Glimpse of Eternity [A Reincarnation Isekai Fantasy]

Reivan fingers fidgeted and he was very close to summoning the small spherical bell that the Sword Star gave him.

But the courageous willpower within him urged him to collect as much information as he could before retreating. He didn’t know if what he felt was true bravery or just foolhardiness, but failure could be salvaged if one could learn from it. And he wasn't about to let this chance go.

If he retreated here instantly, however, he would learn very little.

‘First thing’s first, I gotta know what his special ability does.’

Aguru, the big monkey who had shown up out of nowhere, had a few abilities Reivan didn’t know about. So he wasted no time in examining it with [Supreme Insight].

 

 

‘Ah, I found it. The reason why this guy has such stats…’

At two thousand years old, Aguru had no doubt accumulated quite a lot of knowledge just by staying alive and observing people in secret. Even if he was dumbed down because of his own ability and the fact he was a literal monkey, two thousand years was a lot of time to stop being an idiot.

Something Aguru said earlier also stuck in Reivan’s mind because it implied that Aguru had actually made contact with other "interesting humans" before.

The mysterious pearls aside, [Crown of Wisdom] seemed like a strange power with quite a few drawbacks. The benefits were clear though — one just had to keep accumulating knowledge to become stronger, never needing to put oneself in any kind of danger.

‘Transcendence might be close for this guy. Then he’ll really pop off.’’

Reivan gulped at the notion that another Transcendent could potentially show up in the republic. His father and brother were both wary of such a thing happening.

From the look of things, their suspicion was warranted.

‘Anyway, I’ll think about that later… I gotta look at the other stuff so I’m aware of what I’m working with.’

He already knew what most of Aguru’s extra skills did except for one, so his next point of interest was already decided.

 

 

Reivan read it again and gawked.

[Perfect Memory] mitigated [Crown of Wisdom]’s most annoying drawback — randomly forgetting things one ought to remember when they needed it most.

‘Wait, does this nullify the other’s effect or does this ability's effect become useless in the face of a special ability…?’

Honestly, Reivan thought it could go either way. It was similar to the Unstoppable Force vs Immovable Object conundrum, but Reivan felt like [Perfect Memory] worked in Aguru's favor.

It was just a feeling though.

All of Reivan’s thoughts were just that though — thoughts. He had no way to confirm them by himself. And he couldn't very well ask Aguru, since Reivan would then be asked the question of how he knew about the information in the first place.

Thinking about the synergy between the monkey's skills was completely pointless.

He just couldn’t help doing so because he was curious as fuck. How could he not? Faced with an existence with such an imbalanced status page, how could he not wonder how such a creature came to be? But none of that really mattered in the face of the overwhelming gap between Reivan and Aguru.

If the simian Ascendent wanted him dead, Reivan would have no other choice than to retreat.

'Ideally, I somehow find a way to establish peaceful coexistence.'

By the time he was done rearranging his thoughts, Aguru had already taken the chance to sit on the fallen tree Reivan used as a chair earlier. “I truly mean you no harm, human. I understand that you are only afraid because I am an unknown, so let me introduce myself. My name is Aguru and I have chosen this spring as my temporary residence for the next few years. You just so happened to chance upon it while I was away.”

“I… I see.” Reivan nodded slowly, cursing his luck. He’d wanted to avoid whatever produced the giant turd he’d seen earlier, but then he ended up wandering into this incredible individual’s dwelling. “My apologies for the disturbance.”

“Not at all. I don’t build walls or a roof precisely because I don’t mind others coming. It’s fun to see what kind of creatures I’ll see.”

“Is... Is that so?”

“Yes. And just like now, I surprisingly met an interesting human fighting for his life near my home on my way back from a little trip. I'm not mad, of course. Rather, that was quite a good show of skill. I hope you don't mind that I used your struggle as entertainment.”

“Not at all. In fact, I thank you for your tolerance. But you see, I’ve had something on my mind since earlier… What will happen to me now?”

“What will happen to you, you ask…?”

"Yes. Uh, am I not going to be eaten?"

"Heavens, no. I don't like eating creatures I can converse with. It's... revolting for me."

Reivan found himself sighing in relief, wiping his sweaty palms inside his pockets. "Then, what?"

Aguru scratched his head and seemed to ponder the question. “For starters, I would like to know your name first. Humans tend to have one, I’ve observed. And all the ones I’ve talked to had one — which was actually why I thought of one for myself.”

“Ah, right.” Reivan cleared his throat and bowed, realizing that he had, in fact, failed to answer the creature’s earlier question. “My name is Clover Salwyn.”

He was just about to include his affiliation as a trainee battlemage, but Reivan didn’t know what kind of relationship Aguru had with the Tower. For all he knew, they were mortal enemies and would cause Aguru to immediately turn hostile.

Of course, there was also the possibility that they had good relations, and would cause Aguru to help him out or just let him go peacefully. But Reivan chose to err on the side of caution.

Sometimes, staying quiet was the safest option.

“Clover... Clllllloverrrrr. Clovvvveeeeer Sallllwyn.” Aguru seemed to take a few moments to quietly practice saying the name before turning back to Reivan. “Clover Salwyn. Did I say it right?”

“Yes, you did.”

“Interesting, interesting. Anyway, to answer your previous question, Young Clover Salwyn, I don’t intend to do anything to you — except to talk. That is what intelligent beings like you and I do, is it not? Talking, that is.”

“...Really? I’m going to be okay?”

“Of course, of course. I do not like violence, Young Clover Salwyn. I am a… uh. Tsk, what’s the word…”

Reivan licked his lips and hesitantly spoke. “A pacifist?”

“Yes. That. I think? I didn’t know there was a word for it though... or did I? Did I just forget again? Goodness...” Aguru thought for a bit before he clapped two of his hands together while the other two remained clasped behind him, a big toothy smile on his face. “To reiterate, I am a pacifist. I dislike conflict. I like peace and harmony.”

“I see…”

‘He’s not lying… so I guess I’m clear.’

Once the risk lowered drastically, Reivan started thinking of his current situation as an opportunity rather than an unfortunate event.

More composed about his situation, he noticed that the smiling Aguru actually had flat teeth that didn't have a trace of sharpness to them — which was a good sign, since monsters were generally carnivorous and hence had fangs or serrated teeth. This meant that Aguru likely wasn’t a monster, but what Aizen commonly referred to as a mystic beast.

Hence, peaceful coexistence was possible.

There were exceptions to everything, of course. Like Huskies, which were relatively agreeable creatures that were carnivorous. But from Aizen’s vast experiences in dealing with wild creatures, a good way to tell a monster’s nature was by examining their teeth, nails, and other body parts.

Exceptions were not the norm, after all.

“That’s very good for me, then.” Reivan sighed as he remained standing, finding it too awkward to sit on the same fallen tree. “Because I don’t wish to fight you, Mr. Aguru. I do not wish to fight you at all.”

“That makes two of us then. Splendid.” Aguru then snapped his fingers and vines literally sprouted up from the ground next to Reivan and formed something that closely resembled a chair. “Now, we’ve established that we aren’t enemies. Please take a seat, young human. I’m sure you’re tired from all that fighting.”

“Ah, yes…” Reivan gingerly nodded, throwing a quick glance at the chair. After confirming that it was, in fact, just normal vines shaped into a chair, he sat down and faced the simian man. “Well, we ended up meeting strangely, but it’s nice to meet you, Mr. Aguru.”

“Yes, yes. To you as well.” Aguru bobbed his head up and down twice, a hand rubbing his chin. “Sadly, your reaction to me wasn't rare. Most humans get scared rather easily once they see me.”

‘I wonder why.’

Reivan naturally didn’t utter his sarcastic comment out loud, seeking to change the subject. “Excuse me, but that thing you did earlier…”

Aguru tilted his head. “Which one? I'm sorry, I'm prone to bouts of forgetfulness, you see.”

“It sounded like your voice was coming in a different direction after every word. May I ask how you did that?”

“Oh? You're curious about that, are you?” Aguru nodded in understanding before chuckling. “I don’t mind telling you. Knowledge is meant to be shared. An inquisitive mind is a wonderful thing.”

“That’s an admirable way of thinking, Mr. Aguru.”

‘It’s also very convenient for me, so I like it a lot.’

“As for how I did it...” Aguru chewed on his lip, apparently in deep thought. “Well, it’s a bit hard to explain to a sorcerer. I believe you call it elementalism. I’m not actually sure though. It’s just something I’ve been able to do since before I became… well, me. Quite some time ago, believe it or not, I wasn't all that different from the little ones you just slew.”

Reivan’s eyes widened for a moment, but refocused on what really mattered. “I see. So it wasn’t sorcery or some way to turn invisible?”

“Indeed. I was never invisible and had no wand either. You just weren’t looking at me since I was hiding behind a tree far from here.”

“So that’s how it is.” Reivan sighed, relieved that it wasn’t some kind of method to hide from his eyes.

“Yes. You see, some time ago, while I was deep in thought, I noticed that sound and whatnot actually had a lot to do with air.”

“Oh?”

“Strange, isn’t it? Back then, some passing birds decided to expel their feces precariously close to where I was. The smell was absolutely horrid, I tell you. But I did not have the heart to deprive the nearby worms and plants of food by cleaning it up. I also didn’t want to move since I was on the verge of solving a problem in my head that I was struggling to remember. So I simply created a bubble of air that wouldn’t let outside air inside — and wouldn’t you know it, somehow, I could no longer hear the birds chirping or the wolves howling! It was baffling and fascinating at the same time.”

“I-I see…”

“That discovery completely blew away all my other thoughts and I focused on studying the mysteries of sound for years, eventually developing the nifty little trick I just showed you. It’s very useful for confusing anyone chasing after me, though, years wasted because of delays caused by my forgetfulness were very inconvenient.”

‘This is one talkative monkey…’

Reivan didn’t actually hate that though. How could he hate free information? “That’s intriguing, Mr. Aguru. I can’t even begin to fathom replicating that with sorcery.”

“It's funny that you mention that, because a sorcerer I met a long time ago managed to invent a spell that did something similar by using… Ah, I suppose it’s faster to just do it like this.” Suddenly, Aguru reached up and plucked the pink pearl embedded on his forehead, leaving a fleshy half-sphere-shaped depression behind.

“Here you go, Young Clover Salwyn. I shall lend this to you.”

Then he held out the pearl toward Reivan as if it was natural.

“Ah, thank you…”

The movement was done so casually and in such a natural way that Reivan didn't realize what Aguru had done until a few moments later.

Reivan somehow got carried along by Aguru's pace and took the pearl without much thinking, rolling it around in his hand. Its characteristic smoothness felt just like any other pearl, though quite a bit bigger than the ones he was used to seeing. He stared at it for a moment before asking. “Uhm, why did you give this to me? What am I supposed to do with this?”

Of course, he was just asking that question for the sake of it. He had every intention to check what [Supreme Insight] had to say.

 

 

‘Storing knowledge makes the depositor forget, huh? Yet another drawback that [Perfect Memory] will nullify.’

Reivan tried very hard not to show any emotions on his face as he marveled at how useful the pearl could be to a large group — especially a nation.

It essentially removed the need for studying, saving thousands of hours stuck to a book.

And that was for just one person. The fact that a single pearl could save millions of people more than a thousand hours each was ridiculous.

He didn’t know how well the knowledge would be integrated into one’s mind nor did he know if there were any drawbacks. But even if used to transfer information little by little, its utility was priceless.

‘I could just run away with this right now…’

Aguru said that he was lending it to Reivan, but if Reivan rang the Sword Star’s bell right this instant, there was nothing Aguru could do. Reivan would ruin years' worth of planning, but at least he wouldn’t be going home with nothing.

With a priceless treasure in hand that could accelerate the production of knights, Reivan didn’t feel like he was failing at all.

“You don’t have to do anything.” Aguru chuckled and shook his head. “Just hold it. It should light up and then you’ll understand what happened.”

Reivan tried his best to seem anxious since he wasn’t supposed to know, but internally, he was looking forward to it.

Before a minute passed, the pearl glowed dimly with pink light before returning to its previous state.

“Huh.” Reivan dumbly grunted when it was done.

There were no obvious physical changes, no headache, no mysterious intangible something flowing into his head as he expected.

Suddenly, he just knew a spell that could manipulate the perceived origin of the caster’s voice — including the arcane knowledge required to bring the spell to life.

It was strange because he felt as if he knew it all along. As if the information was already inside his head before coming to this place and he just forgot it for some reason.

‘Freaky. Absolutely fucking freaky as hell.’

One thing he noticed though, was how he had an incredibly detailed theory of how the spell works. He had insights that only someone extremely well-versed in casting that spell could have too. But he didn’t have the innate confidence that only experience could foster.

That was when the realization of why struck him.

‘Wisdom is different from knowledge.’

Going back to [Crown of Wisdom]’s description, one could even see that it made a point to separate the two.

Crown of Wisdom and Pearl of Wisdom… both used the word wisdom. Yet, the word that showed up in their descriptions the most was knowledge.

The crown’s wielder forgot knowledge, knowledge was infused into the pearl, and the pearl only transferred knowledge to the holder.

‘What was that saying again…? Knowledge can be shared and copied, but wisdom is something unique to each person.’

Knowledge was an accumulation of information obtained through studies or education.

But Wisdom went beyond that, requiring insight and discernment. It was an understanding of how that knowledge was applied and what deeper implications it held.

It was something one usually acquired over time, through experience.

So even though Reivan knew how to cast the spell, he realized that the gap between his results and someone more practiced would be leagues apart.

‘That’s a bummer, but it doesn’t really make this pearl any less valuable.’

Just from what it had done, stealing it was more than worth the price of abandoning his plans in Arkhan.

‘Let’s… Let’s calm down though.’

Who said he had to abandon anything at all? Reivan could just negotiate with the wise monkey. Surely, he — the prince of Aizen — could provide something enticing enough to exchange for it. And if he didn’t have what the monkey wanted at that moment, then all he really had to do was order a bunch of people to acquire whatever it was.

“It worked, yes?” Aguru asked with a slightly hunched back because of their height discrepancy. His simian face of rough black skin was quite close, allowing Reivan to see it in all its wrinkly glory.

“Yes… I think I can cast the spell.”

“You think? Young Clover Salwyn, why don’t you go ahead and try it? There’s no harm in doing so. And you have a very willing participant right here. If you'll have me, of course.”

Reivan nodded and slowly drew his wand so as not to accidentally threaten the powerful entity right in front of him. But then again, Reivan could do nothing to harm Aguru, and Aguru likely knew that too, so it didn’t matter.

‘This spell is unnecessarily complicated for what it does.’

Sound Redirection was what was commonly referred to as an intermediate spell because it only had eleven pulses. Though with between seventy and a hundred runes in each pulse, the spell would have been considered among the more difficult intermediate spells. It was incredibly unrefined and lacked the optimization that more modern spells usually had.

Because of that, Reivan pretended to fail a couple of times before finally getting it right.

“Is it working? Testing, testing...” Reivan said, raising a brow at the strange sensation of hearing his own voice coming from far away. He was familiar with it since there was a time when Kyouka recorded his rendition of a certain anime song, but he still found the experience strange.

'Ugh. My voice sounds like shit. How the hell can anyone take me seriously when I sound like that? Fuck.'

“Impressive. You are quite skilled to do it just after a few tries, Young Clover Salwyn.” Aguru bobbed his large head in approval before extending his equally large hand.

Reivan of course knew what Aguru wanted, and was hesitant to give the pearl back, but he still did so anyway. “This pearl is amazing, Mr. Aguru.”

“You think so? They just grow on my head from time to time. It's refreshing to pluck them out when they’re ready since this little hole gets itchy when I leave the pearl there for too long.”

“Oh…? Does that mean there are more?”

“That is the case, yes. I still have around, uhhh, seven...? Ah, eight, now that I’ve taken this one out. There was more, but I gave them away to some people who helped me out in the past.”

Reivan tried hard not to smile as he listened, contemplating what to say next. “Even someone as powerful as you need help sometimes, Mr. Aguru?”

Aguru chuckled. “Of course. I was not always strong. And shamed as I am to admit it, I wasn’t very… intelligent in the past. I would not have lasted as long as I have without the help of some very kind humans.”

“I see...”

“Even now, I still have a lot I don’t know. So I suppose one can still consider me a fool, going through life in the hopes of curing my ignorance, if only slightly.”

“That is an admirable way to live, Mr. Aguru. I've heard that the first step to being a learned individual is to admit to one's ignorance.”

“I’m glad you think so.” Aguru chuckled, slapping his knee. Then he smirked and leaned forward a little. With his height though, he ended up looming over Reivan. “Now, seeing as you’ve experienced the pearl's effect, might I interest you in a deal?”

Reivan’s brows shot up, surprised that the simian man brought up something he was having trouble bringing up. “Can I even offer anything of value?”

“Of course!” Aguru exclaimed. “I shall give you knowledge. And in return, you will give knowledge back. In other words, it's an exchange. Simple, is it not?”

“Knowledge for knowledge, huh…”

“Indeed. I have quite a repertoire of spells, you know? I’m sure it will be very useful for a budding sorcerer such as yourself. All you need to do is tell me what you know...”

‘I couldn’t care less about the spells, to be honest.’

His knowing a whole bunch of spells wouldn’t matter so much. What would be really useful was if he obtained a pearl with all that knowledge inside. That way, they could train up a legion of sorcerers.

A Mage Knight division, perhaps — composed of squires who fail to become true knights.

They could also just take a portion of the peacekeepers in the Order of Peace instead.

‘I really want one of those pearls… maybe three. Maybe more.’

Reivan mused quietly before looking up at the Ascendant. “I’m ashamed to say this, but I do not believe I’m particularly wealthy in that area either. I’ve only lived for around twenty years and have spent most of it studying sorcery.”

“Is that so?” Aguru's face froze before he frowned, seemingly troubled by his words. “That’s strange… I thought for sure you had quite a bit. I’ve never been wrong in this.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Hm? It’s a feeling I get from time to time… about once every few hundred winters or so.”

‘That’s a long fucking time… the chances must be ridiculously low. Or maybe he just doesn't meet a lot of humans who know things he doesn't. Probably both.‘

Reivan knew that the feeling Aguru had was just [Crown of Wisdom]’s sub-skill at work. And it was right to label him as someone who possessed a vast amount of knowledge Aguru didn’t have.

After all, Reivan was from another world.

He didn’t have Wikipedia downloaded into his brain, but he still knew quite a lot. Heck, if [Crown of Wisdom] considered web novels, anime, manga, and light novels as “knowledge”, then Reivan was an unrivaled font of wisdom.

And then there was the fact that he grew up in Aizen too.

It was just an assumption, but Aguru probably hadn’t been there yet. So even the mundane little facts Reivan knew about his beloved nation would be unknown to Aguru.

‘I don’t feel comfortable telling him all that right now though.’

If Aguru suddenly became a Transcendent because Reivan gave him a bunch of knowledge, it could mess up everything.

‘I think I’ll have to consult Valter about this. And then I’ll have to consult my family too.’

The possibility of his actions giving birth to a new Transcendent was just too big for him to deal with on his own. It wouldn't hurt to ask a room full of smart people how to move forward before actually taking the next step in this particular side quest.

“Let’s say that I do have a lot to offer.” Reivan cleared his throat and looked up into the simian sage’s eyes. “What else can I get in return? I’m honestly not that interested in the spells since I can just learn them when I enter the tower…”

“You’re a battlemage?”

“Ah.” Reivan realized his verbal slip. But Aguru didn’t seem to have any particular beef with the Spirit Tower judging from his calm expression, so Reivan just nodded.

“I see. Interesting. I suppose your skills make sense then.” As expected, Aguru didn’t seem to mind Reivan being a battlemage, more concerned about convincing Reivan than anything else.

Reivan checked and Aguru’s favor hardly showed any changes either. “I was headed there to train to be one, actually.”

Aguru rubbed his chin and bobbed his head. “So that’s why there are battlemages tracking you down right now.”

“... Excuse me?”

“They were following your trail by using consecutive scrying spells. But they stumbled into a powerful monster’s territory and are currently in the middle of being completely obliterated.”

“That’s… not good.”

“For them, yes. Nobody's dead yet though, don't worry. I was wondering what battlemages were doing all the way here when I've been very careful not to leave behind tracks. Now the mystery has been solved.”

Reivan licked his lips and mused about what he would do with that information before gingerly asking the large monkey. “You don’t intend to help them?”

Aguru solemnly shook his head. “Nature must be allowed to take its course. Just as humanity used their inherent advantages to erect their cities and towers, murdering and subjugating everything else in their paths… this is also nature taking its course. A powerful beast catching an unprepared squad of battlemages off guard and having them for dinner — and subsequently, getting hunted down by a prepared squad of battlemages a week or two later. Everything is as it should be.”

“I see…”

"Of course, there is also the chance that the battlemages triumph. Or at least get away. It's not all bad."

"Let's hope so."

“Hm. Now, you may think this is cold of me, but this is what it takes to live in peace. Not getting involved in anything that doesn’t concern me directly has worked out very well so far. I would’ve died early otherwise. Just like the little ones you slew earlier.”

Reivan nodded, understanding the merits of such a lifestyle. Personally, though, he wouldn’t be able to live that way for too long since the loneliness would be unbearable.

“But I digress.” Aguru clapped his hands, producing a crisp loud noise, like the crack of a whip. “What kind of knowledge would you want in exchange for what you know? You may find it hard to believe, but I’ve lived for a long time. I do not know many things in this world, but I know quite a lot as well.”

"Hmm... Then do you know of a medicine or herb that can restore magic power? Or essence?"

"I have never heard of such a thing... I know of a few that can heal wounds. Interested?"

"No, thank you. Then do you know the secret of Transcendence? Or a way to kill one safely without risking oneself?"

"... No, I do not. Your inquiries are on a rather grand and fantastical scale, Young Clover Salwyn."

"Are they?" Reivan laughed. "Those are the questions I want answered most though. Then... what about a way to extend a mortal's life? Or even make them immortal. Other than unlocking their qi or having them ascend, of course."

"Sadly, I do not believe there is a way... aside from receiving the aid of an incredibly powerful spirit beast."

Reivan hadn't been expecting an answer, so he was speechless for a moment before leaning forward and urging Aguru to continue. "There's a way?"

"Yes. Being a battlemage, you probably already knew this though. And even if you didn't, you would've realized this anyway."

"What do you mean?"

Aguru rubbed his chin for a moment before kindly embarking on an explanation. "You are aware that a spirit beast can share their qi with their human partner, yes?"

"I am."

"Well, an Ascendent-level spirit beast can share their immortality with their human partner as well, in exchange for being locked out of the material world they so desire to be in. I don't believe this is a secret though. Did you really not know?"

Reivan sat there with a slack jaw for a few moments before suddenly bolting up and slapping his forehead.

'I'm so stupid. How could I not have realized?'

Hell, Valter was a living breathing example of someone whose life was extended because of a powerful spirit beast.

Many people didn't know, but Valter didn't Ascend within the normal lifespan of a mortal who had unlocked their qi — which was 200 years.

No, Freed had Ascended first. Then Freed practically lived inside Valter for decades, unable to come out just to continuously extend Valter's lifespan. Of course, this wasn't an arrangement that lasted for too long because Valter eventually Ascended on his own.

In fact, the vast majority of Arkhan's Ascendants likely weren't Ascendents themselves — just a bunch of people contracted to Ascendant-level spirit beasts.

'I should have realized this sooner.'

Thinking about it though, perhaps it was a given that he failed to consider that approach despite being aware of its possibility. After all, for all the kingdom's innate advantages, they were not abundant in spirit beasts just waiting for someone to form a contract with someone.

Arkhan's Spirit Tower aside, the only other way to form a contract with a spirit beast was to coincidentally be seen by one who liked you. It sounded easy, but if they saw you while while not find you likable, or if they would have liked you but never saw you, then it wouldn't matter — nothing would happen.

Valter's case, where he was just living his life when a spirit beast found him and liked him, was a fantastical story that happened to less than one in a billion people.

'This is the way.'

Reivan gulped down a mouthful of saliva as his heartbeat quickened at the notion of finding a means to help Elsamina extend her life.

He would just have to help her contract with an Ascendent-level spirit beast.

That would, of course, not be easy. But it was possible, at least. It was much more plausible than getting Elsamina to Ascend on her own, that was for sure.

Reivan loved her, she was hardworking, and had a host of other skills to her name — but Reivan couldn't help but marvel at just how untalented she was when it came to the supernatural.

She wouldn't sense magic power even if he shoved it in her face. If someone cast some kind of heinous spell at her, she wouldn't feel it until her face completely melted off either. It was a good thing she faithfully wore all sorts of protective artifacts he gave her, thinking they were ordinary gifts.

In any case, Elsamina had absolutely no chance of becoming immortal through normal ways.

'And just like that, I suddenly can't abandon the plan. Ever.'

The Spirit Tower Infiltration Plan or whatever it was called stopped being something he was doing as the prince of Aizen at that moment. Now, it was a personal issue and a national endeavor, exponentially increasing its importance to Reivan.

'I can't fail. At all.'

There was no longer a path of retreat.

Reivan suddenly regretted how many risky maneuvers he'd made in the span of a single day. If he'd realized the importance of the plan sooner, he would have just robbed someone back in the city and taken a long detour around the affected area by way of trains. While not the most honorable display to show to anyone observing him in secret, it was much safer.

'I need to be more careful from now on. Infinitely more careful. No more risks. Just calculated actions.'

Gradually, the pressure of making the plans work started weighing down on him.

But only time would tell if this pressure would urge him forward or crush him instead.