episode_0124

“I think the person the prophecy refers to is you, Andel.”

Those sudden words made me close my mouth.

Then he quietly looked into Johanna’s eyes.

Johanna also looked at me without saying anything.

That awkward and heavy silence.

“… I don’t really know what you’re talking about.”

It ended because of the words I spat.

There is a group that is trying to bring disaster to the world, and there is a prophecy that will fight against that group.

It’s an absurd story.

It’s literally like a legend or an old story to appease children.

However, I am in a position where I cannot just dismiss it as nonsense.

In fact, not only do I know of the existence of such a group, but I have also heard similar stories before.

From Cheryl, the last survivor of a long-lost empire.

Cheryl said:

I, and only I, can prevent the destruction that will come to the continent and this world.

Perhaps, if I hadn’t met Cheryl, if I hadn’t talked to her, if I hadn’t practiced with her help, I wouldn’t have listened to Johanna properly.

Regardless of the existence of the ‘organization’, the word prophecy itself must have sounded very suspicious.

But, now I know.

That prophecy can actually exist in this world.

In addition, I naturally guessed the identity of the ‘him’ that Johanna mentioned.

‘The one who continued.’

He is probably ‘the one who took over’.

The ‘connected person’ is the ‘organization’… So, I read the future of the ‘church’ that Johanna spoke of, and I also saw myself standing up to that ‘church’… will be a story.

Johanna must have come here after hearing the words of the ‘one who was connected’.

That’s how I was able to grasp the general flow.

However, that didn’t mean I could just say, ‘The person the prophecy refers to is me.’

Because I wasn’t sure yet.

I am confident that Johanna and the group she belongs to are not my enemies.

So, there was still a need to talk more and elicit more information.

“… It’s hard to believe, but even if everything Johanna said earlier is true, how can I be the one pointed out by the prophecy? I’m just a rookie mercenary.”

How did Johanna recognize me?

Perhaps the ‘Continued One’ saw the future accurately, and after accurately seeing me fighting against the ‘Organization’, he told Johanna about it.

However, I didn’t think that possibility was high.

The basis was Cheryl.

She said that she was only able to see my information once she reached the ultimate level of magic and connected closely to the source.

But I didn’t think that I would be able to easily look into my information and the future I was involved in.

There is a possibility that the ‘connected person’ who gave information to Johanna is someone who is very closely connected to the source… .

Even that probability is probably not that high.

If that were the case, Johanna’s attitude itself would have been different.

You must have reacted to something from the moment you first met.

So, it must be said that she did not know about me or that I was the person that the prophecy was referring to.

That means that the person called ‘him’ did not accurately prophesy about me.

However, then a different question arises this time.

If she originally didn’t know about me or that I was the one the prophecy pointed to, then how did she find out?

I needed to hear why.

So I asked her a question.

And finally, Johanna’s mouth opened.

“From the beginning, you were uncharacteristically calm for a newcomer. At first, I thought it was just that kind of personality… Even if a forest monster appeared in front of them, or if a sudden attack occurred, or if a monster that no one had ever seen before appeared, they did not show much signs of surprise. That’s something that’s hard to ignore simply by saying I have a calm personality.”

“… … .”

I sighed inwardly.

After all, I might not have the aptitude for acting.

I thought he was acting with some care, but it seems like it didn’t look plausible at all on the outside.

but.

“Are you saying that I am the person the prophecy points to simply because I am unusually unfazed for a newcomer?”

That alone is not enough.

Uncharacteristically calm for a rookie.

That’s definitely something unusual and noticeable.

however.

This is only at the level of raising a ray of suspicion, and is not a solid basis for something like this.

“Of course, that’s not all.”

Johanna seemed to have thought so as well and immediately spoke.

“Andel, do you remember the shadow monster?”

“Yes.”

There’s no way I won’t remember.

It wasn’t that long ago, and even if time passed, he was a unique guy who wouldn’t be easily forgotten.

“He was a unique guy. It’s not just about appearance, but also the intelligence to hunt people using other monsters, and the growth rate that gets stronger day by day. He was a guy who exceeded the standards in many ways. The warriors and mercenaries who could easily be called strong were swayed by this one guy. and… Even Max was injured.”

“… … .”

I quietly closed my eyes.

It was because her next words were predictable.

“Andel, where were you then?”

“… … .”

I didn’t answer anything.

Johanna looked at me quietly and continued speaking.

“Even though Max was seriously injured, you didn’t show your face. You appeared only when Max’s first aid treatment was finished. I was so out of sorts at the time that I didn’t really pay attention to it, but it was definitely strange that you showed up late in that situation.”

“… I was a bit shocked by what happened to Max. It’s a bit late to sort it out. As you know, this is my first time seeing such a sight.”

“That was not the face of a person who was shocked.”

“… Because the original expression is not revealed well.”

I tried to add my own excuse, but I knew.

That the excuse was not valid.

“The strange thing is, that’s not the end.”

Johanna shook her head.

“At that time, the monster’s reaction was clearly strange. Even though he could have suffocated Max with just one more swing of his claws, he walked away rather than attack. At a speed I had never seen before. As if I was running away.”

“… … .”

“And, after that, that monster never appeared again. Of course, there is no possibility that they gave up hunting and moved areas, but… It’s hard to see it that way. This guy was even better than Max and me, and Max was the most skilled of the group. If it’s intelligent, it will know that we can’t stop it, so there’s no reason to give up the hunt.”

then.

“Why did the monster suddenly stop appearing? I came up with an assumption for that question. Maybe the monster is dead. I wonder if it doesn’t appear because it doesn’t already exist.”

“… … .”

“If the assumption is true, who killed the monster? Oh, now that I think about it, there was someone who happened to be away at that time.”

Her gray eyes sparkled in the dark.

“Andel, it’s you.”

In her usual tone, she spoke calmly.

My reaction to those rather sharp words.

“The leap is a bit extreme.”

It was a bland denial.

“There is too little evidence to believe that I was the one who dealt with the monster simply because I was not seen for a moment.”

Johanna’s words ultimately have no basis.

It’s not like she was able to monitor everyone’s every move back then.

According to her logic, anyone who was not in her field of vision could be a suspect.

In the end, everything is just her assumption, it’s just a guess, and there’s no evidence to support it, so in the end, she can’t push me with words.

Even if that were true.

“… okay. There isn’t really any evidence. It’s just an assumption.”

Johanna herself also calmly admitted that fact.

“Of course, there is no way to prove it now.”

therefore.

“I will continue the conversation assuming that you are the person pointed out in the prophecy.”

The gray light shining in the darkness became more serious.

“The reason I brought this up was to cooperate with you.”

“Cooperation?”

“Okay.”

She nodded heavily.

“If you are really the person pointed out by the prophecy, then you too would have come here to stop the cult’s conspiracy. Because they have the same purpose as us.”

At her explanation, I nodded lightly to myself.

If there is no lie in what she says, if she is really trying to stop the ‘organization’s’ event.

At least our understanding is aligned.

However, there was still a mountain to overcome to reach the ‘cooperation’ she wanted.

“It seems that Johanna is not the only one fighting against the group called ‘Cult’.”

The ‘connected person’ who would have given her the information, and the expression ‘we’ she used.

You can tell by looking at them.

That she is not acting as an individual.

“Yes. That’s right.”

Johanna answered the question without hesitation.

“’We’ are a group created in the first place to stop the cult. With just that one thought, he grew his strength and power. and… The time has finally come.”

Her face took on a serious color that I had never seen before.

“Now ‘we’ will stop the cult’s plan and eventually erase the ‘church’ from the world. To do that… Andel, I need your help.”

Johanna held out her hand.

“Andel, let’s join forces and fight the ‘church’.”