Chapter 705
Was it planted in the past? (3)
When Jerome arrived, the key figures of Fenris were already gathered around the book.
Panting and out of breath, he asked,
“What is it? What happened? When was this written?”
Belinda shook her head.
“We haven’t seen it yet either. Vanessa called us just now.”
Vanessa, visibly excited, said,
“When I heard you’d returned, I was compiling all our research on the Rift. Then, out of curiosity, I opened the book… and found new content written inside.”
In short, no one had seen when or how it was written.
Vanessa had hurriedly gathered everyone. It was better to read it together anyway.
Jerome, the book’s ‘owner,’ slowly flipped the pages.
[……After helping Rio, we moved to another territory. During that time, something went wrong with my body. Unable to withstand Ghislain’s consciousness, my body began to collapse. To avoid the crisis, even for a moment, Ghislain learned magic…….]
Belinda was the first to shout at Claude.
“See? I told you our young master is smart; he just doesn’t study! He can even learn magic!”
“……”
Claude had previously insisted that Ghislain could never learn magic with his head. But now that it was written that he did, he couldn’t refute it.
They couldn’t understand how he managed to learn it, but the next page revealed the secret.
[……Ghislain learned magic through my body. He didn’t study at all. He just grasped the flow of mana and forced it into use…… Ignoring the very foundation of magic, his actions made me feel deeply ashamed as a mage……]
“……”
It was such a fitting training method for Ghislain. No one could say a word. Even Belinda averted her gaze like she was staring off into the distance.
The next part written in the book was even more shocking.
“He created that duck superstition…? The young master?”
“What on earth has the Lord been up to?”
“No, even if the past and future affect each other… this is a bit much…”
He had been doing weird things in the past too. Everyone just wore helpless expressions. He was in the past, so there was no way to stop him.
It was later written that he beat down a Black Mage and took his grimoire, using it to learn even more spells.
Ghislain, who quickly rose to the 6th Circle, had gone so far as to apply the flow of mana in his own twisted way and even created entirely new spells for use.
“Huh……”
Everyone was amazed by Ghislain’s bizarre talent, but the most surprised was Jerome.
It even crossed his mind that the grimoire he handed to Alfoi might have been made by Ghislain.
‘No way… surely not…’
The grimoire was composed of a rather high-level theory. If Ghislain had learned magic without studying and simply forced it into use, it would’ve been difficult to write something like that.
Still, he couldn’t be certain. It was possible that Astion had theoretically refined the magic Ghislain had created.
[……Afterward, we disbanded the Ironclad Lion Corps and went to war with Count Crest……]
While reading the rest, Kaor muttered blankly.
“So, Moriana’s Recognition was made by the Lord too?”
He vividly remembered getting beaten up with that thing when he first met Ghislain. And now, learning that Ghislain had created it was truly surprising.
Everyone else gave a dry chuckle at the things Ghislain had done.
“That’s just like the young master.”
“If you pick a fight, you die. Even if you strike from behind, you die.”
The thrilling feats continued on. Then came the part where it said Ghislain had even created a Death Knight, and everyone turned to Claude.
Claude shot up from his seat and shouted.
“I-I knew it! He’s gone off the deep end now! He’s even learned black magic! He became a Black Mage!”
Everyone looked at Claude, and there was a reason why he was causing such a scene.
Claude bit his nails nervously, cold sweat dripping down his face.
‘W-What should I do? At this rate, even my soul’s gonna be enslaved!’
Despite being a slave, Claude lived however he pleased. His embezzlement of public funds was so well-known that no one was unaware of it anymore.
The reason he could go so wild was because of his bizarre resolve.
— Yep, dying’s not a big deal.
That was always his line, as if saying, “What are you gonna do when I die?”
But if Ghislain was a Black Mage, things were different now.
— Yep, your soul will be enslaved forever.
Now, Ghislain could say that without hesitation. He had the power to bind Claude’s soul.
Claude even considered assassinating Ghislain while he slept, but that was impossible. Fenris’s top assassination unit guarded Ghislain around the clock.
And that man would definitely awaken the moment his life was in danger. Even Dark had said before that the master could rise at any time.
Everyone looked at Claude with a mix of sympathy and satisfaction. Leaving the trembling Claude behind, they turned the page.
[……We headed to the capital for the ennoblement. The young king of the Kingdom of Plovitz, Alex, was under constant pressure from Marquis Falkenheim and lived each day in anxiety. When he heard we had fought and defeated Count Crest, a vassal of Marquis Falkenheim, he welcomed us enthusiastically.]
[The ennoblement proceeded smoothly. Alex begged us not to leave and pleaded for our help. As we hesitated…… Ghislain stepped forward to speak on behalf of us all.]
Having read up to that point, Jerome looked disappointed and said,
“Ah, there’s no more.”
The story had stopped there. No one knew what the conditions were for the contents to be added, so there was nothing they could do.
Still, it was a relief to learn about Ghislain’s current situation. Now that they knew the book continued to update, they just had to check it often.
“I feel a little more at ease now that I know what the young lord is up to. I hope the next part comes soon.”
Most people gave Belinda a sidelong glance at her comment. Belinda had no interest whatsoever in Ghislain’s bizarre behavior, she only cared that he was healthy and well.
‘No wonder he turned out to be such a brat, growing up under someone like her.’
A similar thought crossed their minds, but none of them dared to say it aloud in front of Belinda.
“This is… actually kind of fun. It feels like we’re watching what he’s doing.”
Claude changed the subject for no real reason. Vanessa took his words at face value and agreed.
“That’s true. The more you read, the more you find yourself cheering him on.”
With the two of them talking, the others began to chatter, evaluating what Ghislain had done. As expected, the story revolved around Ghislain.
But only Jerome stared at the book with a grave expression.
‘There’s no mention of the grimoire.’
The grimoire that had been handed over to Alfoi definitely existed. But in this book that recorded Ghislain’s actions in great detail, there was no mention of the grimoire at all.
Of course, it was possible that Astion hadn’t considered it unimportant and simply glossed over it.
But what if…
‘What if the grimoire was placed there long after the time Ghislain was in the past?’
That would mean the future had already been determined. That part continued to trouble Jerome.
Ghislain had certainly traveled to the past and was rewriting history as he pleased. He had even created strange customs.
Depending on how Ghislain acted, the present would change. That meant the future was variable.
If everything was truly predetermined, the book would have included all of Ghislain’s future actions.
Even so, Jerome couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off about the absence of the grimoire in the book.
‘Maybe…’
There was something that had long been said in the Tower of Radiance.
― The result changes the cause.
What if the current reality wasn’t the future that was supposed to happen?
What if, in the original future, the Duke of Delfine had taken over the Kingdom of Ritania, and the Salvation Church had successfully dominated the continent?
What if all of that history… had changed because of Ghislain?
‘Is he adjusting the past to fit the current reality?’
It was an incredibly far-fetched idea. But Jerome didn’t rule it out.
It wasn’t hard to guess what goal Ghislain was moving toward in the past.
It was to understand the Adversary who is still a lingering threat and to uncover what had happened in the past.
And… if possible, he would surely want to save the Hero and the Saintess as well.
However, there were things that must happen in order to arrive at the present reality. One couldn’t sacrifice the future for the sake of a past that had already gone by.
No one could know what Ghislain would do going forward. That was likely why the book hadn’t written down everything just yet.
Still, what must happen would happen whether Ghislain caused it, or whether it occurred for another reason.
Perhaps the very grimoire handed to Alfoi could be proof of that.
‘No, no, that can’t be right. If so, the Saintess wouldn’t have had a reason to summon Ghislain to the past.’
If the past couldn’t be changed, then what was the point of calling Ghislain? She could have just told him the secret.
The fact that she went out of her way to summon him to the past meant there was something he had to do there, something only he could do.
And wasn’t the past already influencing the future because of Ghislain’s actions?
Jerome pressed his temples repeatedly. Even with his vast knowledge, he couldn’t fully grasp the current phenomenon.
Perhaps it was, Ghislain calmly enjoying his life in the past without overthinking, the wiser one.
‘I really envy that personality.’
Jerome shook his head, trying to clear away the swirling thoughts. He needed to think more simply.
As always, Ghislain would handle things in his own way. There was no need to worry too much.
Even if something happened in the present because of what had occurred in the past…
If he joined forces with the friends gathered here, they would surely find a way through it.
* * *
“Guhk… how did you find this place…?”
A priest of the Salvation Church collapsed to the ground in disbelief. A massive hole had been pierced through his abdomen.
The priest looked up with dim eyes at the one standing before him.
That face was as beautiful as if sculpted by the gods themselves. So expressionless, he seemed like an actual statue.
Even while he had slaughtered the dozens of followers hiding here.
Only a blade-like aura emanated from him. There were few on the continent with such a presence and skill.
“Prince of Turian… Julien.”
With blood spilling from his mouth, the priest spat out the name like a curse and collapsed, dead.
Julien glanced around. There were only corpses left. No trace of life remained.
Whenever he located a Salvation Church hideout, he wiped it out without a word. These were the ones who had turned the entire continent upside down and started a war.
There were still quite a few remnants, hiding in various places.
All the kingdoms were now working together to keep them in check, so they wouldn’t be able to amass any major force for now. But if they weren’t completely eradicated, they would multiply again, like cockroaches.
It was said that these people had hidden and grown their power for a thousand years. There was no guarantee they wouldn’t do it again.
And the threat of the Riftspawn still remained, didn’t it?
That was why Julien took decisive action whenever he found remnants of the Salvation Church. He was just one man, yet no follower of the Church had been able to stop him.
“……”
After eliminating the last of the remnants, Julien pulled out a map.
As his eyes scanned over it, they eventually fixed on a single spot for a long time.
Truthfully, Julien didn’t know if any Salvation Church remnants were there. He had no intel. But he decided to go nonetheless.
He always moved according to his heart. Strangely enough, whenever he followed that feeling, he would find the Church’s remnants. As if it were fate.
Julien’s transcendental senses had been growing sharper by the day. And he had a good idea when it all began.
‘Arterion.’
It was after he defeated the Dragon Lord, Arterion, and some unknown force had entered his body.
He still didn’t know what that force was, but it had been of great help in tracking down the Salvation Church.
He hadn’t found Gartros yet, but if he kept going like this, he was sure he would find Gartros one day.
Suddenly, he turned his head. It was the direction of the Ritania Kingdom.
‘Ghislain…’
What had become of Ghislain? Had he woken up by now? Or was he still having the time of his life in the past?
Julien gave a faint smile at the thought of him.
To think he was wondering about someone’s well-being. It was a feeling he hadn’t had in a very long time.
No matter how he was doing, there was no need to worry. Ghislain was stronger and more capable than anyone.
Just as Julien was about to move again, a vision he had seen before suddenly flickered across his mind.
A woman, presumed to be the Saintess, with only the sorrowful smile on her lips vividly remaining in the vision.
― …It’s not about saving the world.
He still couldn’t understand what that meant.
There must have been more to that message. But his mind felt blocked, and he couldn’t recall anything else.
A heavy feeling weighed on his chest, as if he’d forgotten something precious.
Julien’s instincts began to flare up more violently than ever. It was as though they were demanding he uncover the truth of that vision immediately.
“……”
Since Ghislain had collapsed, the visions had been occurring with increasing frequency. He didn’t know the exact reason, but it was surely connected to Ghislain going to the past.
“Gartros.”
He had to find Gartros, and fast.
He was the one who knew the most about the Salvation Church. That meant he might also understand the strange phenomena currently unfolding.
‘And if he doesn’t…’
Julien’s gaze turned cold.
Gartros would have no choice but to find out.
Unless he wanted to suffer pain worse than death.
