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n“Huh?” At the very instant Valyr heard Julian’s question, the young man was left at a complete loss for words.

n“You don’t have to act so surprised,” said Julian in response to the dumbfounded expression he received. “After all, I’m the only other person besides you that read through the description of the artifact you forged.”

n“Ah…” Hearing those words, Valyr’s expression swiftly changed into that of realization, causing multiple thoughts to surface in his mind as he wondered what Julian’s true goal was in asking the question. “Are you perhaps asking about the future I saw in order to gain an idea on how to create the artifact?”

n“Originally, that was the thought I had in mind. After all, who wouldn’t want to forge an artifact of their own?” Julian faintly nodded, prompting a slight frown to appear on Valyr’s face. “However, after thinking about it for a bit more, I realized that the future you saw was just a reference you used to create the artifact you made.

n“If anything, you’ve shown everyone that attended the forging duel how to create an artifact, me included.”

n“Of course, seeing it being made is still different from making it yourself. After all, for someone to even get close to creating an artifact in the first place, one would need to have a ton of knowledge, experience, and skill in the field of blacksmithing.” By this point, the frown on Valyr’s face disappeared. Instead, a slightly curious expression took its place.

n“Then… why are you asking about the future I saw?”

n“How could I not ask about the future, especially with what’s going on in the background?” Responding to Valyr’s question, Julian bitterly smiled. “Let us not beat around the bush here. I know you know what I want to know.”

n‘I definitely do.’ Valyr inwardly nodded. ‘But still…’

n‘Though introducing something like the Hammer of Beginnings a couple of years earlier has drastically changed the timeline, I’m certain that sharing this information will drastically change the timeline as well.’ Scratching the back of his head, the young man was conflicted on what to do.

nOn one hand, if he kept the information regarding the future to himself, then there was a considerable chance that the timeline would still stay more or less the same, allowing him to respond accurately and accordingly.

nHowever, if he were to share this information to Julian, though it would undoubtedly improve the human race’s position during the War of the Three Sovereignties, he did not know what kind of effect it would have in the long run.𝒪𝑣𝓁xt.𝗰𝓞𝓂

n‘Wait… why am I even thinking about the repercussions?’ Fortunately, it did not take long for him to get his answer, gazing at Julian in the eyes. ‘If I were afraid of change, then I shouldn’t have done anything since the beginning of my rebirth.’

n‘However, since I’ve made my moves and already changed a lot of things about the timeline… what difference would it really make to me if I were to change it some more?’

n“Haah…” Letting out a low yet slightly exasperated sigh, Valyr finally decided to speak about part of his past life to Julian. “Before I tell you about what I saw, would you mind swearing a mana oath to not speak of what I said to others?”

n“That’s…” Julian had a slightly conflicted expression on his face.

n“Though, if the other side were to swear a mana oath of their own to make sure this information does not leak out to those with malicious intent, that would also be fine.” Hearing Valyr’s addendum to the oath, Julian’s expression quickly relaxed as he nodded in agreement to the proposition.

nWhoosh!

nWith the clauses of the mana oath stated, Julian swiftly went through the steps of forming a mana oath with Valyr, causing his body to be briefly bathed in ambient mana before everything soon returned to normal. “Alright. Could you now tell me about the future you saw?”

n“So, before I begin…” Forming a barrier of mana around the two of them to make sure that no passerby could eavesdrop on their conversation, Valyr began to narrate the happenings he had experienced in his past life.

nAt first, he talked about how the tensions between the humans and the orcs escalated, turning into a full-scale war wherein both sides wished for their own side to be only side to remain standing. Hearing this, Julian nodded as if it were a matter of fact, talking about how this would eventually happen if nothing currently changed.

nHowever, instead of Valyr’s narration of the future ending there, he continued to talk about what happened after the full-scale war between the humans and orcs, telling Julian about how the elves got embroiled in the war as well, turning into a war that was fought all over Veldanyr for years.

n“The War of the Three Sovereignties…” Julian muttered to himself after Valyr was finished talking about what he saw in the future, committing the name to memory. “You’re certain that this event would happen in the near future?”

n“If the war between the humans and the orcs continue to escalate, then there’s a highly likely chance that it would still happen,” said Valyr in response, prompting Julian’s face to turn solemn.

n“A future where each and every being in the world would be caught up in war…” Going over the various things Valyr said to him once more, Julian could not stop himself from letting out an exasperated sigh. “It seems our preparations are still lacking in many ways.”

n“I’ll have to inform the others about this,” said Julian not long after as he looked at Valyr. “Of course, I’ll make sure to have them go through a mana oath.”

n“Aren’t you in any way suspicious that what I might be telling you about the future could be lies?” Valyr asked in response. “Do you really trust my words that easily?”

n“I don’t fully trust your words as of yet, so I’ll have to consult someone specializing in divination regarding the truth of your statements,” replied Julian, only for him to confidently smile soon after. “However, if there’s anything I’m sure about, it’s the feeling that you won’t lie about something like this so easily.”

n“I feel touched.” Valyr laughed in response, taking a look at the sky after that. “In any case, I should probably head back now

… unless if you still have something else to tell me.”

n“Well, I actually do.” Julian nodded in agreement. “However, since you and Theraldine have been forging for what’s basically the entire day at this point, just come here early in the morning.”

n“Alright then.” Nodding, Valyr began to make his way out of the Blacksmith Guild, dispelling the barrier of mana surrounding them as he waved farewell to Julian. “See you tomorrow, Julian.”

n“Alright.” Julian waved back. “See you tomorrow.”

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