Lucian looked at the strange pink pills inside the bottle, his heart filled with doubt.
This thing Ymir called a Fingerprint Nostrum looked awfully strange...
With Lucian's eyesight, he could clearly see the appearance of the pills without even bringing them closer.
They were obviously pills, yet each one bore a delicate spiral-shaped fingerprint that looked far too intricate to have been carved by human hands.
And the strangest thing of all was that the fingerprint on every single pill was different.
With fingerprints this realistic, rather than looking like pills made by someone, they looked more like fingers that had been forcibly carved out of some kind of living creature.
Although, judging by their texture, they did not quite seem to be that either.
Of course, what Lucian was even more curious about was the effect of this mysterious medicine.
After that brief interaction just now, Lucian had already confirmed it.
Although Ymir currently looked perfectly normal, he was definitely an unusual lunatic.
There was a kind of calm madness about him.
Lucian did not know whether he had always been this kind of person, or whether that so-called truth had caused him to lose his mind.
Either way, Lucian was certain that Ymir himself had already embarked upon this so-called path of the Fingers.
Perhaps the movement he had heard beneath Ymir's robes earlier was some kind of mutation that simply could not be allowed to be seen.
Looking at the pink mysterious medicine, Lucian remained suspicious and uncertain.
Could this thing really turn someone into a Finger?
What exactly were creatures like the Fingers?
Ymir sensed Lucian's intense curiosity and desire to explore, and smiled.
As expected, Eren was an exceptionally talented and exceptionally pure sorcerer.
Ymir reached into the bottle with three fingers, pinched out one of the mysterious pills, and held it up toward Lucian.
Lucian stood up, walked over to Ymir, and took the pill without the slightest hesitation.
After examining it from such close range, Lucian gained a slightly better understanding of the mysterious medicine.
Although it looked somewhat like the finger of something, it seemed that this really was nothing more than a pill made by combining various materials.
At that moment, Ymir's voice sounded beside Lucian's ear.
"Although it can only allow someone to briefly glimpse certain illusions..."
"But what you come into contact with is, after all, the genuine truth that once occurred in the Lands Between."
"As long as you come into contact with the origins, it will bring benefits to you."
"Even if you merely glimpse the slightest trace through illusions as fragile as bubbles of pearl, the same remains true."
"Whether as a sorcerer or as a seeker of the path, your strength will increase through this mysterious medicine."
"Of course, for those who pursue the Fingers, the most important thing is being able to approach the appearance of a Finger."
"Even an illusion possesses such power. The truth of the Lands Between is truly terrifying."
Lucian held the Fingerprint Nostrum while listening to Ymir's lament, and he now had a basic understanding of the item's effects.
The fact that it strengthened the power of both sorcerers and seekers of the path clearly meant that both Intelligence and Faith would increase.
Whether Perception and Arcane, the two related attributes, would also increase was unknown.
As for whether it could really transform those followers of the Fingers into the form they desired...
Lucian remained skeptical about that.
However, this thing very obviously had side effects.
From the moment he had first met Ymir, Lucian had felt that something about him was off.
It was not about his origins or his secrets.
That level of concealment was practically routine in the Lands Between.
What had continually made Lucian feel that something was strange was the "feeling" Ymir gave off.
There was a strange, motherly-man sort of feeling about him that made Lucian slightly shudder.
Was this what the Fingerprint Nostrum had turned Ymir into?
Or had he always been this kind of motherly man?
A mysterious medicine capable of turning someone into this...
Could this count as a kind of estradiol in some sense?
If he had not needed to come here and test the waters for the sake of gathering information, Lucian probably would not have wanted much to do with someone like this.
Seeing Lucian remain silent, Ymir had no idea what was going through his mind.
He merely assumed that Lucian was hesitating.
Ymir watched Lucian with great interest, eagerly awaiting his response.
If possible, Ymir naturally hoped to drag this sorcerer named Eren into the same cause.
Having one more powerful fellow seeker would give him another source of assistance when the time came to finally eliminate that ugly, corrupted thing.
In every respect, the Eren portrayed by Lucian perfectly satisfied Ymir's requirements.
It was practically an ideal character.
If he missed this opportunity now, he might never encounter such a person again.
With this thought, Ymir continued trying to persuade Lucian.
"Unfortunately, when one gets too close to the truth and the mysteries, the minds of ordinary people collapse before their bodies do."
"Often, before they can become Fingers or uncover the truth, they have already fallen into madness."
Ymir proudly raised his face, puffed out his chest, and spread his arms as he spoke to Lucian.
"Eren, there is one thing I hope you can understand."
"That is, we sorcerers are different. We are the lost children of the stardust of the origins."
"Unlike those mediocre fools, we possess powerful strength and abundant knowledge."
"More importantly, we possess the determination and will to explore the truth."
Ymir shook the bottle containing the mysterious medicine in his hand and said to Lucian, who appeared to be wavering,
"Eren, do you want to... embark upon this path?"
"This is a shortcut to reaching the truth..."
Lucian looked at the Fingerprint Nostrum in his hand and sneered inwardly.
There was no way he was going to eat this thing.
What was there to pursue about the Fingers anyway?
They were nothing more than a bunch of extraterrestrial creatures that had already gone bad.
How dare mere Fingers defy Lucian, who possesses a Finger-Slaying Blade?!
Lucian shook his head and rejected Ymir's persuasion.
"My shortcut is to take the long way around."
"If I cannot peel away the layers and explore the origins bit by bit, then the truth itself has no value to me."
"The origins I desire cannot be satisfied so easily."
After hearing Lucian's words, Ymir fell silent for a moment.
Although he did not quite understand what Lucian meant by saying that his shortcut was to take the long way around, it somehow sounded incredibly deep.
And yet, even when faced with such an enticing opportunity, he had still made this choice?
Ymir could not help but regard the young sorcerer before him even more highly.
Ymir chuckled pleasantly twice, put away the bottle containing the mysterious medicine, and instead took out a stone pendant.
After handing the pendant to Lucian, Ymir spoke once more.
"Hehehe. Very well. Then I will not say anything more."
"In that case, follow the map step by step and search for the truth yourself."
"In those desolate ruins lies the trace of something that once was... a 'great being.'"
"Find the hanging bell within the ruins. As for how to use this pendant, I believe you already know."
"Go and search. Then think, and explore the truth."
"I hope that among the countless stars filling the heavens, you can find the one that belongs to you."
"I believe your fate will also be guided by the brilliant stars. May the starlight illuminate the road ahead of you."
Lucian examined the item known as the Hole-Laden Necklace in his hand.
It was a slender, pale-blue stone necklace with several irregular holes across its surface, containing only the faintest trace of power.
'Fortunately, I didn't leave in a hurry just now.'
'Otherwise, I'd probably have to come back here again.'
Ymir looked once more at the mysterious medicine in Lucian's hand.
He still seemed unwilling to give up and continued,
"As for that pill, you may keep it. Do whatever you like with it."
"Throw it away, destroy it, or take it away for research. Any of those is fine."
"But if one day in the future you change your mind and decide to investigate the Fingers, you will always be welcome to visit again."
"Although I know you must be a proud person, there is nothing wrong with changing your mind. Pursuing power is not something shameful."
Lucian nodded and politely put the mysterious medicine away.
He certainly would never use it, but throwing it away right in front of Ymir would have been rather rude.
'I'll just give it to Hildegard later and let her take it apart for fun.'
Lucian looked at Ymir, a few thoughts forming in his mind.
Strictly speaking, Ymir was no longer of much value to him.
Even if he wanted to continue gathering information, there was no way he could get everything he needed during this one visit.
He would definitely have to make a trip to the Finger Ruins himself.
However, Lucian was somewhat curious about exactly how powerful Ymir was.
As a former sorcery professor of the Carian royal family who had now explored such astonishing truths about the origins, just how far had Ymir's strength actually reached?
If things went smoothly, gathering some information about Ymir himself would be worthwhile as well.
And if Ymir refused to fight, Lucian would not lose anything either. It would not break the character he was playing.
Once the thought occurred to him, Lucian decided to act on it.
"I would like to see the extent of your strength, Lord Ymir."
"If possible, I would like to have a spar with you."
"My intuition tells me that sparring with a professor like yourself would surely benefit me greatly."
"I wonder if you would be willing to indulge such an audacious request?"
Hidden in the darkness, Jolan frowned, becoming even more vigilant at the same time.
Lord Ymir had kindly offered him guidance, yet now this man was becoming even more presumptuous.
What an arrogant bastard.
Jolan was ready to drive this guest out at any moment, waiting only for Lord Ymir to give the order.
However, the corners of Ymir's mouth gradually curled upward, while something resembling flames seemed to flicker in his eyes.
"...Are you saying that you want me to instruct you?"
In the end, Ymir threw all restraint aside and burst into hearty laughter.
"Eren, you really are not shy about asking for things."
"Such straightforwardness. I find myself liking you more and more."
"Looking at you is almost like looking at my younger self."
Lucian gave no particular response.
He merely asked calmly,
"Then, what is your decision?"
Ymir leaned forward slightly, braced both arms against the armrests, and stood up.
He walked over to Lucian and looked him straight in the eye.
Looking at the Glintstone helm radiating an aura of wisdom, Ymir spoke with a trace of nostalgia.
"Of course. I understand. Those who have a goal are always yearning..."
"Yearning for strength, and yearning for the truth."
"How greedy. That insatiable thirst for knowledge, that madness driving you to reach into the darkness between the stars."
"I like people like you."
"Because I am just as greedy, and I have never been satisfied with the status quo either."
"After exploring the Land of Shadow for so long, I suppose it is finally time for me to stretch my legs a little."
"Even I am starting to feel fired up. How rare."
Lucian laughed aloud, deliberately making sure Ymir could hear the emotion behind his Glintstone helm.
"Haha, it is an immense honor to receive your instruction."
"Then when shall we begin?"
"Do you need to go get your staff first?"
Ymir spread his hands and smiled at Lucian.
"No need to make things so complicated. We can start right now."
Before he had even finished speaking, a small cosmos-like mass of gathered stardust suddenly formed in Ymir's hand.
Amid the starlight, a simple Carian Glintstone Staff slowly materialized in his hand.
Seeing Ymir perform this little display of skill, Lucian also began to look forward to the spar.
Because of his extremely high Perception and his frequent encounters with Outer Gods in the past, Lucian could sense that the power Ymir was using originated from the stars.
It did not seem to originate from any particular god.
It was more like the power of the stars themselves.
Ymir's strength somewhat exceeded Lucian's expectations.
Perhaps in terms of raw strength, he was still inferior to Lucian.
But when it came to the study of sorcery and the stars, Ymir possessed a depth that Lucian could scarcely hope to match.
Unfortunately, Lucian had never personally encountered the two masters, Azur and Lusat, so he had no idea which of them would ultimately prove superior to Ymir.
Ymir lightly waved the staff in his hand.
A streak of white light immediately shot toward Lucian at high speed.
Lucian tapped the ground with the Glintstone Staff in his hand, and a large mass of glintstone immediately formed in front of him, blocking the incoming streak of light.
Only then did Lucian clearly see the true form of the spell.
It was a pure white glintstone.
Just as Lucian was wondering what special property such a seemingly unimpressive glintstone spell could possess, he saw the glintstone suddenly bend.
Then it bent again.
Its trajectory shifted repeatedly, curving around Lucian's glintstone defense before striking toward him from the side.
Lucian glanced sideways, his interest immediately piqued.
This time, he waited until the glintstone had bent several times and was already approaching him before summoning another mass of glintstone to block it.
With no room left to bend around the defense, the white glintstone crashed directly into the magical barrier and shattered.
Lucian looked toward Ymir and asked curiously,
"What was that?"
Ymir did not seem to think much of it.
"That spell is called Glintstone Nails. It is one of the Finger sorceries I discovered in a mysterious ruin."
"Hehe. It is merely a little trick for making people contemplate the truth."
Lucian nodded.
In terms of raw power, Glintstone Nails indeed was not particularly strong.
Since it was a sorcery discovered in the Finger Ruins, there was certainly some secret hidden within it.
But the ability to repeatedly bend and alter its trajectory was absolutely enough to make an opponent seeing it for the first time suffer.
If its power were a little greater, or if it could overwhelm opponents through sheer numbers, it could sit at the same table as the assassination sorceries of Sellia.
It could even be considered a sorcerer killer.
After all, if its power remained this mediocre, the only people who would be instantly killed by it were those sorcerers with paper-thin defenses and huge openings.
Lucian hoped Ymir still had some surprises in store.
Lucian raised his head, the Glintstone Staff in his hand accumulating magical power.
"My intuition was indeed correct. This spar will definitely benefit me greatly."
Ymir smiled faintly and once again waved the strange staff in his hand.
"Haha, then the pleasantries are over."
"From here on, it won't be such a little trick anymore..."
The next moment, as his staff swept through the air, glintstone mist continuously billowed outward.
Using the glintstone mist to conceal himself, Ymir's figure disappeared from where he stood.
Lucian's eyes narrowed.
He was somewhat surprised.
He knew this move very well.
Wasn't this the exact same teleportation sorcery used by Preceptor Miriam?