Another day passed quickly. Lark once again spent his day in the library. He finished reading the book by the grand historian. To his dismay, the events recorded in that book were focused on the war between demons and mortals. The history of how several kingdoms were founded was written too, but he was unable to find a definitive clue whether or not this was the same as his previous world or a different one entirely.

My only lead is the magician called Pollux. He’s supposed to have founded that Institute of Magic.

According to the book, the Institute of Magic founded by Pollux held enough strength to rival an empire. If Lark looked further, he should be able to find records about it.

Lark went to the man guarding the lower floor of the library and asked him where he could find records about the Institute of Magic.

“Pollux? Institute of Magic?” said the man. He yawned. “Easy enough. After all, this tower’s named after that great magician. See those shelves over there?” He pointed near the back of the room. “Turn right after that one. If my memory serves me correctly, there should be records about him over there.”

“Thank you.”

Lark went toward the shelf the man indicated. After brushing away the cobwebs, he looked through the titles. He picked two books and sat at the nearest table.

Pollux, the Millennium Magician.

The title made Lark wonder what sort of person the magician was for him to be given such a title. He started flipping through the pages and was struck speechless by what he read.

More than a thousand years ago, there existed a group of magicians capable of toppling kingdoms on their own. Each of those magicians held enough might to fight a dragon and emerge victorious. The records of the old said that those people have reached the pinnacle of magic, a height never seen before.

Leanne, the Deity of the Desert.

Pollux, the Millennium Magician.

Kubarkava, the Dragon Devourer.

Loumen, the King of Beasts.

Leonard, the God of Fighting.

Qeurvanu, the God of Poison.

Uurvesk, the Great Emperor.

Dantes, the Ruler of Fire…

These magicians, all considered invincible in their own might, have one thing in common: They were all under the tutelage of a single person. A magician who was the absolute strongest this land has ever seen. The Arcane God—Evander Alaester.

After the death of their master, these invincible magicians went on their separate paths. Loumen, the King of Beasts, confronted the Demon Lord in the south and lost his life. Dantes, the Ruler of Fire, sacrificed his own life to resurrect the phoenix. To this day, the whereabouts of the divine creature remained unknown. Leonard founded his own school, the martial arts school located in the Savage Land. Uurvesk conquered several small kingdoms and founded the Great Empire.

In an attempt to revive their master, the Devourer of Dragons and the God of Poison conducted a ritual to open the gates to the Realm of the Dead. Unfortunately, the spell failed and the two lost their lives in the process. After their deaths, Leanne went back to the desert and created the White Stream Oasis, an immense paradise where water and food never ran out.

Pollux, the oldest of all disciples, founded the Institute of Magic. There were records indicating that Pollux had successfully completed the Ritual of the Immortal. The ritual extended his life for another several hundred years, before he finally perished at more than a thousand. As the oldest human in history, he was granted the honorary title the Millennium Magician.

Before the Institute of Magic was destroyed in the Fifth Great War against the demons, it nurtured many geniuses that soon led different kingdoms and empires.

Out of all the disciples of the Arcane God, Pollux was the most influential over the history of humankind. His thousand years of existence paved the way to the prosperity of magic.

Lark breathed heavily. The book had struck him speechless. He felt his chest tightening from shock.

So many questions ran through his head, but one thing was sure: he was in the same world, but a different time than his previous life. If he went according to the dates in these books, it had been more than fifteen hundred years since he died.

But why did he reincarnate now? And in the body of this noble? Did it have anything to do with Kubarkava and Quervanu’s attempts to revive him? He wasn’t sure. He had no answer right now.

And Pollux…

So, he successfully completed the spell I left behind before my death.

Lark was not sure if he should be happy or sad about this truth. That very same spell was the one that cursed his soul and led to his death. Although he was sure Pollux had been unable to perfect the spell he created since he eventually died of old age, he was certain his disciple somehow managed to complete the spell.

Lark continued reading. After finishing all of the available titles related to his disciples, he finally came to a conclusion.

“Agh! This is driving me crazy!” he shouted as he ruffled his hair. The things he had learned drove him nuts.

He felt the piercing glare from the guard. “If you’re not going to shut that mouth, get out!” he snarled. “It doesn’t matter if you’re the only person here right now. This is a damn library. Shut up!”

“Sorry,” breathed Lark. The furious guard faded from his mind. His head was filled with many thoughts about the fate of his disciples. Reading about their lives felt surreal, as though he had actually gone with them throughout that journey.

Lark knew they were all dead by now. More than a thousand years had passed since then. “If I had been reincarnated a bit sooner, around five hundred years ago, then maybe…”

Maybe, he could have met Pollux again. He wanted to ask him why he performed the same ritual that took the life of his master. Why such a sincere disciple like him extended his lifespan despite knowing the risks. Lark also wanted to see what kind of Institute of Magic he built. If it was the same Pollux, surely he would have focused on support magic.

My disciples paved the way for the next generation. They created the path for future magicians. But why is the current level of magic as it is? If the teachings of my disciples spread far and wide, why do common people not even know the proper concept of mana?

Lark could not correlate what he had read to what he was experiencing in this life. After all, a basilisk was considered a Calamity Class Monster in this kingdom. Back in the Magic Empire, monsters like that would be eradicated in the blink of an eye.

It’s unfortunate that my current shell’s unable to move according to my will. I had to let the female basilisk go. It would have been too dangerous for this weak body.

A creature like a basilisk held a decent-sized magic core inside its body. It would have greatly helped Lark in expanding his mana had he gotten his hands on that core. He decided he would hunt that monster down once he finished training his new body.

It’ll take several years before I expand the mana pool of this body to a decent level. Maybe the Head Merchant knows where I can find high-grade mana stones?

Lark looked out the window. It was getting dark, probably an hour or two before dusk.

Originally, he had planned on touring the city. But he no longer had the energy for that. After this shocking revelation, he simply wanted to lie down, rest, and think about what he had learned.

Lark was surprised that only Loumen had confronted the Demon Race after he died. It was completely unexpected considering the hate Leanne and Pollux had toward the demons.

What made them forgo their hatred and live on normally after his death? Why did Dantes try to revive the phoenix? Even Leonard, who used to hate associating with other people, founded his own martial arts school.

So many questions without answers.

After returning the books to their proper shelves, Lark left the library. As he expected, the men tailing him quickly followed suit.

Lark looked back and stared up at the tower named after Pollux. According to most historians, Pollux was among the greatest magicians that have ever roamed this land, probably even greater than his master—Evander Alaester himself.

The bald old man who used to follow him around had accomplished so much after Lark’s death. Lark felt proud, but at the same time crestfallen he hadn’t been able to witness that success.

Lark heaved a sigh. “I guess I’m not such a bad teacher, after all.” He smiled softly. “My disciples accomplished so much in their lives. I only wish I could have been there to congratulate them.”

Tears were forming at the corner of his eyes. He rubbed them off. “Damn, I’m getting sentimental.” After one last look at the tower, Lark returned to the inn and immediately fell asleep.