Evening.
Lianyi, Bailing, Shatuo, Reilo, and Jiahei sat on either side of the dining table, waiting for Gubo to return from work. The aroma of a sumptuous meal filled the room.
Shatuo looked at his newly awakened junior fellow disciple.
He felt guilty that his junior had suffered such a severe injury right after completing his introductory studies under him. At the same time, he was relieved that his junior had now fully recovered.
"Junior, I'm just glad you're all right! Ever since word spread that a Witcher had infiltrated the academy, it's been under lockdown. The arbiters sent by the Church have practically turned the whole place upside down, and the entire Grand Duchy is on edge. They've arrested a huge number of wanted criminals! Everyone at the academy is in a panic, and our mentor's been swamped these past few days!"
He'd already expected as much, but at the mention of the arbiters, Reilo couldn't help but turn serious.
"Sorry for worrying you, senior."
Reilo replied softly.
"What are you talking about! It wasn't just me. Everyone's been worried sick, watching you lie there unconscious all these days."
Shatuo gave his trademark honest grin, his white teeth a striking contrast against his dark skin.
Remembering something, Reilo looked at his senior sister Bailing and said awkwardly, "I have you to thank for taking care of me these past few days. I..."
"Hee-hee!"
Bailing stuck out her tongue and giggled. "Junior, Father's been the one taking care of you all this time. I wanted to look after you, but Father didn't trust me. He said I was careless and absent-minded."
His mentor's wife, Lianyi, smiled gently at just the right moment. "That's right. Your mentor may not seem like much most of the time, but when it matters, he really does care about his disciples. You should have seen how frantic he was when he carried you back. He went to a lot of trouble, and didn't start dealing with academy business until he was sure you wouldn't suffer any lasting harm."
Hearing that Gubo, who was usually so stern with him, had cared for him so much while he was unconscious, Reilo felt warmth spread through his heart.
Jiahei rolled his eyes.
"Don't forget! I was the one who spent the most time by your side while you were unconscious! I was the first person you saw when you opened your eyes! Me, me, and me!"
"Ah! Thank you, Mr. Jiahei!"
Reilo hurriedly replied, embarrassed.
The room fell quiet for a while, but Reilo couldn't stop turning over the fact that the Star Core had fused with him.
If everything he'd seen while unconscious was real, did that mean the humans in this world had actually come from a world called Orora?
Orora!
The name of the Church's Holy City of Light was Orora. That couldn't possibly be a coincidence!
After the human ancestors had accidentally fallen into this world, they had fought the Gulan Civilization for years. In the process, they had wiped out some smaller tribal civilizations and liberated others, which had led to divisions among humanity.
The golden-armored warriors were the forerunners of the Church. They had wanted to spread faith and bring about godhood in this world, while the six-pointed-star warriors were the forerunners of the Witchers. They had opposed the plan to spread faith and attain godhood, and had gathered resources on a massive scale in an attempt to return to Orora?
The Star Core was the central device of that metal fortress, recording the resources humanity had explored in one corner of this world's continent in a distant age. And to return to Orora, they had to use the Star Core to get the spaceship's communications device beyond the star curtain and contact Orora. Only then would it be possible?
So the Witchers kept slaughtering humans and had even unleashed the terrible Black Death because they opposed the Church's religious rule. By killing believers, they were weakening the faith in the God of Light?
"Senior, what was the Gulan Civilization?"
Reilo suddenly asked at the dinner table.
Shatuo froze, seeming unable to recall anything about the Gulan Civilization. Lianyi, however, looked surprised. "How do you know about that ancient civilization that disappeared ten thousand years ago?"
Ten thousand years ago?!
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door.
As if jolted, Reilo and Shatuo instinctively sat up straight and looked toward the entrance.
The wooden door to the hall creaked open. Gubo, looking haggard, stepped inside and glanced at everyone at the table through his black-rimmed glasses. When he saw Reilo's excited expression, he made no comment, walked over, and took a seat.
"You're awake?"
"Mm."
Reilo answered softly.
Seeing how cold and composed Gubo was, and remembering what Bailing and Lianyi had just said, Reilo realized that his mentor didn't like expressing his feelings. So he could only pretend he knew nothing, as though he'd merely slept for the nine days he'd been unconscious.
As expected, Gubo didn't mention Reilo again. He simply muttered to himself, "Those arbiters are going too far. They're even demanding access to the Royal Science Laboratory to search the academy's treasured manuscripts. Hmph!"
Lianyi frowned slightly. "Did the academy agree?"
At her words, Shatuo, Bailing, and Reilo all looked worried. If the Church was determined to oppress the academy, it could find a thousand excuses to do so.
"Of course not! The Royal Science Laboratory is one of the foundations of the Grand Duchy's royal family's power. It's been directly controlled by the royal family for generations. Even the Church can't simply interfere. The two sides are still at a standoff, and it's no longer something I or those arbiters can resolve."
Lianyi, who was serving soup, started in surprise and murmured, "Could this even bring the Pope here?"
The Pope!
The pinnacle of humanity's secular power, and the God of Light's direct representative in the mortal world. Though the Church's traditional power had waned somewhat in recent years, with the natural academies and Mercenary Associations backed by the various duchies on the rise, and the Church's Crusaders having failed several expeditions to Night's Veil Land, no force still dared to openly defy the Church's authority.
Throughout the lands controlled by humans and neighboring races, any force that dared to openly resist the Church would be crushed and destroyed with ease by this colossus.
Gubo shook his head.
"That won't happen. They're only remnants, after all. Compared to the new Pope, who's about to be formally installed and will raise a Crusader army to launch an expedition to Night's Veil Land, this matter is minor. But a Red Cardinal will undoubtedly come here, and the royal family's power will inevitably be curbed to some extent. It all depends on how the Royal Academician council members choose to compromise."
"Ah..."
Lianyi sighed.
Compared with the Church's power, the natural academies of the various duchies had indeed made some progress in recent years. But whenever scholars thought of the pioneer White Niven, who had been burned to death by the Church for standing by the truth, they could only bow their heads and choose silence and compromise.
Half an hourglass later.
Dinner passed in oppressive silence.
Gubo never once showed the slightest concern for Reilo.
But unlike before, Reilo had come to terms with it. He didn't resent his mentor at all. If anything, he understood his mentor's feelings even better. He vowed to work hard and, one day, make his mentor proud of him, just as he was proud of Wushuang!
"Mentor, Madam, Junior Sister, we'll be heading back now."
After dinner, Shatuo and Reilo rose and said goodbye to Gubo, Lianyi, and Bailing.
Gubo, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly raised his head and glared at Reilo. "Go back? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Huh?
Reilo was at a loss. If he wasn't going back, where was he supposed to go?
Gubo snorted. "I've already prepared a room for you on the second floor. You can stay here for now."
"Ah?"
Reilo stared at him in delighted disbelief. "Stay here?"
Bailing and Shatuo looked just as astonished. They couldn't believe those words had actually come from their mentor, Gubo.