Chapter 30 - Mysterious Message

As Kevin's eyes scanned the message etched on the ancient stone tablet, he felt a strange sensation coursing through his body. It was as though his very soul was resonating with the words before him.

With a furrowed brow, Kevin focused intently on deciphering the cryptic message, determined to unlock its hidden meaning.

"Darkness may shroud the echoes of kindness, but its light endures. Let us not forget the past, but be wary of the dangers that lurk in the shadows, for they may seek to extinguish the flame of kindness forever."

As Kevin silently recited the message to himself, he pondered its deeper meaning.

The reference to darkness as evil forces and echoes of kindness as opposition fighters made him think that the message was alluding to a struggle between good and evil.

He interpreted the phrase "light endures" as a testament to the strength and perseverance of those who fought against the darkness, despite overwhelming odds.

But as Kevin continued to contemplate the message, he realized that it left many unanswered questions.

What was the context of the past that the message referred to?

What were the specific dangers that lurked in the shadows?

Were there other, greater forces at play beyond the evil god that Kevin had envisioned as the final boss?

These unanswered questions only served to deepen Kevin's sense of intrigue and curiosity.

As Kevin stood there thinking without moving. Luna felt curious.

'What is he doing? I can't bear it. Let me see' Thinking this she came near Kevin.

As she peered over his shoulder, she noticed that he was staring intently at an ancient stone tablet, trying to make sense of the message inscribed on it.

"What are you doing?" Luna asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"I was just trying to decode the message on this tablet," Kevin replied, slightly embarrassed at having been caught lost in thought.

Luna looked at the script and nodded knowingly.

"It's runic language," she said, as if reading ancient scripts was an everyday occurrence for her.

"Do you know what is written there?" Kevin raised his eyebrows as slightly surprised that Luna also knows about runic language however he thought that as she is crown princess she may have worked hard to learn everything.

"Yeah. I know. Should I read it for you?" Luna suggested.

Kevin just nodded.

"Okay. So the thing written there is,

[Darkness may shroud the echoes of kindness, but its light endures. Let us not forget the past, but be wary of the dangers that lurk in the shadows, for they may seek to extinguish the flame of kindness forever.]"

As Kevin found the message the same as he read, he was relieved.

However he was still curious about it.

"What does this message mean, and where did this stone tablet come from?" Kevin asked, his curiosity piqued.

Luna looked at him, considering her response. "You might not know this," she said, "but this tablet is one of the few things left by the First Hero. Only fragments of history remain about his journey, but we do know that he defeated the Evil God. Everything else about him is shrouded in mystery."

Kevin listened intently, intrigued by Luna's words. "What else do you know about the First Hero?" he asked.

If the Evil God that he had to defeat was the same one that the First Hero had defeated, then any information about him would be useful.

"It is said that he had silver hair and that he had mastered light elemental magic," Luna replied.

As she spoke, she felt unworthy of speaking about the First Hero, given how little she knew about him.

Nonetheless, there was a deep sense of respect on her face as she spoke of his incredible accomplishments.

As Luna spoke of the First Hero's silver hair and mastery of light elemental magic, Kevin's heart sank.

He realized that having the same appearance as the First Hero could be trouble if his true identity was revealed.

"This is bad," he thought to himself. He was grateful that he had altered his appearance before entering the academy.

If his true appearance was discovered, he feared it would create chaos and unwanted attention.

He tried to remain composed in front of Luna, but his mind was racing. He knew that he had to find a way to keep his true identity hidden while still being able to defeat the Evil God. The task ahead seemed even more daunting now.

Kevin took a deep breath and looked back at Luna, trying to maintain his composure.

"I appreciate the information, Luna. It's good to know about the First Hero's legacy," he said.

Luna nodded in acknowledgement, still she looked at him with a curious expression.

"Okay, just let me know if you need anything," she said, giving him a reassuring smile.

Kevin nodded in gratitude and watched as she walked away. He took a deep breath and turned back to the stone tablet, his mind was racing with thoughts and possibilities.

As Clear Mind was doing its work. Kevin didn't lose his composure.

He knew that he needed to come up with a plan soon, or his true identity might be revealed, putting everything he has worked for at risk.

'Dio.'

[Yes, Kevin?]

'Can you provide me information about First Hero?'

[Can't do.]

'Why?' Kevin asked.

[When you play games, You have to find information by yourself. You didn't like unnecessary information dumps right?]

Kevin felt that the Goddess of Love was taunting him. He sighed.

'Fine.' In the end, Kevin gave me the idea of getting information from Dio.

As he had already got the hidden piece from the the library, he felt he should leave the library now.

"Thank you for your care." Kevin said to Luna, as he left.

As he was leaving the library, the biomatric scanner again analyzed his fingerprints and retinas, verifying his identities before letting him leave. It also checked if Kevin brought any book from the library with him.

As Kevin left, Luna stared at his back. She took out her phone and typed a message.

"Increase surveillance on Kevin more, and try to make detailed investigation on him as early as possible."

And send it.

'I hope you are not enemy of the empire.' Luna thought.

[Kevin's POV]

As Kevin stepped out of the library, he was greeted by the stunning view of the academy's courtyard. The courtyard was surrounded by tall, majestic buildings made of dark stone, their spires reaching towards the sky. The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm golden glow over the buildings and the surrounding landscape.

'I am hungry.'

He felt a pang of hunger in his stomach, realizing that he had missed his lunch. Despite this, he remained focused on his mission.

In the center of the courtyard, there was a large, well-manicured lawn dotted with trees and benches. Students were scattered around the area, some chatting with friends, others sitting alone with a book or notebook. A group of students were practicing magic, casting colorful spells that danced through the air.

Kevin quickened his pace and made his way towards the center of the academy where a fountain stood.

Because there was a hidden piece there.

As Kevin made his way towards the fountain, he passed by a group of students who were discussing their latest class assignments. He caught snippets of their conversation, their voices filled with excitement and curiosity.

As he approached the fountain, the sound of trickling water grew louder, the splashing of water against the rocks filling his ears. The water shimmered in the setting sun, casting reflections of the surrounding buildings.

As Kevin peered into the fountain, he noticed that something seemed off. However, he wasn't curious as he knew what that was.

Kevin picked up a stone and threw it into the fountain, an act that could be considered bad manners, and someone might scold him for it.

However, fortunately, the ones who were monitoring him assumed that Kevin threw the stone there because he was amused by it.

"Such a child," the people monitoring Kevin thought.

But they didn't know Kevin's true purpose. As the stone hits the water's surface, ripples spread out. However, in a certain area, they didn't occur.

Kevin pretended to pick up the stone he had thrown into the fountain again. While doing so, he also retrieved something from the spot where ripples didn't occur and quickly stored it in his subspace. The group weren't able to notice that as it was covered by Kevin's back.

As for the stone he picked up, he threw it into the sky. The stone flew up and up, until it disappeared from Kevin's sight.

"Such a weirdo," murmured one of the people who were monitoring Kevin. Most of the people with him also nodded in agreement.

All of them was wearing clothes that hide their appearance and help them to blend in surroundings.

They didn't make any noise as the headmaster's pet, a large hound, was lying just a few meters away from them.

That hound was gatekeeper of the academy. It helped the headmaster to maintain security of the academy at night.

However, they failed to notice when a stone fell from the sky and landed on the head of the hound. Feeling something on its head, the hound opened its eyes.

"Grrr..."

The group turned around and noticed the hound's fierce gaze.

"Crap, run!" All of them started running at full speed.

Fortunately, they were barely able to escape that day.