episode_0063

At Kara’s words, he immediately assented.

However, hearing the immediate answer, a groan escaped him.

‘Because…’

Because I wasn’t Uncle Orlando.

Uncle Orlando, who was called the strongest on the continent as far as I knew, had been defeated by a formidable enemy, even with Sir Nemo and half of the continent’s most seasoned heroes by his side…

Could I truly defeat such a foe?

And.

‘Then what will happen to me?’

Though the Prophets were cornered to the point where it seemed they might fall, somehow, they would not fall.

It wasn’t just this time; they had faced numerous near-falls throughout the long history of the continent, and hadn’t they established the Shahlnu Empire and risen to the position of its patrons, regaining their prestige once more, just when they were on the brink of collapse?

With their unique foresight, the ‘Artifacts’ imbued with a navigator’s wisdom, and.

With the power of countless repositories of wisdom, hidden within Mount Minerva’s forbidden archives throughout the long history of the continent.

So it was only a matter of time, sooner or later; the Prophets would not fall.

People were certain they would fall, but I had personally witnessed Lucas’s power, where even the Prophets were beneath him, living as Impurity’s puppet, which made me even more certain.

Just as the Prophets in the past had overcome the crisis of their downfall by establishing the Shahlnu Empire through Feanor.

This time, even if everyone were to unleash arrows of wrath upon the Prophets, attempting to punish them, they would rise again with Impurity’s power, which had extended its influence across the continent.

Because Lucas, none other than he, was the representative of the Prophets of Mount Minerva.

“……”

If I had to act as a hero and do the right thing, I should help this person and subjugate the Army of the Dead.

To overcome this seemingly impossible challenge with the heroes and save the continent.

After that, I would either be cast aside by Cerebus, or be called a true hero and receive the praise of the continent’s people.

“……”

But the Prophets, Impurity, and Lucas would not stand idly by my actions.

If that happened, Agapé, who was in Fallen, would once again be in danger of her life, and if I chose to cooperate with Cerebus, Agapé would definitely die.

‘Agapé.’

I…

What on earth should I do…?

I thought if this war ended, I could return to your side.

What choice, on earth, should I make…?

“Then what is this dilemma you speak of?”

At that moment, Danoa interrupted our conversation and spoke.

“If, as you say, solving this dilemma is truly necessary to save the continent, then it seems you wish for us to solve it while subjugating the Army of the Dead.”

“Yes.”

“Then—”

After swallowing once, he continued speaking.

“Why, of all people, are you entrusting this dilemma to us? With your intelligence and espionage capabilities, which have seduced nobles across the entire empire, and the power of that Golden-Armored Knight who handles all of us heroes as if we were children, not only this dilemma but even the Army of the Dead could be subjugated.”

“……”

What was he thinking?

No, it wasn’t ‘thinking’; it was ‘seeing’.

With his foresight as a Prophet, he was once again looking into the future of Danoa and the other heroes present.

“Logically, if the Army of the Dead had been subjugated beforehand, the continent would not have come to this state.”

“Yes.”

“But the Prophets chose an illogical method. So, I ask you all.”

He scanned the room.

“Do you think they made that choice because they were ‘illogical’?”

……

Everyone remained silent, but tacitly harbored the vague thought that it might be so.

Cerebus, who had founded Gram from the bottom up, used his uniquely keen sense for reading the atmosphere to discern their expressions, then spoke.

“No.”

I can affirm.

“They did not make that choice because they were illogical. They themselves were well aware that the choice was not logical, and indeed, among them, there were discussions that instead of trusting foresight, they should subjugate the disaster through ‘logical judgment’.”

But why did they make such a choice?

He gave the answer.

“We are not superhumans.”

The Prophets are not omniscient.

Theoretically, because of their foresight that allows them to see the future, people believe they can foresee all of the continent’s future, and thus possess omniscience to make the continent eternally peaceful.

“Foresight is an ability with clear limitations.”

“Then what do you mean by that limitation?”

“The human brain.”

Tap. Tap.

He tapped his own head with his fingertips.

“Many people hold a mistaken perception of fate, comparing it to the branches of a tree. In fact, some less knowledgeable Prophets also hold such a misguided understanding. But there is a much more appropriate metaphor.”

“What is it?”

“Fate is closer to the flow of a vast, shallow, and endlessly long river.”

A shallow, long river.

The river water is shallow enough to barely cover the surface, but conversely, the river is endless.

Humans—no. All races and civilizations, including humans, are effectively leaves named ‘continent’ floating on that river water, surrendering themselves to the flow of fate.

“Do you think it’s possible for a human brain to grasp the entire flow of the river?”

Bradamante, who was listening, momentarily thought it was possible, but Talfinus, who had been listening with his arms quietly crossed, realized the truth within Cerebus’s words and shook his head.

“No. It’s impossible.”

“Oh, why do you think so?”

“The river flows in one direction, but if, as you say, the depth is so shallow it barely covers the bottom…”

After a moment of contemplation, he continued.

“Beneath it, there would be pebbles capable of flipping the leaves that surrender to the current of fate, and massive boulders, not even fully covered by the river, would twist or alter the flow of the water.”

“That’s correct.”

He smiled at the satisfying answer.

“That is what fate is, and detecting those changes is the role of us Prophets. Entrusting ourselves to the endless flow of the river, if there are elements that could lead the continent to ruin, we use our foresight to grasp the subtly changing current of the water beforehand and prepare for destruction.

Of course, we cannot see every single minute stream of the river’s flow, divided into countless rivulets, by tracing them one by one, but gazing at just a portion laid before us is enough, which is why they were called the continent’s Prophets and earned the respect of all.”

“But I still don’t understand.”

“What do you mean?”

“If the limitation of foresight you spoke of means not being able to see the countless rivulets of the river, but only a small portion, then isn’t it absurd that they failed to foresee the crisis of the Army of the Dead?

Even as a single event, it was a massive threat that placed the continent at a crossroads of survival or demise. But why couldn’t they see it?”

“That is the dilemma I speak of.”

And—

“That is precisely why the Prophets made an ‘illogical choice’.”

“…What did you say?”

“Do you know why Feanor’s ‘The Story’ is called the ultimate prophecy?”

It is called that because ‘The Story’ is the book of prophecy created by Feanor, the greatest Prophet of all time, who read countless futures and foresaw events hundreds and thousands of years into the distant future, unlike us who can only see decades ahead.

“Naturally, because of the weight contained within it, the contents of the Story are written in a book, but no one can easily read it except Feanor himself. The same goes for the Consuls, so they can only barely glimpse the most ‘perfect’ future revealed by ‘The Story’ for saving the continent years later.”

“Then surely—”

“Yes.”

What was written in The Story was precisely that.

Even when they tried to devise countermeasures to confront the Army of the Dead after its birth, ‘The Story’ contained narratives about past events, and the Prophets followed its will, believing it to be the only way to save the continent.

“So the Prophets didn’t feel anything strange even while doing so?”

“I told you, didn’t I? They are more logical than you think. Of course, they found it strange and looked into the future with their foresight, and the futures they saw were not significantly different from Feanor’s ‘The Story’.”

So they doubted, but they believed until the end.

‘The Story,’ and their own foresight.

That is why, even as their prestige was diminished, they sacrificed countless lives because of the ‘fate’ that demanded all heroes be saved.

Their prestige was eroded bit by bit, and they ultimately met their downfall, having incurred the resentment of the continent’s people.

“No.”

At that moment, Kara refuted Cerebus’s words.

“They won’t fall.”

“What do you mean?”

“Most of the history before the Shahlnu era has been erased, but the Prophets have maintained their lineage for thousands of years, consistently reigning as the continent’s pinnacle.”

And even when they faced the crisis of collapse with the fall of the Golden Age, Feanor established the Shahlnu Empire, elevating them to the position of its patrons and saving them from the brink of ruin.

“And just as before, this time, since Lucas is the leader of the Prophets, they will overcome the crisis with the power of Impurity, which is spread throughout the continent.”

“No.”

At her words, he immediately asserted.

“That will never happen.”

“What do you mean?”

“Hero Kara.”

He rose from his chair.

“Emotions are immortal.”

Even if emotions are severed by a brain malfunction.

Even if emotions are sealed by an evil curse.

Emotions are immortal.

Especially anger, grief, regret, sorrow, despair.

“Such negative emotions, even if you think they’ve vanished, will always slowly creep back up, creating the feelings you thought were gone.”

So emotions, even when they seem to be severed, vanish, or perish at first glance.

As long as a soul exists, those emotions can never truly disappear.

Therefore, emotions are eternally immortal.

“Why are you bringing that up now?”

“Even though time has passed, people of the past have died, and most of the history before the Shahlnu era has been lost, the Prophets have accumulated their karma over a long period.”

And that karma has steadily accumulated in people’s hearts, piling up over long ages, concentrating wrath like a volcano waiting to erupt at any moment.

“How long do you think that anger will remain concentrated?”

In one year? Ten years? Or a hundred, or even a thousand years from now?

“Now.”

The anger has long since been concentrated to its limit.

Amidst a situation where it could erupt at any moment, people’s anger had accumulated to the point where it wouldn’t be strange if it exploded immediately with just a detonator.

“And the accumulated anger, sparked by the Prophets’ ‘greatest failure,’ has now begun to erupt like a volcano.”

Currently, that anger has only begun in the capital, but someday, the volcano named ‘anger’ will erupt across the entire continent, regardless of various races and ethnicities.

If that happens, it will threaten the Prophets of Mount Minerva, who are holed up, sealing their own dwelling, and it will only be a matter of time before they inevitably face destruction.

“And, you mentioned Impurity?”

A smirk.

As he spoke the name, Cerebus wore a wry smile.

“Yes, Impurity is formidable. Don’t those who know, know? Although it’s thought their prestige is less than the Imperial family’s because they are a related family, Lucas, Impurity’s illegitimate son, became the leader of the Prophets, and Astolfo Impurity became the third hero of the Shahlnu Stellarum Knights, already surpassing the Imperial family’s authority.”

Since Lucas became the leader of the Prophets, everything belonging to the Prophets of Mount Minerva had become as good as Impurity’s.

“Hero Kara, as you said, if Impurity had been ‘intact’ as usual, the Prophets might have survived, even if it was one in ten thousand. But not anymore.”

But not anymore.

Was it just a feeling, or did those words sound as if Impurity had fallen?

Had Mirzam been captured?

Even if it had been captured, their influence wasn’t so weak as to collapse just because Mirzam was occupied.

As I said before, Impurity’s influence had spread throughout the continent, and their foundation was so solid that their fall was even more inconceivable than the Prophets’ fall.

‘But why?’

Why was the old man saying such things to me?

…Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Her heart pounded at a rapid, incredibly rapid pace.

Feeling as if blood was rushing frantically through her head, she unconsciously sharpened her five senses and began to focus on Cerebus’s words.

Her five senses, honed to the level of a Sword Master.

“……”

As if in slow motion, slowed to one-hundredth of its speed, she began to read Cerebus’s words very slowly.

So frustratingly, to the point of madness.

…Truly, to the point of madness.

The possibility of Impurity’s, of the Prophets’ downfall, made her feel that way.

“It seems Talfinus didn’t tell you.”

The heroes’ gazes, excluding Kara, turned towards Talfinus, who had gone to Mirzam with Astolfo.

“Mirzam has been sealed.”

And.

“Upon seeing Mirzam like that, Astolfo chose to flee and headed for Numenlora.”

The Third Hero, Astolfo Impurity.

By choosing to defect to the Army of the Dead.

The Prophets and Impurity had met their complete downfall.

The cage of the woman whose freedom had been suppressed shattered then and there.

***