Chapter 85

The One Billion Year Button -- it is a cursed button.

The moment you press it, you are confined to a "prison of time" for one billion years.

Once, I pressed it and swung my sword with all my might in that place.

And after repeating "one billion years" countless times -- I escaped the hellish loop by "slashing the world."

(I have never told anyone about the One Billion Year Button before.)

I thought no one would believe such a fairy tale-like story.

And yet --.

"H-How did you know about the One Billion Year Button!?"

When I asked her,

"Of course I know. I'm also an 'experienced person,' you see."

She said something unbelievable.

"An experienced person... You mean...!?"

"Yeah, that's right. I also spent an eternity in the 'prison of time' in the past..."

The teacher said this with a distant look in her eyes.

"Does that mean you know about the Time Sage...?"

"Of course. The old man with the white beard, right?"

"..."

This was no mistake.

The teacher had also received the One Billion Year Button from the Time Sage and pressed it.

"So -- what's the story about the One Billion Year Button!?"

When I leaned forward and asked,

"Hmm, let me see... To put it simply -- I want you to never tell anyone about the One Billion Year Button from now on."

The teacher looked straight into my eyes and said this.

"Y-Yes, I understand, but... Why?"

I had never intended to tell anyone about the One Billion Year Button in the first place.

However, when she explicitly said not to, I became curious about the reason.

"Well, where should I start..."

The teacher folded her arms thoughtfully and began to speak slowly.

"Let's start by sharing the information we have. -- The One Billion Year Button is a cursed button carried by the Time Sage. Its origin is ancient, and the existence of the Time Sage and the One Billion Year Button has been confirmed for hundreds of years."

"F-For hundreds of years...!?"

"Yes, far beyond human lifespans. ...Given that he calls himself the 'Time Sage,' he probably doesn't have a lifespan. He's more like a 'monster' than a human."

A monster, huh...

Indeed, the Time Sage did give off an inhuman aura.

"I don't know what his purpose is... But he travels through this world, distributing the One Billion Year Button to swordsmen with exceptional natural talent."

From the fact that the Time Sage appeared before me... I think that's probably not the case.

"However, this rarely comes to light -- or rather, it's extremely rare. Because most swordsmen can't endure the hell of one billion years and end up taking their own lives."

"..."

I was reminded of something unpleasant.

"A swordsman who breaks the curse of the One Billion Year Button and escapes the prison of time is called a 'Transcender.'"

"Transcender..."

"Yes, that's right. And the problem is what comes next... Recently, a major organization has been gathering these Transcenders and operating in the shadows of this world."

"Could it be the Black Organization...?"

"You're sharp, that's right."

The teacher nodded and took a sip from the glass on the desk.

"You achieved a significant result at this year's Sword King Festival. An 'unknown swordsman' defeating the 'prodigy' Idra Luxmaria... The Sword King Festival is highly publicized. This information has certainly reached their ears."

She continued.

"Furthermore, although it hasn't been made public, you defeated the famous 'Zak Bonbar' alone. Zak is a member of the Black Organization. This information is certainly known within the organization. In other words, the Black Organization is likely to contact you in the future. Of course, to recruit you."

"Recruit me...!?"

"Yes, it's a very plausible scenario. Be on your guard, okay? -- They are incredibly persistent. They won't hesitate to use any dirty tricks to achieve their goals."

"I understand... I'll be careful."

"Good, do that."

There's no way I would join the organization that kidnapped Reia.

However, it's better to be cautious.

"--- To summarize, the Black Organization is gathering Transcenders. Given your recent achievements, they are likely to come to recruit you. So, if anyone asks you about the One Billion Year Button in the future, don't answer them seriously and pretend you don't know. They are almost certainly a member of the Black Organization."

"Understood..."

When I nodded,

"Well, that's all. I apologize for the long talk."

The teacher said this and finished the water in her glass.

"No, thank you for your concern."

"It's nothing. I'm the principal and your teacher here."

She smiled gently and then asked a question out of pure curiosity.

"From here on, it's just a curious question... Allen, how many years were you imprisoned in that 'prison of time'?"

"Um, sorry... I don't remember the exact number of years..."

"Oh, an estimate is fine."

"--- Well, about a few billion years, I guess..."

After looping one billion years countless times, I stopped counting after the tenth loop.

At that time, I wasn't in a state of mind to keep track.

"--- Huh?"

When she heard my answer, the teacher froze like a statue.

"--- S-Sorry, but did I just hear 'a few billion years'...?"

"Yes, at least that long in that world..."

I'm pretty sure I didn't exceed twenty loops.

"--- I-Impossible...!?"

She opened her mouth in shock and muttered in a hoarse voice.

"--- What did you do in that vast amount of time...?"

"Well... Mainly, I practiced sword swings."

I developed various techniques like Hien, Rōgetsu, Meikō, and Yatagarasu, but mostly, I just practiced sword swings.

"--- You practiced sword swings for a few billion years!?"

"Y-Yeah, pretty much..."

"--- I see... You are truly an extraordinary person..."

The teacher sighed deeply, looking somewhat exasperated.

"--- Phew... No, never mind... Forget what I just said."

"--- Yes..."

When I gave a half-hearted response,

"Let me make it clear -- what I told you today is a highly confidential matter known only to a select few. Please keep it to yourself."

"Understood."

"Good, that's all. I apologize for taking so much of your time."

"No, thank you for your time."

With that, I said, "Excuse me," and left the principal's office.

(Phew... I never thought Ms. Reia would have pressed the One Billion Year Button...)

The world is small.

I never imagined someone who experienced that hell would be so close.

(But, the Black Organization might come to recruit me...)

There's no way I would join an organization that kidnaps people like Reia.

(However, they are a large criminal organization.)

If I reject their offer, they might get angry and attack me.

In that sense, I need to be cautious.

"Well, I should go see Reia and Rose now..."

With that, I headed to the schoolyard, where the sword practice club was active.

■

Right after Allen left the principal's office,

"--- Impossible...!"

Reia's face turned pale, and she clutched her head.

"--- To spend a few billion years in a world where no one exists...! Even I reached my limit after five hundred years! What kind of mental structure does he have!?"

Her voice echoed loudly in the spacious principal's office.

The name "One Billion Year Button" is just what the Time Sage calls it.

No one, except Allen, has ever spent a billion years in the real world and returned.

If you can't break out of that world -- the prison of time -- before then, you end up becoming a vegetable and taking your own life.

Even Reia, at the five-hundred-year mark -- if she hadn't shattered the world with her fists, she would have certainly become a vegetable and met a tragic end.

According to records, the longest anyone has been imprisoned in the prison of time is a thousand years.

The fact that the number exceeded 'ten thousand,' let alone 'a few billion,' had never happened before.

That's why she was terrified.

What terrified her the most was that Allen could remain so normal after spending a few billion years in that hell.

"Allen Roadel... Even without considering the ultra-high-level spirit core in his soul -- as an individual, there's something wrong with him..."

Only now did she begin to recognize Allen Roadel as an 'abnormality.'

"Anyway, this is completely beyond my expectations... I need to report to Daria immediately..."

With that, Reia began to contact Allen's mother, Daria Roadel.