"...The Farares organization... is working on a project concerning the invention of a large-scale weapon of destruction..."
"When certain groups of Sorcerers become too powerful... the ordinary humans among them naturally will not give up."
...The words of 'Enklas' clearly drifted into 'Konji's' thoughts as he continued to move and survey the museum without rushing. As he walked along the path, Konji's eyes constantly fixated on the objects displayed in the glass cases, as if he were perpetually searching for some important item.
"'Serlenum'... is an ancient mineral that is rare and highly sought after by them."
"The single piece in this museum... is our target."
..All those phrases were merely old words that 'Enklas' had said to Konji via the communicator radio, before abruptly cutting the connection. They were the final words that still echoed in his memory.
The sound of staff and visitors to the museum filtered through, a display of the normal life of this city that Konji was infiltrating.
"Next, we will proceed to see 'Zone 4', the fossil bone exhibition area."
..Konji seized the opportunity to separate himself from the crowd and quietly walked into a small museum door. The door led to a dark and neglected path. As he walked in, he found the Stone Inscription Exhibition Zone. He found numerous ancient languages carved onto those stones. The characters were full of mystery, and it was a language he could not read or understand at all.
...On the other side, 'Fanet' had perfectly disguised himself as a museum staff member. He was guiding a group of students from the 'Isheevor Institute of Sorcery' through various areas. His actions were so seamless that no one suspected this infiltration.
"Wow, look! It's... a dinosaur fossil!"
An excited exclamation rang out from one of the students. "And this... is this the skeleton of a baby T-Rex?"
'Fanet' was a man obsessed with his own prowess, neglecting general knowledge and history. The specific question from one student caused his expression to change slightly. Fanet quickly adjusted his face to normal and replied with a slight fluster
"Yes... Imagine this, everyone... it's like a chicken rib... Their ribs evolved from a hand-like organ into a wing eventually."
In the group, one girl hid her blushing face in embarrassment. She tried her best to suppress the laughter caused by Fanet's charming explanation. Meanwhile, another young man's eyes lit up with excitement, as if he had just gained amazing new knowledge about evolution that can happen to everything.
...'Fanet' was once an honorable student of the Isheevor Institute of Sorcery, but his arrogance and desire to be superior to everyone became the catalyst that led to his downfall and current status. Seeing the children express delight and excitement in his explanation, and playing the role of an attentive museum staff member to the children, made Fanet feel as if he had been transported into an alternate version of himself a world different from his past conceit. He then spoke as a staff member:
"After we finish viewing this fossil zone..."
"Next, we will go look at the art!"
...On the other side, Konji walked along the museum corridor until he reached an exit that revealed a small, peaceful garden. The garden was adorned with trimmed bushes and small flowers, with a fountain standing in the center. Some people were relaxing comfortably, some were reading books borrowed from the library here. It was a peaceful scene.
"Big brother!"
A young boy ran up to Konji with pure innocence. Konji slowly and lethargically turned to look at the child, as if he was not very interested in the reactions of ordinary people. His demeanor expressed indifference to the child's enthusiastic call, and he offered a small smile as an indirect greeting to the child.
The boy opened the book he was holding for Konji to see, as if to ask about something. Konji squatted down and immediately began pointing at the letters and illustrations. He revealed his deep and extensive knowledge before the boy.
"Thank you, big brother!" the young man said politely, and immediately ran back.
..Konji waved goodbye to the little boy in response, before putting his hands into his pants pockets and continuing his exploration. He passed many exhibition zones of the museum, whether it was the library that used to be the workplace of scholars decades ago, or even the small memory journals that people left behind. It felt as if, even though the owners were gone, they still existed in this place.
Konji's journey ended at the 'Ancient Equipment Zone'. There were displays of ancient armor remnants. These armors were discovered near a river, so they were still in slightly good condition. However, Konji did not go near to examine them as he had done before. Instead, he chose only to stare at the armors from a distance.
But this time, the expression in Konji's eyes changed abnormally when he looked there. He froze, his eyes not blinking even once. It was a gaze full of significance. Before long, he quietly walked out of that zone.
. As Konji walked on, the voices of many people he had once heard suddenly and mysteriously surged into his thoughts. The voices were disturbingly loud in his head, as if they were a part of his subconscious emerging to communicate with him. The voice of 'Bakvik' faintly surfaced in his thoughts
...I'm sorry... I need time to think about my teenage life first...
Not only Bakvik's voice, but the many voices of everyone he had ever heard all rang out simultaneously. The memories, awakened like hallucinations, unsettled Konji's mind, and it felt like he was being haunted by those voices in his thoughts.
The voice of 'Edward Lusbreck' clearly rang out in those phantom sounds
It's okay... just seeing is enough...
The final powerful voice was that of 'Lord Kaman', the mysterious person Konji had confronted ...You warped ones like you... should not have existed from the very first day!
A voice equally powerful was that of 'Professor Neswon', whom Konji respected as a senior in the past
...It doesn't matter how you feel or what you think...
...because in the end, we are not normal humans like them anyway.
The final voice that appeared powerfully was the voice of his benevolent aunt from the past. These words, full of warmth, helped to stop the turmoil of all the other voices
.Good night, little one... sleep tight... Lord Kerios loves good children
That final voice caused Konji to stop moving, as if some important thought was erupting deep within his mind. Concurrently, his face remained emotionless, while his eyes stared aimlessly out the large museum window.