Vol 3 Chapter 11

With those enigmatic, vague words, Ilumine avoided any further mention of the subject. Although Kapros was disappointed, having focused in anticipation of some significant information, there was nothing he could do about it.

While it was clearly related to the current Dark Knight user as well, Ilumine's words seemed to place more emphasis on the Dark Knight from 500 years ago, so Kapros decided to remember it and move on for now.

"Then..."

"Just a moment."

As Kapros opened his mouth to move on to the next question, Ilumine suddenly interrupted him.

"The moon has risen, so let's stop here for today. Come back when the sun rises."

"Pardon?"

How long had they been talking for her to dismiss him like this? As Kapros frowned and stared at her, Ilumine answered expressionlessly, as if reading a predetermined guide script.

"Your Lord Pieces can only be purified when the moon is out."

Kapros wanted to say something, but since Ilumine had said this with the most serious face she had shown so far, he ended up swallowing his words and silently nodding.

Well, if she said it could only be fixed at night, what could he do? He had to back down and withdraw. After all, not getting on her bad side seemed to be the best strategy for this quest.

So far, Kapros still didn't know what he needed to do to solve the quest. The fact that it couldn't be resolved with simple tasks like raiding dungeons or wandering around looking for ominous places, as he had done before, was quite stressful for him.

Looking to the side, he saw Kran, who had been listening to the conversation with a serious face, also nodding. It was a signal that he agreed with Kapros's decision. As they stood up, Ilumine waved her hand with gently curved eyes.

"I had something I wanted to ask too, so it's a bit disappointing. You must come again tomorrow."

"...Yes."

As they left the cave, the moon in the night sky seemed particularly bright today. As Kapros stared at it vacantly, Kran tried to speak cheerfully.

"Anyway, Kap, we managed to end the conversation smoothly today too. Think positively."

"Well..."

"She's even purifying my necklace, which is just tagging along. How kind-hearted can she be?"

Regardless of Kran's words, Kapros sank back into his thoughts. He wondered if he had missed anything in Ilumine's words today, and if there was anything more he needed to do...

But even in the midst of these thoughts, there was something that kept coming to mind. Despite saying he wouldn't think about it, whenever he let his guard down, the image of the swordsman in black armor kept circling in his head.

"..."

Kapros waved his hand at Kran, signaling to go down.

The next day, Kapros again visited Ilumine to ask and discuss various things. Ilumine always talked to him from that same seated position, maintaining the same posture to the point where Kapros suspected she might not be able to stand up. Today, what Kapros asked Ilumine was something he had become almost certain of: whether she had been with the heroes 500 years ago.

"You're asking if I really was with them 500 years ago?"

Kapros nodded without change to Ilumine, who asked with an expression that seemed to say, "Is that even a question?"

"Yes. I've met many descendants so far and seen Lord Superior's memories, but I've never seen or heard any stories about you. So even now, it's hard to believe."

"Is that so? Come to think of it, I suppose that's possible."

Ilumine, who had seriously acknowledged Kapros's words, seemed to ponder for a moment what to say.

"If you count it, the period I was with them wasn't even a full year."

"I see."

"Well, if I must answer your question, the answer is obviously 'yes.' If you need proof, I think the fact that your Lord Piece led you to me is sufficient."

Kapros wanted a more detailed story, but Ilumine seemed to think that was truly enough. He had no choice but to move on to the next question.

"I recently obtained Lord Superior's spellbook, but I'm having trouble learning it because I don't understand how to study it. The system seems a bit different from other spells. Do you know anything about that?"

"A spellbook? What circle of magic was it?"

"6th circle..."

The moment Kapros said that, Ilumine opened her mouth with an expression of disbelief all over her face.

"6th? Unbelievable. You, how much of the Lord's progress have you inherited so far?"

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Kapros was momentarily flustered, but soon lowered his eyes and answered.

"I've mastered one 5th circle spell, Blink... but as I just mentioned, I couldn't learn the rest of the 6th circle magic."

"What about the sword? That Ma-Rakian or whatever sword technique."

Could Ilumine know about that sword technique skill as well?

"I did find and learn one... but not knowing how to train it, I just carried the sword around, and the training level stopped at around 50 percent."

"Good heavens."

Ilumine clearly expressed her astonishment.

"Little one, how did you make it here with those skills?"

"..."

"With that level of skill, your inherent magic resistance would be weak too, making it difficult to withstand the sun's curse on the way here. It's truly a miracle."

"..."

"Little one, say something."

For the first time, Kapros felt like a truly incompetent person. This had never happened before, not when learning the sword, nor during his belated studies... At the same time, he was reminded of his resolve to become the best in his newly started life.

The end... of the 9th circle.

Recalling that goal after such a long time suddenly made his chest feel cold. One should never forget their goal for even a moment. That's natural. So why did it feel so unfamiliar now?

'Was it because... I had forgotten?'

Since when? Unable to continue speaking due to an indescribably dark feeling, Kapros was stared at by Ilumine with an unreadable expression. After a long while, she sighed and opened her mouth.