Kenneth had a dream again—the same kind of dream he'd had on the day Lu Kang arrived.
He dreamed once more of his childhood, of the previous Lord El-Melloi, his grandfather, murmuring the records of the 'Luviaseta' family into his ear...
When the dream shattered and he awoke, the first thing he saw was still the ceiling of the El-Melloi manor, with its ancient crystal chandelier.
Kenneth El-Melloi Archisorte sat up in bed. A servant, who had long been standing in wait, handed him a towel, and he wiped his face simply.
"What time is it?" he asked in a deep voice.
The servant took the used towel back from Kenneth and replied respectfully, "It is 7:30 AM, London time, sir."
"7:30..." Kenneth's eyes narrowed slightly.
This was his fixed time to wake every day.
Kenneth, who prided himself on being a one-of-a-kind genius, was always strict with himself—except when it came to matters concerning his fiancée, Sola-Ui.
However, the task Sola-Ui had entrusted to him was already complete.
And it was completed with perfect efficiency.
"If I calculate the time, Sola-Ui should be on her way to that so-called 'haunted house' on the outskirts of London by now, right?" Kenneth murmured to himself.
The task Sola-Ui had given him was precisely for this 'ghost hunt.' His fiancée, Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri, though from a noble family of the Clock Tower like himself, was not of the direct lineage. She was the child of a distant wife of the head of the Department of Spiritual Evocation and thus did not possess the qualifications to inherit her family's Magic Crest.
But Kenneth knew his fiancée well. She was always competitive and decisive. This trip to the so-called haunted house was her attempt to capture the malevolent spirit rumored to be rampaging there, to prove that she possessed sufficient talent in spiritual evocation.
She had only asked Kenneth to help her prepare some items for the ritual.
But Kenneth had already gone to the haunted house in advance and captured the 'spirit' himself. When Sola-Ui arrived, she would be met by a servant who was already bound and ready to submit to her.
Kenneth thought to himself that Sola-Ui would surely be very pleased with this outcome. Beside him, the servant seemed to want to say something, hesitated, then stopped himself...
Seeing that Kenneth was very satisfied and had put the matter aside, the servant ultimately said nothing.
But then Kenneth spoke again, "What is that guy doing now?"
"In the library, sir," the servant responded.
"The library... a truly diligent student," Kenneth mused, touching the corner of his lip. "He's been here for three days now, hasn't he?"
"For these past three days, he has been in the library?"
"Yes, sir."
Receiving the servant's affirmative answer, Kenneth was suddenly reminded of the dream he just had.
Dreams are prophecies.
Luviaseta... perhaps in the future, the name would once again shine brilliantly in the world of mystics.
Kenneth slowly rose from his bed.
"Bring me that copy of the Book of the Law."
"I need to read it again."
He said as much. But then he paused, his brow furrowed slightly as he added, "And bring me The Thrice-Great from beside it as well."
The Thrice-Great.
A mystic text that elaborates on the triple circulation of body, consciousness, and soul.
It was said to have been written during the Hundred Years' War in France.
It was also said...
That it was the main source of inspiration for Luviaseta's Book of the Law.
'Great is the consciousness, the soul, and the body.'
'And great is humanity itself.'
—The Thrice-Great.
...
In a flash, three days had passed.
Inside the library on the third floor of the El-Melloi manor, sunlight fell like dust upon the rows of bookshelves, casting distinct specks of light and shadow on the covers of the neatly arranged books.
Lu Kang sat at a table between the shelves.
He was reading a book.
But he was also waiting for sunset.
The El-Melloi library was undoubtedly large and well-stocked, but it was still a far cry from the former Imperial Library of the Tsar.
After all, Kenneth would never unconditionally grant Lu Kang access to the secrets of the El-Melloi faction.
The books here were only shallow works, not particularly rare in either the mundane or the reverse side of the world.
Three days was enough time for Lu Kang to give them all a simple read-through.
So now, he was simply passing the time.
And calculating the moment the simulation would begin again—
Minute by minute, second by second.
The hands on the wall clock turned slowly.
Finally.
Sunset arrived.
[Dream Fragments Assembled]
A voice in his mind startled Lu Kang.
It's finally here.
A smile touched his lips.
In the lamplit library, he gently pressed his temples. He thought to himself that after three days without 'seeing' it, the 'system spirit' in his mind seemed to have gotten smarter...
[Authenticity confirmed. Verdict: Simulation commencing.]
This thing has even learned to answer before I ask!
Lu Kang was slightly amused.
Having waited for so long, he had no intention of wasting time. He said decisively, "Then let's begin."
I hope I can infiltrate the 'Church' this time.
And I hope this time...
I can place my 'relic' in a location where I can retrieve it more quickly!
When that time comes, I won't have to wait for the Barthomeloi to come knocking—
I will go to them myself!
Lu Kang thought to himself, though he couldn't be too certain—after all, he had only awakened the simulator a short time ago. Many of its patterns were still unclear, and he couldn't be sure if the simulations were based purely on luck or if they were guided in some way.
Perhaps it's all just luck?
I just hope my luck is as good this time as it was last time!
This was his final thought.
Then, darkness washed over him—just like before, when he first entered the simulation, it submerged his vision and consciousness.
[Confirmation to Begin]
The system spirit responded once more.
It said:
[Welcome to the infinite possibilities of the past.]
...
[Year: 1405]
[Ten years after the peace treaty was signed between England and France. After being ravaged by a long war, the Kingdom of France, despite achieving some victories in its later counter-offensives, is still filled with widespread suffering and is in desperate need of time to recover.]
[However, everyone knows the truce is only temporary.]
[The Kingdom of England, still occupying five important ports in northern France, is constantly sharpening its blades. The ambitious English king is ready to restart the war at any moment.]
[It is in this year of brief, peaceful respite...]
[You are born in a village in the south-central region of France.]
[Your father is a low-ranking veteran of the French counter-offensive, now serving as the village constable. Your mother was once the daughter of a nobleman, but now her hands are stained with soil.]
[You are the crystallization of their love, and their greatest hope for the future.]
[They name you Victoire, meaning 'Victor'—since war is inevitable, they hope you will achieve victory in the future and survive.]
[They hope for you to grow up healthy and strong, but fate has other plans. At just two months old, you are struck by a serious illness that leaves you frail and sickly.]
[Though frail, you are exceptionally intelligent.]
[At one year old, you have mastered the language for daily communication. Your talent brings your parents immense joy.]
[But your body shows no signs of growing stronger; you always appear smaller than children your age.]
[They are both happy and worried.]
[At two years old, while others your age can run and jump, you become breathless and nearly faint just from running. Your parents worry, but this leads you to enjoy staying home and reading books.]
[They are still both happy and worried.]
[At three, you immerse yourself in books daily. Your body shows no improvement. Your father wanted you to train with him, not to join the army like him, but simply to be able to protect yourself. Seeing your condition, he can only give up the idea.]
[This year, you finish all the few books your family owns, leaving you wanting more.]
[At four, your body is still weak compared to your peers. To secure a good future for you, your parents hire a mysterious teacher from a nearby city.]
[This year, you gain a teacher, a young silver-haired woman named 'François Prelati'. She is a renowned master of the mystic arts of this era. She had an acquaintance with your mother, who was once a noble, and agreed to become your teacher because of this connection.]
[At five, you study all sorts of knowledge from books with your teacher every day. You can always deduce new principles from the contents of the books. Your intelligence earns great praise from François.]
[In your sixth year, your teacher suddenly asks you one day in a mysterious tone—]
[—If you would like to learn the legendary 'Magecraft' with her?]
[Having already learned what 'Magecraft' is from books, you agree without hesitation—you know it is a mystical power that exists in the world, one that can allow you to run as freely as a normal person.]
[Having been sickly since childhood, you have always longed to run freely like an ordinary person.]
[It is only then that you realize the books your teacher had been giving you were all introductory texts to Magecraft. That was how you knew what Magecraft and Mystery were. She had seen your potential long ago and was secretly guiding you into the halls of Magecraft.]
[From that day on, you study Magecraft with your teacher daily. Your teacher says you are a freak among commoners, a genius of 'Atavism'.]
[You possess forty-six main Magic Circuits and over sixty auxiliary circuits. This is an accumulation that even mage families with centuries of heritage have not achieved.]
[Both intelligent and gifted with powerful magical talent, you quickly complete your own Mystic Crest as a first-generation magus, making the leap from an ordinary person to a magus.]
[It is a unique crest of Mental Magecraft, and it allows you to communicate with a new Demon God.]
[Your teacher is surprised and delighted by this. She becomes even more curious about your future.]
[This year, you are eight years old. You have formally 'entered the school' and 'graduated'.]
[To enter the school is to graduate.]
[This process took you only two years.]
[After graduation, it is time to leave your teacher and study independently, to find your own path—your teacher had also planned to leave.]
[But in this same year,]
[Your teacher receives a letter from afar. She halts her plans to leave alone and suddenly approaches you, wanting to take you with her to visit some of her friends.]
['Time to show off a bit.']
[Though she doesn't say it outright, you can see that intention on her face.]
[Coincidentally, your Magecraft studies have reached a growth period that requires time to develop.]
[You feel it's time to go out and see the world.]
--------------------------------
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