Chapter 322 - 299: An Unfamiliar Name

Chapter 322: Chapter 299: An Unfamiliar Name

"Hmm?"

Lloyd whipped his head around, looking in the direction of the voice.

Only then did he realize he was standing on the rooftop of a high tower, which allowed him to look down and take in the deathly still scene before him.

’So that long, narrow corridor I was walking through was actually leading up this tower? And I didn’t even realize it?’

’In that case, considering the tower’s location, this apocalyptic landscape I’m looking down on must be the Extraordinary System’s high-tower campus?’

’But why does it look so similar to my Thought Realm?’

In that instant, Lloyd’s mind seemed to snap back to normal from its previous state of pleasant intoxication, and a flood of questions surfaced.

But this was clearly not the time to be pondering such things.

Not far from him, an old man with white hair and a white beard had appeared at some point. He wore a pure white, though soiled, Mage’s Robe and a large, pointed, domed hat identical to Professor Lawrence’s. He had the air of a kind and respectable figure.

’Is he a professor, too?’

The thought had just crossed Lloyd’s mind when he noticed the old man’s figure suddenly blur and flicker, beginning to shift uncontrollably.

One moment, he was a colossal eyeball, shot through with blood vessels and bound by writhing bundles of nerves.

The next, he was an indescribable pile of flesh, squirming slowly.

Then, he became a cavernous maw filled with rows of fine teeth, gaping wide. Inside, human arms could be seen reaching out, struggling desperately to escape the bottomless Abyss.

The figure’s form kept switching back and forth between the respectable professor and all sorts of grotesque, bizarre images, until it suddenly vanished without a trace.

But then, the old man’s voice sounded again:

"It seems my disguise is meaningless to you. It’s probably better if I don’t show myself."

Lloyd paused for a moment, stunned, before quickly asking:

"Er... are you a professor here?"

"Yes, you can think of me as such. And you may call me Hazled."

The now-invisible old man answered.

"Alright, it’s an honor to meet you, Professor Hazled. About that Book of Truth you just mentioned... I actually..."

Lloyd had been about to offer a flimsy denial.

But a gentle chuckle drifted through the air.

"Heh heh... Child, don’t be nervous. I mean you no harm, and there’s no need for you to deny it. In fact, I should be thanking you for taking back the Book of Truth from that shameful traitor and thief, Eske Mir."

"Huh?"

Lloyd was taken aback. He never would have thought this matter was connected to that madman, the Advisor.

The old man patiently explained,

"Eske Mir is the most infamous traitor in the history of Mizkatoke. Although I sense he isn’t dead yet, without the Book of Truth, he has lost any chance of touching ’the great.’ As such, I am no longer concerned with whether he lives or dies..."

"So, to commend you for your outstanding contribution to Mizkatoke, I’ll give you ten academic credits."

’Eh? There’s such an easy way to get ahead?’

Lloyd was a little surprised, but a grim possibility immediately came to mind—

’He’s not going to ask me to hand over the Book of Truth, is he?’

’Setting aside the question of whether I’d even be willing to part with it, the thing is lodged in my brain. How am I supposed to hand it over? Am I supposed to split my head open?’

Lloyd grew tense at once. He instinctively covered his head and took several steps back, still trying to argue his case.

"That is... I..."

But the old man, as if afraid of scaring him, quickly explained,

"Heh heh... As I said, don’t be nervous. I mean you no harm, nor will I ask you to return the Book of Truth. In other words, since you are able to possess it now, it must mean that it has chosen you. Therefore, I have no reason to take it back."

"Whew... Is that so? I thought..."

Lloyd gradually relaxed. He couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of warmth and trust toward the old man. Taking advantage of the pleasant atmosphere, he decided to ask,

"By the way, Professor Hazled, what exactly is this book? I have it, but I don’t know much about it. I just have a feeling that it’s... strange..."

"Hmm? It seems you haven’t had it for very long. You haven’t had time to finish reading it, have you?"

"That’s right. Or rather, I still don’t know how to ’read’ it..."

"Heh heh, no matter. Don’t be anxious. Leave it to time and circumstance."

Professor Hazled gave a rather odd reply.

’Leave it to time and circumstance?’

’Does that mean I should get involved in all sorts of incidents?’

’Come to think of it... the reading progress for the Book of Truth does seem to increase after I experience various events and it records them as images...’

’But how is that reading a book? It’s more like writing one...’

Lloyd grumbled internally, then heard Professor Hazled continue,

"After you finish reading it completely once, remember to savor it several more times. Each time you do, it will bring you new knowledge and power."

"So that’s how it works?"

Lloyd thought he was beginning to understand.

’It seems I first have to find a way to fill up the reading progress bar, and only then can I start actually reading it. And after that, I’ll gain some benefits each time I read it?’

’I’ve had the Book of Truth for quite some time now, and I’m only just now finding the ’instruction manual’?’

Unfortunately, Professor Hazled didn’t elaborate further. Instead, he changed the subject.

"Alright, can you tell me how you managed to snatch the Book of Truth from that traitor, Eske Mir? With your current strength, I imagine facing him would have been quite a struggle, even if you have mastered the legendary Twist..."

"What? You... how do you even know about that?"

Lloyd was now even more astonished.

’My Twist system has always been well-hidden. Not even a Saint has discovered it. How did this professor see through it at a glance?’

His Rationality told him that this Professor Hazled was extremely dangerous. It would be best to stop talking to him and find a way to get away as soon as possible.

And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to feel any hostility or wariness toward the professor. He even subconsciously believed the man wouldn’t harm him and that he could continue their conversation.

’This feeling is just too strange...’

The professor on the other side seemed to sense Lloyd’s thoughts. He chuckled again and said,

"In the outside world, Twist might be a power that people fear, even classified as a Taboo System. But here in Mizkatoke, everything is free. No one will arrest you because of your system, so you can relax a little..."

"Hmm... In other words, with Hildina’s trust in you, no one would attack you for using Twist, even in the outside world, would they?"

Lloyd froze, puzzled by the unfamiliar name that had suddenly been brought up.

’There’s no one I know with that name, is there?’

"Huh? Hildina? Who’s that?"

He quickly pressed for an answer.

"Oh? It seems your relationship with her hasn’t progressed as far as I had anticipated."

The professor seemed surprised by this as well, so he took the opportunity to introduce this stranger.

"Very well... She was once an outstanding student of Mizkatoke, as outstanding as you are. But later, she chose to leave the academy to shoulder responsibilities and pains that she could have otherwise avoided..."

"What surprised me, however, was that she truly managed to bear such a heavy burden, making contributions to the continuation of humanity that make me proud."

Hearing this, Lloyd had a pretty good idea who this stranger was.

But he waited patiently for the professor to continue.

"And so, the people of the outside world began to follow her, calling her—

the Veto Saint."