“Sure, leave it to me. I can’t imagine there’ll be any brats worse than you. I’m kinda looking forward to it.”
“Oh, you are looking forward to it? Good to do something other than deciphering ancient texts?”
“Yep. My dream somewhat came true. I actually deciphered old texts.” To be sure of that, a lot of researchers would have to peer review his work to decide if that were the case. So he had only deciphered it in his eyes. A level of confidence fitting for the decrepit middle-aged man. “Anyway, I’m pretty pleased, so I had another idea. Just like in the royal capital, I could raise one of the orphans to be a researcher, and they can prove my theory for me.” I see now.
“That attitude right there is most certainly that of a priest who only cares about his own profits and achievements. I am relieved. It is the real you, after all.”
“How does that make me the real thing?” In the end, he was still my beloved idiot. I felt a little relieved. He would still be pursuing his dreams—the only thing that changed was how he would do it. In that case, hopefully, he wouldn’t become the zombie priest again.
“I swear, Father Folke. You need to stop making me worry about such strange things.”
“I could say the same for you!”
“I mean, that is only natural, right?” We are companions chasing the same dream, after all.
In any case, I had all the personnel I needed. Now we could start work on solving the main problem at hand. Are we doing enough? With everyone here, we will be able to do at least something. I mean, of course, I am aware we are dealing with an unusually difficult task.
Everything we were doing should be enough. But I still was not sure. We were aiming for a dream, and it would strengthen us. Just by taking one step at a time, like I had always done. It was not just me either. Everyone else had done the same. When we first learned to stand on two feet and see the world in a new light—when we were mesmerized by the gallop of a horse, when we looked up at birds taking flight—we had all done the same.
There were times we would stumble and hurt ourselves and times we would get lost and doubt our path. There were those who would tire easily and those who would try their hardest. When we collapsed to our knees, some would look up to the sky, and some would face the ground. Regardless, everyone would still take the next step. Heroes, fools, and those with no name had all kept walking. Their history was recorded in books to teach those who came after. There were books of technological history recording the actions of heroes who made the world feel smaller, political history recording the tales of fools who put humanity on a path of self-destruction, and biographies of the nameless who had tried to shape civilization itself.
The book that told of the steps heroes took. Has no one done it yet? Then, you should be the one to do it. When will someone do it? Now. Now is the time to do it. What is there to hesitate about? What lay before them was an untrodden treasure trove filled with perpetual fame, enormous fortune, and a wealth of intelligence. If you want to learn about it or if you want to obtain it, then push open the door ahead of you. Move forward. Reach your hand out. A blinding treasure awaits you.
The book that told of the steps fools took. Are you afraid of failure? But failures mean that those who follow in your footsteps will not make the same mistakes. Does it seem you are going to lose everything? It is fine if you do—those who come after will do better and get it all back. What is there to hesitate about? You were born in a winding labyrinth of darkness. You might walk off a cliff. You might fall into a trap. You may stumble upon an unknown creature’s nest. It is okay to continue while afraid. It is okay to be confused while getting hurt. It is okay to collapse while regretting your path. Ignore the sneers from others. Look at the trail of blood you leave behind—only the wise and enduring can succeed in finding the path to success.
The book that told of the nameless ones. Who are you? Our name was lost to time. What did you do? Our accomplishments were burned to ashes. We may have cultivated wheat to feed heroes. We may have lent a hand to fools and their failures. We may have achieved more than the gloried heroes, or we may have failed to achieve anything. Our existence was reduced to ashes within an incinerator by the tyrant known as time. However, that is no reason to hesitate. Although nameless, we lived. We walked while we lived. Your world today only exists thanks to the steps we took. The world you live in is a mixture of good, bad, and endless paths. Take the step, no matter how small it is. That step could shape tomorrow.
Ah, that’s right. No matter the problem, if I do not try to solve it, it will not be solved. The question of whether it was possible or not always came later. I learned that from books that detailed the workings of the past. Thus, I faced forward and tackled the problem. Books have always given me that extra push. When I was faced with a difficult situation, they lent me their power, letting me know that I was not alone. People struggled in the past too. They tried to overcome it, and their success or failure paved the future. Their stories helped me tell myself that next time it would go better. Next time it will go better. It was sobering to think that I was at the forefront of history this time around. I had to take pride in that fact. Like those before me, I had to do what I could. And so, I will also connect to the future so that someday someone may take what I had learned to heart and give it their all.