There are still a lot of mysteries in this world.
One of them is the subject of the soul.
Where does it come from? The soul of the world? Where did that come from?
Magic. Mana. Energy.
What birthed all of this? How did they come about?
Many accept the easy answer and dub the origin as GOD, but the true searchers of truth know there's something more.
And so, we search for answers... till we reach the end of our life.
I was one of such people.
I sought the truth, even until my body ran out of strength.
Unfortunately, human life is finite... and I passed away before I could arrive at the very summit of Magic—the truth of everything!
****************
I reincarnated over five hundred years into the future.
Initially, I questioned it, but gave up very soon.
No matter how hard I tried, I simply lacked information to decipher the truth. If I forced an answer, it would be flawed.
So, I put off the issue until later.
But, now... I was confronted with my original identity—as a Reincarnator!
—As an anomaly!
"That seemed to resonate with you. Hehe, looks like you really are aware of your identity a bit." Legris chuckled.
I was a bit shocked, but also conflicted.
The fact that Legris mentioned this... did that mean he was aware that I reincarnated? No, maybe the upper echelon in his organization knew?
Maybe... just maybe...
'But it doesn't make sense!'
If they did, their actions would have been completely different.
They wouldn't have been so surprised about some of my actions.
That maid wouldn't have underestimated me. My exceptional abilities wouldn't have caught them off guard... at least not to that extent.
There had to be a more rational conclusion.
'Maybe they don't know I reincarnated, but... they have a vague idea that I am an aberration in this world...'
Yeah, that made more sense!
"I see... so that's it, uh? You idiots..." I smiled and laughed a bit.
"Hm?"
Legris Damien seemed a bit surprised by my reaction to his shocking words, but I didn't care much any longer.
"... You guys made many errors. Is your leader incompetent? Are you one of the smarter ones in your group?"
"Oh? You're quite good! Well, I don't mean to brag, but... yeah! I'm one of the smarter ones. Too bad it takes more than intelligence to rank higher."
Legris was sounding like a doofus right now, but he couldn't fool me.
His words were probably the truth, but he wasn't revealing these things because he was stupid. It was most likely because he didn't really have any loyalty or strict attachment to the group.
If that was the case, then perhaps I could glean more information from him. But, first...
"You wanted to know how I knew your identity, right?"
... I needed to give him what he wanted.
It wasn't my intention to drag things out, but I was closer to the truth than ever before. There was no way I would let this chance go by.
And so, I told my enemy more about my capabilities.
I told him my rationale, the means of elimination... and how I arrived at the conclusion.
I couldn't take action because of his high standing. I also didn't want to reveal my knowledge of his Identity, so I acted in the most natural way.
It was too bad that being too cautious cost me so much.
It was too late for regrets, though. I simply needed to focus on the task before me. It was the only way to atone.
"Wow. Simply amazing! You're really amazing, Jared Leonard. The more I know about you, the more interested I get. Truly!"
I could tell that he truly meant that.
"I initially didn't care if you lived or died before, but now... for the first time, I'm conflicted."
He seemed to be enjoying himself as he spoke.
"If you live, you'll end up being a major threat—not just to them, but me as well..."
That confirmed it! This guy had his own agenda as well. The group he was currently in was simply a means to achieve that aim.
'He probably settled for being a lower member since that was adequate for his goals...'
I grew even warier of the man the more I conversed with him.
"... But, if you live, that also means you could be a wild card. It'll be fun seeing how things develop from this point on. Ahh, it's too hard to choose!"
"It doesn't matter what you think. I'll be killing you now. That's all that matters..."
I remembered saying the exact words to Kahn, but it ended up a bust.
This time, I certainly hoped things didn't take such an embarrassing turn.
In any case, I gave Legris the information he required, and he was also more interested in me. The fact that he wasn't preparing for combat meant he wanted to talk some more.
That worked in my favor.
There was one final thing I wanted to know. Whether he told me or not didn't really matter to me since I had already made up my mind...
"What's the goal of your organization?"
... To destroy this guy and the people he was working for!
"Ahh... that..."
'What is the problem? Does he not know of it?'
He did say he was a lower seat, but an organization this advanced should have at least let the leaders know their objectives; upper seat and lower seat combined.
"... It's a simple goal..."
So he did know it! Why was he hesitating, then?
From his expression, he seemed more flustered and embarrassed than secretive. Was it something too absurd to say?
"Hey, Jared... have you ever heard of the Arcanas?"
'WHAT?!'
My body instantly moved in reflex and I created some distance between myself and the enemy—taking a battle stance.
"Whoah! Easy... easy!!!" Legris said, trying to calm me down.
I was also a bit taken aback by my reflex action, but it wasn't surprising. After all... The Arcanas were something my old friends and I... also searched for!
"Judging from your reaction, it's clear that you are in the know. You're not ignorant like most people. While it's curious as to how you know so much, I suppose It's only fair if the 'singularity' knows of this as well..."
Most people who heard of the Arcanas all thought the same thing—a fairy tale.
Just as how the myths of gods and alternate realities were so abstract and seemed like fiction, so was the concept of the Arcanas.
Children and adults alike regarded them as unreal—works of art and history.
However... they were real...
"It seems you know just how vital they are."
... And they were powerful!
