In the eastern lands, a land called "Nozomi" where the shogun revealed himself to be an oni and brought ruin upon the nation, an intervention arose led by seven individuals—four inhabitants of that land and three foreigners.
The battle that followed was bloody, forever etched into history as "Nozomi no Tsubasa", or, in other words, "Wings of Hope." It was in the great metropolis of Shimabara that the fate of the people was decided, and there their liberation began.
Until then, the population had suffered under an iron hand, sustained by misinformation. They knew nothing of magic, nor of creatures beyond humanity. Anything that defied the norm was simply labeled as an oni.
As for the foreigners responsible for that side of the conflict—those were the three of us.Virgil Liadon, a renowned professor and one of the ten most powerful magic users in Wissenia; Shadow, the somber master of illusions and Virgil's direct disciple; and finally—and of course, the most important—me, Locke. The greatest treasure hunter this world has ever seen.
(Or a half-baked thief, depending on who you ask.)
As for the four natives of that land… well, that's a story for another time. And believe me—they deserve an entire story of their own.
Now, you might be wondering why I'm telling you about this little adventure alongside my master and my teammate. The answer is simple: it's been about thirty years since all of that happened, and I somehow ended up owing Virgil an entire wag"55e3c24b-41f2-fa7b-9a23-3d82dd73341e">Elmund. An absolute waste of my talents as a treasure hunter.
(It isn't.)
The world is clearly losing out while I'm stuck in this mediocre life.
(It isn't. In fact, it's grateful.)
Still… when it's a direct request from Master Virgil, it's hard to say no—especially given the urgency conveyed in his letter. What truly intrigues me is just how valuable the "Omega Tome" must be for him to abandon his post and entrust it to me of all people.
Before his letter, we had last met about three months prior. He seemed distant, troubled, only to then drop that bombshell. As of now, it's been a little over four years since I last saw him.
Part of me wants to go after him, but abandoning the academy—and everything he entrusted to me—would be reckless. For now, there isn't much I can do besides wait. At the very least, things are apparently about to get more interesting, since Headmistress Abigail has assigned me guardianship over this year's new "prodigies" for the first-tier class.
Shadow was tasked with verifying the information we received about the boys and their abilities. And yes… it was as accurate as a blowgun dart hitting a fly.
Apparently, their names are Adeux, Benu, and Eldrin.
From what we've gathered, Adeux lives in a cluster of underground caverns near the ruins of Chainmon—a place I've explored before. That should make things easier.It'll be simpler to start there.
I just hope those three aren't the annoying, whiny nerd types, full of complaints and nonsense, who can't take a joke and start crying…
May Grutok[1] help me on this journey.
[1] Main celeste/deity of magic