Chapter 554 - 303: Inner Side and Outer Side (Part 2)

With that comment, the girls who had been eager to go calmed down again.

It was true. The image they recalled of Dragon Knights from the news was usually just like that. After all, they were... Lawbreakers.

"You’re always saying how you wish you could meet a Dragon Knight when you read the papers, but now none of you dare to go."

A girl scoffed, and the clinking of porcelain could be heard.

"Fine, you all stay here. If no one else dares, I’ll go. I want to see for myself if this Dragon Knight is anything like the rumors... Maybe the news just made it all up!!!"

Baron looked at the Golden Mage. The Golden Mage coughed, then clapped his hands. "Ladies, would one of you be able to bring up a cup of black tea for our esteemed guest and this thirsty old man?"

The sounds from the corner ceased. The black tea was brought up by a girl wearing a Wizard Robe that was far too large for her frame.

Her frame was as petite as her face, which was as fair and delicate as a porcelain doll. She walked with a light, graceful step, her hair in two braids draped over her shoulders. She had freckles and wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses. As she offered the tea to Baron, a faint scent of lavender wafted from her.

Adelle noticed Baron Constantin sizing her up and, refusing to be intimidated, stared right back. She widened her almond-shaped eyes behind her black-rimmed glasses, as if trying to display her uncontainable fury. To Baron, however, it just looked very childish. She was tightly clutching a Magic Staff in her hand, even as she held out the tea.

’Is she afraid of me?’

Baron figured he should probably try to look a bit more friendly, so he smiled at the girl.

As Adelle served the black tea to the London Tower Master, she peeked at the Dragon Knight out of the corner of her eye.

She was surprised to find that the Dragon Knight—rumored to be a ruthless killer—actually looked no different from her fellow students at the London Tower. Aside from being more handsome, he was just an ordinary, good-looking young man. She couldn’t at all connect him with the image of a Dragon Knight from the news.

’He’s not so special after all. If Karenina had been the one to come up, she’d probably be disappointed.’

Adelle scoffed inwardly and placed the black tea on the small table to the young man’s left.

She discovered the Dragon Knight was also looking at her, his pitch-black eyes as deep and steady as a placid abyss.

Again, refusing to be intimidated, she stared back, only to see the young man suddenly smile at her.

She froze for a moment before lowering her head and retreating.

The other girls in the corner crowded around her, asking what the legendary Dragon Knight was really like. "Does he really have a pair of brightly glowing Golden Eyes, like they say in the news?"

Adelle just mumbled, "He’s just an ordinary young man. Now let me through, I need to get to my Magic Card Class."

"But Adelle, your face is so red. Are you running a fever?"

Adelle didn’t answer, instead quickening her steps to leave.

Her face did feel a bit hot, but she thought she could handle it. It was the sort of trouble unique to a young girl.

’The Dragon Knight isn’t so different from the other students, after all,’ she thought. ’He looked at me so intently when he smiled... he must like me.’

......

Baron took a sip of the black tea and was surprised by how good it was.

The Golden Mage smiled. "Those are all girls from the London Tower. They’re all eager for a glimpse of the legendary Dragon Knight. If you’re interested, Mr. Constantine, I could perhaps introduce you to a couple of them."

Baron looked embarrassed. "Ah, that won’t be necessary."

’The Golden Mage must have misunderstood,’ he thought. ’I just scared away the girl who brought the tea. I suppose I’ve been either fighting or heading into a fight so much lately that even my usual polite smile feels strained.’

The Golden Mage didn’t press the issue, instead steering the conversation back on track.

"Mr. Constantine, before I begin telling you the story, may I ask you one more question?"

When Baron nodded, the Golden Mage continued, "How do you view the existence of Prole?"

Baron thought for a moment. "A parallel world created by the Dream Master."

This was a conclusion he’d drawn from the name Dreamland.

"You’re one-third correct," the Golden Mage said. "Prole is indeed related to the Dream Master, but it isn’t quite a parallel world."

"In actuality, it is a dreamscape that the Dream Master shaped from the subconsciousness of humans from both the Outer Side and the Inner Side."

As Baron stared in shock, the Golden Mage took a sip of tea. "It all begins with a God known as the [Great Lord]."

Over the next ten minutes, Baron learned from the Golden Mage the most fundamental secrets of the Outer and Inner Sides, and of Prole.

It turned out that long ago, the Outer Side, which lacks Spiritual Power, was the true origin of the Old Gods and the Law.

At that time, the world was ruled by Dragons, Giants, and Elves. Humanity was merely one of countless races enslaved by these mythical beings.

This lasted until one day, when meteorites rained from the sky, forming stone monuments across the land that were inscribed with unknown runes. A great flood, originating from these monuments, then submerged the world, and many races and creatures vanished in its waters.

Then, seven days later, a boat arrived before one of the monuments, and the human on board became the first person to touch it.

He begged the monument to stop the flood, promising to bring a new Order to the chaotic land.

Thus, the first god in existence was born. The Laws He mastered were [Order] and [Creation]. As the very first God, He was known as "the Lord."

The Lord then used the monument’s power to quell the flood. He shattered the monument, bestowing pieces of the Law upon other gods to rebuild the ravaged land. The Lord of Nature, Cornu, who mastered the Law of [Life], was one of these Old Gods.

In the history of the Old Blood, this period is known as the [Stone Monument Era], and also as the [Era of Order].

But this era did not last long. [Order] and [Chaos] are inherently intertwined; a part of one has always existed within the other. When Order was at its most stable, the collective desire of all living things to shatter it became the very breeding ground for [Chaos].

Moreover, the Lord’s act of shattering the monument allowed the Chaos that Order had suppressed within it to manifest. Thus, a new Law stele was born.

The birth of the new stele gave rise to [Desire] among the gods. Driven by [Desire], [War] erupted...

The gods who wielded the Law settled across various continents and regions. The Law granted them immense power. They used their divine might to build great walls that stretched across the Eurasian Continent. Between their cities, they raised long banners made of bone. Upon their thrones, they forged Authority for their power out of Gold.

Thus, this era also came to be known as the [Golden Era].

The Lord could not bear to see the world consumed by [Chaos]. Guided by [Destiny], He shattered the Chaos Stele into three pieces. From that point on, every Law would adhere to the [Law of the Trinity], meaning it could be divided into three parts at most.

But even with the Chaos Stele shattered, [War] still erupted. The gods launched a War of Law, fighting over the fragments of the Chaos Law and the corpse of the Lord.

In the war, many gods perished, and many new ones were born.

Through the workings of [Destiny], the three fragments of the Chaos Law each came into the possession of a wise Old God.

These three Old Gods took their fragments of the Chaos Law and fled in three different directions.

Among them was the Lord of Nature, Cornu. He took his fragment of [Chaos] and built a great ship from Gepei Wood. He carried the gods who were willing to follow him and escaped to Britain. There, he used one-third [Taboo] and one-third [Mystery] to seal away his one-third of [Chaos].

The gods settled down in Britain, living and working in peace and harmony with the native creatures. For this reason, that era on the island of Great Britain came to be known as the [Obedience Era].

This lasted until the Night of Black Blood, when the Lord of Nature was murdered under the moonlit sky. With him gone, the Chaos Law was no longer suppressed and reappeared in the world. Drawn by the Law, the gods began Britain’s first War of Law upon that land—a war also known as the God War.

Much like the previous War of Law, this conflict saw old gods fall and new gods rise.

A nameless stranger from a foreign land won the final victory. He devoured that one-third of the Chaos Law and became the Great Lord.

But because of the Chaos Law’s influence, His very existence threatened to bring disaster upon the hard-won stability of [Order].

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