Chương 61: The Moon Remembered The Past

Sieghart eventually agreed to follow the stranger, although he made it clear that the decision did not represent trust, friendship, or acceptance of any future arrangement. The stranger accepted those conditions without complaint. He merely nodded before guiding Sieghart toward the grove where he had maintained his observation post. A small camp remained concealed beneath several trees. The man had covered his belongings with branches and used a gray cloth to prevent reflected sunlight from revealing his position.

He possessed enough food for several days, a bedroll, two waterskins, and several pieces of equipment designed for watching distant targets. A narrow metal tube rested beside a collection of handwritten notes. Sieghart recognized several descriptions of his training despite refusing to read the pages closely. The stranger noticed where he was looking and quickly collected the notes.

"I was doing my job."

"You wrote down how many times I used the bathroom?"

"I recorded when you entered and left the house. I didn't care what you were doing inside." The man grimaced before stuffing the notes into his pack. He appeared to understand that nothing he said would make a month of secret observation sound respectable. Now that the smoke had cleared and morning light covered the grove, Sieghart could finally examine him properly. The stranger looked slightly older than thirty.

He stood taller than Edric had, although his lean body lacked the heavy muscles common among combat Aura users. Short, dark-brown hair covered his head in uneven layers, as if he cut it himself with a knife whenever it became inconvenient. Gray eyes watched everything around him with constant alertness. A narrow scar crossed his left eyebrow and disappeared near his temple. His nose had been broken at least once, while dark stubble covered his angular jaw.

The man wore flexible leather armor beneath travel-stained clothing. Two curved knives rested behind his waist, positioned where ordinary people might overlook them. No emblem identified his allegiance. Even the buckles on his clothing had been darkened to prevent them from reflecting light. His appearance suited someone capable of spending an entire month watching a farm without being discovered. Sieghart disliked that conclusion but could not deny it. The stranger secured his pack before holding out one hand.

"Ronan." Sieghart stared at the offered hand.

"You already know my name."

"I thought introducing myself might make you less likely to shoot me."

"It won't." Ronan slowly lowered his hand.

"At least we understand each other." The Earth Bullets had left him limping, but his movement improved with every passing minute. Whatever Aura reinforced his body also accelerated his recovery. Ronan removed two hooded capes from his supplies. One was dark gray, while the other carried enough dust to blend with the road. He handed the smaller cape to Sieghart, although smaller remained relative. The garment had been designed for an adult and nearly reached the ground when Sieghart put it on.

The oversized fabric concealed his red hair, torn sleeping clothes, and most of his body. Ronan also gave him strips of clean cloth to wrap around his bare feet. Sieghart accepted the help without thanking him. Gratitude required emotional energy he did not currently possess, and Ronan seemed intelligent enough not to expect it. They left the grove shortly afterward and began traveling south. The road became busier as the morning advanced.

Farmers transported produce toward nearby markets, merchants carried supplies between settlements, and laborers rode inside wagons filled with tools. Ronan kept his hood low and instructed Sieghart to do the same. A six-year-old with crimson hair and blond-tipped fringe would attract attention even without recent rumors. Sieghart walked beside him while studying every wagon that passed. He searched the drivers, passengers, and cargo for anything suggesting they were being followed.

Nobody appeared particularly interested in them. Most travelers saw two figures beneath ordinary capes and continued along the road without slowing. That lack of attention did not ease Sieghart's suspicion. The assassin who destroyed the farmhouse had escaped detection from someone possessing a specialized sensing Aura. If such a person followed them, Sieghart had almost no chance of noticing. Every tree, hill, wagon, and distant silhouette became a possible threat. Ronan seemed equally cautious.

He occasionally stopped talking long enough to examine tracks beside the road or glance toward movement beyond the fields. Unfortunately, those brief periods of silence never lasted. By the time midmorning arrived, Ronan had explained the destination at least five times. They were traveling toward the headquarters of an independent organization called Lunar Arc.

According to Ronan, Lunar Arc accepted combat contracts, investigated magical incidents, escorted important shipments, hunted dangerous monsters, and interfered with problems that official authorities preferred to ignore. Sieghart suspected the final category covered most of their work. Organizations rarely sent spies to watch six-year-old children because everything else operated normally.

"The guild isn't large," Ronan explained, "but we have people capable of handling situations that ordinary Aura users cannot understand."

"I'm not joining."

"I didn't ask yet."

"You keep saying what I'll do after we arrive."

"I'm explaining the possibilities."

"You said I'll like the southern training yard."

"You probably will." Sieghart looked at him from beneath his hood. Ronan cleared his throat and faced the road again. Lunar Arc apparently included several young members with unusual abilities. Some possessed rare Auras that frightened their families, while others demonstrated magic nobody knew how to classify. Traditional academies preferred students whose abilities followed established paths.

Sword Auras entered military schools, crafting Auras joined workshops, and agricultural talents learned from their families. Children whose powers behaved unpredictably were more difficult to place. Some became valuable curiosities, while others were treated like threats before understanding what made them different. Lunar Arc collected those who fell between recognized categories.

Ronan described the guild as a refuge, training ground, and occasionally an institution for preventing reckless children from destroying nearby property.

"You would fit in."

"I worked on a farm without destroying it."

"You erased a boulder." Sieghart looked toward him.

"How do you know about that?"

"I watched your training area."

"That happened before you arrived."

"The missing space was obvious. There were stone fragments spread across half the field." Sieghart looked away. His efforts to conceal the boulder's destruction had apparently been less successful than he believed. Ronan continued describing Lunar Arc with the enthusiasm of someone attempting to sell a suspicious product without admitting it was for sale.

He mentioned training rooms reinforced against unstable magic, libraries containing records of unusual abilities, and instructors experienced in controlling dangerous Auras. There were children close to Sieghart's physical age, although none apparently possessed the memories of a twenty-five-year-old man across two lives. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Some young members were several years older and already participated in supervised guild assignments.

Others remained protected inside the headquarters until they learned enough control to avoid harming themselves. Sieghart felt no interest in meeting any of them. Odd children gathering beneath the same roof might produce friendships, rivalries, or other things people his age supposedly valued. Sieghart cared about none of that. He needed information. The guild master had ordered Ronan to observe him, which meant she had taken an interest before the attack.

She might know who considered Sieghart dangerous and why the runesmith suddenly disappeared. Even if she lacked answers, she represented the first step toward finding them. Sieghart would listen, obtain whatever information Lunar Arc possessed, and leave. He would not allow another organization to decide his value or use his abilities. One guild claiming to protect unusual children could become another cage decorated with friendlier language. Ronan glanced toward him while they walked.

His expression changed when their eyes met, and his shoulders became noticeably tense.

"Could you stop glaring at me?" Sieghart continued looking at him.

"I'm not glaring."

"You absolutely are."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Look somewhere else occasionally." Sieghart narrowed his eyes. Ronan released a long breath.

"Dealing with a child who can produce that expression is exhausting. Dealing with one who can surround himself with enough fireballs to erase a village is nerve-wracking." Sieghart looked toward the road ahead.

"That better?"

"Somewhat." Ronan remained uncomfortable. He raised one hand near his face and tested the air before studying Sieghart more carefully.

"You're doing something else."

"I'm walking."

"The air around you is getting warmer." Sieghart frowned. He had not deliberately gathered mana or activated any spell. Nevertheless, heat shimmered faintly near the edge of his cape. The air vibrated wherever his attention settled. Dry grass beside the road curled slightly as he passed, while dust moved away from his feet. Sieghart focused inward and sensed mana stirring through his body. His anger had not faded after burying his grandparents.

It remained beneath every thought, feeding his Fire Magic even when he did not attempt to use it. The element responded to emotion as naturally as it had when he created Flame. Ronan probably noticed the escaping heat through his sensory Aura. Ordinary travelers had not reacted because the effect remained subtle at a distance. Sieghart closed his eyes while continuing to walk. He forced himself to remember the calm state required for Water Creation.

He imagined the steady irrigation channels beside the farm, cool water moving through soil, and Elara guiding rain across the crops with practiced hands. The memory brought pain alongside calmness. Sieghart almost lost control again when he remembered that he would never watch her work a field. He held the image anyway. The mana inside him gradually settled. The heat shimmer disappeared, and the air stopped vibrating around his body. Sieghart opened his eyes.

Ronan had moved half a step farther away during the process.

"I wasn't doing it intentionally."

"That doesn't make it less concerning." Sieghart looked away. The road became silent between them for nearly a minute, which represented Ronan's longest period without speaking since their departure. When the man eventually continued, his voice carried less forced enthusiasm.

"Lunar Arc can hide you for a while." Sieghart did not respond.

"The guild has safe locations, protected routes, and enough influence to make most officials ask questions before entering our property."

"Most?"

"Promising complete safety would be dishonest." At least Ronan understood that much. Sieghart had no interest in another adult assuring him that nothing bad could happen.

"You would need to cooperate," Ronan continued.

"No attacking members because they surprise you. No threatening people with black fireballs during introductions."

"What if they deserve it?"

"Try words first." Sieghart continued walking without agreeing. Ronan appeared willing to interpret his silence as temporary cooperation.

"The guild master will be annoyed when she sees you."

"Why?"

"She ordered me to observe and report. Bringing you directly to headquarters wasn't part of the assignment."

"Then why won't she send me away?" Ronan smiled slightly.

"Because she isn't that kind of person. She will complain, threaten to reduce my pay, and probably ask why I brought an assassin's target to her door."

"That sounds smart."

"She still won't chase you away." Sieghart studied him from the corner of his eye. Ronan spoke with confidence rather than hope. He knew the guild master well enough to predict her response to an unexpected child carrying dangerous attention.

"What makes you so certain?"

"One of her ancestors was a lot like you." Sieghart stopped walking. Ronan continued for two steps before noticing. He turned and found Sieghart staring at him again. The air around Sieghart did not heat this time. Curiosity had briefly pushed anger aside.

"How?" Ronan adjusted the strap of his pack.

"She was extraordinarily talented with magic. The records say she could use several elements, create spells nobody had seen before, and continue casting long after every mage around her collapsed. They were common in the past, but most mages couldn't fight aura users." Sieghart resumed walking slowly.

"How long?"

"That depends on which record you believe. Some say hours. Others claim she fought for three days without resting and never showed signs of running out of mana." Three days of continuous casting exceeded what any ordinary mage in this world should accomplish. Sieghart's grandparents became exhausted after watering fields for part of a morning. Even trained magical servants prepared slowly and conserved every spell. Mana stones existed because natural reserves could not support enchanted tools for long.

Someone casting continuously for three days sounded less like extraordinary talent and more like an exception to the rules.

"What was her name?"

"Seraphine Arclight." Sieghart repeated the name silently. Ronan pointed toward the southern road as he continued.

"She helped establish Lunar Arc several generations ago. Most records call her the Endless Magus, although some older documents use less flattering titles."

"Such as?"

"The Moonlit Disaster." That sounded more honest. Anyone with endless mana and poor emotional control could become a disaster without intending to. Sieghart knew that from experience.

"Was her mana actually endless?" Ronan looked surprised by the direct question.

"No one knows. People described it as bottomless, but records exaggerate. She might have possessed an Aura that restored mana quickly."

"Did she have a combat Aura?"

"Not according to the guild records." Sieghart's attention sharpened. A person without a combat Aura had used several elemental spells, created unique magic, and cast nearly without limit. The similarities were becoming difficult to dismiss.

"What happened to her?"

"That story is complicated."

"You spent the entire morning talking about the guild. Now you want to become mysterious?"

"I don't know every detail. The guild master keeps Seraphine's private records locked away."

"Why?"

"Because they include dangerous magic, political secrets, and several things that nearly caused wars." Sieghart wondered whether the documents mentioned a system. Perhaps Seraphine had seen translucent status screens, levels, and attributes no one else could perceive. She might have been reincarnated from another world. Infinite mana could represent a blessing granted to more than one person across history. Alternatively, Sieghart might descend from her through his mother's family.

His grandparents possessed ordinary magic, but rare traits could disappear for generations before returning. The current guild master apparently belonged to Seraphine's bloodline. If she noticed similarities in the battlefield reports, she might suspect Sieghart was a distant relative. Ronan seemed to read part of his expression.

"The guild master may believe you share some family connection. That is probably why she sent me to investigate before approaching openly."

"My father's family would have records."

"Not if the connection came through an unrecognized branch or your mother's side." Sieghart thought about Elara and Edric. Neither had ever mentioned Seraphine Arclight, but ordinary farmers might not know every person within their ancestry. The idea created questions he could no longer ask them. Pain returned with enough force to slow his steps. Sieghart clenched his hands beneath the cape and forced himself to continue. Ronan watched him but wisely avoided commenting.

If Seraphine possessed infinite mana, her history might explain Sieghart's power, the system, or why magic reacted so strongly to his emotions. Her enemies could also connect to the attack. Perhaps someone recognized Sieghart's abilities and feared the return of the Endless Magus. That possibility transformed Lunar Arc from a temporary source of information into something far more important. Sieghart still refused to trust the guild.

A historical connection did not guarantee friendly intentions, and the guild master had ordered secret surveillance instead of speaking with him. Nevertheless, Lunar Arc possessed records unavailable anywhere else. Those documents might reveal whether another person had once lived with the same impossible power. Sieghart looked south along the road. His destination remained hidden beyond distant hills, but the journey no longer felt like a simple path toward Ronan's employer.

For the first time since the farmhouse exploded, Sieghart wanted something from the road ahead besides vengeance. He wanted to know whether infinite mana had belonged to someone before him, and what the world had done to her.