episode_0112

“I’m sorry.” A voice whispered through the deep silence, entering his ears. How many times had he witnessed this scene? A hazy landscape shimmered in the Prophet’s vision. A sky dyed crimson, academy buildings shattered without a trace, and corpses piled like dust among the scattered remnants. It was a world on the brink of destruction.

“In the end… we couldn’t stop the apocalypse.” The boy standing beside him murmured. His appearance was equally disheveled. His once neat suit was torn to shreds, and his golden hair, which used to flutter, was drenched in blood. Only wide-open pupils remained in the boy’s typically slit eyes, which were almost his symbol.

“Dean-nim.” A tired voice called the Prophet. At the same time, his legs faltered. The boy, swaying for a moment, soon regained his balance, then turned back towards the old man, a bitter smile gracing his lips. The darkness slowly coloring his complexion hinted at farewell. Lips, dripping blood, parted.

“Still, there’s one last move left.” A weary finger pointed to the sky. Beyond the crimson backdrop, the last remaining [Calamity] reared its head. The boy spoke.

“From here on, I’ll go alone. That will be the only way to protect this world.” A sentence, inevitably resolving to sacrifice. The Prophet couldn’t stop him. He merely asked quietly. How should he explain it to the children who would be left behind? The boy smiled faintly.

“Well… no matter what the hidden circumstances are, the fact that I am a traitor remains unchanged.” On that note, I don’t wish to leave any excuses. It would only make things complicated. I’ve decided to put my worries about them aside now.

“They’re strong children, so they’ll surely overcome it.” An ending no one would acknowledge. The boy carried the world on his shoulders. As he walked past the Prophet, only the sound of cold wind echoed. The boy recited, as if adding harmony to it.

“Dean-nim… I entrust a different future to you.” Thud thud-. Leaving behind the incomprehensible request, the boy advanced toward the eye of the raging storm. The Prophet gazed at his receding back. A hand reached out unconsciously. But the boy vanished from a distance he couldn’t reach. In the empty backdrop, only winter remained. Whoosh-. The old man stood there for a long time. It was an unusually vivid dream.

***

In a space filled with oppressive silence. I held my breath slightly. Idly fiddling with the teacup in my hand, my gaze drifted to the Dean seated on the opposite sofa. The white-haired old man remained undisturbed in the calm atmosphere. Only the sound of his breathing was audible.

“……” “……” We didn’t dare to speak. The atmosphere continued precariously. The Dean, especially, seemed to be lost in thought, his unfocused eyes staring into the void. His calm gaze held an inexplicable wistfulness.

‘It’s quiet.’ I murmured inwardly. We had exchanged meaningful greetings, but after that, there was no sign of further conversation. Only I and the old man continued our tea ceremony in silence.

Of course. This silence was within the scope I had anticipated. After all, I was in a position to be wary of. Even if the other party showed willingness to converse, the chances of getting answers to the questions I desired were low. This was precisely because of the [Constraint] the world had placed upon the old man.

I recalled the original story. Gaston Gallimard. The Dean who had led the academy for decades, and a transcendent being who, since birth, had been blessed with mystery and could glimpse the future. The world had bestowed upon the old man the epithet, [Prophet of the End].

However. Names change their pronunciation depending on who calls them. Despite possessing a firm true name and epithet, players of the original game called him by another name. None other than ‘The Most Powerless Prophet’.

I recalled a few posts in my mind. [Category: Q&A Board] [Title: Dean How can someone’s name be Gaston lololol -> Is that really all there is, nothing else? [We don’t know what the Prophet plot hook is either] -> Who are you to assume I don’t know and lump me in? -> So, you know? -> No -> Ugh, troublemaker!

+++

[Category: Free Board] [Title: If the Emperor is the worst personality in the story] The Dean is the most incompetent character in the story. He just does nothing. And yet, he’s tied to a huge plot hook. They say he’s the Prophet of the End or something, anyway, the story keeps emphasizing he’s a super important character. So I thought he’d finally do something later on, but nope. He’s supposedly a prophet but is utterly useless. They say the world put a constraint on him, because of that, he can’t properly answer anything you ask him. Even if you bite the bullet and sacrifice a mythic item to talk to him, all you get back are a few incomprehensible spoilers. If they were going to make the character unable to speak properly, why even give him the prophet setting? I have no idea what the developers were thinking when they made this character. If the Emperor is a garbage person, this guy is just fundamentally garbage in his design.

[This is truly “future-seeing but useless”] -> Ah, lol, he just knows the future. [I’m a newbie so I don’t really know, what does being a prophet mean?] -> He’s literally a prophet. He can see the future because he’s some kind of transcendent being beyond natural law. -> ???? For that kind of ability, he doesn’t do much. -> That’s because he has a constraint on him. -> Constraint? -> Think of it as the price for his ability. [So what’s the Dean’s constraint?] -> He cannot arbitrarily interfere with the future he knows. If he reveals it to others or twists natural law, he bears the karma of the world and his existence is extinguished. -> What, that’s totally trash! -> That’s why he’s called a useless character lol. -> If a character who sees the future can’t interfere or speak about it, why does he even exist…? -> Well, he saw the future. Have a drink.

[That’s because not all endings have been revealed yet. Remember the hidden ending the developers mentioned? I think there’s a possibility the Dean plays an important role there.] -> This is the most plausible theory. -> Speaking of which, has anyone found the hidden ending yet? -> Nah, not that I know of. -> Even the guide book guy is clueless. -> If even that guy can’t find it, isn’t it just non-existent, damn it?

As you can see. The old man before me hadn’t chosen silence willingly. He had closed his mouth because there was no other way. If he were to reveal even a small part of the prophecy, the backlash from the constraint would undoubtedly tear his aged body apart. It was a situation where they might lose a symbolic figure. A heavy risk to bear for just a few words.

Of course. There wasn’t absolutely no way. There’s always a loophole.

“Dean-nim.” It was the same in the original story. The Prophet of the End. Originally, no matter what question was asked, no answer could be obtained, but a method to temporarily bypass that constraint was known. It was the method of offering an item equivalent to a myth as a sacrifice.

The principle was simple. The Constraint. This was the world’s warning not to deviate from natural law, and if one defied it recklessly, a fitting price would be exacted. In the Dean’s case, since his ability was profound, the price was also heavy. None other than the extinction of his existence. This was the reason he couldn’t reveal prophecies.

But what if it was used in reverse? “I already know about the constraint.” Divert the price to something else. More precisely, transfer the penalty for breaking the constraint to another entity. Entrust that role of a fake sacrifice to a [Divine Artifact]. Items that were often called ‘Mythic Items’ in the original story. During the time the continent was born and sustained by the touch of the gods. They were fragments of the world that existed throughout that history, imbued with holiness, and eventually recognized for their high status. At the same time, they were also considered the rarest items.

‘They’re not good for nothing.’ A status capable of bearing the price, even if only for a moment. If one handed it over when asking the Prophet a question, the Dean could temporarily alleviate part of the constraint. This loophole could be utilized to exchange short queries.

Of course. This interaction wasn’t particularly favored among players. There were many opinions that the items were too precious. A Divine Artifact was something one might only obtain once in a hundred playthroughs, so it didn’t make sense to waste such an item for just a few words of conversation. Naturally, the used Divine Artifacts would vanish immediately, making recovery impossible. Furthermore, since it didn’t reveal any grand future, and only provided a few ambiguous and twisted words, the reactions of players who grudged the resources were understandable. It was more beneficial to use them elsewhere.

‘However.’ My case was different.