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The history of Marseille, a port city in southern Franquia, dates back to the ancient tribal wars. The Eladines were the first to establish a port and colonial city in this region. They built a colonial city they called “Massilia” in their language, and the city was later referred to as “Massalia” as the Rotaringians expanded their influence.

Anyway, the ship that docked in Marseille was scheduled to stay for about three days before departing again. The crew needed rest, and there was also a need to partially repair the ship and replenish necessary supplies.

During this time, Sophia and her group stayed in a room rented from the dormitory of the Marseille church.

That night. Conra, who had fallen asleep, suddenly realized he was standing on a hill with familiar terrain. Below the hill, the landscape of an ancient city, quite different from the scenery commonly seen in modern cities, unfolded.

Amidst the dreamy golden mist scattering light, Conra suddenly sensed that something was watching him.

Turning towards the direction of the gaze, he saw a large tree. Surely, a tree couldn’t be staring at him, so Conra carefully observed the tree and soon noticed a cute bluebird perched on its thickest branch.

“Were you watching me?”

At Conra’s question, the bluebird tilted its head curiously, then suddenly flew up.

“Ah! Wait!”

Startled by the sudden flight of the bluebird, Conra unconsciously chased after it. The bluebird seemed to wait for Conra to follow, occasionally landing and looking back at him, then flying ahead again when the boy caught up.

Following the bluebird from tree to tree, Conra soon found himself in a valley flanked by rocky cliffs.

The bluebird perched on a small zelkova sapling growing by the damp waterside near the cliffs. As the boy approached, he discovered a cave in the cliff, large enough for a person to enter, hidden behind the sapling.

Soon, Conra realized the bluebird was gone, and a woman in a blue chiton and a cloak was leaning against the rock.

The scene was so dreamy and mysterious that Conra stood there speechless. Perhaps feeling sorry for the boy, the woman spoke.

{Hero’s Egg, this is the sacred place where the ancient hero prepared for his final ascension. Remove your shoes and show respect.}

As Conra removed his shoes as instructed, the woman spoke again.

{Bow three times towards this cave, then enter.}

……,

……,

Ugh……,

“Gasp!”

Opening his eyes, Conra was startled by the unfamiliar ceiling of a building and sat up abruptly. He soon realized it was the dormitory room of the Marseille church where he had slept the previous night and sighed.

“Phew, was it a dream?”

‘What a strange dream,’ the boy sighed, then checked the wooden sundial by the window and exclaimed in greater surprise than when he had just woken up.

“Oh no, I’m late!”

Fearing he might miss breakfast, Conra quickly dressed and rushed out of the room. He wanted to wash up and tidy his hair before breakfast. Excited to explore the streets of Marseille after eating, the boy was full of anticipation.

However, Conra’s plan to explore Marseille after breakfast didn’t materialize. Unexpectedly, it was decided they would go on an unplanned mountain hike that day. The trigger was Conra’s recounting of his dream during breakfast.

“So, I was about to enter the cave when I suddenly woke up. Haha, I thought I was past the age for such dreams.”

“Hmm…… .”

“Hoo…….”

But the group couldn’t take the boy’s dream as lightly as he did. After all, Marseille, where they were staying, was renowned as the place where the Hero God Ogmios ascended.

Perhaps that’s why? Ogmios was also the guardian deity of Marseille. Since ancient times, when Marseille was called Massilia or Massalia, the city’s citizens had worshipped Ogmios and considered themselves his descendants.

Hildegard, the most knowledgeable about myths in the group, spoke.

“If a woman in a blue chiton appeared in your dream in Marseille, she must be Bradamante, daughter of the Spirit God Bosegus. And now that I think about it, I sense the blessing of the Spirit God on you since this morning.”

And Bosegus, Bradamante’s father, was the one who crafted the sword, armor, and spearhead for the Hero God Ogmios. Suddenly, Hildegard smelled treasure from Conra’s dream. Her gaze turned to Sophia. No matter what anyone said, Conra’s master was Sophia, and she had the most authority in the group.

Noticing Hildegard’s intense gaze, Sophia smiled wryly and said.

“Alright. Then let’s move to find the cave Conra saw in his dream today. It’s been a while since we’ve been on the ship, and a little hike wouldn’t hurt.”

At her words, Hildegard and Esiocles both cheered excitedly.

“I knew it. I told you something interesting would happen.”

“This time, I can’t help but agree with you.”

Of course, Conra, who had ambitious plans to explore Marseille’s streets after breakfast, was the exception.

“My street exploration plan…….”

In any case, it all started with him recounting his dream the previous night. In the end, it was a case of cause and effect, reaping what he sowed.

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The first thing the group focused on was identifying the hill where Conra had initially stood. Surprisingly, they found the answer quite easily. The view from Sohmau Hill, south of Marseille’s city area, closely resembled the scenery Conra had seen in his dream.

Of course, the landscape Conra saw in his dream was that of the ancient colonial city called Massilia, while the city before their eyes was the port city of Marseille built by the Franquians.

“From here, the bluebird guided you, right?”

“Yes.”

However, finding the path from there wasn’t easy, even for Conra, who remembered the dream. In the dream, the bluebird led Conra from tree to tree, but the vegetation around Sohmau Hill in reality was entirely different from his dream.

So, the group decided to ask a local about specific terrain features.

“You’re asking about a valley with rocky cliffs accessible from Sohmau Hill? Of course, I know. Anyone from Marseille would know.”

After paying for the talkative man’s drinks, the group nodded meaningfully. They confirmed that the terrain Conra described was nearby. This reduced the likelihood that Conra’s dream was just a dream.

The drunkard mentioned a place called Kallingke Valley, located past Sohmau Hill in the Hedong area. Following the waterway past the hill would lead them there quickly, so the path wasn’t complicated or far.

Upon arriving at Kallingke Valley, the group exclaimed in awe.

“Wow, the scenery is breathtaking!”

At Hildegard’s admiration, Sophia subtly chided her.

“If we’re talking about simple scenery, the Alps were quite impressive too.”

But it was Esiocles who unexpectedly defended Hildegard against Sophia’s remark.

“That’s a point worth clarifying, Lady Sophia.”

“Hmm?”

“The Alps’ scenery certainly has a grand, majestic beauty, breathing with the spirit of the great master. However, it’s too desolate and harsh to accommodate human presence. But this valley’s scenery is neither excessive nor lacking, allowing traces of humanity within nature’s beauty. Thus, the beauty of the two landscapes should be distinctly classified.”

In short.

“So, you’re saying the Alps are boring?”

“Hmph, hmph!”

The sight of the half-naked, muscular man turning his gaze away wasn’t exactly pleasant. She averted her eyes from Esiocles and asked Conra.

“How about it? Does it seem like we’ve found the right place?”

Grumbling as he followed, Conra, who had been engrossed in surveying the surroundings upon arriving at the valley, nodded and replied.

“Yes, this is definitely it. There are minor differences, but overall, it feels similar.”

As Conra moved along the left side of the valley, feeling the rocky cliffs, the group stopped talking and silently followed the boy.

Soon, Conra stopped at a certain spot. Before him stood a large zelkova tree. The massive tree, which could easily serve as a village guardian, was where a small sapling had been in Conra’s dream.

The only commonalities between the dream and reality were the location and the tree species, both being zelkova. But Conra instinctively knew this giant tree was the same as the sapling in his dream.

Placing his hand on the tree, Conra, with his druidic senses, could feel the years embedded in the tree. He realized that traces of its sapling days remained within the giant tree.

Upon realizing this, he immediately checked the crevice in the cliff hidden by the giant tree and, sure enough, the rock cave revealed itself. It seemed the entrance had been sealed until recently, but flooding had washed away the rocks, exposing it.

“It’s here!”

Saying so, Conra removed his shoes, bowed three times, and entered the cave with cat-like agility. The cave wasn’t particularly wide, but it wasn’t too cramped either.

However, there wasn’t enough space for the entire group to enter, so Sophia, Hildegard, and Esiocles had to wait outside until Conra returned.

Fortunately, Conra didn’t take long to return. He soon emerged from the cave, carrying something he hadn’t had when he entered.

“I found this inside,”

He said, presenting a stone box, seemingly sealed.

“There’s something inscribed here.”

Esiocles curiously examined the patterns or inscriptions on the stone box. Hildegard glanced at the inscriptions and promptly interpreted them.

<Ogmios reached a divine level of power, achieving heroic feats and preparing for ascension. Thus, he left his human traces on earth, and those who inherit them must be true heroes ready to bloom.>

 

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