From time immemorial, from the primitive ages before language took form, this world contained only beasts and humans.
At first, beasts were humanity’s natural enemies, existing like predators. To survive, humans could only constantly develop hunting techniques and struggle for their lives against the beasts.
It was through endless hunting and life-or-death struggles that the positions of humans and beasts gradually reversed.
Finally, once humans had conquered the beasts of the land, they had the leisure to expand their civilization.
Time flew by, and with the progress of civilization came new struggles—over land, resources, and power.
Thus, humans further developed martial arts and entered an era of mutual conflict.
Then, one day, no one knew where it began, but suddenly a great number of bizarre creatures appeared—they belonged to no known life form, and their traces began appearing everywhere: on land, in the sea, and in the sky.
These beings, called “monsters,” surged like a tide into human villages, slaughtering indiscriminately.
Even in an age when everyone practiced martial arts, only a very small number of elites could barely repel them.
For most people, they could only watch everything fall, unable to escape disaster.
After a long struggle, humanity ultimately approached the brink of extinction.
Just as the survivors sank into despair,
one day, some humans began dreaming of beings who called themselves “gods.” The gods declared that as long as people believed in them, they would receive their power.
The gods would bestow their strongest power upon apostles; the first human chosen by each god was called that god’s apostle.
The remaining believers received different powers according to their potential—that miraculous power humans had never possessed—people called it “magic” and “martial techniques.”
The apostles led the believers to carry out the gods’ commands, leading the survivors to counterattack the monsters, finally reclaiming the world step by step and allowing civilization to revive once more.
“Teacher, why do monsters still exist from the age of myth until now?” I flipped through the book of mythical history absentmindedly and asked casually.
Teacher Alistair sat beside me, grading my exam paper while smiling and replying: “Although they’re still here, their numbers have indeed decreased greatly. But why they can’t be completely eradicated… perhaps it’s because the humans of this world aren’t strong enough yet?”
He looked up with a smile and added: “Still, we don’t even know where they came from. So it’s understandable that we can’t completely eliminate them.”
After closing the book, I thought that although monsters still existed, in this age when everyone possessed some magic and martial techniques, unless they were extremely powerful, they truly wouldn’t affect human life much.
At that thought, I couldn’t help but sigh gloomily. It had already been five years since I was taken back to the territory.
Every day I trained hard in martial arts, yet I still couldn’t awaken any magic or martial technique.
“Don’t worry too much. Once you develop true faith in the gods, you’ll obtain power too.” Teacher seemed to read my mind, his tone as gentle as always.
I forced a reluctant smile in response.
Yes… faith in the gods. For humans to use magic and martial techniques, there is a condition: faith.
These powers are essentially borrowed from the gods. Without faith in the gods, one naturally cannot obtain power.
Among them, the apostles personally chosen by the gods can wield the gods’ “authorities”—miraculous powers far beyond ordinary people.
Far back in the age of myth, among all the gods’ apostles, the five strongest first-generation apostles each established their own nations, becoming the five great empires that continue to this day.
The Vinor Territory where our Selantin family resides is a land that worships the Water God. The Water God selects new apostles from the royal bloodline—the descendants of the first apostle—and grants them the mark. The other four nations are the same.
Yet for some reason, I have never been able to develop faith in the Water God. It’s not that I don’t believe in His power—it’s just… I can’t say I’m devout?
“Perhaps your true faith isn’t the Water God after all.” Teacher smiled and handed me the graded test paper. “Not bad, all correct.”
I muttered: “If Uncle hears you say that, he won’t be happy.” Teacher Alistair could always see through my thoughts.
Just then, a knock came from the door.
“Teacher, may I come in?” It was Oscar’s voice.
When I heard his voice in the dream, I woke up.
“…These past two days I keep dreaming about the old days.”
Those times—I don’t even want to recall them in dreams.
Every time I touch these memories, an indescribable melancholy lingers in my heart.
I frowned, feeling I probably couldn’t fall back asleep.
So I got up and walked to the window, gazing at the familiar territory scenery I had known since childhood, until the morning sun gradually rose.
After dawn, as planned, we would depart today.
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“Osmond!”
Just as I was about to board the carriage, Teacher Alistair’s shout came from afar. I turned around and saw him running over breathlessly, still holding a mysterious wooden box.
“Teacher?” I looked at him with some confusion.
Teacher Alistair hurried to me, bent down, and grabbed my wrist. “Come with me, you and Ivan.”
I was pulled forward by Teacher while signaling Ivan with a glance to follow.
We walked all the way to a secluded corner outside the castle gates before Teacher handed me the box he was holding.
“This is…?” I took the box and looked up at Teacher in confusion.
“Open it and see… huff…” Teacher said while catching his breath.
I turned around, had Ivan steady the box, and lifted the lid myself.
“This is?!” Inside lay a strangely shaped weapon—it was the “pistol” from his original world that Teacher had secretly shown me before.
I looked at Teacher Alistair in surprise and said: “Teacher, you said…”
“Don’t worry, this one was made especially for you. As for mine, it was destroyed long ago.”
Teacher’s tone was serious. “After all, this is a weapon that could change the course of this world—I know that well.”
“My personal weapon?” I reached in, took out the pistol, recalled the feeling of playing with Teacher’s pistol as a child, and gripped the handle tightly.
“Young master, what is this?” Ivan asked curiously.
“Just watch.” I smiled proudly, aimed the gun at a large tree ahead, and coolly pulled the trigger.
—Nothing happened.
“Huh?” I froze, checked the muzzle, looked at the tree again, then pulled the trigger several more times—still no response.
“Young master, let me see.” Ivan took the pistol, mimicked my actions, and fired repeatedly at the tree—still no reaction.
“Young master, is this how you use it?” Ivan looked at the pistol. “Or do you throw it?” With that, he made a motion as if to throw the gun.
“Hey hey hey! Wait!” Teacher Alistair quickly stopped him, snatched the pistol, and handed it back to me. “I told you, this weapon is yours—only you can use it. Hold it steady first.”
I followed Teacher’s instructions, gripped the pistol again, and aimed at the large tree.
“Try condensing magic power in your palm.”
I took a deep breath and gathered magic power in my palm… Suddenly, I felt the magic power being sucked away, flowing into the gun barrel. The muzzle instantly glowed with a pink light.
The moment I pulled the trigger, the light at the muzzle transformed into a high-speed metal ball that pierced straight through the tree, leaving a sizable hole in the trunk.
“Whoa! It worked!” “Waaah! What’s going on!!” Ivan and I exclaimed in unison.
“Hehe, I inscribed a magic circuit in this gun. Only your magic power can activate the metal generation spell.” Teacher said proudly.
“Lord Alistair, I also…” Ivan looked envious, as if he wanted one too.
“Hmm? Didn’t I already give you a jet war hammer? You said you liked it a lot back then.” Alistair glanced sideways at him, and Ivan could only shut his mouth in disappointment.
Teacher placed his hand on my shoulder, his tone softening: “Osmond, I hope this pistol becomes your strength. Take care.”
I felt the warmth of his palm and replied softly: “Teacher…”
He patted my back lightly, then seemed to remember something and paused: “There’s one more thing. I know about you and Oscar… but he’s my student too, so I gave him two longswords as well. No matter how you compete, I only hope you both return safely.”
I gave an understanding smile: “I understand, Teacher. I’ve put you in a difficult position… I’m sorry.”
Teacher shook his head: “It’s not your fault, Osmond.”
Then his tone changed. “Alright, I heard Oscar left early yesterday. You should get going too.”
“Okay…”
We turned together toward the carriage. After walking quite a distance, we returned to where it was parked.
Before boarding, I couldn’t help looking back and waved at Teacher, shouting: “Teacher, take care too!”
Teacher stood in place, smiling and waving goodbye. As the carriage moved farther away, the castle and his figure gradually blurred from view. The atmosphere felt somewhat melancholic.
After the carriage had traveled some distance, Ivan broke the silence first: “Lord Alistair is truly an extraordinary person. The Duke meeting him back then was truly a blessing for the territory. Perhaps all of this is the Water God’s guidance?”
“Yes…” I gazed into the distance, recalling Teacher’s appearance when he first arrived.
Teacher said he originally lived in another world. One day, for some unknown reason, he fell onto Uncle’s battlefield and nearly died in the chaos. Fortunately, Uncle had a keen eye for talent, saved him, brought him back to the territory, and asked him to be our teacher.
I looked down at my clothes—they were also a style Teacher brought from his original world. Compared to traditional attire, they were light and flexible, and even sparked a clothing revolution that swept across the entire continent.
Of course, the tailors of this world were already highly skilled. Once the first set appeared, various styles bloomed like flowers, carrying the new designs to greater heights.
But not everyone accepted trendy things. Some self-proclaimed noble aristocrats still insisted on wearing traditional clothing.
Actually, many technologies were the same—once they reached the common people, they spread rapidly. But Teacher always thought carefully before deciding which knowledge to make public and which to keep hidden, so the changes in this world were never too drastic.
Perhaps, in the unseen, some force truly guided him to this world?
“The Water God’s guidance… heh.” I chuckled softly.
“Young master, that laugh isn’t very respectful to the gods.” Ivan half-jokingly reminded me from the side.
“We’ve left the castle, so don’t worry about it so much, Ivan.”
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“Young master, wake up.”
“Mm…”
At some point, I had fallen asleep leaning on Ivan’s shoulder. I opened my eyes at his soft call.
I rubbed my brow, sorted out my groggy thoughts, and casually pulled open the curtain to look outside: “This is Ice Ridge Village, right?”
Although I usually stayed within the territory, I did go out occasionally.
Ice Ridge Village wasn’t large, but it was one of the three major towns and villages in the Selantin Kingdom. After all, the only road leaving the Chifantal Plateau where the kingdom was located passed through here, so it was fair to call it the northern outpost of the Selantin Kingdom.
“Yes, young master. Since we won’t reach Demla before dark, let’s rest here for the night.”
“Mm, that’s fine. It’s been a while since I’ve been here anyway.”
With Ivan’s support, I got out of the carriage. Before me was the largest inn in Ice Ridge Village. I pushed open the heavy wooden door and walked in with Ivan.
However, the moment the door opened, the originally noisy hall fell instantly silent. Almost everyone’s eyes turned toward us in unison.
Seeing this, Ivan immediately became alert and quietly placed his right hand on the handle of his war hammer, ready for any sudden situation.
We walked quietly toward the uncle behind the counter. While wiping a wine glass, he looked us and our accompanying guards up and down.
“Haven’t seen you before. First time here?”
“This is the first time entering this inn, that’s for sure.” I smiled and slightly turned my head to look behind. “What’s wrong? Everyone looks rather unfriendly.”
“Haha, don’t overthink it. Recently there’ve been quite a few incidents in the village, so everyone’s especially sensitive to strangers—especially when a whole group shows up at once.”
Ivan frowned upon hearing this and was about to speak, but I stopped him with a gesture.
This action seemed to catch the uncle’s eye, so he called out to the room: “Alright, alright, nothing’s wrong. Everyone go back to what you were doing.”
Only then did the crowd gradually return to the original atmosphere, though a few wary glances still lingered.
“May I ask what’s been happening recently?” Seeing that the uncle seemed reluctant to talk more, I asked gently.
“…It’s not something you can handle, so don’t worry about it too much.”
I calmed Ivan’s dissatisfied emotions under the counter and continued in a coquettish tone: “Come on, big brother. Maybe we can help.”
The uncle stopped wiping, his gaze lingering between Ivan and me for a few seconds, as if judging something.
“…Recently, people have been disappearing from the village one after another. There are rumors they were taken by that group of filthy god believers to the north.”
“Filthy god?” Although countless faiths existed on the Ia Continent, this was the first time I’d heard of this deity’s name.
“I don’t know where they came from, but they call themselves believers and have occupied land two miles north of the village. People nearby avoid them like the plague.”
“Haven’t you reported it to the guard unit?”
The moment I finished, the uncle snorted coldly.
“The new guard captain is useless—keeps making excuses and never follows through. Complete waste.”
After speaking, he seemed unwilling to discuss further and asked if we needed lodging. So we took the opportunity to book several rooms.
On the way upstairs, Ivan and I kept pondering the information we’d just heard.
“Young master, I’d better stay in the same room with you tonight. Those so-called believers, plus the villagers’ attitudes… I have a bad feeling.”
“Believers… I’m curious about them too.”
After reaching the room, Ivan skillfully carried the luggage in and began arranging what we needed for the night.
“Speaking of which, what’s going on with the guard unit here? How can they let those believers run wild? This is supposed to be the Water God’s faith territory.”
“Yeah, the guard unit…” I remained lost in thought while Ivan continued busy arranging supplies.
“Alright, let’s go talk to that guard captain. What do you think?”
I turned to look at him and found he had already organized everything neatly.
“Huh?” I looked at Ivan in confusion.
“Hmm?” He tilted his head innocently at me.
“Isn’t this my room?”
“Yeah.”
“Then?” I pointed at Ivan’s belongings.
“Hmm?” Ivan continued looking at me with a puzzled expression.
“Then why are your things here?”
“Young master, didn’t you just say that for safety, I should sleep in the same room with you tonight?”
“Huh?” This time it was my turn to tilt my head at him.
“Hmm?”
“Did I? Did I say that? When?” I began trying hard to recall.
“Young master, that’s not important. We have more important matters, don’t we? The guard captain?”
“Oh, right right right, the guard captain… yeah, let’s go.”
I picked up the essentials and strode out the door.
Ivan revealed a triumphant smile behind me.
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“Hey! I already told you we’ve increased patrols. What more do you want?” We had barely approached the local guard unit’s outpost when we heard a commotion from the doorway.
“Please! I beg you to save my daughter! She must have been taken by those people, I’m begging you!”
Ivan and I stopped at a distance and, together with the surrounding villagers watching, stared at the scene before us.
An old man knelt on the ground, his voice hoarse yet filled with despair, pleading desperately to two guards.
“Old man, if you keep making a scene, there’s nothing we can do! We already said—”
Before the guard finished, a middle-aged man in light armor walked out from inside the outpost. From his attire, he didn’t seem to be the captain we were looking for, but he likely held some position.
“What’s going on? Why all the noise at the door?” He frowned at the commotion.
The two guards at the door immediately saluted: “Report, it’s this old man again, coming to beg us to act. We already told him—”
But the man raised his hand to silence them, then stepped forward and helped the old man up.
“Old sir, I know you’re anxious. We’ll do our best. Please go home first and don’t worry too much, alright?” The man’s tone was gentle, his expression sincere.
“But… it’s been several days… she still hasn’t come back…”
The old man tightly gripped his hand, his eyes red from crying, his tone full of pleading, as if clutching at a lifeline.
“I understand. We really will investigate. Please go home and rest first, and wait for our news.”
After speaking, he supported the old man a few steps in the opposite direction and half-pushed, half-guided him away from the scene until he gradually left. Only then did the crowd of onlookers slowly disperse.
Once the crowd had gone, the man turned and quietly scolded the two guards: “Didn’t I say? Just persuade the villagers to leave gently like that—don’t make it a big deal. This village is already chaotic enough.”
“Yes!” “Yes!” The two responded softly.
After hearing the reply, the middle-aged man was about to return to the outpost when he happened to meet our gaze.
In that instant, his expression looked slightly embarrassed, clearly wondering if we had overheard those words.
“Hello.” I smiled and spoke. “We’d like to see the guard captain. May I ask—”
“Go away, outsiders?” The guard who spoke quickly scanned Ivan’s and my clothing.
“This isn’t a place you should be. Leave quickly!” After observing us, the guard impatiently waved us away, clearly not taking the middle-aged man’s earlier instruction to heart.
I glanced at him, thinking: No wonder this unit is so lax—orders from above are forgotten in an instant.
The man frowned and glared at the guard, then immediately turned to us: “I’m Squad Leader Asde. May I ask who you are?”
“This is—” Ivan was about to speak when I quickly smiled and said: “Just the son of a merchant with some travel money, wandering around.”
“Is that so…” Asde looked half-convinced.
“My name is Simon, and this is my attendant, Van.”
After hearing this, Asde nodded slightly, still somewhat doubtful: “Then what important business do you have with the captain?”
“We happened to pass through this village and wanted to greet the guard captain. After all, we might stay for a while, so it’s good to build relations first. Being unfamiliar with the place, we’ll need some help.”
After I finished, I felt Ivan glancing sideways at me, seemingly finding it odd that I suddenly said we’d “stay a few more days,” but I pretended not to notice.
Asde frowned: “You’ve come at a bad time. The village hasn’t been peaceful lately. You’d better leave early. The captain isn’t here either.”
I stopped Asde as he was about to turn away: “The village isn’t peaceful? Is it related to those believers outside the village?”
When I mentioned the believers, I saw a hint of sternness flash in Asde’s eyes, so I continued: “When we first arrived, the innkeeper mentioned it, so we thought we’d come find the guard unit.”
I maintained my harmless smile, but Asde’s expression remained cold.
And the moment I mentioned the innkeeper, Asde immediately snorted coldly.
“In the villagers’ eyes, we’re probably a bunch of useless people.” Asde muttered resentfully: “If the captain hadn’t forbidden it, I would’ve taken people to wipe them out long ago… Forget it.”
After Asde walked past me, he left one sentence: “You should head back first. If you want to find the captain, come again tomorrow morning.” Then he walked back into the outpost on his own.
On the way back, Ivan and I discussed what had just happened.
Ivan frowned and said: “Young master, it seems the guard unit isn’t acting because of the captain’s orders?”
“Maybe…”
“What’s wrong?”
Recalling my conversation with Asde, I said: “Such a serious matter—it doesn’t seem like it’s only been a day or two. Why haven’t we received any reports?”
“…Could the village chief or the guard captain have a problem?”
“I’m not sure either…” I shook my head. “Anyway, we’ll see how it goes when we meet the captain tomorrow.”
“By the way, young master, are you really going to stay here for a few more days?”
“After all, it’s something within the territory, isn’t it? Although we’re out for training, we can’t just ignore this…”
“Should we report it to the lord?” Ivan asked seriously.
“Alright… no, let’s wait until I investigate a bit more first.” After thinking for a moment, I decided to investigate on my own for now.
“Understood, young master. Then I’ll have to keep sharing a room with you.”
“Mm… huh?” I turned to look at him.
“We’re here, young master, please.” Ivan opened the inn door for me with a serious expression, though he couldn’t suppress a small triumphant smile at the corner of his mouth.
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That night, since I had always had trouble falling asleep, while I was closing my eyes to rest and waiting for drowsiness to come, I faintly heard the sound of light footsteps outside the window.
I immediately got up, walked quietly to the window, and looked out through the half-open window. Several figures were hurrying toward the outskirts of the village, one of them carrying a long burlap sack.
“Ivan…” I called him softly, turning back.
“…Young master, what’s wrong?” Ivan replied softly, but his eyes remained closed. Then he turned over and went back to sleep. While I watched their direction,
“Ivan?! Ivan!”
“Ah? Ah! Young master!” Ivan immediately got up alertly, then looked at me. After checking the surroundings and finding nothing wrong, he relaxed slightly. But seeing me still at the window, he could tell something was up.
Seeing that group getting farther away, if I didn’t follow now I would truly lose their trail.
“I’ll go ahead, you catch up quickly!” Anxious, I grabbed my weapon and leaped out the window.