Chapter 3: Time Like a Dream
At the lectern, Hikigaya faced his students, narrating the story of Moses with calm, steady detail.
He spoke slowly, with precision. Most of these stories came from what he had seen and heard during his own steps upon that ancient land.
His journey to Egypt had left an impression like fine wine: instead of fading with time, its flavor only grew richer.
Hikigaya had not spent much time directly with Moses, but once he had gathered enough information from Ramesses, the man had left him with a deep impression, even though Hikigaya's premature return to the modern era — caused by the flow of time — had cut things short.
As the sole protagonist of the later Exodus, Moses' survival was steeped in luck and coincidence.
The massacre had indeed happened, and Moses was one of the infants who survived. Born from the most lowly tribe of Hebrews — the Levites — his parents had hidden him for three months, and when they could hide him no longer, they sent him adrift upon the waters.
Though not as legendary as later tales would have it, he did indeed survive. But the one who found him was not an Egyptian princess, as the stories say, but the young Ramesses II.
As fate would have it, at that very time, little Ramesses had been forced by his father to single-handedly battle a wild bull on the banks of the Nile.
Ramesses never told Hikigaya how it felt to finally kill the beast, only to discover a foreign infant floating in the river. But Hikigaya suspected the boy must have wondered if he himself had been adopted.
Still, even back then Ramesses' rebellious nature had already begun to show. He took the baby back and, as the child grew, gave him the name Moses.
It wasn't a bad name. In Egyptian, the sound meant "child" or "son." In Hebrew, it meant "drawn from the water." Whether this was coincidence or not, only Ramesses himself knew.
What made it more curious was that in the era of Akhenaten, the high priest had also been named Moses. That Moses, however, had ill fortune. When all of Egypt turned against Akhenaten's monotheistic reforms, the high priest — as Pharaoh's most loyal henchman — naturally became a casualty.
Moses the Hebrew must have known something of that predecessor. In Hikigaya's impression, this Hebrew giant was extremely cautious, filled with anxiety, and even displayed a strong sense of nationalism — something that should not have existed in that era.
This was especially clear during his time as chief engineer and overseer in the city of Ramesses. Even Hikigaya could see it.
Toward Egyptian overseers, he always assumed the worst. If a Hebrew was whipped, he would immediately run to complain to Ramesses. But if Hebrews fought among themselves, he would hide it and persuade them not to harm their kin.
If there were any Egyptians he truly cared about, it was probably only Ramesses and his wife.
Hikigaya remembered that, before he left, Moses had already killed an overseer and fled. Ramesses' mood could not have been good. If the events afterward followed the Exodus as told, then Moses was likely the first bitter fruit of Ramesses' policy of elevating foreigners.
Because of Ramesses, Moses not only received the highest education in Egypt, but came to understand the empire inside and out. When he finally stood against Ramesses, the harm he could inflict would exceed that of all the Hittites combined.
Judging from the Exodus, this was indeed the case.
Unfortunately, Hikigaya did not know how to go back now, nor did he have the confidence to control time with precision. Otherwise, he really would have wanted to return.
If possible, he wanted to witness Moses' entire life. Failing to do so was a regret in his heart, one he was determined to make up for if ever given the chance.
This was perhaps the most serious lecture he had given since coming to this school — not a single dirty joke slipped out.
Maybe it was his own emotional investment, but the students also listened intently, even Komachi.
It wasn't that they were unfamiliar with the story of Exodus. Rather, Hikigaya was telling the prequel, and telling it with unexpected force, making them eager for what was to come.
When the dismissal bell rang again, Hikigaya had only just reached Moses' school days — describing how he trounced his Egyptian classmates with sheer intellect while absorbing the remnants of Akhenaten's monotheistic reform.
In dungeon terms, they hadn't even cleared the first boss yet. They had just stepped into the entrance.
Hikigaya closed his mouth. Today he felt particularly in the zone, the lecture flowing with vigor.
"That's it for today. We'll continue tomorrow," he concluded breezily, drifting out of the classroom — leaving behind a group of students tortured by the cliffhanger.
It wasn't that Hikigaya was an incredible speaker. Rather, as he poured his feelings into the tale, the students seemed touched by some inexplicable influence and immersed themselves as well. Even long after Hikigaya left, they remained dazed.
They felt as though they had just set foot on the land of ancient Egypt themselves. In their minds, they could even picture clearly the bearded man. It was as though the lesson had plunged them into a vivid, lifelike dream.
Hikigaya himself was unaware of this. He only felt that while teaching had been exhilarating, it was also exhausting. He resolved to go back and prepare the next part of the story.
Lately, he had begun seriously studying the ancient Egyptian calendars, especially the civil calendar, which was based on the Nile's water level — essentially a Nile River calendar. His own time-travel to ancient Egypt had been triggered by an anomaly in the river's waters. He believed that river was deeply connected to the aspect of his power governing time.
If he could uncover that connection and grasp the key, he would not only be able to return to ancient Egypt, but achieve far more.
Wasn't that fascinating? If he could transcend the limits of time, he could personally witness those people and events buried by history. That had always been his greatest interest in his previous life. Perhaps then his humanity could endure longer within his immortal life, instead of degrading like Vauban or Luo Hao.
Hikigaya had no doubt: if Vauban one day met someone who could kill him in fair combat, he wouldn't flee — he would smile as he died.
Back in his office, Hikigaya steadied his mood, glanced out the window at the blazing sun, and felt a wave of drowsiness.
So he lay down on the sofa, closed his eyes, and dozed off.
When he next opened them, night had already fallen. Somehow, he had slept the entire day.
Strange. How could just one lecture have left him so tired?
Yawning, Hikigaya rolled off the sofa, feeling his body brimming with energy.
Time to go home. Otherwise, that fox would eat all the food.
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