"Oh…"
Ghislain's eyes widened in amazement.
Was this what the Saintess meant when she said they would meet soon? Had he come to the past in a dream?
It was different from simply observing in his dreams. He could move his body freely and even interact with others.
Ghislain smiled brightly, finding it fascinating. Yulian, however, shouted in frustration.
"He's broken again! He's malfunctioning!"
A girl standing a little distance away made a tearful face.
"What? Really? Why now?"
Dusty, worn-out clothes and tangled hair.
At first glance, she looked like an ordinary rural girl. No one passing by would have given her a second look.
But if they knew who she was, they would kneel in reverence.
"Saintess?"
Ghislain's question made the Saintess recoil in shock.
"What's wrong with him? He just called me a Saintess!"
The Saintess held a mace. Her dirty clergy robe suggested she was a combat priestess.
Of course, she didn't exude the overwhelming power of Parniel. She gave off the presence of an ordinary priestess at most.
Both Yulian and the Saintess were fighting someone. Judging by their rough appearances and mismatched outfits, they looked like bandits.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The two fought skillfully. The bandits charging at them were quickly beaten down.
Still, it wasn't an overwhelming display like what Ghislain had seen in his dreams. They had the strength of average knights.
Ghislain, meanwhile, continued watching the fight with curiosity.
"Die, you bastard!"
Just then, someone approached Ghislain and swung an axe.
Ghislain's body reacted instinctively. He spun his staff and struck the bandit's jaw.
Thud!
The bandit collapsed. Yulian gawked in surprise.
"What the—! How did you do that just now?"
Ghislain couldn't answer. He just stared blankly at his hands.
"This isn't… my body?"
Something felt off as he moved. The sense of distance was slightly different.
Upon inspection, his hands were smaller. His arms and legs were shorter.
Yulian and the Saintess looked young too, but their physiques didn't seem drastically different from the dreams.
But Ghislain was different. His body was clearly smaller than before.
"Could it be…?"
Among the Hero's companions, there was a boy who always wore a gloomy expression— the smallest of the group and a 9th-circle mage.
Realizing this, Ghislain quickly examined his body.
"…Oh."
Sure enough, he felt powerful mana pulsing from his heart. At least 5th-circle level.
He didn't even seem to be an adult yet but already possessed such talent. A true prodigy.
"So… I've entered someone else's body?"
It felt as though scattered puzzle pieces were finally fitting together.
In the dream, the Saintess had shown him the battle between the Hero and the Adversary and asked:
— Did you see?
— Did it help you? I heard it would help.
— I don't know you well. But my mage friend talked about you a lot.
— Our friend from the future.
Recalling her words sent chills down Ghislain's spine.
Back then, he couldn't make sense of it. It sounded absurd.
But now…
'So that's what the mage friend meant!'
He didn't know why this was happening, but he was clearly witnessing the past through someone else's body.
And the mage had apparently told the Saintess in advance to help him see something useful for the future.
'Was this body who sent the message?'
Although he didn't know the full story yet, Ghislain began piecing things together based on the Saintess's words.
"Wow, is this really possible?"
He examined his body with fascination. Yulian and the Saintess stared at him like he was crazy.
Then Yulian suddenly shouted.
"Hey! Look! He's getting away! The boss is escaping!"
"Huh?"
Ghislain turned his head. Sure enough, someone was running fast.
Judging by the speed, the man had some skill. A bandit leader with knight-level abilities?
"Let's go! We can't let him get away!"
Yulian yelled and dashed off. The Saintess followed. Ghislain also started running after them.
Years of mercenary work had taught him to act first and think later in urgent situations.
As he ran, Ghislain glanced at Yulian and the Saintess.
'Are they still this young?'
It was clear the Hero and his companions were still in their early stages.
"They are strong for their age, but…"
Compared to the overwhelming power he'd seen in the dreams, they seemed almost cute.
"We're losing ground! Astion! Cast a spell or something! Slow him down!"
Yulian looked back and shouted at Ghislain. Ghislain turned his head, confused.
His expression seemed to ask, Who's Astion?
The Saintess, still running, looked exasperated.
"You're Astion. That's you."
"Oh, really? That's me?"
The Saintess nodded blankly.
"Hm…"
Ghislain pondered as he ran. How was he supposed to cast a spell?
He didn't know any spells. What use was mana if he didn't know how to shape it?
He could mimic spells by manipulating mana, but that was inefficient. Instead…
After a brief hesitation, Ghislain pulled his staff back.
He recalled a "magic trick" he'd learned from Jerome in his previous life.
"Shall I give it a try? Magic."
Ghislain had some knowledge of handling mana. Dark's power was close to mana, and his mana cultivation technique was inspired by magic tome.
His mana burst forth, moving like his cultivation technique.
Rumble…
The staff in his hand trembled as mana gathered, not into the staff but into his arms and hands.
Ghislain then hurled the staff with great force.
Whoosh!
The staff flew at an incredible speed, striking the back of the bandit leader's head.
Boom!
"Urgh!"
The bandit leader fell, blood trickling from the back of his head. He was tough enough to survive, but his injury left him staggering.
The Saintess gawked in disbelief and asked, "W-What was that? Was that magic?"
Ghislain brushed his hair back and answered, "Ah… don't you know? This is called 'Magic Missile'…"
Jerome had also made excuses like this in the past.
The bandit leader struggled to his feet and tried to run again, but Yulian quickly caught up.
Slash!
Yulian's sword cut into the bandit leader's back.
"Gah…"
The bandit leader turned to fight back, but Yulian's blade was faster.
Slice!
The sword slit his throat, and he collapsed, blood gushing from his neck.
"Whew…"
Yulian wiped his sweat and let out a relieved sigh.
When Ghislain arrived, Yulian stared coldly and asked, "Was that… really magic?"
"Well… when something defies logic, it's basically magic."
"…You know you're acting really weird, right?"
"Of course. I'm well aware."
"…"
"But you're strange too."
"Me? How?"
"There's just… something about you."
Yulian furrowed his brows, tilting his head.
Ghislain grinned. The Yulian he knew never reacted like this.
'He only looks the same. His personality is completely different.'
The Hero had been full of passion—completely opposite to the cold and distant Yulian Ghislain remembered.
The Saintess confirmed the bandit leader's death and said, "We need to hurry and rescue Kyle and the others!"
Yulian nodded.
"Yeah, they must be inside."
He led the group toward the largest building.
Ghislain followed, asking the Saintess, "Who's Kyle?"
"Kyle is Kyle. What kind of question is that? What's wrong with you?"
"Hmm…"
Ghislain felt awkward. How could he explain this? They'd probably think he was crazy.
This wasn't his first time in an odd situation. For now, he decided to play along and observe.
'Not only did I regress to my childhood, now I've come even further back—and in someone else's body, no less.'
Taking over someone else's body was a fascinating experience. Perhaps the body's owner would explain things later.
Ghislain thought as he followed Yulian.
'The Saintess said she didn't know me at first.'
Only the mage had recognized him. The Saintess had mentioned hearing about him from the mage.
But later, she acted as though she knew him well.
'Could this moment be why? Did meeting me here lead to that?'
'Ugh, my head hurts.'
Ghislain decided to stop overthinking. Such puzzles were better left to mages.
His role was clear.
'I need to figure out what happened in the past.'
This might make it easier to find the Adversary once he returned to reality. He might even uncover other clues—like what Erenes was hiding.
'Wait, but… when do I wake up?'
He couldn't afford to stay here forever. Ghislain reached out to Dark.
'Dark.'
— M…Master.
'Oh, you're here too?'
Surprisingly, Dark's voice reached him. It seemed his connection with Dark persisted.
— Agh! My head's spinning! What is this place?!
Dark's panicked voice echoed, but Ghislain ignored it.
'What's happening to my body? What about the others?'
— I don't know! I suddenly blacked out and got dragged here! Wait, let me check.
Dark went silent to investigate.
— M…Master…
A moment later, Dark's voice returned—slow and strained.
'What? What's wrong?'
— Ugh! I can't move!
'What do you mean?'
— I tried to go back, but my body feels so heavy! I can't get out! Everything's so slow!
'Slow?'
— Yeah! Time is different! It's definitely slower here!
'Ah.'
Ghislain quickly understood. His consciousness had traveled into the past, but not physically.
It was more like a dream, where only his mind occupied another's body. Naturally, time would flow differently.
This was actually good news.
'I can take my time here.'
Reality was moving much slower, so he had plenty of time to explore this world without worry.
'They'll take care of my body.'
Ghislain wasn't too concerned about his physical body. The continent's strongest warriors were guarding him.
'Time to uncover the truth.'
Ghislain grinned. Unlike those who might panic, he enjoyed challenges like this.
As he followed Yulian, Ghislain casually asked the Saintess, "By the way, what's your name?"
Since they seemed close, he spoke comfortably. The Saintess clicked her tongue and replied, "Why do you keep acting weird? Do you really not remember, or are you pretending?"
"Ah… there's a reason. I'll explain later."
He figured the body's owner would sort things out later.
The Saintess seemed ready to scold him but just shook her head instead. Ghislain laughed.
It seemed this mage had always been a bit eccentric.
The Saintess sighed and said, "Deneb. It's Deneb."
Hearing the name, Ghislain froze.
That name… sounded very familiar.
He blurted out, "…My cosmetic brand?"
The continent's best-selling cosmetic product shared Saintess's name.
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