Irte regained his composure and asked, “Have you not found any other way?”
“Hm?”
“With so many variables, you must’ve made various discoveries—like finding a way to keep it from awakening…”
Dorosian scoffed.
If such a thod existed, she would have used it long ago.
“If there were sothing like that, do you think I’d still be going through all this trouble?”
“You never know. Eliminating everything related to it might lead to so clues.”
Irte’s gaze was serious.
Dorosian looked at him as if he were so insignificant being. Even though she had already explained everything that would happen in the future when they traveled to the past, Irte remained like this.
‘Has he been asleep so long he forgot everything I told him? No, how could anyone forget sothing like that?’
Dorosian sighed and gave a brief explanation, hoping Irte would figure it out himself.
“When it cos to things related to it, there’s Rimaal, the last remaining Felia, and the Eye of Eternity. As for the Eye of Eternity, you can disregard it.”
The reincarnators only knew that it would awaken—they had no idea where it would begin or the circumstances of its awakening. Thus, they refrained from intervening directly, leaving it to the key players of the future to handle.
Still, the two individuals didn’t perceive this situation with much difference.
“In my tiline, Rimaal is dead, and Felia vanished without a trace.”
Even with their absence, the outco remained the sa.
“Their actions are not like the pollination of bees. It’s like watching sothing inevitable unfold at a leisurely pace—witnessing a world on the brink of destruction.”
In the end, what’s ant to happen will happen.
It was as if this was a preordained certainty that no intervention could prevent.
Nevertheless, Dorosian took out a crystal orb.
“But I’m still curious. What might that creature be up to?”
She gazed at the necklace floating mid-air through telekinesis. She hesitated when she tried to grab it with her right hand.
She had discarded the gloves she used to wear, leaving her bare-handed.
She almost touched an artifact that had been inside a monkey’s stomach for thousands of years with her bare skin.
“Should’ve used it one more ti before throwing it away.”
Reluctantly, Dorosian grabbed the necklace with her bare hands.
The diamond-shaped pendant pointed downward. As she channeled mana toward it, the crystal orb displayed the image of a man holding a stone tablet.
Blue flas illuminated the man’s surroundings.
The area was enclosed by stone walls, with an altar positioned squarely in front of Rimaal.
“A dungeon? Well, it’s his ho, so it’s not surprising.”
As she put the orb away, Irte spoke in a serious tone.
“I know I have no right to say this, but I still don’t like your thods, Dorosian.”
Irte’s gaze turned icy.
“Even though you’ve been reborn, we still rember him, yet he rembers nothing of us.”
At Irte’s words, Dorosian’s expression darkened.
“To be honest, I don’t think our emotions matter. I’m satisfied that I can still serve him as my king and remain loyal. However…”
Irte’s voice grew somber.
“Does the king himself consider himself a king?”
mory is one of the most significant factors that define a person.
Without it, one is no different from a newborn.
The current him had no mories of the past.
No matter what kind of life he had lived, the present version of him could be regarded as a separate being nad Hersel.
“Even if there were a way to restore his mory and he regains it, can you predict what he would call himself then?”
Dorosian remained silent.
Seeing this, Irte’s expression grew irritated.
“You of all people should understand the aning of mory. When mories of different selves mix, it results in sothing that is neither. That’s why you erased them, didn’t you? Even the mories of the vessel currently holding the king.”
Dorosian nodded calmly.
She had long since prepared herself for this eventuality.
This was a side effect foreseen from the very beginning.
“It’s the sa as the previous selves dying. It’s akin to being born anew. Of course, that’s only a story that applies to you humans. For , whether or not the king retains his mories, or even if his appearance has changed, the king is still the king.”
Irte smirked.
It was one of those rare monts when she envied demons.
With their belief that only the soul defines a being, they could completely recognize him as himself. Humans, however, were different.
eting soone who shared no mories with you was no different from eting a stranger.
“Still, there’s one thing I absolutely cannot forgive!”
Startled by Irte’s sudden outburst, Dorosian furrowed her brow.
“Why are you yelling so loudly?”
“Think about it, Dorosian. Everything happening now was permitted by the king of the past, but the current king would never have approved of this. He was living peacefully in a stable dinsion until he was forcibly dragged here! This is both what the king wished for and what he didn’t wish for. Causing him such confusion feels like a betrayal of loyalty.”
Dorosian listened to Irte’s peculiar perspective with one ear and let it out the other.
“After all, I should have done whatever it took to stop you—urk!”
Inevitably, Irte ended up getting hit.
Dorosian thoroughly beat him before taking out the crystal orb again.
As usual, she gazed at the desolate land with a somber expression.
‘The procedure to awaken his sixth sense was successful. All that’s left is for Rockefeller to teach him magic…’
Next to her, Irte wailed.
“You… you’ve done an unspeakable act! You dared to proceed without consulting the current king!”
Dorosian hit Irte again and turned her focus back to the crystal orb.
Inside, Hersel let out a long sigh and shook his head.
Feeling slightly guilty, the corners of Dorosian’s eyebrows lowered a bit.
‘…He’s not wrong.’
From Hersel’s perspective, it was true—he had been kidnapped.
***
Dorosian had brought a large sum of platinum coins, yet it was only about a third of the required amount.
It was far from sufficient to restore the fortress.
Still, there was no need to worry.
“The rest of the funds should co together sohow.”
If we could impress Lord Arental, who would be visiting soon, a significant budget might be secured.
Of course, asking for several decades’ worth of paynts upfront was out of the question. The remainder would have to be patched up with help from my family.
If they were to provide full support, there would be no need for the council’s funds. But the more family money was spent, the less I could pocket for myself. It was better to save wherever possible.
“Brother, are you certain about this?”
At Erucel’s question, I turned to Mircel with a lively gaze.
“With our proud younger sibling here, how could they refuse?”
“…Wait, that shift in your tone and expression feels a bit extre.”
Erucel’s sharp glare soured my mood.
Not because of Erucel specifically—it wasn’t sothing that had cropped up overnight.
It was the realization that my family’s view of wasn’t much different from their view of Erucel.
“Don’t complain. Like it or not, the family treats both you and the sa.”
If not for Mircel, the family likely wouldn’t have given us a single coin, telling us to fend for ourselves.
Ah, Erucel might get a little support, being the legitimate child of the mistress of the house. But only because he seed like soone who needed help due to his naivety.
“Wh-what? That look on your face—it’s unsettling…”
Without a word, I patted Erucel’s shoulder. After a long mont of silence, I abruptly stood up.
“Erucel, gather everyone in the training grounds.”
“Gather everyone? So suddenly?”
“There’s sothing we need to get done before Lord Arental arrives.”
“…Understood. I’ll summon them right away.”
Erucel hurried out of the tent.
A few minutes later, Dorosian stepped into the barren land that served as the training grounds.
Not only the students but even the professors had gathered.
Headmaster Arkandric, despite his poor health, had also made an appearance.
‘Hmm, this looks good.’
‘What looks good?’
‘You’ll see.’
After responding vaguely to Donatan, I raised my voice.
“As you all know, Lord Arental will arrive in five days. This is a critical mont that will determine our future convenience.”
The students swallowed nervously.
Among the professors, whispers began to circulate.
“Yes, we need an office as soon as possible.”
“I need a bed… My back is killing from sleeping on the ground every day.”
Bellen, her face flushed, whined with a hiccup.
“Liquor! I need liquor!”
Arkandric asked curiously, “…And what’s that in your hand if not liquor?”
“I distilled it with a fla blade over two days, so it doesn’t taste good. Anyway, don’t you need anything?”
“Hmm, protein. I haven’t had much at lately, and my muscles are dwindling.”
As the professors began voicing their needs, the mood spread to the students.
“The dormitories should be the top priority.”
“I just want to take a hot shower.”
“I’d love a proper al. They say a large sum of money just ca in—can’t we use it to fix things imdiately?”
Everyone was longing for a bit of indulgence.
I decided it was ti to scold their weakened spirits.
“Your priorities are all wrong.”
My sharp remark made the students murmur among themselves.
“What does he an? Of course, dormitories co first.”
“Yeah, what could possibly be more important than that?”
Bellen chid in as well.
“Obviously, liquor is the priority. Tsk.”
Seeing their rotten sense of discipline, I furrowed my brow deeply.
“This is an academy, a place of learning! What could possibly be more important than normalizing academics?”
Everyone averted their gaze and shut their mouths tightly.
If they prioritized their selfish desires now with the elder coming soon, it would only an more losses for their future.
At that mont, Rockefeller, wearing a satisfied smile, raised his voice.
“Much as I hate to admit it, this lad is right. First, we must bring in the necessary textbooks and desks.”
“But, Professor, if we order now, will they even arrive within five days?”
A student’s question made Rockefeller squint.
“If we et the wagons sent by the rchant guild halfway, we can make it in ti.”
“Wait, does that an…?”
“It ans you’ll have to go get them yourselves.”
The students’ faces turned pale.
Already poorly fed, they were now expected to carry desks, chairs, and school supplies up to this highland themselves.
But I had no intention of letting that happen.
“Don’t listen to this old man.”
Rockefeller’s eyes widened at the word “old man.”
“Wait a mont… You ant , didn’t you? Hersel ben Tenest.”
Ignoring his growling displeasure, I picked up a twig lying on the ground.
“Watch closely. This will be our pen.”
I scribbled on the ground with it.
“The ground is our paper.”
The students stared at , bewildered.
“And that rock over there? That’s a dumbbell. The knights can use it for training.”
Protests imdiately erupted—not from everyone, just Limberton, Erucel, and Bellen.
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“Brother, rocks as dumbbells? Are we beggars?”
“At least set up a distiller first! Don’t we need one for, what’s it called, alchemy? You brat!”
Though it was just an excuse to make liquor.
“Quiet.”
I silenced them and instructed everyone to close their eyes.
“Imagine this: the magic departnt, with no pens or paper, drawing formulas on the ground with twigs. The knights, without equipnt, training with their bare bodies or lifting rocks for strength. Isn’t it a dire situation?”
I had decided on a the.
It was perfect for appealing to Arental’s sensibilities.
That the was…
“In the midst of these worst conditions, everyone burns with the desire to learn. Professors teach with all their might, even without textbooks, relying solely on their knowledge. The lack of resources only highlights their sincerity. It shows that everyone is wholeheartedly dedicated to learning and teaching.”
It was the embodint of a “hungry spirit.”
“So make sure not to overeat and let your faces look greasy. Sar so dirt on your faces before the Lord arrives.”
The goal was to appear pitiable enough to stir compassion.
To evoke the thought, “Ah, how fervently they must be burning with passion!” by looking as pitiful yet earnest as possible.
“And as for the headmaster…”
“How about doing your best to act like you’re struggling to teach while unwell?”
“That’s a great idea.”
And so, we prepared to appeal to Arental’s emotions.
***
Arental peered out the carriage window repeatedly, and Noras, seated opposite him, did the sa.
“Sumr’s long gone, yet there’s no sign of snow…”
“This is surprising. Could it be so kind of weather anomaly?”
The trees were lush and green, showing off their natural colors.
But as the carriage climbed higher, the trees began to disappear.
When the carriage started to slow down, Noras sharply turned her head.
The coachman’s strange behavior, stopping the carriage suddenly, caught his attention.
“What’s the matter?”
“Well, it’s just… I’m not sure if this is the right path.”
Noras leaned out of the window and was shocked.
The trails that had been well-trodden were now completely gone.
What was most unsettling was the summit of the snowy mountain, once a reliable landmark, now appearing strangely diminished.
“What? That’s definitely the third peak, but… it looks almost as small as the nearby mountains.”
“Try heading to the right,” Noras instructed.
The coachman flicked the reins.
“Sir Arental, I beg your pardon. The path seems uncertain; we might have to turn back.”
“Haha, it’s fine. Even I’m a bit confused by how unfamiliar this feels.”
Arental laughed amiably, but only briefly.
When they reached the snowy mountain summit, the passengers’ eyes widened in disbelief.
“My God, is this really…?”
At the coachman’s remark, Noras shook her head in denial.
“We must’ve taken a wrong turn. Let’s head back.”
“Noras, I think we’re in the right place.”
“Oh, surely not.”
Noras waved her hand dismissively, chuckling, but Arental pointed in a direction.
Small figures were visible in the distance. Noras cleaned her glasses.
“Goodness, there must be dust on my lenses.”
“…They’re students, Noras. Just accept it.”
“This is impossible, Sir Arental. This fortress… there’s no way! Those must be monkeys or sothing similar.”
But after putting on her now-clean glasses, Noras’ mouth tightened as she took a closer look.
Approaching them were professors dressed in black robes.
“The fu*k…”
Overwheld, Noras couldn’t help but curse in front of Arental.
But it was understandable.
What in the world did they do to the fortress?!
Though it had once fallen into enemy hands, the fortress, with its thousands of years of history, was now utterly unrecognizable, leaving behind nothing but a vast, barren expanse.
To read Chapters ahead 👇
CH 196-200 (The King) $3
CH 201-205 (Field Trip) $3
CH 206-210 (Troublemaker Vs Troublemaker) $3
CH 211-215 (Graduation) $3
CH 216-220 (Integrated Academy Tournant) $3
CH 221-225 (The Underdog) $3
CH 226-230 (Who am I?) $3
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