Chapter 311

I, Shion Pollinglight, was in a rift.

I didn’t know where and where I was caught, but it was clearly a rift.

I was walking following the ‘Last Clown’, and there was a wooden crown on my head.

I suddenly lifted my head.

“Where are you looking all of a sudden, Shion?”

“No.”

I shook my head.

“I thought someone reconciled.”

“That’s a funny sound. How do you know that?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

The Last Clown laughed heartily, saying that even he, a Man-God, does not know the world in such detail.

The Clown, before I knew it, was not a head-flower with a thousand petals but had the appearance of a middle-aged man who frequently ruins the mood.

“Clown, where are we going?”

“The past.”

Unlike usual, the Clown’s voice is serious.

It is natural since we are heading to the past of the Hotus Eight Gods, where the world’s deepest secrets are hidden.

The end of the story was approaching.

“Before Cordis, before Hotus.”

“Ancient Times?”

“Ancient Times.”

Cordis is 1000 years old. Hotus is 300 years old.

Before the two great nations, very distant…….

“To be exact, one thousand three hundred thirty-five years ago.”

1335 years ago.

Because of the strange nuance, I pronounced it again as if chewing on it.

“Back then, Continua used the name Cordisias.”

“…….”

“Of course, even that long ago, there were human countries. Even though it was a time when all kinds of mysteries led by Ancient Gods were rampant.”

“I’m hearing this for the first time.”

I am a Prince.

From a young age, I had to perform various educational curriculums of the Imperial Family.

Although I am fluent in the ancient Hotus language, I had never heard of a country before that.

“What is its name?”

“Don’t ask for a forgotten name, Shion.”

Wrinkles formed between the Clown’s brows.

He looked somewhat angry.

Because memories he never wanted to bring up again almost surfaced.

“There is no one who remembers that name now. We tried very hard to make it so.”

“…What happened for that to be the case?”

“I intend to show you that.”

The Clown continued speaking.

“The name is forgotten. However, even then….”

His eyes blazed for an instant.

There is no humor or wit.

“…It was an Empire.”

I did not ask further.

The Clown also stopped walking.

Inside the rift, we arrived at the desired place.

Since it was a rift that was neither time nor space, there was no way to explain it.

The Clown also could not explain how he was walking here.

It was only clear that he was relying on some kind of sense that humans cannot understand.

“Shion, you are nothing but a spectator there. You can talk to them, or even interfere. But soon they will forget you and your interference.”

“Is the past I am going to realize?”

“It is an illusion yet real. You should know better than anyone that distinguishing between empty and real in two identical worlds is meaningless?”

“…….”

I inadvertently repeated the name of my daughter, Poesia.

It was a disappeared world, yet a world that had not disappeared.

Then perhaps the past I go to is similar. In the sense that even if I can communicate with the world, everyone will completely forget the fact that the world communicated with me.

“Bear in mind. You are a bystander to the end.”

You cannot change anything.

Don’t concern yourself needlessly.

Think of it as watching a play.

Because it is really just that level of matter.

I nodded.

“Then go and come back.”

The Clown jerked his chin.

“To one thousand three hundred years ago, …to the Empire of Oblivion.”

***

I was in a narrow place.

Before I even had a moment to think where I was, there was a smell.

In front of my eyes was a white round container, and clean water flowed inside.

I realized this place was a latrine, and a highest-grade latrine comparable to the Cordis Great Imperial Palace at that.

Including the sound of someone banging from outside telling me to come out quickly.

“How long are you using the toilet! Come out quickly!”

“Sorry….”

I did not fight back against the shouting and came out bowing my head.

A young man wearing round glasses entered the latrine crossing me while acting irritably.

His hooked nose was impressive.

The young man seemed to be a noble as he had an attendant with him.

The attendant had to wait for his master who entered the latrine, and bowed his head to me.

It was because my appearance was aristocratic.

I felt the noble young man who was urgent to use the toilet and the attendant waiting for him were familiar.

But I didn’t want to be in the latrine anymore so I hurried my steps.

‘Clown, even if you send me, of all places to a latrine….’

I shook my head.

I came out of the latrine and glanced inside.

I met eyes with the attendant.

The attendant quickly scanned me, recognized my aristocratic air, and bowed.

As if treating someone he was meeting for the first time.

Even though he had greeted me just now.

……. I walked a few steps for a moment. I went about ten steps and returned about ten steps.

And again I met eyes with the attendant, and the attendant greeted me again as if treating someone he saw for the first time.

It felt as if he forgot my existence the moment I left his view.

‘So this is what being a bystander means.’

I accepted it.

Now it was really time to leave the vicinity of the latrine.

Still, it was quite a decent latrine.

If you look at the latrine, you can see the level of civilization.

Even though I heard this place was 1335 years ago, it had facilities superior to most fair Western cities.

I can talk a bit more freely.

I knew the people of the past would react to me, and then soon forget me.

I cupped my chin and fell into thought for a moment.

Passing people glanced at me but everyone soon forgot.

‘If he sent me this time… it must be because there is some incident.’

The Regressor Prince lifted his head.

Among the passing people, there was a middle-aged man wearing a long shawl.

He looked high-status and obstinate.

I abruptly spoke to him.

“Excuse me.”

“Hmm?”

“Where is this place?”

“What are you saying?”

“I asked where this place is.”

“Where else? It’s the Imperial Court!”

The middle-aged man frowned deeply.

“What are you doing holding up a busy person? The Council of Elders is just around the corner….”

“Are you an Elder?”

“Yes. Seems you don’t know me. I suppose that’s why you are acting rudely.”

“Your name?”

“Ertorea. More importantly, what is your name? I don’t know which family you are from but I must hold you accountable for today’s rudeness.”

“Sorry. Please go.”

“…What?”

I sent Ertorea away.

Ertorea glared at me as if asking what in the world I was doing right now.

He wanted to shout, but as he said, the Council of Elders was just around the corner.

He hurriedly moved his steps, and I grabbed that Ertorea again.

“Excuse me.”

“Hmm?”

“You are Elder Ertorea, right?”

“That is correct.”

“Do you remember me?”

“Are we acquaintances?”

“No. It is our first time meeting.”

“Then how would I know!”

Ertorea got angry.

It was clear he forgot all the conversation just before.

Ertorea was about to fly into a rage, but because the Council of Elders was just around the corner, he suppressed it.

“You know that you’ll be in big trouble if I run into you next time.”

“Is there any special event these days by any chance?”

“Except for some guy holding onto me and not letting go when I have to go to the Council of Elders, everything is fine!”

“No. I mean in the Imperial Court.”

“In the Imperial Court? Special event?”

Ertorea frowned.

He gestured to the right side with his eyes containing even some contempt.

“There are plenty of events! You should know how noisy it always is because of those guys!”

“Where is it noisy?”

“Where else? The Central Garden!”

“Oho.”

“Let go now! I’ll be late for the meeting!”

Ertorea shook me off and hurried his steps.

He huffed in anger, but soon forgot even why he was angry.

I did not speak to him further.

Instead, I moved my steps to the right, to the place Ertorea gestured.

I didn’t forget a short greeting either.

“Have a pleasant meeting, Ertorea.”

***

“Excuse me. Where is the Central Garden?”

“It is here.”

“Doesn’t look like a garden.”

“Because the acrobat troupe has come.”

“I see.”

I found the Central Garden without difficulty.

However, I did not see lush green grass or trees.

All that existed were huge tents, acrobats roaming here and there, rare beasts, or loud trumpet sounds.

A noisy acrobat troupe in the middle of a quiet Imperial Court, jokers who seemed far from dignity were perfectly alien.

Even the acrobats had faces questioning if it was okay for them to be like this here, but for now, they were doing their best showing off their talents.

“Ertorea had reason to dislike it.”

Not calling one or two clowns but calling the whole acrobat troupe to the middle of the Imperial Court.

It was an idea difficult for me to understand too.

I shook my head.

I could find a few young people giggling excitedly, but the older ones uniformly sent glares toward the acrobat troupe.

I discovered a man alone among the young people holding a sword and wearing armor.

I approached without hesitation and spoke to him.

“Is it fun?”

“Of course it’s fun.”

The armored man had a thick neck. He looked twenty-five or six, but his appearance suggested he was not ordinarily trained. He was staring intently at a clown juggling twelve swords.

“Are you standing guard?”

“…Guard, not exactly.”

The man swept his chin.

“Hmm, closer to escort.”

“Who do you escort? Being alone.”

“Why do you ask such a thing?”

“Because I’m curious.”

“I suppose you could be curious.”

He seemed to be wary of me for a moment but relaxed quickly again. It seemed he naturally couldn’t keep his guard up well.

“The person who called this acrobat troupe will come soon. I have to escort him.”

“Who is that person to be?”

“Why ask when you know everything?”

The man snorted, Hmph.

“You know, the biggest eccentric of the Imperial Court.”

“I don’t know well.”

“Hmm. Not a person of this Imperial Court? Suspicious.”

I glanced sideways at the man.

The sound of Hmm was strangely familiar to my ears.

“By any chance… your name is?”

“What are you going to do with my name?”

“So the name is?”

“Me?”

The man smirked.

As if my persistent attitude was funny.

“Debius.”

Only then did I realize this man was Deballo Debius of 1335 years ago, the ‘Last General’.

Then I didn’t want to get involved further.

Somehow he resembled Secundus.

I quickly stepped back.

Debius looked at me suspiciously but soon forgot my existence.

“Ouch!”

There was someone who came and bumped into me as I was stepping back.

Looking closely, it was the noble young man I encountered in the latrine earlier.

“Watch where you are going!”

The noble young man was with that attendant from earlier.

No, rather than an attendant, he looked closer to a house slave.

I noticed the fact that this noble young man had a hooked nose.

“…You, the name is?”

“Suddenly? Do you know me?”

“I ask because I don’t know.”

“Ha, this is absurd.”

The hooked-nose young man swept back his hair while putting on airs.

Even 1335 years ago, his hair did not seem abundant.

“Caseptus.”

As expected, this hooked nose was Kerenneus Cansella Caseptus of 1335 years ago, the ‘Last Minister’.

“Your attendant’s name is?”

“Not an attendant but a slave.”

“Anyway, what is the name?”

“Curious about all sorts of things. Tell him yourself.”

The slave bowed his head and opened his mouth.

“I am called Hireium.”

Hika Hireium, the ‘Last Slave’.

I came to know that three of the Hotus Eight Gods were in this place.

No, then in that acrobat troupe too…. My gaze turned toward the acrobat troupe.

Just then, a three-headed lion went back into the cage and a clown was coming out.

“Greetings for the next turn!”

The clown greeted exaggeratedly.

However, his skills didn’t look that good.

Other acrobats were also sending pathetic gazes toward the clown who was only loud.

Still, the clown introduced himself steadfastly.

“Standing on stage for the first time, it is Beila Beile!”

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