The outlines of the distant mountains grew increasingly blurred in the dusk, as though covered by a thin veil.
The wind swept across the wilderness with a faint chill, sending several withered yellow blades of grass swirling into the air.
Higashino Makoto stood in the middle of the official road and closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, his appearance had completely changed.
His long black hair had turned silver-white, like threads spun from condensed moonlight.
His black pupils had become brilliant gold, like the midday sun.
That handsome face, once called an "angel descended to earth" by the people of the Holy Kingdom, now carried a cold, unapproachable air.
This was his true appearance.
In the Holy Kingdom, he had played the role of "Higashino Makoto"—
A righteous, gentle paladin with black hair and black eyes.
But now, he no longer needed to act.
He was Amon Nikola.
The master of Novas Aetir.
A transmigrator who possessed a World-Class item and wielded magic and technology far beyond this world's comprehension.
A gardener building a fence around the "backyard" that had caught his eye.
Higashino Makoto raised his right hand and lightly traced a line through the air.
"Greater Teleportation" activated.
The next moment, the official road was empty. Only the wind and the distant hoot of an owl remained.
As though no one had ever been there.
Slane Theocracy, northern border.
Moonlight spilled through gaps in the clouds, dyeing the continuous mountain range silver-white.
Deep within the mountains lay a valley that had long been forgotten.
There were no trees in the valley, no grasslands—only exposed rocks and scattered rubble.
The air was thick with the scent of sulfur. The ground occasionally trembled faintly, as though something deep underground were breathing.
At the entrance to the valley, thirteen