The man’s words were astonishing.
A man manifested from gathered blue particles. He introduced himself as Lexuror.
‘Lexuror.’
Lexuror was a truly legendary figure. Even if hundreds of years passed from now, his name would still be remembered.
Because he had left an indelible mark on the history of magic.
‘The mage who established the Sixth Circle.’
All Sixth-Circle mages are granted the rank [Lexuror].
For a mage, it was an overwhelming level of fame—something nearly impossible to attain even with a lifetime of effort.
‘And Lexuror is famous for another reason as well. His origins, the environment he grew up in, and the path he walked even after becoming a mage.’
As could be inferred from the absence of a surname, Lexuror was a commoner. He had not received proper instruction in his youth.
He began magic from the very bottom, and went on to systematize what had once been a vague concept—the Sixth Circle.
He was not the first to break through that realm, but he organized and refined what had previously been unstructured, defining it clearly and giving it concrete form.
‘That’s a different kind of difficulty than simply blazing a trail.’
To systematize a realm.
In the process, there must have been countless attempts, failures, and data left behind by predecessors throughout history.
Even so, there are things that simply cannot be done, no matter how many hints one is given.
Lexuror succeeded where others could not, and his name was etched into history.
And his path did not end there.
An authority on magic, he had also been an explorer by trade, and he threw himself into that role with even greater fervor.
He wandered the world, ventured into places no one else had reached, and explored the unknown.
‘Lexuror, who truly enjoyed such things, was a man with a burning heart—hardly fitting for a mage who ought to be cold and rational.’
But his end came during a journey to find a new continent far to the north.
He never returned, and people said that Lexuror had died.
‘Yet here stands a figure from history.’
Though he existed in a hologram-like form, he possessed enough intellect to introduce himself by name.
This was not merely a record preserving a snapshot of the past.
[Hmm. You all look quite surprised.]
The way he carefully observed their reactions confirmed it.
The Lexuror before them was undeniably an intelligent being capable of communication.
“Y-you’re really Lexuror?” Casey asked in an incredulous tone. As a mage herself, she knew just how extraordinary Lexuror was.
Veronica was equally stunned. Even to a knight like her, the name Lexuror was overwhelmingly famous.
[Hm? Hahahaha! Of course I am. My, this is surprising. It seems quite a long time has passed, yet there are still people who recognize me. And to be remembered by such a beautiful lady at that—if anything, the honor is mine!]
Lexuror laughed heartily, clearly pleased by Casey’s reaction.
At the same time, his expression grew deeper as he looked at her.
‘What is this?’
Casey was more than a little flustered by the intense gaze directed her way.
[More importantly, young lady—may I have your name?]
“...Casey Selmore.”
[Ahh. What a truly beautiful name! To think that the one who followed my traces would be such a beauty—how could this be anything but fate!]
His exaggerated gesture of spreading his arms wide, and his manner of speaking.
This man felt extremely suspicious.
‘Ah.’
Only then did Casey recall another well-known fact about Lexuror.
‘A notorious womanizer.’
There had been many mages throughout history who left their mark like Lexuror.
Yet among gossipmongers, the name most often brought up was always Lexuror.
Was it because he established the Sixth Circle? That was part of it.
Because he was an outstanding explorer who discovered ruins and excavated relics? That too.
But the most decisive reason was his reputation with women.
Lexuror lived his entire life as freely as the wind.
And wherever he went, scandals involving beautiful women followed in his wake.
There’s no smoke without fire.
Even among historians, Lexuror was acknowledged as a genuine philanderer.
He never behaved crudely or lecherously in the open, but he never rejected women who approached him.
And he possessed the free-spirited nature to leave them behind without regret.
Some might say he lacked responsibility or treated emotions lightly, but from a third party’s perspective, such stories were inevitably fascinating.
‘So it was actually true.’
One look at the way he was staring made it obvious.
Not to boast, but Casey was never outmatched in appearance wherever she went. Objectively speaking, she was beautiful, and had often appeared in newspapers for that very reason.
Of course, she disliked it. Being highlighted for her looks rather than her abilities bruised her pride.
Still, she had no intention of belittling herself, so Casey acknowledged objectively that she was attractive.
Because of that, she had often been subjected to intense male attention, and while accustomed to it, she had also grown sensitive to such gazes.
Lexuror was no different.
Though a hologram, the way he spoke suggested he retained memories from when he was alive.
That meant he was closer to a necromantic construct that had preserved his own will.
To encounter a historical figure like this «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» in person—inside an ancient ruin she had never even anticipated.
[What do you say, my lady? Shall we go somewhere quiet and enjoy a leisurely cup of tea—]
Lexuror trailed off, glancing down at his own body, and let out a bitter chuckle.
[...I would like to, but alas, this body of mine makes it impossible. Ah, how tragic. To think that I cannot go out and bring happiness to the countless beauties of the world.]
“You’re incredibly unpleasant,” Casey shot back bluntly. It wasn’t an instinctive remark—she deliberately hurled it at him.
[Unpleasant, perhaps. But what can I do if I’m simply that magnificent?]
Lexuror was unfazed. He spoke as though he had heard such remarks countless times before, utterly unabashed.
At his shameless demeanor, Casey let out a breathy sigh.
“Are you truly Lexuror?” Ludger asked at that moment.
[Hm?]
Lexuror looked toward Ludger. He had been so focused on Casey that he had noticed him late.
To begin with, Lexuror had little interest in men. Under normal circumstances, he would have reacted perfunctorily and shifted the conversation to his own preferred topic.
[...What are you?]
But the moment he faced Ludger, Lexuror felt an inexplicable chill.
From the man who looked far younger than himself emanated an indescribable presence.
[What in the world could you be, to have reached such a realm at that age?]
“Hm. Interesting. I thought you were merely a remnant of memory imbued with intent, but you can perceive something like that?”
Ludger, for his part, found Lexuror’s state fascinating.
It was common for great mages to leave behind their memories and knowledge in various recorded forms.
He had assumed Lexuror was simply one of those cases, but after exchanging a few words, it was clear it wasn’t that simple.
“Related to necromancy... did you deliberately bind a part of your own soul here?”
Ludger glanced briefly at the artifact he had activated.
Though it was only a moment, he was able to roughly grasp its operating principles and how Lexuror had modified it.
“Remarkable. Even if you established the Sixth Circle, delving into necromancy wouldn’t have been easy. Especially when it comes to handling one’s own soul rather than another’s...”
For a brief moment, Ludger recalled the silver-haired man he had seen in the Theocracy of Bretus.
Compared to that man’s ability to preserve his soul while swapping bodies, Lexuror’s method was clearly inferior.
But the important point was that Lexuror had achieved this purely through magic, without anyone’s assistance.
[You figured that out at a glance, just by looking?]
Only then did Lexuror’s expression grow serious. He sensed that this group was far from ordinary, and lowered his voice accordingly.
[Indeed. Judging by the fact that you made it here, you are no mere explorers. To think there exists a human who has reached a realm even the great mages I’ve seen could not... Has the world advanced that far?]
Lexuror snapped his fingers.
The blue mana that filled the room seeped into the walls, ceiling, and floor.
Soon, blue lines resembling circuits rose up everywhere, softly illuminating the chamber.
[Don’t be alarmed. This is merely my personal space, created to serve as a record room. I’ve simply activated it.]
“It’s still operating perfectly, even after all this time?”
[I didn’t do it alone. This is the result of borrowing the power of an ancient relic.]
Lexuror raised his index finger like a conductor and gave it a light turn.
Ziiiiing.
Objects within the space activated. What appeared to be a simple stone chamber was, in truth, a highly advanced magitech installation.
[Even I, who prided myself on being able to handle most things alone, couldn’t fully control this. It wounded my pride. And so, what I did was this.]
“You engraved your soul into an artifact, then let it permeate the ruin over a long period of time.”
That was why Lexuror could activate parts of the ruin with mere gestures.
He had become synchronized with the ruin’s magical system.
In effect, he had become one with the ruin itself.
“Even if your pride was wounded, did you really have a reason to go this far?” Casey demanded.
It was hard to understand why a mage as talented as Lexuror would so readily choose such an end.
[Hmm. Before I answer that, I should first briefly explain how I ended up here. It was when I was exploring the frigid northern seas in search of a new continent. Battling sea monsters, pushing through brutal cold and raging storms with the spirit of a true man—the first steps of a journey destined to be etched into history were truly—]
“...You said you’d keep it brief,” Casey muttered in disbelief.
This man was overflowing with narcissism. Given his accomplishments, he had earned the right—but Casey still found it distasteful.
She had seen mages even greater than Lexuror who never boasted about their abilities.
Whether subconsciously or not, Casey glanced at Ludger.
And Lexuror, faster than anyone, picked up on the emotion behind her gaze.
[Ah. I see.]
Lexuror chuckled, his shoulders shaking in amusement.
[Well, I exaggerate a bit, but it truly was a difficult journey. Discovering an unknown continent was wonderful enough, and finding a tropical rainforest at its heart was even better.]
Lexuror hadn’t stopped at merely discovering the forest—he sought to explore its depths.
The forest was dangerous. It teemed with insects and poisonous plants, and the extreme humidity made breathing difficult.
The beasts and plants alike were infused with powerful mana and posed constant threats. Among them, the most terrifying were the great beasts that ruled the forest regions.
[I don’t even know how many times I nearly died. I was seriously injured more than once. I’d always prided myself on having faced every danger imaginable as an explorer, but this was on a completely different level.]
Moreover, Lexuror had been traveling alone. The fact that he breached the forest of great beasts without anyone’s help proved just how extraordinary an explorer he was.
[And that’s how I discovered this ruin. This place is truly astonishing. To think that ancient humanity created something like this in the distant past—something that even modern magic struggles to classify.]
It was a discovery of the century.
Lexuror devoted himself even more fervently to exploring the ruin, seeking to gain knowledge from it.
[But there was a problem. I had expended too much vitality just getting here.]
Lexuror began to walk.
He stepped out of the room where he had awakened.
He said nothing, but the meaning was clear—follow me.
Ludger, Casey, and Veronica exchanged glances briefly before following after him.
As they walked down the corridor, Lexuror continued speaking.
[My body had already been heavily worn down, but my battle with the great beasts was the final blow. Before I could even fully examine the ruin, I realized my life was in imminent danger.]
He stopped in front of a room.
Lexuror extended his hand. The solid stone door slid aside with a grinding sound.
Dust billowed down, revealing an interior choked with countless vines.
At the center lay a single skeleton, as though sleeping.
[And so, this was the measure I chose.]
“Soul transference,” Ludger said.
Lexuror nodded.
As he gazed at the corpse that had once been his body, his eyes held an emotion difficult to put into words.
[In any case, I remained here and devoted myself to understanding this ruin. It wasn’t so bad. As a mage by nature, I even enjoyed the process itself. The problem was that I became so absorbed in my research that I failed to notice the artifact’s power source running dry. And so, I fell into an unintended deep sleep.]
“But you didn’t forget to make preparations for those who might come after you.”
[Which is why we can have this conversation now. So then—what purpose brings you here?]
Lexuror shook his head slightly and corrected himself.
[No, I’ll ask something else. The ones who just entered above—are they your companions?]