Chapter 677: Chapter 677

While Ghislain was off having an… eventful time in another era, only a few days had passed in reality.

At first, Belinda had been full of worry, but now she stared at him with a puzzled expression.

Despite her concerns, he was sleeping with an almost unnaturally peaceful face.

If that had been all, she might have continued to worry. But now, even that seemed hard to justify.

“What could be making you so happy?”

Even in his sleep, he kept grinning like an idiot. It was faint, but clearly a smile.

“What kind of dream could you possibly be having?”

It wasn’t just a good dream; he was raising hell in there. If Belinda had seen it with her own eyes, she would’ve probably put a hand to her forehead and clicked her tongue.

Though he had been lying down for several days, his body was in perfect condition. Miraculously so, in fact.

The priests and mages constantly examined him, and their care definitely helped but even accounting for that, it was strange.

“How is this even possible?”

Belinda was amazed. Normally, if someone lost consciousness and remained asleep, their body would gradually wither like an invalid.

Yet he was completely fine, almost suspiciously so. It was like he was just peacefully napping.

The divine power of the Saintess within him was protecting him. If anything went wrong or danger approached, he would wake up immediately.

But no one knew that and no one dared to test it.

Thus, everyone continued to watch over him, half-worried, half-intrigued. Of course, their efforts to figure out his condition never stopped.

Jerome, in particular, returned to his magic tower and began poring over countless grimoires.

“There has to be a reason why Ghislain suddenly ended up like this.”

The truth was, he hadn’t had the chance to explain everything before he collapsed. He hadn’t been entirely sure what was going to happen either.

Fortunately, before falling unconscious, he’d shared the essential parts of his dream.

The Hero, the Saintess, and the companions who fought alongside them.

They were closely connected to the people around him now. One of the Hero’s companions from a thousand years ago was highly likely to be the founder of the Tower of Radiance.

Also, the words spoken by the Saintess he met behind the veil were crucial clues too.

“She said we’d meet again, right?”

Ereneth had also examined him and left behind some cryptic remarks.

— There is no consciousness of the Duke of Fenris…

— Only divine power lingered in his mind.

— There was something like a strange ‘gate.’

— It seems his consciousness has been pulled into that place.

Jerome began organizing the clues step by step.

“The Saintess said she would meet Ghislain again soon.”

“The Saintess’ divine power settled within Ghislain’s consciousness.”

“Ghislain’s consciousness was pulled into an unknown Gate.”

“The one who opened that Gate was probably the Saintess’ divine power.”

“And… the Saintess is someone from a thousand years ago. To meet her again…”

Jerome, his hand trembling, paused as he wrote.

“Did he go to the past? Ghislain’s consciousness? To a thousand years ago?”

It was a possibility. Ghislain had often said he dreamt of war from a thousand years ago.

If that was true, then the scenes he saw in his dreams… he was now witnessing them directly.

“Wait, even if that’s somehow possible… there’s a problem.”

According to the hypothesis, only Ghislain’s consciousness had moved. He didn’t have a body he could act with. So even if he went to the past, there would be nothing he could do.

If he was just spectating like a ghost, why did the Saintess say they would meet again?

Besides, in that state, he wouldn’t be able to properly exist in the world. He’d be expelled before long.

The rules that governed the world weren’t so lenient.

“Is this wrong? But if it’s not this, there’s no way to explain what’s happening now…”

If one were to force an explanation, he might have possessed a past-life body but even that was just an unverified hypothesis.

There were still conflicting opinions on whether such beings even existed whether in the church or the Magic Towers.

There were occasionally those who spoke about their past lives, but none had ever provided proper proof. That’s why most people dismissed reincarnation or past lives as mere fantasy.

“Ghislain does wield mysterious knowledge and power well, but still, that just doesn’t add up…”

Jerome, mumbling to himself, suddenly froze. He remembered something the people of Fenris used to joke about.

— The Young Lord used to joke several times that he had died and come back to life in the past. No one believed him, so eventually, he stopped saying things like that…

Claude had chimed in with Belinda’s words too.

— But seeing how he pulls off the impossible every time, sometimes I can’t help but think he’s someone who came from the future with all the answers in hand. What? You think I’m crazy? I know it sounds ridiculous! But wouldn’t it be weirder not to go crazy after dealing with the Lord? I think I’ve gone crazy too. Hahahaha!

— You were already a little crazy from the first time I met you, weren’t you?

— It’s the Lord who drove me crazy!

Back then, everyone had just laughed it off. But now, Jerome couldn’t dismiss even that small clue as a joke.

It was because he had heard of someone from his own Magic Tower who used to say such crazy things.

That was a story passed down by Jerome’s master, about the founder of the Magic Tower.

— According to the tale, the Founder was said to be able to see the future.

— Honestly, they say the Founder was a bit of an odd one. He’d suddenly raise a fuss claiming he had seen the future, or say that someone from the future had possessed him… He even talked about the effect preceding the cause.

Jerome mulled over those words again and again. If the legends about the Founder were true, then his hypothesis gained weight.

“A person from the future possessing someone from the past? No way… But if possession really exists…”

Jerome’s mind tingled. As he pieced together the fragments of clues he had heard so far, it felt like he was getting closer to the truth.

Jerome hurriedly dug through the records of the Magic Tower. They were books written about the Tower Masters throughout history.

“There must be, there has to be some lead about the Founder.”

He had read most of them back when he was still at the Tower. So, he already knew that there was very little written about the Founder.

Most entries were just brief notes, each passing down what they had heard from their own masters.

The rest mostly consisted of the past Tower Masters’ boasts (?), personal journals, codes of conduct they handed down to disciples, and insights they had gained.

Jerome’s own master had filled his records with things like the best restaurants across the continent, how to meet women (?), and how to go on dates (?), all completely unrelated to magic.

Still, Jerome frantically pored over the books. He thought maybe just maybe he had missed something.

Then, Jerome suddenly spotted a book on the shelf that he had never seen before.

‘What’s this?’

A chill ran down his spine.

He had spent his entire life in the Tower until he ventured out into the world. There might have been books he skimmed or skipped over, but never one he had completely missed.

So why was there a book here that even he didn’t remember?

Jerome pulled it out with trembling hands. It was a very old book, but thanks to the preservation magic cast over the library, its contents remained intact.

With a tense expression, Jerome slowly opened the book.

Thud.

He dropped it almost instantly, without even realizing it.

What was written in the book was so shocking, he couldn’t believe it.

Jerome immediately took the book and returned to the Ritania Kingdom. Since everyone needed to be gathered, he had already sent letters ahead.

Key figures of the domain, who had been devoted to their respective duties across various regions, began gathering one by one to coincide with Jerome’s return.

And then, arriving a step later than the others, Claude entered with a haggard complexion.

Belinda, seeing him, asked,

“You don’t look well. Something going on lately?”

“There’s a ton going on. With the Lord collapsed, we have to handle all the decisions and progress, everything ourselves.”

Ghislain was the kingdom’s most critical decision-maker. His collapse was a serious matter.

Though they had officially announced that he was focusing on secluded training, they couldn’t stop the rumors from spreading quietly.

Thankfully, the war had ended and Zwalter was governing the kingdom well, so there was no major chaos. Still, the workload was inevitable.

There was a lot to restore after such a long war. Stabilizing the newly acquired territory was no small task either.

If war was the realm of military officers, postwar recovery was the domain of civil officials. Claude, along with every other administrator, was overwhelmed with nonstop responsibilities.

Belinda chuckled softly and asked again,

“Still, isn’t it easier to work since most of the senior officials are fellow academy alumni? You’re all friends, right? I heard you recently got together to catch up.”

At those words, Claude frowned and shook his head.

“Ugh, they’re not like they used to be. They’re nothing like the pure-hearted students we were back in the academy.”

“Why? They’ve gained experience and handle their jobs well. Isn’t it natural for things to be different from student days?”

The alumni Claude had brought along were now all in senior official positions. They were trusted contributors who had helped develop the Fenris Territory for a long time.

“That’s not it. Ever since they came here, living in comfort and getting used to social life… they’ve been completely tainted. Tainted, I tell you.”

“What do you mean?”

“All they ever talk about aside from work is money. This and that about money… ugh, tsk tsk… Honestly, that’s not why we’re supposed to gather, right?”

“Well… that’s true.”

“With the Lord collapsed and urgent postwar matters at hand, we should be having some constructive conversations. But everyone’s just obsessed with money. Is there nothing in the world to talk about besides money? I mean, really. They’re my fellow alumni, but it’s pathetic.”

“Well… they’re older now, and they have families to take care of, so money is important. We do give them good pay considering the tough workload, but even that’s not enough?”

Belinda asked with a slightly worried look. After all, Ghislain’s governing philosophy emphasized giving sufficient rewards to prevent dissatisfaction among the officials.

Claude let out a deep sigh and replied,

“So, I got fed up and told them off.”

“What did you say?”

“That I’d pay them back.”

“…”

“I mean, I’ll pay them back somehow… I’ll figure it out, right? Ugh, I’m so sick of hearing about debt and money. Can’t money just fall from the sky or something?”

Claude was desperately short on funds these days. He still hadn’t finished paying back the money he had embezzled.

So, he’d been using his authority as the Chief Overseer of the territory to borrow a ton from his fellow alumni. Even so, he hadn’t been able to cover the deficit, and every single day felt like torture.

When Ghislain collapsed, he knew he had to quickly fill the gap, but even his alumni were now pressuring him for repayment, adding even more stress.

He had even secretly sent a letter asking Amelia if she could return the money, but she had completely ignored him.

“…”

Belinda looked over at Wendy, who was standing behind Claude.

Wendy simply shook her head with a tired expression. It was the kind of look that said, “This idiot is beyond saving.”

Everyone else just stared blankly at Claude. No one could think of anything to say.

While they all shot Claude disapproving glances and sank into their own thoughts, Jerome finally arrived.

Everyone gave him a brief greeting. They were all eager to know what Jerome had discovered.

Belinda was the first to urgently ask,

“You said you might know what happened to the Young Lord, right? What do you mean? What did you find out?”

The others all showed curiosity across their faces.

Jerome took a moment to organize his thoughts. He had debated several times on the way about how he should say it.

It would take a long explanation to make everyone understand. He’d have to show them the evidence too but for now, Jerome decided to just start with the conclusion.

“Everyone, please don’t be too shocked. Based on what I’ve researched and discovered…”

He took a deep breath and then looked around at everyone as he spoke.

“It seems that Ghislain’s consciousness… has gone to the past.”

Everyone fell silent, their mouths hanging open. It was an answer no one had expected.

Belinda asked in a trembling voice,

“The past…? What past? Our Young Lord isn’t exactly the type with a past.”

It was such a ridiculous statement that nonsense came out of her mouth. That’s how unbelievable it was.

Jerome took a few deep breaths and then said something even harder to believe.

“A thousand years ago.”