Just like in the first simulation, a montage of his life flashed through his mind again. Now named 'Victoire', Lu Kang stood with a small pack on his back on the road leading out of the village. Villagers would occasionally pass by, warmly greeting the frail-looking little boy. Under the bright sun, even with the support of the prana in his body and his Mental Magecraft, beads of sweat couldn't help but form on Lu Kang's skin.
Although he started with a higher potential and more talent, this body was, after all, only eight years old. In terms of prana development, it was far inferior to his real self. Even though he had mastered Mental Magecraft, its application couldn't compare to the 'Lu Kang Luviaseta' at his peak during the Tsar simulation—it was even inferior to his seventeen-year-old self from reality, who lacked prana.
However, reflecting on the past eight years of this simulation, he could sense that as the simulations progressed, the time he was under 'autopilot'—before his true memories awakened—would likely get longer.
This meant he would have more time to grow and develop.
More time to organize what he had gained.
He couldn't help but feel satisfied—and with that, he waited.
The sun climbed high into the sky.
He finally saw the person he was waiting for: his teacher, François Prelati.
Although he had never heard the name François Prelati in later eras, he still had an impression of it from his true past life before he transmigrated to this world called 'Type-Moon'. She was a figure who hadn't left much of a mark on history, but in this era, she was absolutely one of the existences standing at the pinnacle of the mystic side, possessing knowledge and abilities that were not inferior, and perhaps even superior, to an average Clock Tower Grand.
She was a great magus who practiced forbidden arts, and also a great alchemist.
Even if she wasn't proficient in combat, she was still no match for the current, undeveloped Lu Kang.
And her initial period of activity was precisely the 15th century in France—during the Hundred Years' War, which was the setting of Lu Kang's current simulation.
It was said that she was behind the death of the de facto protagonist of the Hundred Years' War, the Saint 'Jeanne d'Arc'—who would later lead the charge to reclaim the French territories conquered by the English in a new round of conflict.
It was even said that she was the one who incited Gilles de Rais, a general who followed the Saint, to walk the path of black magic in the end.
She was, without a doubt, an extremely dangerous person.
That being said...
"Even if you are a great figure on the mystic side, that's no excuse for being late, Teacher Prelati."
At the end of the rural dirt path leading out of the village, Lu Kang greeted the figure who was leisurely strolling towards him from afar.
"This is a test for you, my student—accept it with gratitude and simply wait."
In response to her student's complaint, the great French magus known as François Prelati simply adopted a self-righteous posture.
Her figure stood under the nearly noon sun. A lace-trimmed bonnet encircled her beautiful, silver-white hair, which cascaded down, framing a delicate and lovely, yet somewhat childish, face.
Her petite and slender frame made her look no older than fourteen or fifteen. She wore a black and white, puffy one-piece dress with a style that was clearly ahead of its time. Her slender waist swayed gently, accentuating her shapely chest. The hem of the skirt, barely reaching her knees, clung to the curve of her hips, outlining their roundness. A deep shadow snaked down to the hidden triangle between her legs, where white silk stockings encased her limbs. She wore a pair of small leather shoes that remained spotless as they trod upon the muddy path.
She held a black parasol tilted slightly, completely blocking the harsh sun.
As she walked, she was silent and weightless.
It was clear that this medieval great magus, who had taught Lu Kang—'Victoire'—for several years, was not only female in this era but also very 'young'.
In the memories of Lu Kang's past eight years of simulation, she had not been like the 'witch' of later ages, freely switching bodies and changing genders.
Even though, as a great alchemist, she had already touched upon one of alchemy's highest achievements, 'Human Transmutation', a great thaumaturgy comparable to the creation of gold from stone, she had not yet re-forged herself.
She had not yet come into contact with the 'Outer God System' that truly existed in this world, nor had she summoned the tentacles of an eldritch god from beyond the stars.
At least, that's how it appeared from Lu Kang's perspective.
Of course.
Her wicked personality was just as Lu Kang remembered from his true past life, as prominent as ever.
"I think you just overslept, didn't you?" Lu Kang complained bluntly.
"Some things are better left unsaid, my dear little Victoire," Prelati said with a smile, twirling the black parasol in her hand. "Or would you prefer to see me standing here under the sun, drenched in sweat?"
"So cruel, and at such a young age..."
"No, I'm not the least bit interested in you," Lu Kang said with a calm expression, taking half a step back—moving away from a patch of writhing black shadow at his feet, and also away from the black tentacles in front of him.
He said, "And please stop showing off those octopus tentacles of yours—your illusions can't bypass the perception of my Mental Magecraft."
"Eh... what a shame."
Prelati, who had been 'striking a pose' a second ago, paused. She slowly lowered her hand, and the writhing tentacles in front of Lu Kang vanished. She sighed, looking rather pitiful. "And here I thought I'd get to savor little Victoire's surprised and horrified expression... A little boy and tentacles are such a perfect match, you know!"
A personality that could only be described as absolutely wicked.
Fortunately, Lu Kang was used to it.
Even more fortunately, his Mental Magecraft, which combined both magecraft and miracles, was enough for him to 'contend' with a Prelati who wasn't being serious.
He thought to himself, what part of 'little boy and tentacles' is a perfect match... Shouldn't a little boy be paired with a Fat Man?
He also thought to himself that he had no intention of becoming that 'hot' just yet!
He said, "Teacher, it's time to go."
"Alright, alright."
Prelati didn't press the issue further.
...
[In March of this year, as the grass grew and the birds flew,]
[You and your teacher left the village where you had lived for eight years and set out on a journey to a distant land.]
[Although Prelati didn't tell you who her friend was that she intended to visit, based on the impressions in your mind, you could more or less guess.]
[In this era, in France, there weren't many people whom the great alchemist François Prelati would consider a friend.]
[You traveled south.]
[France in this era was in a brief period of peace during the long Hundred Years' War, yet it was still filled with scars from the conflict.]
[Graves were everywhere, and large swaths of land were desolate.]
[The prosperous places remained prosperous, but the desolate areas only grew more so.]
[Though you had never set foot in the outside world before, you already knew the current state of the various nations through different means. You knew that even without external interference, France itself was far from stable—the Burgundian faction, which supported reform and courageously pushed for the Dauphin Charles to take the throne, was constantly wrestling for power with the Armagnac faction, which protected the king and held a conservative stance. The constantly changing policies resulting from the political struggles at the top always had a huge impact on the common people below.]
[You knew this, but you did not interfere.]
[During this time, you did not stop your further studies in Magecraft—even though you had already completed your own unique Mystic Crest of Mental Magecraft and possessed the ability to instantly cast most basic spells and illusions, you were still not satisfied.]
[You needed to gather more of the mysteries of this era, to master more knowledge that was different from the 'future era', in order to expand the coverage of your Mental Magecraft's foundation in this time period, and to solve the problem of your own 'output'—to achieve the possibility of instantly casting higher-level magecraft.]
[The path of seeking mystery is long and infinite.]
[You understood this deeply.]
[You also gained much insight from François Prelati's alchemy.]
[Just when you thought this journey would be smooth sailing,]
[You witnessed a riot of peasants and townspeople triggered by the conflict between the reformist and conservative parties at the top.]
[François Prelati was thrilled by this and went down to incite them to fight even harder.]
[You failed to stop her.]
[You were chased by the rampaging peasants and townspeople.]
[Your current prana reserves were not enough to cast illusions from your Mental Magecraft on so many people.]
[Prelati successfully escaped, and you were chased alone for more than ten kilometers.]
[You successfully regrouped with Prelati, only to find that she was in the crowd chasing you, looking extremely excited—]
['I finally got to see you looking so pathetic. It truly is a wonderful sight, little Victoire.']
[You heard her whisper this, pressed against your back. The delightful sensation of the 'young girl' from behind made your tense body gradually relax.]
[This woman is definitely doing this on purpose.]
[You thought to yourself.]
[You also said: 'I am not yet strong. When I am, things will change.']
[...]
[You encountered another citizen riot. This time, you were the first to flee, so Prelati was chased alone for ten kilometers.]
[You encountered another citizen riot.]
[From the city of Vichy in the County of Auvergne, to Bourges in the Duchy of Bourbon, from Romorantin to the city of Tours.]
[The riots spread like wildfire.]
[You lamented to yourself that France truly lived up to its ancient reputation as the 'homeland of revolution'. You also suddenly realized that the war was probably about to restart.]
[Faced with an increasingly chaotic France, the ambitious King Henry of England would definitely not stand by idly.]
[In September of this year,]
[You finally arrived at your final destination—the city of Paris, which, despite having fallen many times, still served as the capital of France.]
[In this bustling ancient city, you visited a shop that looked ancient.]
[The owner of the shop was, as you expected,]
[—Named 'Nicolas Flamel'.]
"It's been so many years,"
The old man said the moment he opened the door.
"And you're still not dead!" Prelati shot back.
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