"So, if things are so troublesome, why not ask that old man in your mind to help you?"
"Old man?"
"Hmm, it seems you are unaware of him, or perhaps that old man has not awakened yet. In any case, a powerful spiritual entity resides within your mind. Under normal circumstances, something like that could be considered a fortuitous encounter."
"The Deathless Black Snake... So that is it. So this is the truth behind the Deathless Black Snake?"
After thinking for a moment, Talulah suddenly understood. She then frowned and said, "Sir, the thing inside my head is not some old man who wants to help me. It is a monster I killed. No, to be precise, I was not the one who killed him. Rather, he allowed me to kill him. Through this method, some kind of ritual was completed, allowing his soul or spirit to reside within my body. He is waiting for certain conditions to be met so that he can take possession of me."
"No wonder. No wonder Reunion's rapid development has not drawn the attention of any nobles or even the army. I thought those people had degenerated to the point that they could not even be bothered to suppress bandits. I did not expect it to be because of Kashchey."
"Sir, is there a way to remove this spiritual parasite?"
"Oh, so that is the situation. It can be resolved, but it depends on how you wish to handle it. One option is for me to directly erase that spiritual entity. Another is for me to allow you to confront him directly, after which you can attempt to defeat or kill him. In doing so, you could obtain his knowledge and experiences from the past, and even absorb his spiritual power for your own use, strengthening yourself. As for the final option, consider it my assistance to you. I will deal with that spiritual entity, erase his consciousness and ability to think, and then allow you to gradually receive his knowledge and memories."
"Logically speaking, I should choose the second option. After all, he could be considered the shadow hanging over my heart. If I could face and overcome that shadow myself, it would clear the way for my future growth."
Talulah said this, then made her choice.
"Please help me, Sir. I choose the third option. There are still so many people who trust me and are waiting for me to lead them. I will not gamble with my own life. Resolving this unstable factor as quickly as possible while benefiting from it is what I need most at this stage."
"Good. I hope you will continue moving forward along the Path you have chosen. Even if there is no light, even if the road gradually disappears, the journey ahead remains long. But there must always be people willing to carve a Path through the thorns so that those who come after them may follow."
After Caelus finished speaking, he turned and left. While Talulah was still confused, she suddenly felt dizzy, followed by a faint ache in her head. By the time she regained her senses, a book had appeared on the desk before her.
The title of the book was Black Snake.
Talulah opened the first page, and with it, the hidden past and sealed memories of the Black Snake were revealed.
From that moment onward, the intelligence agents the Black Snake had originally prepared for himself, the entire network of interests under his control, and all the secrets he knew would gradually fall into Talulah's hands. They would also become the foundation that allowed her Reunion to continue moving forward.
Caelus stood not far away, watching the sincere smiles on the faces of the people throughout the base. A faint hope rested in each of their hearts. That dim light amid the wind and snow seemed as though it could be extinguished at any moment, but when that light illuminated others, everyone would raise their flames together until they pierced the heavens and lit up this endless night.
Hope had already begun to sprout.
Caelus turned and disappeared.
...
Time passed swiftly. The civil war in Kazdel ended in a way no one had expected. Her Highness Theresa died in an assassination.
When the civil war ended, Theresis met with the nameless man who had silently saved countless people, possessed mysterious powers, and preached the teachings of an unknown faith.
"Your Highness Theresis, gods truly exist, and they do possess the power to save all living beings. But gods will not save us directly. Instead, they grant us hope, allowing us to rely on that hope to grow and reclaim the future and light that rightfully belong to us. If Kazdel is truly restored to greatness under your leadership one day, and the Sarkaz finally gain a homeland of their own, what will you do next?"
Theresis looked at the man before him, whose body seemed to emit a faint glow. After a moment of silence, he said, "If I can truly liberate Kazdel one day and give the Sarkaz a homeland where they can live in peace, then I believe I will protect everything I have built. For the rest of my life, I will do everything in my power to make Kazdel stronger and ensure that it can stand firmly upon this land."
"Then, if you were given the opportunity, would Your Highness Theresis be willing to save even more people? Even if those people were not Sarkaz, they would still be suffering under the oppression of various nations and circumstances."
"If I possessed the ability to change all of this, and if I had enough power to make this land obey my commands, then I too would wish to create a peaceful age where everyone had enough to eat, everyone had warm clothes to wear, everyone could smile from the bottom of their hearts, and all living beings could live with dignity."
"Good. I am willing to bestow upon Your Highness Theresis the divine power granted to me by the gods, along with my knowledge and thoughts. However, this may also cause you to lose the personality you once possessed and become an entirely new existence. Even so, are you willing? Are you willing to accept this immense power, a power that is nearly immortal?"
"Why would I not dare? For the sake of Kazdel and the future of countless others, too many people have already been willing to sacrifice everything they possessed. Why would I be unwilling?"
"Good. After I leave, I ask that Your Highness continue leading those who have followed me. During this time, they have accompanied me and learned much from me. That knowledge will prove useful in the future. I have also explained to them that from now on, they are to follow you, the one who has inherited everything I possess."
As he spoke, the man pressed his palms together with a compassionate smile on his face, and white lotus flowers bloomed beneath his feet.
The lotus flowers continued to bloom, eventually forming a massive lotus throne that enveloped Theresis.
The man continuously chanted unknown scriptures. For some reason, these scriptures had appeared in his mind during this period, as though they had been imparted to him by a higher existence. Step by step, he walked toward the outside.
The light surrounding his body gradually faded. He no longer possessed that strange power, the wisdom that far exceeded his own, or the miraculous bearing he had once displayed. He became no different from an ordinary Sarkaz.
He walked out of the great hall.
Outside, Theresis's subordinates, members of the Royal Court, and the many Sarkaz who had followed the man were all looking at him.
At that moment, everyone realized that the man who had seemed to emit a faint light only moments ago had become utterly ordinary.
"Everyone, I have bestowed everything I received upon His Highness Theresis. From this day forward, may you truly create a beautiful world where no one must sacrifice their life merely for a single bite of food. A world where parents will not abandon their children, children will not hate their parents, siblings will not kill one another, couples will be able to trust each other completely, and everyone will greet one another with kindness rather than offering blades."
"That world, which once existed only in beautiful dreams, truly requires your efforts. My Path ends here. I am not an intelligent person, nor am I a miraculous one. Every miracle I displayed was granted to me by another. I am merely an ordinary Sarkaz. I am the same as all of you. There is no difference between us."
"But precisely because of that, every one of you can become what I once was. Everyone can. You do not need to regard it as sacred. You do not need to believe it is unattainable. You do not need to feel that it lies forever beyond your reach. Everyone can achieve their own redemption, and everyone can choose the direction in which they wish to move forward."
"May all living beings obtain what they seek."
The man bowed in farewell and spoke his final words. Then, with a satisfied smile on his face, his entire body transformed into drifting petals and scattered into the air.
"All the evil karma I have created since time immemorial, born from greed, anger, and ignorance, arising from body, speech, and mind, I now repent it all."
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)