Turning Chapter 913

"So... after hearing about the 'Last Emperor's Records,' how did you imdiately know it was related to the records from before the Great Cataclysm? Honestly, I thought it was nonsense."

"Well, I’ve been quite thorough in searching for information, thanks to Great Mage Luma and the first Duke of Ta-in, among others from that era. And, during the ti you were unconscious, I didn’t have much to do, so I focused even more on my research. If soone else had searched as thoroughly as I did, they could have easily guessed the connection."

Kishiar answered easily with a smile. If soone didn’t know any better, they might think Yuder had been asleep for just a short ti while Kishiar had been up and about.

‘While I was unconscious, didn’t Kishiar spend most of his ti asleep too, only getting up to handle so leftover tasks in the few waking hours he had? And now he’s saying he researched all this in that short ti?’

It suddenly occurred to him that there had always been books on the bedside table next to Kishiar’s bed. Most of them were written in archaic languages Yuder didn’t understand, but he now realized they were part of the research Kishiar had been doing.

‘Unbelievable.’

At this point, it wasn’t just a matter of Kishiar living a day like the average person—it was more like he lived an hour as if it were a full day. Kishiar, seemingly aware of Yuder’s thoughts, smiled and continued talking.

"As everyone knows, there are only a handful of records available to help us guess what the world was like before the Great Cataclysm. But so things are relatively easy to deduce. For example, what foundations did the new nations ford after the Cataclysm base their systems on? For instance, when we look at the laws of our Or Empire and the fundantal rules that maintain society, did they really co from nothing when the empire was founded? Was it the first ti anyone called themselves an emperor or nad their country an empire?"

Naturally, Yuder had never thought about such things before. He blinked in surprise, only listening as Kishiar continued with a faint smile.

"I don't think so. If you look at the records left from around the ti of the founding of the Or Empire, you can tell they relied heavily on things that already existed. For example, the stories of how the founders of the nation fought tirelessly through the night to adopt good rules and reform bad customs—how could those 'bad customs' have existed if they didn’t co from sowhere else? The term 'empire' and the title of 'emperor' were not new inventions at that ti."

According to Kishiar, when the first emperor of the Or Empire nad the country "Or Empire" and called himself emperor, no one questioned the title. That was because the concepts of "empire" and "emperor" were already familiar to people of that ti, and they held the sa anings as they do now.

"When sothing entirely new is established, there’s always resistance. But the Or Empire, along with its neighboring allied kingdoms, readily accepted the title of emperor and empire. In fact, so even wrote at the first emperor's coronation, 'Only he can create a truly emperor’s nation for all.'"

"A truly emperor’s nation for all." Yuder repeated the phrase, feeling it a little strange.

What had always seed so natural, sothing he had never questioned, suddenly felt unsettling.

"So, what you're saying, Commander, is that before the Great Cataclysm, there might have been empires and emperors, just like we have now."

"That’s what I think. It makes sense. Of course, we can’t know what nations existed or what they were called, since their nas didn’t survive."

"Are there no direct records in the imperial archives of nations that existed before the Great Cataclysm?"

"This is just my guess, but in addition to the records lost in the Great Cataclysm, I suspect that so efforts were made to cover up and erase the records of the old era. The people of the founding period probably didn’t want to bring the mories of the old world into the newly started age."

"..."

"However, records aren’t just written down. If you investigate legends passed down from the early days of the empire, or stories told in songs, you’ll find common thes that point to the past."

There were stories of dragons and fairies—transcendent beings that lived alongside humans—and of extinct plants and animals.

"And there’s more. Even in that ti, when such fantastical creatures lived, society still had the sa issues of class, nations, injustices, and the full range of human emotions and experiences."

Kishiar muttered this under his breath, keeping an eye on Yuder’s expression as he continued.

"Have you ever thought about where the 'ancient kingdoms' ntioned so often in old legends might have been? Where were the kings, nobles, priests, and swordsn that are ntioned but never nad?"

"...I never really thought about it, so I don’t know."

"I think many of the songs and stories passed down by word of mouth contain fragnts of the world before the Great Cataclysm. If you analyze them, you’ll see that the era, despite its fantastical elents, wasn’t all that different from our current world."

Even in the ti when dragons and fairies existed, humans still lived in nations, and even when swordmasters split the sky and priests revived the dead, the sa injustices and sorrows we face today were still present.

Kishiar’s gaze grew darker.

"The structure of the 'ancient kingdoms' in the old legends most closely resembles that of the Or Empire. In those kingdoms, the emperor reigned at the center, with high-ranking officials wielding military power to govern their territories. Honestly, there are more sad and unfair stories than joyful ones among these old tales."

"..."

"If the world before the Great Cataclysm was really like that, do you think the heroes who saved it would have wanted to pass on that legacy to future generations? I don’t think so."

When Yuder thought about it, it didn’t seem unreasonable. He rembered the state of the Or Empire in his past life, which was already on a downhill path. In that case, he certainly wouldn’t have wanted to bring any remnants of that broken world into the present.

If the world had been so decayed, so full of chaos, it made sense that the people who founded new nations would not want to pass on the mories of that era.

"I understand that much. So, how should we interpret the records the South has that relate to empires from before the Great Cataclysm?"

"The faith in the Black Moon, which was widespread in the early days of the empire, gradually faded and was confined to the South. The 'restoration of glory' that the people of the South have been claiming as the justification for war is one of the things that has continued since then."

Kishiar unrolled a map of the continent that had been kept rolled up on the desk. His long finger tapped on the section marked "Southern Region," where the South was indicated.

"Do you rember what Aton called us earlier?"

"...He called us usurpers."

Kishiar nodded.

"Yes. Their ideology hasn’t changed. They believe that the lands and power that once belonged to them were taken by the nations north of the desert, and they feel the need to reclaim them. Of course, the Empire and the northern desert nations dismiss this as nonsense."

Kishiar paused, his finger still resting on the map. After a brief mont of silence, he continued in a thoughtful tone.

"Actually, it’s not entirely nonsensical. It seems the ancestors of the people in the Southern regions were displaced after the Great Cataclysm, and they moved south. [N O V E L I G H T] The faith in the Black Moon faded over ti, but the remnants of that history still back up this theory."

He said that the evidence was so clear that even historians had mostly accepted it as fact, even though it hadn’t been officially announced. However, if the "Last Emperor’s Records" were still in the South, it added another possible piece to the puzzle.

Kishiar looked at Yuder, silently asking if he understood the implication. Yuder slowly opened his mouth to respond.

"...So, it’s possible that Aton’s tribe, or perhaps the entire South, has a deep connection with the empire that existed before the Great Cataclysm."

"Exactly."

A buried past, and the descendants of those who sought to reclaim it.

Yuder’s mind raced, but after many thoughts, the conclusion was simple.

"...So, if that’s their justification, their ultimate goal must be clear."

Had the balance of the world been disturbed and twisted, leading to an irreparable disaster, simply because of that obvious goal? The thought made Yuder feel a tightness in his chest.