'Since then, I've tried everything to figure out what that soul was, but I've learned nothing.'
Why it tried to possess him.
Why it had to be him specifically.
How it came to have such memories.
He still couldn't understand.
'Focusing on something without immediate answers is a waste.'
Eventually, Gerhard pushed aside thoughts about the soul and possession and continued living.
After all, time flows on.
"Where is today's newspaper?"
Having finished his contemplation, Gerhard extended his hand. Hyde placed the newspaper on it.
"Here it is."
Gerhard opened the newspaper.
──────────────
[Daily Academy 2/11]
[New Student Special - Students who stood out in the entrance exam]
Former imperial family descendant, first-rank sword fighter, Balrosi Viston's son
Student who received special recommendation, daughter of a royal family
Prince's servant
Future successor to the magical tower, daughter of the magic association
Technical officer of the secret guild
Son of a royal family
Wizard Society's disciple
──────────────
"..."
The moment he discovered a particular name written in the newspaper, a peculiar emotion settled in Gerhard's eyes.
"Young master? What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Though the servant asked about his strange expression, he brushed it off lightly.
'Finally, he has appeared.'
The prophecy didn't reveal everything about the future.
Most of it was locked away, and except for a few things, what Gerhard immediately recognized was just a moment up to a certain point.
And the name in the newspaper was the most important person within that brief content.
"...He really enrolled."
Although he had made good use of it for guild business, he had hoped this part wasn't true.
"Suddenly, who are you talking about?"
"Hyde."
Gerhard cut off Hyde's words.
"Yes."
"Do you think there's a possibility I could be expelled from the family and become a beggar?"
"What's with that question all of a sudden?"
"Just answer what I asked."
"Since nothing in this world is absolute, I suppose there's a one-in-a-million chance. Like how you were struck by lightning out of the blue. But from my perspective, I cannot imagine you losing all your money."
"Yes, I feel the same."
Me, expelled from the family and becoming a beggar? Such a future couldn't possibly exist. Hahaha.
Crumple-
The newspaper wrinkled under Gerhard's grip.
"Young master?"
"I'm about to confirm that now."
"Confirm what?"
"The southern wetlands."
"Pardon?"
"I need to visit the southern wetlands briefly."
Gerhard stood up and put on his coat.
The moment he had been counting down to since being struck by lightning had finally arrived.
'Most of the prophecies revolved around the Imperial Armian Academy.'
Through the one explicitly designated as the protagonist in the prophecy.
He didn't know why the prophecy took the form of a novel, or why it centered around the academy.
'That's not important.'
Through numerous cross-verifications, Gerhard had concluded that the prophecies were half-true, but the truly important content was starting now.
Because the real story of the prophecy begins when the so-called protagonist enrolls.
Verifying this protagonist had to take priority over everything else.
"I'll go alone, so prepare a horse."
"Are you sure you'll be alright on your own?"
"Don't make me repeat myself."
The servant brought out a gleaming purebred horse. Soon after, the horse carrying Gerhard began galloping down the main road.
The Imperial Academy was a vast domain built on Bardian, an island located in the inland sea of the Empire.
The extensive grounds were an artificial environment created by magic, and in the southern part, vast wetlands stretched out.
As Gerhard headed south, fragments of memories surfaced in his mind. The three most intensely remembered stories:
The future where Gerhard Goldenheim is expelled.
The future where Gerhard Goldenheim falls from grace.
The future where Gerhard Goldenheim becomes a beg...
"No, that's not it."
The future where Gerhard Goldenheim becomes a beggar.
The future where the 72 demons summoned by King Colomo a thousand years ago resurge.
And the story about the protagonist of the prophecy.
Among these, what needed to be carefully examined now was the third one, the story about the protagonist.
[After completing the entrance exam, Aint didn't return immediately but headed to the southern wetlands.
The reason he came to the academy was to follow the traces of the map left to his family by the founding emperor.]
"Aint Armian. The founding emperor's arr... Ugh."
Just as he recalled the content of the prophecy, a terrible headache nearly made him fall off his horse, but he barely managed to maintain his balance.
Clutching his throbbing head, he continued his train of thought.
The two figures appearing in the prophecy were people no imperial citizen could possibly not know.
The great founding emperor who was the last king of the Armian Kingdom and established the empire with five surrounding kingdoms.
Aint Armian, a descendant of the formerly glorious imperial family that had lost all power and retained only honor.
If the prophecy was accurate, he was indeed the most suitable person to save this world from demons.
"To think the founding emperor's arrangement is hidden in the academy. For the past thousand years, no one was able to discover it..."
Damn it, how much would I have gotten if I had found it? I could have uprooted what little remained of the Armian family's foundation.
In any case, according to the prophecy, Aint Armian's importance would be greatly elevated.
Not just a figure with only the honor of the old imperial family remaining, but a dark horse who obtained the founding emperor's arrangement.
[Having packed enough food and weapons for several days, Aint arrived at the edge of the wetlands. The first to greet him was a swamp crocodile, Crocker.
It was unexpected. He had heard that it was uncommon for Crocker to come to the outskirts.]
"...Damn it. The headache that occurs whenever I recall the prophecy still doesn't get any easier to bear."
Crocker was the top predator of the swamp. Its skin was tough, its teeth were sturdy, and its jaw strength could crush steel.
A monster even a decent knight would find difficult to face. It was originally a monster prepared for third-year students or above.
It was a mystery why a creature that typically inhabited the center of the swamp had come to the outskirts, but the world doesn't always follow its natural course.
Like how he was struck by lightning.
'According to the prophecy, it might not be bad luck but destiny.'
Based on the prophecy content that briefly flashed through his mind, the protagonist always encounters incidents and accidents.
However, that wasn't the most important matter right now.
[Aint had talent, but the swordsmanship of his once-great but now impoverished family couldn't fully develop it. Crocker was clearly an enemy beyond his current capabilities.]
[He barely escaped while enduring injuries.]
"This much is true."
Gerhard murmured calmly. Having already benefited from the prophecy several times, he wasn't particularly surprised.
The Crocker was gone, but traces remained. Far away, the smell of the monster's blood mixed with a foul odor.
Crack-
However, he didn't feel particularly good.
The prophecies coming true one by one meant that the future where he becomes a beggar was also gradually drawing closer.
[Aint's injuries were serious. He performed first aid with the potion he brought, but monsters attracted by the smell of blood began to gather.]
[Aint ran. Not aimlessly. Even in this grave situation, he checked the map.]
[And at the spot marked on the map, there was a very small hole. A tiny hole with no magical feeling and seemingly impossible for a human to enter.]
[Though he wondered if this was right, lizardmen hungry for blood were running up behind him.]
['Don't doubt, just throw yourself in.']
[Remembering the phrase written at the bottom of the map, he gritted his teeth and threw himself in. And there was a dungeon there.]
Gerhard circled around the lizardmen who were distracted by the Crocker and followed Aint's traces.
Whether he had fled aimlessly or not, blood stains were visible intermittently among the obviously left traces.
And at the end, he found a hole.
A small burrow that seemed impossible for a person to enter. It was closer to a rabbit hole, but according to the prophecy, this was the entrance to the dungeon.
And beside it.
"...Huh?"
"...Huh?"
He came face to face with Aint, who was painfully approaching the hole while clutching a wound on his chest.
What the hell.
Why is this guy here?
'...Damn it, did I come too early?'
It seemed that way.
Having waited only for the day to confirm the protagonist, he had come too hastily.
***
It was completely unexpected.
Gerhard's plan was simply to follow after Aint entered the dungeon to verify the facts.
Knowing only that Aint would obtain the founding emperor's arrangement on the day the enrollment newspaper was published, without knowing the exact time.
That created the current situation.
He couldn't imagine that Aint hadn't even entered the dungeon yet.
After pondering briefly, Gerhard decided to approach confidently.
"Aint Armian. The entrance exam should be over, so why are you here? This place shouldn't be permitted to you."
When in doubt, it's best to strike first.
Aint's surprise was visible at his words.
"...Do you know me?"
"There's no one in the academy I don't know. Whether they're a student, professor, or a prospective freshman who passed the entrance exam. Even if that weren't the case, you're too famous."
Aint shrank at the cool gaze.
"...If it's not rude, may I ask who you are?"
"I'm Gerhard."
"Gerhard...? Ger...hard Goldenheim...?"
"That is my full name. But the 'senior' is missing."
Aint's eyes widened. He probably never imagined meeting him here. Just as Gerhard hadn't thought of encountering Aint.
"I'm, I'm sorry."
"It's fine. I don't mind much. Just answer my question. The entrance exam should be over, so why are you here? This place shouldn't be permitted to you."
"...Well."
"You're injured."
Gerhard's gaze turned to Aint's shoulder. Quite a lot of blood was flowing from between the half-broken armor.
"Were you attacked by lizardmen?"
"...I encountered a Crocker."
"A Crocker was at the entrance? You were unlucky. Experiencing something that happens only once or twice a year."
Pretending to think for a moment, Gerhard took out a potion from his spatial storage.
"Take it. It's a top-grade potion."
"I don't have money to buy a potion from Lord Gerhard."
"Do I need to explicitly tell you to call me senior for you to understand?"
"...Yes, senior."
"No money needed. But it's not free either. This is an investment, Aint Armian."
"Investment, you say?"
Aint's eyes rounded at the sudden statement. Looking at him, Gerhard explained as if it was no big deal.
"Fallen and 'former' as it may be, imperial blood is imperial blood. At least you won't become a worthless human."
"..."
"Will you take it or not? Lose a bit more blood and you might be kissing the ground."
"...I will surely repay this favor later."
Aint took the potion and poured it on his wound. The flesh bubbled up and regenerated quickly.
Money is indeed good. If it had been a low-grade potion, he would have needed about ten bottles.
"I won't ask why you're here. Everyone has at least one secret."
"..."
"But don't think you'll have the fortune of meeting me twice, and go back. This place is still too much for you."
"...Yes. But why is Senior Gerhard here alone?"
"I came to gather herbs. Very expensive and rare herbs grow only in this area."
"You're doing that personally?"
"Only a mage can harvest them properly."
"I see..."
"I'll see you again. It's dangerous, so leave quickly."
"Yes, thank you for the advice, senior."
Gerhard rode away on his horse.
By the time he was out of sight, Aint exhaled in relief.
"...That was close."
To think he'd encounter someone right before entering the dungeon.
"Gerhard Goldenheim."
The eldest son of the Goldenheim family, notorious for being a money-chaser.
"He didn't seem like such a money demon though."
Rumors are always like that. They exaggerate and maliciously stick to people, typically turning them into trash.
Aint knew very well what kind of nasty rumors and dismissals circulated after the Armian family lost the throne.
It was deeply ingrained in his family for generations.
"Anyway, I will repay this favor."
Although it was an investment based on his family rather than himself, he still felt good. It meant he had that much value.
Above all, having his injury healed when he didn't know what might happen in the dungeon was no different from having his life saved.
After checking his surroundings once more, Aint threw himself into the burrow.
He disappeared.
***
"It really is a dungeon."
Gerhard, who had been concealing his presence, peeked out.
"But why is he so naive? He feels completely different from the person I met in my dream."
What on earth did he experience between then and now to change so dramatically?
Tsk, clicking his tongue, Gerhard stopped his thoughts and turned his gaze back to the dungeon entrance.
"If you go in, you fall straight down."
[Aint swallowed his groan from the impact of the fall. His whole body ached, but to survive, he consumed all the remaining potions. Yet, due to the severity of his wounds and the poor quality of the potions, he wasn't fully healed.]
[He pressed on despite the pain.]
After this, Aint would advance while injured, but having met Gerhard, the story would change somewhat.
"Top-grade potion..."
It was a bit regrettable, but if the prophecy was true, it was worth the investment.
Starting with a different first impression felt like fastening the first button well to change toward a positive future.
Considerable time passed. As the sun was setting, Gerhard threw himself into the burrow.
The world flipped without any resistance.
"It's been cleared."
The fact that the dungeon, which should only respond to imperial bloodlines, responded to anyone meant that the dungeon had fulfilled its duty.
Thud, Gerhard landed lightly and gazed forward.
There were no enemies or traps. Just a long corridor stretching ahead.
Because faint magic lamps were installed at intervals, the interior was brighter than expected.
"With so many magic lamps, yet hardly any trace of mana?"
Gerhard lifted himself to examine a magic lamp.
"An inscription I've never seen before..."
He could tell it was absorbing the surrounding mana very faintly. He realized these were semi-permanent magic lamps.
The intricately carved patterns also exuded an antique elegance externally.
Gerhard frowned.
"I wonder if Aint Armian truly is the character from the prophecy."
He plucked a magic lamp. Even so, the lamp didn't lose its light.
"The future of this world depends on someone foolish enough to leave these behind?"
Only darkness remained where he had passed.