Chapter 34

"How did you know what I wanted?" Veris was now completely wide awake. He threw off the covers, got up, and walked towards the table. When he reached Sylvain, he looked down at the things on the table with surprise on his face.

It was a spherical object, with a black sphere encased inside a transparent shell. It had a distinct luster and looked like some kind of polished ore.

That spherical outer shell is merely a cover to prevent the spherical demonic energy inside from escaping.

Veris picked up the ball and squinted at it.

“This is the only thing related to the demons, and it was easy to find,” Sylvan said, looking at him.

"It really is a different era. I've been searching for this for hundreds of years and never found it. I never expected to see it here." Veris clasped his hands together, and a flash of light in the pale gold disappeared as he put the object into his spatial storage.

Sylvain's eyes flickered: "Have you been looking for this all along?"

Veris didn't answer immediately this time. Instead, he glanced at Sylvain, seemingly considering whether he could tell Sylvain. After a while, he said vaguely, "It's probably related to a ruin. I used to think that if we didn't open that ruin, something terrible would happen. But now, so many years have passed and it's still fine. It doesn't seem that important."

He turned and walked outside, saying, "I'm going to wash up first."

Sylvain watched him leave without saying anything, but silently kept it in his heart.

On the other side, Veris, standing in front of the bathroom mirror, stared at the person in the mirror for a long time, then leaned on the stone platform and sighed.

The thing he had been searching for for hundreds of years was a divine object called the "Eye of Hell".

Because he was worried that after the fall of the seven gods, there would be errors in the life, death, and reincarnation of humans and other races, he spent a long time searching for this thing.

However, it was later discovered that human life, aging, illness, and death were not affected, and the extensive search was stopped.

Driven by personal motives, he later traveled across the mainland, especially to the north, and deliberately inquired about the "Eye of Hell".

Nothing was gained.

Unexpectedly, the "Eye of Hell" reappeared today. Although it was only a fragment, it was a signal that made him shudder.

Hell... will reopen.

“Father.” Sylvain stood at the door of the washroom, looking at Veris.

Veris straightened up and tilted his head: "What's wrong?"

"They're here."

-

So how did Arnold know about this place?!

They even brought their families along!

In the living room on the first floor, Veris, who had once again concealed his appearance, sat on the sofa, watching the hero looking around excitedly. It was the first time the country boy had seen such a magnificent house, and his eyes hadn't settled on it.

Allen, standing to the side, remained calm and composed.

On the other side, Murphy stared intently at Veris.

Veris felt there was no point in asking Arnold how he found this place, so he simply asked, "What do you want from me?"

Arnold waved his hand: "It's not us, it's Murphy who wants to see you."

The white-eyed boy sitting next to him sat upright on the sofa. When he noticed Veris's gaze on him, he trembled slightly and said slowly, "I can't sense any magical elements anymore."

Those heterochromatic eyes reflected the boy's still gaunt face, and a glint seemed to flash in his right eye.

"All magical elements?"

Veris sat up a little straighter.

Murphy nodded.

From the closet, Sylvain came over with water infused with moro fruit leaves. He lowered his eyes and placed the cups on the table one by one. The moro fruit leaves had a peculiar fragrance, and the water would carry that lingering aroma after being steeped.

It is often called Moro tea.

The fact that magicians couldn't sense magical elements was a huge problem. The two magicians lingering in the church knew they couldn't solve it, so they advised Murphy to go to Veris. If they couldn't find him there, the only solution would be to go to the Grand Vatican of Lortheran.

“Sylvan,” Veris turned his head and looked at the person who bent down to place the cup in front of him, and said with a smile, “I would like to trouble you to go back to the High Papacy and bring over that book, ‘Records of Magic of the Ancient Continent,’ from the library. And while you’re at it, please bring me lunch.”

Sylvain raised his eyes, straightened up, glanced at the three members of the Hero Squad, his eyes slightly cold, and the hostility emanating from him was almost tangible.

These people came at the worst possible time; Veris hasn't eaten anything since he woke up.

Veris nudged him again, her eyes crinkling with a smile: "Go on, tell the cook to make my portion. He knows how to put it together."

"I understand," he replied in a low voice, then took the tray and walked into the inner hall.

Veris looked away and saw that Arnold was already sitting obediently on the sofa, even leaning towards Allen with an air of importance. He blinked but didn't pay any attention and just looked at Murphy again.

"Do you remember your family? Do they all have white eyes like you?" he asked.

Murphy shook his head: "No, only my eyes are like this. Some people said it was an omen of bad luck, so they abandoned me."

“That’s bloodline reversion,” Veris said.

Upon hearing the word "atavism," Allen's eyes flickered.

Arnold raised his hand: "What does that mean?"

Veris glanced at him and explained, "After several generations, the power contained in a particular bloodline will become increasingly diluted. However, the way this bloodline is passed down is bloodline inheritance, so no matter how weak the power belonging to that bloodline is in the blood, there is still a possibility of awakening the inheritance and obtaining the power of the ancestors."

"As for bloodline atavism, the first situation is sudden atavism, which is equivalent to using the power of one's ancestors to complete the transformation of one's body when encountering danger." The poet smiled and raised his finger, "For example, dragons, elves, and the undead."

Arnold said "Oh," and then asked, "What about the second one?"

Veris was quite pleased with those who praised him, and he raised his second finger and shook it: "The second type is that there is atavism from birth, but there are also differences in this case."

Full atavism and partial atavism: someone like Allen, who gradually becomes aware of his atavism during his growth, is a partial atavism.

Atavism means possessing the power and characteristics of one's ancestors from birth.

He withdrew his hand, looked at Murphy again, and said, "He is a complete atavism, but someone put a curse on him when he was very young. Otherwise, with his natural ninth-level mage physique, he wouldn't be like this now."

No matter how powerful the curse was, it couldn't sever the body's affinity for magical elements. So even though his body was sealed, Murphy was still judged to have the talent of a magic apprentice.

"curse?"

Arnold said these words, but Murphy also visibly clenched the fabric on his knees, pursing his lips as he looked at Veris.

Veris, like an encyclopedia, began to explain to them: "Curses are generally related to demons, but hundreds of years ago, the undead were also proficient in this art, and their main method of combat was even curses."

"Including the emergence of plagues, their interference with fate, and their alteration of physical constitution."

Arnold stared blankly at Veris, then asked shyly in a low voice, "What is the undead race?"

Veris smiled and said, "Go read the book yourself."

Allen finally spoke up: "Is the curse on Murphy related to the demons?"

"It could also be an undead. After all, those guys who roam the abyss of the demon race are eyeing those with genius physiques. Once they invade the body and kill the soul, the body will belong to them completely."

Veris recalled the curse he had eradicated; it was indeed of a high level, but in his eyes, it wasn't powerful enough.

He raised an eyebrow at Murphy: "The family you remember probably isn't your real family."

Murphy was taken aback.

The boy was extremely thin due to years of unhealthy eating habits, much smaller than his peers, but his features were still quite delicate. Although young, his beauty was already evident in his eyes and brows.

Although Veris didn't specifically investigate, someone with such a face couldn't possibly come from an obscure family.

He tilted his head and thought for a moment, then joked, "Maybe your family was originally a powerful clan in the north. Your constitution attracted the covetousness of others, and that's how you ended up like this."

This isn't him cursing anyone. To be honest, the previous generation of heroes, and the generation before that, always had someone like that in their teams. The probability was an astonishing 100%.

Arnold turned to comfort Murphy: "Don't be sad. Veris is a master storyteller; he was just trying to scare you."

Murphy clenched his fists, opened his mouth, and said in a dry voice, "Then what is my bloodline...?"

Veris reached for a cup on the table in front of him, took a sip of hot tea, and said, "I wasn't sure, so I had Sylvain get the book that might contain the information."

Upon hearing a certain name, Arnold recalled the scene from last night and felt conflicted. However, he couldn't hide the truth, and after struggling for a while, he still asked in a low voice, "That person, is he really your son?"

Veris paused in the act of putting down the cup, then looked up at Arnold across from him.

Why is this kid so curious? ...No, he's always been like this.

Those who haven't found the answer insist on getting to the bottom of it.

Veris's eyes lit up, and a plan immediately came to mind. He sighed and said, "I only raised Sylvan for a short time. How can I be compared to Sylvan?"

Arnold's eyes widened.

Allen: ?

“Sylvain’s talent is beyond description. You’ll understand when you go to the Royal Academy. He and I are just friends, albeit close. How could I be his father?” Veris was being sincere this time.

Arnold looked enlightened: "I see."

Allen's lips twitched: "...Whatever makes you happy."

Upon mentioning the Royal Academy, Arnold's attention immediately shifted, and he launched into a barrage of questions, seemingly random.

Veris was in a good mood today, so he gently told him to go to the capital and ask someone himself.

"I've never studied at the Royal Capital Academy, so there are many things I don't know either." He gave a forced smile.

Arnold thought about it and realized it made sense. He said regretfully, "I'm so curious about the Royal Academy. I heard from the people at the church that it's huge and has a lot of people, and everyone is very strong."

"I saw on that recommendation letter that it recommends me to a magic academy, but I don't want to be a magician."

Veris's smile remained unchanged: "Oh? What do you want to be?"

"Of course, it's a doctor!"

Allen suddenly turned his head to look at the blond boy next to him, whose face was full of anticipation.

A crack appeared in Veris's smile.

However, he quickly replied nonchalantly, "The doctor is fine."

Then, slowly, he shattered Arnold's wish: "It's a pity that the Royal Academy doesn't have this academy."

This was the first time he had seen a hero hoping to take on the role of healer in the party.

Arnold looked devastated, Alan sat expressionless, and while Murphy was still in a daze, Sylvain finally returned.

He carried a food box, placed it on the table in the inner hall, and then took the thick ancient book to the living room.

Seeing the different expressions on the three people's faces, he remained expressionless. However, when he handed the book to Veris, his fingers seemingly casually crossed, causing Veris to visibly pause for a moment.

The hand was quickly withdrawn, and Sylvain stood beside him, saying in a low voice, "I'll go to the study."

Veris looked up at him, suddenly smiled, and pulled him down. He didn't resist and sat down with the pull.

This isn't something Sylvain needs to avoid, Veris thought.

He lowered his head and opened the thick book. The ancient scent of the pages wafted out, and he seemed to know where he was looking for. He quickly turned to one of the pages.

He glanced at it closely, and his expression changed slightly.

Then he closed the book, looked up at Murphy, and the boy had perked up when Sylvain came over.

Veris tapped the pages of the book with his fingertips. This time, he looked at Murphy with a more scrutinizing gaze. The sudden silence in the living room also brought Arnold back to his senses. He sensed the change in atmosphere and became unusually quiet.

“First of all, it’s certain that you are not a descendant of the gods,” Veris said.

"Secondly, you have no relation to the dragon race or the elf race."

Only Veris's voice could be heard in the living room. Sylvain sat beside him, his eyes downcast, staring at the brown pages of the book, his pale, beautiful fingers lost in thought.

Then he heard Veris say in a somewhat complicated tone, "Then you can only be a descendant of the Linisters."

Almost everyone present looked bewildered, except for Sylvain, who stared at his adoptive father's fingers, seemingly lost in thought.

Veris continued tapping on the page, speaking slowly: "Linister is human, but he is very different from other humans. He is a human chosen by the gods."

"His magical talent was formidable, and he briefly unified most of the continent of Icarus. However, he soon died in an entanglement with his lover, and the continent of Icarus was quickly reclassified."

"Ancient Continent Magic Records" is one of the few books that records Rinister, but it is not very long.

If you really want to count, that person was actually the first king of mankind.

Veris put the book aside, crossed his legs, and a smile returned to his face.

No wonder he couldn't remember who the last person with white eyes was; it was that person.

He stretched out his hand, and in his palm lay a small, translucent, golden crystal disc with a blurry bow and arrow pattern in the center. After glancing at it for two seconds, Veris placed the disc on the table and then pushed it toward Murphy.

When Sylvain saw the disc, his face instantly turned ugly.

He couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

Veris leaned back again, turned his head, and patted the back of the hand of the person next to him, as if to comfort him, and said, "I'll tell you later."

Arnold asked curiously, "What's that?"

"The thing that will allow him to feel the magical elements again is that Linist's constitution requires him to isolate himself from the magical elements for a period of time after awakening, and once he gets through that period, he'll be fine," Veris said lazily.

Murphy pursed his lips, picked up the disc, and found it smooth and warm to the touch, showing signs of use. The bow and arrow pattern on it was clearly from the church.

His palms were slightly concave from gripping the disc with increased force.

Indeed, the moment the disc appeared, his surroundings were once again filled with magical elements.

"I will return it to you after this period of time has passed," the boy said.

Veris waved his hand: "No need, this thing is useless to me. When do you plan to leave for the Royal Academy?"

Speaking of this, Arnold became enthusiastic again: "We plan to go to Milford City first. When I came to Mercury, I bought a very powerful item. I want to go to Milford City to process it before going to the Royal Academy."

It's not surprising for a brave person to encounter any good things, and Veris didn't care at all. After saying "Oh," he started to shoo them away: "Now that the problem is solved, you should leave."

"Veris, are you still going to the tavern?" Arnold asked again. Actually, after leaving Albion, he still missed Veris's strange and wonderful stories.

—Of course, this does not include the strange secrets of kings and prime ministers.

“No way, no way. Sylvain has enough money to support me, who would want to work at a tavern?” Veris said impatiently.

After the three heroes were driven away, the living room finally returned to peace and quiet.

As the blond boy left, he said to him with a puzzled look, "I never imagined you two had this kind of relationship."

Veris didn't want to know what this guy with his erratic mind was thinking.

He turned around, looked at Sylvain sitting on the sofa with a displeased expression on his face, and sighed softly.

Sylvain stood up: "Let's have lunch first."

Veris walked over, picked up the thick book, and headed towards the study, saying as he went, "I have something to tell you first."

The study remained exactly as it had been when he left the night before, the only change being that Sylvain had already organized three or four magic notebooks.

That's quite fast.

Veris put the book on the table, turned around and looked at Sylvain standing in the doorway. The smile he had been giving the heroes earlier was gone, replaced by a slight frown.

His fingers, which were resting on the edge of the table, began to tap on the surface again.

"I will make sure the Papacy pays more attention to Murphy."

"You've already given away the Pope's confidant's token." Isn't that enough?

Sylvain also had one of those tokens, as did the other eleven bishops.

There shouldn't have been a thirteenth token, but because of Sylvain's appearance, the position of the twelfth bishop was vacant, and there happened to be an extra token.

The one Sylvain has is a remake by Veris.

Veris shook his head and sighed: "Do you know who Linist is?"

He looked down at the lines on his palm, and without waiting for Sylvain's reply, said to himself, "Speaking of which, after that child reverted to his ancestral form, he can be considered my descendant."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sylvain felt his blood rush to his head, then freeze, and then shatter, the cold fragments spreading throughout his veins. He spoke, the syllables seeming to burst from between his teeth: "The...next generation?"

The sudden drop in air pressure made Veris realize something was wrong. He looked up and quickly explained, "Of course he wasn't born from me. Linister is my father, Murphy's ancestor. He was probably my half-brother."

Yes.

The first human king, who has been lost to history, had a close relationship with Veris.

However, by the time Veris was born, Liniste's ashes were already decaying.

It's no wonder he didn't think of this person immediately, mainly because Linist was active much earlier than Veris's adventures on the continent of Icarus.

Sylvain's expression softened considerably.

Veris had a headache. He straightened up and walked toward Sylvain, pressing his temples as he said, "Let someone keep an eye on things. Following Arnold will be dangerous, but it won't kill us instantly."

Those who covet Murphy's bloodline are almost certainly the undead. After all, when the demons appeared, Linist had already disappeared from the continent. Perhaps some people had heard of this human king back then, but they didn't know anything more specific.

Sylvain stepped aside, watching Veris walk out, then followed and whispered, "Are you planning to adopt him?"

To be precise, Veris and Murphy are indeed related by blood.

Veris turned his head to look at Sylvain, reached out and slapped the man. Sylvain didn't dodge, taking the light slap. Then Veris said irritably, "Do you think the crown prince would adopt the son of the king's illegitimate son?"

"I'm sorry," Sylvain apologized immediately.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

The culinary skills at the Grand Papal Restaurant are undoubtedly top-notch; a standard papal meal takes up most of the table.

Looking at the dishes on the plate, Veris commented, "These people are still the same as always. They just keep making the same old dishes without me updating the recipes."

Sylvain said gently, "They're worried you'll be unhappy."

“You even got on their good side,” Veris chuckled. “I’ve told them so many times that I’m not a picky eater, and they were like idiots, so I just stopped bothering them.”

Sylvain set out the plates, hesitated for a moment, and cautiously asked, "When was that?"

“It was just fifty years ago…” Veris held his fork, but then stopped mid-sentence. He blinked and quickly found a reason for himself, “That’s no excuse for them making the same dishes for fifty years.”

He adopted a serious expression and ended the conversation: "Alright, let's eat first."

Having grown accustomed to coarse food, he found the dishes served at the Papacy somewhat unfamiliar.

After they finished eating, Sylvain went to clear the dishes. With a cleaning spell, all that was left was to put away the clean plates.

Veris sat in his chair, watching Sylvain's retreating figure: "You're happy now, why?"

"Are you afraid that Murphy will steal the Holy Son's position?" A thought suddenly struck him, his mind filled with the events he had witnessed earlier in the struggle for the throne within the Lortheran royal family, where almost every generation fought fiercely for the crown.

Sylvain continued his work, lowering his eyes as he said, "Killing him would be as easy as turning my hand. I'm just worried that I'm not Father's only adopted son."

Veris stared at him.

After a while, he stood up and stretched: "Don't keep calling me by that name, just call me Veris."

This wasn't the first time he had corrected Sylvain.

This time, however, Sylvain looked up, his green eyes shimmering, reflecting only one figure. On his usually expressionless face, the corners of his mouth curled up.

“Okay.” He readily agreed.

“Veris”.

Veris nodded and hurried toward his study; he had so much to do.

...To be honest, Sylvain's smile is really distracting.

Fortunately, the great Pope overcame it with his extraordinary willpower!

-----------------------

Author's Note: The Seven Gods period was probably a very chaotic time.

You can refer to Greek mythology

The next chapter will be about finishing organizing the magic book and new poems, and then setting off for Lor'theran!

The Mysterious History of Seven, Part 5

Sylvain, as a magician, has no rank.

However, Veris felt that his friend seemed to be even more powerful than himself, especially in terms of magic.

Sylvain's origins are a mystery; he lost his memory when Veris found him.