Chapter 58: The Divine Revelation Appears Again

“An unfamiliar ceiling…”

Mann opened his eyes.

His head felt like it was splitting apart.

His body was unbelievably heavy.

“How long have I been lying here…?”

He lifted the clothing covering his abdomen.

The misshapen mass of flesh still pulsed rhythmically.

Aside from its altered shape, there wasn’t a trace of injury visible.

He recalled where Trik’s claw had pierced him.

It had been this exact spot.

“So the Evil God indirectly saved my life.”

“How ironic…”

He tried to get out of bed.

The moment he stood up, darkness flooded his vision.

He nearly collapsed again.

His body was weak beyond belief.

At that moment, the door opened.

The person entering was none other than Principal Fis.

“Oh?”

“Kid, you’re already up and walking around?”

“A wound that severe would normally kill someone.”

“Hehe…”

Mann could only laugh awkwardly.

“That’s… a long story.”

“But thank you, Principal.”

“If it weren’t for you, I probably would’ve died in those underground waterways.”

“You should be thanking Sophien and Elais.”

“If they hadn’t failed to find you and come ask me for help, I probably never would’ve known.”

“Of course, you should also thank your family background.”

“After all, your father is the Empire’s newly appointed Baron and a hero who fought against the cultists.”

“Owing him a favor has no disadvantages.”

Fis’s blunt honesty was unexpected.

It improved Mann’s impression of her considerably.

“None of that matters to me.”

“You saved my life.”

“I’ll remember that debt forever.”

“Hmph.”

“If you really want to repay me, then after all this is over, get first place in the history exams.”

“You should be capable of that, right?”

Why did that sound so much like elders lecturing their juniors in his previous life?

Different worlds.

Same people.

Some things never changed.

Thinking that, Mann could only smile helplessly.

“I’ll do my best…”

“Forget it.”

“I won’t tease a junior any longer.”

“I still need to assist the Adventurers Guild with the Cult of the Evil God situation.”

“Recover quickly.”

“You still have many things left to do.”

After seeing the principal off, Sophien entered carrying some food.

“How are you feeling?”

“I should be fine.”

“Thank you very much for saving my life.”

Sophien merely smiled and waved her hand dismissively.

She desperately wanted to ask about the abnormal mass of flesh on his abdomen.

But now clearly wasn’t the right time.

“We’re companions.”

“There’s no need to say things like that.”

“If I were the one in danger, I’m sure you’d come save me too.”

“It’s just unfortunate for the people in that district.”

“If we’d arrived a little earlier, perhaps things wouldn’t have ended this way.”

“No.”

“I don’t think so.”

Mann shook his head.

Rejecting Sophien’s conclusion.

“That guy, Akrein.”

“I don’t know how he learned my whereabouts.”

“But ever since I was ambushed in the underground waterways, I’ve been thinking about it.”

“Trik’s existence was probably just a distraction.”

“Thinking back now, did the clues he provided really have any meaning?”

“If Akrein could kill him remotely, why wait until after he finished speaking?”

“You’re right…”

Sophien’s expression darkened.

“We investigated.”

“But all the information turned out to be irrelevant.”

“They’ve hidden themselves very well…”

“So I’ve decided to force them out into the open.”

“And how do you plan to do that?”

In response, Sophien placed a miniature cone-shaped holy artifact before Mann.

“This is…”

“A Divine Envoy suppression artifact?”

“Something Sir Duruf delivered?”

“But what does this have to do with spatial magic?”

“No.”

“It does.”

“The thing that pierced the spatial cage and saved your life that day was this.”

“But…”

“These things should be incredibly rare, shouldn’t they?”

“And that’s exactly why I came to find you.”

Sophien put away the artifact.

Then she handed the food to Mann.

“Eat something.”

“Then come meet someone with me.”

Not long afterward, the two arrived at the academy’s forging workshop.

The compact building was filled with blazing furnace heat.

Just standing there for a short while was enough to make someone sweat.

The moment he entered, Mann understood Sophien’s intentions.

As expected.

Dirk and his child were working frantically.

They were so busy they hadn’t even noticed Mann and Sophien arrive.

Beside them sat a mountain of scrap materials.

“How’s it going, Dirk?”

Only after Sophien spoke did he finally stop.

“Oh?”

“It’s our benefactors and the young man.”

“Because we’ve reduced the size, we’ve already completed over 200 units.”

“They might not be as effective as the originals.”

“But they still possess some functionality.”

As he spoke, a trace of disappointment appeared on his face.

Mann nearly lost control of his expression.

Seriously?

The Church struggled to make even one of these things.

And after glancing at it a few times, you casually replicated it?

Even if the effectiveness is lower than the original, that’s still absurd!

Suppressing the urge to complain internally, Mann turned toward Sophien.

“Is it enough?”

“Barely.”

“But we still have several days to prepare.”

“Oh, right.”

“Young man.”

Dirk called out to Mann.

Then he pulled out a dagger forged from pure white materials and gestured for Mann to take it.

“This is…?”

“Remember this.”

“The dagger’s name is White Fang.”

Mann accepted the weapon in confusion.

Through magical fluctuations, he could clearly tell it was made from the same material as the holy artifacts.

The dagger possessed smooth lines.

Perfect balance.

Its handling was exceptional.

It was so exquisitely crafted that it almost seemed more like a work of art than a weapon.

Clearly, tremendous effort had gone into creating it.

“Just so we’re clear.”

“The benefactor lady commissioned this from me.”

“But I don’t work for free.”

“You’ll need to give me that forging voucher.”

Looking at Dirk’s serious expression, Mann felt speechless.

This guy really had a strange personality.

Even so, he took out the forging voucher and handed it over.

“Wait a moment…”

Dirk walked into the workshop.

Moments later, he returned carrying a worn old book.

He placed it into Mann’s hands.

Before Mann could ask anything, Dirk and Fu walked over.

Then both father and son knelt on one knee.

The sudden gesture startled both Mann and Sophien.

“What are you doing?”

“Get up!”

“You saved my child’s life and mine.”

“This is only natural.”

“I’m someone who sticks firmly to my principles.”

“But that doesn’t mean I don’t know gratitude.”

“So I’ve decided to give this ancient Rune book to the two of you…”

Just as Mann was about to politely refuse—

“…for borrowing.”

Wait.

What?

The atmosphere had built up perfectly and now he was saying “borrowing”?

“As expected.”

“I still can’t bear to part with it.”

“It’s an heirloom passed down through my family.”

Then don’t say you’re giving it away!

“But I really don’t have anything else to repay you with…”

“If you want to copy it, I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything.”

It seemed Mann had misunderstood him.

The realization made him feel somewhat embarrassed.

“Thank you.”

“You probably value this more than your own life.”

“No.”

“My table was missing a support leg.”

“This thing happened to fit perfectly.”

It was obvious he was merely making excuses.

“Anyway.”

“Just return it after you’ve finished reading.”

“And your dagger will need Rune inscriptions.”

“Since it’s your weapon.”

“You should carve them yourself.”

After chatting for a little longer, Mann and Sophien left the forging workshop.

“For now, you should keep the book.”

In his previous life, Mann had always been fascinated by strange symbols and ancient scripts.

Sophien’s suggestion suited him perfectly.

So he didn’t refuse.

“Don’t worry.”

“Once I learn it, I’ll engrave runes onto your armor too.”

“Really?”

“Then I’m looking forward to it.”

Mann carefully stored the book away.

If the runes of this world were only used for forging, as the legends claimed, that would be far too wasteful.

In any case, he needed to experiment personally before he could truly understand how they worked.

At that moment, all he wanted was to return to his room and quietly study.

But as he walked, the scenery around him slowly began to blur.

That feeling…

A Divine Revelation?

When Mann regained awareness, he found himself floating high in the sky.

Below him lay the completely ruined city of Darkez.

“What’s happening?”

“I can’t move…”

As he struggled, an enormous monster composed of more than a dozen cubes slowly appeared before him.

The magical fluctuations it emitted were identical to those of a Divine Envoy.

Yet the difference in quality was like heaven and earth.

Within that terrifying aura, Mann felt as though he were suffocating.

The next moment, the cubic monster turned its gaze toward him.

The entire city vanished into nothingness instantly.

Mann didn’t even have the chance to feel pain.

His consciousness was erased completely.

“AH!”

Mann’s awareness snapped back.

He collapsed to his knees.

Supporting himself with both hands, he gasped violently for air.

“Hey!”

“What happened to you all of a sudden?”

Sophien hurried over and helped him up.

Yet Mann still appeared dazed.

“I…”

“I saw the future…”

“That bastard Akrein…”

“He used the authority of a Divine Envoy…”

“The entire city of Darkez…”

“Was destroyed by him…”