She let out a gentle chuckle after finishing her explanation.
His little sister was then gently lifted by a maidservant and placed into her cradle. She breathed softly and steadily, her tiny hands clutching at their mother's dress before reluctantly letting go.
William's mother continued.
"Anyway, they arrived in the middle of the night. Your father was in his office, completely unaware of what was happening in this room. Every servant in the manor, including the guards, fell under a holy spell."
"A holy spell? I thought they were cultists."
"You're wrong, Will. Long ago, they were revered saints of the Holy Church. Wielding holy power was as natural to them as breathing. The very same power has kept them alive until this day. Even I could barely resist their spell that night."
"Mother... did they do something to me?"
"I'm not entirely sure. I only saw one of them wave a jade staff before you and say, 'We shall meet again, O Chosen One.' Then they vanished without a trace. The spell was lifted soon afterward, and everyone who had fallen asleep awoke."
"A jade staff... Do you know anything about it, Mother?"
Just as Elenoir was about to answer, the door swung open.
A young boy hurried inside, carrying a dusty old mythos that looked as though it had been forgotten somewhere deep within the mansion. His bright eyes sparkled with excitement as he ran toward William.
"Big Brother! Big Brother! I found an interesting storybook! Will you read it to me?"
William blinked in surprise.
The cover depicted a tiny slime.
For some reason, it looked strangely familiar.
Even stranger was the language written across its cover. It was foreign... yet somehow familiar.
"Where did you find this, Brent?"
"It was in the royal library. Why do you ask, Brother?"
The royal library? William thought.
There are millions of books there... Is this really a coincidence? Or is it fate?
Despite the storm of thoughts in his mind, he kept a gentle smile on his face.
William glanced toward his mother.
She simply smiled and nodded.
"Alright. Let's have a look."
"Yay!"
He's really happy, huh?
At the very least, I can do this much for my little brother.
Brent already knew how to read and write, so it puzzled William why he wanted the story read aloud.
Then again...
The book wasn't written in the kingdom's language.
It was written in a foreign tongue.
One William somehow understood.
He carefully opened the fragile book. Though its cover had aged with time, the title remained surprisingly clear.
The Slime Beneath the Jade Tree...
That slime...
I think I've seen it before.
A faint memory from William's previous life suddenly flashed before his eyes.
A ruined facility.
A tiny slime.
A feeling he couldn't quite grasp.
He winced as a sharp pain pierced his head.
"...What was that?"
"Will, are you alright?" his mother asked, concern filling her voice.
"Brother?"
"N-No... it's nothing. I'm just tired after today's lessons."
William lowered his gaze to the book.
Its true title appeared on the first page.
The Legend of the Jade Staff.
He began reading aloud.
Page after page passed as Brent listened with sparkling eyes, completely absorbed in the tale, as though he had wandered into another world.
But while his little brother enjoyed the fairy tale...
William realized what the Jade Staff truly was.
"Long, long ago, in the Age of Gold, when peace covered the world and the World Tree still watched over all living things, a tiny mysterious slime appeared beneath its ancient branches.
No one knew where it came from.
As the little slime wandered beneath the great tree, an old branch fell upon it. Instead of breaking, the branch was transformed into a weathered staff of jade.
The Jade Staff was blessed with two miracles. It could return one who had only recently died back to life—but only once. It could also awaken the hidden potential within a person, allowing ordinary souls to become the greatest heroes, sages, and kings of their age.
Thanks to the staff's blessing, countless heroes rose to defend the world. Though the Demon King returned again and again, each age found champions worthy of standing against the darkness.
Thus, the war between humans and demons repeated through ninety-nine great cycles.
At last, in the ninety-ninth war, the heroes achieved their greatest victory. The Demon King was defeated, the demon armies were cast back into the Demonic Realm, and never again did they set foot upon the human world.
When peace finally returned, the Jade Staff vanished without a trace.
The last heroes it had once restored to life slowly passed away, and with them, the Age of Miracles came to an end.
Some say the staff returned to the World Tree.
Others believe it became a wandering slime once more.
But the oldest tale tells a different story—that the Holy Church hid the Jade Staff away, known only to a secret few, waiting for the day the world would need its miracle again."
The final page bore a single sentence.
"When the sun sets upon humanity's twilight, the Herald of Mankind shall rise once more. —Finn."
William slowly closed the book.
Brent had already fallen asleep on the couch, a peaceful smile resting on his face.
Across from him, Elenoir watched William quietly.
A hint of surprise flickered in her eyes.
She had noticed.
William had read an ancient language that should have been impossible for him to understand.
Yet she asked no questions.
Every person carried secrets.
And her son...
...was old enough to keep his own.