"So what do you remember?"

I ask him with narrowed eyes, hoping to at least glean as much information from this situation as possible. "Do you at least remember the favor you had Zarius do for you back then? I’m guessing it’s related to the Special Resources you stole from that abandoned building’s vault."

"Hmm... Is it stealing if it’s rightfully mine?" He retorts with a wry smile.

My brow furrows immediately.

"So you admit it."

"Not so fast..." Chuckling slightly, he takes a step back and folds his arms. "The truth is, I didn’t even remember the Special Resources or the vault until I realized you were going to take it. I went to the future and saw what would happen if you had access to those Special Resources, so I traveled to the past and took them before you had access to them."

"You really expect me to believe that? Zarius was the one who kept those Special Resources there. He wouldn’t have gathered so many resources for himself. Even if he did, why would he store them there?" I grit my teeth. "It was you. Admit it!"

"I’m not denying my involvement. I’m just saying I don’t remember giving this Zarius man that order, just as I can’t remember many things."

"What are you—?"

Lucius gives me a sad smile and shakes his head once again. "To tell you the truth, my so-called evil plan is only my way of trying to recover the memories I lost."

This man...

Does he really expect me to believe such drivel?

All of his schemes, ones which have cost so many lives, are for the sake of recovering his memories? How stupid does he think I am?

Then again, why would he be lying about this?

For what reason?

He has no reason to tell me any of these things, not to mention lie about them.

It’s not like I would ever empathize with him.

Also—

’This isn’t the first time a Leviathan has stated something absurd as their goal. Zarius told me he wanted to brew a Potion, which is why he caused everything that happened in my past life. It’s possible that Lucien’s memories hold more significance than I can currently fathom.’

In that case, perhaps I should operate on the assumption that he is telling the truth.

"Once I took those Special Resources from the vault, I realized signs of my involvement. I began to look for other similar arrangements throughout the Randalorion Kingdom, and so I began to collect them. The scale surprised even me, but the more I explored these arrangements, the more certain I became about some things."

"Like... what?"

"My lost memories aren’t by coincidence..." He sighs deeply. "Why do I remember some things which I don’t recall doing, and why do I not recall things which I clearly did? Someone messed with my mind without my knowledge... and it’s something I want to understand."

"Who would possibly—"

"The Ouroboros Sect... They are the ones who did this to me!"

At this point, I can see Lucien’s countenance change from his usual calm demeanor to a much darker kind of expression.

Rage slowly begins to taint his pleasant facade.

The sight alone causes terror to spread through my body. Before I realize it, my body starts to tremble uncontrollably.

Such power—such terrible malice!

Who is this man?!

"It only makes sense that they’re the ones who did this, but I don’t recall when or how it happened. It’s because of this that I defected, and it’s also why I’m trying to regain my memory... as well as my true identity."

"Your... true identity?"

What is this person talking about?

Is he not Lucien Zevalis—the Shadowstalker?

Rank 3 Adept Leaper.

Former member of the Ouroboros Sect who defected and is after something dangerous.

Is there... something more that I do not know?

Clearly!

But what could it be?

"Javier... to be honest with you, I do not remember who I was before I became a Leviathan and joined the Ouroboros Sect."

"W-what?"

"Hehe... You find it strange too, right?" He laughs aloud, his voice reaching the sky. "Why can’t I remember my childhood, or my early teenage years? I have no clue. I have no recollection of my family or the life I lived before becoming a Leaper. It’s like... everything was simply erased."

"...."

"Why do you think that is?"

I don’t know.

How could someone like me possibly know the answer to that question?

’But now I know why he suspects the Ouroboros Sect of tampering with his memory. If I were the one, I would also be thinking the same way...’

However, would I go this far for the sake of recovering my memories?

I am not so sure.

"I won’t blame you for trying to recover your memories, but you are clearly up to no good. You would easily kill your own wife and jeopardize countless lives to achieve your goals. What kind of person is that?"

Lucien Zevalis groans, pinching his nose in frustration.

"Don’t tell me you are so naive. Do you think the Ouroboros Sect is any different? Do you even know how Leviathans operate in this world? What do you think mortal lives are? Do you think the Randalorion Kingdom is of significance in the eyes of a Leviathan?"

Of course, I know the answer to that.

I knew the answer back when I met Zarius and peered into his psyche.

To Leviathans, all humans are merely tools.

Nations are simply pieces.

None of them truly matters to the supreme overlord that is a Leviathan.

Especially a Leviathan who has undergone Apotheosis.

Lucien Zevalis is Rank 3, which means he has undergone two Apotheoses. He must know, even more than I, how trivial such a thing as ’life’ is, and how necessary it is to manipulate it to achieve the ideal outcome.

"Don’t be a hypocrite, Javier. You joined the Dark Guild and became the leader of the Randalorion Branch, didn’t you? Doesn’t the Dark Guild commit all kinds of atrocities like child trafficking, slavery, and all kinds of illegal acts? You must be well aware of this since you led a campaign against the Dark Guild in the past. And you dare talk to me like some kind of moral authority? What a joke..."

"...."

"Unlike you, I don’t claim to be righteous. That would be pretentious. The Ouroboros Sect also doesn’t make that claim either. That’s because even they recognize that it is far easier to be morally neutral and simply seek benefits than to belong to the Order Faction like those Holy Trinity and Tarot Association people. Likewise, belonging to the Evil Faction, like the Nine-Headed Dragon Demonic Cult, attracts too many enemies. A life of balance is the best for a Leviathan, so... Ah, I got sidetracked." Almost as though he is embarrassed, Lucien begins to chuckle before returning his previously distracted gaze to me.

"So where were we?"

"Why the Randalorion Kingdom?" I ask him with a calm voice. "Zarius wanted to orchestrate a war between the Randalorion Kingdom and Sarvosia so that he could grow Rank 4 Bloodvines and Bloodiron in large quantities—"

"Why would he want them?"

"He wanted to make a Grade 6 Potion to help with Apotheosis. I’m guessing you told him all of this and also gave him the recipe for the Potion. He also had a Floating Horse Construct, as well as a Rank 6 Sunfire Oil—both of which had to come from a much more powerful Leviathan."

"In essence... me."

I nod slowly. "So is your presence in the Randalorion Kingdom related to that?"

"I doubt it. I already have four Mystical Characteristics, the limit for Rank 3. Even at Rank 2, when I would have met Zarius, I don’t think I would have had much use for such an elaborate scheme to acquire a Masterwork Potion when I could have obtained it from far more easily using the Ouroboros Sect. In fact, doing that would be more in line with an Evil Faction’s operation and not something a member of a Neutral Faction would do."

"But—"

"I must have spurred Zarius down that path, but it can’t be because I required the Potion for myself. Perhaps it was an incentive for him or something... so he could help me with something of a much grander scale."

"And that would be what? Your memories? If you wanted to regain your memories, why would you need to do so here, of all places? Why have Zarius place all those Special Resources in the Randalorion Kingdom? If you just so happened to find him in the Randalorion Kingdom, I would understand, but he came all the way from Sarvosia to do your bidding in my Kingdom. There had to have been a reason for it."

Lucien smiles at my words while nodding.

Does he know something about the whole situation that he isn’t talking about?

Right as I’m about to ask him, he parts his lips.

And then, words appear.

"I truly do not know why it had to be the Randalorion Kingdom. I have many connections in multiple Kingdoms due to my different identities, but for some reason... it appears I made arrangements solely in that place. Beyond that, I feel drawn to the Randalorion Kingdom. I have this indescribable feeling from the very core of my existence that I will find the answer there."

"That is—"

"The fact that I found my earlier arrangements still in place there, even though I do not recall a thing, tells me that it has to be true!"

"So it’s just a hunch?"

"You could call it that... But what are the chances? As far as I know, the Randalorion Kingdom is in the middle of nowhere and has almost no special qualities to it. I cannot detect any meaningful arrangements made by another Leviathan, and it holds no significance in the grand scheme of things. That means I should be able to carry out my plans without worrying about the interference of some bigshot Leviathans—especially those in the Forbidden Territory."

"The Forbidden Territory..."

I have heard those words before, back when I met with the Ouroboros Sect members.

What does it mean?

"Isn’t it all so convenient? It’s almost like fate that all the conditions were fulfilled so well."

"Conditions... for what?"

Lucien smiles the moment I say this.

His grin grows broader than normal, stretching to their limits.

At this moment, I sense the very height of malice—one that is enough to take physical form and distort all that exists around it.

Fear envelops me.

I suddenly feel like a helpless child lost in a stormy sea. Or a man stripped naked at the center of a powerful blizzard. The killing intent, or bloodlust, or whatever else this man’s emotions could be, overwhelms me and shakes me to the very core.

My Existence feels immensely burdened.

I fear that I might die.

This... It may as well be the end for me.

"You... madman..." I mutter aloud. "Your memories vanishing can be considered mere symptoms of your crippling insanity."

"What?"

His face contorts the moment he asks that question.

"You heard me. You are insane. You’ve run mad, and the search for your memories is merely a futile attempt at grasping the sanity that eludes you."

Lucien’s expression twists even further.

His usually narrowed eyes bulge to their limits, and I can feel his bloodshot gaze resting on me.

None of his gentlemanly charms remain for me to observe.

Instead, he has an unbelievable presence that screams danger and death.

His bloodlust is undeniable.

He wishes to kill me.

’No, I think he would have killed me even without me doing this...’ My smile also broadens as I stare at him fearlessly. ’Just as I wanted to buy time and get answers, it seems he was looking for something similar from this conversation.’

I don’t know what it could have been, but I surely know this man is up to no good.

He is probably telling the truth about his missing memories.

In that case, maybe he wanted to glean as much information from me before killing me.

Yes... He planned on killing me from the beginning.

There’s no way he didn’t.

Someone as merciless as this would not be kind enough to let me go scot-free after having such a deep discussion with him regarding his intentions.

’I wanted to buy as much time for the Ouroboros Sect to find me or to at least destroy his machinations in the Kingdom, but it appears I’ve run out of time.’ I sigh deeply, feeling some regret well up within me.

It seems I could only buy this much time.

Ever since I asked my last question regarding the ’conditions’ of his plan, he stopped being cooperative, and his true intentions leaked out. I realized from that moment that further questions were useless, and he had made up his mind.

Perhaps speaking to me was the final confirmation he needed to execute his plan.

Regardless—

’It’s too late, huh? This is the end of the line for me...’

I am not afraid of death.

I always told myself that if I lived true to myself and according to my desires, I would be able to die at any moment without regrets.

But... This feels a little too painful for me.

I feel dissatisfied.

I truly do not wish to die at this point—I can’t accept such a fate.

Not yet!

Even if it is one more day... one more hour... one more minute... one more second...

... I want to keep living!

I don’t want to simply throw away my ambitions and say, "Oh, I tried my best."

I want to succeed!

I want to save my friends and family!

I want to stop this man!

I... I... I...

.... I want to live!