Chapter 97: Prelude to War – 1

Chapter 97: Prelude to War – 1

“……It’s a trade secret.”

“Still, I really want to see it properly, you know? What you showed at the Ducal Family before was honestly just a performance, wasn’t it?”

“…How did you even know that…? No, why are you suddenly asking to see it now?”

Honestly, she might be curious.

Because it’s something only I in the entire Empire can do.

The problem was, even if Christie was curious, she wasn’t the type to cling like this if I said it was a secret.

…Unless there was some ulterior motive, that is.

“Oh, no. Just curious.”

“…Tell me honestly. What’s going on?”

“……Honestly, you’re only quick-witted in these useless areas.”

Saying that, Christie sighed softly and pressed her forehead.

…The recording magic tool that came out of her pocket was a bonus.

Showing them, Christie finally confessed her purpose and reason.

“The Imperial Family has started taking an interest in you.”

“……The Imperial Family?”

“Yes. According to observations, there’s a big war expected soon, whether it’s with the Holy Kingdom or the monster horde gathering in the center of the continent.

…And that ‘potion’ you make, it gains tremendous power in such a war situation.”

“So, you want to use it in the war?”

“…More precisely, the Imperial magicians will start mass-producing potions by imitating your techniques.”

……That makes sense.

Although making them into potions somewhat weakens their power and makes friendly-fire unavoidable, anyone can use magic, which is a clear advantage.

Not only Knights who aren’t magicians, but any adult, or even a child, with just throwing skills, can unleash dangerous magic onto the battlefield.

And what about stamina potions? If these are properly supplied, the number of soldiers dying pointlessly on the battlefield would significantly decrease.

Wounded soldiers would also recover much faster, as there would be no need to rely solely on priests and the Holy Kingdom for healing.

‘……So, the starting point of the original story is finally approaching.’

Originally, the starting point of this novel was when the monsters gathered on the continent collectively attacked the Empire and humanity.

Not only monsters with intelligence capable of conversation, but even miscellaneous monsters that would charge at people just by seeing them, let alone conversing… all monsters began to attack the Empire.

The leader of those monsters called himself the ‘Demon King’ and declared that he had begun the invasion according to an oracle,

And the Holy Kingdom also proclaimed that they would protect humanity alongside the Empire, following God’s will, and as proof, the Hero, the protagonist, was born.

…In reality, both sides weren’t acting on an oracle or anything; it was Elena’s manipulation, but anyway.

Even the Holy Kingdom’s Hero, like the ‘Saintess’, was something they created themselves.

Of course, it was true that the protagonist at least had immense talent to be treated as a ‘Hero’.

The important point was that the war was finally approaching.

“…It’s a meaningless war anyway, just a puppet show.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

Countless people would die, many more would be injured, and even more would suffer.

However, in truth, there was no divine decree or oracle in this war.

The Hero was an unprecedented talent created by the Holy Kingdom, and the Saintess was a long-standing lie.

The one who called himself the Demon King was merely a high-ranking monster with the ability to lead other monsters.

However, only when the war ended and both sides were defeated,

Only when the Empire collapsed, the Church lost its authority, and the Demon King was betrayed by his subordinates and overthrown,

Only then would they accept that there was no divine will in any of this.

Even after that, it was a war where the future was also lost, as they had to face all sorts of forces led by Elena.

……Such a war was right around the corner.

The only thing that had changed, of course, was my existence.

*Are you suddenly worried now?*

‘Well, wouldn’t I be worried? A war where no one wins is approaching, you know?’

*Since when have you ever accepted the approaching future at face value?*

‘……’

*You have power. A power you can possess because you are not of this world.

The power as a ‘variable’ that can bring about a different outcome to predetermined fates and events.*

When I first heard that I had changed Christie’s fate, I didn’t think much of it.

I was just happy that Christie, who was destined to die, had met a different fate.

When I heard I had changed the Saintess’s fate, I felt strange.

Because changing fate went beyond simply changing actions; it greatly affected the stability of the Church itself.

……And now, the system was asking me to change the fate of this world and this war.

‘…Didn’t the scale suddenly get too big?’

*Well, narratives need dramatic parts, after all.*

‘I know, but I’m not some great savior or anything, am I? I’m just doing what I can.’

*Anyway, if you encounter other main characters, it’ll probably turn out that way, won’t it?*

‘……’

Silence followed.

Neither Christie, nor Ria, nor I spoke.

…Ultimately, it was the system that broke the silence.

*

-> We believe in your narrative.

=> We are originally recorders and merely observers of the narrative you create…… but regardless, we believe in the narrative you will create.

=> Since you’ve already done it twice, there’s no reason you can’t do it for others.

*

Receiving messages in this format, which I usually only saw for quests, branch points, or reward notifications, felt incredibly strange.

Especially since it said I could do something as grand as changing the fate of the world.

…It was like becoming the protagonist of some novel, I suppose.

*Well, what we’re asking of you is ‘narrative’ itself, so you are, in a way, in the position of a great protagonist within a narrative.*

‘I don’t know. Well, thanks to that, some of my worries have been resolved, though.’

Actually, until now, I had been debating whether to intervene in the war or just pretend not to know.

It was a clash between a vague thought that I might be able to do something and the feeling of not wanting to be in danger.

……And, unfortunately, at this point, my heart leaned towards intervening in that war.

“……What kind of potions do you need?”

“H-huh? Really? Wouldn’t that be too much?”

“However, since showing the process would be useless anyway, I’ll make them myself.

And, you’re asking because you need them for the war, right? So, what kind of potions do you need?”

“…There’s nothing specific, just showing the creation process is fine. The Imperial Family is making an unreasonable request anyway, so you can refuse if you’re uncomfortable.”

Therefore, I decided to use some of my abilities, even if just a little.

Actually, I had no other means to intervene in the war besides this.

…If left unchecked, it would be a war where everyone ultimately loses.

That’s why I decided to change it.

……Because knowing that everyone would only get hurt and doing nothing was too much for my conscience.

How? I don’t know.

Exactly which ones? Again, I don’t know.

…However, I only aim for a more beautiful and peaceful ending than the one I know.

Even if not offensive potions, supplying healing or defensive potions would objectively reduce casualties significantly.

“…I just hope fewer people die.”

Therefore, Christie, who had been saying that if it was difficult, I didn’t have to give potions, and that the Ducal Family would protect me so I didn’t need to be afraid of Imperial pressure, paused at my ambiguous reaction.

…She probably felt the same way.

“Oh, that doesn’t mean I’m going to support it fully. I’m just saying I’ll make a few samples and send them.

There’s no talk of war breaking out yet, so why already…”

“Pfft. You don’t have to sugarcoat it like that, Lucia.”

“…I’m serious, you know? I’m in a position where I wish there were no wars at all!”

“Not everyone is like that… but most are. Me too.”

Saying that, Christie left, saying she would go report to the Imperial Family.

……It suddenly occurred to me that in the original story, this was the time when she was completely consumed with finding and avenging those who killed her father.

***

‘Damn it. I thought I’d finally get some rest, but it just turned into a headache.’

*Honestly, it’s about time the original events started happening, isn’t it?*

‘…That’s true. But seriously, will I eventually meet the Demon King as a main character and change the Demon King’s fate too?’

*Well, the Demon King is a main character, so there’ll probably be another individual branch point, right?*

‘What am I supposed to do about that? Do I have to tell him that Elena manipulated him? No, how would I even meet him in the first place?’

*When the time comes, you’ll find out whether you want to or not, won’t you?*

……Anyway, as I always say, there’s never a peaceful day when you get involved with these main characters.