The Banished Villainous Noble Son Who Was Used as a Stepping Stone in the Original Work Awakens to Combat and Destroys the Laws of the World - Episode 40: Reinvestigation

Episode 40: Reinvestigation

—Morning light gently filtered in through the curtains by the window.

As I slowly opened my eyes, I noticed that there was no discomfort anywhere in my body. No—more precisely, the very fact that there was “no pain” at all felt somewhat unnatural.

The “pain” I had definitely endured last night—the wounds I had taken on purpose—had already completely healed without a trace. Yet, for some reason, the “sensation” of remembering that pain remained vividly within me.

(Has this feeling become “duller”? Or is it something else…)

Without thinking, I looked down at my own hand. I lightly clenched and opened my fist. Each time I did, there was a strange sensation like something stirring beneath my skin.

I had already removed the Crystal of Murky Will that increased received damage. So it wasn’t that.

“Pain Tolerance”—a skill that, literally, granted resistance to pain.

But did it really “help” in combat? Or was it a kind of “numbing”, dulling my senses and reactions?

(I’ll have to test this.)

The skills “Indomitable” and “Pain Tolerance”—they had similar acquisition conditions. And I’d ended up getting “Pain Tolerance” while aiming for “Indomitable”.

The gains were certainly significant. But at the same time, both my style of fighting and senses would have to be adjusted to match. That much was certain.

The traces of last night’s ritual had already faded. And the room’s air was now perfectly clean. I washed my face at the built-in sink and straightened my clothes.

That was when it happened.

The communication orb I had received from Flone began to emit a faint glow at its center.

I tapped the orb lightly with a fingertip. *Ping*—a clear, ringing sound echoed out. It was followed by a cheerful voice.

“Yahho~! Good morning! It’s only been a day, but how’s the crystal doing?”

“Good morning. Yes, it’s a good item.”

“Hmmm? ‘Good,’ huh? That sounds kind of loaded… Well, you did use it, right?”

“Yes, I did use it.”

“Okay, okay. In that case—would you mind sharing your impressions a bit?”

She sounded like she was joking around. But the air carried an inescapable pressure.

Flone’s voice remained cheerful. Yet behind it, a strong “desire for knowledge” churned.

—No matter the result, she wanted to know. That pressure slowly crept in.

“It helped me. I think that’s enough to say.”

I chose my words carefully as I spoke.

“Ooh, nice. You’re learning to say the important stuff!”

Flone didn’t press further.

As if sensing there was a line she shouldn’t cross, she pulled back without resistance.

However, there was a faint pause—one that carried a trace of reluctance.

“Well then, on my end, something interesting came up too. Can we talk again later?”

“Understood. If the timing works, I can respond.”

“At times like that, you’re supposed to say, ‘I look forward to it~!’ Oh well. Talk later~”

As the call ended, the light in the orb gently faded.

Its lingering warmth remained faintly in the quiet morning air.

(…Unpredictable, huh.)

Even so, there was still a certain sense that she could be “relied on”. That, too, was a fact.

After finishing preparations, I left the inn—and headed toward the Academy.

It was still early, with mist lingering in the air. Yet the stone building at the front was already showing signs of activity.

People were going in and out. And those entering the building walked with tension in their steps.

Several individuals were rushing around carrying documents. All of them had furrowed brows and few words spoken.

Amidst this, I saw a familiar figure standing at the end of the stone path.

“Good morning, Alphonse-san.”

“Good morning.”

We exchanged brief bows.

After yesterday’s interactions, a sense of familiarity had started to form between us.

“Let’s go—to the secondary base.”

I nodded and followed. I said nothing about the hurried atmosphere.

Bathed in the pale morning light, we began walking toward “that place” once again.

◆

We left the city and crossed a gentle hill.

The secondary base was about a three-hour carriage ride away.

Unlike on the way there yesterday, we started to talk little by little this time—especially about the ice attribute monster.

“About yesterday’s incident…”

“Yes. In terms of location… I believe it was a bit further down this road.”

“Then, centered around that area, it’s highly likely it’s still lurking. The problem is—”

“Whether it’s intelligent, right?”

Lucrane narrowed his eyes slightly.

“It even seemed to be acting cautiously—on purpose. Compared to normal monsters, its actions were more refined.”

“In that case… we may need to prepare ourselves to be ‘watched’ as well.”

Lucrane nodded. Even in this short exchange, tension was seeping through.

The conversation was calm. But a sense of alertness had begun to take root.

(That monster isn’t just a battle target.)

As if to support Lucrane’s theory, there were no traces left at the spot where the monster had presumably been—that, more than anything, was proof.

Eventually, the secondary base came into view.

There were some temporary tents. But there were very few people around.

Given how sudden the decision was yesterday, perhaps the small number of personnel was to be expected.

“The layout is the same as last time. In that case… let’s start with checking the surrounding traces. After that, we proceed with the reinvestigation.”

“Understood.”

We slowly circled the perimeter of the site.

The dampness of the soil, the density of the air, the fluctuations of magical energy—we sharpened all five senses to search for abnormalities.

But for now, things were “quiet”.

“…No monster activity,” 

Lucrane commented.

Just as he said, there was no trace of monsters in the area.

Unless it had some technique to hide its presence, which couldn’t be ruled out, we had no reason to let our guard down.

Even as I felt the presence of a silent threat, I stepped into the “battlefield.”

(But this is how it should be.)

Dim clouds began to slowly cover the sky.

In the still air, the reinvestigation quietly began.

Original Author’s Comment:

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