A moment of silence.
Soon, Karone abruptly stood up and opened the portal to his research lab while fiddling with the bookshelf.
"Follow me."
As I followed him inside, he seemed lost in thought, furrowing his brow as if contemplating something.
While preparing to summon Nickel in case of a possible attack from Karone, I consciously touched the sword at my waist.
Among the artifacts existing in the present world, it was a valuable item that could rival even the highest-ranked ones.
There was a sudden urge, and he might try to attack me.
Although I doubted that the pragmatic Karone would do such a thing, I couldn't afford to be completely at ease, considering the possibility.
As I observed Karone's reaction, I noticed his breathing and muscle movements gradually relaxing, which eased my tension.
"How do you know about Codex Apocalypsis?"
"I heard it from that dark mage. He said what he possessed was 'Sloth.'"
"Where is the item now?"
"I stored it in a pocket dimension along with the skeleton I obtained during our battle that day."
"You managed to hide it so well without revealing its true nature. That's not like you."
I felt a slight embarrassment, but I nodded as if it didn't bother me.
Karone wandered around the research lab again, lost in thought, before finally letting out a sigh.
"It's a shame. But it would have been overwhelming."
I had predicted correctly. Even though it was Codex Apocalypsis at stake, I could trust Karone to not do anything reckless.
"Will you report it at the rally?"
I finally asked the question I had been waiting to ask.
I had thrown bait at Karone for this purpose from the beginning.
If I couldn't make use of it, selling it at an appropriate price during the rally would be a hundred times more profitable.
The problem was that I had no means of contacting the rally, but that was where Karone could help.
Although I had always been taken advantage of, now I was finally taking advantage of him.
Upon hearing my words, Karone sighed once again, seemingly unable to resolve his internal conflict.
"Very well. That seems to be the best course of action. I'll collect everything I can at the rally."
His sarcastic tone made it sound as if he had found Codex Apocalypsis himself.
"I'll arrange the contact for the rally. Make sure to keep your schedule open in case you need to attend."
"Understood."
In the end, it went as I had expected.
Although I didn't know much about the current rally, it hadn't been too long since the past, so I could roughly estimate how many Codex pages they had gathered.
They probably had the main body of Codex Apocalypsis and a few additional pages.
One more wouldn't cause the world to end immediately.
Setting aside whether it was right to turn the page of Sloth, I needed to focus on surviving for now.
Any future events would be resolved by my future self.
"Perhaps I won't even need to solve it."
This wasn't a game.
As such, the player characters, who actively moved forward, were bound to become significantly stronger than in a game.
The only problem was their direction, but I would have to manage it carefully to prevent the world from collapsing.
Carrying some of Karone's baggage and a part of my own in the carrier, I followed behind Karone.
It almost felt as if I were his assistant.
"I might become your assistant if I graduate like this."
Unfortunately, Adrius's maximum survival period was the fifth year of the academy.
Mostly, he died before that, and the only time he survived until just before graduation was during the first play-through.
At that time, I didn't even know Adrius was the villain, so I kept him alive for quite a while.
It was fortunate that it gave the impression that he was still as foolish as before.
We traveled for quite a long time on the train.
It took over 10 hours, and Karone's claim that we could return within the weekend turned out to be half a lie.
"That bastard."
But I couldn't say anything about it.
After all, I had suspected it from the beginning.
After getting off the train, I contemplated my attendance rate, which would have a hole in it for a while, but quickly brushed it off.
It wasn't important at this point.
Karone bought a carriage and a horse in the city we got off at, then gestured for me to follow.
"Drive."
"Um, Professor."
"Why?"
"To be honest, I've never driven a carriage before."
"...Useless."
Then why did you buy a carriage in the first place?
Do you have so much money to spare?
However, contrary to my expectations of selling it later, he personally got on the driver's seat.
"Sit next to me."
I sat next to him as he instructed, and I had a feeling that there must be a separate reason for him to buy the carriage.
"Professor, is there a specific reason you bought the carriage?"
"Quiet. From here on, we'll proceed without unnecessary conversation."
Now that I thought about it, Karone seemed incredibly tense.
He was even more on edge than when attending the rally alone.
There was no certain information about who and why he was being targeted, but I could make an educated guess.
"There might be those who are after Codex."
No matter how secretly you communicate and organize the assembly, there are always defectors within the assembly. Moreover, no matter how close-knit the sorcerers are, it's doubtful how close-knit they actually are. In the end, each of them will strive to secure their own power. It could be the sorcerers affiliated with the assembly who hired mercenaries or even themselves attempting to seize it.
"But why did they buy a carriage...?"
That aspect still remained a mystery, but I decided to let it go, assuming there must be a reason behind it.
We continued heading east from the city where we departed. It was already a city located towards the eastern end, and as we moved further east, a certain place came to mind.
"The Ensnaring Forest, Witch Morshae."
It was a forbidden forest where all sorts of strange phenomena occurred due to mana anomalies. One prominent characteristic was that if you walked on foot, the plants in the surroundings would twist and coil around your legs, so you had to move around on a horse or some other means of transportation.
"So that's why they bought a carriage."
There was one more anomaly. Inside the forest, every time you spoke, mana would be drained, and if your mana ran out, mental manipulation that only occurred within the forest would take effect. It wasn't to the extent that speaking consumed a significant amount of mana, but at my current level, speaking for about an hour would probably deplete my mana.
A ridiculous anomaly indeed.
The reason for seeking out such a place was probably because Morshae, one of the authoritative figures of the sorcerer assembly, was staying there. The assembly always randomly selected the venue and timing for the assembly, and this time it seemed that Morshae's lair was chosen.
As I was briefly contemplating Morshae, someone emerged from the bushes and blocked the path in front of the carriage.
Hehehehe.
"Hey, hey, hey."
Karon hurriedly tried to reason with him.
"We arrived on time."
The man who blocked the carriage spoke.
And I could identify a certain individual from his appearance.
"No way?"
Although there were some differences from the in-game graphics, I could discern the features, and a shiver ran down my spine.
"Can I get on?"
The man who smoothly initiated the conversation had an unkempt beard, contrasting with his neatly combed white hair. He had a long object wrapped in a cloth on his back, resembling a staff, and I knew what was inside.
Karon asked with a gulp.
"Are you... attending the assembly?"
"Hmm? Why? Is it not allowed?"
"No, it's not."
"Then, shall I get on?"
Karon seemed surprised by the unexpected figure as well. We silently watched as he casually climbed onto the carriage without any objections.
That was to be expected.
He was none other than one of the strongest individuals on the continent.
If this were a game, we would have encountered him in the latter part of the game, during a late-stage battle or at an ancient ruin. It was hard to believe even now.
How unbelievable was it that I checked and double-checked several times?
"You bought a cheap carriage."
The man who connected the carriage with the coachman's seat complained.
After that, he cheerfully waved at me.
"Hello, young one. What's your name?"
"I'm Adrias Cromwell."
"Cromwell? Oh ho?"
What? Does he know our family?
"Hey, Karon."
"Yes, you called?"
"You're already getting involved with Cromwell?"
"..."
Wait a minute.
Wait a moment, what are we talking about?
It felt as if there was some unknown story about my family that I wasn't aware of, and my mind started spinning like a motor.
"Um, well, I mean..."
"No, it's alright. You don't have to say it. It's not your concern. Oh, Adrias Cromwell."
"Yes?"
"Struggle hard, my friend. Haha!"
The man, Salem Yedidia, who uttered incomprehensible words, put on an eyepatch from somewhere and fell asleep.
It was difficult to follow the sudden and unrelated situations and information.
When I glanced at Karon, he quietly said,
"He is Salem Yedidia. You probably know about him, so I won't provide any further explanation."
...
I wasn't looking at him because I was curious.
I considered bringing up the topic of my family with Karon, but I eventually held back. I had no clue about it, and it didn't seem like he would reveal anything even if I asked.
However, one thing was certain.
There seemed to be some unknown connection to the Cromwell family.
Lost in my solitary contemplation, Karon called out to me.
"Adrias."
"Yes?"
"We'll soon reach the forest. It's called the 'Ensnaring Forest,' you might have heard of it before."
"Yes, I know. Speaking consumes mana, and we shouldn't walk with two feet."
"That's right. Just knowing that is enough."
But before we even arrived at the forest, we encountered unwanted guests.
The prelude began with the horses.
Hehehe.
Suddenly, the horses started whining, gradually slowing down.
"They're aristocrats, after all."
"They're still aristocrats."
My thoughts and Karon's thoughts aligned. The attack started more smoothly than expected, and it seemed like a relatively civil attack. Karon seemed to have the same thought. However, the horses eventually stopped completely, and then they collapsed.
And the surrounding area was filled with a damp moisture as an eerie energy gathered.
There was only one sorcerer who possessed such characteristics.
"The Abyssal Dragun."
A stronger opponent than anticipated appeared. Although the appearance hadn't been revealed yet, judging by the civil attack and the dampness, it seemed highly likely.
Karon furrowed his brow.
"Dragun. I didn't expect you to be the one behind this attack."
"Attack? Oh no, I've just come to make a proposal."
Nice wording, but it was evident that he came to target the page of Sloth.
At that moment...
"What's wrong? Why did they stop?"
Both Karon and I turned around, startled, and with tense expressions, we looked back, whether Dragan was in front of us or not.
Salem Yedidia. A demonic being who is unwelcome in both the physical and spiritual realms, stretched and rose to his feet.