Long ago, back when the Giant still ruled over Frthea, far before the Age of Dusk even began… There were many divine beings, each watching over a different part of our world.

Yet, everything changed after the Fall…

As the gods and goddesses perished one by one, eventually, only a single deity remained.

“Wait, but I thought wylders still worship the Wyld?”

“Hush, you! I was getting to that part.”

The Human Goddess, who almost destroyed this world in her grief, also ended up saving it. It was her blessing that allowed the first chosen to descend upon Frthea, and only by this miracle did we manage to survive the blight.

Once the deadliest of darkness was banished, the Goddess’s presence faded once more. Yet, no one could deny that prayers offered to Her would receive a response, faint as it was.

As for the deities that other races followed… not even a whisper of divinity could be felt from their dimming traces.

And thus, after the Age of Darkness came to an end, so was the worship of old.

Elves started depicting their Mother as the merciful blue moon, rejuvenating wildlife every spring. Dwarves began to build temples dedicated to the blood moon - the deadly crucible that forged all survivors. Wylders still believed in the Wild One… though said hunter, or prey, had become more of a presence than an actual living, breathing being.

“So in the end, all the new worships were directed towards different aspects of the Goddess and her influence upon this world. Each race simply molded it as they saw fit.”

“Yes. Now hush! I am telling a story here!”

“Sorry…”

Of course, not everyone could adapt to the new ways.

Sandwalkers, who foolishly believed that their deity was still out there, brought the Dragon to this world and paid a deadly price for such folly. The Crimson One might have truly been their Father in a different form, though that mattered little now.

So many souls, vanished into the hungry mouth of a fiery beast… Such an outcome was truly tragic. However, it also bolstered the belief of everyone else, especially those living in Bright Land.

Thus, in the centuries that followed, the Church of New Dawn only grew in prominence. Soon enough, it became the only faith of brightlanders everywhere, and then-

•ㅅ•

“Seriously, why are so many parts sound completely different from what I read? Most of the books that wrote about the Wyld or the Crimson Dragon also made it seem like those two have existed since the very beginning, which is just wrong. At the very least, I’m fairly certain that the Wyld is not the old Wild One.”

“Well, first of all…” I smiled sweetly at my wayward listener, before knocking him on the head. “I said no interrupting!”

“Ow…”

“Besides, the tale needs to be told in full since you didn’t even recognize the Church’s emblem.”

Perhaps it was an oversight on my part. The effort put into helping my ward recover might have glossed over everyday aspects which were more than obvious common sense. Thus, back when he asked if the Church was a “dubious place, depending on the situation”, I just assumed that he still remembered and simply nodded…

“It is said that most brightlanders hold the faith very dear to their heart. I might not know how it feels to forget something so important, but I will do my best to help you remember it!”

“Actually, I was never a br-”

*Wham*

Hiro barely managed to get some words out before he smashed his own face against the table. After a while, the boy lifted his head up towards the empty ceiling with a grimace, as if he was looking at something far beyond it.

“... I was never into religion. There. Happy?”

Others might have raised an eyebrow after seeing such an oddity. Not me, though. After all, this had happened so often, especially after my ward learned magic and grew stronger in strength, that I just assumed it was another quirk of his.

That, or maybe the remnant effect of “the throw” made him more prone to monkey business. This was also quite likely, given how human adventurers loved to clown around.

“Understandable. Besides, you don’t need to worry too much about that. Lots of hedge knights and magicians only followed the New Dawn’s teachings on a surface level as well.” I then grinned at him. “Which is a perfect segue for what I’m going to tell you next. After all, you want to know why the history told in tomes is so different from what actually happened, right?”

“Yes! What’s up with that? I thought the Church might be trying to cover up some forbidden secrets or something, but it does not add up. Well, at least they shouldn’t be able to change the books in Wyld Land, unless I’m missing something here…”

“Cor~rect. The pressure of a wyld city alone can even knock out an archknight, let alone a missionary inquisitor. Forcibly charging into a place like this just to burn some tomes would be nigh impossible. Without help, the Church could never have dreamed of extending their influence this far west.”

I paused for suspense. Soon, Hiro began to look at me impatiently, just like a little bird chirping for more morsels of knowledge. Satisfied with his reaction, I then revealed the thorny truth.

“The council of elders approved such changes.” A finger was raised, though it was swiftly countered by one of my own. “Because, the Church only started this entire endeavor on behalf of Ser Mourin, who spearheaded the strange deed.”

“... The fourth chosen? Slayer of the Demon King, creator of “original” inventions, the same one that went mad later on?”

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“The one and only! Also, it was this very act that caused people to call him “the wizened” instead of “the wise”. In the end, though, most of the old records across the world were torched and replaced. No one knew why or how this could happen, though all blames were laid at the fourth chosen’s feet.”

“...”

My ward started pacing around the room with a frown on his face. Many questions were undoubtedly whirling within him, and it did not take long before he tried to gain an answer to the most obvious one.

“Over a century ago, they managed to rewrite history, but many still remember the old records in the present day… No, it would be more accurate to say that people can still learn the truth without any repercussions, like how you just told me all of these just now…”

Once again looking like a hungry little bird, the boy chirped for an answer, and I could only comply.

•ㅅ•

Thanks to Captain Jack, Age of Adventure became the golden age for adventurers everywhere.

Long after the second chosen fell down the world’s edge, his teachings still remained as the guidelines for all guilds across the kingdom. Youngbloods knew of the risk, old guards passed down their experience. As hedge knights and magicians braved the blighted lands, little by little, old territories were reclaimed. Bit by bit, society saw them for the valiant souls that they were, instead of rejects and failures who chased after false glory.

From staff to task takers, everyone knew that they now had a cause, a purpose worth fighting for. With this newfound sense of unity, their influence soon grew across the land, rivaling that of even the royal family and the Church.

If the nobility looked upon adventurers with barely concealed wariness during the Age of Vengeance, then the Age of Blood was when everything came to a head.

Yet, even as the flame of civil wars raged over Bright Land, the adventurers’ guild remained steadfast in its cause. Many pointed and whispered at its alliance with the former thieves’ guild. However, when knights and paladins neglected their role as guardians of the kingdom, it was adventurers who picked up the slack once more.

“Call me crazy, but you seem very supportive of the Adventurers’ Guild…”

“There is a reason for that, though I can’t tell you if the story keeps getting interrupted.”

“I’ll be quiet, ma’am!”

As the fourth chosen grew mad with grief, wanting to continue his siege of Lonely Mountain, the adventurers’ guild was the first to denounce him.

Such a move was not without consequences. However, “Learn from your mistakes. Wear them like armor and they can never be used to hurt you”, wasn’t that the lesson Captain Jack had taught everyone so long ago?

“Cough BULLCRAP cough PLAGIARISM cough. Oh sorry, something was stuck in my throat. Please continue.”

“... Uh huh.”

Years later, as the book burnings commenced, adventurers everywhere once again resisted the mad mage’s campaign. As bar brawls turned into small skirmishes on the street, a sense of unease lingered in the air, filling all with fear.

In the end, to avoid another civil war, an agreement was struck between the guild masters and the wizened one…

•ㅅ•

“The adventurers’ guild would not stand in the way of Ser Mourin’s mad quest. In return, the northern part of the Giant Continent, where the guilds’ influence is at their strongest, would be left alone.”

With that, I finished the tale of old.

“More than a hundred years have passed since then. Yet, three cities on the outskirts remain the only places where one could find an accurate chronicle of Frthea. Talks of such topics might not be outlawed, though punishment still awaits anyone trying to bring back the ancient records.”

An uneasy silence enveloped the room, as if some cold blanket had wrapped itself around us. After a while, Hiro started pacing back and forth once more.

“Crazy… Too damn crazy… So this is why wylders prefer to pass down knowledge by word of mouth?”

“One of the main reasons, yes. Besides, a story around the campfire is much more entertaining than some boring tomes, you know!”

“I see…”

The boy stopped his musing and turned towards me.

“Why are those in power still enforcing this ridiculous charade? Everything feels so half-baked, given how people are not even banned from learning the truth. How did this entire farce even manage to come to fruition in the first place?”

“First of all, I don’t know. In fact, pretty much no one aside from the top dogs can truly know.”

As predicted, my ward frowned at the lackluster reply. Seeing this, a sense of nostalgia swelled within me, and I could only respond with the same answer that big sis Nexa once gave.

“Secondly, and more importantly, the fourth chosen must have had his own reason. His companions also vouched for him, so there must be something they knew that we don’t!”

“... I don’t think that actually says much, given how smitten those princesses were with that guy. Most of them even followed him on his doomed expedition, so they might even be just as, you know.”

The sight of Hiro sticking out his tongue and spinning a finger in circles almost made me break my solemn stance. Of course, like always, my iron will could never be overcome by such an attack!

“Pfft… Maybe, maybe. In fact, a lot of conspiracy theorists claim countless things of just as colorful nature. Some believe that the adventurers’ guild only accepted the deal to have time preparing for an inevitable war. Others say that the fourth chosen was assassinated by the mistwalkers, given how his group disappeared after following their emissary east. So many “what ifs”, no guarantees, even to this day.”

“...”

Hearing this, my ward turned pensive once more. A part of me would have loved to continue our bout of gossip, though a glance at the timekeeper revealed that nighttime would soon be approaching.

With a yawn, I stretched my limbs and motioned towards the bright invention with an ear. That certainly did the trick, for Hiro soon snapped himself out of his musing.

“Ah… almost 8.30 already, huh? Guess time doesn’t stop during exposition, after all...”

Some weird choice of words aside, Hiro was clearly hesitant to end our talk. I could understand why, of course. After all, back when big sis first told me about these not-so-secretive secrets, the questions burning in my mind had kept us up all night. Throughout that time, the lǐon continued to regale Imun and me with forbidden lores, which were only obtained thanks to her valiant sneaking back at Pride’s Heart!

Unfortunately, it also got us grounded the next morning… Well, it got those two grounded, anyway. I was sleeping like a log, of course. It was just a coincidence that my spot happened to be right next to big sis’s hiding place~

Anyway…

“Try not to lose too much sleep over this whole shenanigan, okay? I can tell you more tomorrow, but after that, we need to focus on preparing for the expedition up north. You can finally meet my troublesome flock next week as well, so look forward to it!”

“Yeah… There is definitely a lot for me to think about.” Hiro walked with me to the doorway, before chuckling to himself. “Heh, funny how this all started because I was curious about mating habits and whatnots, huh?”

“Um hum. Life can be funny like that sometimes.”

“That’s for certain. Some of these sound so ridiculous that I still have problems believing they could be true! Heck, it’s just like how I first heard that chosens liking big breasts now results in most women having… huge…”

He looked at me.

I looked at him.

The scoundrel sweated, before averting his gaze, as if he was a pirate disappointed at seeing some poor chest.

With a smile, I sloooowly, gently closed the door on my way out.

•ㅅ•

As the weekend passed away, Monday arrived once more, carrying with it new and exciting lessons.

Along with such a change, the introduction of my flock to Hiro - its newest member - also went swimmingly.

…

…

…

“THEY ARE CLOSING IN ON US!!!”

“HURRY HURRY HURRY!!!”

“AHHHHHHH!!!”

“... Isa?”

“Yes?”

“... You are still mad at me, aren’t you?”

“Whatever do you mean? I am just having my unruly brats demonstrate how to play water sport, that’s all~”

“...”

“OW OW OW OW! MY BUTT! THEY BIT MY BUTT!!!”

“... Would this same fate befall me if I ever make you angry again?”

“I’m sure that you won’t do something so stupid in the first place, my foul-mouthed fetcher. After all, you certainly won’t want to find out what punishment awaits you then~”

“...”

“BIG SIS! WE’RE SORRY! WE WILL NEVER DO IT AGAIN! PLEASE DON’T TURN US INTO FISH FOOD!!!

“I swear that I will always watch my words from now on, ma’am.”

“Glad to hear!”