Chapter 299: Ciel's Path (4 in 1) |
Ciel...?
Charles's pupils constricted slightly upon hearing this name at the entrance of the See of the God of Order.
This was the name Forte shouted before turning to ash during the meeting just now...
It was an extremely dangerous name, and now the owner of that name was standing right beside his daughter, her hand resting on his daughter's head... this caused Charles to feel cold sweat trickling down his back, and even his lips began to feel dry.
Most crucially, that young lady's eyes looked extremely deranged, like a madwoman who could lose her sanity at any moment...
Did he have a way to pull his daughter away from her side in an instant... before she could react...
"Go on, your father is here."
Looking at the slightly dazed Avena, Ciel couldn't help but let a smile surface on her face. She reached out and pinched little Avena's soft, chubby cheek, then patted her back, letting her walk toward Charles.
The seven-year-old Avena hesitated slightly upon hearing Ciel's words, then opened her arms and ran toward Charles, directly hugging his leg and peeking at Ciel with half her face from behind him.
Why did... that girl named Ciel look as if she were very familiar with his daughter... Charles was certain his daughter had absolutely never come into contact with that red-haired young lady.
Ciel, whose mind had stabilized slightly, looked around at the Templars who had nearly surrounded her, her expression appearing rather helpless.
She seemed to have inadvertently caused a bit of trouble... she disliked dealing with such trouble, especially trouble stemming from a misunderstanding.
They must have mistaken her for a madwoman trying to kidnap a little girl just now.
"Lord Charles, could I trouble you to ask them to disperse?" Ciel looked up at Charles, who was standing nearby, and said.
Among everyone present, Charles was the only one she was even slightly familiar with.
Hearing her words, Charles hesitated briefly.
Although he knew the young lady before him was an extremely dangerous figure, she hadn't harmed Avena just now, and she had behaved so familiarly with both of them…
If Forte's disintegration into ash really was her doing, then killing him would likely be just as effortless. Since she showed no intention of harming either him or Avena, Charles finally spoke after his brief hesitation.
"All of you, withdraw." Charles commanded the others.
The surrounding Templars also recognized Charles, and a few of the knights were even members of the Roswell family. They naturally obeyed Charles and dispersed, breaking their encirclement.
Ciel walked toward the entrance of the See. As she passed by Charles, she asked casually: "Is Erigma inside?"
"The Pope is in the conference room... a small incident occurred inside." Charles did not reveal too much, simply making way for Ciel.
"Alright, thank you." After expressing her gratitude to Charles, Ciel lowered her head slightly and gave a faint smile to Avena, who was hiding behind Charles’s leg.
With that, Ciel walked straight into the See of the God of Order.
The moment Ciel stepped inside, Charles turned and called, "Seraphine."
"I am here." A woman whose face was almost completely covered by a metal mask from the lips up stepped out from the side. "What is your command?"
"Take Avena back." Charles lifted Avena up and handed her directly to Seraphine. Seraphine took Avena and held her close, walking toward the carriage.
Little Avena's chin rested on Seraphine's shoulder as she watched Charles recede further and further from her. She wanted her father to spend a bit more time with her, but she didn't want to disturb his work, so she once again chose silence.
At this moment, Charles did not realize that his busy life would cause him to grow increasingly estranged from his daughter. He turned and entered the See of the God of Order, quickly catching up to the red-haired young lady from before.
The current Charles was the youngest head of the Roswell family in history, and he himself was full of ambition, acting somewhat impulsively—he believed he could claim a share of the spoils from Forte's death, but following her right away seemed a bit too hasty.
Ciel also seemed to notice Charles following her, but she didn't stop him. Instead, she slowed her pace, allowing him to catch up.
"Where is the conference room?" Ciel turned to the approaching Charles and asked.
"I will lead the way." Charles said nothing more, simply quickening his pace to walk ahead of Ciel and guide her.
Charles brought Ciel to the door of the See’s conference room. He knocked and then pushed it open directly.
The conference hall was currently in a state of chaos. Several Cardinals and Archbishops were gathered around a figure. Upon seeing the hall doors open, they all turned their gaze toward the entrance.
Ciel also saw the figure surrounded by the crowd—Erigma—still in tattered armor and with dark green flames in her pupils. It seemed she had already begun the "Artificial Divinity" plan nine years ago.
"Charles, where did you go? What on earth happened to Lord Forte... and who is this?" A metallic hum emanated from Erigma's armor.
"This is Ciel. I encountered her at the entrance just now... she said she was looking for you, so I brought her here." Charles replied.
Ciel?
The surrounding bishops' expressions shifted. They had just been discussing the cause of Forte’s sudden disintegration into ash, speculating whether he was still alive, yet they hadn't expected the very person whose name Forte had been shouting just an hour ago to show up so soon.
The flames in Erigma’s eye sockets flickered slightly. Then, she spoke: "All of you, go wait outside for a moment."
The surrounding bishops tactfully withdrew from the conference hall. Once the doors closed, only Ciel, Erigma, and Charles remained inside.
"Does Your Excellency seek me?" Erigma began with a respectful honorific.
She and Charles were on the same path. Both could sense a terrifying aura from Ciel that caused their spiritual alarms to blare. With the scene of Forte’s disintegration fresh in her mind, Erigma naturally lowered her posture.
Erigma was also feeling quite apprehensive. For a mysterious powerhouse to seek her out after annihilating Forte in such a high-profile manner… it was difficult to believe the other party came with good intentions.
They surely had some demand, which was why they sought her out… the Church of the God of Order and Erigma herself held many secrets, but she simply didn't know what they truly wanted.
"I have a small request," Ciel said with a smile, "I would like to borrow your church’s Sanctuary Library to look up some information."
The Sanctuary Library…
Looking up information…?
Erigma fell silent for a moment. She had already prepared herself for the possibility that the other party might know her greatest secret—the "Artificial Divinity" plan—but she never expected the other party merely wanted to visit the Sanctuary Library...
It was as if someone had ground a national regent to dust right in front of you in your own home, only to ask if they could flip through a few books in your study... it gave Erigma a strange sense of the absurd.
"Very well..." Erigma nodded slightly.
However, she still didn't believe the mysterious person before her had come solely for such a minor matter. After thinking for a while, she spoke: "Your Excellency, are you certain you only wish to use the Sanctuary Library?"
"Of course. About two hours, then I’ll leave." Ciel nodded. After thinking for a moment, she looked at the blank paper and pen on the conference table, walked over, and began writing on the blank sheet.
Scratch, scratch, scratch——
Ciel skillfully wrote out the potion formula for the "Knight" path. She pushed the completed formula and Reconstitution Ritual toward Erigma and smiled: "In exchange, I can give you the correct path and ritual for 'Crown Guard'."
The correct path and... ritual for 'Crown Guard'?
This time, not only Erigma, but even Charles was stunned.
He suppressed his internal curiosity, standing in place and watching Erigma across from him, observing her reaction.
She was wavering...
Was the potion real...?
"May I go now? To the Sanctuary Library." Ciel didn't seem to want to wait for them to recover from their shock; she only wanted to quickly verify what she had done in the Old Days.
"Y… yes…" Erigma felt her thoughts in disarray. She called a bishop to lead Ciel to the Sanctuary Library and remained in her seat, her mind still in a whirl. She wasn't just feeling powerless and anguished over the path before her; she was also pondering Ciel’s intent in giving her this item.
Ciel followed the Archbishop into the Sanctuary Library. After receiving the key handed over by the other party, she began searching between the bookshelves directly.
Nine years ago, the Sanctuary Library of the See of the God of Order was essentially no different from how it would be nine years later, save for a few ancient texts that might have been checked out; however, those were merely church records and of little use to Ciel.
She retrieved the contents of these books from her memory. Soon, she stopped before the innermost bookshelf, pulled a book out directly, and began flipping through it.
Much like the archives of the Savior Goddess See, the majority of the collection in the Sanctuary Library was religious in nature, with very few books documenting past history.
However, Ciel noticed that this time, there were a few different books on this shelf...
Ciel didn't look at the newly added books immediately. Instead, she searched the original books to see if history had been altered.
The Holy War Era... various battles... the end of the Holy War... the division of religious power...
This history was all essentially the same, no different from what Ciel had read before.
It was known that a massive event must have taken place between the Chaos Era and the Holy War Era. This incident acted as an influencing factor that destroyed most of the information from the Chaos Era, as if the history of that time had been filtered through this single occurrence.
Her piercing the dome of the Abyssal Ruins seemed to have no impact on the historical progression of the Holy War Era… was her action directly filtered out by that event?
After quickly searching through the books she had read before, Ciel began to look at the few newly left books. Those books gave Ciel a small surprise.
These were... fragments of historical records?
It was evident these books were incomplete, but they documented some of the Church of the God of Order’s good deeds during the Holy War Era in meticulous detail… this appeared to be information that had been consciously selected.
Ciel could tell this wasn't a religious narrative style. It looked entirely like the records of an observer, merely adopted by the Church of the God of Order as historical evidence for church propaganda.
This was something new…
Ciel recalled what she had told Heini to do before leaving the village in the Old Days…
"Collect all the literature you can find, record everything you can, and witness the history you are able to..."
In the Holy War Era, some history that originally hadn't been recorded was now documented.
Her influence in the Old Days hadn't been entirely filtered out by the "event." Had what Heini did still been passed down from the Old Days?
But why? Why would the altar disappear? And why would these fragments appear in the See of the God of Order? Furthermore, why were these books documenting history completely unsigned?
Ciel stacked the books together. Carrying them, she walked out of the Sanctuary Library and headed quickly toward the conference hall from before. Archbishop Henry hurriedly followed Ciel.
The bishops in the hallway made way upon seeing Ciel. Ciel walked through the crowd and pushed open the conference hall doors, looking at Erigma and Charles, who were standing together with somber expressions.
Ciel’s arrival caused both Erigma and Charles to fix their gaze on her. They both had too many questions they wanted to ask Ciel.
But Ciel had no intention of clearing up their confusion. She walked to Erigma’s side, placed the fragmentary volumes on the table, and looked at Erigma, asking: "Where are the original versions of these chronicles?"
"The original versions…" Erigma seemed somewhat distracted. She forced herself to concentrate, picked up the fragments Ciel had placed on the table, and after flipping through them casually, spoke: "These are the original versions. At least, they have been this way since I entered the Church of the God of Order."
Were these chronicles already "clipped" during the Holy War Era?
"Do you know who the author of these chronicles is?" Ciel pressed.
"I do not know... perhaps some clergyman from the Holy War Era..."
Erigma shook her head. She had also shifted her attention from the "Knight" path to the chronicles before her. After examining the cover carefully once more, she shook her head again: "I apologize, Your Excellency. I do not know the author of these histories either."
Listening to Erigma’s words, Ciel fell into deep thought.
Now she was almost certain that after she pierced the sky of the Abyssal Ruins, Heini had survived and very likely even reached the surface, developing her own faction as Ciel had hoped.
This faction had even survived for a time into the Holy War Era, but it likely fell and vanished rapidly during that period, its legacy severed by the Holy War, much like countless other religions of that time.
"Your Excellency Ciel." At this moment, Charles, who had been silent beside them, spoke directly.
"Mm?" Ciel looked up at Charles, signaling him to continue.
"If you are searching for records of the Holy War Era, perhaps you could try the Royal Library. Although most of the records there do not involve the Transcendent, the Royal Library’s collection regarding that period of history is more complete."
Charles looked at Ciel and continued: "Although the Holy War Era shattered the vast Old Ansu Empire, many ancient records were preserved."
Yes...
That’s right...
Ciel suddenly realized.
Just now, she had been stuck in a fixed way of thinking. She had subconsciously searched for the newly added historical records within Transcendent-related texts, but she had forgotten...
She hadn't created a path at all, nor had she left behind any power. Although Heini might have stepped onto some other path in the Old Days, those who passed it down weren't necessarily all Transcendents.
Because there was no path left by her, Heini certainly had no way to use religious methods to bind and control "believers." At most, she could only develop a cult, but the organization likely existed in the form of a secret society.
And within it, ordinary people should be the majority... or rather, only things recorded by ordinary people would be more likely to survive the cleansing of that unknown event sandwiched between the Chaos Era and the Holy War Era.
"Please take me to see them." Ciel didn't overthink it. She picked up those fragments and spoke to Charles. Ciel rarely used such polite language, but she took this matter very seriously.
Uncovering these matters would not only resolve more of Ciel’s questions about the Old Days but also allow her to refine her method of leaving information the next time she entered the Old Days… perhaps she could use this to create her own path.
Charles didn't waste words either. He himself had many questions regarding the "Knight" path. At this moment, he was more than eager to do more for Ciel, so that he might have the opportunity to question her and resolve his own doubts.
He led Ciel away from the See of the God of Order, and they boarded a carriage together, heading for the Royal Library.
The Royal Library of Ansu held a vast collection of books, with countless volumes regarding history, but those related to the Holy War Era and Old Ansu were relatively few by comparison… this actually allowed Ciel to avoid wasting time scanning every single book.
Charles ordered the librarian to bring all the Old Ansu language books before Ciel. Ciel stood by the pile of books and began flipping through them directly.
One hour… two hours… Ciel seemed to forget the passage of time, continuously memorizing the information from the books in her hands.
Charles remained like a sentry, sitting in a nearby seat with his eyes closed to rest.
Not until nightfall did Charles seem to sense something. He opened his eyes and looked toward the French window not far away, catching sight of two small heads peeking out.
It was Princess Windsor and Avena.
"See… I told you Uncle Charles was here, the guards told me!" Windsor rested her hands on the edge of the window, looking triumphantly at Avena beside her.
Avena also noticed the gaze Charles cast over. She hurriedly shrank to the side, even yanking Windsor’s collar to pull her over, but she didn't seem to notice that her wide skirt hem remained conspicuous by the window.
Charles: "…"
Charles looked at Ciel, then at the corner of the skirt by the window, and sighed softly. He rose cautiously and walked toward the door.
He opened the door, said something to the guards outside, and watched them leave.
A moment later, the two little ones by the French window were whisked away by Seraphine, who had arrived in a hurry.
Charles breathed a slight sigh of relief… this girl named Ciel was temperamental and extremely dangerous; he didn't want his daughter anywhere near here.
Just then, Ciel seemed to have found something.
She held a book in her hand, looking at its cover.
This was a new cover that had been re-bound with cloth. It bore the simple words Orlando's Travelogue in Old Ansu.
Peeling back the outer cover revealed the original ancient cover made of tanned sheepskin beneath. It still read Orlando's Travelogue, also signed by "Heini," but unlike the new cover, the old one had a symbol engraved after the name.
It was half of the bronze-script character for "Xia" [夏]… it was the same inscription used to point toward her on the altar rune stones and in 【Omniscient】.
The book’s title page bore a message from the author, "Heini."
【Whenever I ask grandmother why she records so many things, she cannot explain it either. It is merely a habit formed after traveling through many nations with an old woman in her youth. For some unknown reason, she insists that I must record something as well.】
【I don't even understand why I still have to learn Old Ansu in this era—even the nobility doesn't learn it anymore.】
【Fortunately, as for traveling, I quite enjoy it. As for the recording, I’ll just leave it to fate.】
【If you happen to come across this book, then congratulations; you will waste at least four hours of time seeing where I went to play~】
Although the cover was very old and even showed some signs of weathering, the playfulness of the recorder could still be seen. It was as if one could look through time and see an interesting person muttering to themselves while writing.
Ciel quickly scanned the contents. Indeed, as the book stated, it was a travel log filled with local customs and culture.
The period during which the recorder traveled was also relatively recent, just over two hundred years ago… Holy Year 512.
Ciel scanned the remaining books but found no other author named "Heini." She looked up toward Charles and said: "Lord Charles."
"You seek me?" At the door, Charles, who had just finished dealing with his daughter’s matter, looked at Ciel.
"This author, or her descendants. How can I find her?" Ciel held up the book in her hand.
"That... let me see..." Charles walked to Ciel’s side, took the book she handed him, and began flipping through it.
"Page 31. It records an address where she seemingly resided long-term in Ansu…" Ciel casually recited the address she had just seen, asking, "Is anyone still living there now?"
"Wait, the streets within Ansu have been rebuilt many times over these many years... can you give me some time? I will go investigate it." Charles said.
"As quickly as possible." Ciel nodded.
"Very well." Charles dared not delay. He immediately sent orders to his family, directly mobilizing the power of both the family and the police station to investigate that address.
There were few paper documents preserved from over two hundred years ago. The "Detectives" could essentially only rely on investigative visits and some archived old city construction blueprints to find the former streets.
At midnight, the "Detectives" finally sent back news.
That address indeed always had inhabitants. It was an old residence in the West District. After it was later rebuilt into a row house, the family still hadn't moved and remained there... this was an ordinary family of intellectuals and teachers, with a family of six living there.
Upon receiving the information, Ciel personally headed there, and Charles followed.
Under the guise of investigating a cold case, they contacted this family in their capacity as Royal Guards. To Ciel’s disappointment, the entire family seemed to have no impression of the rune on the cover.
But Ciel did not give up. She began to ask if the family’s grandparents’ generation had left behind any relics. Soon, she was given a chest of books—after opening the wooden chest that had been nearly chewed to pieces by insects, Ciel found a massive amount of travelogue manuscripts signed by "Heini" inside.
As Ciel flipped through them, she discovered that although they were all signed "Heini," these manuscripts clearly utilized two different writing styles. One was not a travelogue but a "chronicle"... it was called a chronicle, but it merely witnessed her own observations, providing a general overview of some major events.
And in bits and pieces of some manuscripts, Ciel saw what that earlier "Heini" had written regarding why the manuscripts were written.
【Teacher says she comes from a mysterious and ancient organization, but she has grown senile and has forgotten the organization’s name herself, only muttering that she is the last successor... it seems teacher is simply a bit too fond of the occult, always fantasizing about unrealistic things...】
【Even so, I am still very grateful to my teacher for teaching me knowledge, allowing me to have the ability to make a living here. I will also do my best to complete the things teacher was unable to finish. Goodnight, Teacher 'Heini'.】
【——Heini】
It had indeed been passed down... and the inheritance had indeed been severed...
Heini’s efforts had indeed allowed the organization to leave a trace in the world, but this trace was insignificant, possessing not a shred of influence over the world nor changing a single thing.
But Ciel didn't feel Heini had done a poor job. On the contrary, she was astonished by the vitality of the organization Heini had created.
One had to understand that Ciel had never once given Heini a response... and this path possessed no Transcendent abilities whatsoever. It all relied entirely on Heini’s solitary persistence.
Under such circumstances, Heini had still accomplished everything Ciel had instructed her to do, even allowing this organization to be passed down to the modern age—this was something many churches and cults with inheritances had failed to do.
In the dark street, Ciel looked down at the several manuscripts held in her arms. She seemed to see that dirty child who looked as if she were covered in black mud, staring at her with bright eyes.
Even though the total time she had spent with her didn't even amount to half an hour, that dirty child had spent her entire life fulfilling her promise to Ciel, simply because Ciel had brought a tiny ray of light into her originally dark life.
"You’ve worked hard..." Ciel said in a low voice.
The God of the Dead Star had said that as long as there was a "Cocoon of Light"... that is, a "Uniqueness," one could obtain power from it to integrate one's own path.
Her own "Uniqueness" seemed to have been integrated long ago.
And all that knowledge sealed in her mind... would that be her source of power?
Perhaps, after that round of the Old Days was obtained, and after her "believer" walked the path she had spoken of, she was already able to "unlock" her own path?
Just as Ciel thought of this, the silver-white watch face suddenly surfaced in her eyes.
Crack——
She seemed to hear the sound of something shattering in her mind, and silver-white light flooded her vision.
Countless characters and information surged before Ciel’s eyes like a tide. A massive silver pocket watch erupted from beneath the ground, standing tall before Ciel. Images began to surface before her eyes one by one.
They were blurry figures recording something. The surrounding buildings rose and collapsed continuously. The "scritch-scratch" sound of writing echoed like whispers, witnessing the rise and fall of countless civilizations.
Under the records of some characters, new civilizations began to be established, yet under the distortion of other characters, history began to twist and collapse...
Before Ciel, all the illusory figures stopped writing, slowly raising their heads and casting their gaze in Ciel’s direction.
Along with the images before her, two strange abilities surfaced in Ciel’s mind—just like drinking a potion, the abilities and the memories of using them flooded into Ciel’s mind.
Coming along with these abilities was a massive amount of faith power accumulated from the Old Days until now—surging into Ciel’s mind all at once.
Ciel had utilized the Old Days to "fabricate" a period of true history and "recorded" it.
She was the "Recorder" of past and present civilizations.
She was also the "Fabricator" of past and future history.
New, pure power began to surge within Ciel’s body.