Chapter 53: Inner Desires

After Professor Garcia left, Shade continued to slump in his chair with his eyes closed. It was only after several minutes that he quietly squinted to survey the silent living room, confirming that the other party had truly departed before sitting upright.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead; under the light of the gas lamp, his face bore the expression of someone newly awakened from a deep dream. That demeanor had, of course, been an act; it seemed his deliberate performance had been the right choice. To the professors of St. Byron's, even merely witnessing the dwelling of a god should not be an easy feat.

He looked down at the washbasin. Under the glow of the brass gas lamp on the living room wall, not a single drop of water remained inside. Only the dry, elective parchment scrolls lay quietly within, devoid of any text on their reverse sides.

"What just happened?"

He asked his own mind while taking out the key from his pocket. As expected, it was still that Time Key, though its surface was now covered in cracks.

"Why can the key be reused? Why did I encounter the mission of the [Father of the Infinite Tree] during my very first time-travel? Why is that god called an Ancient God? And what of the thirteen 'Originals' mentioned by the Old Gods..."

【Outlander, I am you. You do not know, and neither do I.】

The woman chuckled softly.

【All the deviations from normalcy I have exhibited thus far stem entirely from your uniqueness. That knowledge of Delarian comes from me absorbing the fragmented memories of the previous soul within this body; the ability to perceive relics at close range is a specialty of the Outlander's soul. I am you; this is your uniqueness. You do not know, and neither do I.】

The explanation she provided was perfectly consistent with Shade's own thoughts from earlier that day.

Listening to the words in his ear, Shade leaned back into his chair and stared at the ceiling.

"In this world, I have finally seen a god with my own eyes."

He sighed. Once his mental state had fully recovered, more thoughts began to surface

"Thirteen Ancient Gods—why have I never heard of such a concept? The thirteen Founding Series Rhode cards of the Father of the Infinite Tree, the last thirteen Witch Empresses of the Fifth Epoch... what kind of coincidence is this? The number thirteen must hold some special significance. Does everything originate from the Ancient Gods?"

【Perhaps you can guess for yourself; I imagine you already have an idea.】

"Yes, but that idea lacks evidence."

With a sigh, he summarized tonight's "adventure"

"This time, at least, I haven't lost anything."

【You also obtained the incantation: [False Immortality].】

"But I didn't complete the mission, so I didn't receive the rewards of Thaumaturgy or Spirit Runes."

【You still have two chances left.】

"I don't understand what power the Old God meant by 'the Afterglow of God'."

【But at least you are alive, and you still possess infinite possibilities.】

Shade laughed as he sat in the chair.

"Actually, I am quite grateful that you can speak in my ear. Although I am still uncertain of what exactly you are, it feels quite good to have someone constantly by my side. There is no need to comfort me; I am not that fragile a person. Since I have seen an opportunity to obtain power, I won't let the Afterglow of God slip away—perhaps the August Priests will have something to say about it."

His eyes drifted toward the bedroom door, which was slightly ajar. Mia, the ginger cat, emerged from the crack with sleepy eyes, looking as though she had finished playing. It was strange, considering the cat was clearly not that narrow.

Her large amber eyes looked toward Shade, and after a short sprint on her tiny legs, she lunged onto his lap. After lying down, when she didn't feel Shade petting her for a long time, she tapped his leg with her paw in dissatisfaction.

Shade reached out to stroke the soft fur on Mia's back. The orange fur was exceptionally soft and warm, as if she were holding a small stove.

"Meow~"

She rolled over on his lap, kicking her four little legs in the air to expose her white belly, tilting her head to look up at him with her large eyes. Only then did the Outlander feel that he had completely shaken off the mental impact of what had just occurred.

"Thank you too, Mia. Thank you for liking me so much."

He played with the ginger cat, then looked up at the window obscured by heavy cloth curtains.

"God," the Outlander murmured to himself.

(Little Mia is running...)

The next day was Thursday of the fourth week of the Month of Sunlight. When he went to collect the newspaper, milk, and goat milk in the morning, Shade indeed received a letter sent from the "Taylor & Wanda United Mining Company" in the southern part of the kingdom. Inside was the poetic manuscript page that allowed him to contact the Academy directly, identical to the one Dr. Schneider had used.

While having breakfast with Little Mia, Shade hesitated for quite a while. Although Professor Garcia had said he could write the report on his behalf, Shade ultimately wrote a copy himself, attaching a description of his physical condition to be sent to the Academy via the manuscript page.

The Academy's reply was also prompt. It seemed to have been written by Professor Garcia himself; the cursive handwriting looked like continuous, winding vines. He instructed Shade to focus on resting and quiet recuperation, noting that the credit rewards and other compensations for this Investigator mission would be decided after the Academy Assembly of the History Department.

An investigation involving the near-encounter with a deity would elevate the grade of the [Time Key] from the year 1068 of the Fifth Epoch to the Angelic level. Consequently, Shade speculated that if he had truly seen a god, it should be classified as Grade 0, the Unknowable level.

After handling these matters, he whispered "good morning" to the woman in his head for the first time before tucking the manuscript page into the novel *The Silver Knight*. The broken key was now locked in his bedroom desk drawer. As for the incantation [False Immortality] obtained yesterday, it required a state of severe injury to use; Shade was unwilling to harm himself or the cat to the point of near-death, so he could not use it for the time being.

But at least he had gained a new incantation, and judging by its effect, it was extraordinary.

He still hadn't figured out what had happened last night, and he planned to attempt opening a new [Time Key] once the History Department had concluded its summary of the event, to see if last night was an anomaly.

Although he desperately wanted the mission rewards from the year 1068 of the Fifth Epoch—the Thaumaturgy [Blade of Distorted Time] and the Spirit Rune [Echo]—the Old God [The Pure Creator] had said he needed at least the power of the "Afterglow of God" to complete the task.

Therefore, until he understood what the "Afterglow of God" was, Shade would not waste the remaining two uses of the key in his hand.

"Could this also be caused by the uniqueness of my soul? I won't think too much about it for now; today's goal is the Prophet Association," he said while tidying his clothes in front of the full-length mirror, while Mia rolled around on the bed behind him.

【Outlander, your soul is very special; this is still a problem caused by your characteristics. I am you; there is no need to doubt this.】

The whispering voice spoke with a pleasant tone. It was the first time Shade had heard her speak this way; she seemed to be in a good mood, likely because he had said good morning to her.

(End of Chapter)