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The act of sending a soul from the future to the past itself originates from the power of Tesranak, who exists within the void.

“So, just because the ritual failed, it doesn’t mean the soul will return to the future.”

That’s why Demphis didn’t take the failure of the ritual seriously.

Since the soul of the future Laven still remained in this world, it was only a matter of finding another suitable day to set up the ritual again.

Laven wasn’t the only one surprised upon hearing this.

Baros seemed unsurprised, as if he expected it, but Serati was taken aback.

“Please tell us about these important things beforehand!”

“You should ask properly yourselves. How am I supposed to explain every little thing when I don’t know what you don’t know?”

Karnak, too, tries his best to explain things, but inevitably, some things slip through the cracks.

“Then what happened to that other Laven’s soul?”

“Since it can’t enter this Laven’s body, it’s likely wandering this world like a wraith.”

Laven suddenly frowned.

“This Laven, that Laven—these titles are a bit…”

“What can you do? To me, both of you are the real Laven.”

In any case, the cult of the Dark God wouldn’t simply leave “that Laven’s soul” to roam freely.

This was something even Demphis agreed on.

“The best option is always to return to one’s own body, but if there’s no way to do that right now, they’ll seek a second option.”

Karnak’s guess was that they would likely target another host.

“You remember the case with Prince Lloyd and Prince Alford, right, Serati?”

“Yes.”

“The same situation will probably happen again.”

Possession is easier when the bodies share similar characteristics.

A similar physique, age, gender, and so on.

That’s why, generally, the closer the bloodline, the more similar the characteristics of the bodies.

But blood relation alone doesn’t always meet all the conditions.

By common standards, Lloyd and Alford, who were half-brothers, should have been less compatible than their father, Wiscot I, who shared a closer bloodline.

However, in terms of “similar circumstances,” the brothers were actually closer.

If the father’s characteristics are 100, then the son only inherits 50.

Even if the mothers are different, the brothers share more similar circumstances because both inherit 50.

Additionally, both are younger than their father, making their bodies even more alike.

“Let alone if they were full siblings from the same mother, there wouldn’t be any need to hesitate.”

“That means…”

Laven’s face hardened as Karnak’s explanation sank in.

“Are you saying they might target my older brother Emile?”

***

A desolate clearing in a forest where winter’s chill still lingered.

In the middle of the clearing stood a man.

With green eyes and dark brown hair, the young man in his twenties bore a refined look, and he was a swordsman.

The young man slowly raised his sword.

The aura around his entire body sharpened like a blade, spreading as though it could cut through everything around him.

Wooooong!

With a loud hum, the blade gleamed brilliantly in a purple hue.

“Amazing, Emile.”

A man in his fifties, with green eyes similar to the young man’s, looked on with a satisfied expression.

“To reach the level of a Purple Knight at your age. Even I couldn’t achieve that at your age.”

As he glanced at Gallard, the famed Martial King of the Delphiad and head of the Strauss family, Emile shook his head.

“It’s still not enough.”

His expression wasn’t one of modesty but of genuine dissatisfaction.

“There’s still a long way to go.”

“Hahaha…”

Gallard burst into a hearty laugh.

He was proud of his son.

To have reached the level of purple aura at the young age of 23 was astonishing, but more impressive was that despite gaining such power, his son wasn’t complacent and kept his sights on even higher goals.

Such a mindset was rare for someone so young.

‘If he had shown any arrogance, I would have corrected him, but there’s no need for that.’

All that remained was for Emile to organize and refine what he had gained.

“You have much to reflect on. I’ll leave you to it.”

Gallard left the vacant lot. Some time passed.

Alone, Emile suddenly smiled.

“Has he left the forest?”

He swung his sword once more.

Bwoooong!

With a fierce surge of energy, the purple aura changed.

A brilliant silver energy wrapped around the blade, shining resplendently.

“With focus, I can reach this level. But anything beyond silver aura is out of reach.”

Indeed, the aura stored in this body could only go so far.

“I feel bad for Emile, but…”

After withdrawing the aura, he sheathed his sword.

“You were always fated to die by Lord Tesranak’s hand.”

His green eyes shifted toward the sky beyond the forest.

“Even now that I’ve taken over your body, nothing changes.”

***

A few days later, Laven spoke to Karnak.

“I’ve received a letter from home.”

“Hmm? What news?”

“I was worried about my older brother Emile, so I sent a letter under the pretense of asking how he was doing.”

Holding up the reply, Laven’s face was grim.

“It seems my older brother Emile is doing well. In fact, they say he’s already reached the level of a Purple Knight.”

Serati’s expression hardened.

“Could it really be…?”

The timing was far too coincidental to be mere chance.

If the future Martial King had taken over Emile’s body, it wouldn’t be surprising for his aura level to skyrocket.

However, Karnak and Baros’s reactions were somewhat ambiguous.

“Well, that alone doesn’t mean he’s been possessed…”

“That kid was supposed to reach the Purple Knight level around this time anyway.”

Serati was shocked.

“But he’s only 23 years old!”

If that were the case, what did that make her, who had only just awakened to the blue aura at 25?

“I told you, he’s a real genius.”

“Even Sir Laven here would be overshadowed. In terms of raw talent, not even Laficel could keep up.”

Karnak, too, was starting to appear differently.

So, in his past life, he had already been strong enough to defeat a Purple Knight in his early twenties as a powerful necromancer?

“At the time, I was focusing solely on necromancy. Even then, I struggled immensely.”

“We barely won, but it was a close call for the young master.”

“I almost died for real.”

“In that other world, they say you actually did die, right?”

“I told you, that wasn’t me.”

In any case, Emile was a prodigy who might have become the strongest among the Martial Kings.

Had it not been for the unfortunate encounter with Karnak, his life would have taken a different path.

Given that Emile was destined to reach the Purple Knight level anyway, there was no way to be certain if future Laven had taken over his body just yet.

“We’ll have to wait and see. Time will tell.”

“How?”

At Serati’s question, Karnak shrugged.

“You saw what happened with Princes Lloyd and Alford, right?”

Possession of someone else’s body doesn’t last long.

Even for half-brothers, the possession only lasted for about three months.

Since Emile and Laven had the same parents, the possession might last longer, but…

“At most, half a year. If he really has been possessed, he’ll target Laven’s body again before then.”

“Target his body… that’s rather…”

Laven’s face twisted in displeasure.

It wasn’t exactly a pleasant thought from his perspective.

“Which is why we need to prepare before that happens.”

Karnak chuckled and continued.

“First, let’s solidify Laven’s position.”

Thanks to becoming a knight under Baron Jestarad, Laven easily came under Karnak’s command.

But to stick close to Karnak, working together in the same organization would be ideal.

“You used to serve in the King’s Order of the neighboring kingdom, didn’t you? With that experience, you should be able to pass easily.”

***

The headquarters of the Yustil Kingdom’s King’s Order, in Drunta.

“Laven? Laven Strauss?”

Sitting in his office, Erantel stared blankly at the young man before him.

“You’re really that Strauss?”

“Yes. I’ve recently become a knight under Baron Jestarad.”

Erantel’s response was succinct.

“…Why?”

A single word that carried a great deal of meaning.

Karnak pursed his lips.

“What’s wrong with my family, commander?”

“Oh, no, I didn’t mean it that way.”

‘Didn’t mean it? Yeah, right. That’s exactly what you meant.’

Erantel’s reaction was understandable, though.

The reputation of the Jestarad family compared to the Strauss family was like comparing a lizard to a dragon.

‘Why would the heir of the Strauss family serve a small-time noble like Baron Jestarad…?’

Erantel’s thoughts trailed off as something dawned on him.

‘Wait. Are they really a small-time noble anymore?’

A household led by a 7th-circle mage, with two aura users, one of whom was at the blue rank. They also possessed a lucrative copper mine and had the backing of Prince Lloyd. Their renown had grown considerably due to their activities with the King’s Order.

While they weren’t exactly a prestigious family, they certainly weren’t small-time nobles anymore.

Laven calmly laid out the story he had prepared in advance.

While fighting a cultist in the Maleficus dungeon, he had received great help from Karnak, and as a result, pledged his loyalty to him and came to serve the Yustil Kingdom.

It wasn’t a lie. Not exactly.

“I see. So, you followed your lord and applied to join the King’s Order?”

He had all the qualifications, the family backing, and relevant experience—everything was in order. In fact, he was a veteran who could be put to use immediately.

Naturally, he was accepted.

As Erantel reached out to shake hands and welcome him, he paused for a moment.

If he welcomed him to the King’s Order, it felt strange since Laven was originally part of Etrial’s King’s Order. That would be odd.

But welcoming him to the Yustil Kingdom felt like congratulating him for betraying the Etrial Kingdom.

In the end, Erantel awkwardly smiled.

“Well, I look forward to working with you.”

***

Thanks to Demphis, they now had information about Tesranak, and Laven’s position was secured.

Gathering the group, Karnak spoke.

“So, now we stop this Tesranak guy or whatever his name is from carrying out his plan!”

Baros chimed in from the side.

“That’s right! We can’t let those guys from the future control this era!”

Serati rolled her eyes.

“Excuse me, you all came from the future too, remember?”

Of course, neither of them so much as blinked.

“Exactly!”

“We’re the only exceptions!”

“Absolutely! No one else can!”

Laven, exasperated, muttered under his breath.

“You two are seriously shameless.”

On the other hand, Serati looked as though she had expected as much.

“They’ve always been like that.”

Clicking her tongue, she asked.

“So, what’s the plan now?”

Thanks to Demphis’ information, they realized it was impossible to prevent the spread of the Darkness of Doom.

This wasn’t some random event—it was something Tesranak was directly and deliberately orchestrating.

No matter how many doors they closed, Tesranak would just open new ones.

But there was another way.

“If the cult of the Dark God becomes the dominant faith in this world, that guy will descend, right?”

In other words, they just needed to stop the cult from gaining too much influence.

“…Isn’t that what we’ve been doing all along?”

“Up until now, we were just catching cultists to gather information.”

Now that they had a clear goal, they could take more definitive action.

Feeling uneasy, Serati asked.

“And what exactly do you plan to do? You’re not going to live like before, right?”

“Like before?”

Karnak paused for a moment, pondering.

Then, with a slightly uncertain tone, he replied.

“Hmm, no, it’s different. At least for now.”

Something about the way he said it was unsettling.

Even more anxious, Serati asked again.

“…What exactly are you planning to do?”