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Eugene and Leonid were hunched over together in the Ivory Tower, staring intently at the document before them. Outwardly, their expressions appeared calm, but their minds were racing, turning over thoughts at a rapid pace. Both knew that interpreting this document was an exceptionally important task. 

It wasn’t just any document—it was one the saintess had brought back from the future, and it was said to be connected to the prophecy of the Ivory Tower, which foretold a catastrophe that would soon befall the empire. They hadn’t been given detailed explanations, but they were certain that solving the puzzle of this document would resolve many issues.

Moreover, the heroes who had defeated the Mad Dragon were leading this mission. Just the thought of working alongside such figures on a secret assignment ignited a strong sense of duty within them. Of course, even without the weight of such duty, solving a mystery was always something that piqued their interest.

“Inherit the great will. The phrase Resia mentioned sounded similar to the ancient word for ‘blood.’ It could be interpreted as ‘inherit,'” Leonid said hesitantly, pointing to a part of the document that stubbornly resisted interpretation. “It seems like this section is explaining how one can inherit the great will.”

He sighed deeply in frustration. “Why would they write something so convoluted in code just to explain how to inherit a ‘great will’?”

Every time they unraveled one part, another question awaited them, only adding to their frustration.

It was then that Eugene, who had been silently poring over the document, finally spoke in his usual calm tone.

“Sacrifice.”

“What?”

“That word means ‘sacrifice.'”

His voice was calm but certain. Leonid followed Eugene’s gaze to the characters he was pointing at, baffled by how he had arrived at the word “sacrifice.”

“Why do you think that word means ‘sacrifice’?” Leonid asked, furrowing his brow.

Eugene pointed to several words they had already deciphered and began to explain his reasoning. “I broke down the strokes of the characters we’ve already interpreted and reassembled them. It forms the word ‘sacrifice.'”

“The strokes…,” Leonid muttered, following Eugene’s explanation. He blinked and gaped, as everything became clear when he carefully analyzed the characters. A hidden meaning emerged through a consistent pattern.

Now that they were aware of the pattern, the code didn’t seem so complex. But, of course, it was easy to think that with the answer in hand. Finding the solution without any clues had been no simple feat.

And Eugene had done it in just a few hours.

“I always knew he was smart, but…” Leonid glanced at Eugene with a face of mixed awe and exasperation. The way Eugene met his eyes with a calm expression, as if what he’d done wasn’t a big deal, was truly irritating.

Leonid lightly kicked Eugene’s leg in frustration, then focused on reading the document using the method Eugene had discovered.

“Offer a sacrifice to inherit the great will. The sacrifice for inheritance must be a being who shares blood with the guide. After purifying the blood of the sacrifice, take their life and offer the purified blood on the altar.”

As he concentrated on reading, Leonid suddenly realized the meaning behind the words and jerked his head up.

A sacrifice who shares blood with the guide. The act of purifying the sacrifice’s blood.

“This…,” Leonid swallowed hard. The conditions for the sacrifice in the document seemed to line up with what he knew of Eugene’s past.

“If the guide mentioned here is Duke Kreutz…”

Leonid couldn’t finish his sentence. The look on Eugene’s face, too calm for the gravity of the situation, made it even harder to speak.

“This is insane! A sacrifice? What kind of nonsense is that?”

Leonid finally shouted, letting out the frustration that had been building up inside. No matter how strained a father-son relationship might be, the idea of offering your child as a “sacrifice”? What kind of monumental “great will” could justify such a horrific act?

But unlike Leonid, who was visibly shaken, Eugene remained calm and collected.

“The important thing is figuring out what this ‘great will’ actually is,” Eugene said, as if the matter of his own life being involved didn’t concern him at all.

Leonid let out a small, incredulous laugh. “Your father’s planning to offer you as a sacrifice. Doesn’t that bother you?”

“Not at all.”

“What?”

“I’ve always known this is the kind of person he is. It’s not surprising that I would be needed for some purpose. If you don’t have expectations, there’s nothing to be shocked about.”

Leonid fell silent, feeling a deep sense of unease. Outwardly, Eugene seemed perfectly normal, but now it felt like something fundamental inside him was broken.

‘I don’t have the closest relationship with my father either,’ Leonid thought. But deep down, he had an unshakable trust. No matter how difficult things got, he believed his father would always protect him. That trust was the reason he could grumble about their relationship without real fear.

But Eugene—had he never once in his life had such trust or certainty? 

‘Maybe that’s why he’s so obsessed with Reshia… I think I understand now.’

Feeling a sudden wave of sympathy, Leonid reached out and tousled Eugene’s hair roughly. “You idiot!”

“What?”

Eugene ducked his head, dodging Leonid’s hand, then stood up. “Now that we know the answer, let’s go to Reshia…”

Clunk.

Eugene stopped mid-sentence, turning his head toward the sound. It was small, but unmistakable. Leonid had heard it too and was staring at the same spot.

A suspicious noise came from behind the tightly closed door. Eugene and Leonid quickly exchanged glances. Leonid, pretending he hadn’t heard the sound, raised his voice so the suspicious presence outside could clearly hear him.

“…Wait a minute. I think we should reconsider this part before going to Reshia.”

He gestured subtly to Eugene, signaling for him to play along as he stealthily moved toward the door. Eugene immediately caught on and chimed in.

“Yeah, this part does seem pretty important.”

By the time Eugene spoke, Leonid had already reached the door. He took a deep breath and, without warning, flung the door open. A shout rang out, followed by a dark figure tumbling forward.

“Ow, ow…!”

The person who had clumsily fallen was someone both of them knew well. Leonid’s jaw dropped in surprise as he called out the unexpected visitor’s name.

“…Doctor?”

It was Lukas, the youngest scholar of the Ivory Tower, who had taught them so much over the years.

“Were you eavesdropping on us?” Eugene asked coldly, his face growing stern. 

Lukas quickly scrambled to his feet, waving his hands frantically. “I-I did overhear, but it’s not what you think… I didn’t have any bad intentions!”

“Come to think of it, the person who gave me that suspicious flower before… was you, wasn’t it, Doctor?”

That flower had exploded and sent Reshia into the future, and it had come from Lukas’s lab. Suddenly, their friendly doctor seemed more like a shady character. 

Lukas jumped in fright, his face turning pale under the scrutinizing, distrustful stares of Eugene and Leonid.

“N-no! It’s not what you think! It was the saintess! She asked me to…”

“The saintess?” Leonid’s brow furrowed in confusion. Another unexpected person had been mentioned. 

Lukas, desperately seeking to clear his name, nodded vigorously, almost shouting as he pleaded for them to believe him. 

“The saintess is the one who sent me here!”