Chapter 1167

Yuder explained the information he had gained from Luma’s journal. There were so many statements that were hard to believe and difficult to summarize that he had to pause several times, but Kishiar never once urged him on. He supported Yuder’s back firmly with his body to help him stay steady and, at times, offered just the right cues to help him gather his thoughts, allowing Yuder to eventually finish the entire story without incident.

"...Roughly, I think that’s everything."

As always, Yuder could never predict what Kishiar’s first response would be upon hearing such serious information.

Surprise, concern, interest, gratitude. He silently waited, wondering which of those it would be this time, until Kishiar finally opened his mouth and said:

"Thanks to you, I’ve come to know both the human and the extraordinary sides of the great mage Luma. I have a feeling the pharmacist will be delighted."

"......"

Trying to anticipate Kishiar’s reactions really was a pointless endeavor. Yuder fell silent for a moment, then let out an involuntary chuckle.

"Yes. That’s true. If it’s Inon, I’m sure he would be."

Whether the news was that the world was repeatedly falling into ages of destruction or anything else, it didn’t matter. Inon would likely be most delighted by the traces of a precious person glimpsed within this content—someone Luma cherished and tried to protect until the end. Now that one could clearly see just how deeply Luma had cared for Inon, he would surely be shocked and overjoyed.

‘Of course, he’d act like it meant nothing on the outside.’

It felt good to know Kishiar had thought the same thing Yuder had. Feeling noticeably lighter, Yuder opened his mouth again.

"While reading this journal, I never once felt like he was lying. If it’s you, I’m sure you’ll be able to infer even more from the information written here."

"Rather than inference... I think what I want most is to start verifying things. Things like the scriptures from the Black Moon Cult, or legends about spirits."

Kishiar answered slowly.

"The current scriptures used by the Black Moon Cult shouldn’t be too difficult to acquire. We can request them through Mick. Of course, keeping them hidden from others after bringing them in will be the harder part... but that much is manageable. The older scriptures, on the other hand, are stored in the Forbidden Archive at the High Temple and the Imperial Palace, so we’ll need to extract them for comparison."

"The Imperial Palace might be doable, but the High Temple’s Forbidden Archive won’t be so easy."

"It’s fine. Among the temple priests, hardly any are as diligent as our Priest Lusan. We just have to borrow it discreetly and return it afterward."

The only person who could speak so casually and confidently about raiding the Forbidden Archives of both the Imperial Palace and the High Temple was Kishiar la Orr. Yuder, having already seen him bring in and inspect all sorts of strange forbidden texts in the past, didn’t feel a shred of exaggeration in his words.

Kishiar chuckled softly and continued speaking without hesitation.

"The Peleta Cavalry units deployed across the regions have been investigating the traces of the anomaly rifts, and at the same time, gathering old books containing legends like those. They've also been trying to find people who still remember such stories. By now, they must have made some progress, so there should be reports sent to the Capital by the time we return. While reviewing those, we’ll need to start working more actively on trade with the Southern Nation."

"That means..."

"Yes. Among the information Luma recorded, the only thing we can still verify now lies there."

The record from before the Great Cataclysm, said to be in the possession of the chieftain of the Wolf’s Eye Tribe.

Kishiar spoke in a tone that suggested there was nothing particularly difficult about it.

"We already hold more than enough cards. No matter how valuable the information in that [N O V E L I G H T] book they hold might be, the outcome won’t end like the last game did."

"......"

"I’m even willing to bet on it. They’ll contact us first."

Yuder shook his head and replied.

"What’s the point of a bet between people on the same side? You’ve picked the wrong opponent."

"Hmm. As expected?"

Kishiar burst into laughter. Afterward, the two of them leaned into each other more deeply and comfortably than before, beginning to share their thoughts. Unlike earlier, it was no longer grounded in realistic situations or hard evidence, but a free exchange of ideas.

"It’s good to know for certain that I’m not the only one who returned from death to the past, but it’s a little... disappointing that there doesn’t seem to be any overlap between His Majesty the Founding Emperor mentioned in the journal and myself."

"That person seemed to remember clearly how and why they returned to the past."

"Yes. That’s exactly what’s bothering me."

According to Luma’s journal, there were indeed several people who had returned to the past, but none of their methods or processes seemed the same. In other words, they still had no clue who had sent Yuder back here or what method was used.

"Just when I thought I’d found an answer, I feel like I’ve ended up back at square one. Though... I can’t say I’m feeling particularly despairing about it..."

"It’s still enough to be disappointing."

Kishiar nodded in agreement, resting his head on Yuder’s shoulder as he spoke.

"What stuck with me most was the spirit that Luma said he met at the end."

"That one who supposedly said something like, ‘What’s the point in struggling when death is inevitable’? What part of that stuck with you?"

"To sum it up like that... I wonder how the spirit would’ve reacted if it heard your version?"

Of course, that wasn’t all it had said, but to Yuder, that part was the most absurd.

"It’s natural to think like a human if you’re born as one, and everyone just wants to do what they can while they’re alive. What’s so great about spirits? If you think about it, that one was just thinking like a spirit because it was born as a spirit. Personally, I don’t think Luma was very good at arguing."

At that, Kishiar blinked, then burst out laughing, his shoulders shaking.

"If you’re born human, you think like a human... Yes. You’re right. If it had been you instead of the great mage, maybe things would have turned out differently."

Then, after finally stifling his laughter, Kishiar explained what had stuck in his mind.

"That spirit said they could hear the breath of the world. It spoke of the world like a living being. That felt extremely unique. I’ve never encountered that perspective before—not even in the scriptures."

"Hmm... That’s a part I really hadn’t paid any attention to."

"You, who are loved by nature and can wield its power—what do you think about that?"

"I’ve never really thought about any connection between my powers and the world itself..."

"But if the entire world could be seen as nature, then from that angle?"

It was another perspective he hadn’t really considered. Yuder fell silent, carefully reflecting on Kishiar’s words.

‘The world is alive... huh.’

Unlike in the era of the great mage Luma, Yuder had never seen fairies or spirits directly. But ever since he awakened, nature had always been with him, and at times, Yuder had felt that it exercised its power independently of his own will.

Even what Kishiar had just said about being loved by nature made sense. Nature was on Yuder’s side, moving for him, even when he didn’t try to do anything.

Yuder slowly parted his lips.

"From that perspective... yes. I do feel like it’s alive."

"Right. A will that guides you and pushes your back even without using your power. If this vast nature, this world, is a living being that breathes like we do... then what meaning can we find in the rifts and monsters?"

"......"

"Rifts tear the world, and only appear briefly. Monsters push through those cracks. Until now, we’ve always drawn a line between internal and external, but... what if the rift is a wound in the body of the world itself?"

Trailing off, the man fell into thought for a moment, then murmured:

"...Oblik van Ta-in’s bizarre research may not have been so useless after all. I’m thinking we should revisit that once we’re back. Would it be alright to talk about this again later?"

Though Yuder couldn’t guess what exact thoughts were racing through Kishiar’s mind, the temperature of his emotions came through clearly.

A fierce and burning will of someone trying to overcome their limits to discover and protect something.

Yuder buried himself in the arms that wrapped around him from behind and tasted utter satisfaction. A wave of certainty rippled through him, like a tremor across his whole body.

‘We’re running toward the same place.’

To have someone who would be on his side no matter the circumstances—and for that person to be none other than Kishiar la Orr—was truly a wonderful thing.

And so, another night passed.