Chapter 245: Kamail’s New Life

In less than a year, Sir Byron had come to a profound realization: some people truly possess a rare gift for making history and witnessing miracles. These individuals always seem to have an uncanny knack for uncovering astonishing secrets buried deep beneath the surface, and they stumble upon opportunities that can change the course of history as if by chance. It was as if simply walking down the street, they’d encounter matters of life and death for the entire world. His new lord, Gawain Cecil, appeared to be exactly such a man.

Just recently, the lord had unearthed yet another strange creature from the ruins—last time it was a giant iron sphere that could fly and talk; this time, it was an ancient flying spirit that glowed with ethereal light. Byron had no idea what other bizarre discoveries awaited if his lord kept digging through those ancient ruins. Frankly, he wouldn’t be surprised if next time Gawain showed up with a dragon at his side.

To speed up the recovery of materials from the “Rebel Fortress” deep zone, Sir Philip—freshly returned from the Kant territory—was assigned to assist Byron with cataloging and transporting ancient artifacts. Standing before the stable magical portal, Philip marveled at the ancient fortress hidden within the Shadow Realm, while Byron directed soldiers to pack up the equipment and specimens the lord had ordered retrieved.

“You ever wonder how our lord manages to run into so many strange things?” Byron muttered to his partner. “In just a few months, he’s come across more oddities than most people see in a lifetime.”

Philip, taking Byron’s tone seriously, replied solemnly, “It’s not proper for knights to casually judge their lord. Besides, witnessing these miracles is a great honor.”

“I’m not so interested in miracles,” Byron snorted. “The more you see, the faster you tend to die.” He turned back to oversee the packing, making sure everything was sent through the portal as quickly as possible.

This ancient fortress was a vast treasure trove. Unlike the emptied-out dungeon in the current world, everything here was remarkably well preserved. Many magical devices were still functional—though without the fortress’s unique power supply, most would lose their effectiveness, much like the artifacts from Gondor after the magical cataclysm. Still, these intact relics were invaluable for research.

Beyond the devices, the remnants and samples stored in various labs held immeasurable value. Gawain had ordered Byron to transport everything movable out of the ruins as swiftly as possible.

The recovered relics wouldn’t be sent to the city. Instead, Gawain had designated a section of the fortress’s mid-level as a research and storage area for ancient artifacts. Given the limited number of researchers in the territory, these items would likely remain stacked in storage for the time being.

The protective barrier around the deep zone had been reactivated. The corpse of the giant stag Amorn was sealed outside the facility, and no other divine samples were stored inside. The fragments left by the “Godslayers” posed no threat to ordinary people, so the soldiers could safely handle the recovery work.

Philip was a man of few words, so Byron took the initiative to start a conversation. “You’ve been busy between Kant and Cecil territories these past two months. How’s it looking over there?”

Philip considered for a moment, then answered earnestly, “Padric is diligent and loyal. Thanks to his efforts, order has been fully restored in Kant, and development is progressing well.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

Philip glanced at Byron. “Kant will inevitably become part of the Cecil family’s holdings. The signs are already clear. Almost all the common folk now see the Cecils as their rightful protectors and rulers. Merchants have been bought off or consolidated by Padric, and the craftsmen’s guild has accepted the lord’s patronage to build roads connecting Kant to Cecil territory—just as the lord predicted.”

Byron smiled wryly. “No smoke, no fire, huh?”

At the same time, in the lord’s manor of Cecil territory, Gawain met with Kamail, who had just finished resting and looked refreshed.

Since leaving the sealed, millennia-old extradimensional fortress, Kamail seemed much more spirited. Though he could no longer breathe air or feel the breeze on his skin, simply seeing sunlight again was enough to lift his spirits.

Of course, since Gawain couldn’t see Kamail’s face, he gauged his mood by the brightness of the ancient mage’s aura.

Besides Gawain and Kamail, Rebecca and Hetty were also in the room. Rebecca was curiously circling Kamail, eyes wide as she examined the runic armor plates on his body. Hetty, holding her staff with a stern expression, looked ready to bonk Rebecca on the head if the girl didn’t stop her impolite behavior.

“How does it feel to see the light of day again?” Gawain smiled and nodded at Kamail, then glanced at his great-great-great-granddaughter. “Rebecca, could you stop pacing around, please?”

“Please forgive her rudeness,” Hetty said helplessly. “Her curiosity is a bit… excessive.”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind,” Kamail replied amiably, gently swaying as arcane energy shimmered across his runic armor. “This world… has changed a great deal, but nothing is more delightful than seeing sunlight again. I see a land full of life, where people live with optimism and purpose. That means there must be a capable lord here.”

“Of course! Our ancestor was amazing,” Rebecca said proudly, beaming at the praise of her forebear. “But if you go elsewhere, you might be disappointed. This era isn’t as good as a thousand years ago.”

“I’ve heard about the technological breaks and decline, but there’s still much to learn,” Kamail answered. “I understand this is a frontier land with plenty of work to be done. I hope to be useful soon.”

“No rush,” Gawain said with a smile. “First, you need to understand this era—its productivity, social structure, and especially how magic has changed since the magical cataclysm. I don’t know if you’re an expert in magical devices, but I should warn you: the magic technology of the ancient Gondor Empire has basically collapsed beyond repair. Your first step before diving into work should be to study.”

Kamail was silent for a moment, then a vibrating voice emerged from within him. “I… anticipated this. I can sense the magical environment around me is different from a thousand years ago. Many of the spells I once mastered now require adjustment to cast properly. But I believe I can adapt quickly.”

He paused, a hint of a smile in his tone. “More surprising than the changes in this era is the fact that my new lord—the one I swore loyalty to—is also a returned ancient. That’s truly astonishing.”

Back in the Shadow Realm, Kamail had no idea of Gawain’s origins, assuming him to be an ordinary human lord. It wasn’t until he saw the manor and heard from the ever-familiar Rebecca about the “ancestor rising from the coffin” that he learned the incredible truth. As someone who already challenged conventional beliefs as a “Reforger,” Kamail accepted Gawain’s resurrection quite readily.

He couldn’t help but marvel at fate’s strange twists—resurrection seemed to come in waves.

Gawain thought to himself that his own story was even more unbelievable—he hadn’t just climbed out of a coffin, but had hung in the heavens for over a million years. There was no end to these mind-bending secrets, so he laughed and changed the subject. “Haha, sometimes the world needs a miracle. I’ve arranged a place for you to stay—why not live here in the manor for now? There are plenty of empty rooms.”

“If it’s not too much trouble,” Kamail replied politely, “though if possible, I’d like to build a research and living tower for mages someday—of course, I’ll find a way myself. Being in a familiar environment helps me adapt.”

“Hetty’s been wanting her own mage tower too,” Gawain chuckled, glancing at the slightly embarrassed Hetty. “There will be a chance. More and more mages will appear in the territory, and one day I’ll designate a special district just for them.”

After discussing some practical matters and learning about Kamail’s unique survival needs, Gawain offered a suggestion: “To help you adjust to this unfamiliar world, I recommend you meet Nicholas ‘Egghead’ at the Mechanical Workshop. Like you, he has a life form that’s hard for ordinary humans to comprehend, and he’s fully adapted to life in this era. He also has some connection to the Rebel Fortress from a thousand years ago—I think you two will have plenty to talk about.”

“Connected to the Rebel Fortress?” Kamail’s interest was piqued by the oddly named future colleague. “Alright, I’ll seek him out.”

After Kamail left, only Gawain and his two great-great-great-granddaughters remained in the room.

“Rebecca, you were really rude just now,” Hetty said with a sigh, looking at the still-innocent-faced girl who seemed eager to continue examining Kamail. “No matter how curious you are, you shouldn’t offend a guest—especially one who’s a thousand-year-old ancient mage. As a mage yourself, you should show him respect.”

“I was just curious about the runes on his armor,” Rebecca pouted, feeling a bit wronged. “Lately, Jenny and I have been studying optimization algorithms for traditional magic arrays, so when I see runes, I can’t help but want to analyze them…”

“The Gondor Empire had profound research in runes and magic arrays,” Gawain said, looking at Rebecca. “Though many ancient arrays lost their function after the Deep Blue Mana Well collapsed, their understanding of runes still far surpasses modern knowledge. Kamail’s expertise, combined with your logical and mathematical research, will surely push rune studies forward by leaps and bounds.”

(End of chapter)