Chapter 646
I Knew You’d Come (3)
‘She knows my name?’
‘At the very last moment, she called out precisely my name.’
For a second, Ghislain wondered if she had read his memories. But it didn’t feel that way.
‘Her voice was warm and familiar, as if she truly knew me.’
“Young Master!”
“Your Highness!”
“Hey! Are you okay?”
Everyone rushed toward Ghislain. But he still stood there, staring blankly at the veil.
“Young Master! Are you alright?”
Belinda grabbed Ghislain’s shoulders and shouted. That finally brought him back to his senses.
“Ah, uh… yeah, I’m fine. You all must have been really worried.”
“I thought I was going to lose my mind! That thing wouldn’t even break!”
“Y-Yeah, I see… Anyway, thanks for worrying about me.”
As Ghislain stood there, still somewhat dazed, Jerome asked,
“What the hell happened in there? What did you see?”
His curiosity as a mage was evident, mixed with concern.
“Hmm, give me a second…”
Ghislain held his forehead, gathering his thoughts. It was clear that everyone had been extremely worried.
At this point, he couldn’t just brush it off as if it were nothing. Eventually, he would have to fight the Adversary and ensure that this seal was never broken.
Ghislain slowly began to explain about the aura of the Saintess.
“Ever since I got this necklace, I’ve been having strange dreams…”
He had already told this story to Ereneth before. She had laughed it off, calling it nothing more than his imagination, but now, the others needed to know as well.
Ghislain kept it concise, explaining only the most important parts. He told them how he had witnessed the war from a thousand years ago in his dreams and learned a great deal from it.
He also mentioned that Julien was the Hero, and that the Adversary had actually resembled himself.
Everyone was shocked. Belinda urgently asked,
“Then… does that mean you’re the Adversary, Young Master?”
Parniel gripped her mace tightly. It was clear she was ready to swing it at Ghislain’s head if necessary.
Ghislain quickly took a step back and said,
“No, no! That’s impossible! The only reason I even looked like that was because of Dark.”
“Ah.”
Everyone nodded. It was true that Ghislain only took on that form when he used Dark’s power.
Before acquiring Dark, he had never displayed such abilities.
Fwoosh.
As if to prove his innocence, Ghislain summoned Dark. The black crow blinked at him with wide, clueless eyes.
Jerome suddenly pointed at Dark and shouted,
“So you’re the Adversary!”
“What kind of nonsense is that?!”
Dark immediately exploded in anger. If he was wrongly accused of being the Adversary, he could very well be destroyed on the spot.
Everyone stared at Dark with suspicion.
But it wasn’t the kind of suspicion that suggested they believed he could be the Adversary.
Rather, it was the kind of look that said, ‘There’s no way it could be that pathetic little thing.’
That somehow offended Dark even more. His pride was deeply wounded.
“Why me?! What the hell did I even do?!”
Belinda narrowed her eyes and said,
“There’s… no way, right?”
Ghislain nodded.
“Yeah, there’s no way this guy could be something like that.”
Everyone agreed. Even Parniel relaxed her grip.
Yet, for some reason, Dark still felt his pride wounded. At this point, he almost wanted to be the Adversary.
Ghislain continued explaining what had happened inside the veil.
“So, I encountered a light, and I think that light was the Saintess. She said she knew me…”
When he finished speaking, Belinda asked curiously,
“But what did she mean by ‘meeting again’? Think carefully. Is there a friend you’ve forgotten?”
Jerome chimed in.
“Yeah! Maybe an old girlfriend or something?”
Ghislain crossed his arms and closed his eyes. After a long pause, he spoke.
“I’ve… never had a girlfriend.”
“Ah… oh… I-I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”
Jerome looked at him with genuine pity.
Ghislain’s expression turned incredulous. As far as he knew, Jerome wasn’t any different. So he immediately shot back,
“You don’t have one either. Why are you acting like you do?”
“……”
A brief, awkward silence followed.
Belinda pondered for a moment before nodding. The only woman Ghislain had ever been involved with was his former fiancée, Amelia the Usurper.
Back in his estate, everyone avoided him, and the noble ladies of other families had no interest in dating the impoverished young lord of Ferdium.
That made this all the more strange. If Ghislain himself had no memory of meeting her, then how could the being inside the veil claim they had met before?
Everyone fell silent, lost in thought. The more they tried to piece it together, the more questions arose.
Parniel tightened her grip on her mace.
“It’s a demon. You were deceived by a demon in there.”
She refused to accept that what Ghislain had encountered was the Saintess.
The only thing she could acknowledge was that this place contained a source of power used by the Salvation Church.
But mentions of Heroes and Saintesses that weren’t recorded in the church’s scriptures? That was unacceptable.
Ghislain subtly leaned back and said,
“Hey, I’m perfectly fine.”
Vanessa quickly changed the subject.
“For now, why don’t we just wait? If they said they would come find Your Highness, then we’ll know the truth when they arrive.”
“Hmm… I suppose that’s our best option.”
Still, there was a sense of anticipation. Whoever the presence inside the veil was, they had assured him they would meet soon.
Ghislain smiled and said,
“Well, in any case, I’m fine now, so there’s no need to worry. Let’s head back. We’re probably out of mana, so we’ll have to walk.”
They had already secured and inspected the core area. After retreating, they would allow the soldiers and workers some rest before slowly expanding their reclaimed territory.
The group let out a sigh of relief. They just wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.
“Ah, should I tell you an interesting story?”
On the way back, Ghislain shared the parts of his story he hadn’t had the chance to earlie,r stories of the heroes who had fought alongside the Hero and the Apostles.
He deliberately left out anything related to Ferdium. He couldn't no, he wouldn't accept it… not yet, anyway.
The more they listened, the more fascinated they became. Jerome and Belinda, in particular, were deeply intrigued.
“Wow, that person sounds just like the founder of our Magic Tower!”
“Lady Annette and the Shadow Knights might be their descendants.”
The two of them eagerly connected the figures Ghislain described to historical figures they knew, finding more similarities the more they listened.
“At least there are no Apostles in this era.”
At Jerome’s remark, everyone nodded in agreement.
It was difficult to take Ghislain’s dreams as absolute truth. However, if they were real, and if the enemies from those dreams still existed in the present, the damage they could inflict would be unimaginable.
As they talked, they soon arrived at the garrison where they had left their soldiers. The retreat preparations began immediately.
Ghislain continued to smile, speaking to the soldiers and leading them as usual. But inwardly, he felt uneasy.
‘Something is wrong with my body.’
Ever since he had returned from the veil, strange sensations had plagued him. His focus kept wavering, and a deep, overwhelming fatigue weighed him down.
‘What is this?’
Even as he examined his own body, he found no other abnormalities.
He had long since reached a level where he could function at peak condition without much sleep. And yet, this crushing fatigue was unlike anything he had ever experienced.
There was only one possible explanation.
‘The Saintess’s divine power.’
An uncontrollable energy had lodged itself in his mind. That was the only thing that could be affecting his body.
‘Damn it…’
The Saintess’s divine power was something he neither understood nor could expel.
By the time they returned to the estate, Ghislain hadn’t slept a single moment. He had the nagging feeling that if he did, he wouldn’t wake up for a long time.
“Young Master… are you alright?”
Belinda was the first to notice something was off.
Ghislain was strong enough that the change wasn’t obvious at first glance. But Belinda had cared for him since he was young, and she immediately noticed the fatigue in his eyes.
“I’m fine. I guess I’ve been working too much without rest these past few days.”
At his words, Belinda looked even more skeptical.
Ghislain had gone without sleep before. He had endured far worse battles and even fought against a dragon. And yet, he had never shown this kind of exhaustion.
‘Is he really just tired?’
Perhaps it was simply because he had been pushing himself without rest, and now that things had settled, his body was finally reacting.
Since there were no serious issues aside from the visible fatigue, Belinda decided not to press any further.
The troops and workers who had returned to the estate were immediately reorganized and assigned to the expansion of the garrison.
Soon, they would begin forming teams and fully committing to the forest’s development.
Ghislain went straight to find Ereneth. She still remained completely inactive, showing no signs of movement.
Without hesitation, Ghislain spoke.
“I met the Saintess.”
Ereneth replied in a weary voice, not even bothering to look at him.
“The Saintess is dead.”
“I went inside the sealed veil.”
“……”
Only then did Ereneth turn to look at him properly.
She slowly opened her mouth and asked,
“What did you see?”
“There was nothing but darkness. But within that darkness, I saw a small light, and it spoke to me.”
“I don’t know what happened to you, but that’s just your imagination. That place doesn’t look like that, and you cannot enter it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you really think the Saintess and the Hero sealed that immense power by themselves?”
“……”
“Dragons, elves, dwarves, humans. The leaders and elders of each race gathered to aid in the sealing. A mere human cannot break through it.”
Ghislain let out a sigh. He had expected this kind of response from Ereneth.
There was only one thing he had wanted to confirm.
“You said you fought alongside the Saintess, right?”
“Yes.”
“The Saintess told me she had met me before. And that we would meet again. So… have you ever met me before?”
If the Saintess had truly met him, then Ereneth should have as well.
After all, among the heroes of a thousand years ago, Ereneth was the only one still alive.
Ereneth’s eyes widened. She stared at Ghislain in shock for a long moment before speaking.
“Are you insane?”
“……”
“The Saintess and I fought together a thousand years ago. How in the world could you have met her?”
“……”
As expected.
Whatever else she might have been hiding, that expression was completely genuine.
Ghislain clicked his tongue. He had hoped that perhaps she had seen him in his childhood, but it was clear now she had never met him before.
If he wanted to confirm the Saintess’s words, he had no choice but to wait.
With no useful answers gained, he returned to his duties. Even if he was exhausted, there was still work to be done.
First, he checked on the pursuit team’s progress.
“We have yet to find any traces.”
“The other kingdoms have agreed to increase the number of pursuit teams.”
“There’s also a plan to release some of the remnants and track them as they flee.”
Ghislain nodded as he listened to the reports. Finding Gartros immediately would be difficult, this was a matter that had to be left to time.
The more pressing issue now was the study of the Rift. Most of the mages, aside from those assigned elsewhere, were dedicated to researching it.
“How is Julien doing?”
“We have yet… to detect any abnormalities. We’re still searching for the cause.”
The energy that had seeped into Julien’s body was also being analyzed by the mages, but so far, they had found nothing.
Still, they believed in what Ghislain and Julien had told them and continued their investigation. Even the priests had been checking on Julien regularly.
“Good. Make sure you examine everything thoroughly.”
Ghislain had stressed this repeatedly. Since this was an energy that had come from a Mad Dragon, they couldn’t afford to take it lightly.
The entire estate was bustling with activity. Even though the war was over, there was still much to do.
Ghislain, in particular, was fully committed to both frontier expansion and internal affairs, ensuring the stabilization of the kingdom.
It was no different from how he always worked. He had lived this way for as long as he could remember.
But as time passed, the condition of his body continued to deteriorate.
“Young Master! You need to sleep!”
“Your Highness, you haven’t slept a single night in over a month.”
Belinda and Gillian were horrified every time they saw him and desperately urged him to rest.
“Ugh…”
Ghislain bit his lip, his eyes sunken and hollow.
If he were in normal condition, even a month without sleep wouldn’t have fazed him. But now, his body was a wreck.
Dark circles hung under his eyes, and his body had grown alarmingly thin. Piote and Parniel had come to him multiple times, pouring divine energy into him, but it had no effect.
People had started whispering that Ghislain had fallen ill.
Even the Transcendents found it strange. Someone of Ghislain’s caliber wouldn’t deteriorate this badly just from lack of sleep.
Belinda asked anxiously,
“What’s wrong with you? It started after that day, didn’t it? Could it be because of all the poison you ingested?”
“No, the poison isn’t the problem.”
The toxins had long since been converted into mana. In fact, his mana reserves had increased significantly compared to before.
That left only one possibility: his time inside the veil. There was no other explanation.
Dark, who had been loitering nearby, suddenly voiced a theory.
“Maybe the Saintess meant to meet you in the afterlife! AAAAAACK—”
His unlucky remark was cut short as Belinda grabbed him by the throat, strangling him.
But despite how ridiculous it sounded, that theory was actually the most plausible one so far.
Ghislain was frustrated. He still had no idea what was happening to his body.
It felt as though his mana was sealed. Something was binding him, restraining him with overwhelming force.
Whenever he used the Power of Will, he could break free from that restraint, even if only slightly. That was how he had managed to endure this long.
‘I’ve never experienced anything like this before.’
In a way, this was turning into an unexpected form of training. The constant use of his Power of Will to resist the unknown force had made him more proficient with it.
And so, he continued to test his own theory.
— It is time for us to ‘meet again’.
There was no way to reunite with someone from a thousand years ago.
‘Unless… in a dream.’
If that was the case, then it was possible. After all, he had met the Saintess in his dreams before.
‘Could she be calling for me?’
Ever since he first sensed something was wrong, he had been deliberately avoiding sleep. That was likely why the signal had persisted.
Perhaps, if he held out long enough, this abnormality would vanish. The stronger his Power of Will became, the weaker the force binding him seemed to get.
It made sense. No matter how powerful the divine energy left behind by the Saintess was, it could only exert so much influence over someone existing in the present.
‘In that case…’
— The choice is yours to make.
Ghislain smirked.
After all, everything up until now had been a series of choices.
‘Fine. I’ll accept it.’
Since things had already come this far, he might as well see it through to the end.
Ghislain released the tension in his body. He no longer resisted the force that was calling him.
At that moment—
Thud.
Ghislain collapsed, closing his eyes.