June 17, 1616 Central Calendar, 20:00

Arden District, Runepolis, Holy Milishial Empire

Truly, since he started to expand the scale of utilizing his gift and inherited memories, the passage of time felt like zipping by Meteos akin to a whirlwind. The christening of the Orphan Wolf Legend, the introduction of the Gamma-1 bomber, and the birth of the White Lotus felt like separated by a period of not months but mere days. And before he knew it, the heat clinging to him during the day reminded him that it was already the sixth month, half the journey through Year 1616.

Though the White Lotus needed to be tended to, an auspicious day demanded different attention from Meteos and the rest of his family, who had juggled their responsibilities with the feverish anticipation of this event for a long time now. As a result, before they resumed their activities later, the family delegated their duties to their trusty deputies and went to hold the wedding ceremony between the Roguerider and Legendorga families. After a period of betrothal, Meteos’ eldest brother, Adonis, finally got to marry Adel, Count Legendorga’s second daughter as soon as both of them reached 20 years of age.

After both families had agreed to a marriage, and the consent of the parents was given, the marriage contract was drawn up and signed by both parties. Subsequently, the wedding day was scheduled according to the groom’s choice, in accordance with the customs of the Caelian cultural group, at the Legendorga family’s home.

“Ubi tu Gaius, ego gaia,” and “Ubi tu Gaia, ego Gaius.”

Such were the vows exchanged by the groom and bride as they stood before a priest and held hands.

And then, after a grand celebratory banquet that followed, Meteos, flanked by his older siblings, friends, and other guests, watched the scene unfolding before them. Adonis, clad in a pristine white toga, wrestled Adel away from her protesting mother’s grasp, while the bride herself let out cries of distress as her new husband began to pry her away. It left one pondering about the expression hidden beneath her bridal veil, which complemented her flowing white robe.

…………

Relax, that was a part of the aforementioned Caelian cultural group’s wedding ceremony, and this was essential to the completion of the marriage, so it could not be omitted. Following the dinner party, the bride would be escorted to the groom’s home, but in order to do so, the groom has to stage a kidnapping of the bride in order to ensure that the household gods wouldn’t perceive the bride as willingly leaving them. And as tradition dictated that the Caelians simulated the bride being abducted from her family, the bride must cry out in pain as she was herded along the route to her new house in the San Redentore District. Anyone could join the procession, and many people did, just for fun.

A modern twist to this tradition is observed among modern Caelians, including the residents of Runepolis, which included a convoy of cars. As the entire procession paraded to the groom’s house, flower petals were thrown by the participants. Meteos took part by riding in the backseat of the groom’s car and holding a torch, while Cyrus and Ace offered support to their new sister-in-law by accompanying her arm in arm.

When the procession reached the groom’s house, Adonis led the way inside. Following him, Adel entered and performed the ritual of smearing the doorway with sheep’s wool covered in oil and fat. This act symbolized that the bride would have no protective deities until she arrived at her new home. Prior to stepping into her new abode, the bride repeated the consent chant once more. Then, she was carried over the threshold by her husband, and the doors were closed to the general public, while guests were invited in for another banquet to end the day.

As soon as the couple entered the groom’s house, they were considered married. And following the conclusion of the wedding ceremony, it was time for Adonis and Adel to consummate their marriage. They did so in a richly decorated bed, weaving the colors of both families: the Rogueriders, a very powerful plebeian, were represented by blue tapestries depicting a white tiger, dancing together with the patrician Legendorgas’ phoenix in golden and red colors. Thus, their differing domains of ground and sky met together in the hope of a shared future.

June 18, 1616 Central Calendar, 10:00

Roguerider Residence, San Redentore District

After another feast prepared by the groom in the morning, Adonis and Adel wore their ceremonial attire and performed various religious rituals. Unlike the boisterous celebrations of the previous day among the guests, this one was a private affair reserved only for the newlywed couple.

Ostensibly, they prayed to the gods. However, the damage from the Civilization Annihilation Game to Ars Goetia’s pantheon was shown more clearly for Meteos in this Third Timeline. People in this world did still pray to the gods, but now that every god of Ars Goetia barring Astarte was already sold by Shamash the Deceiver to fuel the Game, these mortals seemed to either don’t know or don’t care which god exactly they directed their prayers to. That much positive energy was better channeled to Astarte to help her heal, but sadly and infuriatingly, that was not to be because of the Third Timeline’s nature and the ultimately whimsical Four Horsemen despite their human guises’ stance of working in Meteos’ favor.

Prompted by reflections on the couple’s ritual on the second day, Meteos found his mind drifting back to the subject even as he attempted to distract himself by heading to play with his four infant siblings in their shared room. Alongside him were Nadia, Annette, as well as young Noelle Lippin and Tristan Arkland, children of family friends who had dropped by earlier. They asked their mothers and Meteora to see these cute little potatoes, apparently.

With their attention directed at him, Meteos brought his hands to cover his face only to flick his wrists outward seconds later.

“Boo…”

In spite of his deadpan delivery, the four little siblings before him erupted in delighted giggles. Their eyes widened in delight, gurgling laughter erupting from their tiny pink mouths.

“Oh, Meteos, you’re so good with them,” Nadia smiled seeing the boy trying to entertain his siblings from over his shoulder. She silently urged him to repeat the game, and when Meteos complied, another round of joyous squeals ensued.

“Yeah. So it would seem.”

Frieda, Samuel, Arran, and Fiona. Now five months old. Their weight at birth was just slightly below average, but ultimately they were healthy children. Two of them were said to be ‘incomplete’ reincarnators, though this ultimately held little significance since whoever those two were would never be able to remember their past lives, as Kagaseo used to explain. He wanted to verify from time to time if this remained the case.

The hide-and-seek games as done by Meteos started to become giggle-producing favorites as the babies began to grasp the concept of ‘object permanence.’ In addition, the little ones are now able to discern tiny items and lots of colors, as well as track moving objects. Their hearing and vision are almost completely developed, and they just might recognize their names which were so thoughtfully chosen and have been saying for months. They were eagerly taking in everything they saw, assisted by their new motor skills, and trying to make sense of the world. So far, they all behave like normal 5-month-olds.

Once again, all of these Roguerider children were born with tufts of silver hair and cerulean eyes; Meteora’s features.

Glancing at Meteos as he played with his siblings, a smirk spread across Annette’s face from her perch on a nearby plush chair as she played with the six-year-olds.

“What’s that flat look? You’re practically whispering at them,” she called out teasingly. “Crack a smile! Babies love smiles.”

Fair enough, Meteos nodded pensively. This life is the first time he has become an older sibling. His heart ached with a fondness for these adorable souls that he couldn’t quite express. He yearned to coo and pinch their cheeks, to smother them in the kind of unbridled affection only reserved for the truly precious. The thought of him, a man mentally exceeding a century old, gushing over infants struck him as both ludicrous and strangely amusing. It was a juxtaposition that felt so out of place, like a grizzled warrior trying on a clown nose. The absurdity of it all almost made him chuckle the more he thought of it.

But honestly, what adorable children Meteos’ new siblings turned out to be. The sight of them being so happy and carefree truly warmed his heart.

“…Do you like it? Do you want me to do it again?”

“Awuuuu…”

He nodded and did so with results as he would’ve expected. Frieda, the eldest, even reached out with chubby fingers in an attempt to grab at his retreating hand.

“Heh…” Meteos chuckled and turned to Nadia. “They’re precious, aren’t they?”

“They are, and they really are fond of their brother.”

“Aha! Look at that, even Mr. Cool can’t resist the cuteness overload!” Annette whispered conspiratorially to her juvenile companions.

Noelle and Tristan, their eyes sparkling with mischief, erupted in a fit of giggles hearing it. Their laughter echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls and tickling Meteos’ ears. He rolled his eyes in response, but with a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. It’s not like he’s trying to fool anyone, especially not Annette who can become really observant when she wants to. As long as Guinevere, Annette’s older sister in this Third Timeline, is yet to wake up from her coma, Meteos will let her use him as a crutch to find her happiness.

Their playful banter alongside the infants continued until suddenly, a really curious-looking Tristan piped up. “Big Brother, will you have babies with Big Sister (Nadia) someday?”

“———!?”

Meteos’ words abruptly died in his throat, leaving him staring at Tristan with bewildered eyes. Nadia’s face, previously flushed from the exchange, exploded into a vibrant crimson that rivaled the finest sunset. And Annette choked on her own laughter, her eyes widening comically. For a moment, no one spoke except the innocent infants. The six-year-olds were looking at the ‘Gold and Silver Pair’ and eagerly awaited the response.

“Boy…” Meteos sighed, “where did that come from?”

Tristan was emboldened by Meteos’ gentle tone and smiled brightly. “It’s easy! You and Big Sister are always playing and laughing just like Eldest Brother (Adonis) and Eldest Sister (Adel)—”

“Oh, Boy—”

“Everyone says they’ll have babies soon!”

This kid’s innocent logic…

While Meteos knew that the young boy wasn’t being malicious, just genuinely curious, he wondered who supplied him with this idea. Looking at the source of a stifled laughter that is Annette, Meteos gave the young noblewoman a stink eye.

“What? It’s his question, not me this time,” the young noblewoman raised an eyebrow. “Right, Tristan?”

“Mm!”

“Boy,” Meteos started, adopting his best patient and understanding voice, “You’re a very smart child, you know that?”

Tristan puffed out his chest proudly and beamed. “Thank you, Big Brother!”

“So to honestly answer your question,” Meteos abruptly defaulted into a deadpan tone. “Not at the moment.”

The green-haired boy seemed to ponder this for a moment, his brow furrowed in concentration. Then, his eyes lit up again. “Then, you will have babies with Big Sister when you’re as old as Eldest Brother and Eldest Sister?”

“Boy……”

‘This is messed up.’ This time, Meteos facepalmed and inwardly groaned.

In the end, with an unholy amount of distress and an unbridled determination to avoid embarrassment, Meteos somehow managed to resist the urge to shortcut diverting the talk away with the Temple of Heaven and managed to redirect Tristan’s curiosity about ‘his and Nadia’s babies’ into something else. Just in case, he reminded himself of the ‘Be better’ promise he had and told himself to not hate children because of this.

Tristan is really Robin’s son.

❖⟐❖⟐❖

Annette, Nadia, and Walman stayed at the Roguerider residence that day, and during the grand dinner time between the two families, this exchange occurred as Annette asked the new husband a certain question.

“Eldest Brother, it seems that Meteos is looking forward to becoming an uncle,” she declared out of nowhere.

The eldest Roguerider immediately answered without skipping a beat.

“How many nieces and nephews do you want, Meteos?”

“A-Adonis!” his wife exclaimed in embarrassment and anticipation(?).

“Oh, that’s very nice of you to admit that you’re the one coming up with that,” Meteos retorted at his self-proclaimed cousin.

“Why, thank you,” Annette preened. “But actually I was just… expanding Tristan’s question.”

“……I was being incredibly sarcastic.”

And in response, Annette stuck her tongue at him.

“Nobility must not let sarcasm shake their standing, you know? This is the Way.”

“………The price for taking me as an imbecile is heavy.”

“Hahaha! Such youthful vigor!”

“Victor… No.”

Count Legendorga cleared his throat and called out to his younger brother before he got too loud. He maintained his dignified composure amidst his laughing brethren, but on this happy day, he will not deny a touch of merriment.

“Glad to know that the young prodigy has a sense of humor,” the Count’s other younger sibling, Lady Irina Legendorga, chimed in with a teasing tone aimed at her brother. “The last person we need in the family is another poker face.”

“What was that?”

Count Legendorga gave Irina a stink eye.

He knew what it feels to be constantly teased by a relative.

The week bled into another, and the Roguerider residence remained a haven for well-wishers. Even after the official festivities had concluded, a steady stream of visitors continued to pour through the doors, their laughter and chatter echoing through the hallways. As the owners of one of the largest conglomerates in the Holy Milishial Empire, the Roguerider family has a fair share of powerful associates, but now that they became the relatives of the noble House of Legendorga through marriage, members of high-ranking nobility also came in considerable numbers.

Faced with this occurrence where so many influential members of the Holy Empire were gathering in one place, an opportunistic Meteos took the chance that was practically handed to him to further bolster the White Lotus’ ranks by reaching out to those who had not yet received his ‘invitation.’

At the same time, the families gradually returned to their daily routines. For Adonis, it included training four foreigners in magical arts as part of an aim of advancing in the mage hierarchy.

❖⟐❖⟐❖

June 26, 1616 Central Calendar, 08:00

MOASEC Training Ground

“…We are going to learn elemental magic techniques?”

“Ooh, finally!”

Listening to Adonis’ announcement as soon as they arrived for another training session, Kaios and Irmiya Mephilas voiced the team of four foreigners’ mixed feelings of joy and surprise.

Adonis confirmed their questions, both spoken and unspoken. “Yes, elemental magic is the basic skillset for any mage, and in order to fare well in the Imperial Board’s exam, the participants are expected to know basic elemental magic techniques at minimum. Therefore, starting today, I will include the lessons in your training regimen. However, before we start into the more exciting part, we will first determine your individual elemental affinities.”

He reached into a bag lying on the ground at his side and produced four gray-colored G3 Manadrivers. “Fortunately the process nowadays is quick enough that we can start determining how I will train you after the results come out. We will use these for the testing. Each of you, take these.”

“Those devices…”

Kaios, Elto, Gabriel, and Irmiya took the Manadrivers from Adonis with expressions varying from cautious curiosity to wide-eyed excitement, eager to learn new skills but unsure of what to expect.

“Umm, Master,” Kaios raised his hand and asked. “Are we really going to use these Manadrivers in the exam?”

“Yes. I will give you the complete guidebook later, but to summarize it, you will be provided a Second-Generation device in the second phase. So if you want to get a taste of advanced technology, at the very least you must enter the First Round.”

“Ahaha… right, I see.”

The annual exam hosted by the Imperial Board of Magical Arts Supervision is a competition divided into multiple rounds. This year marks a transitional period as Manadriver technology, which emerged seven years ago, is being fully integrated, turning the exam this year into one among a series of experiments. The initial phase (preliminary round) will remain unchanged from previous years. However, in the second phase, which takes the format of a tournament where participants will compete against one another in one-on-one battles, each participant will be provided a Manadriver to facilitate more dynamic and exciting matches. Nonetheless, the assessment criteria will also be more stringent, requiring participants to demonstrate greater creativity in leveraging the advantages offered by the Manadriver.

Stolen novel; please report.

Adonis’ team is not the only group of foreigners who will be participating, although they are unique since they hail from a region considered more primitive than the Second Civilization Area.

“Place your hand above the screen and prepare to channel your mana.”

Following Adonis’ instruction, Kaios, Elto, Gabriel, and Irmiya settled into their positions. Each hovered their hand above the G3 Manadrivers’ smooth, black crystalline screen.

“No need to close your eyes, but focus,” Adonis commanded. “Imagine a deep-seated desire within you. Don’t dwell on specifics, just ask yourself what element is the best one for you. Whatever reaction is made by the device will be your elemental affinity.”

“Mmmh……”

As instructed, the four focused their minds and channeled their mana in search of that deep-seated connection with their elemental affinity. Not too long after, the result manifested as the magical particles swirling between their hand and the screen changed color to that of their elements.

Both Kaios and Elto felt a sudden coolness in their hands, a feeling similar to when they dipped their hands into a flowing river. The Manadrivers responded to their desire by changing the magic particles’ color into softly glowing cerulean blue.

“Kaios van Deventer and Elina van Dalsen, your elemental affinity is water,” Adonis noted with a nod. The two Parpaldians looked at each other and nodded happily.

When they turned to look at their teammates, they witnessed the particles underneath Gabriel’s hand shining a warm red, while Irmiya produced an amber-colored glow with the device.

“So, the Prince is best with fire, while Irmiya’s affinity is earth. Good, good. So, for the next two months, you will be honing your affinities with the plan I will give you. You better be ready.”

The four trainees straightened their backs in unison, their faces reflecting a mixture of determination and anticipation. Kaios, with his cool blue eyes glinting, spoke on behalf of the team.

“We won’t let you down, Master!”

…………

Under the shade of a tree some distance from the clearing, Robin and her apprentices were sitting in a circle, overhearing Adonis who launched into a detailed explanation of the elemental magic training program he had designed for them on the fly. They noted that despite Kaios and Elto sharing a water elemental affinity, the individual training regimen that Adonis tailored for them diverged to cover the strengths and weaknesses borne of their differing personality traits. As a mage whose natural affinity is water, it would be a test for Adonis Roguerider to impart his knowledge to his apprentices. Teaching and nurturing the next generation is, after all, one if not the most important qualifications for becoming an Advanced Mage.

The conventional combat approach associated with water magic emphasizes graceful and flowing motions to manipulate water for offensive maneuvers, relying primarily on upper body movements to control mana. However, Adonis will introduce Kaios and Elto his style that integrates all four limbs, allowing them to incorporate powerful high kicks to channel their technique. Water magic is one of the most versatile in combat if the user is able to control it, especially among elite mages who can manipulate the water’s molecular structure mid-attack, seamlessly transitioning between solid, liquid, and gas phases at their command. The conveniences of modern science (advanced education) and technology (Manadriver) further eased the water-affinity mages in pulling off this feat.

This is where the training regimen for Kaios and Elto diverged: for Kaios, Adonis deliberately trained him in using water magic with less elegance but greater speed, reminiscent of the training methods typically associated with fire magic. This involved emphasizing sharp, rapid punches akin to those used in boxing, enabling Kaios to maintain agility and effectively evade oncoming attacks on the battlefield.

“Eldest Brother is trying to make him more decisive…” Annette realized.

This younger Kaios is a gentle and soft-spoken boy, but the adult version that Meteos knew better is a passionate and patriotic man who in the First Timeline confronted his own Emperor to save Parpaldia from ruin. It seemed that Adonis wanted the other side of him to emerge through his training, just like he chose a more flexible fighting style for the rather blunt and strict Elto.

Gabriel van Helsing is the prince of a country filled with hatred. His future version will come to inherit the human supremacism ideology that the current ruling dynasty of Louria championed, and the current King of Louria took the Foundation’s offer and sent his younger, more intelligent son to the Holy Milishial Empire in hopes for him to absorb the knowledge from the world’s strongest empire and use it to better exterminate the demi-humans. However, Adonis instilled in him compassion while the White Lotus is working to undermine Louria’s warpath behind the shadows.

The easygoing Irmiya Mephilas will struggle with his own affinity and it might depress him. However, he is the son of the heir to the Milishian Ducal family with a grandfather who refused to acknowledge his existence for being a half-Altaran. In the days to come, when he assumes his father’s position, he’ll confront prejudice merely because of his mixed heritage, facing discrimination stemming from his mother’s background as a ‘barbarian.’ Although efforts to combat racism are underway, it will be a long process, and Irmiya must be strong and face his problems head-on, like earth.

So far, Robin expressed approval of the path chosen by her junior mage. As the saying goes, “If one is to control the world, one must first rule himself.” The true enemy is the self, manifested as the limitations imposed by it. Overcoming these barriers opens the door to endless possibilities. Normally for mages, this means learning an element that doesn’t come naturally to them. It will be more difficult, but it makes one develop more self-control, discipline, patience and willpower. They will struggle with their own nature and they will learn to tame it. But in this instance with complete greenhorns, Adonis took his approach. He fused a traditional, expedited training regimen originally designed to rapidly produce mages to maintain readiness in case of a war with a more sophisticated method aimed at cultivating better mages, albeit at a slower pace.

The Holy Milishial Empire then used the advantage they enjoyed in the form of a powerful and highly advanced military not completely dependent on mages to make this learning method widespread among educational institutions as part of the curriculum, seeking to turn even their weakest human mages into a force to be reckoned with even when compared to the specialists in individual magic such as the Agarthans.

“Speaking of Kaios and Elto…” Walman grinned conspiratorially. “Wait until Eldest Brother starts throwing them in the air to make them stand on the water…”

Robin laughed. “That’s classic mana control training for water magic. He ought to do that sooner or later.”

“You know, Eldest Brother should make it more exciting, like firing Water Dragons at them.”

“That’s murder,” Meteos deadpanned.

“Tee hee!”

“Okay, now concentrate back on the leaf, please,” Robin reminded her apprentices, prompting the four teenagers to calm down and fall silent once more.

Amidst the tranquility, Annette focused intently with her eyes shut. Suddenly, a sharp sizzling noise pierced the calm coming from near her. Startled, the young noblewoman’s eyes snapped open to see a wisp of smoke curling up from between her clasped hands. When she opened it, a wide grin split her face as she realized what had happened. The small green leaf nestled between her clasped hands, once whole and vibrant, is now singed black on one side.

“Hey, I did it!” she exclaimed. “I actually burned it!”

“Meh, I can do better,” Walman peeked from beside her and commented.

“Walman you’re born with fire, what are you getting at?”

“Good job, Walman, now Lady Pendragon knows how it feels to be teased around,” Meteos smirked.

“Oh I see, so that’s the payback for the last week, huh?”

Annette stared at the silver-haired boy and pouted, placing the singed leaf beside her and picking up another fresh one from a pile of leaves in the middle of the circle, intending to repeat the process again.

“Concentrate and find the inner sun…”

At the same time as Annette’s excited declaration came, Nadia felt a warmth radiating from her cupped hands, prompting her to cautiously unclench them. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the telltale signs of success—the previously pristine green leaf now bore a blackened patch, mirroring Annette’s achievement. A smile bloomed on her face, mirroring the summer sun filtering through the canopy of leaves above. The initial frustration of failing to conjure even the tiniest spark had been replaced by a surge of elation. She had done it too! She had managed to harness the fiery essence within her mana and channel it into the leaf.

Turning towards Meteos and Walman, her eyes sparkled with gratitude. “Thank you, you two. Your advice really helped.”

Meteos simply smiled and nodded in acknowledgment, unclasping his hands to let the ashes of the umpteenth leaf he completely burned be carried by the wind. Then, he reached out to the pile to pick another leaf.

While they were resting from training, Robin’s team also took the time to better their control of the fire elemental magic they were learning. One exercise in this element’s training involved using only their mana to burn a green leaf, demonstrating their proficiency without relying on magical tools. Having trained from a young age in this timeline, they have attained a solid grasp of their affinity and are now expanding their repertoire to prepare for the upcoming exam. Except for Walman, the element the team chose was fire, a powerful element that, while less versatile, doesn’t need nearly as much control as the other four basic elements to be effective.

Fire magic is intertwined with emotions. To shape one’s mana into fire elemental magic, one must possess either unwavering determination to achieve goals and desires, akin to nurturing a sun inside oneself, or tap into feelings of anger and hatred. Ideally, the former approach is preferred for maintaining control over one’s flames. Regrettably for most mages with fire elemental affinity, destruction comes first, while self-control is often relegated to an afterthought. It is a devil’s circle of having uncontrolled fire magic being dangerous to everyone and everything around the mage leads to the mage being hated by their surroundings, which leads to the mage hating everything around them.

Luckily, Robin’s apprentices, even the shy Nadia, all know what they desire and are willing to be determined in order to achieve it, only needing a gentle push from their peers to let it shine.

As for Walman, who was offered his teammates’ affinities to hone his control, deemed lightning (Robin and Annette) to better provide him what he wanted compared to water (Nadia) and wind (Meteos). Subsequently, he was trying to make the leaf in his hands crumple. When the leaf stayed uncrumpled, Walman took a deep breath to calm himself and resumed to focus his mind. A complete opposite of fire in terms of mental state, mastering the lightning element requires the user to not be easily disturbed by emotions such as fear or anger, which can destabilize the process of harnessing mana into lightning.

Meteos, being a cheat, already knew how to shape his wind elemental magic into specific forms to make them deadly. Having been forced to endure numerous attempts after his life in the First Timeline for whatever reason, Meteos’ repertoire mostly comprised of techniques that outright kill people as soundless as possible, coupled with a short to medium-ranged fighting style focusing on precision with balance between offense and defense. This is different from the conventional battlefield mages whose style is all offense, overwhelming the enemy with powerful attacks from a distance while defense is just stopping an oncoming technique with a stronger one. Having stopped being flashy, the old Meteos Roguerider in the First Timeline switched to give people quiet, yet gruesome deaths. Even now, the flashiest wind magic he uses is the ancestor of modern guns: compressed drilling air bullets equivalent to a .50 caliber round that he can summon with only his mind if he is equipped with a Manadriver.

And thanks to his stance of honing his mind to polish his assassination magic spells, now Meteos has an easier time using illusion magic. He even gets to use what he deems as the most powerful of them all.

A simple illusion magic changes the way the target perceives the world around themselves, whereas the Temple of Heaven is able to completely and permanently rewrite their thought process and even their sense of self without the target realizing it. A brute can be made to act prim and proper to the best of his ability and he will believe he chose to do so out of his free will. Naturally, achieving complete integration with reality depends on Meteos’ skill in crafting a scenario seamlessly. When he thought about it, it really made sense why the inherited memories fed him the knowledge to reverse-engineer the Temple of Heaven. He was hardly a silver tongue, so the inherited memories resonated with his subconscious desire to be able to convince people and ‘help’ him in this way. After all, the most basic drive of magic is ‘desire.’

It was like playing some kind of game on an easy difficulty. Were it not for Legiel’s enforcement of instant death as the limit, he would have the power to seize near-absolute authority over the entire world. However, regardless of how many boosts he used, Meteos Roguerider will never become stronger than these two men: his sovereign, Lucius of the Morning Star, an abnormal entity himself, and the silent archenemy of this world, Zarathostra of the Messiah, who stands as the most analogous being to a Malakh within the contemporary era’s Ars Goetia.

As Meteos continued to burn the leaves one after another, he let out a soft exhale.

Is he lamenting not being able to rule the world? No. Meteos didn’t even know he had that kind of ambition. He never sees himself as a ruler.

Though, he did desire a better world than this one… with him among many of its builders.

That was enough for an ideal world.

July 3, 1616 Central Calendar

Sitting smack dab right midway between the Southern World and the First Civilization Area lies the Gynamo Kingdom, an archipelagic outside civilization area country situated approximately 1.300 kilometers south of Cartalpas. Spanning across three islands at the western end of an arc west of the Vestal Continent that separated the waters of the Veriare and Silberian Seas, the largest island to the north boasted a landmass comparable in area to that of the Altaras Kingdom.

As the closest country to Bushpaka Latan in the Annonrial Empire and the last gateway to the mysterious Southern World from the north, the Gynamo Kingdom’s economy thrived on its position as a trade intermediary with the civilization areas. While the Annonrial Empire remained largely self-sufficient due to its (supposedly) vast lands, it did require certain goods unavailable within its borders. This is where Gynamo stepped in as a primary exporter of agricultural products cultivated in its mostly flat lands. Vessels from countries engaging in what scarce trade with the isolationist Annonrial also frequently docked at the Gynamo Kingdom before proceeding on their voyages. To reflect this, the harbor and central trading center in the Royal Capital Zelmoda are equipped to handle giant ships arriving from the Holy Milishial Empire and Mu. This resulted in Zelmoda’s harbor infrastructure standing out as fairly advanced compared to other nations in a similar classification.

At a part of the city some distance away from the bright harbor illuminated by magic lamps imported from the Holy Empire, there stood a trading post established by the world’s most powerful empire. Despite being lavish compared to local standards, the Milishian trading post in Zelmoda appeared to actively avoid standing out, being a straightforward three-story structure constructed primarily of wood. Its sole noticeable feature was the depiction of the August Star of Heaven insignia above the entrance.

However, this was nary the only presence the Holy Empire had in Zelmoda. Unlike the well-lit trading post, an ordinary dwelling on the opposite side of the capital housed the heart of the Holy Empire’s intelligence operations within Gynamo, recently reinforced after the White Lotus succeeded in recruiting the 70 Annonrials from the Eleven Countries Leadership Conference to work with them.

…………

At the stroke of two in the silent night, marked by the resonant toll of Zelmoda’s clock tower, a carriage laden with hay and drawn by a pair of indigenous horse-sized ostrich-like creatures silently rolled up to the unassuming back entrance of the aforementioned building. The cloaked driver expertly maneuvered the carriage into a concealed alley adjacent to the structure, to which two figures emerged out of the darkness within.

A brief exchange of muted voices confirmed the identities of the occupants. And after the sensor mages guarding the surroundings confirmed that they weren’t followed, the residents of the dwelling promptly assisted one of the visitors in whisking the cargo inside, ensuring no evidence of its arrival lingered in the alley. As the empty carriage was then led away to be discreetly hidden somewhere else by the driver, the visitor who remained was ushered into the building by the inhabitants.

When the guest removed their cloak, it revealed the face of a winged man in his 30s, with a bandanna wrapped around his red hair.

“My name is Dagded Dujardin, one of the seventy who joined Amon’s cause. I worked as a member of the Annonrial Empire’s Imperial Intelligence Department,” the man introduced himself. “It has been one month since I arrived in Gynamo as part of the replenishment crew for my country’s intelligence activities here. I apologize for not contacting you as soon as possible. It took longer than anticipated for us to arrange things, but my cover has held so far, and I am here to offer you my assistance along with some gifts.”

While the secured cargo was being examined by the others, the man was being received in a separate room by a pair of White Lotus-affiliated Milishian intelligence officers. A light brown-skinned woman with short reddish hair and a tall man listened to their visitor’s remarks and silently acknowledged them with slight nods.

“Mm, yes. We understand the difficulties. You’ve done well to arrive safely and discreetly. While establishing contact ideally should have been sooner, we’re glad that both sides get to speak with each other directly, nevertheless.”

When Dagded finished explaining, the woman responded in a lighthearted tone. Leaning forward with a gaze sharpening with curiosity, she continued.

“Now, about these gifts you mentioned. We’re certainly eager to see what you were able to bring us.”

“Among the cargo are several items I believe will be of great use to your cause, but it’s mostly information. Unfortunately, under the current circumstances, smuggling any equipment out of the mainland is practically impossible. Security is tight, and the risk of exposure is just too high. However, from this point onward, I will be your eyes and ears within the Annonrial Empire. Any information I can glean from my position, I will find a way to transmit it to you.”

While the lack of physical resources was disappointing, the potential gain from a flow of insider information couldn’t be ignored.

“Not bad at all. For a first contact, you really did us a great service,” the woman replied. “Oh, and before you leave, we need you to help us mark any locations you deem important to our understanding of Annonrial activities within the Gynamo Kingdom.”

The tall man retrieved a rolled-up map from a nearby shelf and carefully unfurled it, revealing an illustration of the country’s geography according to the Holy Milishial Empire’s surveying standards. Cities, towns, and landmarks were meticulously marked, along with major roads and rivers.

“Sure thing.”

The winged man leaned closer to the map spread out on the table. He carefully traced the familiar lines of the Gynamo Kingdom while recalling the points of the Annonrial Empire’s activity and ended up marking several key points on the map. Each mark was accompanied by a brief description, detailing Dagded’s knowledge of the location’s purpose, security measures, and any known vulnerabilities. He finished his annotations with a satisfied nod at the intel he offered to the White Lotus members before him.

Given the sensitive nature of the materials brought by Dagded, the Milishian intelligence in Gynamo swiftly began the process of transporting them back to the mainland for further assessment. When paired with Meteos’ estimations based on his inherited memories, it will provide a clearer picture of the Annonrial Empire’s current capabilities.

“I trust you’ll put them to good use,” Dagded asserted.

“Naturally. As for your invaluable contribution, we'll ensure your efforts are duly recognized within the White Lotus. That's the name of Amon's cause, remember that.”

White Lotus Information Column

~THE SECRET WAR~

THE AUGUST STAR OF HEAVEN AND THE EYE OF THE PROVIDENCE

(Air Superiority Fighters)

The mainstay air superiority-type Heavenly Vessel of the Holy Milishial Empire as of 1616 Central Calendar is the Alpha-2, first flown in late 1611 and introduced in mid-1613.

It has a streamlined fuselage beginning with a conical nose assembly and leading out to the simplistic-looking engine exhaust port. While its predecessor fitted its twin engines on external nacelles under the wings, the Alpha-2’s single turbojet engine made use of an internalized system with easy maintenance access accomplished via a two-piece fuselage that could separate near the engine. While sporting only a single engine, two semi-elliptical intake openings were fitted to either side of the fuselage just forward of the cockpit. Wings were straight, low-mounted monoplane assemblies fitted just aft of the cockpit, affording good forward and side vision. The inclusion of a two-piece bubble canopy provided the pilot with unparalleled 360-degree views out of their cockpit, obstructed only by light framing along the forward portion of the windscreen and by the large-area wings to their sides.

Standard armament for the Alpha-2 revolved around a battery of six 12,7 mm heavy machine guns, all mounted for concentrated fire in the lower nose assembly. Concentrating the armament to the nose also lightened and simplified the construction of the wings to an extent. 12,7 mm ammunition is limited to 300 rounds per gun. The latest variant Pattern 15 changed the armament to four 12,7 mm heavy machine guns and one 20 mm autocannon to ensure they can destroy their hypothetical enemy, the Wind Dragon, better.

In addition, the Alpha-2 also makes use of conventional drop bombs or explosive air-launched rockets. Two hardpoints were fitted, one to a wing underside, that would allow for the use of traditional drop ordnance (two 450 kg bombs). Special launch rails could be fitted to address the fitting of eight 127 mm Trumpeter unguided air-to-surface rockets for use against ground targets. Beyond that, the Alpha-2 was a limited airframe in terms of its munitions-carrying capabilities.

From the information acquired, the Annonrial Empire’s primary fighter of this era is called Nunamnir Nu-29. At its core, the compactly designed fighter is a single-seat, single-engine aircraft. It largely followed a design approach in that the nose section is cut down to serve as the intake for the air-breathing engine buried within the lower aft section of the fuselage. From under the tail unit is the jetpipe and the whole system sits cleanly under the pilot’s feet, running along a straight line from nose-to-empennage. This arrangement forced the deep fuselage with the pilot sitting atop it overlooking the nose. The canopy is only lightly framed and of a two-piece design. The wing mainplanes are mid-mounted along the fuselage sides with strakes noted along their chord lines, swept back for the high-speed flight expected of this fighter.

This Nu-29 is primarily armed with four 20 mm-class autocannons with 10 hardpoints: 8 for rocket/guided magic bullet pylons and 2 for drop tanks or incendiary bombs.

In terms of performance and technology level, while the Alpha-2 is practically unmatched among air forces of the known world, it is still outclassed by the Annonrial Empire’s fighter.