Maierin and Kanon's first stop was Italy, across the sea from Greece. Initially, Maierin had planned to send Kanon directly to the southern forests of Spain, where the twin artifacts—the Mask of Light and the Mask of Darkness—were sealed, belonging to the Gemini Saint and the Dark Gemini Saint.
But now that Kanon was his bodyguard, there was no need to rush. He could take Kanon along for a journey, experiencing the world as they traveled. Though Maierin didn't know much about this era, he still understood it better than Kanon.
Given Kanon's personality, if he were sent on a mission alone right now, who knows how much trouble he would cause? That much was evident from the mont they left the Sanctuary.
After crossing the sea by ferry, they arrived in Italy, where everything was in a state of decay.
It was the later stage of World War II, a turning point in the war. The Axis Powers, with the Third Reich as their core, were already in decline. It wouldn't be long before Italy announced its surrender. As a result, the country was filled with an atmosphere of depression and despair.
"My Lord, what happened here?" Kanon asked in confusion.
"War."
"War?"
"Yes, war—a conflict that has engulfed the entire world."
"Is it the beginning of the Holy War?" Realizing the severity of the situation, Kanon imdiately associated it with the Holy War.
"No, this is a war between humans."
Kanon was taken aback and looked around. "A war between humans…"
"Yes, a brutal war, causing imnse destruction and a death toll of nearly seventy million."
"My Lord, shouldn't humans live in harmony? Why do they wage war, and on such a massive scale?" Kanon asked.
"Because… they are human." Maierin sighed.
Humans were a paradoxical species—kind, gentle, proud, and benevolent, yet also cold, cunning, domineering, cruel, and indifferent.
To Maierin, among all the races of the mythological era, humans had always been the most unique. Unlike other races, humans were born as blank slates, capable of absorbing any color. They could embrace all the beauty in the world—or all the darkness.
Kanon, along with his brother Saga in the distant Sanctuary, understood this sentint better than anyone else. As the Gemini Saints, they embodied both light and darkness—the very essence of humanity.
Human history was, in essence, a chronicle of warfare. Peace was always fleeting, and wars were endless, waged for countless reasons—power, land, wealth, even the re hope of a better life for one's people. Desire, religion, economics—so many factors played a role. So wars, in fact, had begun over nothing more than a few heated words.
"If you ruled, my Lord, perhaps—"
"Kanon."
"Yes, my Lord?"
"The duty of the Sanctuary is to protect the love and hope of the earth, not to control it. Every person has their own will. We can guide them, but we cannot manipulate them. First, because it is impossible to control every human; second, because doing so would stifle humanity's potential."
"Humanity's… potential?"
"That's right. Humans are a fascinating race. They lack the strength of dragons, the magical affinity of elves and fairies, and the divine power of gods. In terms of natural gifts, they are the weakest beings in the universe. But Kanon, precisely because they are weak, precisely because they are born with nothing… they possess infinite potential."
"Thank you for your guidance, my Lord."
Kanon was deeply moved by Maierin's words. After all, he himself was human. And as Maierin had said, despite their lack of inherent gifts, humanity had survived since the mythological era.
Where were the mighty dragons now? The savage orcs? The noble elves? Even the gods, once high above in the heavens—where were they?
Only humans had continuously adapted, endlessly developing their potential to survive.
But then Kanon thought of his two deities. They, too, were gods… Could they—?
"My Lord…"
"Your worries are unnecessary, little Kanon." Maierin winked at him.
"Ah… Forgive , my Lord."
"It's fine."
Watching Maierin's back, Kanon felt a sense of resolve welling within him. He believed that Maierin and Athena would never fall to the sa fate as the other gods. As long as he stood by their side, if the ti ever ca… he vowed to bear that burden himself.
—
Maierin didn't imdiately seek out the sealed artifacts. Instead, he found a quality hotel and decided to stay in the country for a while. He wanted to experience this era firsthand and also give Kanon ti to adapt to life beyond the Sanctuary.
Kanon seed fine for now, but that was only because Maierin was keeping him in check.
In Kanon's mind, Maierin's status was absolute. Everyone should obey his will.
But this was no longer the mythological age, nor the era of feudalism.
People no longer believed in gods. Except for a few religious devotees, who turned to faith in desperation, even the clergy often pursued their roles for status and material gain rather than true devotion.
If Maierin declared his divine identity, most people would simply dismiss him as a lunatic.
But Kanon could not tolerate such disrespect. If not for Maierin restraining him, he might have wiped this entire nation off the map.
To Kanon, simply having Maierin enter a store should be considered the highest honor. The idea that people would dare to charge him money was outright blasphemy!
"My Lord, why did you stop ? They were so disrespectful!" Kanon complained.
"This is the way of this era. You must learn to adapt."
With that, Maierin tossed a book to Kanon.
"What's this?"
"Reading will do you good."
Kanon's face instantly fell. He was the classic "bad student"—a troublemaker, naturally gifted in combat. He could even imrse himself in training. But reading?
That was torture.
To make matters worse… he couldn't even understand the words!
It was 1943, and linguistic unification had yet to take place. Greece still used Greek, Italy spoke Italian, and Europe alone had dozens of different languages.
Fortunately, in his previous life, Maierin had been a linguistic expert. Though he was only fluent in Mandarin and English, he could handle basic conversations in many other languages.
Without that skill, they would have faced obstacles from the very start.
"My Lord… I really can't read this…"
"I picked Greek books since Italy is close to Greece. Don't tell you can't even read your own language."
"But, my Lord—"
Kanon tried to protest, but when Maierin shot him a glare, he shrank back and reluctantly flipped open the book.
He could read, of course. The Sanctuary trained its warriors not just as fighters, but as well-rounded individuals. Even those who never beca Saints would be able to support themselves outside the Sanctuary.
This was a tradition Maierin had established since the mythological era.
But as the number one troublemaker in the Sanctuary, Kanon was never the type to take lessons seriously.
Under Maierin's watchful eyes, he had no choice but to put on an act… but it was clear that he lacked any talent for deception.
"Kanon."
"I'm reading! I'm reading seriously!"
"That's not what I was going to say… I was going to tell you that your book is upside down."
After a few days in the port city, Maierin and Kanon made their way to Ro, Italy's capital and a city with over two thousand years of history.
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