Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

Wasel Haumass. There is likely no person of power in the western part of the continent who does not know his name.

Born in the countryside of the Kingdom of Roud, the first half of his life was spent in quiet melancholy and despair.

In the western part of the continent at that time, alchemy was still considered a suspicious, heretical secret art. There was no way it had reached even the countryside.

While looking for work to reduce the number of mouths to feed, Wasel from Forligen had a fateful encounter.

The various tools carried by the traveling alchemist were objects that strongly resembled the relics managed by the Church.

A staff that produced water, a tube that blew fire. Unlike magic, which required a certain degree of talent, these were tools that anyone with mana could use.

Wasel was shocked to learn that these were magical apparatus created by the Alchemy Guild.

He realized that the ancient relics of the divine age—which had been the exclusive property of God and the Church and were capable of performing miracles—could also be created by human hands.

Wasel visited the inn where the alchemist—who seemed annoyed by his requests to become an apprentice—was staying every day for seven days and seven nights, and finally managed to persuade the alchemist to take him on.

Fortunately, Wasel had talent. He quickly made up for the disadvantage of starting his training late and rapidly improved his skills.

Eventually, once his abilities were recognized, Wasel went to study at the Alveria Alchemists’ Guild at a young age, where he immersed himself in the cutting-edge art of alchemy.

The Research Institute at the Alchemists’ Guild headquarters in the capital attracted alchemists who were expected to be the most talented in their respective nations and noble estates.

Wasel was one of those who studied abroad with the backing of the King of Roud, who was heavily investing in alchemy at the time.

His days were spent honing his skills alongside other talented students. Although he was deeply immersed in research, he also enjoyed fieldwork.

He would sometimes venture into unexplored territories alongside adventurers. He was even once caught up in a war to defend a city from the invading forces of the Fiend Lord.

Working alongside knights and adventurers, he desperately continued to defend the town against the surging hordes of magical beasts. However, faced with the sight of the Fiend Lord leading thousands of magical beasts—each of which could destroy a small town on its own—he was overcome with despair. He drowned his sorrows in alcohol with a close friend he’d made while racing across the battlefield.

That night, the Divine Star Dragon arrived and swept away the monsters with its breath; using unfamiliar Star Dragon magic, it even easily vanquished the Fiend Lord himself. The people who were saved described the dragon’s appearance, saying, “Magical power of various colors shone from its silver scales into the darkness of the night, as if it were draped in a starry sky.”

Having etched the majestic figure of his savior into his memory, Wasel began to worship the Star Dragon, Owlnova.

He celebrated their safety with his best friend, arm in arm, and though he was surprised to learn that his friend was the son of the duke who ruled that land, their friendship remained unchanged.

After this series of events, he found a new goal.

If Owlnova is the one to lend a hand when enemies beyond human capacity arrive, then humans must resolve matters on their own as much as possible… They must strive to protect people until they can inform the dragon.

Magical artifacts were convenient and powerful, yet they were cumbersome and difficult to transport or assemble. He wondered if compressing the control cores—the cause of their gigantic size—might turn them into a force capable of protecting people.

Thus, Wasel devoted himself to miniaturizing the control cores of magical artifacts, spurring the advancement of magical artifact technology across the continent.

Eventually recognized as a 9th Tier Alchemist, Magus Magna, he returned home in triumph, boasting numerous research achievements and a proven track record.

Although he regrettably never reached the pinnacle of alchemy—the 10th Tier, Ars Magna—his talent and achievements are still recognized by many alchemists to this day.

Several years passed since Wasel, weary of the power struggles at court, withdrew from the public eye and returned to his hometown, a place he held little affection for. It was about six years ago that he—who had accepted his terminal illness and was quietly spending what little time he had left—discovered twin beastman infants crying out in a nearby forest.

It was far from an ordinary situation for infants who had just learned to stand and were beginning to babble to be abandoned in the forest.

Wasel forced his uncooperative body to run through the forest. Eventually, he found the twins—wrapped in fine silk garments—sitting at the base of a large tree, and was stunned.

Catching his breath, he examined the cloth and ornaments the twins were wearing with his trembling, aged fingers.

Engraved upon them was the Star Dragon crest—a symbol permitted only to those of Alveria’s royal bloodline.

He realized the twins’ true identities and resolved to risk what little life he had left to protect them.

While struggling to cling to his own life, already beyond saving by then, he began the daily struggle of raising the infants by trial and error.

For Wasel, who had lived his life devoted to research, let alone marriage, and had only a handful of relationships to speak of, raising children was an impossible task. And he had absolutely no idea how to handle twin girls.

The only silver lining was that they had already weaned and were ready to be potty-trained.

With the help of a woman considered relatively “decent” in the village—whom he paid for her assistance—he continued to raise them with all his might.

At least until someone came to take them away.

At least until they could protect themselves.

He imparted all the knowledge he possessed and poured nearly his entire fortune into trying to improve Alice’s frail constitution.

Regretting his own short life, he was left with the lingering regret that he couldn’t see them off with his own hands.

Twins who absolutely should not have been in a place like this. He didn’t know the circumstances, but that was precisely why he couldn’t verify anything.

He had even met the Holy King through a close friend. Piecing together the information he had, he could imagine who the twins’ parents might be.

He couldn’t possibly believe that any of the people involved would consider it acceptable to abandon and neglect young children.

If their parents were indeed the people he had in mind, they’d surely be searching frantically for their daughters by now.

Wasel deliberately chose not to investigate what was happening on his own.

No wise man would reach into a thicket raging like a storm, especially while cradling a precious infant.

Having already severed all ties with the secular world, Wasel had lost his connections for keeping track of the movements of the Alverian royal family.

When it comes to long-distance communication on the continent of Zergia, letters are the norm—entrusting them to traveling merchants or adventurers is the standard practice. If you want to ensure delivery, you either have to send multiple copies or rely on a trustworthy courier.

Unless one could use the coat of arms of a high-ranking noble or member of the royal family, even an ordinary letter ran the risk of being censored along the way.

Given the strict requirement that no one must discover the twins’ true origins, none of these methods could be employed.

With no information to go on, Wasel didn’t know whom to turn to or whom to trust. He didn’t even know who was an ally and who was an enemy.

The old alchemist’s struggle, as he continued to do his absolute best, came to an end before he could achieve his goal.

That struggle was surely not in vain.

***
#Author’s Note#

Flashback ends; the backstories of each character have been revealed bit by bit.

The time it took to leave the past behind in the Sea of Lingering Snow

Adventurer Team: (3 – 4 days) Average among those who reached this point. They’re adventurers who live alongside death; all sorts of things happen when you’re out there.

The Kids: (9 – 12 days) Relatively slow. Since these are children who have lost their guardians, they received significant support from their guardians.

Alice: (0 seconds) Her stay was essentially just the time she was unconscious; she only managed to say goodbye to her grandfather.