Chapter 55 : Lorraine Research Institute

Chapter 55: Lorraine Research Institute

“Here already?”

As soon as I stepped out of the Lord’s Keep, Seah greeted me.

She was already fully prepared for the journey — horses, luggage, even an escort unit. Looked like she had been waiting for me.

“How did you know? That I’d head straight to Kashu City.”

Seah slowly blinked her navy-blue eyes.

“Youeereeeere ’ve got some free time for now. The Emperor even sent a Grandmaster to put pressure on you. You need to get stronger. Obviously, you’d head to Kashu City to use the Book of Fate. Do you need any more reasons?”

She saw right through me.

Whose little sister was she to be this smart?

I ruffled Seah’s hair. She struggled and squirmed away.

“Uhm… excuse me… Mayor! May I come along too?”

I turned at the voice beside us and saw the mage, Tevek, carrying a travel bag on his back.

Though he feared me, there was an undeniable sparkle of anticipation in his eyes.

Seah whispered an explanation.

“He wants to study the Heart of Gonggo. I told him to ask you directly, Oppa.”

“Then why not just study it? Why follow us?”

Seah gestured with her chin toward the luggage cart.

“He thinks it’d be better to keep the heart at the Kashu City chapel instead of here. You never know, right? If it’s in the cultists’ chapel, it might react to something. That could be another clue.”

Hmm.

That did make sense.

The cult.

By now, it had become inseparable from our fate.

The Book of Fate itself was tied to them… and our enemy, Emperor Rokshutalen, was almost certainly a cultist.

So yes, leaving the Heart of Gonggo in Kashu was the right call.

It seemed Tevek wanted to come all the way to Kashu City just so he could research the Heart of Gonggo… but—

“No.”

Sorry, but I cut him off flatly.

I planned to carry the heart into the chapel myself, and if I ended up time traveling there… it would get troublesome.

So far, only my siblings and Uncle Burson knew about time travel.

As for Rivera or Kalserik, I hadn’t exactly hidden it, but I hadn’t told them outright either.

If I brought Tevek, a mage, along, the secret of time travel might easily come to light.

“Ah, oh… y-yes, understood…”

Tevek looked heavily disappointed, but quickly masked his expression and bowed.

He greatly feared me, the one who had defeated Haarun.

Even now, he was fidgeting, worried whether he had offended me.

So despite fearing me this much, he still had asked for permission just for the sake of his research.

‘Passionate one.’

I rather liked that.

To still hold such pure passion at his age. And to be able to hide it just as swiftly when needed.

Maybe it was because I’d once lived a similar life under Count Kxias, but I couldn’t help feeling a certain fondness for him.

“Seah.”

“Yeah.”

“Is there research funding allocated for the mage Tevek?”

“Yeah. I was about to budget it.”

“Raise it by fifty percent.”

“Got it.”

Fwaaah!

It was as if light burst out.

On Tevek’s face, which had been forcing a smile, true happiness suddenly bloomed.

“Th-thank you! Thank you, Mayor!”

The old man kept bowing so energetically that it felt burdensome, so I lightly patted his shoulder to straighten him up.

“Support Seah well. Since you’re a local here, you’ll be a big help. You can do that, right?”

“Y-yes! Of course! Yes!”

I gave his shoulder a firm squeeze and moved on.

From behind, I could feel Tevek’s respect overflowing.

That’s right.

A good boss was always someone who… kept a big sword at your back, and poured out gold coins in front of you.

*         *         *

Kashu City.

This was my first time visiting the cultists’ chapel here.

Until now, I hadn’t dared to go near it, fearing I might be forced into time travel.

“…Just one look and you can tell.”

It was immediately clear what the chapel in Kushan City had copied.

The design was all wrong—unsymmetrical, stone and wood mixed without harmony, the whole building writhing like a coiled snake.

Just looking at it made me deeply uncomfortable and irritated.

With the wooden box holding the Heart of Gonggo tucked under my arm, I opened the chapel’s door.

Creeeeak!

Even the door groaned with an unpleasant noise.

Not the natural creak of age, but a wailing shriek, as if deliberately crafted to be disturbing.

“Whew… seriously, what terrible taste.”

The interior was exactly the same as Kushan City’s chapel.

Distorted idols whose shapes couldn’t be guessed, and an altar.

Symbols unlike anything in the world, so alien I couldn’t even begin to guess their meaning.

“No reaction…”

I placed the Heart of Gonggo on the altar, but nothing happened.

“As expected, it probably needs a special ritual.”

Just bringing it into the chapel wasn’t enough to trigger anything.

Should I put it back in the box?

No. Better wait a little longer. At least until the Book of Fate activated.

So I wandered around the chapel once.

“Oh, it’s starting.”

The Subspace Necklace began radiating light.

Seah and I had guessed right.

The Book of Fate reacted to places connected to the cult.

I slipped my hand into the subspace and pulled out the Book of Fate.

Brrrr—

The book began to tremble, its pages rustling as soon as it hit the air.

‘What’s going on?’

But its reaction was a little different from usual.

There had been times when the Book of Fate moved on its own, but then it only fluttered through the air, its pages spreading on their own. This was the first time it shook and thrashed right in my hands.

Thunk!

While I was focused on the Book of Fate, a sudden sound came from the altar.

‘Huh?’

The Heart of Gonggo, which I had placed on the altar, was caving in. Bigger than a head, it began to collapse inward, dent by dent, spewing out dark red light like its dying breath.

Brrrrrr!

The Book of Fate trembled even harder, as though it had been waiting for this very moment.

Craaack!

At last, the heart shrank down to the size of a fingernail.

Glowing with dark crimson light, it floated into the air and drifted toward me.

No, not me.

Toward the Book of Fate.

Fwaaah!

The Book opened on its own and swallowed the Heart of Gonggo as if opening its mouth to devour it.

[Absorbing the Twisted Timeline.]

What?

Twisted? Timeline?

What the hell did that mean?

Caught off guard, I just stared blankly at the Book of Fate.

But I could find no answers.

Even when I flipped through the pages, there were no clues—only the faint glow of greenish light flowing across them.

‘The Heart of Gonggo is a twisted timeline…? What does that even mean?’

Too many questions.

Why did it react to the Heart of Gonggo specifically?

Would it have done the same with any monster’s heart?

What exactly was a “Twisted Timeline”?

And…

What was the Book trying to achieve by devouring it?

As if answering my doubts, a clear woman’s voice echoed again.

[Absorption of the Twisted Timeline complete. A new function has been unlocked.]

Flap-flap-flap!

The pages turned on their own.

Where the table of contents should have been in an ordinary book, a crimson symbol appeared.

Strangely, I understood its meaning instinctively.

[Epilogue 1/1]

Epilogue.

The term used in novels read by those with a bit of wealth.

After the main story ended, it showed the characters’ after-stories… right?

The moment my finger brushed over the symbol, the voice came again.

[You may now revisit a place where history has already been altered. Remaining uses: 1]

….

Revisit?

Thump—

What?

I couldn’t comprehend it.

But as soon as I grasped the meaning of being able to return, my heart pounded like mad.

Just for an instant, an indescribable flood of longing swept me away.

‘…What was that?’

I was dazed.

No, of course.

I missed it.

Glowingsteel.

And my senior, Iodin Serom, her golden hair and blue eyes shining.

The one who had taught me so much—Grand Duke Laitena Celsius.

Of course I was glad at the thought of being able to see them again.

But…

“What is this.”

I brushed at the corner of my eye.

Moist drops clung to my fingertips.

“Am I losing it…?”

It was definitely mine…

Yet to feel such an overwhelming emotion that it brought tears to my eyes—

No matter how I thought about it, this emotion didn’t feel like it belonged to me.

No, it was mine, but… not from the present me.

It was a strange sensation, as if I half-understood something.

Lost deep in thought,

Flaaap—!

The Book of Fate shot into the air before me.

It opened on its own.

This time, it truly felt like time travel was about to begin.

Ah, wait.

Let me think a little first…!

[Ruceras Calendar, Year 4681. May 1st, clear skies. Finally, the first-class mercenary I’ve been waiting for is coming! The excavation should speed up now, right? Though… I’m still a little unsure…]

Just as I was about to grasp something important, the Book of Fate violently slammed words straight into my vision.

Tick, tick, tick, tick—

Whoosh! The world slipped away, and the river of time rushed past me.

Once again, I crossed the vast distance of ages.

*         *         *

A woman reached out her hand to me and spoke.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lorraine Scottbean.”

Blink. Blink.

Wait. Hold on.

As always, it was a sudden beginning.

First thing—grasp the situation.

Turning my head around suspiciously would stand out, so I fixed my gaze on the woman before me and stretched my senses to read my surroundings.

‘A scholar?’

That was the exact impression the room gave.

It was a simple chamber with exposed wooden beams, but the ceiling was tall, lined with shelves that leaned against it and brimmed with books.

The books, all worn and weathered, were clearly not for decoration.

But that wasn’t the important part.

‘It feels peaceful.’

I didn’t sense any immediate threat nearby.

‘But… is this inside a ship?’

Rumble—

The room trembled faintly with a subtle vibration.

Almost like an earthquake…

“Hello?”

The woman before me—who had introduced herself as Lorraine Scottbean—smiled brightly.

“My hand’s getting lonely here, you know?”

She wiggled her outstretched hand lightly.

…What?

Why was she holding out her hand?

Did she expect me to kneel and kiss her hand Avalond-style? No, that wasn’t the etiquette of this era…

“Ah.”

Then it hit me.

Foolish of me—I had learned this from Grand Duke Laitena!

Knights didn’t use it much, so I’d forgotten.

“My apologies.”

I calmly extended my hand and clasped Lorraine’s.

It was meant to be just right—like holding a shoulder in a brief hug. Gentle, yet firm, with two deliberate shakes.

Yes. That was it.

This was the ancient etiquette of greeting—what they called a “handshake.”

“Hmmm…?”

Even though I had performed the handshake correctly, Lorraine let out a peculiar little hum through her nose.

With smiling eyes, she studied me carefully.

So, I studied her in return.

How should I put it? Lorraine Scottbean was… perfect.

First, her hair.

There were many shades of blonde, but hers had a tinge of black within it.

She had tied that refined blonde hair perfectly back, not a single strand out of place. With the senses of a Swordmaster, I could be sure—there wasn’t even one stray hair. It was almost unbelievable.

The white garment draped over her was unlike anything I had ever seen. Long enough to cover her knees, with a wide collar. Not a single stain marred its fabric, and even each crease seemed deliberately placed in neat alignment.

Such a woman…

Now looked as though she was slightly displeased with me.

“I was expecting a lot since you were said to be first-class~ But you’re not a little scatterbrained, are you? Hoho.”

Ah.

So that was what kind of person she was.

The type who smiled sweetly while slipping in barbs.

“That’s why I actually wanted to request Lady Iodin instead~ But since she happened to leave on another mission, we’ve ended up meeting like this, haven’t we?”

In short, what she was saying was: Why did I get stuck with you instead of Iodin?

Wait.

Iodin?

I hadn’t expected to hear that name here.

Maybe it was the lingering residue of that emotion which had struck my chest earlier, but suddenly my throat tightened with a swell of feeling.

Could it be… that I would see Iodin again?

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