Vol 5 Chapter 5

"Don't worry about that."

"Good. Then we'll change direction right here, so follow me closely."

The moment they changed direction according to the guide's words, another ding sound was heard.

What? The destination had been changed? What did this mean?

"Open map window!"

As soon as he read the unbelievable sentence that appeared in the notification window, wondering what it was this time, Kapros immediately opened the map window. He quickly scanned the full map of the Mist continent that unfolded before his eyes with a whoosh. Indeed, the northernmost part of the continent where the red dot had originally been blinking was now clean as if there had never been anything there.

Feeling bewildered, he looked closer and saw a new red dot marked in a remote corner inside Bistale, located below his current position in Kizalkirstum.

'How can this be...'

He had thought it strange that notification windows kept appearing, making him choose each action, but to think the destination for the next quest would change.

'Was this why those notification windows asking about my course of action kept appearing?'

Kapros tried to calm his surprise and think coolly.

First of all, while he had just learned that a quest's destination could change in an instant like this, a change in destination shouldn't hinder the progress of solving the quest. If it was a place he would revisit later, only the order would change, and he would come back here someday.

It seemed right to think that only the direction of the solution had changed slightly.

Who would have imagined that a city he had already passed through was actually related to the quest?

Anyway, even if he had gone back to just before and heard about the Flower of Rezul, he would have ended up acting the same way as now, so he decided to bury any unnecessary regret about the original destination he couldn't visit.

"Computer, go to THE MIST's official homepage."

[ Moving now. ]

Click, click. Pop!

After logging out of MIST, Kapros turned on the computer as planned and ordered it to go to THE MIST's official homepage to check Caesar's Lord Piece.

On the now familiar fantastic homepage that seemed to rise smoothly from underwater, he entered the announcements section and clicked on the notice labeled "Second of Memory's Return." Immediately, the screen flickered and a black screen appeared.

As soon as the gloomy music he remembered hearing before started playing, Kapros moved the playback point a little forward. A moment later, Caesar's back view appeared standing among ruined buildings. Seeing that ghostly back view through the fine mist again like this, it felt like an indescribable emotion was welling up.

"Hah..."

Is the difference between watching knowing who it is and not knowing this big? As he thought this and exhaled, he saw Caesar take something out from his chest and extend it towards a pillar.

'That's it!'

"Pause screen."

With his words, the music cut off abruptly, and the screen froze like a photograph.

He leaned forward towards the paused screen. He could see something clutched in Caesar's hand, but due to the distance and the excessive darkness of the screen, it was difficult to make out what it was. If it was this hard to see even on a full screen the size of a small movie screen covering the entire living room wall, zooming in further would be useless.

"Play again."

As he sighed and spoke, the screen started moving again.

Whoosh!

As soon as Caesar extended his hand towards the pillar, a dark and ominous light burst forth and enveloped his body. At the same time, the surrounding scenery began to change as if time had been reversed from ruins. When the movement of light stopped, Caesar was positioned in front of the largest central pillar inside a majestic building that looked newly built. After that, as he remembered, the scene passed where a gloomy voice urged him to become its servant, then laughed with joy upon receiving acceptance.

As if it had shown all it needed to show, the screen began to spin and rise higher into the sky.

'Is this not it?'

He stared at the screen feeling anxious, but there was nothing special. Caesar was just standing still. As he felt growing disappointment amid the tension, just before the screen was about to darken completely.

He saw something flash near Caesar's hand.

"Pause screen!"

This time, he jumped up and approached the suddenly frozen screen. And he immediately let out an "Ah" of exclamation.

'Yes. This is it...!'

He now remembered that he had clearly seen this before and felt something was strange, trying to look more closely. The light that flashed from what Caesar was holding in his hand. Although its shape was hard to make out, it was clearly a jewel emitting the same light as the red light coming from the pillar.

That red jewel, blood-red but with other colors strangely flickering like fire inside, had one more point that he couldn't perceive before but could clearly feel now. It was that its color was surprisingly similar to his Aiagas.

After confirming Caesar's video again, Kapros concluded that Caesar's Demon God Knight quest and his Lord Superior quest indeed seemed deeply connected through some path, and returned to the game. However, he couldn't help but frown unconsciously at the sight of Bistale that he was facing again after leaving for just a few days.

"Hah..."

"What's wrong?"

With sharp ears, the guide quickly turned around and asked, seeming to have heard Kapros's quiet sigh.

"It's nothing."

As Kapros waved his hand, fortunately, the guide didn't pay any more attention and moved his steps back towards the city gate.

'How long has it really been since I left...'

Seeing the huge Colosseum in the distance, the users carrying weapons, and the lively but rough atmosphere, it felt as if he had never left Bistale in the first place. It would have felt even more so if Kran and Un-o were by his side.

Kapros pulled his hood down deeper and followed the guide. Although he had confirmed that there were no clear images of him in the video of the fight with Caesar that had been recorded before, he thought it would be better to be as careful as possible.