Translator: Cinder Translations
...
The conversation in the pavilion continued.
McDonald asked, "So, you believe that the ancient war between humans and demons truly happened?"
Aldridge confirmed, "Yes, we believe this war was a real event."
He stood up and moved to the edge of the pavilion, stroking his long beard while gazing at the nearby lake.
"At first, I held a fearless attitude towards the truth of this myth, but an unexpected discovery four years ago forced me to take it seriously."
"Your unexpected discovery?"
"Yes." Aldridge turned back, his eyes revealing a mix of determination, compassion, and an unwavering spirit. This, combined with his status as the chief scholar of the Scholars' Tower, made McDonald feel a sudden respect.
The old scholar pulled out a piece of parchment from his robe and carefully spread it on the stone table.
McDonald looked at the parchment and saw a drawing of a meteor, surrounded by strange symbols that might be an unfamiliar script.
"What is this? A meteor?"
"It is a meteor, but not an ordinary one. Perhaps we should call it the Ruinous Star."
"Ruinous Star?"
The name alone suggested it was not a good omen.
Aldridge's eyes reflected a look of reminiscence as he said, "This was discovered in an ancient tomb in Zorv. I was just in my early twenties, a young man who had just entered the Scholars' Tower."
"Zorv? I seem to have heard of it; isn't it a place within the empire?"
"Yes, but Zorv once hosted an ancient civilization that has long since vanished. The items on this scroll were copied from the walls of a tomb. There were many other contents, but they were written in texts that ordinary people could not directly comprehend. So, I only showed you the design of this meteor."
"My mentor, Lord Ortega, took on the task of deciphering these ancient scripts. Besides the wall inscriptions, the tomb contained a large number of ancient parchment scrolls. As his student, I was fortunate to participate in this work."
"As the research progressed, we gradually understood the meaning behind the words and images on the tomb walls."
"The general idea is that meteors of this shape and color are omens of disaster. If they appear in the night sky, there will certainly be terrible natural and man-made disasters within a hundred years."
"The ancient scrolls recorded the specific circumstances of a disaster that the Zorv civilization experienced."
"The records left by the ancient Zorv civilization are incomplete. From my mentor's experience, he felt that there were gaps, much like a beautiful painting missing a few pieces. However, during the research process, my mentor passed away due to illness, and I inherited his wish—to uncover the true nature of these meteors and continue studying the materials left behind by the ancient Zorv civilization to complete the final puzzle."
"At that time, I didn't pay much attention to the meteors; I merely regarded it as a research topic for starting my independent academic career. After all, which civilization doesn't have one or two prophecies about disasters or the end of days? And tombs are places that love to create mysteries, so there were many similar things."
"But because of my mentor's wish, I began collecting information about these meteors, trying to restore the fragmented puzzle."
"It was during this process that I came into contact with magic and wizards. Oh, just as people associate them with words like ancient and mysterious, I did obtain many valuable historical materials from them that are not found in the official histories of various countries."
"I formed a deep friendship with one of the wizards, Zico Hewitt. Hewitt is the leader of a wizarding organization known as the Arcane Order, and he comes from a wizard family with a legacy spanning thousands of years. The Arcane Order was originally established around the Hewitt family, and almost all the past leaders have come from this family."
At this point, Aldridge, who had maintained a serious expression, showed a hint of a smile as he looked at McDonald and said, "Besides being a wizard and the leader of the Arcane Order, do you know what other identity Zico Hewitt has?"
McDonald's mind turned, and he thought of what he had just asked Aldridge—"What is the connection between the demon race, humans, Prince Antonio, and the prince's witch mother?"
"Let me guess, this Hewitt is related to Prince Antonio and the prince's mother?"
"Correct!" Aldridge nodded, "Zico Hewitt is indeed Prince Antonio's maternal grandfather."
"I see," McDonald understood.
"Our majesty, the current emperor of the empire—Bartley Griffin—was still my student at that time, and Zico Hewitt had a daughter, Selena Hewitt. The two were of similar ages and frequently interacted due to their teacher and father. Over time, they developed feelings for each other."
"Unfortunately, Bartley had to marry the daughter of the D'Arshi family as his primary wife for political reasons, and Hewitt's daughter, Selena, could only become his concubine."
Aldridge shook his head and spoke regretfully.
At this moment, McDonald asked, "Did our majesty know that the woman he loved was a witch?"
"As far as I know, he probably didn't. Zico and Selena hid it very well and never showed any signs in front of Bartley, especially Selena. She feared that her identity as a witch would cause Bartley to develop a bias against her."
McDonald asked, "So the notion that the prince is the son of a witch is likely a rumor… manufactured by someone with ulterior motives, but coincidentally aligns with the truth?"
"I think that's right," Aldridge nodded, agreeing with his statement.
It was probably the queen and the D'Arshi family behind her, McDonald thought. Prince Antonio's mother also died under mysterious circumstances, and many suspected it was due to a court conspiracy.
"What about the prince's grandfather now…"
"Zico Hewitt died in a pursuit by the church… sigh, that father and daughter…"
Aldridge's expression turned incredibly somber. In that moment, he recalled the faces of his old friend Zico and his beloved niece Selena.
He knew that it was precisely because Zico and his daughter had both died under unnatural circumstances that it provoked the Arcane Order, which had always adhered to the principle of reclusiveness. After that, this originally loose organization of spellcasters became increasingly tight-knit and adopted a more radical style of action.
(End of the Chapter)
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