TYBMB 05

Chapter 5: A Repeated Ill-Fated Encounter
2024.01.05.

The ripple my one remark caused in the meeting room was quite significant.

The commander, along with Karl and Elma, all widened their eyes in surprise.

I didn’t miss the opportunity and quickly followed up.

“He will manipulate the minds of the lower-ranked Awakeners.”

A mind-controlling monster meant a monster that could use the ability to manipulate human minds.

This type didn’t attack humans directly.

Instead, it brainwashed and controlled them with its abilities, making them slaughter each other.

I kept my gaze steady and unshaken as I continued to speak to the commander.

“Knights with high Awakener ranks like you and me won’t be affected by mind control, so we’ll be safe. But the other members won’t be. They’ll surely lose their sense of self and end up killing one another.”

“……”

“That’s why only you and I should participate in this mission. As long as we avoid being mind-controlled, taking down that monster is simple. The two of us should be enough.”

The commander slowly nodded at my words.

He seemed somewhat convinced.

As I said, he and I were among the highest-ranked Awakeners—meaning, we were strong.

Because of that, we were usually resistant to psychic or mental-type skills used by monsters.

So I thought he understood, but the commander soon spoke again with a cautious tone.

“I see. If what you say is true, that a mind-controlling monster is coming from Rift #4, then yes, it makes sense for just the two of us to handle it. But what I’m curious about is—how do you know that?”

“……I sensed it when I checked Rift #4 before. I could feel the presence of a mind-controlling monster beyond it.”

“You sensed it? That’s your only evidence for predicting a mind-controlling monster?”

I understood why he was skeptical.

Claiming something so serious just because I felt it—even I found that ridiculous.

But I had no other option.

I couldn’t tell them that I had returned from the future and already knew what kind of monster would appear.

If I said that, I’d likely be labeled insane and locked away somewhere.

So, even with flimsy reasoning, I had to forcefully convince them.

“As you know, I have a particularly sensitive sense for detecting monsters. I wasn’t as sensitive before, but lately, when I look at a rift, I get a rough sense of what kind of monster will appear.”

“……”

“You remember when I sensed a monster hiding nearby and helped eliminate it, right?”

Back in the past, I had once entered a rift and found a monster purely by sensing it.

Awakeners with high magic power, like me, often had excellent sensory abilities and could sometimes detect monsters early.

Of course, even the most powerful Awakeners couldn’t normally sense what was beyond a rift… But luckily, the commander seemed to be slowly buying into my explanation.

“Well, you always did have a sharp sense. So you’re saying that’s how you sensed the monster beyond the rift?”

“Yes. I swear on my honor. A mind-controlling monster will definitely appear from that rift.”

“Hm… But now that I think about it, there’s something odd. If your senses are that good, why didn’t you sense what kind of monster was in Rift #3 the other day? You went in unprepared and got injured.”

“That was simply carelessness. I thought I could handle it alone. It’s different from this case—I didn’t try to sense anything before going in.”

The commander stroked his chin thoughtfully.

It made sense. With the lives of his subordinates on the line, he had no choice but to be cautious.

At that moment, Karl spoke for the first time.

“I want to trust the vice-captain’s intuition.”

He looked at me as he said that.

His gentle green eyes gazed at me for a moment before he turned back to the commander and spoke again.

“If Vice-Captain Yulia is speaking with such confidence, then it must be true. I believe her. Besides, with you accompanying her, I doubt anything dangerous will happen.”

Karl’s voice carried genuine trust.

I nodded to him in gratitude.

He responded with a small smile.

Having heard everything, the commander then turned to Elma.

“Elma, what’s your opinion?”

Elma was the leader of the support squad and, like me, a female knight.

Perhaps because of that, we’d had many personal conversations, and had grown closer than most colleagues.

Elma ran a hand through her short black hair before replying, seemingly deep in thought.

“I think it’s dangerous for just the two of you to enter the rift. If a mind-controlling monster appears, fine. But what if it’s a massive physical-type monster instead? You’d both be in danger. Especially since Vice-Captain was recently injured.”

Elma looked at me with concern and added two more words.

“It’s too dangerous. I think Karl and I should go with you.”

I understood her concern.

Elma was cautious by nature—unlike me.

But I also cherished the lives of my comrades. And that’s why I couldn’t back down this time.

“My opinion remains the same. Only the commander and I should go. Please trust me and make the decision.”

Even after hearing me out, the commander remained silent for a while before asking:

“Can you take responsibility for those words? This is coming from someone who got injured entering a rift alone not long ago.”

“If I’m wrong, I’ll take responsibility in any way you see fit. Besides, I’m not alone this time.”

“……”

“With you and me together, I can confidently say—we’ll close this rift faster and safer than ever before.”

I had never asserted myself so strongly before. The commander and the others all looked surprised.

He stared into my eyes in silence for a long time before finally saying the words I’d been waiting for.

“This time, only the vice-captain and I will enter the rift.”

Permission granted.

* * *

After the meeting, I returned to my quarters and flopped onto the bed.

I felt utterly drained after trying to convince them with such flimsy evidence.

Still, I was relieved. The commander had trusted me.

The man I remembered from this time in my past had been cold and rational.

If someone said anything absurd, he would cut them off immediately—sometimes even mock them on top of it.

Was it because we had a conversation the night before, however short?

At least he didn’t seem to completely dismiss me now.

I hoped he would continue listening to me from now on.

As I closed my eyes, I wished for that deeply.

If the commander just trusted me, then none of our members would have to die.

After all, I knew everything that would happen.

In the past, I had known far too little about the rifts and lost precious comrades because of it—but I wasn’t going to let that happen again.

This time, I would not let a single person die.

And I too… would not die so meaninglessly like I had in my past life.

Once was enough—being betrayed by the man I loved and stupidly drinking poison.

Just as I steeled my resolve—

Vrrr— Vrrr—

A faint vibration buzzed from my desk.

I knew exactly what that sound meant, and immediately felt unpleasant.

I hoped it would stop on its own, but the buzzing continued persistently.

Vrrr— Vrrr—

Unable to take it anymore, I jumped up from bed and walked over to the desk.

Opening the drawer, I pulled out the crystal orb inside.

As I unwrapped the cloth around it, the orb revealed itself—glowing and vibrating.

Vrrr— Vrrr—

This crystal orb was a communication device imbued with a remote telepathy ability. It let one hear the voice of someone far away.

The reason it was glowing and vibrating now was simple.

The Emperor—Elnart—was contacting me.

I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should ignore it.

But I decided not to.

If a knight who had always followed orders suddenly changed her attitude, that sharp man would surely find it suspicious.

Having made up my mind, I tapped the surface of the orb twice with my finger.

Immediately, the orb stopped vibrating and transmitted a familiar voice.

—“Yulia. Why haven’t you been answering?”