Chapter 109: That Legendary Man
Cain smiled with light irony, glancing at the young man who had transformed in a sudden, almost hilarious fashion. The panicked look that covered his features moments ago and the trembling that nearly choked his breath were replaced by a face overflowing with reverence and warmth, looking at Cain as if he were a father returning home after years of absence!
Cain studied the young man again and stated calmly, "I believe I still do not know your name..."
The young man was slightly flustered and apologized with deep politeness, "Oh... my deepest apologies! I have not introduced myself to you yet."
The young man extended his hand respectfully toward Cain, who shook it with a balanced grip in return. "I am Nathan... and I wonder with all respect... if I am permitted to know the names of the sir and lady?"
Cain replied with composure, "I am Duke Cain Oster of the Holy Kingdom... and this is my wife, Lucy."
Nathan nodded, a slight but noticeable nervous smile appearing the moment he heard the titles "Duke" and "Holy Kingdom"—not to mention that this strange man’s name crossed paths in a bizarre way with a legendary and extremely dangerous figure in this world!
Although Cain was not stupid enough to openly declare to everyone he met that he came from another world—a massive folly that could end in endless pursuits—he genuinely wanted to build a network of connections and influence. And though Nathan seemed at first glance to be just a simple jewelry shop owner on the outskirts of Nebraska, Cain knew with his sharp intuition that it was not that simple.
The fact that he possessed special connections allowing him to instantly connect him with a woman known as the "Queen of the Underworld" meant he was by no means an ordinary person.
Even though Cain’s magic-sensing techniques were sealed and suppressed due to the cursed Michael Gem (Michael Jewel), he still possessed enough ability to distinguish whether a person carried something exceptional inside them... and Nathan certainly had a somewhat mysterious and distinct aura.
Since Cain aimed to establish a foothold, he found that starting with this young man was the ideal first step before expanding his sights toward a broader horizon. But one pressing question had been occupying his mind since the moment he heard the word "Mana."
Cain lowered his eyes toward Nathan and asked with gravity, "When exactly did Mana appear on Planet Earth? I do not remember it existing here at all the last time I was here..."
Nathan swallowed with difficulty, his eyes darting with hesitation as he searched for the right words to frame his response smoothly.
Nathan said in a low, almost stammering voice, "I... I do not know the exact timing, sir... Perhaps ten years ago, or maybe twenty... or perhaps its flows existed since time immemorial in a hidden form. But I know for certain from one of my very close acquaintances—who used to work in the same headquarters with the same person previously—that the first person who managed to harness that energy and gained immense, unprecedented power, to the point that he was impossible to destroy even with nuclear, hydrogen, or even the most advanced weapons... was the sole ruler of the underworld, the man known only by the name... Cain."
Nathan paused for a moment, then added as tension mounted in his tone, "No one knows his exact full name... but what is common and confirmed is that he surrendered voluntarily to the high authorities after negotiating with the government in a complex secret agreement. He handed over all super-magical research and techniques in exchange for special conditions, and entered prison... Since then, his trace vanished completely, and no one knew where he went or how he ended up!"
Nathan wiped thin beads of sweat from his forehead, recounting what sounded like an urban legend with anxious enthusiasm: "There is a common urban legend among the lords of the underworld saying... that he used his ultimate and final magical ability to subject his mind to a process of memory erasure and complete modification, giving up all his power to return as a mere ordinary human living among people without anyone remembering him... I do not know how true this fantasy is, of course, but since you are Mr. Oster, I thought I should answer you with absolute transparency."
Cain listened to the story, feeling an immense sense of surrealism and strangeness! He could not suppress a light, sarcastic laugh from his chest... almost he and this mysterious man carried the exact same name, and both had experienced prison and constraints in different ways!
Cain could understand with deep emotion the reason that might drive a man who reached the pinnacle of power and influence to make such a radical decision: abandoning the throne, magical freedom, and sovereignty, to erase his memories himself and become a mere passing human!
When a person loses the primary passion or purpose that moved them and pushed them forward, they wish from the bottom of their heart that they had not sacrificed everything just to reach the top... and someone who managed to build such a legendary empire had certainly sacrificed a lot, and surely tasted the bitterness of pain to reach where he arrived, or to achieve a great goal that ultimately did not grant him the expected happiness.
Cain interpreted it this way based on his own experiences; he himself had founded the Transmigrators’ Organization and endured a arduous building journey from scratch at a young age.
Those shiny things that humans fight for—like money, influence, and absolute control—lose their value and attraction entirely once a person reaches the apex of their world and stands alone at the top!
Perhaps that legendary "Cain" realized in a moment of clarity that he no longer wished to destroy the world or protect it... and that he transcended in power only to discover in the end that all he really needed was simply to live a normal, simple life in a completely different way.