Chapter 346: Eduardo’s Journal
The next morning...
Eduardo truly hadn’t been joking when he said they would return first thing the following morning. Then again, traveling aboard Ethan’s private jet made such a rapid journey entirely possible.
The moment he, Francesca, and Bernadette arrived back at Stark Manor, Eduardo wasted no time. He headed straight for his quarters, entered the study, and walked directly toward the section of the wooden floor he had seen in the vision.
For a few moments, he simply stared. Without deliberating further, he drove his fist straight through the wooden panel.
The floor splintered. Ignoring the broken wood, Eduardo reached into the hollow compartment beneath it, brushing his fingers on the hard covers.
His eyes widened, and slowly, he pulled them out.
It was five journals. All of them exactly where the vision had shown.
For a few seconds, he simply stared at them in silence before opening the first one.
"...It’s my handwriting."
——
Nearly half an hour later, Eduardo finally walked downstairs with five worn journals in his hands.
Everyone had already gathered within the sitting room, waiting for him.
Francesca and Bernadette immediately rose to their feet.
"You found them?" Bernadette asked.
Eduardo nodded. "I did."
He gently placed the journals on the table before looking toward the others.
"They document different periods of my life. Some describe events exactly as I remember them, others describe events I have absolutely no recollection of."
"And in some cases, they describe events I remember happening... but completely differently from how I remember them."
Francesca and Bernadette exchanged surprised glances.
After another moment, Eduardo picked up two of them before walking over to Ethan.
He held them out. "Master Ethan."
Ethan accepted them.
Eduardo continued, "These two document portions of my life after I came to Stark Manor."
I believe..." He gave a respectful nod. "...You should have them."
Ethan nodded as he accepted both journals. "You probably couldn’t remember writing these because they contained exactly what we’re looking for."
He lightly tapped the worn leather covers.
"If your memories were altered to conceal the truth about my parents, then naturally, anything connected to that truth would’ve been affected as well."
Eduardo gave a slow nod. "That does make sense."
Ethan looked toward the others. "I’ll be back."
He turned and headed upstair.
Bernadette spoke just before he disappeared around the corner. "I’d like to read them too once you’re done."
Ethan looked back and gave a nod.
At this time, Isabella and Valerie had already left for work. They’d departed only a short while before Eduardo and the others returned.
Initially, Isabella had insisted on waiting as she wanted to hear whatever clue Eduardo had managed to uncover.
But Ethan had gently convinced her otherwise, telling her it would be better if she and Valerie handled Stark Industries’ affairs for the day while he waited for Eduardo’s return.
Reluctantly, she’d agreed.
⸻
Ethan entered his bedroom before quietly closing the door behind him. Then he walked over to one of the couches and lowered himself onto it.
For a brief moment, he simply stared at the two journals in his hands.
Then he exhaled. "Let’s see what you left in these."
He opened the one resting on top, the old pages giving a faint crackle as they unfolded.
Written neatly across the very first dated entry was:-
"Today, I crossed paths with a bumbling fool who claims he wants to recruit me into his guild. I may not hate Marvin Arcorys, but he crossed a line telling this fellow how to find me."
Ethan couldn’t help smiling a little as he read the first few entries.
Well, that much made perfect sense. Marvin Arcorys had been the very first friend Nathan Stark made after arriving in the Kingdom of Gritnia.
He continued reading.
"Somehow, I have begun sharing drinks with this man. He has told me his true origins.
He is a demon who came here from the Demon Continent, and his real name is Izgur Azazel."
Ethan’s eyes lingered on the name for only a second before he turned the page.
The following entries documented Eduardo’s early encounters with Nathan.
He flipped through them rather quickly until another entry caught his attention.
"He won the bet by deceitful means. But a win regardless. I have chosen to be of service, and now refer to him as Master.
Master Nathan brought me to his place of living today and introduced me to his pregnant wife.
She bears the name Irlen, though she has changed it to Irene, a name more fitting for this country.
I am thoroughly bedazzled by the fact that she is a dragon. I did not think creatures such as themselves could ever fall for other life forms."
Another page turned.
"Today, Master Nathan has brought home a new person. Her name is Francesca.
She seems kind, and her smile is beautiful. From what I can tell, she is also quite strong and possesses a considerable amount of mana, although I am still unsure whether she belongs to the Warrior Class or the Tank Class.
Ethan smiled before turning another page.
"Two more people joined the manor today. Xavier Kabble and Victor Keating.
Xavier is an elf ranger and appears rather powerful. Keating, however, does not seem particularly interesting. His mana level is rather low.
I asked Master Nathan why he recruited Keating, and he simply replied...’We need more brains too.’"
Ethan gave an amused nod and flipped to the next entry.
"Today, they had another argument. There are disasters, and then there is Lady Irene’s rage. Yet somehow, Master Nathan appears to be an absolute master at soothing the temper of a dragon.
Lady Irene spent the entire day apologizing to her husband, despite him repeatedly insisting that everything was already fine.
The dynamic between the two of them is... priceless."
Ethan found himself smiling a little wider. Simply reading Eduardo’s words made the people within those pages feel alive.
Still smiling to himself, Ethan turned another page.
"I take back what I said about Francesca. That woman is a complete nutjob.
And she possesses an almost supernatural ability to get under my skin."
Ethan couldn’t stop himself from laughing at that point.
He continued turning the pages one after another. As he read, he gradually realized Eduardo had rarely skipped a single day.
Nearly every entry documented something.
Whether it was training, missions, conversations, arguments, ridiculous incidents around the manor, or observations about the people who surrounded Nathan, Eduardo had somehow found the discipline to record almost everything.
Another page followed.
"Lady Irene’s child will be arriving soon. Although, it does not appear to bring either of them joy. No one has asked why, but perhaps, one day, I will."