"Do you wish to witness history through the eyes of an immortal?"
Koshelna's gaze swept across the classroom, her voice calm yet powerful.
Some students looked thrilled, eyes sparkling with curiosity and reverence. Others appeared hesitant, uncertainty clouding their expressions.
After all, not everyone knew that Duke Kashchey could inhabit other people's bodies. Only certain noble students from powerful families were aware of that hidden truth.
Aside from a few fanatical aristocrats who worshipped the Duke and would gladly sacrifice themselves for him, most noble students were wary. The idea of becoming a part of Him unsettled them.
They stared at the teacher at the podium—the familiar, kind Koshelna—now seeming both close and impossibly distant.
"Relax, children," she said gently. "Your current worldview is confined within narrow limits."
"Your birthplace, your hometown, your race's customs—they all shape you, but they also bind you. These chains prevent you from realizing your full potential."
"Today, I will help you break free from those constraints. You will experience the lives of people from different backgrounds—different classes, races, and identities."
"If you do not wish to participate, you are free to leave. The teacher will never force you."
"But know this—this is a rare opportunity. What would take you decades of effort to understand, you could grasp in a single class. You could expand your thinking far beyond what you ever imagined."
Murmurs rippled through the classroom. Tension hung in the air. But not a single student stood up to leave—not even the nobles who had been visibly nervous.
They were afraid of Kashchey, yes. But they were also young.
And youth often burns with passion, a yearning for greatness, and a thirst for the extraordinary.
How could they retreat in the face of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
Besides, rumors claimed that Kashchey only ever possessed those who had provoked Him—enemies who had earned His wrath.
Compared to the possible risks, the potential gains were too great to ignore.
Following her instructions, the students quietly closed their eyes.
Koshelna then separated a single thick strand of memory, splitting it into dozens of parts, gently guiding each into the consciousness of a different student.
An immortal who had lived for over a thousand years, who operated in countless domains, who was born with extraordinary insight—her memories were vast and profound.
She did not alter the memories. She did not embed commands or manipulate their wills.
This land held many who could detect possession, and most of Her students—after receiving Her teachings—would become powerful influencers in the future of Ursus.
Not everyone had the privilege of learning directly from an immortal.
To avoid future discord, she did not wish to turn any student into an enemy.
The benefits of sincere admiration far outweighed those of fear.
To them, She was a living legend—immortal, powerful, unwavering.
And most importantly, to their eyes… a kind immortal.
Rarely doing anything underhanded.
(At least, that's what they believed.)
---
The classroom remained silent for the entire session, a heavy and contemplative stillness hanging between the teacher and her students.
Each student was immersed in memories unlike anything they had ever experienced before—memories they could never have reached on their own.
An aristocrat, shielded all his life from hardship, lived the life of a commoner—one who had been cast out and forced to wander after offending a noble.
A commoner, who spent each day consumed with hatred toward the aristocracy, relived the days of a devoted count from the early Ursus Empire—only to die at the hands of a mob incited by his political enemies.
A student who once loudly declared that the Infected were worthless and should be exiled, now found himself walking in the shoes of an Infected person—someone who had once lived a joyful, peaceful life, until everything was stripped away by the disease and society's rejection.
Another student, a passionate defender of Infected rights, who believed in absolute equality, experienced the life of a kind-hearted man. This man had spent his life working to support and protect the Infected. Yet, some Infected rejected his well-intentioned rules, feeling humiliated by them. A confrontation followed—and through accidental contact, he became infected himself, ultimately losing everything he had once stood for.
---
"Children, it's time to wake up."
Koshelna clapped her hands softly, snapping the students out of their deep introspection.
"Teacher, this…"
Some students opened their eyes slowly, their expressions shaken, their words caught in their throats.
Koshelna smiled gently.
"Relax, children. It was only a dream—a very vivid one. What you saw was merely the history your teacher has observed. Like reading a powerful story, you felt it, but it wasn't your own."
She reassured them with warmth in her voice.
The memories she had shared were like watching a film—carefully crafted, just intense enough to touch their hearts, but not so real as to overwhelm them. She couldn't allow them to fully lose themselves in others' lives.
They were still students, after all.
"The teacher simply wanted to offer you another perspective—not to deny your beliefs, nor to destroy your dreams. If you want to reach those dreams, you must not only keep your head down and march forward—you must also lift your eyes, and understand the world around you."
She looked at them, her gaze filled with sincerity.
"You believe that the May sun can melt the snow on the tundra. You believe that Ursus—colder and harder than even that frozen land—can also thaw and change."
"And I… I believe that Ursus can ignite, like a spark cradled in the palm of your hand."
"Be bold, children. Ursus has already lived through its first millennium. You—and the spirited children of tomorrow—will be the ones to lead her into her second and third."
"And I will be there, watching as your greatness takes root."
Her words swept away the lingering confusion in the students' hearts. What they had experienced had not broken them. Instead, it strengthened them. Their ideals, once shaken, now burned brighter than ever.
---
Koshelna stepped out of the classroom, her figure calm and composed, and returned to Kashchey's mansion—escorted by Snake Scale.
The Emperor's Blade stepped into the room and saw Koshelna quietly seated in a chair, while Kashchey was bent over a desk, revising a technical drawing.
Unable to contain himself, he asked, "Your Excellency… I mean no offense, but there's a question that's troubled me for a long time—ever since I first heard about your deeds as a child…"
"Go ahead," Kashchey replied without looking up. This was to be the final revision of the doll's blueprint, designed to perfectly match the characteristics of Koshelna's body.
If the process succeeded, then every student who had studied under Koshelna would serve as a potential vessel for Kashchey's future resurrection.
It was a far more subtle method than embedding his will—nearly impossible to detect.
To prevent the future from becoming a web of emotional entanglements between a benevolent teacher and loyal students, He had resolved to lay traps in advance.
"I can do without them—but I cannot do without the means to destroy them."
The Emperor's Blade hesitated, then spoke in a low voice:
"Your true form… is it male or female?"
The last few words were barely above a whisper, like the buzz of a mosquito.
It's over, he thought, a wave of regret already washing over him. Will this offend Him?
But the question had lingered in his heart for years. Ever since childhood, he'd been fascinated by the legends of Duke Kashchey—and the Empire's intelligence division hadn't provided any answers, either.
"I haven't thought about it," Kashchey replied offhandedly.
The question meant little to Him; no one had ever asked before.
After all, who would dare ask an immortal such a trivial thing?
"Is this Emperor's Blade a bit of a fool?" Kashchey mused. "Has the Empire's cutting edge dwindled to mere brute strength?"