Reincarnation into the Barrier Master

It was as if time had stopped.

Beautiful golden hair, fair skin, and a well-defined face. Her eyes showed deep intelligence. At first glance, you could tell that she was a noblewoman. Albe recognized this woman's face.

The woman in the ...... picture.

She looked exactly like the woman in the portrait that he had seen in Hotel Krumphal. This woman was Ricolette, the Empress of Agartha. Albe muttered in his mind.

Licolette bent down a little and brought her beautiful face close to Albe's and murmured in a small voice

How are you feeling?　My name is Licorette."

......After all, this is the man. Albe stares at her with this thought.

Albe stares at her with this thought in his mind.

Rico, on the other hand, was battling trauma.

A huge hunk of meat lying in front of him....... Its hideous face was very similar to that of the shooter. The memory of the attack comes back to him. With it, she remembered the days when she had been betrayed by him.

Exhaling slowly, he tries to get his mind off of it. Sure, I was shocked and my life was in danger at that time, but since then, I have been blessed with unexpected happiness. With these thoughts in mind, she turns to the man in front of her.

"I have a question for you. May I?"

The man's eyes moved slightly at Rico's words. This was taken to mean that he agreed with Liko's proposal.

"Let me ask you a straightforward question. That poison you created, I want you to tell me how to make it and how to prepare the antidote.

There was silence for a while. The man remained motionless, staring at Rico. Only the sound of his breathing echoed through the room. But all the while, Rico kept his eyes fixed on the man and did not move, and the man also remained frozen, staring into Rico's eyes. After a few moments, Rico opens his mouth in a quiet voice.

"...... You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. But you have killed many people as a result. I think you should atone for that.

At these words, Albe slowly looked away. Rico continued to speak.

"I don't know the details myself, but the poison you created is considered a masterpiece. Completely tasteless and odorless....... I've heard that it's something that was unthinkable by conventional wisdom. I am only guessing, but your parents must have raised you very strictly from an early age, didn't they?"

Albe reacted to these words. Slowly he turned his gaze again to Rico. She stared into his eyes. Then she slowly nodded and opened her mouth.

"I'm sorry for your pain.

Tears welled up in Albe's eyes. He took his eyes off Rico and began to cry quietly, keeping his eyes closed and facing the ceiling.

"I know exactly how you feel. ....... But you have developed enough knowledge and skill to still be able to make that much poison. I can easily imagine that it was no ordinary effort.

Albe nodded slowly at Rico's words.

"To my father, ......."

"What?"

"My father tried to kill me many times."

"Well, was that so? ......"

Albe began to talk about his past in a halting manner while crying.

His father, Loos Kuenz, had tried to deepen his knowledge of poisons not only through classroom learning, but also by exposing him to them. Albe sometimes fainted in agony, fizzing and even passing out when he was given a poison that was close to a lethal dose.

Deep in his heart, Albe thought. He thought that his father was actually conducting experiments on human bodies under the guise of teaching toxicology. He always watched him suffering with a blank expression on his face and never gave him an antidote or a word of sympathy.

Albe made it his goal in life to kill his father. He volunteered to create the poison.

But his father's knowledge of poisons was far beyond his imagination. No matter how many times he made poisons, he could always tell what they were made of and what effect they had. And sometimes they cursed him in a harsh tone of voice, sometimes with a fiery fist.

Liko listened attentively to Albe's story. He listened to him seriously, nodding his head from time to time.

"Haa, haa, haa......"

Albe, who had already lost a lot of energy, was unable to speak after a certain point because he was too out of breath. The sound of labored breathing reverberated through the room. His shoulders were shifting up and down violently, but he was still trying to speak, his mouth agitatedly moving. Rico opened his mouth as he watched him.

"It must have been very painful for you. I have been through a lot too, but not as much as you.

Albe's words brought tears to his eyes again.

"It's just that ...... I don't mean to say this, but maybe your father had high hopes for you."

Albe looked at me with a surprised expression on his face. He looked as if to say that such a thing would never happen.

"I too ...... thought that my parents did not love me. In fact, I thought they thought I was a nuisance. I didn't understand it at the time, but now, when I look at it from their point of view, I understand how much they loved and cared for me. Certainly, the situation is different from your father's. ....... But I have a hunch that your father had high expectations for you.　I think the reason he was so strict with you was because he saw potential in you.　Otherwise, people would give up."

Albe's breathing was becoming more intense again. ...... he remembered. It was true that he had been able to learn the knowledge of poisons relatively quickly. Using the knowledge he had learned, he had been trying desperately to prepare a poison to kill his father. Perhaps my father was watching my growth?　No, it is not. If he had, he would have said something to me. I have never heard anything but harsh words from my father. Albe moves his head from side to side in small movements, desperately denying his own thoughts.

"But you have surpassed your father, have you not? Perhaps he did not think you could produce such poison.

Indeed it is. The poison I created surpassed my father's nose and tongue. He did not notice my poison. I won. Albe shouted in his heart. At that moment Rico opened his mouth as if he was disappointed.

"That's too bad. If you had used your ability in a different direction, you would have been respected by people all over the world. ......"

Albe stops moving. Rico continues to speak.

"If you had been able to turn that much knowledge toward saving lives, you would have saved many more lives. ....... Instead of taking people's lives, we could have taken them in a different direction: ......"

I looked over and saw Riccolette with a sad expression on her face. She spoke to him in an admonishing tone.

As you are probably aware, your life is not long now. Why don't you try to help others before then?

Silence falls between them. Albe remained staring at Rico. Her reddish-black eyes were shining.

"It's Muri ......."

Suddenly, Albe opened his mouth. It sounds as if he is squeezing his voice from the bottom of his stomach. Albe moved his shoulders widely and slowly opened his mouth.

"That drug is ...... no antidote ......."

Silence once again fell between them.