The two sat on the floor, facing each other.

"This was made by Serene herself. Please bow down and thank her with all your heart."

"You finally managed to say something so majestic and powerful like a king, but it turned out to be just a show-off. But I'm still grateful."

The two of them chatted while enjoying a sandwich made by the princess herself. Perhaps because she was originally a country girl, the sandwich looked plain. But it tasted delicious, with a gentle and comforting flavor.

"How is it? Is there any way to analyze it?"

Alford glanced to the side, looking at the ancient magic circle carved into the ground. It was a vast, complex, and exquisite magic circle. Yes, this was the 'Room of Succession'. Oscar's glasses were glowing because he had activated his 'Intelligence Vision' function to analyze this magic circle of succession.

"Yes, no problem. However, since it will be used in the Great Labyrinth test, the magic circle cannot be used directly and needs some modifications. Therefore, we need to study it carefully next... Thank you, Al."

This magic circle was a secret treasure among the Ghost Kingdom's secret treasures, a most important state secret. Now, allowing outsiders to analyze it in this way was, according to common sense, absolutely unacceptable. However, upon learning of Oscar and the others' purpose, Alford agreed without hesitation.

If the king was someone other than him, Oscar and the others would probably have suffered even more.

"You're welcome. This is all for the future. I won't make a fuss about it."

"Haha... I really admire your straightforward personality."

Alford always acted quickly and decisively, never hesitating.

When the nobles and people in the country were brainwashed and turned into fanatics, he remained completely unshaken.

In his view, the blame lay with those who easily gave in to fanaticism. He would show no mercy to those who dared to offend. Furthermore, as nobles, they should commit suicide at such a time to prevent the country from falling into chaos. This was their so-called "noble duty," so die! — With this in mind, he decisively suppressed the civil unrest with overwhelming force.

The fanatics within the Ghost Realm were mostly those who distrusted Serene's human existence. They had attacked the castle, intent on killing her and her son. Alford would show no mercy to these people. For Alford, this was like a potential threat courting death, a blessing in disguise.

Ultimately, using fanaticism to confront a tyrant only brings about one's own death. This fear spread among the fanatics, diminishing their influence and minimizing the damage to the country. In this light, it's difficult to say what's good and what's bad.

"If only I could be as decisive as you..." Oscar murmured, his eyes lowered. Alford enjoyed his wife's lunch box while glancing at him.

"...Where do you think your soul is?"

Oscar blinked in surprise at this sudden question, unable to answer. Regardless of his reaction, Alfred continued speaking.

"Is it in the head? The stomach? The heart? Scholars are divided into two camps. Some believe the soul doesn't exist at all, while others believe it resides in the blood. The latter is a unique concept for vampires, which is why they place so much emphasis on bloodline."

"Uh... B-But, Rouse himself is a master of soul magic..."

"That's right. So the former's claim is completely rejected. I'm very interested in this matter and asked Mr. Rouse the same question a few days ago."

"I see. What did he say?"

Where is the soul? Oscar had never thought about this question, so now he was a little interested in the topic.

"According to him, it exists within the entire body. The body itself is a container, and the energy that fills it, like water, is the soul. The soul has many different colors and properties, unique to each person. The soul is the core of a person's personality and the driving force behind their life activities."

After death, the body loses its function as a container, and the soul dissipates.

"So, where does the dissipated soul go? How does that energy cling to the human body? Ultimately, where does the soul come from, and where does it go?"

"This is a very philosophical topic."

"No, this is a very romantic topic, a topic about love."

"Your answer was totally unexpected to me."

Oscar looked bewildered, but Alfred was his usual self, saying what he wanted to say.

"Oscar. Are you familiar with the concept of 'reincarnation'?"

"Changing to another topic again?"

"No. I'm still talking about romance and love."

Then, filled with romance and love, the king recounted a legendary tale. It was a tale passed down from ancient times in the Ghost Kingdom, a tale of reincarnation, a theme still found in a few works today. Oscar's cheek twitched at the story.

"According to Lord Rouse's hypothesis, perhaps the soul and magic power are originally the same energy. That's what I think."

"Same? In other words, consuming magic power is equivalent to consuming the soul?"

"No. What I mean is that when natural energy attaches to the human body, it transforms into energy of different natures, such as soul or magic power. In other words, the source is the same."

"Hmm, what a profound topic... After different minerals are decomposed and separated, sometimes minerals with the same properties emerge. Is that the principle?"

"Well, you could say that. Some scholars argue that everything is actually made up of a collection of matter so tiny we can't even discern it."

After swallowing the last bite of his sandwich, Alfred said, "In short—" It seemed that he was going to summarize his abrupt, complicated and strange topic of romance and love.

"After death, the soul dissipates into nature, but it does not disappear. It still exists."

“…It definitely exists…”

"After several cycles, it will flow into a new container in a random form when it is born."

"So, you believe that after death, a person's soul energy returns to nature, to its source, but one day it will become someone else's energy again, correct?"

"That's right. Because it returns to nature once more, when the energy transforms into the soul again, it will not remember anything that happened before."

"However, in extremely rare cases, for some reason, energy retains its transformed properties and flows into a new body... That's the so-called 'reincarnation' phenomenon, right?"

"Considering what Lord Royce said, don't you think this makes sense? In fact, the records in the 'Treasure House of Knowledge' do show that some nobles and royals in history did claim to have memories of past lives."

"It's almost fanciful and lacks evidence. It's hardly a theory."

"That's why I said it was a topic of love and romance."

The idea that two people who love each other will reunite and join hands again after reincarnation, no matter how many times they have been separated by death, is truly full of love and romance.

After saying this, Alford stood up and said with a hearty smile.

"I dare say that reincarnation definitely exists."

He made this assertion with no trace of doubt in his tone. Oscar pushed his glasses up and suppressed his expression.

He knew that Alfred was actually encouraging him by saying this. Oscar was still confused about the plan to create the Great Maze. Alfred told him not to think too much and just move forward.

If you feel you have nowhere else to go in reality, try to believe in romance and love.

Oscar felt a lot more relieved.

Alfred is right. It's actually quite good to believe in and talk about romance and love.

"Al. Thank you for encouraging me—"

"If reincarnation doesn't exist, then there's no way to explain the shock I felt when Serene and I met! It was undoubtedly fate! Proof that we've been in love since the distant past! Serene and I's bond won't be limited to just one lifetime! And it won't be the same from now on!"

"So you just wanted to show off!"

Oscar instinctively threw the kettle over. Alfred caught it easily, laughed heartily, and walked away quickly.

Oscar stared coldly at his back. After a moment, Oscar asked shyly.

"Al. I'd like to read a work about reincarnation. Do you have any recommendations?"

"This one."

Alford pulled a book from his pocket and threw it over. It seemed he had been prepared from the beginning.

Oscar's eyes widened in surprise. Alfred raised the corner of his mouth and asked with a smile:

"You've had the same experience, haven't you? Feeling the presence of fate?"

At this moment, Oscar's mind was thinking about──

──Finally found it.

That day, her smile, and those words.

Oscar pushed his glasses up again to hide his expression and prevent Alfred from seeing his blushing face.

Alford's happy laughter echoed in the room again.

Prequel 6 Special Bonus: Ancestor of a Princess

In a circular arena surrounded by golden walls and without any windows.

“Drink aaaaaaaaaa!”

A fierce momentum erupted. The radiant sword and the dark war club collided violently, unleashing a radiating shockwave. Before they could even catch their breath, the collision continued once, twice, three times, and the sound of metal clashing echoed in succession. Slashes of light flew like a shower of meteors.

It was undoubtedly the highest level of fierce fighting in modern times.

One of them was a gray-haired man with a slicked-back hairstyle, about thirty-five years old.

The other one was a bald old man.

Their weapons collided, and the two began to push against each other. Neither gave way, staring at each other from extremely close range. The next moment, both sides simultaneously extended a hand toward each other. Their palms were so close that they were almost touching, and the light of destruction condensed between them.

“—‘Kamiu’!”

『──「God’s Power」!』

Both sides simultaneously unleashed the highest-level light-attribute attack magic, exchanging fire at close range. If anyone were watching, they would surely have cried out in surprise, or perhaps even cheered for this thrilling battle.

Unfortunately, there was no one else in the space, and the only thing that screamed was the air. The rapidly expanding light created a powerful impact, sending the two of them flying in opposite directions simultaneously.

“Mmmmmm, pierce through! — 『Holy Sword』!!”

One of them raised a hand as he was ejected, and the holy sword responded to the user's wish, chasing the enemy in an instant, the blade extending at a speed too fast to be seen.

With such unwavering perseverance and fighting spirit, as well as superb combat skills, it is no wonder that he is hailed as the strongest warrior of the contemporary era in the world.

However, the bald man seemed to have a better skill.

"Phew, that was just an afterimage."

The bald man spoke with a hint of amusement as his figure swung vaguely, the tip of the holy sword missing the man's path, passing him by about thirty centimeters. Furthermore, while still being flung outward, the bald man seemed to be moving with even greater ease. Almost simultaneously, the war club in his hand extended, striking his opponent squarely in the chest.

"Ah!" the man screamed, pinned to the wall by the war club. All the air in his lungs was squeezed out, and his magic power and strength were instantly depleted, making it impossible for him to continue "Limit Breaking".

"Ahh..." The man fell to the ground groaning and turned over to lie on his back.

"In the end, I still can't win..."

"But you've done very well, Sharon."

That’s right, the two people fighting were Sharon and Ross.

This is deep within the Great Labyrinth of [Sacred Mountain]. This is where challengers of the labyrinth undergo their final test. Only Sharon, the only one allowed to interact with Rouse, can enter this place under conditions unrelated to the test.

For the past twenty years, Sharon has traveled around the world as a brave warrior, returning here once a year. Sometimes to reunite with his family, and sometimes to receive martial arts instruction from the strongest knight, just like this.

Ross came over and sat on the ground, looking at his son, who had grown into a fully grown man. His expression was extremely peaceful, and it was hard to imagine that the two of them had just engaged in such a shocking fight.

For Sharon, her father was still a wall that was difficult to cross. Experiencing this fact firsthand, Sharon raised a hand to shield his eyes.

"Father...it's been twenty years since you left the world above."

Royce did not speak, but listened quietly to Sharon. Sharon continued in a monologue:

"Yunfa has a new family member. Haha, it's not Sisha's child. Yunfa has given birth to another one. It's a really big family over there. How many children do they want? Now, Dilan's son has grown up and can join the mercenary group he founded. Tigne seems to want his son to take over Andica, but his son is very determined, which makes Tigne quite frustrated."

Sharon's voice trembled slightly as he talked about his recent situation.

"As for Tigne, she's surprisingly pregnant with her third child. The second child seemed to be naturally attracted to strange creatures, making her a real hassle to care for, forcing Tigne to stay close to her. But she finally grew up successfully. Haha, and now she's pregnant with her third child. The couple is truly in love. Oh, and by the way, Katie seems to be on the verge of being pursued by Albano. Although she's been refusing until now due to her social status and age difference, the boy has inherited his father's personality and is very passionate about love. Katie seems to be accepting his feelings lately."

Having said that, Sharon stood up, sat cross-legged on the ground, placed the holy sword on his thighs, and stared at it.

"Ruth's workshop has finally been recognized by the kingdom. He inherited Mr. Kaguya's family name and is now the head of the leading workshop in the royal capital. Also, Miss Chiara's son has left his inn outside to his sister and plans to start his own business in the Sea of ​​Trees. I heard his dream is to build a powerful rabbit-man family. Miss Chiara is troubled by this and blames herself for bringing up Miss Cui too often. And Miss Shirley is amazing. She's finally become the branch leader of the Entris branch of the Adventurer's Guild. She works very hard in the guild, aiming to find adventurers capable of conquering the Great Labyrinth..."

At this point, Sharon began to look listless, and his voice became increasingly weak.

Finally, he stopped talking, lowered his head, and gripped the hilt of the holy sword tightly.

"What is my grandson's name?"

Sharon's head shot up at this, her expression puzzled. Why did her father know this?

"Of course I can see that."

You can tell what my dear son is thinking by looking at his face - Ross said this with a smile.

"Sharon, congratulations. You're a father now."

“B-But, I…”

Sharon was speechless, and Royce clenched his fist and hit him on the head.

"Fool. Didn't my past teach you a lesson?"

But there was nothing he could do about it. Everything was destined. This was the only excuse Rolls could use to excuse his failure as a good father. When he finally realized he needed to be a father, it was too late.

Ross didn't want his last remaining precious son to follow the same path as himself.

"So what if you're a hero? So what if you're my son? You don't have to throw away your life just to become my successor."

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like