Amid the celebration, Sengoku felt a familiar presence touch his mind. Lady Akemi contacted him telepathically, her voice urgent in his thoughts.
"Sengoku, your father has suffered a stroke. You must return to your stronghold immediately."
The news cut through his triumphant mood. Without hesitation, he summoned one of his generals.
"Either take the mountain tribes and shadow clans hostage, kill them, or better yet, make them our own," Sengoku ordered.
The general grunted in acknowledgment.
Sengoku felt his magical energy slightly replenishing after the brief rest. It would be enough for the journey. He signaled to his six remaining wives, and together they took to the sky, leaving behind the newly conquered castle.
The flight to his stronghold was swift but tense.
Sengoku's mind raced with thoughts of his father. Despite their differences, Koga was still the patriarch of their clan, and his sudden illness could have significant implications for their power structure.
Upon reaching the castle, Sengoku was surprised to see his father standing in the courtyard, appearing completely unaffected.
Nickan, observing through Sengoku's eyes, was confused by this sight. Didn't he have a stroke?
Before Nickan could consider further, Sengoku voiced the very question.
"Didn't you have a stroke?" Sengoku asked, landing before his father.
Koga, a robust man with graying hair and the same scaled features as his son, though less pronounced, gave a dismissive wave. "I did, but all better now."
Lady Akemi rushed into the courtyard, her elegant robes flowing behind her. Despite her hurry, not a strand of her perfectly arranged hair was out of place.
"There you are! I've been searching for you, my lord! You should rest!" she admonished Koga.
Koga let out a boisterous laugh. "So what!? I'll be better as long as I f*ck myself a whore!"
Sengoku's face twisted with disgust. "Go to hell, ya dirty geezer."
"I'll be going then, ya whippersnapper!" Koga replied, still laughing. He turned and headed toward a grand carriage waiting at the castle gates.
"Yah, leave. I'm tired of war fight," Sengoku muttered as his father departed.
With Koga gone, Lady Akemi turned her attention to Sengoku and his wives. Her eyes scanned the group, and her brow furrowed slightly.
"Where's Suzu?" she inquired.
"She was the traitor, so I killed her," Sengoku replied flatly.
A smug smile crept across Lady Akemi's face. "That means you have six wives. Want me to be a part of it?"
Nickan, still observing through Sengoku's consciousness, assessed Lady Akemi from top to bottom. She was indeed well-off in terms of appearance, with a beauty that defied categorization. He thought Sengoku might accept the offer, but instead:
"In your dreams! You're older than my father," Sengoku scoffed.
Nickan was confused by this statement. Lady Akemi appeared to be in her prime, certainly not older than the aged Koga. As if sensing his thoughts, Lady Akemi chuckled.
"You're right! It's been so long! Two hundred years perhaps," she admitted.
Nickan's confusion grew. How was she still alive if she was over two centuries old? Was she not human? Again, Sengoku provided the answer as if responding to Nickan's unspoken questions.
"Yup, lucky for you dragon blood made you live longer than elves, but most die in the process," Sengoku explained.
"Yeah! Anyway, the world council has asked for your presence," Lady Akemi said, changing the subject.
Sengoku raised an eyebrow. "That's odd! What did I do this time?"
"Maybe it's about the sacred grounds," Lady Akemi suggested.
"Ah, could be! I've already killed the betrayer, so shouldn't be a problem then," Sengoku replied confidently. He turned to Fuzu, one of his wives.
"Fetch Suzu's body. We'll present it as evidence."
Fuzu bowed and departed immediately. The remaining wives stood in silence, exchanging nervous glances. Lady Akemi seemed unbothered, examining her nails as they waited.
A scream shattered the quiet atmosphere.
Moments later, Fuzu came rushing back, her scaled face pale with shock.
"Husband, the body is gone!" she exclaimed.
"What?" Sengoku rushed to the spot where Suzu's body had been left. As Fuzu had said, there was no sign of the decapitated corpse.
Both the body and head had vanished without a trace.
Inwardly, Sengoku cursed. "Damn it! It had to be now of all times."
Nickan wondered what this development meant, but before he could contemplate further, he noticed Sengoku swaying on his feet. The extended use of dragon magic, combined with the battles and flight, had finally taken their toll. Sengoku collapsed to the ground, unconscious from fatigue.
As Sengoku's consciousness faded, so did Nickan's connection to him. Nickan suddenly found himself back in his familiar room, lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling. He sat upright and grasped the book. As expected, the moments he had just experienced as Sengoku were now recorded in golden letters, and what were once blank pages were now filled with content.
Recalling his mission to change the book's content, Nickan took out a pen and attempted to write on the pages. To his frustration, no ink appeared on the paper despite his efforts. Thinking the pen might be empty, he tried another one with the same result.
The realization dawned on him—the book's content couldn't be altered. He would have to relive the story exactly as written, unable to change the course of events. This troubled him deeply. He didn't know how the story would end, and now he understood he had no power to influence it.
Nickan tousled his hair in frustration but soon regained his composure. If his grandfather had managed to complete this challenge, so could he. This was his chance to surpass his grandfather after his death, by perfectly reliving the book's content.
Before continuing with the newly formed content, Nickan decided to check if anything had changed in his system. A blue display appeared before him:
[Welcome to Memoir System!]
Name: Nickan Wole
Age: 27
Talent: None
Story relived class rank: SSS
Disappointment settled in as he noted his talent option remained empty. He thought of Sengoku's multiple talents, admiring the dragonslayer's abilities. But dwelling on what he lacked wouldn't change anything.
Another realization struck him—he'd felt no hunger while experiencing life as Sengoku. In fact, Sengoku hadn't eaten at any point during the events Nickan had relived. With this in mind, Nickan decided to continue without eating before entering the story world again to see what happens.
Grasping the book with renewed interest, he began reading the newly formed content. What he discovered surprised him, raising questions about what would happen at the world council meeting. Would Sengoku be alright?
Having finished reading and deliberately not eating anything, Nickan noticed a timer appear before him. Unlike before, this countdown was set for thirty minutes. Then, the familiar female voice spoke to him once again:
[Welcome Nickan Wole!]
[The successor of Nichol Wole]
[Your grandfather instructed me to help you!]
[So here I am]
"Who are you?" Nickan asked flatly.
[I am the Memoir System!]
[Good luck Reliver Nickan Wole!]
The voice faded, and Nickan found himself once again within Sengoku's consciousness. He was lying on a bed, having succumbed to exhaustion after the day's events.
The journey through the dragonslayer Sengoku's life continued, and Nickan could only follow where the story led, powerless to change its course whatsoever.