Chapter 30
Even before Yohan had been summoned to this world as a Player, the people here had already called such things Remains.
Remains.
Corpses of Saints, Heroes, and Apostles containing special powers.
The condition of the corpse differed each time.
Some Remains were preserved like mummies.
Some still looked exactly as they had in life.
Others had nothing left except bones.
Some had already become powder and were kept inside urns.
Some contained no trace of a body at all, leaving only clothing or weapons.
There were even cases where no physical form remained, only power itself.
Then why did Remains exist?
In the case of an Apostle’s Remains, the main purpose was to transfer that power to the next Apostle.
To a deity, an Authority was essentially part of its own existence.
Giving an Authority to an Apostle was like cutting away part of its own body and handing it over.
No being would happily tear away its own flesh.
Even for deities, such an act was burdensome.
Some Inner Gods had never appointed a single Apostle and operated only through Incarnations.
The most famous example was Nyarlathotep.
That sinister and horrifying being was known to possess at least five legendary Incarnations.
In any case, this was where the purpose of Apostle Remains came from.
Remains were the only method of transferring an Authority to the next Apostle without going through the difficult process of separating and handing over that power again.
For gods, Remains were ultimately tools for that purpose.
An efficient way to avoid an unpleasant and troublesome process.
However, not all Remains were created for the same reason.
The Remains of Heroes and Saints had completely different meanings.
One thing remained certain.
Remains were vessels capable of containing something, whether physical or intangible.
It could be enormous energy.
It could be memories of the past.
It could be hidden information.
The Remains simply held whatever had been placed inside them.
After quickly reviewing all this information in his mind, Yohan stared at the Remains before him.
Less than a minute after observing them, he became certain.
These Remains contained both memories and information.
Something extremely welcome.
Something nostalgic.
“…Shall we take a look?”
Yohan sent a thin stream of mana toward the Remains.
The Remains reacted and followed the flow back toward him.
Their power filled Yohan’s mind.
His vision became dark in an instant.
Before he realized it, Yohan’s consciousness was traveling toward a time and place unknown to him.
It was time to see the memories stored inside the vessel.
Late at night.
A small lamp illuminated a dark room.
A familiar national flag was framed on an ochre colored wall.
It was the flag of the Patronna Republic.
The Patronna Republic.
Together with the Askartier Empire and the Kala Kingdom, it was one of the three nations representing the Sapien faction.
Several maps showing the terrain of the Dark Lands were carelessly spread over a horseshoe shaped table.
Two swords rested beside them.
The scene then moved toward armor near the entrance.
There was finely forged plate armor and an armet helmet.
Three different cloaks were neatly hung on the wall beside the armor.
Each was decorated with magnificent insignias.
Most appeared to honor achievements earned in war.
A moment later, the view shifted toward the door.
Then it widened again.
Creeeak.
“It’s been a long time since you returned to your homeland. It would be disappointing if you left without even seeing your beloved disciple. Since you’re here, get some proper rest before leaving, Sister.”
“I’m returning as soon as I finish my business. I know that’ll disappoint you.”
Two people entered as the door opened.
Their faces were hidden behind deep shadows, making them impossible to identify.
Their voices had been slightly altered.
Most of their bodies were blurred as well, making identification through appearance impossible.
The two crossed the room and sat facing each other with the table between them.
Silence flowed between their silhouettes for a moment.
“I noticed you stopped by the temple on your way here, so I have a rough idea, but…”
The man spoke again.
“Do I really have what it takes to become an Apostle, Sister?”
The woman he called Sister shook her head and reached toward him.
“You don’t need qualifications to become an Apostle. What matters is will. As far as I know, there isn’t another raider with stronger will than you.”
“I’m grateful you think so… but compared to everyone else, my skills are pathetic. No matter how strong my determination is, if I don’t have at least the minimum ability to support it, it means nothing.”
“That may be true right now. But there’s no guarantee your future self will remain the same. That’s why I’m asking you instead of doing this myself.”
“…Come to think of it, what exactly are you asking me to do? You’ve been avoiding the subject for a while.”
It seemed they were finally getting to the main topic.
At the man’s question, the woman took a small piece of paper from a drawer.
“I want you to deliver this note to someone, little brother.”
“Someone…? Who?”
“I don’t know either. Not yet.”
“What?”
“And you must not know either.”
“…I know you’ve always liked speaking in riddles, Sister, but this is a little too much.”
“Fine. I’ll give you exactly one clue.”
The woman raised a finger.
It was impossible to tell whether it was her index finger or middle finger.
“The time when this note must reach that person is… six hundred years from now.”
The words six hundred years caused silence to cover the area again.
The man repeatedly tilted his head, muttering the period he had just heard as if trying to understand it.
“…Did I hear you correctly, Sister?”
“That’s only the minimum. It could be eight hundred years. It might even be a thousand.”
“Wait… can a human even live that long?”
“It isn’t impossible. Not with help from a god.”
“So they are human.”
