For Isaac, the line between him and the original Isaac had long since blurred. He had all the memories of the original Isaac already. Having his experiences and memories, didn’t it mean he was now the original Isaac?
Besides, Isaac believed his soul had merged with the original Isaac’s soul, and he had not taken the place of the original Isaac.
It must be why the protagonist didn’t think he was a different person and always apologized to him for trying to kill him and not trusting him in Zara’s incident.
Amanda let go of his collar and broke down into sobs.
"Isaac, say something," Merlin pleaded, seeing Isaac had remained silent since the beginning.
Isaac looked at the protagonist, then Amanda.
Seeing her tears reminded him of the Amanda from his last life. She had been crying when he left to fight the Knight of Death. She likely knew Isaac would never return and regretted not spending more time with him when she had the opportunity.
Isaac looked at the protagonist again. He had died while hoping Isaac would form bonds.
Isaac sighed inwardly.
"When we were little, we once sneaked out of the mansion. We ended up getting lost and reached the slave market."
Amanda froze. Her sobs caught in her throat.
She raised her head and looked at him.
"You started crying when you saw the miserable conditions of the slaves. So, I bought them all and helped them. The butler later provided them jobs and sent them away."
Even the maid, Hazel, froze. She seemed to have forgotten the finer details of the incident. Made sense. She was quite young back then.
"The only one we didn’t send away was Hazel. She had become a friend of yours, and she was the first person after me whom you opened your heart to after mother’s death. I decided to keep Hazel with us. You were happy because you wanted to do the same but couldn’t due to fear of father. He doesn’t like keeping slaves. Back then I told you—"
"[Father won’t punish me, since I have the Weapon Element. Even if he does, the punishment is worth it as long as you are happy]," Amanda said in a daze, as if suddenly recalling those moments.
To the side, Hazel was frozen stiff.
She had always hated Isaac for keeping her as a slave. She had found a haven in Amanda. But the truth turned out to be something she had not expected.
Even so, Hazel quickly pushed those thoughts aside and reminded herself that she hated Isaac because of how he treated her. It didn’t matter if Amanda was why she was a slave at Wright Ducal House. Amanda had looked after her, unlike Isaac.
"Are you... really brother?" Amanda asked quietly, as if scared of the answer.
"Yes," Isaac nodded.
"Then, why?" she asked.
"Why did I change so suddenly? I never changed. I had always been like this. I showed shameful behavior in the past because I was suddenly able to see visions of the future. It showed me the disaster that would strike the kingdom. I was afraid of what I saw, but I knew that I had to start preparations for it. The visions made me think, ’What if this is some sort of power that only a blessed person or a hero is supposed to get?’ I was worried our enemies would be searching for someone like me, who could see the future. So I acted the exact opposite of a hero and made my preparations in secret," Isaac said.
Amanda was stunned by the influx of information.
"He is saying the truth. He is the one who created the Mana Breathing Technique and prepared the foundation for Communication Technology. He had been preparing for the war for ages," Merlin added.
Amanda looked at him, then at Isaac.
"So... you... suddenly changed because..."
"Because there is no reason to hide anymore. I’ve completed my preparations, and the war is near. We need to start making our move if we want to win," Isaac said.
"What is this war you are talking about..."
Isaac made her sit on the sofa and explained everything.
With each word, Amanda’s gaze changed. Shock, regret, worry. Countless emotions swept past her.
Hazel, on the other hand, looked at Isaac with an increasingly cold gaze. She seemed to be angry because he had treated her so poorly despite knowing how bad his actions were.
The Bard listened to everything with a curious gaze. Isaac didn’t mind him listening. The poison element mages were already working on poisoned rivers and farms, so the news of the upcoming war would soon start to spread among the upper echelon of the kingdom. Bard would know it sooner or later. Might as well tell him now so Isaac could recruit a Ten Star early.
After telling everything, Isaac sent Amanda away to rest and digest the information.
He could not help but think if he had chosen the correct path.
’I’m creating new bonds and mending the broken ones because of Merlin’s wishes.’
’But is it really the correct choice to treasure these bonds?’
’I will still die, whether in war or at the end of my natural lifespan.’
’Am I not just sharpening a knife that will one day be driven into my heart when everything rewinds?’
Those thoughts were unsurprisingly similar to the thoughts he had in Yilla Barony.
Isaac couldn’t decide whether he was right or wrong. For now, he chose to continue as he had been.
From that day, Amanda started to visit him regularly. She always found different excuses to meet him. Sometimes she was missing his cooking, sometimes she wanted to train with him, sometimes she wanted to play a game with Merlin and him.
Isaac also met Zara a few times. Her therapy seemed to be going well. She didn’t retch after seeing his face. He gave her a nod whenever they came across each other in the academy hallway, but she never looked him in the eye. They never exchanged any words.
She didn’t seem worried about his growing fame, which was surprising. Normally, she would have been afraid that he might expose her secret.
Isaac suspected the protagonist had put words in his mouth and reassured her that he would never do that.
Two and a half years passed.
Isaac made his breakthrough.
[Magic Core: Awakened (Beginner) → Awakened (Intermediate)]
A rush of pleasant energy washed over Isaac. He could feel his strength rising, his defense hardening, and his senses sharpening. All parts of his physical body gained a tremendous boost, and his Existence was elevated.
Isaac exhaled a white mist.
’Finally, I am now on par with Ten Stars.’
’This is one and a half years faster than my last life.’
In his last life, it had taken him five years to reach this realm. That speed would have gone down in the kingdom’s history as one of the fastest breakthroughs ever recorded.
Yet he had reached it even faster this time.
As if the heavens were smiling upon him, another piece of good news arrived.
"Isaac!" Merlin rushed into his room. The protagonist was breathing heavily, as if he had rushed a great distance. He had a bright smile. "We received permission to meet the Royal Dragon!"