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However, Roel didn’t pay his appearance any mind, as he was more concerned about the current situation.

Antonio noticed his confusion and explained, “Don’t worry; Paul will be fine. You can tell as much just by looking at Carolyn’s reaction.”

“Hm?” Roel blinked in confusion. He belatedly noticed that Carolyn had gone silent since Paul appeared. She didn’t even react to the appearance of Astrid, a relative of hers from a thousand years ago. “What’s happening?”

“They’ll have to settle it by themselves,” Antonio said with a shake of his head.

Meanwhile, Paul began charging with all his strength.

…

Roel had been certain that there was nothing in this world that could convince Carolyn to stop. Surrendering was too difficult for someone who had been afflicted by the Savior’s madness, not to mention that this was something Carolyn had been working toward for a thousand years now.

As an avid reader, Roel was well-versed in well-known figures, from the heroes of the ancient era to the current human rulers, but none of them could match Carolyn’s mental fortitude.

It was through her sheer willpower that Carolyn had retained her sense of self despite having been exposed to the Savior’s depravity for a thousand years. The lengths to which she had gone to save humankind made her a hero deserving of respect.

The only problem was that she was now an obstinate boulder standing in Roel’s way, refusing to step aside even if it spelled death.

But everything changed the moment Paul Ackermann appeared.

Carolyn’s golden eyes widened in disbelief upon seeing him. Everything else disappeared from her sight in that very instant. Neither Roel, whom she had been fighting to the death, nor Astrid, who had arrived later, was in her line of vision.

As she gasped for air, she stared in incredulity at the young man slowly walking toward her.

“That face… A descendant? No, how could he still be around after a thousand years… Stay away!” Carolyn howled as she released her mana, exerting strong pressure on the vicinity.

“!”

Paul’s body tilted to the side under Carolyn’s pressure.

Roel frowned.

The pressure from an Origin Level 1 transcendent should have been too much for Paul to take; it would have been no different from him shouldering a mountain on his back. Yet, he continued to march forward.

He released a surge of mana that caused his white armor to glow brilliantly. His footsteps slightly lightened, and his body straightened once more.

“Wait a moment. That armor…”

Roel felt a strong feeling of déjà vu, which prompted him to immediately look at Carolyn.

While it was old and had been destroyed in the earlier battle, there was no doubt that Paul’s armor was identical to the one Carolyn had been wearing earlier. Even their auras were the same.

“How could this be? Paul’s armor should have been self-created, so how could it have been the same as Carolyn’s?” Roel murmured in disbelief.

“There’s a simple answer to that question. Paul was the one who made Carolyn’s armor,” Astrid replied.

“What?”

Roel was even more confused, but a possibility quickly surfaced in his mind.

Astrid previously mentioned in the Witness State that Carolyn didn’t fight alone in the final years of the Second Epoch. She had an alliance with the Ackermanns. Considering Paul’s powers and his mysterious birth, could it be…

“Indeed, the person who is currently known as Paul went by a different name in the past…” Astrid looked at the man marching toward Carolyn and sighed. “He is Charles Ackermann.”

…

While Charles Ackermann was a foreign name to those in the present era, it was extremely familiar to history buffs like Roel, particularly because of how dramatic his life had been.

If one looked at history as a stream that slowly washed away the past, Charles Ackermann would be the gold lying on the riverbed that couldn’t be washed away even after the passing of a thousand years.

He was an ambitious emperor who had reached the pinnacle of authority among humankind at a young age, but he was better known as the ‘Departing Emperor’ who had led humankind on the westward migration following the downfall of the Ancient Austine Empire.

Some respected him. Some admired him. Some feared him. Some abhorred him.

Under his rule, the Ancient Austine Empire regained its peace after many years of fighting, ushering in yet another era of prosperity. Yet, who could have thought it was just the calm before the storm?

An even greater darkness was awaiting them.

The Spirit Cataclysm of the Capital and the western migration were two major turning points in the history of humankind, but there were hardly any records about what happened back then. As a result, there were many different evaluations of Charles Ackermann.

Some believed that Charles Ackermann was a wise emperor who ruled under tumultuous times. Some saw him as an ominous figure who brought Sia’s anger upon the Ancient Austine Empire. In any case, he had left his mark on history.

The death of Charles Ackermann was shrouded in mystery too.

The official record stated that Charles Ackermann had died from an illness during the western migration, but anyone with the slightest common sense would think that the record was untrue.

There was no official record detailing Charles Ackermann’s strength, but he had to be a high transcendent at the very least. It was suspicious that a high transcendent would die of illness at such a young age.

Considering the circumstances back then, it was likelier that there was a ploy involved.

The Saint Mesit Theocracy’s records theorized that the high nobles of the current Austine Empire might have teamed up to challenge Charles Ackermann’s authority back then and eliminate him.

Brolne’s records postulated that Charles Ackermann might have been killed by a Savior worshiper hidden amidst the crowd.

Regardless of the cause, it was certain that Charles Ackermann was dead.

Roel would have burst into laughter if anyone else had said that Paul was Charles Ackermann, but it was coming from Astrid, who had lived in the same era as the Departing Emperor. His smile froze in place.

“Paul is Emperor Charles? How is that possible? He’s my classmate in the academy…” Roel shook his head and refuted Astrid’s claim.

That was a sharp question.

It was possible to change one’s appearance through a spell, but reversing one’s physical development was impossible even with temporal spells, not to mention that Paul had matured under Roel’s watch.

Putting all things aside, Paul was already a head taller than when they last met.

Portraits of Charles Ackermann depicted him as a tall and well-built individual. How could someone like that feign being a child?

Surely he can’t have sawed off his legs, right?

While Roel was pondering that question, there was a sudden surge of mana ahead of him.

Carolyn, who appeared to have realized something, firmed up her attitude and angrily warned Paul, “I already told you not to come any closer!”

“My apologies, Carolyn. I can’t do that.”

“Do I sound like I’m asking for your opinion?”

Carolyn waved her hand, and Paul was sent flying with an invisible impact.

However, Paul didn’t give up from that. He climbed back up to his feet and continued making his way toward Carolyn without saying a word.

The same situation repeated again and again. Each time Paul approached her, Carolyn would send him flying with a wave of her hand. It didn’t take long before Paul was covered in dirt and blood, but he still refused to back down.

The first time. The second time… The tenth time…

It eventually reached a point where Roel had lost count. Paul kept falling to the ground, but he never failed to return to his feet to challenge the impossible opponent.

“Hey…”

Roel could tell that Paul’s footsteps were getting heavier as his injuries accrued, to the point where he was starting to get worried. The latter obstinately marched forward even though one of his legs was broken. Roel wanted to intervene, but Astrid stopped him.

“Ancestor Astrid? But at this rate, Paul might really…”

“This is what he owes her. We can’t intervene… and it’s also about to come to an end.” Astrid looked at Carolyn as she spoke with a sigh.

“Hm?” Roel was startled.