Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint - Chapter 550



The Hardest Place to Escape Is the Sleeping Place

The returner lay above me as if they wouldn’t notice even if the ground collapsed. In fact, the returner’s hammock had sagged, so it wasn’t an exaggerated expression at all. As I reflexively flinched at being suddenly turned into a bed, the returner furrowed their brow and let out a groan.

“Ugh….”

The first thought that crossed my mind was that I was screwed. This emotional and unreasonable returner, having crawled in, would have no hesitation in killing me.

What should come at night is a fairy, not a murderer who indiscriminately cuts off a person’s right arm. What on earth is happening? Why is there a bomb in my arms!

When I glanced up, I saw that the rope tying the hammock had loosened and sagged. In a camp that had been left unattended for a long time, the hammock had been pulled taut, and just as the returner climbed on, the tension had given way. Miraculously, it hadn’t snapped, allowing the returner to settle down while still asleep.

Damn, what a coincidence.

Right now, the returner is like a bomb. If I wake them? It explodes. If I don’t wake them? They’ll wake up eventually. And then it explodes again. The conclusion of this situation ends with my own demise. Even if it’s not my fault!

But I am a magician. No matter how difficult the situation, I must escape with composure. I immediately assessed the cards I could play. A few demons, my own body, and the hammock supporting the returner.

Alright. That’s it. Levitation magic.

Levitation magic is mostly made up of thin threads. The success of the magic depends on how smoothly and naturally the object suspended by the thread moves.

I’ve never lifted someone over 50 kg, but now that I’ve grown stronger, it might be possible.

Let’s feel the center of gravity. The face is on my chest, and the body is curled up like a shrimp. I fixed one rope with my left foot against the wall. I wrapped the other rope with my right foot and pulled. The hammock tightened slightly.

Taking a slight breath, I adjusted my center of gravity and lifted the hammock’s rope.

“…!”

No matter how strong I’ve become, pulling up a human from a hammock is a difficult task. Even pulling with my limbs from above and below the hammock sent waves of pain through my entire body.

Still, the fear of death compelled me to exert extraordinary strength. The returner’s hammock slowly rose upward.

—

Alright. Just lift it like this. I secured the rope against the wall with alchemy and, with a quick slip, I managed to get underneath.

Still, the life of a magician hasn’t been entirely fruitless. I’m performing these tricks while precariously keeping the regressor from falling.

The regressor floated about 10 cm above my body. This gap was enough. After merging the wall and the rope with alchemy, I tried to slip out while supporting the opposite rope. If I could just flow out and tie the rope again, it would be over.

I was alive. Just as I felt a sense of relief, my eyes met Aji’s.

“Woof?”

Why are you watching me from there?

Frozen like a sinner, Aji opened his mouth but then innocently asked.

“Are you awake? You’re awake?”

“Shh. Can’t you see? I’m awake, so don’t bark.”

“Woof? He’s still sleeping! I’ll wake him up!”

“Shut up! Don’t light the fuse! Let him sleep!”

Of all times…! Move aside! I need to get out!

“Hmm….”

But I overlooked one fact.

Humans move. When they move, their center of gravity shifts. If the center of gravity is off on a precariously balanced thread, it will flip over.

In an instant, the hammock turned upside down. The regressor, who had been floating, experienced a sudden fall.

In that split second, the regressor’s eyes flew open, and he swung the celestial staff.

The celestial staff is always prepared for appropriate defense and counterattack at any moment. Even if it’s in the midst of losing consciousness, the celestial staff swiftly and accurately targets the approaching enemy.

Without considering the fact that the regressor was coming!

The celestial staff aimed for my neck. If the regressor had consciously swung it, I would have countered with mind-reading, but this was an ingrained attack.

It couldn’t be read by mind-reading. It was difficult to deflect or respond. I could only pray for regeneration.

“Uh? Hughes?”

At that moment, the regressor, just waking up, abruptly halted just before swinging the celestial staff. And in that instant, balance was lost, causing the hammock to sway and flip. The world spun around two or three times.

“Ah!”

As a result, the regressor and I ended up tangled in the hammock like cocoons.

Having observed this process clearly, I knew how tangled things could get, but the regressor, just waking up, shouted without a clue.

“What, what’s going on! Why are you in my bed?!”

“My bed? That’s what I should be saying! You’re the one who fell into my bed!”

“What are you talking about! There’s no way I wouldn’t notice falling!”

“Well said! Likewise, if I had crawled into your bed, there’s no way I wouldn’t have noticed! Besides, I had no reason to crawl into your bed in the first place!”

—

“Then why are you with me?!”

“That’s what I want to ask! Why didn’t you wake up while crawling all the way here? If you had gotten up earlier, we wouldn’t have to be blushing at each other!”

Fortunately, I wasn’t beheaded. Still, I’ve gained enough patience to ask about the situation before my neck gets cut. Really, thank you. I’m the one who’s suffering here.

“First, get away!”

The time traveler reached out and swung the blanket aside. With a rustle, the rope snapped, and both the time traveler and I fell to the ground with a thud. The time traveler was startled to see the floor come up much faster than expected.

‘Is it really down there? The place I was sleeping was up above. What? Does that mean I actually crawled into Hughes’s bed? Why? How come?’

Don’t ask why and just get out quickly! At this rate!

“It’s noisy in here. Are you awake?”

It was then. Rash burst through the door and froze in place. What he saw was me and the time traveler, tangled together in the blanket. The time traveler was struggling to pull himself out, nearly pressed against me.

Wow. From a third-person perspective, this is what it looks like. It’s almost like we got caught cheating.

Both the time traveler and I were frozen, unsure of what to say, while Rash scratched his chin and awkwardly looked outside, mumbling.

“Oh dear. It must have been cold last night.”

Rash pretended not to see and muttered to himself. Then, the dog, Aji, barked in a daze, responding.

“Woof? It wasn’t cold! It was pretty warm!”

Contrary to what I expected would be a commotion, the time traveler remained quiet. With a sulky expression, he finished his meal and urged us to continue our journey without saying much.

I explained the situation with a few clues and circumstantial evidence, and the time traveler couldn’t find any flaws in my words. He reluctantly admitted that this was an accident.

It wasn’t a big deal to begin with. It was just a matter of the blanket I had set up breaking and falling. It could be unpleasant, but that’s all, and if we move on, it wouldn’t be a problem.

‘No, it doesn’t make sense! I’ve mastered the Celestial Sphere. Even if I was asleep, how could I not know there was someone nearby?’

However, the time traveler was filled with confusion and anger. It was the calm before the storm. I read his thoughts while keeping an eye on him.

‘Have we gotten too close? But none of my companions have ever approached within the range of the Celestial Sphere… Was it because I moved? Or is Hughes just too weak?’

I’m the one who’s been wronged, yet it’s funny that I have to explain myself. The sorrows of the weak.

‘It doesn’t make sense. It must be because of the blessing. I must have relaxed too much, thinking I received the saint’s blessing. Everything has been going smoothly, so I let my guard down…’

In the midst of this, the time traveler suddenly realized something and tilted his head.

‘…Everything should be going smoothly, so why did the blanket slip while I was asleep? That’s not a good thing, is it?’

“Teacher.”

“Yes, Rash.”

As we walked, exhausted, Rash approached me, who had been eavesdropping on the time traveler’s thoughts, and whispered quietly.

“I too have overcome many obstacles to achieve love. Culture, etiquette, territorial disputes, even physical conditions. We faced countless hardships and overcame them by adjusting to each other. Both of us had our own abilities and determination, which made it possible.”

“Why are you suddenly saying something so random? It’s scary.”

Rash, clearly misunderstanding something, spoke in a worried tone.

“However, the boy is still young. He likely doesn’t know how high and treacherous that hurdle is. If you are a teacher, I believe it is your duty to first inform him of that difficulty. Especially if my identity, my gender, and everything else are barriers.”

In the time we had been apart, something had changed, and Rash offered me advice with an adult demeanor. It was as if he had distilled the essence of his life into profound counsel… which was nonsense.

“What are you talking about? Didn’t you hear me earlier? It was Shea who came into my bed, and I didn’t do anything! I was pinned down by sleep paralysis, groaning until I woke up in the morning!”

If he had come in saying it was a thought, that would be one thing. This is an incident for me too! The time traveler doesn’t guard against me, but they don’t allow themselves to get attached in this cycle, which I must eventually abandon. If I approach carelessly, I might get stabbed before I can even read their thoughts, just like now.

“Was it the boy’s one-sided feelings?”

“No, not at all….”

The time traveler is a woman and has no feelings for me. But because the time traveler keeps causing misunderstandings, it has become difficult to even mention this fact.

But why should I care? If they want to clear up the misunderstanding, they should do it themselves. It doesn’t really concern me.

“Isn’t that inevitable? I’m just an ordinary person who likes women. I don’t know what they were thinking when they came in, but it just makes me uncomfortable!”

“Ah. I see. The boy has his struggles too.”

“No, that’s not it!”

Unable to listen any longer, the time traveler shouted and approached me.

“It was an accident! The line just got tangled! It’s nothing….”

Yet, the question piercing through the time traveler still lingered, tormenting her. The time traveler, who had been shouting in excitement, suddenly fell silent, lost in thought.

“Why did something so trivial happen right now…? What is this? What does it mean? How does this help?”

Deep in thought, the time traveler stopped speaking and began walking again, as if walking itself had become the purpose.

What’s going on? Can’t you at least react a little? If you act so strangely…

“Hmm. I apologize, teacher. I didn’t realize it would hurt so seriously. Since you are an adult, please try to understand the boy’s feelings.”

I’m the one who’s becoming strange!