episode_0072

“Now, let us begin our gathering to discuss the prophecy of Eric Grave~”

With Chris’s casual greeting, the meeting officially commenced.

Honestly, looking at it now, this lineup truly makes no sense. A saint, an emperor, a grand duke, and even a hero. Standing among such distinguished individuals—who wouldn’t have spared me a glance under normal circumstances—made my stomach churn. Had it been so long since I last conversed with these people as equals?

“Ahem, I’m sure everyone has much to say, but since we’ve all gathered here with great difficulty, let’s refrain from picking fights—”

“No need to strain yourself setting the mood, Chris. Even if you didn’t, there’d be no changing the atmosphere here anyway.”

“Way to kill the mood from the start. If you’re going to be this draining, just go back to the royal palace. I won’t stop you.”

Elia nonchalantly picked up a pastry from the table.

“Goodness, is someone of your stature truly sulking? How astonishing. The ever-kind and radiant Lady Grave, who charms everyone, would dare act so rudely in front of the imperial princess?”

“A princess should act like a princess. Seeing you carry on now, one might mistake you for the emperor already. What, have you already wrapped both the emperor and his court around your fingers?”

“‘Wrapped around my fingers’ is hardly an appropriate phrase. Others might mistake me for some tyrant. I merely offer ‘wise counsel’ to His Majesty and his ministers so this Perial Empire may steer toward a better future.”

“You speak well, Elia. Yet I know exactly what mischief you’ve been up to in the church. How bold of you to say such things.”

“Oh?”

“The soldiers deployed for the investigation—your private troops, yes? Charging in recklessly, trampling over everything under the pretense of conducting an inquiry—such behavior is unmistakable.”

“Baseless conjecture. To claim they are my soldiers simply because they acted rudely—that’s nothing but malicious slander.”

“Soldiers who wouldn’t dare step foot near the church normally, suddenly swarming in and wreaking havoc—they couldn’t have acted so boldly without backing.”

“What a shame. To think you’d accuse me of being their mastermind over something so trivial—”

“And how shamelessly you deny it. Our high priests couldn’t even resist being subdued. Truly remarkable magic—enough to remind me of someone.”

Cecilia shook her head as if resigning herself. But Elia wasn’t one to back down.

“And you have no room to talk, do you? Or rather, does anyone here have the right to openly criticize my actions? Starting with you, Cecilia—how many of those so-called ‘fanatics’ are already under your wing?”

“Do not insult them. ‘Fanatics’? Do you intend to turn every devout follower of the Goddess against you?”

“Alright, alright. Who built a stronger faction, whose followers are crazier—none of that matters right now, so let’s table it for later. If you must settle things, duel it out privately.”

Lucilla cut in.

“I agree. Frankly, I’ve been thinking it’s about time you two stopped squabbling like children.”

“‘Squabbling like children’? Even for you, that’s a bit—”

“Am I wrong? I’m stronger than anyone under either of you. Strong enough to defeat all of them combined without breaking a sweat.”

It was an arrogant declaration, yet no one refuted it.

Under normal circumstances, Lucilla’s odds against them would’ve been fifty-fifty. But now, she was no ordinary warrior—she was the Reverse Hero, tempered through countless hellish battlefields.

“Had anyone else said that, I’d have dismissed it as nonsense—the ravings of a madwoman. But coming from you, it doesn’t sound like a joke.”

“I merely spoke the truth.”

“Then what about us? A match between you and the two of us would be quite the spectacle.”

“I’ll pass. I see no reason to. Besides, defeating you as you are now holds no meaning.”

Lucilla wasn’t like Elia or Cecilia, burdened with much to lose.

Born a commoner, orphaned early, with no one to rely on—the sole reason she could rise to the academy’s student council was simple.

She was strong.

With nothing but a sword, she shattered every obstacle in her path.

No master, no formal training, no refined technique—yet her swordsmanship was brutal in its simplicity. Countless renowned swordsmen of the empire had challenged her, only to be effortlessly crushed.

Even after drawing the Holy Sword, her blade hadn’t changed—only its destructive power had grown.

Ahem.

“Ah, a refusal? And here I thought I could finally relieve some stress.”

“To act this way in front of him—how unbecoming.”

“Eh? Me?”

Suddenly, the focus shifted to me. I hastily raised my hands in surrender.

“Don’t mind me. I already knew Elia was up to something. Same with Cecilia.”

“Knew? You did?”

“That’s… surprising. You’ve only just regained your senses—how could you possibly have known about Elia’s or my movements?”

The two who had been locking horns with Lucilla moments ago now turned their scrutiny on me. I’d intended to mediate before tensions escalated further, but it seemed my influence in this gathering was greater than I’d thought.

Fortunately, I already had a universal key for situations like this.

“Prophecy. I foresaw the organizations you two built growing until they could manipulate both empire and church. To amass such power, you’d have to start scheming now. Even with the Demon King’s invasion looming, no one would entrust national affairs to a pair of girls. And you two—haven’t you been skipping my lessons frequently lately? I connected the dots.”

“……”

Both fell silent, staring blankly at me. Not that I could blame them.

In this situation, any rebuttal would sound forced. As long as they acknowledged my prophetic ability, pressing me further would be foolish. Demand proof? “I saw it in a vision?” would shut that down instantly.

Clap!

Seizing the lull, Chris tried steering the discussion back on track.

“Alright, let’s return to the main topic. We’re here to discuss Brother’s prophecy, not measure who’s strongest. You can settle that later at the academy.”

“The reason I brought this up is because I’d rather not drag out tedious discussions about his prophecy. Tell me—is there anyone here who doubts Eric Grave’s prophecy?”

No one answered.

“What, so you all believe me? How touching.”

“Given what just happened, everything you say carries weight.”

“I thought it was nonsense when I first heard it, but…”

“Ha.”

“…Brother?”

I covered my mouth with a hand. Otherwise, I might’ve burst out laughing.

What was this gathering like in previous iterations?

“Preposterous delusions.”

“Not worth considering. The church’s downfall? Speak sense.”

“Aren’t you nobility? Then act like it. If you can’t even fulfill your role as an older brother, at least hold onto that last scrap of dignity.”

“……”

They dismissed my prophecies as impossible, twisting logic to suit their biases. In the end, I was all but expelled from the meeting room.

Yet now, every last one of them—eager to curry favor—was declaring their trust in my words.

“Whether my prophecies are right or wrong no longer matters. You’re here because, in my visions, you were the chosen party of heroes. Statistically, you’re still the most likely candidates.”

As I watched the four pairs of eyes gleaming at me, I reflected.

Had this been the novels I loved, Lucilla and the rest would’ve long been relegated to side characters, upstaged by some true protagonist who appeared like a comet.

Even if they remembered past iterations, the secrets that empowered them remained mine alone.

I held knowledge that could elevate any random passerby to Lucilla’s level—if they acted as I did.

A chance to gain comrades who wouldn’t betray me, who’d believe in me, who’d cherish me.

But this world I lived in was no longer fiction.

So I entertained no thoughts of acting on mere sentiment.

Why the hell would I do something so insane?

When I already had prime candidates right before my eyes.