Suddenly, light burst out from the necklace, leaving everyone in shock.
Ghislain didn't understand what was happening. The holy power contained within the necklace was supposed to activate only when it was poured into the goblet they had taken before.
He didn't know why it was activating now. Nor did he know what effect it might have. Until now, it had only been used to verify holy relics.
But now, the light was shining as brightly as before, even though he hadn't even touched the necklace.
'Why?'
There was only one reason she could think of.
'Yulian?'
It was reacting to meeting Yulian. Otherwise, there was no explanation for this situation.
Yulian narrowed his eyes and stared directly at the necklace.
Although the necklace emitted a dazzlingly bright light, it strangely did not affect his vision.
'How peculiar.'
It hurt.
An inexplicable longing, coupled with a pain that constricted his heart, overwhelmed him. This only made the situation more confusing.
What exactly was that light?
Why did it evoke such feelings in him—a necklace he had never seen before and a Duke Fenris he had never met?
Yet, the person across from him looked equally clueless.
The light gradually dimmed and soon disappeared entirely. Afterward, no abnormal phenomena occurred.
Yulian asked calmly, "What is that?"
"Uh... how should I explain this?"
Ghislain scratched his chin and decided to speak honestly. It wasn't exactly a secret; after all, it was a well-known story in the Lutania Kingdom.
"So, I took this from those Salvation Church bastards..."
The more he listened, the more Yulian grew confused. It wasn't even an item connected to the Duke Fenris.
After a moment of contemplation, Yulian closed his eyes briefly.
'Things are certainly getting stranger lately.'
His senses had been growing sharper by the day, like a finely honed blade. But this heightened sensitivity often led to sensory overload.
While it was helpful in battle, it was inconvenient in situations like this.
No matter how much he searched his memory, he could not find any connection to the item. Pondering it further would only waste time and emotions.
So, he decided to erase the necklace from his thoughts entirely.
Unlike Yulian, who quickly regained his composure, Ghislain sank deeper into thought.
'There's definitely something about this.'
He had always been curious about the Salvation Church and the Delphine Duchy's goals. After hearing Ernheart's dream, he became convinced they had their own distinct objectives.
But he still couldn't figure them out.
'Erenes seems to know something... but…'
Erenes feigned ignorance and kept her lips sealed, making it difficult to press her for answers.
Now, the necklace was reacting to Yulian. The mystery only deepened.
'Wait, now that I think about it…'
In the previous life, Erenes had withdrawn from the alliance to act independently. One of the reasons was...
'Because of Yulian.'
Erenes had felt deeply uneasy around Yulian. To the point of fighting him the moment they met. Much like when she first encountered Ghislain.
Ghislain had joined the alliance before Erenes. He had witnessed their fight firsthand.
At the time, he had simply found it amusing and had laughed as he watched.
'Erenes seemed incredibly confused back then.'
It felt like a misunderstanding had caused the fight, but she never explained the reason. Yulian, true to his nature, didn't pry and treated it as a minor issue.
Erenes had observed Yulian for days, only to eventually leave.
'This is frustrating.'
He had hoped to uncover the Salvation Church's goals and Erenes's involvement by defeating them.
He thought it wouldn't matter if he didn't know. After all, they were enemies to be eliminated regardless.
But with these inexplicable situations unfolding one after another, frustration welled up inside him. It was unbearable.
'I'll have to ask directly next time.'
When Erenes returned from her "vacation," he decided he would confront her head-on.
'If she sees Yulian, she'll surely pick a fight. That'll be my chance.'
There was no point in overthinking it now. Yulian also seemed oblivious.
Ghislain spoke with a lighthearted expression, "We'll figure out this necklace thing once we deal with the Salvation Church. Anyway, we're meeting for the first time, but we seem to be around the same age. How about we speak casually?"
"Fine."
As expected, Yulian liked to get straight to the point. That was one of his strengths—he didn't waste time with unnecessary formalities or traditions.
The two continued discussing their respective armies and plans as they headed toward the capital of Sardina.
Although Marquis Gidion was the nominal commander of Turian's forces, he dared not assert himself. The de facto leader was Yulian.
Marquis Gidion, acting as an administrative figure, traveled alongside Claude, who had joined later.
"So, I opened the gate right then, and Marquis Rodrick's forces... Oh, and don't talk to that lunatic Alpoi over there. He even fought a goddess once... By the way, do you like gambling?"
"Ah, uh, sure..."
"What's with this guy?"
Marquis Gidion felt like his ears were bleeding. This Claude guy never stopped talking, and he didn't even seem to get tired.
Moreover, his words were hard to follow. He rambled on, spouting whatever came to mind.
Under normal circumstances, Gidion would have yelled at him to shut up, but Claude is Lutania's second-in-command—or so he loudly claimed.
So, Marquis Gidion had no choice but to endure the ordeal.
Thus, the armies of the two kingdoms began forming the foundation of a proper alliance.
***
"Huh? This isn't the Kingdom of Lutania?"
Jerome asked in disbelief. The merchant guild leader nodded in response.
"Yes! This isn't the Kingdom of Lutania!"
"Weren't we heading there?"
"We were heading in that direction, but Lutania wasn't the destination."
"..."
Jerome crossed his arms and thought. He vaguely remembered hearing something like that.
But the real issue was that he had boarded without listening carefully because he was too lazy.
The merchant guild leader bowed respectfully and offered his thanks.
"In any case, we couldn't have made it safely without you, Mage. Thank you so much."
They were a merchant guild that had been attacked by bandits during their journey.
Jerome had saved them by hurling stones at the bandits. To them, Jerome was nothing short of a hero.
Jerome smacked his lips as he looked at the merchant guild leader.
"Ah, but I need to get to the Kingdom of Lutania."
The mercenary captain, hired to protect the guild, laughed heartily.
"Wait, you got on without knowing where it was going? There's no guild heading directly to Lutania around here."
Jerome, who had become friendly with the mercenary captain thanks to his easy-going nature, grumbled.
"Ugh, how far is it? I'm terrible with directions."
"What kind of mage are you? You'll need to cross several kingdoms to get there from here."
"Hmm, should I find another merchant guild to hitch a ride with?"
"Can't you just use magic to get there quickly?"
"Too much hassle. Besides, using magic continuously is tiring. Plus, I'd miss out on sightseeing."
The mercenary captain shook his head in disbelief at Jerome's brazen response.
Honestly, he still doubted Jerome's magic abilities. All he had seen was the so-called "magic missile," which was essentially throwing rocks.
The mercenary captain, looking at him with pity, commented.
"It'll be hard to find a merchant guild now. The closer you get to Lutania, the harder it'll be to hire mercenaries."
"Why?"
"I heard recently that our captain has been gathering mercenaries on a large scale."
"Why?"
"Why else? There's a civil war there. They must be gathering forces to fight."
"Hmm, I see."
"Anyway, we've got to get going now. Be careful not to run into the Salvation Church or the rebels. Thanks for your help. Let's meet again if we get the chance."
"Sure, it was fun."
And with that, Jerome and the merchant guild parted ways. Left in a frustrating situation, Jerome bit his lip and clutched his head.
"Argh! This is such a pain."
The magic tower he belonged to was a secret, single-lineage tower unknown to the continent.
When the Salvation Church rose and the continent plunged into chaos, Jerome had stepped out into the world.
To emerge and lend aid in troubled times—that was the purpose of the magic tower and the will of his mentor, who had taught him everything.
The problem was that Jerome didn't know much about the outside world. He had grown up entirely within the tower.
"Ugh, I should've traveled around more ahead of time."
Preferring to stay indoors, he had rarely ventured beyond the vicinity of the tower. And while they called it a "tower," it was closer to a cozy neighborhood house.
Still, he had a mission to fulfill, so he decided to aid one of the factions fighting the Salvation Church.
After gathering rumors, he chose to join Count Fenris. But before he could even arrive, he found himself lost.
Apparently, he was still far from the Kingdom of Lutania. To make matters worse, he didn't even know the way.
"Hmm... maybe I'll take a few days to rest and think."
Having camped out in the wild recently, he was mentally exhausted. So, he decided to find an inn.
And then, he just slept.
Lying in bed, wrapped in blankets, Jerome thought to himself.
"Ah, this is nice. I'd like to keep resting like this. I haven't accomplished anything, but I'd still love to rest intensely."
For several days, Jerome lazed about, but a nagging unease filled his heart.
It was only natural—he was postponing his duties and spending all his time idling.
"Ugh, I should stop slacking off. Not like there's much to do anyway."
The ongoing war made leisure activities scarce. He couldn't go looking for gourmet food, nor could he go sightseeing. Life was tough.
At least this kingdom had managed to fend off the Salvation Church and the rebels well enough that it was functioning. People could still scrape by.
"This is why peace is important."
As he wandered the city, Jerome clicked his tongue. The economy was in ruins, and people were struggling, their spirits dimmed.
But because of that, rumors spread quickly. Everyone was sensitive to the news. Jerome was able to pick up on such rumors as well.
"Wow, the Kingdom of Lutania ended its civil war? Count Fenris became a duke?"
As expected of the person he had chosen. If only he had arrived earlier, it would've been even more entertaining. What a shame.
"Hmm, so they formed an alliance army and are heading to assist another kingdom. I guess I don't have to go all the way to Lutania."
He had been dreading the trip, so this was a welcome change. He decided he could join the alliance army and fight alongside them.
"Well, while I'm here, I might as well help out a little. I can't just keep slacking off."
Since his goal was to join a faction and fight anyway, it wouldn't hurt to lend a hand to the locals.
Jerome leisurely made his way toward the front lines, where the rebels were being fought.
This kingdom was reportedly holding its ground well, so he wasn't too worried. He figured a few days of assistance would be enough to help suppress the rebellion entirely.
Joining the fortress wasn't difficult.
"Hmm... you say you're a mage?"
"Yes!"
The knight at the checkpoint eyed him suspiciously. Jerome's attire was plausible enough, but he didn't exude the typical air of a mage.
If anything, he gave off the vibe of a cheerful troublemaker.
"Could you show me some magic?"
"Of course."
Whoosh.
A small flame hovered above Jerome's palm.
"Hmm..."
He was indeed a mage, but he didn't seem particularly strong.
Still, having even one more mage was beneficial. As long as he wasn't a spy, the knight figured they could take him in and question him later.
"Which magic tower are you from?"
"The Magic Tower of Dawn!"
"And... where is that tower located?"
"Uh... in a small rural village, next to a place called Greenhill in the Kingdom of Poled."
"Where's that village?"
"It's... next to the Magic Tower of Dawn."
"..."
"..."
'Is this guy a spy?'
The knight furrowed his brow. Jerome, seeing the knight's expression, felt frustrated himself. He wasn't good at explaining geography.
He had never really ventured beyond the village around the tower. He was essentially a hometown enthusiast.
"It's a bit far. Not many people know about it."
The knight sighed and nodded. It wasn't possible to know every magic tower on the continent. Smaller ones often went unnoticed.
The knight decided Jerome was too clumsy to be a spy.
If he were a real spy, he wouldn't have made it this far.
"The magic corps will handle the investigation."
Once Jerome joined the magic corps, they would verify his identity there. His status as a mage made the process relatively smooth.
"Oh, by the way, what circle are you?"
"I'm 8th Circle. Unfortunately, I haven't reached the 9th Circle yet."
Jerome answered with a bright smile, and the knight let out a hollow laugh.
Even mages at the 6th Circle were well-known. But Jerome's name was completely unfamiliar.
"If you're going to bluff, at least make it believable."
But Jerome's words were true.
He was, in fact, the third of the Continent's Seven Strongest in Ghislain's past life—known as the "Magus of Eternity" and referred to as a "one-man army."
[T/L: I am in dire need of support. I will give discount to all those who will buy the rest of the chapters all together, so please support me the reader on my webnovel platform and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]