir, we seemed to have only talked about memories rather than things like reincarnation.

The penalty window continued with the second explanation.

[Second question. Your mouth not opening is due to the penalty for violating basic-level confidentiality, which forcibly shuts the mouth.]

My mouth not opening was simply because of the penalty.

‘I see.’

I nodded slightly toward the penalty window.

However, not yet having heard the most important answer, I called the penalty window again.

‘So, when will this be released?’

I understand there’s a penalty, but you should at least tell me the duration.

The penalty window quickly answered my question.

[It will be released soon.]

Fortunately, it wasn’t a penalty that lasted all-day-

[Please be aware that the penalty duration will be extended if this happens again.]

‘Of course it would.’

The penalty window was the penalty window.

Just as I was feeling the strange sensation of not being able to open my mouth even when trying to sigh, Gwen, who had been watching me for a while, poked her head next to the penalty window.

“What have you been doing, grabbing your chin and mouth?”

She looked at me with scary eyes that seemed like they could easily slice a person.

“Uh…”

The penalty was lifted just in time.

He avoided eye contact while pondering what to do.

“Aaron?”

Seeing me avert my gaze and evade her words, Gwen quietly stood and stared intently at me back.

“What’s your relationship with Sephir?”

She didn’t touch my body or emit killing intent.

She simply lightly cut off my words midway with a sharp voice, emphasizing the latter part, and looked at my side with a slightly scary gaze.

‘This is even scarier…’

Because Gwen, reflected in my cautiously turned eyes, was circulating the aura inside her body at a tremendous speed.

The fact that I couldn’t feel anything at this close distance despite the aura coursing through her body at such speed signified one thing.

‘She’s holding back.’

A lot, at that.

That’s why I chose to stay silent, but…

“Aaron?”

Gwen moved a bit closer.

Was it my imagination? I felt like the focus had disappeared from her eyes.

In the end, after a brief contemplation, I opened my mouth.

“You asked about my relationship with Sephir, right?”

“Yeah.”

Gwen’s immediate response.

But her unfocused eyes and low voice remained the same.

After observing her reaction for a moment, I answered her question.

“We’re friends.”

—–

Gwen’s POV

“…Huh?”

Upon hearing Aaron’s words, Gwen tilted her head with an irritated sigh.

“It’s true.”

“With a woman who claims to have memories of the future?”

“…Yes.”

Aaron also lowered his head, knowing it sounded a bit forced.

“You think that makes sense?”

In response to Gwen’s question, Aaron raised his head and looked straight ahead.

“You’re in a similar situation, Gwen.”

“?”

Gwen’s eyes widened in an instant.

“Me?”

“Yes.”

When Gwen pointed at herself with her finger, I nodded.

“Am I just a friend too?”

“That’s… right?”

“Why?”

A short but loaded question filled with absurdity.

“I don’t know you, Gwen.”

“…!”

Gwen was at a loss for words.

“That… No, uh…”

She couldn’t continue her words.

“But still…”

She tried to say something, but no words came to mind.

“What can I do? Even if you know me, I don’t know you.”

It couldn’t be helped.

Seeing that, Gwen’s eyes trembled again as if she was about to cry.

“…Are we really just friends?”

At Gwen’s sobbing voice, I let out a small sigh.

‘Why are they doing this to me, both Sephir and her…’

In the end, I hesitantly called out to her.

“Gwen.”

“Yes?”

“Even if I don’t know you now, we can get to know each other little by little.”

Gwen stared at me without any reaction.

“……”

She just looked at me with trembling eyes without saying a word.

“That… No, uh…”

I tried to continue speaking in response to Gwen’s continued gaze, but no words came to mind, just like Gwen’s earlier.

‘Was this too nosy of me?’

Cold sweat ran down my back.

I was worried that she might have felt I was being meddlesome, as I knew nothing.

Standing still and looking into my eyes, Gwen carefully opened her mouth.

“Then, if we get to know each other, will we be more than friends?”

At her question, asked as if pleading with her hands clasped together.

“Well… probably?”

He left an ambiguous answer, not a definite one.

“What do you mean by that…”

Seeing that, Gwen looked at me with a slight chuckle.

“Aaron.”

Gwen’s voice was filled with gravity rather than emotions like sadness or joy.

I also looked at her with a serious expression upon hearing that voice.

Bashfully, with a brightened face for a moment, Gwen reached out her hand.

Just like the man who had reached out his hand to her in the past.

“Then, please take care of me from now on.”

A handshake with the same meaning as the one Aaron had with Sephir.

Aaron nodded and grasped Gwen’s slender, snow-white hand.

“I look forward to working with you too, Gwen.”

With those words, they simultaneously shook their clasped hands up and down.

Strangely, their handshake continued to sway at the same tempo.

As if they had held hands for a long time.

“Aaron. So with Sephir-”

“We’re really just friends.”

—–

Aaron’s POV

“So, your goal?”

“Pardon?”

As the atmosphere lightened and we laughed comfortably while heading towards the red circle area, Gwen asked me a strange question.

“What do you mean by that?”

‘How am I supposed to understand when you cut off both the front and back and say it like that.’

I could only tilt my head, unable to grasp her intention behind the question.

“Still, I was your master. I know well that you’re not someone who would simply search for a red sphere drawn on a map.”

At her confident words, placing a hand on her chest, Aaron’s monologue flowed out.

“Master?”

“Yes. Master.”

“Then, when you mentioned slave earlier-”

“You were indeed my slave.”

‘What kind of life did I lead?’

What on earth did he do to end up as a slave in the Cabala family?

I opened my mouth slightly with a blank expression, and seeing that, Gwen hastily added,

“It was just in name. You were actually a butler. Not what you’re thinking.”

“……”

‘Should I believe that or not.’

I seriously pondered, and seeing that, she quickly changed the subject.

“Anyway! So, you have a separate goal, right?”

Her guess was accurate.

“Yes.”

Gwen asked again.

“What are you after?”

“To put it briefly, there is a hole in my aura’s path, and the item nearby that could resolve that. And now I’m going to find it…”

Gwen’s expression crumpled as she listened to me explain.

“Isn’t that extremely serious?”

“No, it’s not. I just can’t use aura well.”

A small lie to keep her from worrying.

‘There’s no point in telling her anyway.’

I don’t fully understand why my life is limited, so even if I tell her, there’s nothing she can do for me right now.

‘This is better than unnecessarily creating a strange atmosphere.’

[Fatigue has rapidly increased.]

The familiar sentence now floating in front of my eyes.

There was no rising pain, so I wonder if I can still endure it.

‘Please, just hold on until we get out of the forest.’

No one would want to show others the sight of them vomiting blood enough to fill a huge bucket.

I’m no exception.

“Gwen. Are you hurting somewhere?”

I called out to Gwen in a playful tone.

“I’m not hurting.”

Gwen still had a crumpled expression, looking gloomy.

At that moment.

“Eeyaaah?”

I pinched her cheeks.

Perhaps because of the pain from suddenly having her cheeks pulled or possibly because of me playfully teasing her.

Her gloomy expression was forcibly stretched.

“Then, please fix your expression. Why do you look like you’re seeing someone who’s about to die?”

I released her soft cheeks and turned my head only after seeing her loosened expression.

“Then let’s go. Your tears are making this spot damp.”

A bit of embarrassment could be felt from my back as I walked away.

***

Gwen’s POV

Gwen stood in place, blankly staring at Aaron’s receding back.

“He plays little jokes like this, too, and then says he has no memories. Who would believe that…”

Even though she thought she had no tears, strangely, her eyes welled up just by looking at him.

“I said I’m your master, you know. I can tell when you’re lying.”

Clearly, he was hiding something from her.

She doesn’t know what he’s hiding.

Nevertheless, one thing is certain.

‘Aaron is standing in front of me, alive.’

That’s enough.

It was enough for her.

Circulating the aura inside her body and raising her foot, she stepped down hard.

Far ahead, following Aaron’s back.