Ch.127Chapter 127 – The Forbidden Library (4)

After the shocking encounter at the former papal residence, Shin Jaehyuk returned to the imperial palace, still unable to shake off his shock.

“Shit… Baphomet? When he claimed to be one of the Four Heavenly Kings but used a name I’d never heard of, I should have been suspicious… I was so stupid.”

Shin Jaehyuk berated himself. Why hadn’t he noticed earlier? The way he specifically avoided Kim Jaemin, his ability to freely open and close gates. So many clues had been given, yet he failed to recognize them. The more he tried to organize his thoughts by revisiting his memories, the more he was confronted with his own foolishness.

Shin Jaehyuk tried hard to comfort himself.

‘Perhaps this is also an effect of the power of deception… He’s a demon, after all. Like a true demon, he must have cleverly manipulated my perception to prevent me from deducing his true identity.’

He recalled information casually dropped by Li-Tem, the first boss he had defeated years ago, who had proclaimed himself Satan’s right hand. Li-Tem had claimed to have received a portion of Satan’s power of deception, which allowed him to transform his body like jelly at will.

From yesterday’s experience, Shin Jaehyuk learned that the power of deception had other applications beyond transformation, such as concealing one’s presence or summoning doppelgangers. And that might not be all. Perhaps, true to the meaning of the word “deception,” it included the ability to manipulate perception.

There was no way to confirm if his speculation was true, but he chose to believe it. It was an unconscious compromise. If he didn’t believe this, he might go mad with confusion and rage at the realization that his birth had been manipulated by the Demon King, and his life was nothing more than a puppet in Satan’s hands.

‘Mr. B’s goodwill… was it all just to put a leash on me? Damn. This feels awful. Almost as bad as when Iscariot stabbed me in the back.’

Meanwhile, Kwak Taewoo was less shocked. His relationship with Mr. B wasn’t as deep or long-standing as Shin Jaehyuk’s. It had been a one-sided relationship where Kwak Taewoo had blackmailed him based on memories from the first timeline.

‘Blackmail is an embarrassing term now. I was also played by him.’

Though he called it blackmail, he had actually acted arrogantly as if he had some great leverage by using the name “Baphomet” that Satan had falsely presented. Looking back now, it was laughable. He could understand what had happened.

‘So he used a double alias to hide his real name. Most people would assume they’ve discovered the real name behind an alias, not imagining it could be a second alias. Exactly what happened to me.’

After all, how many people would have a fit if they knew Satan was alive? Satan had used every trick to conceal his identity. Even if someone reached the name Baphomet, they wouldn’t think that name was also an alias.

Even after deducing this much, there was something Kwak Taewoo still couldn’t understand.

“Then why did he help us? Throughout both the first and second timelines.”

To have us kill the Four Heavenly Kings and the current Demon King so he could return to the throne? …It didn’t seem that simple. If he was obsessed with the Demon King position, he wouldn’t have yielded so easily to Kim Jaemin in the first place. The fact that he deliberately acted out being defeated by Kim Jaemin, even using a doppelganger, meant he had some other scheme.

And currently, there was only one way to find out what that scheme was.

“…To know that, I need to find this ‘Sage.’ I should return to Earth.”

***

After brief farewells with Chancellor Behemdorf, Marco, and Eric, Shin Jaehyuk hurriedly returned to Earth. He rejected the Chancellor’s attempts to persuade him to stay longer, declining offers of a banquet for heroes, a duke’s position, and the empire’s highest medal.

In contrast, Kwak Taewoo decided to remain in Eden. He wasn’t as curious about who the Sage was or what his plans might be. Kwak Taewoo’s goal was simply to defeat the Four Heavenly Kings and the current Demon King to prevent destruction, and for that, his immediate priority was his own growth.

While the encounter with Satan hadn’t shocked him as much as it had Shin Jaehyuk, it had ignited a fierce motivation. A wake-up call that he shouldn’t be satisfied with merely reaching the level of Sword Master. Kwak Taewoo wanted to stay in Eden to improve his skills by dealing with the remnants of the Demon King’s army.

So Shin Jaehyuk returned to Earth alone and began investigating the Sage. When he actually opened the internet, he wasn’t sure where to start. He didn’t know what keywords to type into the blinking search bar to reveal the whereabouts of a Sage who had been hiding for hundreds of years.

‘The only clues I have now are the names Satan recited.’

He recalled the names Satan had dropped before leaving: Hermes Leonhardt, Hermes Trismegistus, Nicholas Flamel, Johann Georg Faust, Michel de Nostredame, Saint-Germain, and Leonardo da Vinci…

All legendary figures. Mysterious characters appearing in various mystical stories and fantasy legends. While many names were unfamiliar to Shin Jaehyuk, some were surprisingly well-known.

“Michel de Nostredame—that’s Nostradamus. A famous prophet known for his accuracy. And Leonardo da Vinci was a real person, right? I remember seeing his picture in art textbooks.”

That was surprising enough, but what truly shocked Shin Jaehyuk was another name. Hermes Leonhardt. Wasn’t he a former emperor of the Empire? Actually praised as a sage.

‘So that Sage and this Sage are the same person? Hmm…’

He had reportedly disappeared in his later years after stepping down from the throne, apparently achieving immortality through some method. Presumably, after becoming immortal, he crossed over to Earth and infiltrated human history by posing as various historical figures.

Shin Jaehyuk clicked his tongue at this life story that was more fantastical than his own. Indeed, when he looked up the active periods of each historical figure on Wikipedia, they mysteriously didn’t overlap, with only a few years between them. Indirect evidence that all these famous figures were actually the same person.

‘There are a few cases where their active periods slightly overlap, but not for long. He could have easily disguised his birth, death, and appearance…’

While checking the chronology, Shin Jaehyuk discovered a contradiction. Hermes Leonhardt, supposedly the Sage’s first name and origin, was a figure from a thousand years ago, while the name Hermes Trismegistus appeared in ancient Greece before the Common Era. The timeline between Earth and Eden seemed strangely inconsistent.

‘Is it because they’re different worlds, with jumbled time flows? Come to think of it, Kim Jaemin fought in Eden for over a hundred years, but was only missing from Earth for ten years. Yet when I was in Eden for three months recently, the same three months passed on Earth.’

It seemed that after the gate opened, the relative flow of time between the two worlds had been unified. While manipulating time was impossible even for arch-mages, the influence of the System made this somewhat comprehensible.

‘The System… a power approaching omnipotence. Or rather, not a power but the foundation of the universe itself, as he said.’

He recalled the information Satan had casually explained. Satan had described the System as a law above laws. A cosmic law superior to physical, chemical, and magical laws. Something that transcends even time and entropy.

Shin Jaehyuk could see that his speculation was plausible, especially through the existence of the regressor, Kwak Taewoo. The Holy Grail that Kwak Taewoo used had rewound the time of the world itself, causing even transcendent beings to forget the first timeline.

‘All that is the power of the System…’

While contemplating the omnipotence of the System, more questions arose, but Shin Jaehyuk pushed them aside. The conversation had somehow gone off track, but now wasn’t the time to contemplate what the System was. It was time to find the Sage. He would learn more details about the System by asking the Sage directly.

Shin Jaehyuk returned to his original purpose and focused on the internet browser.

“Satan said if I want to find the Sage, I should first find the book of prophecy. And that book is supposedly kept in some exhibition hall.”

When thinking of prophecy, the first name that came to mind was Nostradamus, famous for his predictions. According to Wikipedia, he had written a book called “The Prophecy.”

Shin Jaehyuk immediately searched for Nostradamus’s book of prophecy online. The internet was so advanced these days that he could quickly find a translated e-book with just one search. He purchased and read it.

Several hours later, Shin Jaehyuk realized that the past few hours had been useless. Far from revealing the Sage’s location, the prophecy book contained nothing but nonsense trying to appear plausible. Just random phrases that might accidentally be right once or twice, like a broken clock that’s right twice a day.

But he couldn’t give up yet. Shin Jaehyuk considered other possibilities. Maybe it wasn’t the original? Information might have been lost in translation.

He worried that the original might have been lost, but the wonders of modern science proved him wrong. Scanned copies were readily available online.

The moment he saw the cover, Shin Jaehyuk understood why Nostradamus had been called a prophet.

On the cover illustration, there were some strange, crooked letters. They weren’t written in any Earth language, so translators hadn’t even attempted to translate them, or even recognized them as text. On the cover of this five-hundred-year-old book, written in Eden’s language, were the words:

-The prophecy book you seek is not this one.

“…!”

Shin Jaehyuk’s eyes widened. A message specifically targeting his situation. Had Nostradamus, five hundred years ago, foreseen that he would read this book? Or had he used Satan to engineer this situation?

Regardless, content-wise, the prophecy book Shin Jaehyuk wanted wasn’t Nostradamus’s. That made sense, as Nostradamus’s book didn’t match Satan’s hint. The Sage’s prophecy book was supposedly kept in some art gallery.

“That bastard… if you’re going to give me a hint, at least make it clear.”

Shin Jaehyuk complained about Satan, who had only given vague clues. At this rate, he might have to search every art gallery in the world. And true to his high-school-graduate hikikomori nature, Shin Jaehyuk’s artistic knowledge was worse than a middle schooler’s.

He needed help. Fortunately, there was someone suitable. Someone with rich cultural knowledge and excellent information-gathering abilities.

Shin Jaehyuk immediately contacted Lee Yujin.

***

In a spacious reception room where an old man and a woman sat alone, a loud telephone ring broke the silence.

At the woman’s gesture, the old man in elaborate priestly robes answered the phone. His attire clearly indicated high status. Indeed, the person on the other end reported with due respect.

-Your Holiness, I thought I should report this directly.

“Brother John, is that you? What brings you to call?”

The old man recognized the caller. He was a spy planted among the delegation recently sent to the new world called Eden. An informant collecting information that might help spread their religious influence.

Planting the informant had been worthwhile. The missionary activities targeting the impoverished lives of commoners and the conflict between commoners and nobles were proceeding successfully. As a result, the Paradise Church’s influence in Eden was growing like a snowball.

The spy continued:

-I’ve identified Korea’s secret S-class awakener. His name is Shin Jaehyuk. He recently displayed his power quite impressively and is being revered as a saint by the commoners. Thanks to Chancellor Behemdorf’s quick control, his name hasn’t spread widely, but rumors are circulating among the nobles.

“Korea’s S-class?”

This was an unexpected harvest. He had asked for information about the empire’s living conditions and citizens, but the spy had brought unexpected news. As the Pope expressed surprise at this unexpected information, the spy asked:

-From my investigation, he seems to be an orphan with no relatives and few acquaintances, making him quite suitable for our ‘blessing.’ What should I do? Should I approach him as well?

The Pope didn’t answer immediately. There was a brief whispering between the old man and the woman. The spy could tell that the Pope was consulting with the Holy Woman. Indeed, as expected, the Pope conveyed the Holy Woman’s will.

“The Holy Woman says to leave that man alone for now. She has already taken some measures, and with so many ongoing projects, she needs to focus on the present.”

-Ah… you mean the Skyscraper and Hero cases? It’s been months, but the blessing isn’t complete yet. Surprisingly…

“The mental strength of S-class individuals is remarkably strong… The Skyscraper has almost completed his education, but the Hero is so wary that there’s been no progress. Sister Eunji hasn’t even been able to approach him yet.”

The spy seemed surprised to hear that they hadn’t even begun working on Kim Jaemin. His voice tone rose slightly as he asked:

-Then what should I do now? Please show me the way.

“The Holy Woman wishes for Brother John to continue contact with the Pope of the Church of Light. He’s a petty man with great greed but little ambition, so he shouldn’t be difficult to persuade.”

-I understand. Then I’ll focus on expanding our influence in the Empire. At this rate, it won’t take long to devour the Church of Light as the Holy Woman prophesied.

“Excellent. Please keep up the good work, Brother John. I have high expectations for you. The Lord has great plans for you, so when the day of the apocalypse comes, you will be among the first to ascend to heaven.”

-Oh, hallelujah. All according to the will of our Lord, Elohim…