What did it feel like to go on his first journey of trials?
Faust had originally held great expectations, rubbing his hands together in anticipation of an adventure worth singing about.
But after actually walking for a few days, it turned out to be hardly different from a stroll in the countryside, the road unbelievably smooth and uneventful. The only difference was that he had no retainers to command, and everything had to be done by his own hands.
"You people have developed your territory so thoroughly, and you still want adventure?"
Mocked by the Fae, Faust clapped his hands together. "Fair point."
Thanks to the prince's meticulous cultivation of the Kingdom of Aurum, the entire kingdom and its surroundings were entirely free of bandits or monsters.
Not only Aurum itself, but the neighboring kingdoms that had joined Aurum's trade network had also worked hard to maintain security, all for the sake of protecting the trade routes.
As a result, well maintained highways connected Aurum to its neighbors, used by all manner of merchants and travelers.
And beyond these highways, the land had all been turned into farmland for cash crops.
Small kingdoms, after all, couldn't compare to vast empires; every inch of land was precious and had to be put to use.
Besides, in this fairy tale world, there was no such thing as barren soil, did anyone even understand the concept of constant fertility?
This sightseeing-like state of affairs only changed once they left the "Aurum Trade Sphere." The forests finally stopped being fully developed, and a sense of primal wilderness began to return.
Faust did not head toward Wintertide's official trade post. Instead, he planned to slip across the border, so the closer he got to Wintertide's frontier, the more desolate and remote things became.
Faust also stopped galloping about hunting for sport. Now he genuinely encountered a few low-tier monsters and spirits, the perfect opportunity to test out his Martial Saint training in real combat.
And reality proved it: the Martial Saint path was truly powerful. In the past, Faust had used low-tier spirits for practice too, and while he could win, it always took some effort.
But now, hunting these monsters required no thought at all. It was purely instinctive, his body effortlessly cutting down swaths of them, barely even qualifying as a warm-up.
"Well, that's that. Looks like everyone's gotten too civilized; there isn't even an evil lair around for me to farm some experience. Forget it, I never expected much from the Path of Conquest anyway."
Faust abandoned his sudden whim to go "conquering" and focused on heading toward Wintertide. Just as he stepped into a forest that stretched across Wintertide's borders, Mephisto let out a sigh of nostalgia:
[Wintertide, ah... what memories...]
"Oh? You've given guidance here too? Like you did in Darkfold?"
Faust immediately thought of Mephisto's credentials as a primordial Fae; perhaps every ancient nation in the world had some connection to It.
[No, I never bestowed any revelation in Wintertide. In fact, I've barely even looked at that kingdom.]
Mephisto denied it flatly, then continued:
[It's just that their ancestors... were survivors of the Tower of Babel. To this day, this land still holds the legacy of Babel. After all this time, they still haven't given it up.]
"The Tower of Babel?"
Faust blinked. "The tower that reached the heavens?"
At his words, Mephisto's tone rose with excitement:
[Oh, you know of it? Faust, I thought that by now, no child of man still knew that name.]
Faust said flatly, "I'm not sure if what I know and what you're talking about are the same thing."
"Can you tell me more, Mephisto?"
[This isn't forbidden knowledge, of course I can. I hide nothing from you, dear Faust.]
Mephisto seemed to sink into memory, and slowly spoke:
[That happened in the earliest era of the children of man, an age that, to you, is no different from myth. The children of man had replaced the children of the sea and the children of beasts, occupying every corner of this world, and the civilization then was far, far more flourishing than it is now.]
Well now, the older it is, the stronger, as expected!
Faust listened earnestly as the Fae told its tale of the distant past:
[The children of man explored every corner of the world, and so, naturally, they turned their gaze toward the heavens.]
[They said, come, let us build a tower, a tower that will reach the heavens, that will connect all the children of man, that will let us hear the will of Heaven and sing the hymns of the holy and divine.
From this day forth, there will be no more divisions in the world, no more conflict, no more pain or sorrow. All of humanity shall ascend to paradise and attain eternal happiness.]
Faust said, "I can guess what happened next."
Based on his understanding of this fairy tale world's "Wheel of Fate," it would never allow mortals to truly unite.
It wasn't that Fate feared being overthrown or anything like that; Fate, lacking any kind of sentience, didn't care about meaningless concepts like "the rise and fall of power." But as a matter of principle, Fate would never allow the Tower of Babel to be completed.
[Indeed, they failed. The purpose of the Tower of Babel was to create an eternal, uneventful history, which ran completely counter to the Wheel of Fate. And so the people building the tower fell into division and turmoil, and in the end the Tower of Babel collapsed, bringing the golden age of the children of man to its end.]
Mephisto said meaningfully:
[A people from whom heroes emerge are fortunate, but a nation with an uneventful history is the truly blessed one.]
"Quite the story."
Faust wasn't the sentimental type; such a distant history was nothing more than legend to him.
More than past legends, what the Aurum prince cared about was the present:
"You're saying Wintertide are the survivors of Babel?"
[After the Tower of Babel collapsed, not all the children of man forgot their ideals. A small fraction survived, and the Wintertide of today are the descendants who preserved part of that legacy.
Though whether that's a good thing or bad is hard to say. To this day they cling to their past defiance, and the Wheel of Fate will keep heaping endless hardship upon them.]
"So that's it, that explains it..."
Faust suddenly understood. He had once studied Wintertide specifically, and no matter how he looked at it, this ancient kingdom was strangely, abnormally strong.
It had never expanded outward, yet no matter who invaded, they would strike back with lightning speed, whether it was the Radiant Dynasty or neighboring kingdoms, none of them gained anything from it.
Even at its most dangerous moment, when the evil dragon invaded, even though they ended up cursed, they still managed to preserve the kingdom.
Just as Faust was deep in thought, he suddenly heard a cry for help coming from deep within the forest:
"Is anyone there? Is anyone there?! Please help me!"
Hm, what was that?
Faust snapped out of his thoughts and spurred his horse toward the source of the voice, stopping before a large tree.
There he saw a tall, elegant nun, her hands bound with vines, tied to the tree.
Her hair cascaded like a waterfall down to her waist, and beneath her golden brown bangs, her eyes shimmered like rippling water, looking utterly pitiable, her rosy lips pressed tightly together.
A ruby pendant hung from her swan like, slender neck, while her shoulders and a generous expanse of snowy white skin lay exposed below.
Her pristine, gold trimmed nun's habit, beyond its solemnity, also exuded a sacred, untouchable, and forbiddenly alluring air.
The thin silk fabric was cinched tight, showing off its softness and weight, the white and gold robe clinging to her body and revealing the perfect, captivating curve of her waist.
A gold inlaid waist ring encircled her wasp like waist, with two ornaments hanging from either side of the ring, and through the high slits in the fabric, tempting expanses of snowy white skin were exposed.