Chapter 8: I will find them all
Jin tapped the quill against the desk, thinking.
The Narrative relevance system wanted him involved in significant events - the four pathways made that very clear. But he was Encrid Gannon - a character mentioned only once in the entire novel. A disgraced minor noble with no standing, no connections, and no talent that the story had thought was worth mentioning.
If he tried to insert himself into the major events directly, he’d be a stranger forcing his way into scenes he didn’t belong in. He didn’t know what kind of effect it would have, as the story hadn’t been written for him there. He had no natural reason to be present or no relationship that would make his presence meaningful.
And all the events were extremely dangerous, especially since he was just a one-star initiate who could die with even a little harm.
This was a complete trap!
’I can’t chase the story.’
The story was already written, and Encrid Gannon was not in any of its pages.
’So what do I do?’
He looked at the names again.
And then he thought about where they were now - at this point in the timeline, before the story even began.
Where was the Yggradsil’s shadow? Where was the sword saint? Where were the seven sins?
And he realised most of them were not a part of the Eight Stars or the Seven Sins yet.
Those people mentioned as SSS-rank characters were not legendary yet.
They are probably just normal people at this time.
Jin went very still.
’If I can’t risk intervening in their story....’
He looked at the black space at the bottom of the page.
’....what if I was there even before their story began?’
The quill moved almost on its own.
He wrote the names of all eight stars and the seven sins in one column, and at another, he underlined the heading.
Origins.
He started at it.
What if he could save the seven sins that will tread on an evil path? What if he could prevent the misfortune of the eight stars?
He wouldn’t need to chase the significant events.
He would already be a part of the story whenever they participate in the significant events themselves!
He would be woven into the story of the heroes who made them.
The story didn’t track Encrid Gannon, but if Encrid Gannon can leave his fingerprints on their stories, that would be enough.
He might be invisible, but he wouldn’t be irrelevant to the narrative.
He wrote the last line.
’Building connection with important characters and making decisions that alter the story’s course.’
It’s like not showing up for the war but being part of the reason the people who fought it were who they were when they arrived.
If they won, he’d shared the glory.
If they lose, then he would still be thanked.
He set down the quill.
The logic was sound.
There was no better path than this.
Encrid is an extra and had no story of his own. If he tried to survive quietly, accumulating strength in the margins, staying away from the main cast, the Narrative Relevance would drain out before the story reached its midpoint.
’Not to mention this glitchy system.’
He could no longer believe in whatever the system showed, too, not after what it made him go through.
He also didn’t have any desire to go through something like that again.
Jin looked at the names of eight stars & the seven sins one last time.
’All of them,’ he resolved. ’I will find them all.’
Not because he had some superior sense of justice, not because he was a hero or wanted to be.
Because it was the only move that made sense.
Because he was going to survive this.
And this was how.
He folded the sheet carefully, set it aside, and picked up the quill again.
Outside the window, the Gannon estate was quiet. The hour was late, somewhere beyond these walls, the eight stars and the seven sins were living their ordinary lives - not aware of their potential - with no idea that a stranger who had read their story was planning to find them.
Jin pressed the quill to a fresh sheet and began to plan.
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The doors opened outward, and the boy dozing against the corridor wall startled awake.
He straightened immediately as the door opened, blinking the sleep from his eyes and his shoulder snapping back.
Encrid Gannon stepped out of the room and looked at him.
The corridor was dim at this hour, lit by a single wall torch that had burned low. In its light, the boy looked younger than he probably was. He had narrow shoulders, sharp & cautious eyes that were still adjusting between sleep and alertness.
Jin studied him for a moment before he spoke.
"What’s your name?"
The boy looked as though someone was playing a prank on him. He blinked several times, visibly struggling to process the question, and then, as if something had clicked, he replied.
"...It’s Gus, young master."
Jin was fairly sure the boy had assumed Encrid was drunk and asking nonsense. He didn’t have time to address the misunderstanding, so he pressed on.
"How long have you served in this household?"
The boy blinked again. "Five years, young master."
"And me specifically?"
"...Two years."
Jin nodded and looked at him properly for the first time.
The boy looked fifteen, maybe sixteen. He had sharp eyes and a careful stillness about him. He didn’t look particularly impressive, but Jin found himself with a favorable impression anyway. If this boy had been serving House Gannon for five years, he must have started at ten.
’Child labor,’ Jin thought.
But he wasn’t in a modern world anymore. He was in a place where food didn’t appear on a plate unless work was done for it. And moreover, if the boy had secured a position in House Gannon, one of the sour ducal families, at the age of ten, he had to be more capable than he looked.
"I need your help tonight," he said. "I’m leaving in the morning, and there are things to arrange before then. Can you do that?"
Gus stared at him for a moment, as if he had heard something wrong.
"...Yes, young master."
"Good. First - who manages the household supply stores?"
"Head Steward Corvan."
"Ask him to come to my room. Immediately."
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