The more Leonel learned, the more confused he became. Weren't these Zones meant to be based on human mythology?
With this premise, one would assume that the most preeminent versions of King Arthur's tale would sit atop everything else.
Until now, things followed this logic. Whether it was Guinevere's betrayal, Modred's existence, the Knights of the Round Table, or even the mention of the sword in the stone, everything was as Leonel was familiar with.
However, if Leonel went a layer deeper than this, this world was still too different from what he was expecting. The existence of Lionus, the Magi, the existence of this world's magic system… None of these were things the tales of the past told of.
Leonel couldn't tell whether or not these were random things the universe was filling in as it pleased, or if there was another, deeper reason for this change.
Every time Leonel thought about such things, his mind would inevitably travel back to one idea… the future can influence the past…
If that was the case, could it be that these changes weren't random as Leonel thought? But maybe the result of changes to the legend future generations made?
When Leonel stepped on this path of thinking, he suddenly shuddered.. His mind had just landed on something that made his heart go cold…
The influence higher Dimensions had on lower Dimension was obscene. It might very well be possible that something a higher Dimensional being did on a whim would be more impactful than thousands of years worth of stories passed down in Leonel's world.
And, if that was true…
'… If someone from a higher Dimensional world wanted to change the legend of King Arthur… it would be exceptionally easy…'
This alone was a benign thought. But, when it was combined with Leonel's subconscious thoughts of several months, it felt as though a bolt of lightning had gone off in his mind. And this time, rather than being the illusory bolts of his Dreamscape, this was a true arc of lightning accompanied by rolling thunder.
To this point, leonel still had no idea what Joan's goal in the French Zone was. None of her actions made sense.
Back then, Leonel simply followed his heart and did his best to save as many people as he could. It was never more complicated than this for him.
But, if he thought about it… what would happen if Joan succeeded? Was Joan succeeding mutually exclusive with him completing the Zone?
Think about it for a moment. What would happen if Joan's purpose caused Leonel to fail?
Well, Leonel and Aina would have then likely had to spend the rest of their lives in medieval France, growing old together. The details aren't very important… but, what is important is what would happen after they died…
In that case, wouldn't the Zone reset, allowing a new group to enter and attempt to clear it?
If that happened, what would have been the point of Joan's mission? What reason would there have been for her to hinder Leonel's success?
If that was the case, then their purpose couldn't have possibly been to hinder Leonel. If Leonel foolishly thought the matter would be over as long as he cleared the Zone, he would be sorely mistaken.
The more Leonel thought about it, the less sense it made. Unless…. The matters that occurred in Joan's Zone were related to this Mythological Zone!
Leonel felt as though a thumping drum was raging through his Dreamscape. His ability seemed to be screaming at him, as though trying to tell him something he couldn't quite grasp.
This wasn't because there was a connection Leonel had yet to make, but rather because of the most unfortunate weakness of his Dreamscape… He simply didn't have enough information!
Who were those people who almost turned Joan's Zone into a Unique Zone? How was Merlin's legend related to what they were trying to do? How was this Camelot Zone related to it all?
Leonel grew more and more serious the longer he thought. He didn't even realize that Elys had shrunk into a corner like a timid little mouse, unable to even steady her breathing.
Unfortunately, this matter was too important for Leonel to think about Elys' wellbeing.
Zones were inextricably linked to the future of Earth. Even though Leonel didn't have much ties to Earth remaining, his normal disposition wouldn't allow him to sit idly by as its fate was being toyed with.
Unfortunately, Leonel didn't take part in every Zone clearance. It was impossible for him to do so even if he wanted to. As a result, he had no idea if other instances like what he and Aina lived through had occurred elsewhere…
It was very possible that as Earth cleared one Zone after another, they were simply playing into exactly what some other entity wanted…
'According to Uncle Montez, Earth was among new worlds with the greatest potential even compared to the history of the universe. We have the talent necessary to become an Eighth Dimensional World. It's for this reason that so many Higher Dimensional worlds were invested in our progress and are even pooling together to give us rewards for the Zones we clear…
'But what exactly does this higher potential mean? I don't believe that it's only as simple as reaching the Eighth Dimension…
'No, that's not the right way to think about it. I should be wondering exactly what benefits come with having such high potential….
'Potential… potential…'
Leonel's eyes flashed open.
Mythological Zones were the treasures of the universe. No matter where they appeared, countless powers would fight for them. Of course, that was under the requirement that they all had access to the same world.
Right now, Earth was in a protected state. It was difficult to travel from higher to lower Dimensions. This was a protection the universe gave not much unlike a mother did to a child in her womb.
However, that didn't mean it was impossible. Though someone from the Fifth Dimension couldn't descend, someone in the weaker levels of the Fourth Dimension could pay a heavy price to descend.
For now, all of this wasn't very important. All Leonel was thinking about now was the Zone he was in now…
Mythological Zones were already so highly sought after. But, what if on top of being a Mythological Zone, it was born in a world with infinite potential. If that was the case, just what kind of treasures would such a place birth…?
'So is that how it is?'
Leonel knew that he had only grasped a small part of the truth. He also knew that it was impossible that this was the only goal of those people.
With how many legends and folktales Earth had, who knew how many of them were able to form Zones of their own. And, if there were many, it was impossible for Leonel to be at and protect them all.
All he could do was focus on what he could control. As long as he was here, he wouldn't allow these higher Dimensional beings to succeed.
At the same time, Leonel caught a faint inkling of why it was necessary to appear in Zones like Joan's…
If it was a matter of entering a historical Zone, it was only necessary to plant someone in that timeline. Though that seemed impossible to the current Leonel with his limited scope of understanding, he felt that for a higher Dimensional being, this was likely not impossible.
However, how would one enter a Mythological Zone? It wasn't a true part of history, there was no place to 'return to'. It seemed the only way to enter was the Zone Gate itself, but Leonel could hazard a guess that the 12 who entered likely didn't have anything to do with these higher Dimensional beings.
It was possible that the Adurna family or even the Slayer Legion was related. If that was the case, then Leonel would simply accept that his hypothesis was incorrect. But… in the case the Adurna family wasn't responsible, then that meant that all the actions these individuals had taken were precisely to find a path into an impossible to enter Zone!
The moment Leonel had this thought, his heart stilled. He felt that he had regained his peace and that he could finally breathe steadily once more.
Even he didn't realize it, but he felt so uncomfortable at the idea of some unknown person, thing or organization controlling his life that he nearly went mad for a moment.
This was the true Leoenl, a man who wanted to control everything in his palms. It had always shone through on the football field… And the day he chose to display it in the real world, it was unknown what kind of monster would be born.
The discomfort in Leonel's heart seemed to stack. First it was Lamorak, now it was this. At every turn, it seemed that someone wanted to play the strings of his life without his consent.
Leonel's lip curled. It was an oddly cold smile, the kind he hadn't smiled in his entire life until this point. Seeing such a scene, Elys felt her soul crumbling.
Luckily, the expression soon disappeared, replaced by Leonel's usual appearance. Handsome, bright and kind.
"Sorry about that, Elys. I was thinking about some matters… So why is it that we were recalled to Camelot with such an important thing happening at the border?"
Elys patted her chest, wiping the sweat from her brow.
'Is this the man I'm supposed to seduce...? How am I supposed to do that...?' She bit her cherry lips.
"... To answer your question, the matter of the Merlin Trials is too important. Even our Grand Knights can't guarantee maintaining order. The allure of such a treasured place is too much. Since we already lost the initiative, it's better that we retreat so we can be selective about who goes. That way, we can eliminate other variables..."
That was how it was. Camelot wanted to control who could and couldn't enter.
Leonel nodded slowly. 'I hope that you won't hold me back, Camelot. I would hate to become enemies with you all. But, if I have to choose between clearing the side missions and betraying you all, I will choose the latter...'
Though it was necessary to have good relations with Camelot to complete the side quests aside from killing Modred, it wasn't necessary for the main quest. If Leonel had to choose, the choice was obvious. He just hoped Camelot wouldn't force his hand.