“How can you say such a ridiculous thing like ‘look at the sky’?”
“I don’t know. The head professor told me to.”
“Oh, then just shut up and follow along.”
The guards of the Imperial University were bewildered by the newly issued directives and looked up.
Professor Ludwig’s command was simply to watch the sky.
Especially if any suspicious birds like crows approached, they were to report immediately.
It was a rather perplexing instruction.
“Is a bird really going to drop an explosive artifact and break a barrier?”
“Oh, that actually sounds plausible!”
“But how many would need to cling to that big thing to carry it?”
“We would need at least ten eagles!”
The sight of dozens of birds flying in with explosive artifacts was definitely something one wouldn’t need to pay much attention to—it would look suspicious right away.
So why exactly were they told to keep an eye on the sky?
The guards could only stare blankly at the sky, perplexed.
‘I finished the communication with the palace…’
Meanwhile, Emilia nervously drummed her fingers on the table.
A teleportation technique had been discovered within the Asylum.
The very same technique used by the Inquisitors.
This hinted at two possibilities: either a believer from the Asylum was hiding inside the Papal Palace or the Papal Palace was collaborating with the Asylum.
Either way, it didn’t sit well with her.
Aside from the teleportation technique, it was also possible that other extraordinary items from the Papal Palace had fallen into the hands of the Asylum.
‘Why isn’t my brother getting in touch?’
After casting the communication magic several times, she received no reply.
Such occurrences often happened if one was inside a barrier or in a location where mana ripple detection was difficult.
In that case, she could just go look for him, but the problem was she had no idea where Schlus was.
He wasn’t in the palace.
The attendant said that Schlus had already left the palace.
Then where on earth could he be?
“If you’ve finished your schedule, hurry back home already… If you’re stopping somewhere, at least leave me a message.”
The sound of her drumming fingers grew more intense.
Even though she tried to calm herself, an uneasy premonition kept creeping in.
What if something happened to Schlus?
What if he lost his life to an assassin who teleported above him?
Thinking about that, Emilia ground her teeth.
“Please tell me he’s not calmly meeting another woman.”
Leaving his wife at home alone and meeting another woman without a word?
No, Schlus wouldn’t do that.
Firm in her belief, Emilia tried to take a deep breath.
.
.
.
“Do you know why I was surprised when I saw the two entering that cave? Because if you handle that crystal sphere for over an hour, everyone goes crazy. You should be careful too. I don’t know what happens to those who are already crazy…”
“Who’s going crazy?”
“You, of course. You always do whatever you’re told not to do. Don’t exceed an hour; I’ll come to get you when it’s fifty minutes.”
“Got it.”
It seemed as if I was listening carelessly; Erica grabbed my cheek and urged me loudly.
If you handle it for more than an hour, you’ll go insane…
I was curious about what it felt like to go crazy, but I decided not to take the risk.
“…?”
When I stepped into the back garden, Madam Lichtenburg, Julia, and all the butler and maids were there too.
What on earth were they doing?
Everyone seemed to act as if they were engaged in some grand event.
“I hope you find the memory you desire, Your Excellency.”
The lady said as she greeted me with her eyes.
Come to think of it, if Erica noticed Julia’s reincarnation, it meant the lady had heard about it too.
What would a mother feel upon realizing her daughter had been reincarnating and dying for eons?
It must be a very complicated feeling.
I knelt in front of Julia, who was in a wheelchair, passing Madam Lichtenburg.
“I’m really sorry about before. I didn’t know we shouldn’t go into that cave…”
“No, thanks to you, I learned about the cave’s existence.”
“I hope the memory of Schlus’s lost childhood is a good one…”
The memory I sought mostly referred to Julia von Eisburg’s memories after her death.
So Julia didn’t know anything about my past at all.
Feeling a bit uplifted by the cute compliment, I straightened my legs and turned toward the lake.
As I rowed towards the cave, I glanced back and saw the people, including the lady, standing stiffly and looking at me.
They seemed eager to wait.
After all, if something happened to the one called ‘Your Excellency’ in the Lichtenburg Mansion, that would be a big deal.
The boat glided swiftly into the cave.
The interior looked the same as before; however, for some reason, it seemed to carry an eerie ambiance.
Could it be because I was alone?
After reaching the shore and tying the boat, I pushed the iron door and stepped inside.
And there it was—a suspiciously pristine crystal sphere shining brightly.
It looked just like what I had seen before.
I closed the door behind me and knelt before the crystal sphere.
‘Was it said to be an hour?’
Just in case, I prepared a simple spell as a safety measure.
It was a spell that would give me a slight electric shock in an hour to alert me.
Surely I could view everything in an hour?
I swallowed hard and covered the sphere with my hands.
‘Wait.’
In an instant, my vision filled with all sorts of images, beginning to fast-forward like a tape.
Familiar scenes quickly passed by, and soon, scenes never seen before flickered by.
With that, the perspective gradually lowered.
I seemed to be getting younger and smaller.
I found an appropriate point.
As soon as I stopped the fast-forward, a landscape of white snowfields unfolded.
Then my viewpoint swung around.
I was seen collapsing onto the snowy ground.
The scene itself was vivid, but the emotions from that time didn’t translate at all.
In this regard, it was clear that the ‘Memory of True Self’ took precedence.
The problem was that I couldn’t activate it whenever I wanted.
“Is this where you’ve been?”
“Dad…!”
Soon, a middle-aged man in combat attire walked over, sighing.
It was a familiar face.
I had seen that face countless times when utilizing the ‘Memory of True Self’ while learning swordsmanship.
It was now a face as familiar as my father’s.
Schlus’s father had indeed been a guard from Eisburg, hadn’t he?
“Don’t be too sad. Lady Julia must have gone to a good place.”
“Yes…”
The scene took place ten days after Julia von Eisburg had passed away at the age of 19.
And it was also ten days after Julia von Lichtenburg was born.
Schlus had followed Julia as an older sister and had a somewhat friendly relationship, it was said.
What emotions did Schlus feel after she died?
Who knows?
He neither cried nor shouted; he just lay quietly, making it impossible to infer.
“Uh…?”
“What’s wrong?”
At that moment, I saw faint smoke rising in the sky.
One line. Then four more lines followed, sending five lines of smoke soaring high in the sky.
Upon seeing my reaction, my father turned around, and he too was left speechless.
It was the signal fire.
“Level five… the maximum level. You must rush to the village and inform the village chief!”
“What about you, Dad?”
“I need to report to Count! Hurry!”
At my father’s shout, my legs automatically began to move.
The maximum level meant that enemies were already approaching alarmingly close.
Though Eisburg was near the border, it still lay within the Empire’s territory.
And in the Empire’s history, it had only ever been invaded by outsiders once.
That was during the Trud Kingdom’s winter campaign, long ago.
Thousands of kingdom soldiers entered the empire in a historic incident.
“Village chief! It’s signal fire level five!”
“What?”
I raced down the mountain and began spreading the news across the village.
Only then did I understand what level five truly meant.
It meant more than 3,000 enemies had appeared within 5 kilometers.
A force that the Eisburg Castle could never withstand had appeared.
The villagers abandoned entering the castle and hurriedly began packing their things to flee.
In the chaotic village, unsure of what to do, I stamped my feet anxiously when someone grabbed my hand.
“What are you doing here? We need to escape!”
“Ah…”
It was a lady in maid attire, looking fairly older than me.
From her expensive-looking clothes, she seemed to be a maid working in the castle.
She must have come down to the village only for a brief moment when trouble started.
The maid started pulling on my hand, urging me to move.
“Quickly, quickly! Don’t stop there! Don’t block the way!”
“Why on earth did you bring the livestock?”
We began walking through the narrow road among evacuating refugees.
People, carriages, and carts mixed here and there, creating a chaotic scene.
Among the confusion, the people somehow maintained a semblance of order and moved slowly forward.
“Oh my.”
At that moment, gasps escaped from all around.
Everyone turned back with sighs of despair.
Fire arrows were flying over the castle walls into the inner castle.
Not just a few—hundreds of them.
The attack from the kingdom’s forces had already begun.
“Dad…!”
I soon came to a stop.
Even when the surprised maid pulled on me, I stood my ground.
As people hurriedly passed by on both sides, I started to walk back.
“Hey! Where are you going! Come back! Hold onto my hand!”
“I’m sorry, but I have to go!”
I began to run.
Ignoring the frantic cries from behind, I dashed away.
I ran against the tide of refugees, running furiously.
“Haa… Haa…”
Finally, I reached a deserted part of the village.
By then, the sun had set, and darkness enveloped the surroundings.
To make things worse, heavy snow began to fall.
In the dark, I struggled to climb the mountains along the slippery path, falling numerous times.
At one point, I slipped wrong and tumbled several meters down.
If I hadn’t managed to grab a tree root, I would have fallen to my death.
“Huff… Hah…”
With my body covered in bruises, I climbed the mountain relentlessly.
Finally, the castle came into view.
The main gate was wide open, and within, the sound of metal clashing rang out continuously.
I had a gut feeling.
At this point, Schlus’s father was already dead, I sensed.
If it were me, I would have fled from here.
But the young Schlus, perhaps not ready to give up hope, began to sprint toward the main gate.
“Ugh…”
The ground was littered with corpses.
Men, women, soldiers, civilians—all laid fallen.
The pristine white snow turn red with each falling flake of blood.
Before long, the ground where Schlus stepped filled with crimson ice.
“Come at me, all at once!!!”
A loud roar echoed from above.
It was a hoarse voice, but I could tell it was my father’s voice.
Just moments ago, my trembling legs began to move vigorously.
I climbed the stairs, treading over bodies, until I reached a place lined with soldiers.
At the end of that narrow passage, my father and the knights were still resisting.
“Urgh…”
But that resistance wouldn’t last long.
Under the relentless assault of the kingdom’s forces, they began to fall one by one.
In the end, my father’s sword-wielding hand was captured when his wrist was severed.
“So you are the last soldier of this castle. Any last words?”
“…”
My father’s gaze turned toward me.
The moment our eyes met, a blade flew in, cleaving his neck.
His head fell, disappearing behind the soldiers.
“Ah…”
A shallow sigh.
There was no need for emotional response.
I felt Schlus’s emotions entirely.
Pure anger and a thirst for revenge.
“Ah… Aah…”
Tears didn’t come.
Instead, my vision narrowed, blood surged through me, and strength filled every muscle in my body.
I trudged over to a nearby fallen soldier and retrieved a sword from his chest.
Then I took my stance.
The stance I learned from my father.
*Vrooom…!*
The internal circuits began to spin wildly, creating a loud noise.
This was a sound I had never heard before, a maximum output sound.
*Zzzzz!*
As soon as the white snow touched my shoulder, it sizzled and evaporated.
Not just the snow, but the blood rushing through my veins boiled with the same fervor.
Only then did the soldiers notice my presence and began to turn around one by one.
“I swear. Until my body burns to ash, I will slay every last one of you.”
“A child…?”
*Crunch!*
And my vision turned red in an instant.
