"Kronos? So that's the name of the Constellation you mentioned, the one who helped the original Enrico?"
[Yes. It was quite convenient for him, since Kronos's world needed help. So he simply took advantage of the situation for his own benefit.]
"I see... Changing history like this has its good and bad sides. Now that I know the original Enrico returned after entering a real dungeon, he might be much more difficult to deal with than I imagined."
[Exactly. That's why it's best to be careful. After all, the only one who knows what really happened in the world created by Kronos is Kronos himself. After making that decision, he decided to have fun watching everything alone... If you want my opinion, I thought it was a pretty asshole move.]
"Yes, quite."
Enrico had barely finished agreeing when he heard a noise coming from the System, similar to the sound of someone getting hit on the head. The noise was so unexpected that he raised his eyebrows, but it wasn't long before the familiar voice sounded again.
[Enrico, never call Lord Kronos an asshole again, understand?!]
"I didn't call him an asshole. You did. I just agreed with your words since you made him sound like an asshole."
Another blow sounded inside his consciousness.
Enrico couldn't help smiling. While the System began spinning around him, apparently indignant about the situation, the boy decided to ignore that little commotion and turn his attention back to the conversation that was about to unfold in the room.
After all, this meeting could determine a large part of his future.
"So, this really is going to happen in the future... My king..."
Alaric raised one hand, stopping Hao before he could continue.
"I know. I'm already thinking about what we should do."
The king kept his eyes fixed on the spot where the memory had been projected. Although his expression remained relatively calm, it was evident that he was considering several possibilities at once.
"From what we saw, the barrier protecting this boy's mind is extremely powerful. Perhaps the only person capable of breaking through it is his brother, but I wouldn't want Enrico to end up dying because of his curiosity. We can simply ask the boy to tell us what he knows when he's ready to talk."
Hao nodded, agreeing with the decision.
"You're right, my lord. I don't want that to happen either. After all, I'm responsible for all the students at Astrong Academy. I don't intend to let one of them be put in unnecessary danger, especially after discovering what might happen to the world."
While the two were talking, Virelle approached the bed where Enrico's unconscious body lay. She carefully lifted him into her arms, silently making a decision as she looked at his face.
She now understood some things that had seemed strange to her before.
Angela had already told her about Enrico's behavior in dangerous situations, including the way he managed to remain calm even when everything around him seemed on the verge of collapsing. She had also mentioned the excited smile that appeared on his face whenever he managed to improve or learn something new.
Previously, Virelle had believed that this was simply a peculiar trait of the boy. Now, after watching the memories of that future, she was beginning to understand that there might be much more behind his behavior.
The Enrico they had just seen was someone who had spent years regretting his own choices. He had survived the destruction of the world, but he lacked the strength to protect anyone, much less change the situation he found himself in.
That despair could explain why the current Enrico seemed so determined to take advantage of every opportunity that came his way.
'I have already made my decision. Even if he can't overcome what's coming, I'll train him. But first, I need to know what the king intends to do.'
Virelle didn't want to act hastily. Although she had already decided to help Enrico become stronger, she needed to understand the kingdom's next steps. After all, a threat of that magnitude couldn't be faced through the efforts of just one teacher and her disciple.
She turned her attention to Alaric.
"My lord, what are your plans to prevent this future?"
The king remained silent for a few seconds.
Alaric wasn't known as the most powerful mage or knight in Sanos. His personal strength couldn't compare to that of the individuals at the top of the kingdom. Even so, there was a reason so many people considered him one of the best kings in Sanos's history.
He knew how to make decisions.
Even when he had little information, he could analyze the circumstances, identify the most urgent problems, and devise plans capable of preparing the kingdom for different possibilities. He didn't need to know every detail of a threat to begin taking action against it.
And at that moment, he had no intention of wasting what little time they might have left.
"First, I want us to obtain as much information as possible about the future directly from Enrico. We won't force him to reveal everything at once, but we need to understand the origin of the threat, the enemies we'll face, and what led the world to that situation."
Alaric raised one finger, indicating the first point of his plan.
"Second, I want all the kingdom's magic academies to take responsibility for training Ego Weapons. From what Hao reported, the tests conducted at Astrong seem to be working. If we can expand this training, we'll have more people prepared to face threats beyond our current capabilities."
Hao immediately nodded. As the director of Astrong Academy, he understood the importance of that project and realized that the king's decision could accelerate its development.
"Third, I want all Astrong students to be developed to their fullest potential. For now, no class will be eliminated. We can't afford to waste talent when we might need every bit of strength available to face the future."
Hao nodded once again.
"Understood, my lord. I'll reorganize the training sessions and speak with the class supervisors."
Alaric paused briefly, allowing everyone to absorb the initial measures. Then he continued.
"Fourth, as Angela mentioned, Enrico wants to establish alliances. I want you to send messages to the territories and continents that maintain friendly relations with us. We need to strengthen our ties before the situation becomes critical."
Angela, who was standing near the entrance, inclined her head in agreement. She knew Enrico's interests and understood that this decision could also help him achieve his goals.
"Fifth, send messages to the mages and knights throughout the kingdom. I want each of them to report their main abilities, specialties, and the resources they can provide if we need to mobilize our forces. We need to know what we can count on before deciding how to act."
The king lowered his hand and looked at those present.
"The rest will be decided after Enrico reveals more information about the future. There's no point in devising a definitive plan based on just a few memories. For now, take the boy somewhere to rest. When he wakes up, I'll speak with him again."
Everyone nodded.
Virelle let out a quiet sigh. She expected nothing less from Alaric. Even in the face of such a frightening revelation, the king had managed to turn his concern into concrete measures without making any rash decisions.
'Just like him, I need to be precise. I'll start training Enrico immediately, but I'll do it without drawing my family's attention.'
In the past, she hadn't believed he possessed the potential to justify such an investment. Back then, the boy had always seemed to be one step behind the others, and she saw no reason to give him special attention.
Everything had changed since that day.
The more she observed Enrico's behavior, the more interested she became in discovering just how far he could go. Even without possessing the potential of the student ranked first in the first year, he demonstrated a capacity for growth that couldn't be ignored.
And after watching those memories, Virelle had a new suspicion.
'Could that have been when he traveled back in time?'
She didn't have enough evidence to reach a conclusion, but she couldn't dismiss the possibility that the change in the boy's behavior was related to it.
Without dwelling on her thoughts, Virelle handed Enrico over to Angela.
"Take care of him while he's unconscious. Make sure he has a comfortable place to rest, and let me know as soon as he wakes up."
"Leave it to me, Miss Virelle."
Angela carefully took the boy's body and bowed before leaving the room. Her footsteps echoed through the corridor as she searched for one of the available bedrooms in the castle.
Enrico, however, was no longer inside his body.
While the adults continued discussing preparations for the future, he remained floating above them, observing the scene from a privileged position. His short hair seemed to sway in an invisible breeze, despite there being no wind in that place.
'How long will my soul keep floating? And why does it still look like Enrico even though it's outside the body?'
[Until the real Enrico's soul has been completely restored. That should take around ten to twenty minutes. As for your appearance, I don't know either. So don't ask me.]
Enrico looked at his hands and then at the rest of his body. The image reflected in his eyes was practically identical to the one he usually saw when looking at himself.
That raised a few questions.
Perhaps it was a consequence of his complete fusion with Enrico's body. After all, ever since he had begun living in this new reality, his appearance, experiences, and even reactions had blended together in ways he still didn't fully understand.
'Actually, now that I think about it, lately even I've been completely using the name Enrico...'
[What is it? Are you having an identity crisis?]
'I don't think so. It's more like I've gotten too used to this body. In a way, I can no longer imagine being called Saul inside my own head. It's weird.'
[Congratulations. You're discovering that spending so much time living as someone else can have consequences.]
'Thanks for the useless observation.'
[You're welcome.]
Enrico mentally sighed and turned his attention back to the conversation below.
Alaric and Hao were still discussing measures related to preparing the academies, especially the battle between them, whose organization Enrico had previously requested. The king seemed interested in turning that competition into an opportunity to evaluate the students' potential and identify those who could contribute the most to defending the kingdom.
Hao, in turn, explained how he intended to adapt the training sessions without completely disrupting the students' routines.
Enrico followed the conversation until he realized that the most important matters had already been discussed. Just as he was about to follow Angela, however, he heard the king's voice again.
"...Well, I think we've concluded the discussion for now. But I want to ask one more thing. When Enrico wakes up, find out everything you can about the real dungeon he entered."
Hao turned his attention to Alaric.
"A real dungeon, my lord?"
"Yes. The memory showed that he was taken to a dungeon, where he met that man named Kronos. We don't know how that place works, who created it, or why Enrico was chosen. This information could be just as important as the future he showed us."
Hao thought for a few moments before answering.
"I'll try to talk to him about it, my lord."
Enrico frowned slightly.
'Great. Now I'll have to ask the System to ask Kronos what that world was like.'
That could become a problem. He didn't know how willing Kronos would be to answer, or whether the Constellation would consider that information something that should remain secret.
Still, it wasn't an impossible difficulty to overcome. He just needed to find a way to ask the right questions.
Alaric finally stood up, bringing the meeting to an end.
"Excellent. For now, you may leave. Before that, call my daughter in. She should be waiting outside, as I ordered."
Hao raised his eyebrows.
"You're going to tell Princess Elowyn about this? Are you sure it'll work?"
The king looked at him without showing any hesitation.
"It'll work. She's my daughter and will be the next queen. Elowyn may not be a good person, but if she's doing this for the kingdom she will one day rule, we'll be able to reach an agreement. So don't worry about it."
Hao seemed to accept the answer, although he didn't appear completely convinced.
"Understood, my king."
"Also, Hao, keep the barriers active so we can reproduce the memories again if necessary."
"Yes, my king."
Enrico watched the conversation from above, keeping his expression blank as his hair continued swaying in that nonexistent breeze.
'Great. This is a problem.'
When the door opened, Elowyn entered the room.
The princess walked with an elegant posture, examining the surroundings before turning her attention to her father. Her gaze briefly passed over Hao and Virelle, as if she were trying to figure out what had happened during the meeting.
Enrico, who was still floating above them, suddenly felt the urge to approach her and punch her for all the trouble she had caused. However, he stopped himself when he realized that his consciousness was beginning to be pulled away from the room.
His time was up.
'I hope she doesn't cause me any trouble.'
[I hope she makes things more entertaining.]
Enrico shot the System an irritated look.
'Tsk. That won't annoy me, System.'
The next instant, his consciousness vanished from the room, returning to the body resting peacefully on the bed where Angela had placed him. She was taking care of the boy with a sorrowful expression.
And while Princess Elowyn began speaking with the king, Enrico had no idea that his next interaction with her could bring far more trouble than he would like to face.