episode_0053

I still remember that time.

A plain, pure white mask, with no patterns or holes.

And the words of the blonde Prophet, who wore pure white vestments adorned with gold thread, spoke to me.

“I apologize for your tragedy.”

“I never intended for things to go this far. As a Prophet, there are limits to reading the future, so I unfortunately couldn’t see ten years ahead.”

As if it were natural for him to take everything from me.

And as if it were an honor for a Prophet like himself to apologize to a lowly person like me.

After utterly ruining someone’s life, he had said those words to me, as if mocking.

…And then, I said these words.

“…You so-called Prophets are truly remarkable.”

“For the greater good, and according to the guidance of fate. You use such grand reasons, yet you have no qualms about ruining others’ lives.”

“As if you are puppets meant to move within a set script, you only move within fate, disguised as the greater good…”

“Butchers of humanity, living madly for prophecy, having abandoned what little humanity you had.”

*“Someday.”*

*“I will surely eradicate all Prophets, including you, and prophecy and fate themselves, with my own hands. Prophet.”*

“……”

I meant it.

Lucas and the Prophets.

Entities who would completely destroy a person’s life for the greater good, feeling no guilt whatsoever, and rather, extorting others’ possessions as if it were their right. To me, they seemed like cancers more than anything else.

Once, I hated them that much, and the words I spoke to him then were also uttered with all my heart.

Among the countless words I had ever spoken to anyone in my life, these were, more than anything, more than any other time, filled with emotion and sincerity.

‘…But then.’

Upon hearing that they would fall.

I felt nothing.

…Why?

‘Is it emptiness?’

Because the Prophets, who were like an unassailable fortress that could never crumble, fell so incredibly easily, merely for failing to subjugate the forces of death?

No.

It wasn’t emptiness.

Though my heart was filled with a void, it wasn’t that kind of void.

If I had heard that the enemies I wanted to destroy so desperately had fallen, there would have been at least a mix of emptiness and a small sense of gratification.

‘Is it anger?’

Because I couldn’t destroy those hateful Prophets with my own hands?

…No. That’s not it.

Even if their downfall is practically a given, this news hasn’t spread across the continent yet.

Before the enraged masses stormed to the peak of Mount Minerva, I still had enough time to go there myself and sever their heads.

And more than anything…

I felt nothing.

Neither hatred, nor emptiness, nor anger.

In the past, I hated them so much…

A creak.

Just thinking about them used to make my heart pound and my blood rush madly through my head…

Now…

“……”

Even though I heard they had fallen—no, that they were on the verge of falling—I literally felt nothing.

Nothing at all.

“I will surely have my revenge!”

“You, and your family, all of it! Just as you took everything I had, I will destroy everything you hold dear!”

The deep grudge against the Prophet of Light had also completely vanished.

‘What… what am I…’

“Are you confused?”

It was Cerebus’s voice.

When I raised my head at his words, Cerebus was looking down at me with his characteristic gaze that seemed to see through everything.

“In the past, you hated them so much, but now, even when you recall the objects of that hatred, you feel only a gaping void.”

“…Did you know?”

“Of course I knew. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have even considered taking you in.”

“What do you mean?”

“‘Darkness,’ I mean.”

Tap. Tap.

“Inside that armor. No, the power of the Third Calamity lurking within your decaying flesh.”

Cerebus, who had approached me at some point, tapped the breastplate of my armor with his index finger.

“I’m saying that the reason you’ve changed is because of that power.”

“…I don’t understand what you mean.”

“It is, in name, the power of an old Calamity.”

He took a step, another step.

“Starting with the First Calamity, the Demon King, this is the power of beings so dangerous that even fate itself tries to eliminate them. Did you really think there would be no limitations when using it?”

“Aren’t I already facing enough restrictions?”

From head to toe.

My entire body was already covered in charring from my time in the penal unit, a long time ago.

Unable to withstand that immense power, my body was slowly decaying until just before I met Cerebus.

Even now, I am trapped, unable to move, within this coffin-like armor to prevent that decay.

“That’s hardly a restriction.”

But Cerebus, hearing that, scoffed as if it were obvious.

“Common sense dictates that if you’ve been recklessly using such immense power for years, without even knowing how to wield it, consumed by the madness of growing stronger, then the decay of your body is only natural, isn’t it?”

Of course, even if one were to go berserk using the other Three Great Powers, they wouldn’t transform into such a horrific state. But still, it is the power of a Calamity, so you should have used it with appropriate caution.

He paused.

He climbed the steps again and sat on the subtly glowing throne, resting his chin on his hand.

“Once, there was a great knight.”

A great knight who represented the Golden Age.

“That knight’s martial prowess surpassed the powers of the current Emperors, and his nobility was said to be unmatched by anyone. Together with the Hero of Verdant Growth, he defeated the Second Calamity, and there were even rumors that he would be the first human chosen by the Golden Tree.”

“Knight King Morgoth.”

The Knight King who defeated the Second Calamity that threatened the Golden Age.

“Why did that Knight King, who was said to be so noble, fall and become the Third Calamity?”

The answer was already known.

Everyone who knew understood why he, who was originally nothing short of a guardian of the continent, had fallen and become the Third Calamity.

“It was because of that power.”

Darkness.

“A mysterious power whose origin, method, circumstance, and creator are unknown.”

He gestured.

He pointed at me with his index finger.

“That noble knight was so utterly ruined by that one power that he tried to destroy the continent.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“You know it too.”

“……”

“Agapé.”

For the first time in a very long time, he called my name.

Agapé.

“Emotion is the last safety measure that allows humans to remain human.”

“……”

“So, if you forget those emotions, all feelings about past events. Love, anger, hatred, and guilt. If you forget everything.”

“……”

“That is truly the day a human becomes a monster.”

“……”

It felt as if I had received a terminal diagnosis.

No. From the moment my body began to decay due to this power, my remaining life wasn’t very long to begin with.

It felt like I was being told not simply of death, but that my life as a human being would soon end.

…In truth, it wasn’t much different from that.

“……”

“‘Darkness’ revealed itself in the form of ‘flame’ to establish its own existence in this world.”

And flame, literally, burns everything to ash.

“That kind of flame has settled within your spirit. Did you think that immense power, that flame, would only burn and corrupt your flesh?”

No.

“Not just your flesh, but your emotions, memories, and even your personality. That power will burn everything, treating it all as fuel.”

Now that the armor prevents the body’s decay, the black flame, seeking something to burn, will now burn those things.

“You ended up using the black flame in Mullifen.”

“Did you know?”

“Of course. But I was still half in doubt. It wasn’t for living comrades; I thought there was no way you’d foolishly use the black flame for fallen comrades who were mere corpses. But, you truly did use it.”

“…That was my best option.”

“Yes. Demons carrying the Demon King’s essence have a high possibility of becoming Archduke-level demons in the future. Even rationally speaking, eliminating those potential ticking bombs beforehand was the correct course of action. However—”

His gaze turned towards the armor I wore.

“I hope you understand that my lifespan isn’t much longer.”

“…I will engrave that deeply in my heart.”

“Good. I will research the issue of decay further and inform you. I am still searching for a way to draw out the decaying flesh from within the armor. Ah, and I’ve already sent Oh Shin to Mount Minerva, so there’s no need for you to go there yourself, Lord.”

“Understood.”

As I bowed lightly, Cerebus gave me a dismissal, as if his words were concluded.

A heavy thud—

“……”

As the sound of the audience chamber door closing heavily echoed, Sargon, who was still standing alone outside, approached me.

“Lord Morgoth.”

In one hand, he held a single scroll of sealed documents.

“What is it?”

“Lord El Cid is waiting for you.”

He said, handing over the documents.

“The examination of the woman named Helena, from the Oleg Knights, is complete.”