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A Thousand-Year-Old Secret

The afternoon sun poured in, illuminating the room. There were window glasses in this world, but not the kind Hikaru was familiar with. They were crafted through sorcery, and the ones in this room were no exception.

On the soft carpet, sunlight wove intricate, mystical patterns—trivial moments like these were a constant reminder to Hikaru that he was indeed in a different world.

“A thousand years ago, there was a Man Gnome named Funai.”

In a lavish hotel room within the holy city of Agiapole, Hikaru—posing as Silver Face—was listening intently to an ancient tale. Seated across from him was an elderly man named Unken, a member of the Man Gnome race, known for their extended lifespans—three times that of humans, to be precise. Unken, in particular, was already over two hundred years old.

“That was ages ago,” Hikaru remarked.

“Indeed. This involves the development of the soul card.”

Hikaru had discovered that the crisis brought about by the Accursed Toxin in the Kingdom of Ponsonia was the result of the scientist Ranna’s creation. In his quest to track down Ranna, he journeyed to the holy city of Agiapole in the Theocracy of Bios.

Bios had launched a war of conquest against the Confederacy of Einbiest, and amidst the chaos, Hikaru destroyed Ranna’s workshop. Unken was engaged in clandestine espionage activities as well. After resolving the Ranna situation, Unken had come to Hikaru to share their secret.

A secret passed down in the Man Gnome village, a secret known to the Pope of Bios as well.

Hikaru suspected that Ranna, the banished researcher from the Man Gnome village, had been harbored by the Pope due to some valuable information. This information could be the secret itself or something related to it.

“So this Funai developed the soul card?”

“That’s correct. But let me provide some historical context from that era. Why do you think the soul card had such a profound impact on the world?”

Hikaru took a moment to ponder. The Blessings granted by the soul card not only enhanced physical abilities but also bestowed various benefits. When combined with Hikaru’s Soul Board, its effects were even more potent.

However, people could live without the soul card. So, what had changed so dramatically?

An idea struck Hikaru. “I get it… It provided tangible proof of the existence of gods.”

Unken nodded. “Even before the invention of the soul card, there was already an established religion, but it was mostly followed by humans. As you can see in their depictions, the gods are fashioned in the likeness of humans too. However, the gods you come to know through the soul card or guild card have no form. Am I right?”

“Hmm… So the invention of the soul card undermined the existing religion.”

“Exactly. But Funai, before inventing the soul card, actually followed the religion of the humans.”

“A Man Gnome following human religion?”

“That’s right. Man Gnomes predominantly practiced indigenous elemental worship, so Funai’s faith was considered heretical. Funai must have had an intuitive sense, even before his invention, that gods existed in this world.”

It made sense. The gods worshipped by humans might have differed slightly from Funai’s conceptions, but they were likely similar. Elementals were real—as evidenced by elemental magic—but they were distinct from gods. Funai worshipped gods, but not elementals.

“Funai was labeled a heretic not just because of his beliefs, but also because he was an inventor. Using sorcery as base, he created many devices that improved lives. However, the Man Gnome elders saw them as something to be avoided.”

“Because Man Gnomes dislike change. Is that it?”

“Yes.”

Unken provided examples of the Man Gnome village’s isolationism. Other races were forbidden from entering their territory, except in extremely limited, invitation-only circumstances. The village’s location was kept secret, and reaching it was not easy due to protective magical barriers.

“As a result, Funai was banished from the Man Gnome village.”

“Just like Ranna.”

“Strangely enough. But Funai and Ranna had some major differences. When Funai left the Man Gnome village, he was accompanied by over fifty Man Gnomes.”

“Because he was an inventor who could make life better?”

“Not only that, but apparently his ideas were remarkably progressive. Many Man Gnomes were drawn to his vision, especially those who grew weary of the secluded lifestyle in the village. Consequently, the Man Gnomes who remained became even more isolated.”

Hikaru found it somewhat perplexing that Unken, belonging to such a reclusive race, had ventured outside their village and maintained contact with them.

Sensing Hikaru’s curiosity, Unken elaborated, “People like me, who gather information outside the village, are also essential. My job was highly sought for. I won it after a fierce competition, roughly a hundred years ago.”

Unken mentioned a century as casually as one might mention yesterday, highlighting the vast difference in their perception of time compared to humans.

“The Man Gnomes, led by Funai, continued their wandering journey…”

Unken recounted Funai’s journey as if recalling the past. His vivid recollection of even the smallest details suggested that in the Man Gnome village, Funai’s story was not shrouded in secrecy; many Man Gnomes were familiar with it.

“Uh, Unken, I get it. They teamed up to defeat the serpent, so if you could please get back to the main point,” Hikaru interjected.

Unken had mentioned that it would be a long story, but it was growing quite lengthy. Tales of their journey and the various anecdotes had already consumed half an hour.

“We’re just getting to the good part.”

“We can save the good part for later. By the way, you mentioned that Funai believed in gods, but how did he perceive them?”

“Funai said this: ‘Gods are a higher existence than elementals.’ Funai was both an inventor and a scholar. He formulated many numerical equations, which, though I don’t quite comprehend them, he found to be beautiful.”

A shiver ran down Hikaru’s spine. Unken was recounting events from a thousand years ago, yet it appeared that this Funai had been conducting advanced mathematical research even then.

Indeed, mathematical formulas, when simplified into concise equations, often evoked a sense of beauty. For instance, Euler’s identity had been called the most beautiful theorem in mathematics. However, each of these discoveries emerged gradually throughout the long history of humanity on Earth.

Unken didn’t know the mathematical theorems left by Funai, so Hikaru couldn’t ask about their content. Nevertheless, if Funai had advanced his research to the point of perceiving its beauty, he must have been an extraordinary genius.

However, what truly sent chills through Hikaru wasn’t that. It was the fate of Funai’s research.

Numerous magical inventions that improved lives persisted, and the soul card was one such creation. But despite Hikaru’s extensive reading with Lavia, they had never come across any books on mathematics, let alone the theorems that Funai had left behind in this world.

Had it all faded into the annals of history, with no one comprehending it? Did the inhabitants of this world forsake the pursuit of knowledge for the allure of sorcery’s immediate convenience? How truly frightening, if that were the case.

Funai’s invention, the soul card, made people’s lives easier, but at the same time, halted the advancement of knowledge. His achievement had sent the people down a path of decline.

“What’s the matter?” Unken asked.

“It’s nothing.”

The dread was irrelevant at the moment. How people chose to live in this world was an individual decision, and that included Hikaru.

“So… Funai found divinity in the beauty of mathematics. Is that what you’re saying?”

“Hmm? Yes… do you really grasp such a complex topic with this limited information? If I shared this back in our village, most Man Gnomes would wear blank expressions.”

“I have some background in it.”

“Where did you even acquire such knowledge… I suppose you won’t answer that.”

“Let’s go back to Funai’s story,” Hikaru urged.

“Funai’s faith played a vital role in his ongoing journey.”

By embracing the religion created by the human race, they gained the support of humans during their travels. Missionaries collaborated with them. Eventually, Funai’s group expanded to over 300 members, with Man Gnomes becoming a minority.

And then finally, Funai invented the soul card.

“Why and how he invented it remains unclear, but during his journey, Funai developed a prototype item that would later become the soul card. He secured the blessing of a deity named the Wisdom God, a one-character deity, and delved deeper into his research, causing a pause in his travels.”

“Wisdom God… That must have been an extraordinary Blessing.”

Hikaru knew that even the Blessing from the Stealth God that had appeared on his guild card held immense power.

The fewer the characters in the god’s name, the more powerful the Blessing. While the characters used were not kanji, but a language unique to this world, they could be translated into kanji with minimal change in meaning. As such, a one-character name gave the ultimate type of Blessing.

Hikaru found it fitting that the person who invented cards to obtain Blessings had acquired the ultimate Blessing himself.

“Did Funai leave behind plenty of research findings?”

Unken went silent.

“What’s the matter?” Hikaru asked.

“Funai died shortly thereafter, betrayed by one of his companions.”

“What?”

“The place that Funai chose as a base for his research was a land plagued by miasma that spewed from the earth. It was said to be a place where all the evil of the world gathered. Anyway, Funai believed those fumes needed to be contained.”

“That seems reasonable.”

“But the miasma was too powerful that a simple seal wouldn’t cut it. Funai came up with a certain method, but opted not to use it.”

“…”

“Can you guess what it was?”

“Sacrificing lives or souls, perhaps?”

“Correct. You’re sharp, all right.”

In the realm of sorcery, souls held great significance and possessed immense power.

“Funai devised an incredibly powerful barrier that could be activated by sacrificing no less than thirty lives. However, it was too inhumane. Funai believed that people should bring their heads together to solve the problem and strongly cautioned against casually sacrificing lives.”

Funai likely had faith in people’s potential—the potential held within the soul.

“However, there was one man who saw this as an opportunity. The group had already grown to over 300 members, and there existed a remarkable invention known as the soul card. Becoming the leader of the group would secure him untold riches and a place in history. In that light, Funai was an obstacle. So, this man drugged Funai and the Man Gnomes who followed him, and used them as sacrifices to activate the barrier.”

Hikaru sat in stunned silence. Funai was likely the most brilliant mind in recorded history. Yet, a man had callously taken his life to satisfy his own desires.

“Did he… Did he really believe that he would leave a mark in history after committing such an act?”

“Ironically, his name lives on.” Unken calmly sipped his now lukewarm tea. “The man’s name was Agia. The city we’re in right now, Agiapole, was named after him.”

It was a shocking revelation. A murderer had walked free and managed to secure a place as someone great. Moreover, his name was incorporated into the name of a nation’s capital.

Hikaru connected the dots. “Was he… the first Pope?”

“That’s correct. He’s known as the first monarch of the Theocracy of Bios and the founder of the Church. But in reality, he was a foolish man consumed by greed and ambition.”

Hikaru reclined in his chair, brows furrowed. He had just heard an unbelievable story. The first Pope of the Theocracy of Bios, a state governing a portion of this continent, the central hub of the churches scattered all over the land, was a mass murderer?

“Well? You wanted to know the story, didn’t you?”

“I had a feeling it would be a grim tale, but I never imagined it would be this horrifying. But something’s bugging me. How was this story passed down in your village? The Man Gnomes shouldn’t have known what Agia did.”

“Agia couldn’t sacrifice all the Man Gnomes. They weren’t all in one place. The surviving Man Gnomes returned to the village and shared what happened. However, the village elders didn’t seek vengeance. After all, Funai was a man who had been banished from the village.”

“So, I’m guessing the seal did its job?”

“Yes, the sealing was successful. As evidenced by this city’s growth.”

“…Wait, what?”

“The seal did its job. That’s why, Agiapole, a city built atop the large hole that released miasma, flourished, and people continue to live here in peace.”

Hikaru reclined in his chair once more and closed his eyes. The crease between his brows deepened.

“Who would’ve thought such a dangerous thing lay beneath us?”

“Ignorance is bliss. A seal that a great inventor sacrificed his life to create can’t be undone that easily.”

Unken spat the last part out.

---

In this world, gods were real, as evidenced by their bestowal of Blessings through soul cards. However, these gods neither communicated nor offered guidance.

The Church, using the doctrine that Funai himself believed in before inventing the soul card, created new teachings.

Over the course of its long history, the Church witnessed the rise of numerous saints imbued with the spirit of self-sacrifice. These saints held their own beliefs, which persisted as reinterpretations of the original doctrine to this day.

But even the interpretations of these saints could not challenge the grand design set in motion by Agia. A plan that aimed to bury the story of Funai, the recipient of the Blessing of the Wisdom God.

Only fragmentary information remained, describing an unparalleled genius who had received the Blessing of the God of Wisdom, and the Man Gnomes were erased from the Church’s history.

Up until now, the Man Gnomes had kept their distance from the Church, and the Church had likewise ignored the Man Gnomes. Man Gnomes know the true history, so the Popes of the past should know it, too. If they had maintained this non-interference, things would have been fine.

However, Ranna, who had fled the village, was taken in by the Pope. To the Church, Ranna was a Pandora’s box that should remain sealed. Why would he do this?

Did Ranna possess some special information, something besides the development of chimeras? Information suggesting that the Man Gnome independently created their soul card? No, that wouldn’t be enough. Damn it, I need more information.

Unken had left, leaving Hikaru alone in the room with his thoughts. He went to the next room and settled next to Lavia’s bed.

Would I learn a bit more if I went to see the Pope? No… I shouldn’t poke my nose deeper into this. I’ve already done too much.

He let out a sigh.

Lavia opened her eyes. “Hmm… Hikaru… is that you?”

“Lavia! You’re awake. How are you feeling?”

Hikaru lifted himself slightly, checking on the well-being of his beloved.

For now, tending to Lavia’s health was the top priority. Afterward, once the epidemic caused by the Accursed Toxin that afflicted the people of Ponsonia and the Quinbrand Empire had subsided, they would reunite with Paula. Hikaru was reminded of Paula’s importance, especially when it came to injuries or illnesses.

“Would you like some water?”

Lavia sat up. “Thank you.”

At this moment, Hikaru was unaware of an abnormal event unfolding in the heart of Agiapole—the Tower, the Church’s headquarters and seat of the Pope.