A Thousand Years Ago (2)
A brief, awkward silence lingered in the air.
His body was here, yet he had gone to the past. Did that even make sense?
Claude, who prided himself on being the most rational person in the territory, looked incredulous as he asked,
"Lord Jerome?"
"Yes."
"You and I are among the few intellectuals in this territory."
"..."
"Do you really think what you just said makes sense?"
Jerome nodded with a firm expression.
"I understand that this is shocking, but right now, this is the most credible hypothesis. Ghislain is currently in the past. Specifically... he has gone to meet the Saintess from a thousand years ago, along with her companions."
Jerome's stance was unwavering. He truly believed that Ghislain had traveled to the past.
Belinda, her voice trembling, asked again,
"Um... I think we need a more detailed explanation."
"As you all know, the Saintess said she would meet Ghislain again. For that to happen…"
Jerome calmly explained his theory. Since Ghislain had already shared many details about his dreams, everyone was able to follow along without much difficulty.
It sounded plausible. If Jerome's hypothesis was true, then everything happening right now made sense.
But a hypothesis was just that—a hypothesis. How could they be sure it was true?
Vanessa, who had been silently listening, finally spoke.
"Even if that were true... if only his consciousness moved to the past, how is he supposed to meet the Saintess?"
That was the very part Jerome had been wondering about. But now, he had found an answer.
"Possession."
"Possession...?"
Everyone's expressions turned sour. Possession? Who in their right mind would believe such a thing?
Yet, Jerome continued with the same unwavering confidence.
"Ghislain has undoubtedly possessed the body of my Magic Tower's progenitor. As a companion of the Hero, no less."
"......"
"In other words! One of the Hero's companions from a thousand years ago... that mage was actually Ghislain!"
"Wow…"
Claude let out an exaggerated sigh, his face openly mocking. Jerome felt slightly embarrassed.
The others were at a loss for words. The more they listened, the more unbelievable the story became.
Clicking his tongue, Claude spoke.
"Do you know what's the most important thing when pulling off a scam?"
"What is it?"
"It has to be convincing."
"....."
"I mean, possession? Seriously? If you just force a hypothesis to fit the facts, then anything can be made to sound possible!"
Jerome had anticipated such a reaction. Without hesitation, he pulled a book from his robe.
"It's all written in here."
"What is that?"
"A record personally written by the progenitor of the Magic Tower."
Belinda tilted her head.
"...Such a thing exists? Weren't all records from a thousand years ago lost?"
Wasn't that precisely why they had never been able to confirm the identity of their enemy?
Jerome also looked a bit perplexed as he replied,
"That's correct. I've never seen this before. There was definitely no such book in the Magic Tower."
"But… it suddenly appeared?"
"Yes... I know it's hard to believe, but…"
"....."
Another silence followed. Who would believe a book that had never existed suddenly appeared? It was far more likely that Jerome had simply overlooked it.
Frustrated, Jerome pounded his chest and exclaimed,
"I swear! I've read every book in the Magic Tower. But this... I don't know why I never saw it before!"
He looked utterly aggrieved. The ever-calm Vanessa soothed him,
"Alright, let's just say that's true."
"It's not 'just saying'—it is true!"
"Fine, fine. I believe you. So, this book is your proof?"
"Yes! The progenitor of the Magic Tower left behind a record!"
Jerome opened the book.
All of them possessed superhuman vision, so they could easily read the small text even from a distance. Only Claude leaned in closer to read it properly.
[ I am the one who inherited the name of the great Dragon Lord Asterion. I am Astion, the first Tower Master who built the Magic Tower of Radiance.
Following the advice of a dear friend, I have decided to record my experiences in this book.
Born with a mysterious constitution, I have been able to accept beings known as 'possessors' into my body since childhood.
From them, I gained a wealth of knowledge and rapidly grew stronger as a mage. They also laid the foundation for my companions to grow stronger. After that, we set off on a journey together… ]
The content was truly intriguing. If what was written here was true, then 'possessors' were real.
The book briefly described how a mage named Astion, who had lived in a rural village, set off on a journey with his friends and what they had experienced along the way.
[ …One day, while rescuing villagers who had been captured by bandits, I suddenly received a possessor. That itself was nothing unusual, but this one was different from any other possessor I had ever encountered. ]
At some point, everyone stopped talking and focused solely on reading. Their breaths grew heavier as they read on. The content was simply too unbelievable.
[ I was forcibly taken over.
The possessor who seized my body was overwhelmingly powerful. His consciousness far exceeded that of a superhuman, and he possessed vast, mysterious knowledge.
He introduced himself as— ]
Belinda unconsciously read the next part aloud.
"The Grand Duke of Lutania and King of Mercenaries…"
She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. Jerome, unable to hold it in, finally spoke the name.
"Ghislain Perdium."
"....."
Everyone exchanged stunned glances.
Why was Ghislain's name written in a historical record from a thousand years ago?
Claude abruptly stood up, pointing an accusing finger at Jerome.
"This is ridiculous! This—this book! You didn't just fabricate it last-minute to support your theory, did you?! Trying to pull off a scam because you want to be right?"
That explanation seemed far more reasonable than believing the book was real. In an instant, Jerome was branded a fraud.
Desperate, Jerome shouted,
"I didn't make it up! I swear, it was really written here!"
"A book that suddenly appears, containing our Lord's name and past events we never knew about—how does that make sense?! It's the biggest contradiction I've ever heard!"
"I know! I'm going crazy trying to understand it myself!"
Belinda intervened, trying to calm them down.
"Then what does the rest of the book say? Let's read further first!"
As they turned the pages, new content appeared.
[ Thanks to Ghislain, my companions rapidly grew stronger. I don't know why, but he taught them many things and trained them harshly.
To be honest, he was… like a devil. ]
The book contained detailed accounts of how Ghislain had trained them and 'tormented' them.
It even described how he recklessly seized territories, took over gold mines, and generally did whatever he pleased—complete with plenty of complaints and insults.
Belinda, after reading all that, unconsciously muttered,
"It is him."
Everyone nodded. The descriptions matched Ghislain's personality far too well.
He wasn't just a once-in-a-millennium genius—he was someone who should only be born once every thousand years. That personality was truly one of a kind.
Still, no one could fully believe it. After all, if someone wanted to fabricate a story, it wouldn't be difficult to do so.
Jerome knew Ghislain's personality extremely well. He himself had once been locked in a carriage, forced to craft artifacts without rest.
Claude, still suspicious, asked,
"So, according to this book, our Lord played a major role in the past… What else does it say? Since this is a record from a thousand years ago, it should contain everything, right?"
Everyone shared the same question.
What exactly happened back then? Who was the true enemy? What had Ghislain accomplished, and what had he discovered?
Jerome, looking troubled, flipped another page.
"...."
There was nothing.
The last entry ended with Ghislain seizing lands and ruthlessly training his companions.
Claude pointed a finger once more.
"You just stopped writing! You ran out of ideas to make up more nonsense! You were trying to pull a scam while the Grand Chieftain isn't here! No one can even verify who this Astion guy is!"
Erenes had left shortly after Ghislain collapsed. There was no reason for her to stay any longer.
Her only goal was the eradication of the Salvation Church. That was why she had gone off to track down Gartros and the remaining remnants.
Jerome, looking sullen, responded to Claude's accusation.
"I'm telling you... I didn't make this up…"
Jerome felt like he was losing his mind. It absolutely wasn't a fabrication, yet as the conversation went on, even he started to feel like it was something he had made up.
Everyone stared at the book with uncertain expressions. Jerome wasn't the type to lie, nor did he have any reason to.
It was more reasonable to assume that something beyond Jerome's understanding had happened.
Vanessa asked,
"So this Astion person… is he really the first Tower Master?"
"Honestly, I only just learned his name myself. The first Tower Master's name was never properly passed down."
Claude interjected again, pressing Jerome.
"There's a major contradiction in this whole story."
"What is it?"
"According to your theory, our Lord took over Astion's… the first Tower Master's body, right?"
"That's right."
"But in our Lord's dreams, that mage was seen using magic."
"Yes?"
"Then that means the mage was actually our Lord… but how could our Lord use magic?"
"Uh… maybe he learned it there?"
"You really think that's possible? With his brain? Do you think magic is something you can just pick up by reading a book? If it were that easy, I would've learned it already. I'm the smartest one here."
"...."
Jerome hadn't considered that point. When he failed to answer, Belinda suddenly snapped.
"Our Young Master is smart! He just never bothered to study! If he tried, he'd be amazing!"
"Even if you're smart, magic isn't that easy!"
To be fair, it wasn't that Ghislain wasn't intelligent.
His ability to conduct warfare had proven that he was a genius in strategy and tactics. That required a sharp mind.
But magic was an entirely different discipline. Still, Belinda refused to back down. To her, Ghislain was the smartest person in the world.
"What's stopping him?! If he studies, he can do anything!"
"Just because someone has a strong body doesn't mean they suddenly become a genius!"
"Our Young Master is both strong and a genius!"
The two continued bickering. But aside from Belinda, the others were highly skeptical of the idea that Ghislain had mastered magic.
Magic was an incredibly difficult field. Even Alpoi, who was once the heir to the Magic Tower, had studied for over ten years yet only reached the third circle.
It was only after coming to Fenris, enduring countless battles, and absorbing a dragon heart that he barely made it to the fifth circle.
Vanessa was no different. Despite her exceptional talent, she had studied for over a decade before finally reaching the seventh circle—only after absorbing a dragon heart.
For Ghislain to use magic at the level seen in his dreams, he would have had to dedicate several years to nothing but magical study.
But spending entire days buried in books? That didn't suit his personality at all.
Everyone fell into deep thought. Realistically, this didn't make sense. But at the same time, the coincidences were too great to ignore.
Gillian spoke with a solemn expression.
"His Grace can accomplish anything if he sets his mind to it."
He wanted Jerome's theory to be true. After all, it was far better for Ghislain to have traveled to the past than to be lying unconscious.
Claude clicked his tongue and shook his head. There was no point in arguing with Belinda and Gillian—neither of them would ever acknowledge Ghislain's shortcomings.
To end the pointless bickering, Vanessa carefully organized their thoughts.
"If we assume Lord Jerome's hypothesis is correct… that would mean His Grace is currently living in the past, right? Then… do you think he's met the Saintess?"
"Um… There's nothing specifically mentioning the Saintess or the Hero, just 'friends,' so I can't be sure."
"But this is still the most plausible explanation, right? The Saintess did say she would meet him again."
"I think so too. He must have traveled to the past through the Saintess' divine power."
"Why would she summon him?"
"Well… Maybe to tell him something we don't know. Or perhaps she needs Ghislain's power."
"Whatever he does in the past, the outcome is already set, isn't it?"
Everyone nodded. The future was already determined.
They had defeated the Salvation Church and brought peace to the continent.
So, no matter what Ghislain did in the past, it wouldn't change the future.
Oddly enough, trying to make sense of the situation only made it feel more confusing. No matter how much they thought about it, there was no clear answer.
"For now… let's study this book further. I'll look for other materials as well. There must be a reason why it suddenly stops mid-writing."
Everyone nodded at Jerome's suggestion. There was no better option.
Just as they were about to leave in frustration—
A commotion erupted outside.
CRASH!
A knight who had been guarding Ghislain rushed in and shouted,
"Dark! Dark has suddenly appeared! He says he has a message and needs to see either the head maid or the head butler immediately—!"
Before the knight could even finish his sentence, everyone sprang into action.
BOOM!
In their urgency, they smashed through the wall as they moved.
"Wait for meee!"
Only Claude had to hitch a ride on Wendy's back.
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