After reaching the maximum level, my "soft rice system" finally arrived.

"You want me, someone whose origins you can't fathom, to sympathize with the experiences of your world and bring change to your already hopeless world."

"However, the good news is that you won your bet."

Charles looked at Aize with clear, untainted eyes.

“I will help this world, but not because I am moved by your words, or because of boring, condescending sympathy or pity.”

"It's because I want to do it..."

"That's all."

Charles reached out, interrupting Anna's search among the rows of bookshelves.

Relying on the feedback from his mental energy, Ciel had already located the location of his target.

He walked past rows of creaking bookshelves.

Charles paused at a certain spot and pulled out an old book.

Chronicle of the Abundant Church

Charles opened the ancient book, the rough parchment rustling between his fingers.

Then--

His pupils involuntarily contracted slightly.

"In the 374th year of the Bountiful Calendar: Following the divine decree of the Lord, the popes and high-ranking officials of the seven major churches unanimously passed a resolution, and the witch hunt officially began."

"In the same year, during the month of summer flowers, various human nations raised objections to this."

"Upholding the Lord's divine decree, suppress those who resist most fiercely and replace their national leaders with loyal believers."

"Year 393 of the Bountiful Calendar: The First Legendary Battle Erupts."

"In this battle, the Three Wizard Towers lost over 150 archmages, the Church of the Righteous God lost over 250 high knights and believers of equal rank, and the Crimson Tower lost the legendary mage—[Ice Witch] Everfrost (page 4)."

"Year 424 of the Bountiful Calendar: The Second Legendary Battle broke out, one of the three Wizard Towers—the Crimson Tower—was destroyed, and three legendary-level powerhouses perished."

"Year 493 of the Bountiful Calendar: The Third Legendary War broke out. One of the three Wizard Towers—the Tower of Pure White—was destroyed, and four legendary-level powerhouses fell. In this battle, the Church of Truth launched a divine descent and crushed the Pan-Continental Magic Network in one fell swoop."

"After the collapse of the magic network, wizards below the level of quasi-legendary can no longer cast spells using the magic network. They can only try non-magic network spells or cast spells using the remaining magical items."

"550 of the Bountiful Calendar: The Final Battle of the Witch Hunt Erupts"

"In the year 564 of the Abundant Calendar, under the Moon of the Cold Star, the last of the Three Towers—the Tower of Extreme Black—was destroyed. Nine legendary figures perished, and of the twenty-four eight-page mages of the Three Towers, only one survived, and his whereabouts are unknown."

"Year 590 of the Bountiful Calendar: After thirty years of manhunts and raids, all remaining wizards, including arcane books, magical artifacts, and techniques, were confiscated and destroyed. The witch hunt was a complete success and officially ended."

Chapter Fifty: Replacing the Sun? 6k

The candlelight flickered, illuminating the few people standing side by side in the dark and quiet library.

Charles slowly put down the ancient book in his hands.

Although the purpose of going to this secondary dimension was to satisfy my curiosity as a wizard and to uncover some secrets of the old era.

However, the secrets I uncovered this time...

It does seem a bit too big.

"Is this it?"

Aize glanced at Charles.

Seeing that Charles did not object, he walked over and took the ancient book from Charles's hand to read it.

Then, he stood there, stunned.

"So... those wizards were once this powerful?"

Even though Azer had no faith in the gods.

However, before the Great Cataclysm, the Church of the True God remained the absolute mainstream in the entire kingdom, holding all the power of discourse.

Under the influence of his surroundings, Azer's impression of those wizards who had disappeared a thousand years ago was naturally not much better.

It's nothing more than some things that can't be discussed openly—

Ultimately, they had nowhere to hide under the witch hunts and vanished into history, leaving only the remnants of their heresy in historical records.

but--

If this account from the church itself is correct.

They have probably greatly underestimated the heights that those wizards once reached.

In the same era, there were more than a dozen legends—

They are hostile to the church, which occupies most of the continent's faith and is favored by the seven gods.

Yet they were still able to stand on equal footing for hundreds of years, until the other side launched a divine descent and they were finally defeated.

Aize's lips moved slightly.

He couldn't help but make this association—

What would it be like if these three towers, which housed more than a dozen legendary wizards, had survived the Cataclysm and the Calamity of Light?

At least, on the eve of the Great Cataclysm, when those legendary-ranked chosen ones of the gods went out of control, they could be easily suppressed, thus maintaining the most fundamental order of the continent.

And when the cataclysmic event of darkness and the twilight tide arrive, if so many legends are present to oversee it—

Those cities that occupied key points would not fall so quickly, causing the entire kingdom's defenses to collapse.

anyway--

They must all be much better than they are today...

pity--

There are no "what ifs" in this world.

"That's not surprising."

"If I were one of those great beings who ascended to the throne of God and needed to gather faith to strengthen myself—"

"I doubt they would allow such a group of madmen, devoid of faith and reverence, to exist within their own theocracy, recklessly attempting to touch the divine realm with their mortal bodies..."

Charles spoke calmly.

After he had fully analyzed those fragments of divine power, Charles also gained a general understanding of the forms in which gods exist.

This is purely a struggle for interests.

Wizards, with their arcane way of thinking that analyzes the laws governing all things in the world.

This is fundamentally different from the survival model of a true God who relies on faith for existence.

As long as both sides coexist, the so-called witch hunt and holy war will inevitably break out.

The only difference is whether it happens sooner or later.

"If the true gods of the Western Continent hadn't suddenly disappeared three thousand years ago—"

"Can the Black Tower really be built according to the historical trajectory?"

"Or rather..."

"Is the Darkest Tower of the Western Continent truly the original Dark Tower?"

Charles's long, slender fingers traced the roll of greyish-white parchment as he fell into deep thought.

After a long while, Charles finally managed to suppress the flickering and uncertain speculations swirling in his mind.

As a wizard who values ​​rationality, Charles understands that no matter how realistic or deceptive a hypothesis may seem, it is of little significance without actual evidence to support it.

Rather than indulging in baseless speculation here.

What Charles needs to do now is to thoroughly uncover the truth of this sub-dimensional world.

He stood up and looked at Aize beside him.

"I heard that the front lines of the Calamity of Light are not too far from this city?"

"Yes."

Aize's gaze was fixed on the distant, boundless darkness beyond the city walls.

"Most creatures of the twilight have little independent will; they simply wander aimlessly in the darkness, unconsciously attacking sources of light."

"These scattered twilight creatures are not too difficult to defend against, given the experience available and the wisdom of humans combined with the geographical advantages of the city."

"But--"

A flicker of fear suddenly flashed in Aize's withered eyes.

"Among the Twilight Creatures, there seem to be some that possess intelligence, and even higher beings who can command other Twilight Creatures."

“Every so often, the creatures of dusk that were originally wandering aimlessly would gather together in an organized manner, as if driven by something.”

"Then, launch an assault on a large stronghold with a stable light source—"

"And this—"