The Possessor Mistook the Genre for 20 Years - Chapter 103



102 – There is Romance in the Western Lake

Wow….

Arriving at the lake, Franz couldn’t help but exclaim. The water was so clear and clean that he could see all the way to the bottom of the deep lake. It was so clear that it seemed like he could drink it right away without any problem.

‘If it weren’t for work, it would have been really nice….’

If he were to take in such a view, he wanted to enjoy it as leisurely as possible. Sitting on a nearby rock, eating a sandwich, and relaxing.

But right now, there was no such leisure. Even counting the lakes he had to check today, it exceeded ten fingers. If he took it easy, the work might continue until tomorrow.

Of course, it wasn’t that it had to be done today. He just hated being bothered, and he didn’t want to move twice for the same task.

In a way, it could be said that it was the result of being harassed by work as the Tower Master. If he postponed the work, today would be easy, but tomorrow would be twice as hard.

In the end, Franz had no choice but to move on, leaving his regrets behind.

Well, it’s fine. Now that he knew such a place existed, he could come back next time.

‘Would they like it if they saw it too…?’

Arian, Justia, Yuna, Hera. For some reason, the faces of the four suddenly came to mind.

It must be because they had gotten closer recently. Honestly, except for them, there was no one he could call a friend.

Franz’s lips curled up slightly, but he didn’t realize it.

Soon after arriving in the city, Franz began to look for someone to ask about the code.

As Arian’s grandfather had said before, the older, the better. They were more likely to know the history of the area in detail.

After walking through the city for a while, an old man with a cane appeared.

Franz approached him and said.

“Excuse me, sir. May I ask you something?”

Since the continent used a common language everywhere, it wasn’t impossible to communicate even in another country.

For Franz, who had to struggle with memorizing English words, this fact was very much appreciated.

The old man, who had been slowly raising his head at Franz’s words, spoke.

“Huh? A face I’ve never seen before.”

“Yes, I came from the Empire.”

“The Empire? You’ve come from an incredibly distant place. Come to think of it, I went to the Empire when I was young. I was quite a successful merchant back in the day….”

The old man spoke with a nostalgic expression, as if recalling memories.

His story seemed like it would never end. If his life story were written into a book, it would easily fill three volumes. If paired with some other talkative person, they could probably continue talking for a whole week.

At first, Franz listened and responded appropriately, but as the story went on without end, he began to grow tired.

But he couldn’t interrupt the story. The old man seemed to be enjoying it so much. Besides, he was the one who had started the conversation, so it was an awkward situation.

How much time had passed like that?

In the end, tired of waiting, Franz made a decision.

“Excuse me, sir….”

“Come to think of it, didn’t you say you wanted to ask something? Go ahead and ask.”

The old man, as if reading his thoughts, spoke first.

Franz found it oddly displeasing, but decided to let it slide. After all, the outcome would be the same.

“Do you know the saying, ‘When a ray of light shines on the lake’? I believe it’s related to a lake in the west of the continent.”

“When a ray of light shines…”

The old man muttered softly, furrowing his brow.

The deep wrinkles added to Franz’s anticipation. It felt like he really knew something.

If he provided the answer Franz was hoping for, the long conversation wouldn’t have been a waste of time.

But Franz’s anticipation was soon shattered.

“Well, at least it doesn’t seem to be about our village’s lake.”

The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. Franz stared blankly into the void, overwhelmed by a sense of futility.

So, what was the point of listening to that long story…

It was his own choice, so he couldn’t blame anyone. He could only regret not getting straight to the point earlier.

“Thank you, sir.”

Franz bowed lightly and prepared to leave. Knowing this wasn’t the lake, there was no reason to stay any longer.

Seeing Franz’s actions, the old man spoke with a hint of regret.

“I’d like to hear about your journey. How about a cup of tea?”

“Thank you for the offer, but I’m pressed for time. Sorry.”

“Well, it can’t be helped. Have a good journey.”

The old man said, slowly starting to walk away.

Seeing his lonely figure, Franz felt a twinge of guilt. It was a connection of sorts, after all, and he had coldly rejected it.

Though he talked a bit much, he wasn’t a bad person. If they met again, sharing a cup of tea wouldn’t be so bad.

Let’s save the story for then. The tale of the hero party that defeated the Demon King would be quite long.

Afterward, Franz wandered around the village, asking about the lake. He had heard the old man’s story, but cross-verification was always important, so he couldn’t ignore it.

The answers he received were similar. They hadn’t heard such a story, or they didn’t know, or it definitely wasn’t this lake.

After completing his verification, Franz etched the beautiful image of the lake in his mind and used teleportation.

Arriving at the next lake, Franz did the same as before. He examined the lake and asked the villagers about the code.

But again, the answers were the same. Most said they had never heard such a story.

One, two, three…

‘Which number was it?’

Checking the map, he realized it was the eleventh lake. If the map was correct, this was the last one.

Given the situation, Franz began to feel uneasy. If this lake wasn’t the one, then the assumption about the west of the continent could be wrong, or the code itself could be false.

Going back to square one, could there be anything more dreadful?

But it was still too early to despair. That would be the case only if this lake wasn’t the code.

To borrow a line from a certain movie, there’s still one bullet left.

Come to think of it, there was something about bulletproof glass before that line, how about developing anti-magic glass?

With that thought, Franz took in the sight of the last lake.

The lake wasn’t particularly special. The water was moderately clear, and it was of moderate size. If he had to choose a place where the sealed artifact was hidden, this would be the last choice.

Sss-, I’m anxious…

With growing anxiety in his heart, Franz arrived at a nearby village.

The village was as ordinary as the lake. It was just a typical village that could be found anywhere.

Franz bought a suitable item at the general store and asked the owner.

“Excuse me, may I ask you a question?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Do you know the saying, ‘When a ray of light shines on the lake’? I understand it’s related to a lake in the west of the continent.”

Franz hoped. He hoped that the old man in front of him knew about the code.

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But the answer he received was far from what Franz had hoped for.

“Well, I’ve never heard such a story in my life. Could it be a different place, not our village’s lake? There are quite a few lakes in the west, you know.”

“Is that so…”

Franz said and left the general store.

He then wandered around the village, asking the same question to the residents, but the answers were not much different. No one knew about the code.

With this, everything about the Seven Great Evils and the sealed artifact became a mystery. It was truly the worst situation.

‘I don’t even know where to start correcting this…’

Was the hint given by the cultist wrong, or was the assumption about the lake in the west wrong?

Not knowing where it went wrong, he felt utterly helpless.

It was then.

As he was sitting on a suitable bench, lost in thought, someone approached Franz.

It was a little boy who had been with one of the old men he had questioned earlier.

“Um, excuse me…”

“Yes, is there something you need?”

“The saying about when a ray of light shines on the lake…”

I think I know.

The child’s words were what Franz had been waiting and waiting for.

Franz jumped up from the bench and said,

“Can you tell me in detail?”