Astion snapped back to his senses and screamed.
— W-Who are you, lunatics?!
— What do you think? We're the new owners of this body!
— S-Shut up! This is my body!
— Not anymoreeee!
When it came to teasing, Dark was second to none, often rivaling Claude and Alpoi back in the territory. Dark kept provoking Astion relentlessly.
Ghislain pressed his temples firmly. The argument between the two echoed in his head, causing an unbearable noise.
'Dark, quiet down a bit. Are you Astion?'
— Yeah, this is my body! How did you take it without my permission?!
'I don't know. It just worked?'
— Ugh...
Astion was at a loss for words.
He had briefly lost consciousness during the fight with the bandits. It wasn't an unusual occurrence for him. It was part of the process of accepting other entities scattered across the world.
But when he came to his senses, another entity had already taken over his body and was moving it.
He vaguely remembered the scene in his hazy state, but it had felt more like a dream at the time.
The other entities had always acted as advisors—never had they completely seized control of his body.
— F-Fine. Who are you?
'Me? I'm Ghislain Perdium, Grand Duke of Lutania and ruler of the North…'
Ghislain introduced himself grandly, but Astion remained skeptical even after hearing his words.
— Where's that? Such a kingdom doesn't exist. How far back are you from?
'I'm not from the past. I'm from the future.'
— F-Future? Is that even possible?
'Well, I'm here, aren't I? So yeah, it's possible.'
— …
Astion was speechless.
It was his first time encountering an entity from the future.
But he wasn't quick to believe it. Seeing the strange black figure attached to Ghislain made it more likely that Ghislain was just another lunatic.
In fact, most of the entities that had possessed Astion were far from sane—most were souls lingering in the world, unable to let go of their attachments.
Soon, Astion's cold voice echoed.
— This won't do. You're both weird beings.
Astion, the true owner of the body, had trained for a long time to gain the ability to expel possessing souls.
Unless it was mind control, no entity could resist his will if he refused their presence.
— Get out of my body.
Astion spoke firmly, ready to reclaim control.
'… Hmm.'
— W-What? Why isn't it working?!
'Something must've gone wrong. Want me to help?'
— T-This is my body! This has never happened before! Get out! I said get out!
As Astion panicked, Dark mocked him again.
— Told you, it's not your body anymore.
— Aaaaah!
Astion's screams echoed. Ghislain frowned and calmed him down for the moment.
'Don't panic so much. Since it's already happened, let's just live together for a while.'
— Live together?!
'What else can we do? It's not like I can leave.'
Ghislain remained nonchalant, convinced he would eventually wake up in the real world.
Astion groaned.
— N-No way. I have to help them grow…
'Can't I do that instead?'
— What do you know?! I had a plan for this!
'Oh… I like plans. I've got a few of my own.'
— Those guys are destined to save the world! I have to keep them on the right path without any distractions!
Ghislain paused at those words. That was the future. How could Astion know about it?
Ghislain pondered before asking.
'How do you know they're destined to save the world?'
— Why should I tell you?
'If you don't, I'll jump off this cliff.'
— …
Astion swallowed nervously. His body was being held hostage.
Possessing entities often had twisted personalities. It was understandable since they existed as pure consciousness.
If he acted out and Ghislain really jumped, Astion would be the one to suffer.
— … Fine. A great prophet once possessed my body when I was younger. He told me.
'You believed that?'
— I didn't at first. But it turned out to be true. He predicted many futures correctly.
'Like what? Any predictions I might find convincing?'
— He said they'd all become debtors.
'…'
— O-Okay, I admit it sounds ridiculous, but that's just one trial! To become heroes, they have to face trials. That's what he said!
Debt was painful, sure, but it was a rather mundane trial for a hero.
And given their poor backgrounds, it was highly likely these kids would end up in debt anyway.
Ghislain figured he could have made such a prediction himself.
'… Haha.'
— Don't laugh! I was chosen to guide them properly!
Ghislain nodded. Since he knew the outcome, he could accept it as true.
But without that knowledge, he might have just found it cute.
While Ghislain was deep in conversation with Astion, Yulian called out.
"Astion, what's wrong? Are you back to normal?"
Astion often appeared absent-minded while talking to possessing entities. Yulian wondered if he had finally regained himself.
Ghislain shook his head and answered.
"Oh, I was just talking with your friend."
"With Astion?"
"Yeah."
"What did he say? Why's he acting like this?"
"He doesn't really know why. But he asked me to take good care of you all."
"R-Really?"
Yulian's eyes showed doubt.
Astion had always been gloomy and spoke little. He never said affectionate things.
Yulian squinted suspiciously, but Ghislain beamed.
"Yup. He wants you to grow strong quickly and asked me to guide you well."
— When did I ever say that?!
Astion raged, but Ghislain ignored him.
Yulian and the others still looked unconvinced.
Yulian asked again.
"Did Astion really say that?"
"He did. He even said your debts were just one of the trials to becoming heroes."
"Ah…"
They'd heard that before. The three finally nodded. It seemed like Ghislain really had talked to Astion.
Kyle whispered to Deneb in amazement.
"Astion sure talks a lot in his mind, huh?"
"Yeah. Who knew he'd even ask someone to guide us properly?"
In reality, Astion was just flustered and ranting, but the innocent group had no way of knowing that.
Though half-convinced, they still harbored doubts about Astion's mental state. They only partially trusted Ghislain's words.
But they were easier to persuade than Ghislain expected. Maybe it was because they were still untainted by the world.
Ghislain turned back to Astion.
'So, what was your plan? Since I'm helping now, tell me.'
— I was going to train them while traveling, getting stronger.
'So, it's all about getting stronger, huh?'
— Y-Yeah.
'Got it. Leave it to me for now.'
— I-I should be the one doing it…
'You can't right now. Just guide me from here.'
— Ugh… You'd better not mess up.
'Don't worry. Training is my specialty. Just listen to me.'
— Tch. It's only temporary. I'm taking it back soon.
'Sure.'
Ghislain was unfazed, while Astion fumed quietly.
Despite his doubts, Astion didn't question Ghislain's abilities, having sensed his strength earlier.
— Fine… I'll rest for now…
With that, Astion slowly drifted off to sleep.
His voice, despite his earlier rage, sounded oddly peaceful—like he was finally getting some rest.
***
"Huff, huff ...."
Yulian, panting as he climbed the cliff, asked, "Is this really going to work?"
Ghislain, climbing beside him, frowned and replied, "Y-Yeah. Ugh... Why is my body so weak?"
They were on their way to raid a bandit hideout—by scaling a cliff, no less.
Their target was a group of bandits operating in a small barony. The bandits' hideout was built along a cliff, making it difficult for the territory's forces to mount an attack.
Because of this, the bandits were running rampant in the area, like fish in water.
After repeated failed attempts to subdue them, the territory's forces eventually struck a deal with the bandits.
Surprisingly, they agreed to collect taxes from the bandits in exchange for leaving them free to attack travelers and villages in the area.
Yulian was enraged when he learned about this.
"A lord, who is supposed to protect his people, made such a decision? Unforgivable!"
"It doesn't matter if you don't forgive them—there's nothing we can do about it."
At Kyle's words, Deneb nodded in agreement. They were still too young and powerless to do much.
With a look of frustration, Deneb asked, "Astion, what should we do in times like this? We can't ask the other lords for help, and we can't ask the villagers to join us in fighting."
"Call me Ghislain."
"... Fine, Ghislain."
Ghislain nodded in satisfaction and immediately offered a solution.
"We just get rid of the bandits. That's why we're here, isn't it?"
"But there are over a hundred of them. And they say there are even knight-level fighters among them."
Ghislain had noticed something surprising about this era—there were many knight-level fighters, even among the bandits.
Just as he'd seen in his dream, the average skill level of soldiers was incredibly high. It was the result of constant battles against the demon realm.
Moreover, deserters from regular armies, including knights, made up the core of these bandit groups. Endless wars and greedy nobles had driven them to this life.
In short, this era was one of unending chaos.
Ghislain pondered over what he had learned.
'But how did they even manage to create such a strong army?'
The human alliance he saw in his dream had been powerful. It was their unity and skilled soldiers that allowed them to stand against their enemies.
But in the current situation, assembling such an army seemed nearly impossible.
'Hmm, was it thanks to Yulian and Deneb?'
Someone had to act as a unifying force. In the dream, Yulian and Deneb had played that role.
But looking at the two of them now, so naïve and inexperienced, it was hard to imagine them leading such a monumental effort.
No matter how exceptional they were, bringing humanity together wouldn't be easy.
'Maybe the dragons helped.'
Dragons had also participated in the war. If they had stepped forward, forming an alliance might not have been as difficult.
For now, Ghislain decided to observe longer. Training had to come first.
"Don't worry. We can handle it. Just trust me. All you have to do is listen to me, okay?"
With that, Ghislain led the group toward the cliff, insisting on his plan to ambush the bandits by climbing it.
However, everyone was already exhausted before they even finished climbing.
Deneb and Kyle groaned as they struggled to keep up.
"G-Ghislain! We'll be out of strength before we even start fighting!"
"If we fight like this, we'll be the ones who die!"
But Ghislain kept climbing without paying them any mind.
"You have to push yourself to the limit… That's how your senses sharpen and your skills improve quickly. Just… keep climbing."
Ghislain himself was also struggling. Astion's body, weakened from focusing only on studies, was far from physically fit.
The four climbed the cliff while using minimal mana and holy power, reserving their strength for the fight.
By the time they reached the back of the bandit hideout, they were completely drained.
"Ughhhh!"
The moment they touched solid ground, all four of them collapsed, groaning.
But they couldn't afford to stay down.
"Who the hell are they?!"
"How did they get up here?!"
"Catch them now!"
The bandits on guard spotted them and rushed over, yelling.
Ghislain used his staff to prop himself up, trembling as he stood.
"Get up… The ambush… starts now."
The three others stared at Ghislain in despair.
It was a meaningless ambush, leaving them exhausted before the real fight had even begun.
[T/L: I need your support, dear readers. I will give discount to all those who will buy the rest of the chapters all together, so please support me the reader on my webnovel platform and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]