“In short, at its current stage, the Eternal Clock can at most extend your time by sixty times in a single burst. The limit is one minute—pay attention here—that’s one minute in your perception. In real flow, it’s only one second.

“But with your current physical body, you can only barely maintain normal speed under a tenfold time load. So I suggest that when you use it, don’t just crank it up to the maximum like you did this time. All that will do is give you a brief high before you collapse into a cripple. It won’t be of any real use.”

Teacher Meladomir spoke with a straight face.

“Tenfold...”

Muen lowered his head, looking at his own hands. Thanks to the Withering King’s flames, his injuries had mostly healed, but the hollow, drained feeling inside him was still unbearably strong.

Looks like he wouldn’t be able to activate it again any time soon.

But he was still acutely aware of how powerful that force was.

Gaining tenfold speed for a short time—if he combined that with the unstoppable Elizabeth—his combat ability could, in some ways, undergo a qualitative change.

It might even make up to a great extent for the glaring shortcoming of his overly narrow range of techniques.

And this was a power that could evolve.

From that incomparably slow world just now, he could tell that when he fully mastered the sixtyfold time extension, his strength would reach an incredible level.

Just thinking of a certain handsome old man with a folding blade... damn, that would be ridiculously badass.

“And this is still only the beginning.”

Teacher Meladomir continued:

“Right now, the Eternal Clock can only affect your own time. So in a sense, at present it’s merely acting as an accelerator for your perception.

“But when the following steps proceed in order, and your connection with the Eternal Clock deepens, when you receive more of its blessings, the authority over time will extend from yourself to external things—and in the end, even the world itself will be within your influence.

“That’s when the true might of the Eternal Clock will be revealed.”

As she spoke, Teacher Meladomir looked at Muen, the corner of her lips curling upward.

“By then, all those strange little ‘play styles’ in your head won’t be impossible to realize.”

“...”

Muen’s cheek twitched. He scratched his head and forced a laugh.

“Wha... what strange play styles? Teacher Meladomir, what are you talking about? I don’t understand at all, hahaha...”

“Just pretend you don’t.”

Teacher Meladomir cutely stretched and walked deeper into the sea of flowers.

“Work hard, kid. The stronger the power, the more you need to take it one step at a time. Otherwise it’s not you wielding the power, but the power wielding you.

“So before you can fully control the current sixtyfold stage, I won’t move on to the next step.”

“I’ll make it quick.”

Muen clenched his fist, his gaze firm. “I promise.”

“That determination is enough.”

Teacher Meladomir waved her hand.

“You should head out now. I’ve been at this for a while, and I’m tired. I’m going to get some sleep.”

“All right, I won’t disturb your rest, Teacher Meladomir.”

Muen bowed respectfully, said his farewell, and was about to turn to leave—only to be stopped after taking two steps.

“Oh, right. I’ll keep working on deciphering those Esso characters. Now that the Moon doesn’t have the time to keep watch here, I might be able to find a loophole.”

Muen froze for a moment, then was overjoyed.

“Thank you, Teacher Meladomir!”

“No need for thanks. But there’s one more thing.”

Lying in the sea of flowers, Teacher Meladomir suddenly rolled over, propping her head on her hands as she looked at Muen.

“In ten days, there will be a lunar eclipse in this city.”

“A lunar eclipse?”

Muen blinked.

“What lunar eclipse?”

Something like a lunar eclipse should count as a major event in this era. Normally the news should have been hyped up well in advance.

So why had he never heard of it?

“Mm, don’t bother asking why there’s going to be one. I just wanted to ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) give you a heads-up.”

Her lips still curved in that same faint smile—but Muen felt as if her crimson eyes were stripping him bare.

“There’s nothing wrong with being a bad kid who wants to sleep soundly at night. But this city... Belrand... is going to get interesting soon. So, you’d better be careful.”

...

...

“A lunar eclipse, huh?”

After stepping out of the Mercury Well, Muen was still mulling over Meladomir’s words.

But a lot of things that seemed disjointed would become clear if he just connected them with the information he already had.

“Sure enough, no matter how I think about it, there’s only one possibility. The ‘lunar eclipse’ means the Silent Moon getting pinned down and ground into the dirt by the Withering King.

“Ten days... didn’t think it would be so soon.”

It seemed the Withering King was even fiercer than he’d imagined.

No—maybe it was that the Silent Moon’s series of self-rescue efforts had failed, and in the process it had wasted its own power, making the gap between them even wider.

“As for Belrand becoming interesting...”

That too was easy enough to figure out.

That Moon had already done so much. There was no way it would just sit there in the final moments and let itself be devoured by the Withering King without a fight.

So it would definitely make another move.

And from the looks of things, it was going to do something here in Belrand. Senior Sister would also be one of its key pieces.

Like hell I’m going to let you have your way that easily, even if you are an Evil God.

“Black Book.”

Muen called softly in his heart.

A long pause.

At last, deep in his consciousness, the black book flipped a page. On its blank surface, a single character reluctantly appeared.

【Here】

Why did it feel like this thing was getting less and less reliable?

The corner of Muen’s mouth twitched.

“Can you tell me the Silent Moon’s objective?”

【No】

“Why not? Can’t you predict things for me?”

【I can only foresee events connected to you】

“I see.”

So it really wasn’t going to be easy to know an Evil God’s goal.

Muen thought for a moment, then asked again:

“What about Serpentization Disease? Do you know how to cure it?”

The letters in the Black Book writhed, forming a complete sentence.

But in the blurred mosaic, the only thing Muen could make out was four characters:

【Tears of True Love】

“Even you are affected by the Evil God’s influence?”

【The one being affected isn’t me. It’s you.】

“What do you—”

Muen froze, then suddenly understood.

This was what Teacher Meladomir had called the Evil God’s ‘suggestion,’ wasn’t it?

In other words...

“Under the Evil God’s suggestive influence, even if I see the real answer, all I can comprehend are those four words?”

【Correct】

【But those four words are absolutely true】

【Don’t worry】

“...Seeing a little comfort from you is rare.” Muen gave a wry smile.

【Work hard】

After displaying those last two words, the Black Book shut itself again, sinking deep into Muen’s consciousness and falling still, as if asleep.

“Getting encouragement from a book... who’d have thought.”

Muen laughed at himself, tilting his head back to look at the sky.

The weather was no longer clear. Thick clouds covered the sunlight, draping the whole world in a heavy shadow.

“Looks like tonight will be a fine, dark, windy night.”